I could tell it was going to be a good visit before he even got to the boat. He approached with a purpose in his walk, exuding a wealth of experiences. In one hand, he held a plastic bag. In the other, my hand, which he shook vigorously.
He began to pull out the contents of the bag, professing his wishes that we have them. A nice collection of various maps and other canal related items materialized from the bag. The one that caught my eye was a black and white photo of a younger version of the man who stood before me now. The writing at the bottom of the image said “Herb Mead.” Turns out, Herb was the dock master in Ilion for a time. The current dockmaster, Don Sterling, carries on the tradition with pride in the facility. The Ilion Marina and RV Park is one of the finest and best maintained in the canal.
We passed some of Herb’s more notable memorabilia to the mayor, including his photo, for safe keeping in Ilion’s archive. Thanks Herb!
Erick Tichonuk
First Mate