Historical signed letter, March 1982. The writer’s assessments and opinions are preserved and attributed.
I would like to express my gratitude to the people of Skinker-DeBaliviere for having given me such a warm and friendly welcome to the neighborhood.
As a lifelong City resident (except for that recent unpleasantness in Vietnam) I know, as we all do, that our City’s strength lies in its neighborhoods and that a neighborhood’s strength lies in that spirit of cooperation and dedication to city living exhibited by so many of the people I’ve met since the beginning of my tenure at SDCC.
During the American Revolution, Benjamin Franklin was reported to have remarked, “we must all hang together or we shall most surely hang separately.” We modern urbanites find ourselves in a somewhat similar situation: shrinking City revenues, a distorted neighborhood image created by diffident and inaccurate media reporting and rapidly disappearing Federal support have created a situation where we City people, like our revolutionary predecessors, must indeed “join or die.” The modern urban environment is such that a cooperative spirit and united neighborhood efforts are paramount to the continued well-being of the neighborhood and revitalization of our City. SDCC, by being the source for united community efforts and the resource for meeting community needs, can be an effective positive force for the neighborhood in the urban community.
This is the status which, working together with the SDCC Board of Directors, I hope to attain and maintain.
However, like the proverbial journey of a thousand miles, one must begin with a single step. That step is to listen to the thoughts of those individuals concerned with their neighborhood in order to learn the needs and issues which must be confronted and met. Then we can begin the discussion of alternatives and adoption of policies necessary to meet the challenges of the future for both the Skinker-DeBaliviere neighborhood and the City of St. Louis. Sincerely, Ron Laboe
Originally published in The Paper, March 1982.
Read this article in the original newspaper issue.
Original source: SD_Times1982_03.pdf, printed page(s) 2; PDF page(s) 2.
