To the editor:

Here are the origins of the tree and the history of the lighting of the Pelham holiday tree.

The tree was originally planted on town property by Marci Drago. In the mid 1960s, he owned an electrical company in town. He thought it would be nice to brighten up Town Hall during the holiday season. He assigned his son Richard  and Todd Zuzulo to place the lights on the tree, which they did for 15 to 20 years, until the tree was so tall they could not reach the top. So the tree went dark for 20 years.

Then Sept 11. The Town Board, consisting of Mike Volpe, Eleanor Colicchio, Frank Dursi, Bill O’Connor and myself, town supervisor, discussed how to honor the fallen from Pelham. The decision was made to light the tree with 10 white lights which represented the 10 Pelham residents who perished. The next year, the entire tree was lit with white lights and 10 red lights. The lighting of the tree continues every holiday season, with the lift donated by Blakley Tree.

Over the years, storms, including Sandy, were beating up the tree. We knew someday the tree would have to be replaced. Meanwhile, Dick Drago was diagnosed with ALS (Lou Gehrig’s disease). So the town board decided to plant a second spruce tree in his honor. The plaque reads “A Tradition Continues.” So you see, the religious component never existed. The longer you live in Pelham, you will realize how tradition affects our community.

Joe Solimine

179 Secor Lane