I recently read the announcement that appeared in the Bryant Library newsletter that former congressman and now West Virginia Secretary of State Ken Hechler will be visiting this area on Oct. 21 to deliver a speech at the library.

The announcement implied that Ken Hechler was born and raised in the Village of Roslyn. On the contrary, the Hechler family resided in the Incorporated Village of East Hills. Ken's mother Katherine lived in East Hills and was a good friend of mine in the 1960s. When I was the president of the Roslyn Republican Club and our club met at Carpenter Hall in Roslyn Village, she would telephone me each month to pick her up at her house, drive her to the meeting, then take her home since age had prevented her from driving her own car at the time. Even at her advanced age, she was extremely alert, with always a twinkle in her eyes, friendly, and while there was a tremendous age difference, it was a delight for me to know and be with her once a month at our meetings. Mrs. Hechler's husband and Ken's father had been active in the Village of East Hills, civic affairs, when the large estates still existed in the village.

I also knew "Charlie" Hechler quite well until his demise. "Charlie" was a quiet man living in the Village of East Hills who often spoke of his brother Ken who had moved to West Virginia.

To set the record straight, Ken Hechler had his roots in East Hills and while obtaining his primary education in the Roslyn public schools, he is really a distinguished son of the Village of East Hills.