Monte Sano Civic Association Newsletter

June · July · August 2019

Civic Association Potlucks   So many of you came to the last potluck in April, and we’re hoping to see as many or more of you at the next gathering on Tuesday, August 20th at 6pm at the Monte Sano Lodge. Just as last time, paper products will be provided. Please bring a dish to share. If you wish, bring a bottle of wine to share as well! Babysitters will be on hand for activities for the kids, so families of all ages and sizes are welcome! Kem Robertson will be speaking about the new Monte Sano State Park Association, a Friends group that will support the park. (See page 2.)   Mark your calendar for the final potluck of the year: Tuesday, December 10th, also at Monte Sano Lodge. More details to come.  Kids In the Creek  Kids of all ages can hunt for aquatic critters in the Flint River from 9-11am, Saturdays August 24th and 31st at Brown Bear Canoes and Kayaks on Winchester Road. Sponsored by the Flint River Conservation Association, registration is required: call Soos Weber at 539-3747 by August 15th.  

MSUMC Recycles Cans for MADD  Monte Sano United Methodist Church collects aluminum cans for recycling, proceeds of which are used within Alabama to promote the mission of MADD: “To aid the victims of crimes performed by individuals driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs, to aid the families of such victims, and to increase public awareness of the problem of drinking and drugged driving.” This project is in memory and honor of Chris Hall, a mountain resident whose injury by a drunk driver resulted in quadriplegia. The bin for cans in located in the parking lot at the back of the church. 

 

Welcome to our NEW  and RETURNING members! 

 At the April potluck, we had 24 

households either join or reinstate their MSCA membership. Thank you for being a part of what makes this community great.  

 If you would like to check on your current 

standing as an MSCA member, please contact: mcsa.membership@montesano.org. 

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Monte Sano State Park Has a Friends Group: Monte Sano State Park Association (MSSPA) by Kem Robertson  Monte Sano State Park now has a mechanism for direct support from the surrounding community: the newly-formed Monte Sano State Park Association. State Park Rangers Randy Stults and Brian Moore asked the Civic Association in 2015 if the MSCA could form a 501(c)3 Friends group to support the park and to collect donations that would be used specifically for this park. All donations at the time went directly to the Alabama State Park system, which dispersed them throughout the state parks. The Civic Association had at various times in the past considered forming a supportive group, but there were tax issues that prevented it. The 2015 board determined a 501(c)3 organization would have to be a separate entity, much like the Monte Sano Club grew from the MSCA.   An independent group formed in early 2016 began researching existing Friends groups around the country in order to development a local Friends organization. There was only one Friends organization in Alabama at the time, so there was little-to-no guide to success. After a year of research, Monte Sano State Park Association, Inc. was formed, incorporated and registered as a 501(c)3 with the IRS by the Fall of 2017.  A proposal was sent to the Alabama State Park System for their technical and legal review. MSSPA had a signed cooperative agreement with the State Park system by January 2019.   

In addition to the State Park Manager/Ranger Brian Moore, MSSPA has a five-member Board: Bob Crook, Anna DiPlacido, Kem Robertson, Elizabeth Thornton and Greg Wright. The Incorporation papers allow MSSPA, per the 

direction of the Park Manager/Ranger, to develop a membership base, establish specific volunteer efforts and organize fundraising events. Currently the Park Ranger needs the board to collect donations for Monte Sano State Park improvements and emergency funds.   

Please support Monte Sano State Park with a donation to Monte Sano State Park Association (MSSPA) which has the same address as the park: 5105 Nolen Avenue, Huntsville, AL 35801.   

Little Green Store Gallery Nights   Rickie Higgins’ work (pictured below) will be featured at the next Gallery Night on July 11, from 5-8pm.          Other upcoming shows include:    

● August 1: Diana Werts ● September 5: Sanctuary Artists ● September 12: Alan Davis 

 

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 Speeding on the Mountain Speeding motorists on the boulevard continue to be a danger to pedestrians and other motorists. Please consider calling the police at their non-emergency number: 772-7100 and ask to speak with Officer Michael Johnson. The more calls they receive, the better!  MSCA Board Member David Hollander recently wrote City Council Member Frances Akridge about the incessant speeding motorcycles and cars on the boulevard, and a need for a crossing guard for the elementary school so children can ride their bikes and walk to school safely. In response, she’s she’s reached out to HPD Chief McMurray to set up “speed traps” and has forwarded David’s letter to Beth Wilder of the Board of Education.  If you are interested in joining the MSCA’s efforts in some capacity to address this issue, please reach out (msca.board@montesano.org) — we can use all the help we can get!               

