Many of us have stumbled upon the Daniel M. Casey memorial at the top of Big Blue, between the ski area and the weather observatory and wondered about this inscription:
Daniel M. Casey
October 20, 1968 – July 25, 1994
With such a comrade, such a friend, I fain would walk till journey’s end, through summer sunshine, winter rain, and then? Farewell, we shall meet again! – Henry Van Dyke
While the staff at the Department of Conservation and Recreation thoroughly searched their records for information on who Daniel M. Casey was or what his connection was to this site, they have found nothing.
Do you know the story of the Daniel M. Casey and the memorial?
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here is the entire poem (by Henry Van Dyke – not Von Dyke):
A Mile With Me
O who will walk a mile with me
Along life’s merry way?
A comrade blithe and full of glee,
Who dares to laugh out loud and free,
And let his frolic fancy play,
Like a happy child, through the flowers gay
That fill the field and fringe the way
Where he walks a mile with me.
And who will walk a mile with me
Along life’s weary way?
A friend whose heart has eyes to see
The stars shine out o’er the darkening lea,
And the quiet rest at the end o’ the day,–
A friend who knows, and dares to say,
The brave, sweet words that cheer the way
Where he walks a mile with me.
With such a comrade, such a friend,
I fain would walk till journeys end,
Through summer sunshine, winter rain,
And then?–Farewell, we shall meet again!
Henry Van Dyke (1852-1933)
Thanks for the correction — and for the full poem!
I worked with Dan Casey at the Blue Hill Ski Area in the late 1980’s
and early 1990’s. This was during the time when the slope was
being leased and run by the the Beers family including Stuart,
Stanley, Bob, and Gloria Beers. I worked as a part-time lift attendant.
We ran the chairlift and the old J bar lift together. He spent a lot
of time up there every season with various duties. These were great times
with the crews we had back then. Dan was a great kid. I would visit
the slope occasionally in the mid 90’s after I stopped working there.
One day I met his brother sitting in the lodge at the base and asked
about Dan. That was when I heard of his accidental death and learned
of the plaque later. I am sure a lot of people were involved with it.
Wow. Thank you so much for telling us!