First to Martin Margulies whose “dismay” at my letter the week before about seniors needing more space. I found his personal comments distasteful and out of line. First he claims I voted down the school budgets, which I did not (And how would he know anyway?). Then he suggests closing down the Senior Center. Is he for real? And his comment about line-dancing at the center was particularly inappropriate.

The center covers a great deal of experiences and provides company and friendships for people who need this. Obviously he does not!

I am wonderfully grateful to the center for offering me countless day trips, overseas tours, and a cruise where I have picked up at the center door by bus or limousine, thus avoiding the hazardous driving to airports, etc, and also for parties and picnics.

I have been caregiver to my husband for eight years through a progressing series of illnesses and this outlet has made a great difference to my life. So you see, its not all line-dancing!

The concern and friendship I have met at the center have been a blessing, particularly since my husband’s death a year ago.

I see Mr Margulies as a grumpy old man unable to accept life on life’s terms. He also apparently doesn’t have much fun.

I could only laugh at his final comment, and I quote “Half of us will be dead by the next town election and the rest of us won’t remember.” How pessimistic can you be? He seems also to anticipate the end of the world with this generation — there will be multitudes of “old folk” in the future, believe me, so cheer up, sir.

In reply to Suzy DeYoung’s letter, I am not “painfully unaware” of what goes on at the Children’s Adventure Center, nor am I opposed to its existence. My own children were brought up before preschool centers existed and I appreciate the advantage to single mothers having such facilities available. The issue is rather that this particular organization and the Senior Center seem unable to co-inhabit the same building.

Have you visited the senior quarters? If not I suggest you do so. We need space, as I’m sure the CAC does, so one of us has to go. It’s that simple.

As for all your descriptions of the qualities of the training the children receive such as I quote “kindness, open-mindedness, security and caring,” these are qualities I learned as a 4-year old at my mother and beloved grandmother’s knees. Values are carried out in the home. This is what parenting is, you should know that.

Also, I am not impressed by your statement that you hold a master’s degree in early childhood education. This is pompous and quite irrelevant. I did not include in my letter that my husband was a college teacher with a PhD and was chairman of the Communications Department at Fordham University until his retirement. That also would have been irrelevant.

I have raised three children with a knowledge of values and have four grandchildren being raised the same way. Yes, they all did go to preschool groups which I attended.

Your final comment was, therefore, impertinent and rude on a personal level, saying that I should visit CAC.

As the purpose of these letters is not to insult one another personally, to return to the real issue of what is to be done about the Senior Center needing to expand. I’m sure it would be easier for a private organization to find a location that it seems to be for the seniors.

I would like to thank Paul Fortugno for his follow-up letter request a sum of $5,000 for the Senior Center’s survey, as CAC received this sum, and this is not equality.

Lastly, I wish Mr Margulies all the solitude he seems to crave and a possible solution for his pessimism.

Thank you,

Nancy D. Gordon

11 Dinglebrook Lane, Newtown                            February 29, 2004