hank

The Alberton Papers Vol. VI, #IV
By Dick Darne 4-15-08
Alberton has lost another of it’s denizens a few days ago, Hank McKirdy, a first class citizen and a first class thinker. I knew Hank for the most of the last thirty years and enjoyed many a breakfast, lunch, dinner or just coffee with accompanying dialogue on a multitude of subjects. While we didn’t always agree, it was always enjoyable and a pleasure to hear him present his point of view. He also was a world class expert on plunder as practiced in our area, that is to say that he had a talent for seeing the potential value of things discarded as worthless by the unenlightened. He could also fit a new handle into tools, something not all of us can do, including myself, which is why during the years when my boys were breaking at least a tool a week, I may have been one of Hank’s Handle’s biggest customers.
Hank’s biggest story may have began many, many years ago as a young man in the midst of a world war. Some may know the story and it must be told. Hank’s song could be the equivalent of a gold record. I hope he didn’t take all his stories with him, but whatever, I am sure he will do quite well on his new adventure. See you for coffee sometime Hank, and I’m proud to have known you. dd