TRR photo by David Hulse (Click for larger image)

In memory of a friend

STORY AND PHOTOS by DAVID HULSE

BARRYVILLE - Joe Bertolini remembers many hours listening to the tales of the river valley that his friend John Traver Sr. told.

Ten years after the death of his friend, Bertolini decided some sort of monument was in order. It had to be something that fit with the land as Traver did and the amateur woodworker decided on a Native American totem. He used native pine, from Bernie Kunkeli's mill.

Last weekend, after about 150 hours of carving and the near loss of a couple of fingers, Bertolini and some friends raised the totem onto its concrete pad near his Route 97 driveway. He thought the placement appropriate. "John sold me this land," he said.

The wood carver wanted no credit for his work, but when it was considered as a remembrance of Traver, who left behind many friends in the area, he quickly said, "Sure, go to it." An inscription mounted on a pole next to the totem reads:

	TRR photo by David Hulse (Click for larger image)

In Memory of John Traver Sr.

As we enter a New Century let us
hope The Spirit of This Totem
keeps this river valley, which
nature has given us, Free,
Beautiful and in the state that
Nature has given us, Forever
That man has the sense to keep
it that way. For Man and only
Man alone can make this
Happen.
—Joe Bertolini