Dear Mr. Mayfield, publisher of Sauk Valley Media:
Congratulations on your second issue of Oregon Living. As a part-time resident of Oregon, [I think] it looks very good, but I am furious. