I recently had the extreme pleasure of attending my class reunion at Old Town. Seeing many of my old classmates brought back the pride I had back in the ’60s of being an Old Town “Indian.”

Watching the new Old Town “coyote” prance around, all I could think of was what a shame to have the majestic Indian who stood proud be replaced by a scavenger who preys on the sick, lame and disabled. Not much to be proud of in my mind.

If the distinction of Indian is not something to be proud of, why don’t we play high stakes bingo on “Coyote” Island? If I were a member of the tribe, I would be proud to know that my image was looked up to as a symbol of excellence, teamwork and higher education.

It may be too late to do anything now, but, before the stone with the image of the proud Indian gets replaced by whatever means is chosen to emulate the coyote, let’s bring back the Indian as our symbol of pride.

Tim Smyth

Millinocket