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PORT PERRY STAR -- Tuesday, October 17. 1989 -- 7 | was intrigued last week by stories in the daily papers suggesting that Gordie Howe might come out of retirement to play one game in the National Hockey League. The Saggestion was that Howe would suit up early in 1990 with the L.A. Kings and play on a line with Wayne Gretzky, the chap who right now is fast closing in on the all-time league scoring record held by Howe. By playing just one game (or one shift) in 1990, Howe could claim to have played pro hockey in six decades from the '40s to the '90s. The stories making the rounds quoted Howe as saying there is no substance to the idea, it's nothing but a wild dream, and it won't happen. But I'm not so sure. Stranger things have hap- Pined in the world of sport, and consider Bruce cNall, the owner of the L.A. Kings. He's certainly not the kind of guy to shy away from a little publici- ty. And he did, after all, buy Gretzky from the Oilers for about $15 milion, a move that sent shock waves running from one end of Canada to the oth- er. Frankly, | hope this thing never happens. Gor- die Howe is a legend, not only in hockey, but in all of sports. He doesn't need this. To see a 61-year legend suit up for even a single hockey game against men in their 20s and 30s would tarnish his image, not to mention the image of the NHL. Can you imagine the outcry if some baseball club owner convinced Hank Aaron or Mickey Man- tle to come out of retirement for a game to face a Dave Stewart fastball? Viewpoint by John B. McClelland For the sake of everyone involved, | hope that Howe is right when he says this will never take place. He doesn't need to be part of a silly stunt. | want to remember Howe as a player of the '50s and '60s, perhaps the best to ever lace on a pair of skates. | want to remember the year he played for Hartford at the age of 52, in itself a re- markable feat. And | want to remember Howe as the best off-ice ambassador the sport has ever had. Lord knows, hockey needs all the ambassa- dors it can muster at every level. Let us all hope that this idea is nothing more than a pipe dream bouncing around in the imagina- tion of some Hollywood P.R. hack. EXPECTING TOO MUCH? The Ontario health care system is coming un- der heavy fire over the case of a Midland woman who swallowed acid and later died when her per- sonal doctor was unable to find a hospital and spe- cialist capable of performing the highly delicate sur- gery that might have saved her life. Her doctor is quoted in press reports as saying he spent three hours on the phone, contacted 14 different hospitals as far away as Toronto, without success. I'm the first to admit that health care in this province is far from perfect, but in this particular case, | wonder just how fair it is to label the entire system as falling apart. A woman swallows a large amount of corro- sive acid/lye in a suicide attempt, then shows up at a fairly small hospital in Midland and presumably tells her GP to "save my life." I'm no expert, but a layman's guess would sug- gest that the type of surgery she needed could only be performed by a highly specialized team of sur- geons working against the clock in a hospital with all the necessary equipment at their disposal. In this case, | wonder if anything could have saved her life. Sure, every citizen in this province has the absolute right to the best possible medical care, but | don't think we have the right to demand miracles. There are limits. THE VIA NUMBERS | received a large packet of information last week from the federal transport ministry about Via Rail. Curious how this info package arrived AFTER the cuts in Via service had been announced, but that's another story. Regarding the Toronto-Havelock run, the re- port shows that 59,067 passengers used the line in 1988, or an occupancy rate of 32 per cent. Not quite so. This figure did not take into ac- count passengers who bought their tickets on board the train. In fact, according to Tor-Hav Passenger Association, the actual number of riders was over 80,000 last year. Makes one wonder about the rest of the data in this package, and whether the government was basing its decision on numbers not quite correct. Frankly, | don't think the federal government gives a tinker's damn about numbers. The Conser- vatives had decided months ago that Via service would be slashed, and once the decision was made, nothing would alter that course. Turn to pagei0 Remember When? 45 YEARS AGO Thursday, November 