 Monte Sano Supper Club On August 10, the Monte Sano Supper Club members will meet at the pool for a potluck dinner. Anyone interested in joining the Supper Club and/or attending this potluck is most welcome. New members are invited to join the club by September. Feel free to call Cam Scales (256-213-7052) or Laurel Karr (256-539-8364) for more information.    Rain Barrel Workshop The Flint River Conservation Association is sponsoring a free rain barrel workshop on the use and installation of these water conserving barrels on Tuesday, Sept. 10th from 5-6:15pm at the State Park Lodge. If you wish, you can buy rain barrels for $45 each (55 gals.). Register and/or reserve your rain barrels: call Soos Weber at 539-3747.   Splash for Trash on the Flint River On Saturday Sept. 28, for National Public Lands Day, the Flint River Conservation Association will hold "Splash for Trash" on the Flint River. Canoes and lunch will be provided by the TVA. Paddling experience is required or you can be a Landlubber — cleaning up at the bridge crossings. Call Soos Weber for more information or to register by Sept. 26th at 256-539-3747.       

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 Updates from City Council Member Frances Akridge It’s budget season! While we put capital improvements on a 5 & 10 year plan, the operating budget is a yearly event. In the past, there were long sessions for budget hearings when department managers and the public would make pleas for their priorities. Now, the Mayor sends a budget to the Council in September for the final approval. Rather than wait to see what the Mayor and his cabinet come up with, I've repeated what I used to do on behalf of the Northeast Huntsville Civic Association: I sent a list of requests based on observations and conversations with the people around me. Here's what I sent:   We all know that Paving and More Paving money is critical. Council is unanimous on that need. We need a small paving truck in the Public Works fleet to attack some of the very bad patches like the one on Nolan Ave. They are throughout the city and that work is too piecemeal to put out to bid.   I'm also advocating for these items next year:   Safety and Security 

● Mental Health care: Increasing the allocation to Wellstone by $200K Losses in productivity and the legal system will be reduced with an investment here.  

● School Resource officers: Hiring retired officers and increasing the numbers to at least put one in every school.   

● Freeing traffic police from event duty and replacing them with parking/traffic staff  

● Cameras and card readers in city garages to replace staffing 

Infrastructure 

● Rebuilding some roads for longer life and less paving in the future  ● Attack localized drainage problems by adding at least $100K ● Surveying existing conditions for street drainage in Five Points to plan 

for new storm drain system  

Quality of Life 

● Update at Crawford park to accommodate seniors in Edmonton Heights and neighbors who are students at A&M 5-8 yrs ($800K/ 5 year CIP) 

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● Rebuild Bankhead Parkway from Maysville to Tollgate to create a multi-use path protected by a guardrail, linking 3 neighborhoods to the downtown core ($800K /10 yr CIP) 

● Increase allocation to Arts Huntsville competitive grant program ($20K) 

Our budget is dependent on sales taxes: 54% comes from that source, so yes, please buy local! I'm also eager to improve the process for enforcement of city ordinances for property owners to meet the minimum building standards by including public notification of appeals, and tightening up ordinances for reducing blight including vacant buildings and empty sign armature. Our future workforce is in a crunch for all levels of wages; we need to attract more people of all skill sets, so workforce housing is a topic on the minds of restaurant owners hotel managers. I'm in touch with property owners / developers to consider co-living apartments: think upscale dormitories for adults. I'm also nosing around in the planning office to encourage conversations about making the apartments in Five Points "legal" to encourage renovation of the existing structures. As they sit now, they cannot replace structures or improve the structure with added floors as they are situated in a zone for single family houses.   I encourage you to call me to discuss these and any other matter that affects your daily life in our city.  Frances Akridge Contact Information (256) 427-5017 (w) frances.akridge@huntsvilleal.gov www.huntsvilleal.gov 

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  Monte Sano Village Sponsors New Community Bulletin Board by Delia Seigrist 

