Old Cardinal Charlie was going through a lot of old letters and cards pertaining to my Dowagiac Daily News columns from years ago.
I’d like to share a few of them with my readers, as most are well-known local folks.
Over the years I had letters and calls from Josephine Miller. She always thanked me for my column and encouraged me to keep on writing. She is now at least 100 years old.
• Charlie, wanted you to know how much Joe and I have enjoyed your articles. Keep remembering, Maxine Jerue.
• Charlie, thank you for writing your articles. I wish Leon was here as he would surely have enjoyed them, Frances Frontczak.
• A thank you from the Rev. Randal R. Huber, whose mother was a Dowagiac girl.
• A  letter from Irma Bowman from Florida, saying my writing is good therapy. She also said she was a classmate of my friend, Joy Murphy.
• A nice letter from Betty Wooster Singer in California saying how much she enjoys my writing.
• A note from Judy (Jurgenson) Schalm thanking me for my articles in the paper.
• A nice letter from Mrs. Merton Wilson saying how she enjoys my write-ups and John Kauffman and I bring back a lot of memories.
• A nice note from Karen (Tatman) Glyn. When I wrote about my friends at Heddon’s when I worked there, she said Pearl Wilson was her great-aunt and Marilyn Smith her cousin.
• A note from Cappy Grathwohl from Niles. He said Delmer Emmons beat him in three sets on the Pawating courts by the St. Joe River in Niles and John Zimmer beat Max Allen in three sets. Cappy beat Max Allen in his freshman year, but got beat by him as a sophomore, junior and senior. Butch Bournay, Delmer and I went to Niles and played with Cappy on his friend’s private court. Cappy is now a retired Berrien County judge.
• After sending thank-you to Linda O’Keefe for our senior citizen luncheon once and signing it Cardinal Charlie, she showed it to her class. One of her boys asked her if I was higher up (or lower) than a priest. She had to tell him my Cardinal name was from my favorite bird.
• A letter from Judy (Flanders) Carlisle saying how she and her brother, Larry Flanders, enjoy my column and look forward to it weekly. She gave me more info on her Uncle Don Flanders, who used to have a riding stable where Pizza Hut is.
• I have a nice long letter about the article I wrote about the Dowagiac Sea Scouts, which was sponsored by the Elks Club and led by “Skipper” Dorgan.
• I have a nice letter from Mrs. Sid Tremble thanking me about the flower gardens at the old Rudy factory. She said perhaps we could meet out at her house at the Mill Pond for further discussion, but passed away before I got to meet her. I’m sorry, as it was her dad who started the Rudy furnace factory.
• I got a letter from Earl Koch from California, who reads my column on his computer. He had found a family tree of his folks when they lived in Michigan, but left the area in 1918 due to the Spanish flu.
• Also, I found my letter from Dan Brosnan. He said the race was prior to a baseball game, merchants against a prominent black team. The starting point was from the big oak tree. Jesse Owens started fast and Walt Engle and his cycle closed the gap, but Jesse won by a foot or so.

“Cardinal Charlie” Gill writes a nostalgic weekly column about growing up in the Grand Old City.
Email him at cardinalcharlie@hotmail.com.