I must share this lovely letter I received from one of my boys - Dave Sager. He tells the story as it was in the early years of Inuvik. Yes, sir, I opened the first business in Inuvik on Sept. 15, 1958 - Cafe Confectionary and Souvenir Shop - bakery, pool room, movies, dance hall, all under one roof. Every town should have a rec hall.

I must make a correction regarding the dinner and the Queen (Sahtu warrior woman marks 88 years, News/North June 14). I didn't refuse to go to the Queen's banquet, I just didn't show up when I discovered they not only flew in two limousines for them to ride in, they flew in new furniture for Mr. and Mrs. Holman's apartment, and a new fancy toilet, while the poor people were using honey buckets.

Here is Dave's letter:

"Todd, please pass along my best wishes to your mom on her special day. When I was a young boy, teenager and young man growing up in Inuvik one of my heroes was (and still is) Cece McCauley.

"Our gang was made up of Herb McCauley, Roland Bailey, Freddie Koe (a.k.a. Boogie), Kenny McDonald, Vern Hagen, Mike Gladu, Skip Michalko, Magnus and JoJo Bourque. Cece always treated us as part of her extended family. She was always so positive and ambitious for us. She was always emphasizing the importance of education. She was a mentor to us and, as you can see from that list of friends, we all, without exception, went on to post-secondary education and successful careers.

"Cece, we all owe you a big debt of gratitude. You may not realize it but we watched you succeed in a 'man's world' and in the toughest 'man's world' - the Mackenzie Delta and NWT. We were watching and we were very impressed. Sure, we were playing pool in your rec hall but we saw how you were such a good boss to all the girls who worked there - Maureen and Minnie Keevik, Clara Dillion, Clara 'Popcorn' Phillips, to name a few.

"As a single mom you had time for Hib's friends while you still ran a few businesses. You are amazing. Other women were jealous and envious of you. You did so many things and you always looked and acted 20 years younger than you were. You still do!

"And you know Cece McCauley, my second mom, I never did thank you for taking the time to teach me to drive a car. Cece taught me on her standard automatic Chev Bel Air when I was 16. Not many people owned a vehicle back in those days, but Cece did. She took the time to teach me. For most of my life, I've made my living from driving. Whether I was driving as an ice road trucker for Dave Jones' Esso hauling diesel up to Kittigazuitt or driving a taxi in Edmonton, or as I do now, drive a school bus for Aboriginal Head Start. I also went on to get a bachelor of arts from the University of Lethbridge because Cece drummed it into our heads. Education is so important. Hopefully, I can be inspirational like my hero, Cece McCauley.

"We owe you so much, Cece. I know I speak for all of my hometown Inuvik friends when I say, 'Thank you Cece for being such a great mentor and we all love you so much.'