WordUp by Chad Gramling

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Auburn is known to many as the “Home of the Classics” – a moniker that is usually attributed to the classic Auburn, Cord and Duesenberg automobiles that were built in the city back in the 1920’s and 1930’s. But the classic nature of Auburn applies to more than cars. It applies to many other facets that are part of the city’s fabric. If you haven’t lived there or in a city of similar nature, you just cannot begin to understand what I mean. If you have been fortunate enough to enjoy such an upbringing, you too will know what I mean.

Some folks aren’t cut out for the classic city lifestyle. Me on the other hand, my roots are classic roots. And that is the point of this post.

A few weeks ago, I tore down the rusted out, ugly metal shed that had been the bane of my back yard since we moved in over half a decade ago. I moved the base back several feet and began to shovel the rocks that had anchored the base into their new location.

After a while, I came across some rotted roots from pine trees that were forced to come down after first being struck by lightning and then later loosing many limbs as the result of an ice storm (and you thought you had a bad year!).

My daughter asked why I was pulling up the roots. I responded by explaining that they were rotted. Like any three-year-old, she asked . . . ‘why?’ I explained that when we took the trees out, the roots were no longer needed and stopped producing the wonderful trees that we and many birds used to enjoy.

Of course, she asked why. This was the point that I used default answer and said, “Because God said so.” Naturally, that wasn’t answer enough for her and she pressed further, so I had to change the discussion (which took some doing).

But I do miss those trees. It reminds me of a massive walnut tree that used to tower in the back corner of my elementary school playground. During my fifth grade year, the tree, which stood next to the gymnasium, was removed.

It was old and the walnuts were always falling onto the playground and they really were quite a nuisance. It may have been a good thing that it was removed. But the fact is, nothing was planted in its place, and even if it had been, it would take decades for anything to grow to the same level of magnificence.

Now, back to that gym.

To me, it was the McIntosh Gym. To the generation before me, it was the Auburn High School Gymnasium. Either way, we all have memories of the gym.

My earliest memory is of a time when I was about five, my mother took me there to have my fingerprints recorded. Later, my “kindergarten roundup” took place there. Then, I began attending the school. In that gym, I played kick ball, ate my lunches, performed in the annual Christmas pageant, played hide-and-seek and later in life, attended public library books sales. During a couple academic years, the administration recruited us to go door-to-door selling cheeses and summer sausages as fund raisers to help build a walkway from the school to the gymnasium.

Today, bricks from that gymnasium are falling to the ground. The building is old and somewhat of an eyesore. What’s more, it’s a threat to those who pass by.

But unlike the tree, there are folks who want to see it saved. They know that removing it from the classic city will also remove a major root that has established the city’s character, its charm, its legacy. You see, just as a root will decay without the tree, a tree will cease to be without its roots.

These folks, who intend to repair and utilize it as an arts center, are under a tight deadline (Tuesday 6/18) to raise $20,000 to preserve this component of our community. I am personally pledging my support and a bit of my own money to help their effort. What can I say? It’s in my roots!

I encourage you to help any way you can. If you can offer your assistance, please contact John Bry at (717) 236-2042, (717) 798-5218 or solwles88 @ yahoo.com. You can also contact Roxanne Fike at 206-402-5613. Every little bit will help.

Tags: McIntosh, Auburn High School, Arts, historic preservation, Classic City, Home of the Classics, Roots