I know spring has arrived because the Jackson Park Blvd. kickball games have come back in full force. Either I’ve gotten a lot slower, or the kids have gotten a lot faster (probably both), as I can’t seem to reach the kicks I did last year. At least the kids still think the Popsicle break is designed so they can have a rest.

Spring also signals the arrival of some of the neighborhood’s most popular events. First, I want to alert you to the annual rummage sale June 21 and 22. Please see the story in this issue for information about signing up. Use this chance to transfer some of your "valuable" possessions to your neighbors. Following the rummage sale is our picnic and annual meeting on July 13. The roast pig and home brewed beer will be back, along with live entertainment and, new this year, the opportunity for informal portraits of family and friends (see the accompanying insert). And finally, on August 11, we will again host a pool party at Hoyt Park with the Jacobus Park and Olde Hillcrest neighborhood associations. Watch for signups for these events in this and future newsletters.

If you’ve had the urge to participate in the neighborhood association, but aren’t sure what you’d like to do, please consider serving on the board of directors. There are a number of openings, as several directors are stepping down when their terms expire at the end of the summer. We would especially enjoy having a senior representative on the board. Past senior representatives provided the practical wisdom some of us lack, and kept us up to date on the many senior activities in our area. Our meetings are informal; we meet every other month at Jitterzz coffee house. If you think you might be interested, give me a call and I’d be happy to talk about it with you.

Have great summer!

--Phil Kroner

PLAY GROUP
Playgroup hostesses for June and July are as follows:
June 6 Kathleen Romfoe
June 20 Laura Buege
July 11 Holly Dobson
July 25 Joan Bauer
All moms with infants and preschoolers are invited to join this informal gathering. Coffee, juice and snacks are provided by the hostesses! For more information, email info@damonwoods.org.

BOOK CLUB Wednesday, May 22, 7:30 PM John & Patti Hartwick This month’s discussion is changed from the normal Wednesday evening meeting to Thursday, July 25th at 7:30 pm.
Drowning Ruth by Christina Schwarz Synopsis—Deftly written and emotionally powerful, Drowning Ruth is a stunning portrait of the ties that bind sisters together and the forces that tear them apart, of the dangers of keeping secrets and the explosive repercussions when they are exposed. A mesmerizing and achingly beautiful debut.

NEXT BOARD MEETING
The neighborhood association’s next board meeting is at 9:00 a.m. on July 13th at the annual neighborhood pig roast. Come and have coffee and offer your ideas.

ANNUAL RUMMAGE SALE
The Rummage Sale is just around the corner and it is time to sign up your household to participate! The sale will run Friday, June 21st from 9 to 5 and Saturday, June 22nd from 8 to 4. We have quite a bit of advertising planned: You will get a few copies of the map and list of the sales that you can reproduce to distribute to shoppers. Each household will receive a few balloons and streamers to hang toward the street to indicate that you are participating. There will be signs around the neighborhood to lead passers-by to us (feel free to put up one of your own as well). We will be advertising in that weekend’s Milwaukee Journal Sentinel editions.
Contrary to the last newsletter article, we will be able to have our leftover rummage picked up by a non-profit organization. Pickup will happen Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday of the week following the rummage sale. Please indicate on the form whether you would like your leftovers picked up. It would be very helpful if households could combine leftover rummage to reduce the number of stops the pick-up truck needs to make. If you plan to have your leftover rummage at a neighbor’s house, please indicate their address on your form. If you have any questions about the sale or need more information, email info@damonwoods.org. To be sure that you are included in the rummage guide and map, please return the rummage sale form along with $2 by June 14th. You will be able to pick up balloons and maps/lists between 6 and 8 pm on Thursday, June 20th. When you come by, you will learn when your leftover rummage will be picked up from your home.

NEIGHBORHOOD PIG ROAST Mark your calendar now: July 13th is the third annual neighborhood pig roast. Another great time is promised, with Dean Teofilo again leading our roasting crew, Jeff
Enders providing his perennial favorite home brew, children's entertainment, organized by Sophie Prange and Kathy Mannebach and their team of helpers, music, and good conversation. And, of course, the Lowell Damon Woods annual meeting and board election. If you are not a member yet, join the association, too. For more information, email info@damonwoods.org.

NEIGHBORHOOD ROYALTY
	Emily Heitzer of Jackson Park Blvd. was Prom Queen for Wauwatosa East's May 18 prom.  Dan Causier of Aberdeen Ct. was also in the prom court.

NEW NEIGHBORS
Curtis and Colleen Cantwell of N 81st Street moved here from Flagstaff, Arizona. Curtis’ job required them to transfer to the Milwaukee area. They are already enjoying the neighborhood, a great place to walk their two dogs, Clancy and Reggie.

Pat and Julie Janisch will be moving in to Jackson Park Boulevard from the Jacobus Park neighborhood in the end of June following major remodeling.

