From the archives: Ebb and flow

I received an e-mail over the weekend from Bill S., an avid commenter on the PhillyBurbs site, in response to last week's post on High Rocks. Bill writes:

Rayna:
That is certainly "High Rocks", as I have spent quite a few days and nights up there when I was in my 20's. One night, my best friend and I were up there — right where the man was sitting in the photo — and there was a fog in the bowl created by the Tohickon Creek. We were lighting rockets that had "sparkly" displays and shooting them off so they would fall into the bowl and sparkle in the fog.
Last privately-owned by prominent Bucks County author James A. Michener, High Rocks was donated by Jim to the state as part of Ralph Stover State Park.
The Boileau family had a big historical connection in Upper Moreland and Hatboro. Nathaniel Boileau was the builder of Loller Academy and owned several historic buildings, including the current site of the Hatboro YMCA and the Boileau farm on Byberry Road.
Bill Stephens
East Rockhill Twp.
(Upper Moreland H.S. - Class of 1982)

Thanks, Bill. I like the visual of the bright fireworks flickering in the fog.

Is it true about Michener owning High Rocks? I had no idea.

And now for something completely different: the first picture I've ever seen of staff photographer Rudy Millarg:

To paraphrase an editorial my boss Steve Smith wrote upon Rudy's death in 1996:

For more than 30 years, beginning in the middle 1950s, if there was an event to photograph, Rudy was there.
If there was an accident, fire or storm, he delivered the photos for the newspaper's readers. He won awards for his coverage.
But just as important to Rudy were the photos of everyday people. He treated each subject with respect and kindness, patiently setting up the proper angle and coaxing the right expression.
To Rudy, there were no unimportant photos.
But the most enduring gift Rudy gave to the community was his vast photographic record of the towns and people he loved.

I like that.