‘Best Bus Driver on Earth’
Jackie Terry is the best bus driver on Earth [“Precious Cargo,” February 8]. I taught kindergarten in Vergennes for 26 years. My students spoke highly of her daily.
I was especially impressed by how much out-of-pocket money and time she gave to her charges. Jackie went above and beyond her job expectations every day, and it worked for her kiddos.
She has missed her calling. She should have been a teacher.
Beth Ekroos
Bristol
Why High School Love?
I’m perplexed by the specificity of showcasing high school sweethearts for the Love & Marriage Issue [“Sweethearts Still,” February 8.] The article itself doesn’t provide a reason to focus on this age bracket.
While it’s wonderful and great that some individuals find their person in high school, we also know that the average age of marriage in the U.S. is now 28 for women and 30 for men. That is a long potential courtship! The article does little to represent changing social trends.
Three-quarters of the couples in the article met more than 50 years ago.
I can’t tell what the reference to high school is promoting? Apparently true love can happen below the legal marriage age. While it’s heartwarming to hear that couple’s endearing story, I doubt a probate judge’s approval is common in most modern wedding plans.
My own parents met in high school; this seems like an unrealistic expectation to project on today’s youth — or even for my own Generation X. Articles like this celebrate longevity as the measure of a relationship. Luckily, this diverse selection of couples shows that longevity is not what we should be celebrating; we should celebrate their unique stories instead.
Meredith Breiland
Milton
Respect for the Unhoused
As a community activist for the unhoused, and a resident of Burlington’s Elmwood Avenue, I’m writing to support the new temporary shelter community [“Residents to Move Into Elmwood Avenue Pods This Week,” February 6, online]. It is a great honor to work with the team of people who made this happen for the unhoused, giving them another opportunity to get back on their feet. As a gay senior citizen and Native American, I believe in helping out people who deserve respect, honor and dignity at all times.
David Call
Burlington
Astute Review
I just wanted to say how much I appreciated your review of Northern Stage’s ‘Bov Water [“Tree of Life,” February 1]. I had some of the same reservations and appreciation, and admired how beautifully theater reviewer Alex Brown articulated it all.
Yes, the play did create barriers by eliminating context, and yes, I did still get immersed in individual small moments in which characters (especially those by the amazing Erin Margaret Pettigrew) created connections despite the barely implied backstory. The lovely movement and evocative set helped as well, as Brown noted.
Reviews are so critical to audience education and development, I believe. You can mold our unformed blobs of impressions into a cohesive shape that then allows us to have aha moments about what we saw. As a director, I also welcome the feedback from a trained eye and know I have grown from those insights.
Lastly, reviews do also function as previews for people who were considering an event but needed that final push, and in that sense they support our work.
Joanne Greenberg
Montpelier
More About 251 Club
I think that the True 802 with the online headline “A Burlington Pup Visited Every Vermont Town — and Peed in Most, Too” [February 1] should have talked more about the history of the 251 Club. I have never heard of this club, and this article would have benefited from more information about it. For example, who visited every town first, if anybody has done it twice, etc. With more information about the club, it might gain more members.
Additional information could also highlight this feat by both the owner and the dog. Personally, I am not sure whether or not this is a hard club to be a part of. This is another example of where additional information about the club would have been helpful.
Promoting clubs like this is a great opportunity for a small state like Vermont. These clubs can help a small community or group of people come together. They also give people something to do. Kids have clubs and extracurriculars to stay busy, so why shouldn’t everyone?
Aaron Brock
Proctor
Editor’s note: Agreed, the 251 Club is an interesting local phenomenon. Seven Days has written about it on numerous occasions — including in a February 23, 2021, Staytripper story entitled “Roads Less Traveled: The 251 Club Encourages Vermonters to Explore the State.”
Demolition Raises Questions
[Re “Burlington Allows Parish to Demolish Historic Cathedral,” January 11, online]: The recent decision to demolish the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception, a treasured community asset and culturally significant landmark property, has sparked serious concern in the community. There was more community support for adaptive reuse to save this Smithsonian-caliber property than any other building, and the Development Review Board hid the fact that the property had been under contract with a developer for almost a year.
In his book Capital City, Samuel Stein writes that “the city is not just a collection of buildings and streets, but a social and political organism whose design reflects power relations.” The recent decision by the DRB raises questions about the balance of power between developers and the community.
As residents of Burlington, we must ask ourselves: What is the role of the DRB in our city? Is it to promote the interests of the community or to facilitate rapid and profitable development?
We cannot afford to sit back and watch as our city’s history and cultural heritage are erased for the sake of short-term profits.
Celina Barton
Plainfield
Barton is a real estate broker.
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This article appears in Feb 22-28, 2023.
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