During a brief visit to Auburn this past weekend, I was dismayed and disheartened to discover a malicious act of vandalism along the Cayuga Community College nature trail. A newly installed wooden bench swing had been forcefully toppled on its side, its roof torn from the structure and left lying on the edge of the trail's frozen pond.

The swing was a recent gift from my family in memory of my mother Ruth Goldman - so new that the memorial plaque had yet to be affixed. It's the first of several enhancements to the trail that we hope to support in the coming months.

The sad irony is this: My mother cherished the nature trail over many years like no one else and considered herself the trail's unofficial caretaker. She would be quick to report to campus administrators (often the college president) any cleanup or maintenance need to the mile-long path. In fact, her published letter to the editor of The Citizen just over 10 years ago that otherwise complimented the college for improvements to the trail stated: “The one big concern for all of us through the years has been the after-dark vandalism and partying within the woods.”

I now find myself playing the same role as my mother, who passed away last April.

I've asked the college to repair the wooden two-bench swing as expeditiously as possible, and Jeff Hoffman of the CCC Foundation assures me that will be the case, allowing its use by the community's runners and walkers as a lasting tribute to the nature trail's biggest booster.

Jay P. Goldman

Silver Spring, Md.