The Janisch's have 2 children, Madeline 4 1/2, and Sam 2. Pat is a remodeling contractor who's parent's still live in his childhood home on Jackson Park Boulevard. Julie, who works part time at the Home Depot, also grew up in Wauwatosa and attended Lincoln Elementary. The couple met at Longfellow. The Janisch's have been active in the Jacobus Park neighborhood association and, after catching their breath, plan to be active in the Lowell Damon Woods association as well.

The Janisch's purchased the home from Mr. Ken Spicer, the original owner, who also operated popcorn carts in Wauwatosa.

CONGRATULATIONS
Mia Gintoft, daughter of Bob and Marge Gintoft, of Stickney Ave and Dan Kopperud, son of Larry and Kathy Kopperud of Woodland Ave, both graduated from the University of Wisconsin, Madison on May 18th.

OBITUARY: ARMIN BAIER
Armin R. Baier, of N 81st Street, was a retired physician who once served a meal to Frank Lloyd Wright in the student union during medical school, and later accepted apples as payment for services he provided during his practice.

Baier died Thursday, the result of complications due to colon cancer. He was 85.

"He was so kind, so sweet and very generous," said his wife, Theo Baier. "Pretty smart - definitely."

Baier, one of four children born to German immigrants, grew up in Oshkosh. He received a bachelor of science degree from the University of Wisconsin-Madison in 1938 and his medical degree from Northwestern University in Evanston, Ill., in 1943.

He was drafted to the Navy in 1944, survived a typhoon that took the lives of many of his friends, and returned to Wauwatosa in 1944. His hospital affiliations included St. Luke's Medical Center, West Allis Memorial and St. Francis Hospital.

Armin Baier Jr. said his father, who practiced internal medicine, was among the first physicians to do cardiac catheterization at St. Luke's, and was involved in the experimental work that led to kidney dialysis.

But more than his work, Baier was remembered for his love of language and building, Baier Jr. said.

"He spoke German and pretended to speak a lot of others," he said.

Baier built a cottage near Eagle River and taught the whole family to ski. He also made furniture and when he retired, took up a new trade: computers.

He joined Milwaukee Atari, a computer users group. Baier was in his 70s and surrounded by young adults in their 20s.

"It was kind of funny," his son said. "He was the kind of guy who was always doing things on his own. Just a jack of all trades."

In addition to his wife, Armin Baier is survived by his daughters, Terrie Hanrahan of St. Louis, Mary McLaughlin of Brooksville, Fla., Ruth Baier of Grafton; sons, Armin Jr. of New York, and Gerry Baier of Rhinelander; and grandchildren. 

OBITUARY: CHARLIE CAUSIER
1951-2002
Most of you knew our friend and neighbor, Charlie Causier, who died April 29.

He was active in so many Wauwatosa circles during the past three decades that you were bound to run into him somewhere along the line.

Charlie served on the city's planning commission for 20 years. He was on the scene for every TosaFest, helping to manage the event. And he was at just about every event the Wauwatosa Historical Society ever sponsored. Charlie was the society's president for four terms and played a central role in the

society acquiring the Kneeland-Walker House. Maybe you knew him through Trinity Church, or through school activities, including Destination Imagination at Longfellow and the band booster club at East. Maybe your contact with Charlie was through his wife Kathy or their three children, Beth, Katie and Dan.

For everyone, especially his family, Charlie's death from prostate cancer at age 50 is a monumental loss. Just days before his death, we were reminded of the scope of Charlie's many contributions when Charlie was honored as Wauwatosa's Distinguished Citizen of the Year.

Maybe you know all this about Charlie since there've been so many deserved and long-overdue tributes paid to him during the past few weeks. But here's one more tribute, focused on his contributions to the Damon Woods neighborhood.

Charlie was one of the founders of our neighborhood association. He and Kathy were among the handful of neighbors who surveyed the neighborhood about interest in forming an association in 1995 and then carried through with all-neighborhood meetings where the association was launched. Charlie presided at some of those meetings and also served on the committee that created an organization structure for the association. Having served on so many other committees and boards over the years, Charlie knew more than a thing or two about getting people to work together. Efficiency was always important, but Charlie also kept our neighborhood business in perspective.

We all share an interest in making this a better neighborhood, but we accomplish that goal by having a little fun along the way and getting to know each other. For Charlie, neighborhood fun included manning a grill at our annual picnic, Christmas caroling, marching in the 4th of July parade with his dog Bailey or joining with neighbors in painting the garage at the Damon House.

Charlie served on the neighborhood association board of directors for five years, including one year as president. In a "President's Letter" in the neighborhood newsletter in 1999, Charlie wrote this: "We're all so busy these days that it sometimes seems like we can't take on one more commitment. But commitment is what we need if we're to succeed in making this a friendlier neighborhood."

No one in Damon Woods was more committed, or more successful.

We'll always remember Charlie and Kathy for volunteering to take on so many responsibilities in the neighborhood even while also each working full time and raising three wonderful children. That memory inspires all of us to make the same commitment to our families and neighbors.