Monte Sano Village has a new bulletin board designed to serve the Monte Sano Community. With the generous sharing of space by Ana Byrne, under the direction of MSV member John Burns, and guided by the design of Chuck Vaughn, a team of Village volunteers recently completed work on the new bulletin board and free library in the parking lot of the Little Green Store. The MSV board members were inspired to take this initiative after they and their spouses completed CERT (Community Emergency Response Team) training and recognized the need for a central communication spot should the power go out on the mountain. When there is not an emergency, the village will post community-related items and events. If you wish to post a community related item, call Monte Sano Village, 256-384-4177 and leave a message or email your request to montesanovillage@gmail.com, with “Bulletin Board” as the subject line. The MSVillage will post as space is available and for a limited time. 

Pictured above: John Burns, Jim Mathison,  

Ed Baggott and Steve Caudle 

The finished product, located in The Little Green Store parking lot (just to 

the left of the mailbox’s new location).      

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Highlighting Residents’ Stories — New Feature! Our neighborhood is full of people with some amazing stories. So, we’ll periodically be featuring some residents’ stories. Our first person to be featured is Helga von Pragenau, a Monte Sano resident for almost 60 years. On the next page, she tells us the first half of her story. The second half will appear in the next newsletter.   

If you would like to tell your story, or know of someone we should invite to contribute, please contact us at msca.secretary@montesano.org. Thank you, and enjoy! 

 

A Life-Changing Visit  by Helga von Pragenau 

 

I was born in Brandenburg, Germany (near Berlin) during World War II. My father was killed at age 33 in Russia during a mission he was flying for the Luftwaffe (air force), and so my mother moved my sister and me to Hitzacker, near Hamburg. When the Russians overran our town, many families, including ours, were put on a horse-drawn wagon filled with straw and driven to a farm to live. We had nothing but each other, and now were dependent on the love and hospitality of the farmers — they were so very nice. Our living space, shared with other families, had to first be disinfected because the former inhabitants left a present, lots of flies! We could move back after the British liberated our town. Again we were dependent on the generosity of the lovely people in town. Our sweet, amazing mother had to move with us 13 times within our small town, always in one room, but she knew how to make it nice for us.   

Eleven years later, I was 21, living with my sister Margot in a flat in Hamburg. One weekend, I had saved money to take the train home to see my mother. While there, my mother asked, “Would you like to visit Uncle Erich in America?" I did not know that my sweet mother had been communicating for a while with her brother Erich, who lived in Huntsville with his family and worked on Wernher von Braun’s team.   

“What?” I replied. “Really?” The Bremen  

It took over half a year to get all the paperwork in order to be allowed to enter the USA on a visitor visa for three to six months. In May of 1961, all on my own, I boarded the Bremen--a dreamy ocean liner with all the amenities on board you might only dream of--though to enjoy them, one should not get seasick! Oh boy! Four of the seven days of the voyage were not pleasant. While there was a doctor on board, trying to see him was impossible. It was May, the waves very high, which made the ship 'dance'. It was no wonder I was not the only one feeling so miserable for a few days.  

Finally, all the passengers — over a thousand — gasped at the sight of the Statue of Liberty. Helga Stork arrived in America. My Uncle was waiting on the pier for me. It was early afternoon. The first thing he asked me was, “Are you tired?" My answer was "NO!" After dropping our luggage at a hotel, Uncle Erich walked with me through what seemed like all of New York, and at night he surprised me with tickets to the Radio City Music Hall — great, but what was that? At that time, I had no idea! After many interesting stops, like Washington, D.C., the Blue Ridge Mountains, Chattanooga and many more, we arrived in Huntsville after seven days.   — What happened in Huntsville? To be continued in the next newsletter. 

