For those of you who know the convention "Good Will Ambassador" Vernon Blanck, I would like to say he is recovering nicely after a rather nasty car accident about two weeks ago. Vernon's lovely wife called me after it happened and I have been keeping tabs on him ever since.

After the accident, he went through reconstructive hip surgury. If that wasn't enough, after the successful first surgery, he went home only to find out a ball had come out of the socket and he had to go through the entire thing over again.

I visited him in the hospital for about an hour today and he is in good spirits and feeling no pain. His physical therapy will be starting soon (for the second time) and he hopes to be back home in about a week.

I hesitated posting a message until I knew what his situation was to prevent the calls to his wife Alice who is having a hard enough time as it is getting ready for him to come home.

I know Vernon has many long time friends and acquaintances on this board such as the O'Neals and Archie, so I thought you might like to know before you heard rumors from people without all the facts.

Again, he is doing fine and even walking. He's a tough old boy and it'll take more than a ton of twisted metal to keep him down.

Ed Hertel