By John Chenier
For the past seven years, Reed Erickson has been volunteer #1 at the Bingham skating rink. He was usually the first to arrive when the rink needed to be cleared and the last to leave after it was flooded. His physical conditioning allowed him to do the work of three; his leadership by example served as an inspiration to the rest of us.
Reed came to Ottawa as a military liaison officer at the US Embassy. He and his wife Janice and their three children lived just around the corner from Bingham Park. An avid hockey buff, Reed was a major instigator and organizer for the annual Bingham Cup hockey tournament where a team comprised of persons from various diplomatic delegations, led by Reed, competed against a team from the Parliamentary Press Gallery for the Lowertown championship.
On March 31st, members of the rink crew were invited to attend a ceremony at the US embassy to mark Colonel Reed’s retirement from the US Army. This official ceremony was followed by a less formal reception at the Pour House on George Street.
At the official ceremony Reed received commendations from President Joe Biden and the Chair of the Joint Chiefs of Staff of the Department of Defense thanking him for his 30 years of service. At the reception that followed at the Pour House, Reed was presented with a certificate from the Lowertown Community Association (LCA) signed by President Sylvie Bigras as a token of appreciation for his dedicated service to Lowertown.
The money received from the City for the management of the rink in Bingham Park has been the major source of income for the LCA for many years. Hopefully, our rink manager Measar Musa will be able to find someone to fill the void left by Colonel Erickson’s departure.