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HomeMy WebLinkAbout1976 09-01 Pen pal meeting exciting moment for Angie Cronk THE REVIEW Page 6 Wed.,Sept.1,1976 THE REVIEN Ott y , i 11111112tir PEN PALS MEET—Angie Cronk(second from right)and her long time pen pal from Hawaii,Lani Martin,met in August after writing for 38 years. They're pictured with their husbands,Wally Martin,left,and Gunnard Cronk. Pen pal meeting exciting moment for Angie Cronk by Dennis Doeden English translation of her real name, Lani. But that custom Ever have a pen pal when you changed and now she's called Lani were a youngster? all the time. Most elementary students seem The Croaks have lived on Seventh to get started writing to someone Street in Maplewood for 28 years. over the miles,but seldom do pen Gunnard is now retired,and Angie pals continue writing to adulthood. is in her 13th year with the food The story is different,however, service department of District 622. for a Maplewood woman named For the first 11 years she was Angie Cronk,who has maintained a manager of the kitchen at Eagle pen pal relationship with a friend in Point School,but last year she was Hawaii for 38 years. appointed manager of the district's And when Angie attended a food preparation center in North St. school cooks' convention on the Paul (located in the bus garage islands of Hawaii in early August complex). she met her pen pal for the very Her reaction to the first meeting first time.Needless to say,it was an with her pen pal was interesting. exciting meeting between two "I felt as though I knew her people who knew each other already,"Angie said."When Lani through letters since 1938, when met us she gave us five or six leis, each was in grade school. kissed us to death and took pictures. Angie and eight other food ser- We felt like royalty." Gunnard vice personnel from the North St. seconded that statement. Paul-Maplewood school district "Her husband Wally took a attended the 30th annual American week's vacation to take us places School Food Service Association like Pearl Harbor on land instead of Convention Aug. 1-5. Mrs. Cronk by water(Wally is a retired Army and her husband Gunnard stayed man).We got to go right next to the an extra week to do some sight- ship Oklahoma; it was really seeing and visiting with a very something to see.We also spent a welcoming hostess named Lani day on a private beach owned by Martin. the Army,"Gunnard recalled. While in grade school at Ironton, The Martins live in Honolulu on Minn.,Angie,then Angeline Rocca, the island of Oahu,the site of the chose an Hawaiian girl named food service convention. Hazel Mascato as her first pen pal. "When we found out that the Actually,it was her second choice, convention was going to be in because she was dissatisfied with Hawaii we started planning for the her first pen pal's name. So she trip right away," Angie remem- chose a second one,and the choice hers. "At the time I couldn't get has turned out to be a good one. Gunnard too excited about it,but he At first they wrote often.but over decided to make it a vacation and the years the frequency of their come along." exchanges diminished.They have, Angie was District 622's official however, continued to send delegate to the convention. She's Christmas cards to one another, been president of the local cooks plus exchanging letters from time association for the last two years. to time. The cooks held spaghetti dinners Angie married Gunnard 29 years last school year to raise funds to ago, and Hazel married Wally send Angie and the rest of the local Martin.At first the girl had Angie food service workers to the con- call her Hazel because that was the vention.