A funny thing happened on the way to the Mall - Meet Hank Stone
I was driving down RT 96 near Bushnell’s Basin and witnessed something remarkable. Cars were pulling over on the side of the road and picking up free peace bumper stickers. Yep - signs just like the one on the right appear a mile in each direction simply announcing that Free Peace Bumper stickers are just ahead.
So, a solitary guy in a canopy waiting for people to stop by. Who spends a Saturday afternoon sitting by the side of the road handing out free bumpers stickers? Well - Hank Stone.
I’ve known Hank for a while. We travel in different circles but our paths cross periodically. Well, they crossed again at the Brighton 12 Corners war protest. We started chatting and he said that he does this thing where he sets up a table and hands out free peace stickers. He said that he was doing it again on Saturday and I said I’d visit.
I was there for about 90 mins. I counted at least 15 people. Ages from High School cheerleaders still in uniform to, well, much older people. The bulk of the people were, from my perspective, kids. High School to mid twenties. I mean, who can pass up a free sticker or two? There were families with kids in tow as well.
He said that he has done this 9 times this summer and sees it as a way to get people connected. He collects names and puts them on a PEACE email distribution list.
I spent the good portion of time speaking to some of the people who stopped by. I’ll be writing about them in a future post. There are a lot of people out there who are yearning to get involved.
Hank has been a fixture locally since the 80s (if I have my dates correct) when he was part of a group, Pittsford Citizens for Nuclear Disarmament. He has been engaging people since then.
As I was getting ready to leave - he left me with these thoughts;
The nature of this activity means I get to meet many kindred spirits. Occasionally, I get someone who stops by and differs in opinion. I’m OK with the honks, beeps and occasional finger waving. That means people are paying attention. It is when people don’t pay attention that I find troubling.
Yep - pay attention people and get involved.
Hank and I don’t agree on a couple of thngs, but we definitely agree that more people need to pay attention to what is going on.
He is planning on doing this again next weekend.
Thanks Hank - for 20 years of what sounds like REALLY GOOD WORK! I work out that way - I’ll stop by!
“But - there were families - with kids in tow as well.”
I stopped with my boys and wife and picked up a new nifty sticker.
Excellent.
I have a note to Hank and if he does it again this weekend I’ll publicize it.
My 10 year old questioned the blue circle logo and upon explaination he said, “That makes sense.”
I met Hank at the Downtown RAW protest last month. Unbeknownst to me, we had been emailing each other the previous week because he had to take a weekend off for other commitments and he wanted someone to be there handing out bumper stickers. He’s a great guy.
One of the reasons to give away bumper stickers is to meet people who want information on how to fix the problems we Americans, and the world, are facing. In the Greater Rochester, we have some 75 groups doing good things that most people don’t know about: the Peace Directory. We have an email distribution list “ANNOUNCE” on which people post coming events. We have a Peace Storefront at 658 Monroe Ave. We have the PEACE email list with key information.
Send me your email address to get connected:
Hank Stone
hstone@rochester.rr.com
Good post.
I had the pleasure of meeting Hank when he was on Rte 64 in Mendon a few weeks ago. I found just the sticker I wanted to put on my car, had an all too brief conversation with him and another person there. I marvel at his persistence and it harkens back to the days of the old soap box in the Town Square. Well done Hank!
Hank Stone is a way modest guy who has faithfully kept the idea of peace alive in Rochester for the past 25 years ! He’s been successfully instrumental in connecting individuals with peace efforts via the Peace Directory and his own Peace List. Generous with his time, he frequently gives “Joyful Activism” presentations and holds listening sessions on all matters related to the state of our world. I guess you can tell I’m a fan of his !