LETTERS
to the Editor
Mark Vuono — His Spirit Will Continue Dear Collectors, It’s Sunday, the 29th of March. I just received a call from my good friend, Jimmy Bender, from upstate New York. His call was not the usual back and forth that we have when we talk. In a quiet and somber voice, Jimmy told me that our mutual friend and bottle family member Mark Vuono was shot and killed yesterday in a robbery gone bad in his Stamford, Connecticut, jewelry store. Andrew, Mark’s son wanted us to hear this terrible news from friends rather than the internet or Facebook. I feel sick. In the middle of this corona pandemic, when I didn’t think things could get much worse, I have been proven wrong once again. I made a few calls to some people I thought should know, but I really didn’t want to talk to anyone. Those I spoke with echoed that sentiment. The wind has been taken from our sails. We all hurt badly today and my mind goes to Annie, Andrew and David, who are undoubtedly feeling the impact of this unspeakable, tragic and senseless loss. I can, and will, probably at a later date, tell you many, many funny and happy Mark Vuono stories. Right this moment, there is nothing but grief and an emptiness knowing that our bottle family has suffered this great loss. Perhaps, though, we should all look at each other and remember how much we all mean to one another. This thing I call the bottle family is not just words, it’s real and so is this pain. Dear Mark, rest in peace good friend. Bob Strickhart Pennington, New Jersey
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Antique Bottle & Glass Collector
Tom’s Advice and his Warning A letter from Tom Askjems of North Dakota, who is NOT in denial: “Dear Ralph, “One thing I forgot to mention. I’m not sure how in-depth you plan to get with the story, though thought this may be of interest. “I was digging in Blanchard, North Dakota, after a huge rain in fall of 2016. Mosquitos were very thick. “A few days later I got very sick. I got some bloodwork done and it turned out that I had caught West Nile. I literally thought I was going to die. I was sick for a week and lost about 30 pounds, bringing me down to about 125. “I was digging shortly after the initial illness, though I would get fatigued a bit easier. It took a couple years until I felt back to normal, although I’m digging as hard or harder than I was before. “For what it’s worth, they say I’m now immune to West Nile, so that’s a positive.” Editor’s note: For more information about Tom, the King of Nebraska sodas and a very impressive privy digger, check out his story in this issue, beginning on page 8. And Ralph adds: “I’ve written or edited maybe a thousand articles over the last fifty-plus years, and interviewing Tom about his book and his impressive privy digging history is among my favorites.
Great Article! Dear John, Just a note to express my appreciation of the article, “How Bottles Talk to Us, and the History They Tell Us” in your April issue. Alex Prizgintas teaches a great deal
about milk bottles worth knowing, even if one is not a collector. He also does it in a very professional style. Please extend my congratulations to him. Alex appears to be a young person and one would hope has many more such informative articles in his future. Jack Sullivan Alexandria, Virginia Publisher’s note: Kudos to Alex for his great article. The note above is high praise, especially coming from fellow AB&GC columnist Jack Sullivan.
Picture this, the April Cover Hi, John, Good morning. I just received the April 2020 issue of AB&GC and wanted to offer a few comments: The cover is absolutely stunning! Just when I began thinking that your covers couldn’t possibly get any better, you produce another masterpiece. How you and your team come up with such amazing artwork (and it is artwork) each and every month leaves me speechless. Congratulations on snagging Alex Prizgintas as a writer for AB&GC! Alex has to be one of the most amazing, most gifted writers that I’ve had the pleasure of reading. While I don’t have a personal interest in milk bottles, I found the article fascinating from the first word to the last. Please do your best to keep him “on staff” as a contributor to AB&GC. I’d love to read additional “Tales from Orange County.” Anyway, I very much hope that you, Liz, Libby, Owen and everyone else at AB&GC are doing well and staying healthy. Keep up the great work! Chris Bubash Dayton, Ohio