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 The Monte Sano Community Preserves Its History and Culture in the UAH 

Archives & Special Collections Compiled by 

Christel Ludewig McCanless (A mountaineer since 1963) 

 In the 1950s members of the German Wernher von Braun rocket team were transferred from El Paso, Texas, to Huntsville, Alabama, where some of them built houses on Monte Sano mountain with an elevation of ca. 1600 feet. It has been suggested the woodsy terrain reminded them of Bavaria in southern Germany, even though they had been working in Peenemünde on the Baltic Sea in the northern part of their home country until they came to the United States beginning in 1945. In recent years the next generation of these Transplanted Rocket Pioneers (publication by Charles Lundquist, 2014) has honored its fathers and families by donating space and rocket-related books, technical papers and reports, photographs, slides, oral histories, patents, etc., to the Archives, Salmon Library, University of Alabama in Huntsville. A complete listing of UAH archival collections is available. Members of the German/American Legacy Committee have assisted these efforts by encouraging donations of original documents in time for the 50th Anniversary of the Apollo 11 Moon Landing celebration in Huntsville during the month of July 2019, and thus preserving them for future historical research.   The staff at the UAH Archives uses the latest proven preservation techniques to organize, index, and eventually digitize the donated papers and audio-visual materials. What does UAH collect? A brief summary:  1. Archives of the University of Alabama in Huntsville 

 2. Aerospace, Flight, and Space - Thematic collections already at UAH: Aircraft Engine Historical Society, the Apollo Program, Lunar Roving Vehicles, Microgravity Experiments, Saturn rockets, Skylab … and still on the UAH wish list are personal papers from astronauts, engineers, pilots, and research professionals. 

 Personal collections from three Monte Sano residents on hand at UAH: Konrad Dannenberg, Saturn Systems Office, MSFC (Marshall Space Flight Center), Rudolf Hermann, First Director of the UAH Research Institute, Walter Jacobi, Propulsion and Vehicle Engineering Lab, MSFC, and others - Saunders B. Kramer, John P. Rankin and Lawrence J. Thomson, plus over 100 oral history interviews relating to space history. Both American and German documents are appreciated, since neither language is a problem for the UAH archival staff. 

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 Recent Monte Sano donations - A big thank you to the 2nd generation of von Braun team members for donating your very special family papers! 

● Ernst Geissler, Director, Aeroballistics (later Aero-Astrodynamics) Lab, MSFC, donated by his daughters Barbara Stokes and Katrina Weber. 

● Helmut Hoelzer (in progress) Director, Computation Lab, MSFC, donated by his children, Barbara and Hans. 

● William Mrazek, Director, Structures and Mechanics Lab, MSFC, shared by his daughter Ursula. 

● Rudolf Schlidt Collection donated by his widow, Dorette Schlidt, who just celebrated her 98th birthday, and was Dr. von Braun’s secretary in Peenemünde, Germany. 

● Ernst Stuhlinger, Associate Director for Science, MSFC, donated by his children Chris, Tilman and Susanne. 

● George von Pragenau, Astrionics Lab, MSFC, donated by his widow Helga, and their daughters. 

 3. Alabama’s Tennessee Valley History and Culture - Manuscript and monograph materials documenting the history and culture of the Tennessee Valley region of northern Alabama during the 20th - 21st centuries already contain these all-encompassing Huntsville collections - Frances Cabaniss Roberts Collection (local historian and teacher), Harvie P. Jones Collection (architect with a strong interest in preserving historical buildings) and Goldsmith-Schiffman Family and Harrison Brothers (long-time Huntsville establishments).  Recent Monte Sano Donation – We thank an amazing mountaineer, who so generously shared her love for Monte Sano with us! In 2017, Jane Barr, long time Monte Sano resident, gave her 67-year collection of interviews, letters, maps, deeds, slides, photographs about Monte Sano – the mountain of health – to John Allen, a charter member of the Monte Sano Historical Association, Mr. Deane Dayton stored it and later donated these treasures to the UAH Archives. The contents of the Monte Sano Historical Collection are searchable, and a sampling has been digitized. 

 For the story in this Monte Sano Civic Association Newsletter Jane Barr shared some highlights from her hobby of documenting the history and culture of Monte Sano: 

 “My husband Thomas Barr and I came in 1950 with Dr. von Braun’s team from El Paso, Texas. While Tom was working, I began collecting information on Monte Sano. On April 23, 1992, I invited a group of friends 

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to our house, and we organized the Monte Sano Historical Association. I served as its first president. A dozen historical markers were installed on Monte Sano from the southside, the residential area, into Monte Sano State Park on the north end of the mountain. In 2011, the Monte Sano Historical Marker Tour took place.” Walt Terry, Jane Barr, John Allen, & Jim Coleman  

at the 1992 Monte Sano Historical Association Meeting  A selection of my publications: 

● The Legend of Monte Sano, 1991. Used by Jane Barr and Montyne McMillan for a water ballet with 50 children at the Monte Sano Swimming Pool. 

