1930

Most of you have heard of the Sakonnet Point Light, off the Atlantic Coast near Little Compton, R.I. Builtin 1885, for 70 years it guided mariners approaching the coast until it was doused by a hurricane in 1955. The following year the U.S. Coast Guard decommissioned it, and in 1961 auctioned it off. Our Carl Haffenreffer, previously known for Old Narragansett Ale and America's Cup defenders, bought it for $1,300, and subsequently spent considerably more than that toward its restoration.

That proved to be more than a one-man job, and in the early 1980s Carl deeded the property (and responsibility) to the Friends of the Sakonnet Light, a group organized to protect his landmark, a symbol of pride and distinction for Little Compton. Initial restoration cost more than $150,000 in contributed funds, though many of the donors had never seen the light operating. But that has now changed. After a decade of unsuccessful negotiation with the Coast Guard, the intervention of Senator John Chafee brought permission from the Coast Guard for the Friends to install and maintain their own light, and on March 22, 1997, Sakonnet Point Light again began beaming its signal to mariners, an event appropriately celebrated by Little Compton, the Friends, the senator, and undoubtedly by Carl.

I don't know when I last heard anything from, or about, George Porter, but back in March a bright-eyed reader of the Washington (D.C.) Times spotted an article, not about George but in which he was quoted. The article was about the IONA Day Health Center in northwest Washington, and George, apparently a frequent visitor, was interviewed and quoted as saying, "Here we have an opportunity to make friends and share different points of view (and) to have philosophical discussions."

Gee whiz news: Three times during the week between May 28 and June 4 the nation's daily high and low temperatures were recorded in Arizona. On May 28 Lake Havasu City hit 110, while, across the state, Alpine dropped to 27. Closer geographically, Bullhead City and Grand Canyon on June 4 had a difference of 74 degrees in a distance of 155 miles.

318 Los Rincones, Green Valley, AZ 95614-2937

Carl Haffenreffer bought the Sakonnet Point lighthouse for $1,300 and spent much more on its restoration. Robert M. Marr '30