German youth director hopes to bring group back
By ED KOCH
Berlin, Germany
Dear Bill Meyer:
I wish you and your family a merry Christmas and all the best for the New Year. I hope you are doing fine and the Marion County Record is still reporting current news in the county, week after week.
In 2005 it will be 25 years since we visited you for the first time in Marion. Long, long time ago. Unfortunately many things changed after the year 2001. We still have one group, which is traveling to Zach Brooks' parents in Colorado, but it is a pity that we are not able to put a second group together.
I am thinking a lot of the great times in Marion and hope that your city and everyone is doing fine. I often think with good memory of the visit of Chris Blackman and Craig Mueller to Berlin in 1987.
Two years later the wall came down and the world changed drastically — not only to the good as we know.
With great pleasure I think of your visit to Berlin and the dinner at the Greek restaurant. The restaurant still is in business and we still like to go there.
One day I will come back to Marion, maybe it is possible next year. I will be in Colorado for a short time, but Marion is not that far away.
I am sending my warmest regards to all of Marion and want to say, that — although politics express it differently — the friendship between the American people and the German people who got to know each other, will last forever.
I often meet young people who have been to Marion and talk with great pleasure about the wonderful time they had there.
I wish you and all our friends in Marion all the best.