● Monte Sano: History and Photographs, 1999.  ● The Architecture of Monte Sano, Huntsville, AL., 2001. ● Archaeology: From Digs to Display, 2001. The project included the 

1835 Fearn and the 1890 O’Shaughnessy home sites, both located in the Monte Sano State Park. Artifacts from the dig plus other historical items were placed into five display cabinets at the Monte Sano Elementary School where Brenda Letson, a fellow mountaineer, and I organized the Monte Sano School History Club in 1998. Members were taken on field trips to historical areas on the mountain. My scale model of Monte Sano is on loan to the Land Trust in downtown Huntsville. 

 1. Political Papers Related to North Alabama - Congressional papers of Robert E. Edward “Bud” Cramer, Jr., and Robert E. “Bob” Jones.  

 2. Science Fiction Literature - Individual monographs, short stories, and the papers of science fiction writers and organizations, i.e., Willy Ley Collection and the Robert L. Forward Collection, and the Windell Strickland Collection consisting of over 2,500 works of popular science fiction. 

 3. Rare Books - Not a primary collecting area, only a small collection on hand.  

 One highlight is Willy Ley's collection of books on early rocketry and zoology. 

 

Contact details: UAH Salmon Library, 310 Sparkman Drive NW, Huntsville, Alabama 35805. Monday-Friday 9:00 am-4:00 pm, 256.824.6523, or archives@uah.edu about donating archives, using the collection, or scheduling oral history interviews. 

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The University of Alabama in Huntsville Archives and Special Collections staff invites the community to enjoy an afternoon of Apollo history at the Louis Salmon Library on Sunday, July 14 from 2:00-4:00 pm. The event will include behind-the-scenes tours of the archives, a showing of the acclaimed documentary, When We Were Apollo, and an Apollo history exhibit curated by Archives and Special Collections staff. Light refreshments will be served. 

 

In 2006, after three successful space flights in 1990’s retired astronaut Jan Davis began a tradition at the Monte Sano United Methodist Church, 601 Monte Sano Blvd, 35801, 256.533.6083. You are cordially invited to join us for this year’s celebration – Contemporary Service 9:00 am, Traditional Service at 11:00 am. Every July, the Monte Sano United Methodist Church has celebrated Lunar Communion; in remembrance of the Apollo 11 team celebrating Holy Communion as one of their first acts upon landing on the lunar surface. This year, in honor of the 50th Anniversary of the Moon Landing, our church will welcome four guest speakers in our worship services in July.  July 7, 2019, we will welcome Robert Lightfoot, NASA Acting Administrator (2017-2018) July 14, 2019, we will welcome Billy Hix, Director of Motlow College's STEM outreach program. ** July 21, 2019, we will welcome Margit von Braun, daughter of Wernher von Braun. Communion service open to all faiths is only on this Sunday closest to the 1969 Apollo Moon Landing. July 28, 2019, we will welcome Jan Davis, retired astronaut.  You are invited to join us for this special month of worship and celebration!  

       

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 Monte Sano Civic Association Membership 

Application (and Renewal Form)  

  By joining the MSCA, you help to bring our community together!   The Monte Sano Civic Association was formed in 1954 with a charter created to preserve, protect, and enhance the quality of life on Monte Sano Mountain. The MSCA is open to all residents of Monte Sano. A ten-member Board of Directors oversees and coordinates the activities of the association. Please read the Bylaws for more information about the governance of the MSCA at www.montesano.org/msca/bylaws. 

 Dues Notes: Membership dues of $30 are due in January every other year. For your dues status, contact msca.treasurer@montesano.org. Dues can be mailed to the address below or paid at the General Membership Meeting/Potluck Supper (held three times this year).   

Online payments at www.montesano.org/msca/membership   

 Date ___________________________________  Name __________________________________  Address ________________________________  Phone Number __________________________  E-mail Address __________________________ 

 Please send application and $30 (membership 

dues, good for two years): 

  

Monte Sano Civic Assn.  PO Box 10077  

Huntsville, AL 35801 

 

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