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(erielack) Some thoughts on Ray Baxter



This came from one of the fellows who worked with Ray on the Water Gap 
station project.  It is forwarded with permission.

                    ....Mike


In a message dated 9/10/00 9:16:15 PM Eastern Daylight Time, 
"richreese_@_fast.net" writes:

>  
>      We (R&LHS) were all aware of the seriousness of Ray's illness.  At our
>  chapter
>  annual picnic in June, his letter of resignation from two postitions, VP
>  Operations and newsletter editor was read.  In it he revealed the nature of
>  his illness, cancer on the left kidney, and made the statement that "it was
>  usually fatal".  He had been feeling poorly since the first heat wave of
>  spring and had spent five days in the hospital under the diagnosis of heat
>  exhaustion.  I called him after that meeting and in the course of our
>  conversation, he revealed that he would be undergoing surgery.  But that
>  never happened as they couldn't get his blood to clot properly.  In
>  hindsight that was probably because the cancer was advanced too far.  My
>  last phone call to him was the Thursday before he died, and like those from
>  most of his friends, he didn't want to talk and didn't want them to call
>  back saying that he would call them.
>      Over Labor Day weekend, his daughter left me a message that "it was 
only
>  a matter of time" .  I found out about his death at the regular work 
session
>  at the
>  station on Saturday morning.
>      Among his unfinished work were investigating whether the American
>  Architect's library in Washington, DC, had plans for the Delaware Water Gap
>  station, a possible donation of an operating train order board for the
>  station, historic site status and possible transfer of the Stroudsburg
>  Interlocking tower to the Monroe County Historical Society, where it could
>  finally receive proper funding for its care and preservation.  Now we must
>  soldier on, without his experience, contacts and knowledge to guide us.
>  
>  

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End of Erielack Digest V2 #825
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