Earth Day 1970

Started by TomM, April 22, 2020, 02:57:14 PM

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TomM

Earth Day

In the spring of 1970, while a sophomore in high school, I had the good fortune to be the science department assistant for my Grade 10 Earth Science teacher Mr. Roy Gromme.

One day that spring (just happened to be April 22, 1970) that wonderful teacher, Roy Gromme, sent me to land owned by the high school along what is now I43 in Milwaukee County.

He sent along a shovel and a bucket filled with dozens of saplings.

Mr. Gromme's instructions were simple: "Take this shovel and bucket, go to the upper fields across the highway and plant these trees along the south edge with each one ten feet from the last."

I spent the afternoon doing just that. The ground there was harsh and the trees grew. Progress eventually took that space.

What lasted has been my love and respect for the earth.

Thank you Mr. Gromme

"The ultimate test of man's conscience may be his willingness to sacrifice something today for future generations whose words of thanks will not be heard."
—Gaylord Nelson

Roy Gromme
March 25, 1933 - November 24, 2017.
https://www.gmtoday.com/archives/roy-o-gromme/article_00cf98ef-1151-5068-af2f-83f86a549a26.html

https://www.pagenkopf.com/obituaries/Roy-O-Gromme?obId=3998507#/obituaryInfo

Roy O. Gromme, age 84, of Oconomowoc, WI, passed away peacefully surrounded by family and friends on Friday, November 24, 2017. Roy is survived by his loving wife Sue of 55 years; his children Alison (Timothy Fisher) Gromme and Andrea (Scott) Baxter; his sister Anne Marie Gromme and many more family and friends. Roy is preceded in death by his parents Owen and Anne Gromme and his daughter Helen Gromme.

Roy was a supporter of many cultural, and philanthropic organizations. His participation through his ideas and physical efforts in a variety of projects have contributed to the positive development of the greater community in which we all live. He had a lifelong love of the out of doors, most recently he actively collaborated with the Ice Age Trail. Roy enjoyed being active outside, bicycling, crosscountry skiing, snowshoeing, hiking, and appreciating nature. An avid hunter, and outdoorsman, he was a champion for conservation of our natural resources, namely land, and the animals that live there. Roy was an educator, starting his career as a Biology teacher at Nicolet High School, sharing his love of nature, and leading an outing club with his wife, Susie. He had an important impact on many of his students who still remember him to this day. As an enterprising young man, he bought the family farm near Briggsville, Wisconsin. He made many improvements to it over the years, planting a Christmas tree farm, and Red Pine plantation, making more open water in the wetlands for migrating waterfowl, stocking ponds with trout, naturalizing open prairie, and generally creating a beautiful spot for family and friends alike. Roy's father, wildlife artist Owen J Gromme, was his first influence. Roy donated much of his father's art to various museums, and organizations in Wisconsin spreading an awareness of the importance of protecting our natural world. Roy had an adventuresome spirit, living in India, and travelling to Costa Rica, as well as visiting many places in the US. As a graduate of University of Wisconsin Madison, he acted as an advisor for his fraternity, Delta Tau Delta. He affectionately referred to the members, as 'his boys'. Roy, also, had a great love of Opera, and the symphony. He was a generous benefactor, and sat on a few boards in both Chicago and Milwaukee. His love of nature extended to gardening. He created beauty wherever he went.

Private family services were held.
The family would like to give a special thank you to the staff at AngelsGrace Hospice and Ice Age Trail Alliance for the loving care shown to Roy.
Donations in Roy's name may be made to AngelsGrace Hospice or to the Ice Age Trail Alliance.

To plant a beautiful memorial tree in memory of Roy O. Gromme, please visit our Tribute Store.
Seek excellence and truth instead of fame -John Prime
Courage is grace under pressure - Ernest Hemingway
Advocating "matside weigh-in" since 1997
"That's why they wrestle the matches"

imnofish

What a great legacy Mr. Gromme left behind!  You were obviously greatly affected by his influence, Tom.  Thanks for sharing that with us.   8)

Ironically, I was a junior in high school on that first Earth Day.  I was a enrolled in my high school's first Environmental Conservation course, which was taught by Mr. Al Tieken.  I recall spending the day with him and my classmates removing loads of trash, old tires, etc. from a long section of the Rock River shoreline in Dixon, Illinois.  It was a one semester class, but I learned so much of value that became an important part of me.  A few years later, I took an Environmental Science course in college and scored 100% on it, primarily due to what I had retained from Mr. Tieken's class.  While doing some research for that college course at my hometown library, I met a young lady who was then enrolled in Mr. Tieken's class.  We shared some resources and struck up a friendship.  We have now been married for 46 years and still share a strong love and appreciation of our beautiful Earth. 
None are so hopelessly enslaved, as those who falsely believe they are free. The truth has been kept from the depth of their minds by masters who rule them with lies. -Johann Von Goethe

Some days it's hardly worth chewing through the restraints!

littleguy301

Cool stories!

