[at-l] forward from aldha - [ALDHA] We've lost another great guy

[KarenS62@aol.com (KarenS62@aol.com)]

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I am copying an email sent to the aldha list from Bill O'Brien for those of
you who aren't on that list.   Bill says it better than I ever could. POG

Subj:   [ALDHA] We've lost another great guy
Date:   8/9/2002 5:51:29 PM Eastern Daylight Time
From:   <A HREF=3D"mailto:bobrien@rep-am.com";>bobrien@rep-am.com</A>
Reply-to:   <A HREF=3D"mailto:list-aldha@lig.net";>list-aldha@lig.net</A>
To: <A HREF=3D"mailto:list-aldha@lig.net";>list-aldha@lig.net</A>
Sent from the Internet (Details)



Dear ALDHA members,

I'm sorry to be the bearer of bad news, but we've lost another pioneer hike=
r
of the trail. The first southbounder, Chester Dziengielewski, died Thursday
at his home in Naugatuck. It was quite unexpected. He was a quiet guy and h=
ad
faded pretty much into the woodwork for many years but thanks to ALDHA, he
slowly came out of his shell, and over time, for those who had a patient ea=
r,
he opened up about some of his pretty amazing experiences.

I am lucky to have counted Chester as a friend for the past several years,
and even had him over to my house a few times just to talk. Once he got goi=
ng
in a one-on-one situation or a small group, he could go almost as long as
Earl could.

He was also somewhat tickled that I could spell his name, cold, at the drop
of a hat. I couldn't pronounce it always so smoothly (until Larry Luxenberg
explained how simple it really is) but he was a proud guy who, unlike his
brothers, kept the original spelling of his name his whole life.

Because I work at the newspaper that Chester read every day, I was fortunat=
e
to see his obituary before it ran in today's paper. I added a few things
(took out a few others that were just plain inaccurate) and made sure to
mention the occasion of the presentation of that plaque that Larry
coordinated at our Gathering in 1999. In hindsight, I am mighty glad Larry
took the initiative to get that plaque made. It made Chester quite happy to
receive some recognition nearly 50 years after his groundbreaking southboun=
d
hike.

There are two stories I will never forget about Chester. One was from him. =
He
told it to a hushed group gathered for the sunrise service at the 1998
Gathering, the one where we commemorated the 50th anniversary of Earl's
thru-hike by having pioneer hikers like him and Gene Espy come and share
their stories. (I had asked Gene to officiate at that service, and I think
that made Chester a little more willing to open up.) Chester told a story
about how he was off hiking a trail somewhere in New Hampshire when he
slipped and fell off a cliff. He always suspected he had a special angel on
his shoulder because as quickly as he fell he instinctively reached his han=
d
out to grab onto something, even though he didn't really have time to see
what was available to grab onto. And lo and behold, his hand clasped around=
 a
tree root or a small bush, and he held on for dear life, long enough for hi=
m
to clamber back up to safety. Without that branch, he believes he almost
surely would have been killed.

I don't do that story justice, only Chester could. Suffice it to say you
could hear a pin drop in the chapel at the Appalachian South Folklife Cente=
r
when he slowly told it.

The other story is a personally satisfying one, since it was trail magic in
every sense of the word. I had worked with Larry Luxenberg in getting as ma=
ny
early pioneer hikers as possible to come to our 1998 Gathering in Pipestem,
especially since it didn't appear that Earl would be finished with his 50th
anniversary thru-hike in time to attend. (He was still on the trail the
weekend of the Gathering.) So I was ecstatic when Gene Espy wrote back and
told me he'd be honored to attend, and mentioned that he was hoping to see
Chester there as well. That was when I learned for the first time that he a=
nd
Chester had met on the trail in 1951 during their respective thru-hikes, an=
d
that Chester visited with Gene in Macon, Ga., when Chester finished at
Oglethorpe. But they hadn't seen each other in all the years since.

