Dear Editor: Hey guys, very disturbing. I just saw headline on internet from DEA.

THE LETTER JACKET I am taking a trip down Memory Lane since I saw the SHS cheerleaders wearing their letter “sweaters” at one of the recent home football games. It brought back bittersweet memories for me that I cherish to this day.

__ In the business of rental property, I have experience only with government property, such as the HUD apartments that I manage for the Stockton Housing Authority. And within the five-inch-thick manual of rules and regulations, there is the allowance for an “emotional support animal.” This would be an animal that has been prescribed appropriately by medical or mental health care professionals. Much has been written on this subject, whether it’s in the housing industry, or travel, or restaurants, etc., and I’m thankful that so far, I’ve not had to deal with support animals other than dogs or cats. But out there in the big, wide world, someone will have a pony or a pot-bellied pig that is their emotional support animal. But never would I expect to hear of an emotional support alligator. Until now. Meet WallyGator, the only alligator in the United States who has earned his emotional support animal certification. He lives in York, Pa., with his devoted owner, Joie Henney. Wally came into Joie’s life six years ago at a pivotal time, having lost three family members and four lifelong friends in two weeks’ time. Depression hit him hard. That’s when a friend, who rescues gators, introduced Wally to him and suggested that Joie adopt him. It didn’t take long for Joie to realize that Wally is not your typical alligator, and Wally has become quite the local celebrity in Joie’s hometown. Joie brings him to restaurants, shops, and the mall, and he draws a crowd of admirers wherever he goes. Wally has never shown anger or aggression; Joie even sleeps with the gator and trusts him implicitly. He is as docile as any other indoor pet and has never bitten anyone. When Joie began treatments for cancer, he really leaned on Wally for support. That’s when a friend suggested he register the gator, and WallyGator is now a card-carrying, licensed, emotional support animal, which means Wally gets to tag along wherever Joie goes. I’ve seen and heard and learned a lot in my years of managing public housing, but I’m just glad I’ve not (yet!) been approached by a tenant wanting to house an emotional support alligator!

Dear Editor: I am an SJH football player. I have recently noticed that you do not cover the junior high or high school games, or have very small articles about us.

Since I am on the Nova Theatre Board, a lot of people ask why the Nova has to wait a few weeks to run a movie when it is already in other theatres, doesn’t get this movie or that movie, or has to run a movie for two weeks, etc. So I thought I would explain how the studios work.

Last week I shared the story of my Goertzen ancestors who immigrated to America from Russia in 1874. The story kept growing as I went along, to where—late Sunday evening—I decided to break the story into two parts. Anything of this importance to my own life story is worth a thousand words. (No, I’m not counting!) Thousands of immigrants had emigrated to America where they could worship God as they wanted without fear of death. My great-great-grandparents were among this crowd. They brought with them a very precious possession: bags of Turkey Red Wheat. As soon as they could, they started planting these precious seeds into the soil, anticipating their first harvest. Along with farming, my great-great-grandfather, Heinrich Goertzen, was also the neighborhood blacksmith, sharpening the plowshares for the English-speaking people.

* So sorry to hear of Queen Elizabeth’s passing. She was a go-getter and took her title seriously.

Last week I shared the story of how the last name of my ancestors was changed way back in the 1600s. I can understand that it may not mean much to you as a reader, but for me, it is fascinating, and so I was happy to share the story. That name change occurred in the family that I’ve only known as Wedel—that being my Grandmother Goertzen’s maiden name. This week I want to tell you the story of my Grandfather Goertzen, and eventually, I’ll get to the family farm where I grew up, which was in the Goertzen family for over 100 years.

By Nancy Becker I have in my possession the story of my ancestors, dated in the mid-1600s. This story is archived in the church records of the Alexanderwohl Mennonite Church, my home church, in Goessel, Kansas.

* I have put my order in for a lovely, and long, fall season with the leaves turning into beautiful shades of orange, yellow and red. If it goes the way I would like it to, fall will have some cool rainy days when needed and will stay around until the end of November.