I think back to the late 90`s and when scrap metal places would give double for aluminum cans. The company I worked for at the time was family owned. The family was big on collecting cans whether walking ditches or picking up cans around the job sight and asked all the workers to do so. They stored them for years and on earth day that year they decided it was time to cash in. We proceeded to dump the cans on some pavement and take the biggest roller we had and crash them flat. Load them into 1 semi and 3 tri-axel dump trucks and take them to the scrap place.

I was a driver of one of the dump trucks, I forget the amount of tons it was at .84 cents a pound but I do know for the next 12 to 15 years we didn't buy much beer for the after work safety meetings in the shop!

When the company sold in 2010 the new company took the storage of cans and got rid of them on their own. I was a little mad because due to the old owners we always spend a brief amount of time every day picking up our job sight whether garage or cans knowing we all had a cool pay off at the end.
If life is tough,,,,wear a helmet

badgerjohn

I go to the dog park every day.  Not only do I pickup poop from my own dog, but I also cleanup from others that don't  ???.  On Earth Day this year I cleaned up two from my own dog, and five from others; a new one  day record!  Does this count??     :P
"Common sense rarely survives an encounter with lawyers."  DrSnide 12/28/11

TomM

badgerjohn,
Thanks for that. You are the best.
T
Seek excellence and truth instead of fame -John Prime
Courage is grace under pressure - Ernest Hemingway
Advocating "matside weigh-in" since 1997
"That's why they wrestle the matches"

bigG

My science teachers were amazing, also. Mr. Miller took a picture of the South Milwaukee creek every day for 30+ years, I was about on year 22 when I first had his class. Taught us about the woods in our area and how much old growth we had, right in SM. Had the sweetest aquarium w/ WI fish (that he cleared through the DNR, as it would have been illegal, otherwise.)

Mrs. Nault was the one who opened my eyes to microbiology. I loved dissecting piglets, frogs, etc.

I help an older gent restore his prairie, now. Do a lot of garbage picking in my own ditch and try to find wild plants that attract wild animals. Any time I see garbage, or create wild turkey habitat, I remember those two fondly. I had great teachers. Wish I'd taken greater advantage. I was kind of a walking hormone for a while.



If I agreed with you we'd both be wrong.

imnofish

Quote from: bigG on April 29, 2020, 07:48:00 PM
My science teachers were amazing, also. Mr. Miller took a picture of the South Milwaukee creek every day for 30+ years, I was about on year 22 when I first had his class. Taught us about the woods in our area and how much old growth we had, right in SM. Had the sweetest aquarium w/ WI fish (that he cleared through the DNR, as it would have been illegal, otherwise.)

Mrs. Nault was the one who opened my eyes to microbiology. I loved dissecting piglets, frogs, etc.

I help an older gent restore his prairie, now. Do a lot of garbage picking in my own ditch and try to find wild plants that attract wild animals. Any time I see garbage, or create wild turkey habitat, I remember those two fondly. I had great teachers. Wish I'd taken greater advantage. I was kind of a walking hormone for a while.

If you were indeed a walking hormone, that would put you in a unique subset of high school students.  ;) 

Yes, there have been many great science teachers out there, over the years.  I was fortunate to have Mr. Tieken, as well as Mr. Wessell, Mr. Buzzard, and Mr. Berglund.  The last 2 on this list were honored as the top Illinois science teachers.  They were definitely strong role models for me to emulate, during my long career as a middle school science teacher, as was my father who held a masters degree in outdoor/environmental education. 
None are so hopelessly enslaved, as those who falsely believe they are free. The truth has been kept from the depth of their minds by masters who rule them with lies. -Johann Von Goethe

Some days it's hardly worth chewing through the restraints!