Happy Independence Day!
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| My uncle, Frederick Leo Harris, 1984
UNCLE FRED AND THE
TORCH OF MISS LIBERTY
In memory of Frederick Leo Harris
Uncle Fred was
an unassuming kind of guy—
a master crane
operator who ran
a long-necked
crane for Canger, Inc.
He never boasted
about it
didn’t speak of
the special skills required
or dangers or
the scope
of projects he
was working on
nor did we even think to ask
except perhaps to inquire, conversationally
about where he was working
It could have been Jersey
or New York or sometimes Pennsylvania
He just put on his work clothes each morning
put in his eight hours, and came home
to their three room apartment
in Paterson, every night for dinner
On the 4th
of July in 1984
Uncle Fred was
the engineer
chosen to remove
the original torch
from the hand of
Lady Liberty
That particular Independence Day
marked the start of restorations
on the Statue of Liberty, with completion
targeted for her 100th birthday, in 1986
I don’t recall
our uncle telling us
about it in
advance. If he had
we undoubtedly
would’ve been there
with our young
children
to witness his
feat
He probably dressed for work that morning
just like every other day
had his coffee, drove into the city
got himself to Liberty Island
and quietly set about doing
exactly what a master crane operator
would be expected to do
There was a
special ceremony
that
Independence Day
with pomp and
circumstance
a brass band and
dignitaries—
and in the cab of the tall crane
hunched over the controls
sat our Uncle Fred, confidently
doing what needed to be done
to expertly bring down the old torch
The honor
bestowed upon him
was completely
lost on our Aunt Carol—
She was at home
and unhappy
because he had
to work on the holiday
and therefore
they had to miss out
on normal 4th
of July festivities
like a parade or
a cook-out or fireworks
When a news
reporter called
to ask her some
questions
she let him know
exactly how she felt
and what she
said was directly quoted
in the newspaper
the following day
It wasn’t until she saw a picture of him
standing next to the old torch
on the front page of the Paterson News
that she realized the illustrious way
he spent the 4th. Suddenly
she became overcome with pride
and fussed over him to no end
even though, I’m certain, Uncle Fred
could easily have done without
anybody fussing over him, at all
The original
torch is on permanent display
in the base of
the Statue of Liberty
with a plaque
telling of its removal
and the statue’s
restoration that followed
It includes no
mention of our uncle’s name
which, surely,
would not have bothered him
but we know, and we’re proud
and this poem is written to keep
that special memory of him alive
Maude Carolan Pych
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