The "Power of Words"

In 2002 the Ithaca Journal began a 20-part series of perspectives featured on the editorial page of the newspaper each Saturday, written by community members, which described the “Power of Words.” These articles tell about the amazing impact books and stories had in the lives of these guest columnists.

• May 11     Cal Walker
  Cal had no books in his home when he was young but became a passionate read-aloud dad when he had children. He describes how he and his children have benefited from those experiences.
• May 18     Alice Wu
  Alice grew up in NYC in a household that her two grandmothers lived in, too. One read to her and one told fabulous stories of when she was a little girl in China. Alice now tells those stories to her children.
• May 25     Doris Dohney
  She had no books in her own childhood, but Doris tells how she was fortunate to receive Jim Trelease's "Read-Aloud Handbook" when her first baby was born. By reading aloud to her son she was able to experience the pleasure of the stories she had missed in her own youth.
• June 1     Diane Lebo Wallace
  Diane conveys how reading aloud and giving her children early experiences with books has influenced their adolescence and the quality of their parent child interactions.
• June 8     Marty Luster
  Marty believes that every child needs books in their young lives. He looks forward to reading to his grandson the books that brought so much pleasure reading to his son.
• June 15     Suzanne Spitz
  Suzanne can't remember at age two when her mother died, nor when her father remarried when she was three. But the time in between is still vivid in her mind, when she lived with her grandparents, and her grandfather connected her with the pleasure of books.
• June 22     Laurie Lynn Lindstrom
  As a new parent, Laurie writes of she and her husband’s commitment to making books a part of her daughter Gillian's young life.
• June 29     Mimi Joy Schaffner
  Mimi tells about the powerful, warm memories of her grandfather reading to her and how she continued tradition of read aloud with her own children.
• July 6     Eileen Bach
  Starting with making books part of a bedtime ritual, Eileen’s children developed their own reading traditions and a love of books.
• July 13     Esty Schachter
  The magic of a favorite book is shared with childhood friends and passed down to Esty’s own son.
• July 20     Kathy Zahler
  The public library was a Saturday destination for Kathy during her entire childhood. Now, she has established that tradition with her daughter.
• July 27     Margaret Wakely Harris
  When Margaret was raising her son Casey, who is legally blind, she read to him, but also found that books on tape gave her son the freedom to enjoy books on his own.
• August 3     Jean Mc Pheeters
  Jean Mc Pheeters enjoyed listening to one of her sisters read to her when she was young. Then, when her father was dying, reading aloud played a soothing role for her family.
• August 10     Richard Flaville
  Dick discovered the joy of books while working on the night shift with a man who recommended his favorite titles.
• August 17     Fred Madeo
  Dick discovered the joy of books while working on the night shift with a man who recommended his favorite titles.
• August 24     David Kay
  David’s mother read aloud to him when he was young and he rediscovered the magic of read aloud with his own children.
• August 31     Lynette Chappell-Williams
  Lynette read voraciously while traveling in the car on vacation as a youngster. Her love of books was passed on to her daughter, even before she was born!
• September 14     Andrea Lachance
  While in college, Andrea had no time for “fun” reading, but she rekindled her love of books when she got her first job and found that her co-workers were avid readers.
• September 21     Grace McMenamin
  Grace grew up in a household with no books and never even set foot in a library until she was 40 years old. Since then she discovered that she comes from a family with dyslexia. Now Grace is a tutor with Literacy Volunteers, helping others learn to read.
• September 28     Pam DiPaola
  Pam’s children each wanted their same favorite books read over and over again at bedtime. Now that they are older, as each turned 18, Pam found the perfect present in giving them each their favorite childhood books.
• October 7     Brigid Hubberman
  The Family Reading Partnership’s mission is to give all children in our community the joy of books in their own homes.