Two nice letters came recently, and the one from Lorne Chovaz stirred memories of the war years and working on parts of the famous Bofors gun at Otis Elevator.

Lorne's father, Charles Chovaz, worked a couple of workbenches away from me at Otis during those years. We worked extra hard and extra carefully during trying war times when each of our work orders carried the slogan,"Rush to the Battle Lines of Britain."

Lorne, who lived as a youth in Waterdown, recalls trips to the old North End to visit his Uncle Tom Murphy. Where, for goodness sake, would you find an Irish name like Murphy in the old North End? Just about everywhere!

Sheesh, the Murphys had a homelike store on James Street North that sold candy. And many a hard-earned, North End penny was spent there, all those golden years ago.

By golly, old Lorne remembers joining the sea cadets at the barracks on Bay Street North at Burlington, and how easy it was to thumb rides back then while wearing the cadet uniform.

In another letter, old Dick Bosher says " final" on his invitation for me (and my "significant other") to attend this last Celebration of Significant People dinner Friday, May 2 at Chandelier Place in Stoney Creek.

The celebration will honour such greats as Denis Leeson, Denis Griffin, Phil Morgan, Brian Gotto, Gary Stoar, Jim Lyle and Marty Sear. The dinner is in special recognition of the 1958 Central Junior Football team. (It's the 50th anniversary of John Wismer's first team.) Tickets are $25. Call Dick Bosher at 905-304-3231.

Old Bosher will flip when he sees the lovely "significant other" who will come with me to the event.

Ted Wilcox is a lifetime Hamiltonian with a passion for sports, community and, most of all, family.