Open Letter to the Finger Lakes Finns
from Carl Washburn
© Finger Lakes Finns Newsletter — May/Toukokuu 2002

I particularly wanted to attend the January meeting to thank everyone who sent me get well cards, thoughts, and prayers in my recovery from a very serious operation. When I was at the very lowest point in my recovery, those cards and thoughts were a tremendous help in getting me through it all and up on my feet again. I missed many of those people who were not at the January meeting and so to each one of you, thank you!

I was very pleased that Hemmo brought up how our name, the Finger Lakes Finns, came about. I want to elaborate on that a little.

I attended most of the early organizational meetings in the late summer and early fall of 1968, both as a Finn by marriage and as a chauffeur for Raili. At one meeting it was decided to have a little contest to pick a name for our group. I wanted something that would not restrict us to a particular community, event, or place. I did want something that was easy to spell and easy to remember. I wanted something that said who we are and where we are. "Finger Lakes Finns" just seemed to be a perfect fit. It also firmly identifies us by the beautiful part of the world where we live.

As a result of our excellent leadership and newsletter in the past few years, we have greatly expanded our contacts with two trips to Finland, Finn Fun Weekend, Sauna Tour, Helsinki War Veterans Choir, several super Fall Festivals, participation in several Finn Fests, newsletters sent or resent far and wide, Juhannus celebrations at Huttunens with visitors from around the world. Everyone who has had contact with us remembers "Finger Lakes Finns." We in turn have had contact with Finnish heritage groups from around the country and Canada and beyond. How many of those groups can you remember by name?

Whenever I look at the tapestry of New York and the Finger Lakes that Jean Lindblad made, with "Finger Lakes Finns" embroidered across the top, I feel a wonderful stirring of pride. Now we have coffee mugs, tee shirts, a scholarship fund, a newsletter, a web site, - all identified as "Finger Lakes Finns." The name always seems like a perfect fit.

I am very pleased that the committee picked that name back in 1968. It has served us well.

Our daughter Katrina attended the first organizational picnic at Stewart Park in August, 1968, even though she wouldn't be born until a month later. I am particularly proud that she is now an officer and seems to enjoy taking an active part in our meeting programs.

Above all I am also proud and glad that Raili was able to do so much to help keep the group alive and well for so many years. The FLF has now served very nicely for 331/2 years (already a third of a century) .

Paljon Kiitos — Carl Washburn

P.S. After a month's hospital tube feeding and then nursing home food, it was such a treat to taste the delicious (as usual) dishes at the January meeting.