An Annie Postscript - An Open Letter

[Ocklawaha]

For Timkin, who led the battle to save the PS4, Annie Lytle School.

I'm so sorry that it appears we have lost the school. Timkin, you have been an example of leadership and inspiration for many of us through these hard fought months. You might find yourself second guessing every move, every risk, playing shudda, woulda, coulda... Don't despair, you were great, and your experience will allow you to lead the charge on some other fine project in the future.

Look at it this way, General Harmon of the US Army II Corps in "AFRIKA" completely 'lost' the orders of his superior. Facing Erwin Rommel, The Desert Fox,  it was a supreme risk. He could have been court martialed or even shot for refusing to follow instructions. Ordered to withdraw from the fight, after the beating we took at Kasserine Pass,  Harmon sent his superiors a message and issued the order: "No one goes back from here."

General Harmon summed it up at the end of the war, "I figured if I won the battle, I would be forgiven, and if I lost, the hell with it anyway!" Had he lost, the army would have marched into one of Hitlers 15,000 prison camps... but in his case he didn't lose, certainly skill played a part in his leadership, but it was accompanied by a huge dose of luck.

Harmon's message to us isn't the fact that he won a great victory, it is the fact that he put everything he had on the line and is remembered for that more then anything else. So it will be with you, thank you Timkin.

NEVER GIVE UP - NEVER SURRENDER!

Your Friend
OCK

[jerry cornwell]

  Timkin, when I first heard of the fire, you were the first thing that came to my mind.
With that, I express my deepest condolences to you, your passion for the school , and the historical preservation of our
city is unprecedented.
I do hope that if there is any chance that Annie can be saved, that it be done!
My best wishes,
Jerry Cornwell

[Dog Walker]

The school is not as damaged as has been reported. I was inside and looked.  Only the last portion of the roof over the auditorium was burned.  Because it was 35 feet in the air already, it made for spectacular pictures, but minimized the damage.  The wooden frames of the missing windows at that end of the auditorium were not even burned so there is no possibility of damage to the masonry.

That portion of the roof was going to fall soon anyway and there is still NO structural damage to the building.  If fire was going to damage that building it would have burned down many years go.

Don't give in to the hype and decide that the time has come to take the building down.  It is in no worse shape now than it was ten years ago.

[Ralph W]

There are at least three groups of homeless camped out on tarps under the shelter of the roadway supports on the other side of the fence. Unless they are the ones taking refuge in the building at night and not talking, maybe one or more of them witnessed the start of the blaze and could ID a suspect. Most of the people on the ground know or at least recognize one another so a strange face or two sneaking into the building might be noticed and remembered.

Do you think the JFRD or JSO investigators cared enough to jump the fence and ask questions?

[Timkin]

There are at least three groups of homeless camped out on tarps under the shelter of the roadway supports on the other side of the fence. Unless they are the ones taking refuge in the building at night and not talking, maybe one or more of them witnessed the start of the blaze and could ID a suspect. Most of the people on the ground know or at least recognize one another so a strange face or two sneaking into the building might be noticed and remembered.

Do you think the JFRD or JSO investigators cared enough to jump the fence and ask questions?

Raises hand...... JSO  escorted about a dozen people out of the building LAST WEEKEND .. Do you think they interviewed any of them? No  Do you think they interviewed any of the homeless people under the bridge? No   

Does anyone who can really make a difference ( like the owner) CARE about this ?   HELL NO