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Recollections

Album: Gold Audio 01: The Adventure Begins

Episode: 19

Lesson/Theme: Fighting for your convictions; making good out of bad circumstances.

Bible Verse: Galations 6:9

Characters: Connie, Whit, Tom

Writer: Phil Lollar

Sound Designer: Bob Luttrell

Original Air Date: March 26, 1988

Last Air Date: April 25, 2009

Description:
Connie rushes in late, making excuses to Whit, who is kneeling behind the counter. Only, it isn't Whit, it's Tom. Whit has gone to his wife's grave to pay his respects, something he's done annually for the past four years since she died. Tom tells Connie the story of Jenny Whittaker and how she was responsible for saving Whit's End. In a flashback, Jenny delivers a fiery speech before Tom and the other members of the city council. She pleads with them to save the Fillmore Recreation Center-what is now Whit's End-from destruction. Jenny's main opponent on the council is Philip Glossman, who wants to destroy the building and sell the property to a firm that will turn it into a mini-mall. Jenny argues so passionately that she collapses and is rushed to the hospital. There, Whit learns that Jenny has been suffering from a chronic ailment that has caused her kidneys to deteriorate. There is so much damage, the doctors can do nothing. Out of respect for Jenny, the city council puts off voting on the Fillmore for a month. Tom and Officer Harley visit Whit, hoping that he'll carry on the fight. But Whit refuses. He is bitter and believes that fighting to save the old building is what killed his wife. Later, he visits the old place. He sees children playing happily on the grounds. There, a young girl says sadly that after the Fillmore is destroyed, the kids won't have a fun place to play anymore. Whit listens and is touched. Then the girl is called by her mother. The girl's name is Jenny. Whit takes that to be a sign from God to keep fighting. Right after the city council votes to sell the building, Whit bursts in the room with an offer to buy it for more than the mini-mall firm is offering. The buyer Whit represents is the Universal Press Foundation, publishers of the Universal Encyclopedia. UPF proposes to turn the building into "a place of adventure and discovery, filled with books and activities, fun and games, arts and crafts, and uplifting conversation." The city council votes hands down to sell the building to UPF. Coming out of the flashback, Connie learns that the Universal Press Foundation is owned by John Avery Whittaker! A remarkable man indeed.

Questions:
Why did Jenny Whittaker want to preserve the Fillmore Recreation Center? Is it important to preserve buildings, items, and memories? Why? What's the most significant memory you have?