Dear Mr. Downer, Thank you for being my Principal at Latham Ridge Elementary School (Latham NY). Today is 7/18/2019 and I’m thinking of you because I’m thinking of the Apollo 11 moon mission which, 50 years ago today, had launched 2 days ago on 7/16/1969 and was on its way to the moon. In 2 more days, on 7/20/1969, Armstrong and Aldrin would walk on the moon. Back then I was 8 years old, in 2nd grade, and my teacher was Mrs. Feeney and you were my Principal. I believe 1968-1969 was the very first year of the brand-new school, Latham Ridge. I had attended St. Ambrose for Kindergarten (Miss Faith Bluteau, later to become Faith Bluteau Girard and we’re FB friends), and Boght Hills for 1st Grade (Mrs. Biondolillo). My family lived right across the street from the new school, at 114 Latham Ridge Road, and we had watched as it was being built. Latham NY was my hometown, and Latham Ridge Elementary was my school, and they were important parts of a good and happy childhood. Thank you for that, for your life’s work, and to contributing to the lives of so many of us students. I went on to join the Marine Corps, where I had a good 13 year career and got out as a “Gunny”, a Gunnery Sergeant. From your obituary you must have taken some of my USMC brothers to land on and win back Okinawa in WWII on your LST. Thank you for giving them a ride and for taking good care of them. I got out of the Marines after 13 years because I had finished my degree in applied mathematics and a minor in computer science and it was time to focus on my civilian career. And it has been a good software engineering career. I am currently the Director of SQA Engineering at Zap Surgical, where we manufacture a machine to perform non-invasive brain surgery (stereotactic radiosurgery) for brain cancer patients. I’ve worked in oncology systems since 1996 and the work is interesting and very rewarding. I’ve also been so blessed with a loving (and patient and forgiving!) wife, Theresa, and we are blessed by our three children, now fully grown, Matthew, Joshua, and Jessaline. We are surrounded by love. At Latham Ridge I went on to have Mrs. Shapiro for 3rd grade, Mrs. Connor for 4th grade, Mrs. Jenner for 5th grade, and Mr. Healy for 6th grade — Mike Healy, and we’re FB friends also. Very good teachers, all of them. At Latham Ridge I have fond memories also of teachers Mrs. Gardner, Mrs. Bruschi, and Miss Federice, librarian Mrs. Cramer, art teacher Mrs. Ferris, and gym teacher Mr. Yeager. This is all from memory. I hope I got them correctly. Latham Ridge was a very special school. Thank you for making it so! I also remember that you worked together with my parents. They liked to travel and sometimes we (me and my siblings, I’m the oldest of 5 kids) would miss a few days at school. Together with my parents, you recognized that traveling internationally was also educational, and we coordinated together to compile the lessons we’d be missing so that we could study them ahead of time. I remember my parents doing that with you. Thank you. Because of that we had some interesting travels and yes that was very educational. So thank you, Mr. Downer, for contributing to all of this, to all I’ve been able to do, and to the things that I will do in my future. Rest in Peace, Mr. Downer, and thank you.