and making them feel valued. All I had to do as president was run two meetings a year and put out small fires. This was also the famous Weekend of the Potato Gun. I remember a length of PVC pipe and a good-sized potato. Tony and I went outside, where Tony loaded the potato into the PVC “barrel” and launched it skyward. Jane, having many times witnessed the firing, wisely stayed indoors. Fortunately, no one was injured. Long after my term as president expired, we exchanged Christmas cards, theirs being the first I received every year. Tony always photoshopped their faces onto Christmas-themed scenes, such as Tony and Jane bundled up in the back of a sleigh, or Tony their home and invite everyone they could think of, usually about 50 relatives, friends, and neighbors. LAURIE RANKIN #5525WV: The first time I met Tony and Jane was at the annual banquet for my finish of the 46. They constantly had a smile on their faces; they were as filled with joy about my finish as they were about everyone’s. I felt so welcomed into this group because of the two of them that night. I never hiked with them, but I met Tony on a bushwhack in the middle of the Catskill woods one day. He just loved being out there! As to the historian’s position, our history is part of the importance of the organization, its care and concern for its beginnings and for all who went before us. We must understand how similar all of our journeys have been, how only this small group of people have shared that experience, and how they overcame obstacles. Perhaps most important is the generosity that those who came before us had for their fellow 46ers and these mountains. We should all follow their example! MARY LOU RECOR #2214WV: I got to know Tony and Jane when, as the new 46er president in 2004, I spent two days with them learning what exactly the volunteers of the Office of the Historian did. I went home feeling grateful that I was president and not historian! Their tasks included picking up mail, sorting it, sending it to correspondents, and advising correspondents and Jane skating in Victorian-era costumes. They always made me laugh! I passed many nights at their home during my quest to climb the Catskill high peaks. They were always gracious hosts as we reminisced about our times climbing the Adirondack High Peaks and serving the organization. Tony joined me on my last 3,500-foot peak, Doubletop, in winter 2020. [Note: Doubletop Mountain is currently closed to the public.] I sat next to Tony on Memorial Day Weekend 2025 when I attended the 46er spring meeting. We were at a table with other old-time 46er volunteers, talking about the good old days when we were still climbing every weekend. He still has his dry sense of humor. 46ers climb Hoffman Mountain in solidarity post-9/11 SUMMER 2026 | 15
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