20 Years

Love you forever, son. 

Dumpster Treasures

 Dumpster diving and dump picking has always been an enjoyable pass time for me.

Back in the 70's when, to borrow a quote from Elizabeth Warren, we were "just hanging on to the ragged edge of the middle class". I would make a weekly trip to the Fairfield town dump to drop off our trash and pick the dump for whatever. Kids toys, bicycles, building supplies, doors, peg board... a veritable cornucopia of useful items. A local manufacturing plant provided an endless supply of recyclable stuff. I always came home with more than I dropped off.

More recently, we enjoyed the "Swap Shops" of the Yarmouth and Freeport Transfer Stations; foosball tables, beach chairs, aquariums, plastic dinosaurs and a kids fire station. Good stuff.

The other day I spotted a snow covered picture near the dumpster where we are renting in Massachusetts. Curious.

I cleaned it off and found this.

Here is a an expanded view of the bronze plaque.

This didn't seem like a fitting end for a portrait of such a distinguished and accomplished man. He was an Armenia immigrant, graduated from MIT and Northeastern Law School, served in the Army and WWI, and was a Master Mason. I did some research looking for background and family connections. It lead to Cohasset MA and I was excited to find contact information for his daughter, now 89 years old. I called to offer to send the picture to her.

"Hello?"

"Hi. My name is Glen Foss and I have found a portrait of General Zartarian and..."

She cut me off. "I can't talk to you." click.

Curiouser...

Either she thought I was a scammer or she did not wish to engage for reason of some long ago family dysfunction. I decided not to call her back.

I have attempted to make contact with someone who I think is a grandson in NJ. 

Hard tellin, not knowin. In the mean time he sits on the floor of our 3rd floor apartment, safe and sound.