2, 1944 Hallowe'en was just a little different in Port Perry this year for the boys and girls. On their rounds in the evening, instead of collecting candy apples and other sweet things, the people were asked to shell out pennies for the "Milk for Britain Fund." Pte. Robert Carnegie, C.A.D.C., spent the weekend with his wife and family. On October 21st, Rev. Eyres officiated at the marriage of Beryl Marie Mitchell to Ivan Reginald Gray. 35 YEARS AGO Thursday, November 4, 1954 John L. Sweetman, for five years Scugog Township's Reeve, has resigned to become a road foreman for the County. Rev. W.W. Thompson of Port Perry Pentecostal Church, has accepted a new pastorate in Liverpool, N.S. The succeeding Pastor is L.A. Faulkner of Belleville, Ontario. Over 1,500 boys and girls are expected to compete this spring in what promises to be the most successful public speaking con- test ever held by the Lions Clubs of Ontario. 30 YEARS AGO Thursday, November 5, 1959 Saturday night, Miss Mildred Martyn sponsored a Hallowe'en party at her parents' home. Twenty eight girls and boys arrived to take part in the activities of the evening. Hallowe'en dance at the High School sponsored by the Athletic Society was a great success. Prizes for the best custom- ed pair went to Kaye Hastings and Jennifer Edwards. The executive of thie District Youth Council met in the Port Perry Anglican Church rectory. 25 YEARS AGO Thursday, November 5, 1964 ~ Gordon Lewis and Robert Howsam of Port Perry were in- stalled into the local Lions Club last Monday evening. Deputy District Governor Lion, Ed. Nichols of Port Hope, who was pay- ing his official visit to the Port Perry Club, helped to install the two new members. Almost 70 persons responded to the offer of holding night school classes at the Port Perry High School. Karen Geer and Betty Medd, Epsom, with other members of P.P.H.S. Grade 10, attended a production of Julius Caesar at the New Yorker in Toronto. Mrs. Meta Howsam and Mrs. Bruce Holtby, Prospect, at- tended a Teachers' Convention on Friday at the University of Toronto. (Turn to page 8) Letters to the editor To the Editor: With regret I read of Peter's decision to discontinue his Ran- dom Jottings column. Two readers had disagreed with his viewpoint on the issue of "waiting,'"' and rather than focus- ing on the issue chose to criticize you and your staff inappropriately. Unfortunately, there are a few people who do not consider the im- pact of their words. But, on careful consideration, most readers would dismiss an offensively-worded letter as little more than the inability of the writer to analyse an issue or to ex- press an opinion. Everyone has the right to state his or her opinion, but has as well the responsibility to do so in a manner which does not com- promise the rights of others. A reasonable person states an op- posing point of view in a manner which respects the dignity of the other individual. Hang in there gang To the Editor: The Port Perry Star is a com- munity newspaper, and needs col- umns by J.P. Hvidsten, Rob Streich, and Julia Ashton. So hang in there, J.P.! Those who prefer less "nauseating" and "trivial" mat- ters can contribute and/or read letters and articles on the follow- ing subjects: 1. The death penalty for rape, murder, and child-molesting. 2. Publish names of "'juvenile"' criminals over 13 years of age. 3. Sentence belligerent members of "youth gangs" to a government-run organization for paid labor (like the American Civilian Conservation Corps back in the 1930's). 4. Eliminate parole for prisoners (lower sentence in some cases, but make them serve the time). 5. Ban strikes (or unions) in government and public services (post office, transportation). 6. Ditch Mulroney. Sincerely yours, Warren T. McCready, Greenbank, Ont. Smile For The Day With rights come responsibilities Peter, I believe that you have the support of the all-too-silent majority. However, by remaining silent we may convey the er- roneous impression that we agree with the criticism or condone the manner in which 'it was presented. Not so. Human interest stories & editorials are an integral part of a small town newspaper. State- ment & examination of concerns & opinions are necessary to enhance understanding. This is a caring community, & I believe that our newspaper should reflect that fact. It has done so in the past through the efforts of you and your staff, & I hope to see it continue. Yours truly, M. Connie Jamieson, Port Perry, Ont. SR CARE "THE WORD 15 INTENSIVE. " ee rm. r-- bn oY,