OBITUARY: EDITH W. MUELLER
Edith W. Mueller, who lived on Rogers Ave. from the mid 1930s until the 1990s, died April 29 at age 97. Her husband, Norman, had died in about 1940.

For a time, she was a secretary at what was then known as Wauwatosa High School. She is survived by her daughters, Jean Archie and Barbara Bachman, as well as grandchildren and great-grandchildren.

NAC NEIGHBORHOOD ASSOCIATION COUNCIL
Representatives of the 22 neighborhood associations in Wauwatosa meet six times a year to exchange information. The minutes are posted at www.wauwatosatomorrow.org. Wauwatosa Tomorrow is a group of private citizens who, since 1990, have been instrumental in the development of neighborhood associations in Wauwatosa. Meetings of the Neighborhood Association Council are open to the public. The next meeting is Wednesday, July 10th, from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m., in the Firefly Room of the Wauwatosa Public Library.

	Highlights from the minutes from the May 15th meeting:
	Stroll the avenue is June 18 from 5 to 8.
	Still looking for people to pass out neighborhood association flyers at the 4th of July parade, and to ride the NAC float.
	Tosa Tonight begins June 26 with The Britons at Jacobus Park.
	Wauwatosa has a new website www.wauwatosa.net.

News In Lowell Damon Woods

IN CASE OF EMERGENCY
Thunderstorm season is upon us. That means heavy winds, downed trees , and power outages. Take the time to review safety tips with your children. This information can be found on the Internet, the library, and even in your telephone book! The police department asks that residents do not call the police (9-1-1, emergency numbers or non-emergency numbers) to simply report a power outage or to find out when it will be back on. Your cooperation is appreciated and will keep the phone lines free for emergencies. As much as the police would like to help, they cannot fix the power and "Wisconsin Energy" never tells us anything anyway! The 24-hour Emergency Service Electric/Power Outage Hotline for "WE" is 800-662-4797. Of course, residents should still call if there is an actual emergency (electric wires down, on fire or sparking, injuries, accidents, etc.).

JACKSON PARK BLVD. CONSTRUCTION
Construction continues on Jackson Park Blvd. The street is more or less "Closed to Thru Traffic". Only those who reside there should use it. For safety reasons, children should not play on or near the construction site and vehicles.

Spring Clean-up at the Damon House

If you've ever checked out the grounds of the Lowell Damon House Museum, 2107 Wauwatosa Ave., you know it's no show garden. But neighborhood volunteers, working over the past several years, have made noticeable steps toward bringing the gardens back to the condition they once enjoyed while being tended by four separate garden clubs in the 1950s and '60s.

We hope you noticed the colorful tulips we planted last fall that bloomed this spring. And we hope the mountain of shredded bark that we spread in the gardens this spring will help hold down the weeds.

But we're not about to plop ourselves down in the hammock for the rest of the summer. The gardens always are in need of attention. And we're always in need of your help.

Your next opportunity to pitch in is at 9 am Saturday, June 1. We'll be planting annuals that morning. Bring a hand trowel and garden gloves and, with enough volunteers, we should be done within an hour or two.

Through fall we plan to return to the gardens at 9 am on the first and third Saturdays of the month so we can try to win control over the weeds and bring some order to the gardens.

We made great headway April 27 when volunteers raked up more than two dozen bags of leaves and debris surrounding the museum.

Many thanks to our clean-up volunteers: Carol Jarosz and her son Peter of Stickney Avenue, Richard Stollberg of Stickney Avenue and Dave and Chris Vogel of Pleasant Street.

There would have been many more volunteers, we were told, except for the fact that our morning clean-up coincided with the recreation department's sign-up for summer programs. We picked our date to be part of a metro-wide Public Lands Day cleanup, but we've learned from our experience and will schedule next year's clean-up for that afternoon.

Thanks also to our mulch crew, which tackled 12 square yards of shredded oak on May 11. The volunteers were Phil Kroner and Tom and Jeanine Schoen, all of Jackson Park Boulevard, Jeff Enders of Stickney Avenue, Chris and Dave Vogel of Pleasant Street, and Ron Kurtz, a museum friend from Franklin. With so many helpers, the mountain of mulch disappeared after less than three hours of work.

Another thank you: The tulips, the mulch and annuals are being paid for with donations from the Heritage Garden Club of Wauwatosa and from the Damon Woods Neighborhood Association. Heritage and our neighborhood association have been joined by the Wauwatosa Beautification Committee in funding past additions to the gardens.

If you look at where we placed shredded bark, you'll notice that we skipped the north side of the house, along Rogers Avenue. That garden probably will be excavated this year because the owner of the property, the Milwaukee County Historical Society, hopes to replace the rotted foundation under the side porch of the caretaker's residence.

Later this summer or early in fall, we hope to create a new path that will invite visitors into the gardens from Rogers Avenue. That's what was called for in a garden design donated to the Historical Society and turned over to the neighborhood association.

Thanks to Paul and Sophie Prange of Jackson Park Boulevard, we've got a stack of stone that will be used for that walk. Stay tuned for more information on when you can join us for this project.