A LETTER FROM BROTHER WILL WOLDENBURG

It's always hard to leave home. But it's especially hard when home never leaves you.
On Sunday April 20th, I finished putting the last box, picture frame, and blanket into my beat-up Chevy truck and set out on the 1600 mile drive away from home. To an apartment I'd never seen. With a roommate whom I'd never met. To a job, that I hadn’t any familiarity with.
I'm currently the Season Ticket Account Executive for the Albany River Rats (the AHL minor league affiliate of the Carolina Hurricanes) and of the Albany Conquest (of the AF2, the Arena Football affiliate for smaller markets). It's a job that requires total sacrifice; of hours (in my first week, I worked more than 75 hours), of pride (this is, after all, the minor leagues where even the local papers feature more front page articles on the Yankees, Red Sox, Mets, Giants, et al than they do our local teams), and of money (I passed up a job with the Cleveland Cavaliers to come out here).
But despite all of these negatives, I've never been happier. Sales have gone through the roof since I've arrived and because of low expectations (the previous Season Ticket guy was terrible), I've moved nearly $10,000 in tickets in two weeks, which is practically unheard of in this office.
So what do I do all day? Call, Call, Call. Usually, I average about 80-85 phone calls a day. Add in sending out mailers to ticket purchasers, e-mails to interested fans, and sales meetings and you're looking at 10-11 hour days, 6 days a week.
The only thing that still aches is the fact that home is everywhere around me but I'm not there. Inside of my room are three posters; one of Chris Paul, one of the entire 2007-08 Hornets basketball, and another of New Orleans from above. The Hornets are on TV all over the place around here and everyone wants to talk about New Orleans when I mention that I just moved from there.
Needless to say, I hope to come back. I hope to find a job with the Hornets or the Saints down the road. I hope that I get to travel to the East in the only lodge I've known (I have yet to go to meetings at Mount Vernon here in Albany, but will soon). And more than anything, I hope to go home.

Fraternally yours, Will Woldenberg
Season Ticket Account Executive
Albany River Rats and Albany Conquest
W- (518) 487-2212 - C- (504) 460-9957

 

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ENJOY TAKING THIS TEST (answers below) Subject: a test for us "old kids" 1. After the Lone Ranger saved the day and rode off into the sunset, the grateful citizens would ask, Who was that masked man? Invariably, someone would answer, I don't know, but he left this behind. What did he leave behind?________________. 2. When the Beatles first came to the U.S. In early 1964, we all watched them on The _______________ Show. 3. 'Get your kicks, __________________.' 4. 'The story you are about to see is true. The names have been changed to ___________________.' 5. 'In the jungle, the mighty jungle, ________________.' 6. After the Twist, The Mashed Potato, and the Watusi, we 'danced' under a stick that was lowered as low as we could go in a dance called the '_____________.' 7. 'N_E_S_T_L_E_S', Nestle's makes the very best . . . . . _______________.' 8. Satchmo was America 's 'Ambassador of Goodwill.' Our parents shared this great jazz trumpet player with us. His name was _________________. 9. What takes a licking and keeps on ticking? _______________. 10. Brother Red Skelton's hobo character was named _________________ and Red always ended his television show by saying, 'Good Night, and '________________' 11. Some Americans who protested the Vietnam War did so by burning their______________. 12. The cute little car with the engine in the back and the trunk in the front was called the VW. What other names did it go by? ____________ & _______________. 13. In 1971, singer Don MacLean sang a song about, 'the day the music died. 'This was a tribute to ___________________. 14. We can remember the first satellite placed into orbit. The Russians did it. It was called ___________________. 15. One of the big fads of the late 50's and 60's was a large plastic ring that we twirled around our waist. It was called the __________.   ANSWERS: 01. The Lone Ranger left behind a silver bullet. 02. The Ed Sullivan Show 03. On Route 66 04. To protect the innocent. 05. The Lion Sleeps Tonight 06. The limbo 07. Chocolate 08. Louis Armstrong 09. The Timex watch 10. Freddy, The Freeloader and 'Good Night and God Bless.' 11. Draft cards (Bras were also burned. Not flags, as some have guessed) 12. Beetle or Bug 13. Buddy Holly 14. Sputnik 15. Hoola-hoop Send this to your 'old' friends, better known as Seniors. It will drive them crazy! And keep them busy and let them forget their aches and pains for a few minutes! Home • Guestbook • Officers • Contacts • Location

 

PROUD OF TWO BROTHERS

We congratulate and take pride in two of our brothers who have just been commissioned in the military. Bro. John Day, our Junior Warden, was commissioned in the army as a 2nd lieutenant on May 16th at the D-Day museum. Bro. Day has already served in Afghanistan in Special Forces. Bro. Aaron Ronskley was commissioned an Ensign in the Navy on May 17 at Tulane. The June 11 meeting will be his last for a long while as he is getting stationed in Hawaii (lucky guy). Both are Tulane students and both have been very active in Masonry and Germania. Bro. Ronskley said he doesn’t know where he will ultimately end up but will do his two years in Hawaii and then see what the situation is

 

 

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