Well, my plan was to have the grand reunion occur on the stage at the openi=
ng
night session, but as hiker luck would have it, there I was with Gene and h=
is
wife in line at the cafeteria, talking about the Gathering, the program, th=
e
trail, and, of course, Chester, with Gene wondering out loud whether he wou=
ld
even recognize Chester when he saw him. Just then, Chester walked by. Smili=
ng
at Gene, I reached over and tapped Chester on the shoulder. He turned aroun=
d,
recognized me, and as I nodded his attention toward Gene, a warm smile slow=
ly
spread over Chester's face. Gene was tickled pink, in his usual down-home
Macon way. Their happy reunion occurred right then and there, without the
claptrap of a staged introduction. And it was like it was yesterday that th=
ey
had crossed paths for the first time so many years ago, somewhere near Wind
Gap, Pa. They had no trouble whatsoever recognizing each other.

I was always pleased to see Chester enjoying himself at our Gatherings,
especially when he would be locked in a long story-swapping session with
Warren Doyle Sr., Warren's dad, about their days growing up in the Naugatuc=
k
Valley of Connecticut, known to all those who dwell there as just The Valle=
y.


I think we'll all miss Chester at this year's Gathering. To have now lost t=
wo
of the original thru-hiking pioneers in the same year is quite a blow. Than=
k
God we took the initiative when we did to lure people like Earl, Gene and
Chester back into the limelight of the Gathering.

I have the sudden urge to see Gene Espy again. If no one minds, I'm going t=
o
write to him tonight and ask him to once again come to our Gathering this
year. If you haven't already lined up someone to do the sunrise service, I
feel comfortable volunteering him for the job.

I'm at work right now writing this, trying not to let anyone see me crying =
on
the inside... (Too late for that, though...)  I haven't been home in a whil=
e
where I can post a proper notice on our Web site, but I hope to do that thi=
s
weekend. In the meantime, I will attach below the obituary that ran today i=
n
the Waterbury American.

Peace, love & adios,
Bill "Sprained Rice" O'Brien
(A southbounder at heart)



Borough man was thirdto hike Appalachian TrailNAUGATUCK, Conn. =E2=80=94 Ch=
ester
Dziengielewski, 79, the third man to hike the entire Appalachian Trail, die=
d
unexpectedly Wednesday, Aug. 7, at his home. Mr. Dziengielewski began his
"long walk" on June 3, 1951, just three years after Earl Shaffer of York,
Pa., became the first man to do the trail from south to north. Shaffer died
on May 5 of this year. In 130 days, Mr. Dziengielewski walked 2,050 miles,
beginning at Mount Katahdin in Maine and ending at Mount Oglethorpe, Ga., a=
nd
thus became the first man to hike the entire trail southbound.He was a love=
r
of nature, his family recalls. His niece, Maureen McCrum of Briarcliff Mano=
r,
N.Y., also noted that he was a humble, quiet man. "We never knew of this
accomplishment as being such a big thing," she said, "he was always talking
of this hike he took. It didn=E2=80=99t seem like much until he started tel=
ling us
the details and we saw photographs of the trail."As recently as two years
ago, Mr. Dziengielewski=E2=80=99s advice to a young man who was about to fo=
llow the
same course and hike the trail was in the Waterbury Republican. "Success on
the trail," he said, "boils down to mental, not physical strength." In 1999=
,
he was honored by the Appalachian Long Distance Hikers Association in
Hanover, N.H., with a plaque commemorating his feat. In addition to walking=
,
he stayed in shape by bowling and cross country skiing.Photos and news
clippings are the memorabilia of his hike, and as a carpenter he leaves a
home he built on his own many years ago for his mother and himself on
Goodyear Avenue. He worked diligently, using pulleys and ropes to do the wo=
rk
of an extra pair of hands.Mr. Dziengielewski was born July 10, 1933, in
Naugatuck, son of the late John and Mary (Dchefska) Dziengielewski. He
retired as a machine operator from Reidville Tool in Waterbury and was a
communicant of St. Francis of Assisi Church.Besides his niece, he leaves tw=
o
brothers, Francis Dingle of Southbury and Edward Day of Naugatuck.
Arrangements: Mass 10:30 a.m. Saturday at St. Francis of Assisi Church, 318
Church St., Naugatuck. Burial: St. James Cemetery. There are no calling
hours. Arrangements by Buckmiller Brothers Funeral Home, 82 Fairview Ave.,
Naugatuck.