Former Noblesville man offers encouraging words for victims of flooding

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Dear Editor:

My name is Jim Budnick. I lived in Noblesville from 1966 to 1972; graduating from NHS in 1970. I’m offering my support for any classmates and others recently flooded.

I moved back to “Mark Twain Country” in June of ’72. Two weeks later, Hurricane Agnes stalled over the northern tier of PA. The NY counties of Steuben and Chemung were inundated with over 12 inches of rain. All that water flows behind my property. The Chemung River rose over 30 feet flooding my house up to the second floor. I KNOW EXACTLY WHAT YOU AHE GOING THROUGH. Within 10 years three dams were built in PA to mitigate future problems.

Nixon bailed us out with SBA loans and grants. I hope the President reiterates. Construction is his forte. As the planes hit the towers on 9/11, I was on Elmira’s southside fabricating two large steel bridges for a golf course he owns in Briarcliff Manor, north of the city. The project was delayed because the only 500-ton crane available to set the bridges went to the WTC site. Trump expected perfection. We delivered.

Being older, your recovery will be challenging. Pace yourself. Rome wasn’t built in a day. At 73, I’ve maintained my “youth” with vitamins, jogging 25 years, and above all, staying single. Back in third grade, Sister Cecelia thought I’d make a good priest. It’s a Catholic thing.

Today, I’m embarking on two projects. First, my 100-year-old house needs an outside renovation. Secondly, the procurement and restoration of a seventies Triumph TR-6. In 1976, I bought a brand-new Mallard Blue TH-6 with electric overdrive. With the top down and girls onboard, many trips to Saratoga Springs and Lake Placid followed. Sadly, road salt ruined it.

I’m rambling, but the. point is: I survived devastation to live another day and so will you. Disasters hit many people and the way you respond is what counts. Establish goals from day to day. Don’t worry about the long term.

That’s how I roll. News cycles come and go, flood waters recede, but Hoosier spirit endures forever. New Yorkers ask me: What is a Hoosier? My response: tenacity with a never-give-up attitude.

Back in high school, I delivered The Daily Ledger and Indy Star on Monument and Grant streets, seven days a week. As menial as that job was, it forged the Hoosier Tenacity I carry proudly with me every day.

In closing, if IU can deliver a football championship, I have no doubt you folks will recover better than ever. The best of luck from an Out-Of-State Hoosier ALWAYS.

Jim Budnick
Elmira, N.Y.

P.S. Ya know, maybe Sister Cecelia was right, I did. ACE three years of Latin in high school …