A Tree Is Saved in Ohio Page 3 of 5
Dan Daubenmire, the one-armed steelworker, met Darryl at Columbus International Airport with a 12-pack in the trunk, a cigarette in his mouth, and Fred Geiger by his side. "It's self serve around here, Darryl. It you want something, just take it. It's self-serve." Fred nodded in agreement.
Well to make another long story short Dan, Fred, and Darryl hit it off great and launched right into work mode. Actually they had already met at the founding meeting of the Alliance for Sustainable Jobs and the Environment at the Marriott Hotel in downtown Oakland the previous month. Dan's room, number 1118, was the one that partied all night long and a few of the hard-core enviros who REALLY wanted to meet steelworkers knew that that was where the real action was. Darryl played guitar while the one-armed steelworker sang Hank Williams and Sawyer Brown songs. It was a miracle that hotel security didn't kick them all out.
Meanwhile, back in Ohio, after a couple of days of hanging on the picket line and at the union hall of USWA Local 341 with Gary, Judy, Paula, Terri, Doug, Deb and Fred, among others, it was time to meet the Wolfingers and their tree.
Now the Wolfingers were a classic middle American family. Hard-working, independent, religious, and full of hospitality. Darryl and Mike got to work right away.
"You got a flyer?," asked Darryl, who was immediately struck by the Wolfingers' warmth and central Ohio demeanor. "You know, Mike, something to give people to tell them what to do if they want to help you out."
"No," responded Mike. "I just tell them to call the Prosecuting Attorney or the Judge."
"The easier you make it for them, the more likely they'll be to call," said Darryl. "And the more calls they get, the more they'll want this case out of their hair. And, hey, let's do a letter writing campaign, while we're at it. We can write the letter together and get everyone to sign it."
"All right, then," said Mike and Darlene, too. "Let's give it a go."
