HUCKLEBERRIES: You need to meet Thomas Kerl
Steve McCrea needs no introduction.
The retired attorney has served Coeur d’Alene in various official capacities since 1981, when he joined the City Council as part of a reform ticket dedicated to saving the shoreline.
Steve, however, has someone to introduce to us: Thomas Kerl.
Never heard of Kerl? Neither had I, until I met Steve, and wife Tere, at a respectable social distance, near Independence Point recently. Kerl wasn’t there, of course. He died in 1933. But his influence remains to this day. He helped develop historic “Sherman Park” (aka Fort Grounds).
But that’s not what prompted Steve to write a 117-page book about him: “Silencing Thomas Kerl” ($12.99 paperback, $9.99 Kindle, from Amazon.com).
Kerl was many things besides a developer. He was a farmer, philanthropist, educator, legislator, AND a lawyer who was disbarred. The disbarment caught Steve’s attention.
By 1918, the feds had spent millions of dollars fanning public support for the U.S. involvement in World War I. Americans were all in, except for Kerl and a few others. He criticized the war. And was arrested, for making disloyal statements and thereby, allegedly, violating the 1917 Federal Espionage Act.
Steve, who lived along the shoreline in Fort Grounds from 1981 until 2017, describes Kerl as principled, intelligent, engaging, compassionate, and well-traveled. Also, he wasn’t afraid to dissent.
During World War I, Kerl was upset that the government called for the sacrifice of young men, purportedly to make the world “safe for democracy.” The author believes Kerl’s “generous spirit was quashed by the reaction of the communities where he lived to his non-conformist way of thought.”
Steve said he presented the facts and hopes readers will appreciate “the soul of this man who lived in Coeur d’Alene and who helped develop its physical and cultural heritage.”
Failure to communicate
Coeur d’Alene Realtor Shawny Le is “totally Forrest Gumpin’ potatoes” (think Gump’s “shrimp” dishes: pineapple, lemon, coconut, pepper, etc.) after getting her online grocery order mixed up. She requested four potatoes. And got four bags of spuds. Now, she’s serving them every way imaginable: fried, barbecued, au gratin, baked, hasselback, and asking friends for more recipes. It reminds her of summer 2014 when her zucchini plants went bonkers. She couldn’t bring herself to toss them. So she served them every which way. Hubby Buddy and the kids have hated zucchinis since.
Huckleberries
• Poet’s Corner: A perfect world/if all could learn/to signal when/they make a turn — The Bard of Sherman Avenue.
• Easy come, easy go: Anne Marin of Hayden testifies to the cyclical nature of her finances: Her stimulus check arrived Wednesday. She paid $1,000 in car repair Thursday. She sold her motorcycle Friday. Her car blew up Monday. Smiling through the tears, Anne tells Huckleberries: “I only stimulated my mechanic’s economy.”
• Living Large? The highlight of Sherry Krulitz’s day last Friday? The former Shoshone County commissioner from Pinehurst was thrilled by a trip to the dump and an ice cream cone on the way home. So was hubby, Art — so much so that he left a tip of nearly $3 for the ice cream.
• Fan Mail: Last week, Huckleberries said the French pronunciation of “Coeur” contains a soft roll of the “r.” Reader Ken Burchell disagrees: “Niggling, I know but the ‘r’ is sounded at the back of the throat in French.” I wonder how you pronounce “Grrr!” in French.
Parting Shot
Peggy Sorenson of Hayden Lake has collected apps on her iPhone, to keep in touch with family and friends during our time of isolation: FaceTime, Zoom, WhatsApp, and Google Duo. But her cluster of apps causes Peggy to wonder: “Why would people want to see me when they talk?” After all, reasons Peggy, she can’t visit her hair stylist. She’s probably wearing a bathrobe and no makeup. Still, she ends this column on a happy note: “Life is beautiful.” Until next week, keep viewing the glass as half full.
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You can contact D.F. “Dave” Oliveria at dfo.northidaho@gmail.com.