Opinion

Every city needs ambassadors that support it and represent their home town well. We all are representatives as we go about our lives. How we behave and talk with others reflects on Corning and our community. Corning lost one of its most faithful ambassadors with the passing of Louis Decker on December 27, 2020. He was 87 years old. I received the news late Monday evening about his death due to health issues from his wife, Sandy. We talked and laughed remembering Louis. She shared how he would tell people stories about where he grew up and the people here. Over the years she heard many accounts of Louis’ upbringing, our area and its people. Louis was raised as many of our parents and grandparents were in a rural area using woodstoves for heat, outhouses, toting water in the house and eating cornbread and buttermilk as a bedtime snack; back when people had to entertain themselves. Sandy grew up a city girl in Cleveland and the place and people he described were foreign to her urban upbringing. They were married 60 years.

I’m trying. So far, I have done everything I can to help make 1986 a better year. I started off by eating blackeyed peas and fried jowl on New Year’s Day for two reasons, one being the old belief that such food eaten on the first day of the new year will bring good luck throughout the year; but the main reason being, because I like them!

Our generation has never had our courage and conviction tested in such frightening ways as we are experiencing right now. I don’t even recognize many of our fellow countrymen right now. Except for the outliers, I believe that no matter the differences of opinion, the basic truth we have all have in common is our love of country and the importance of democracy.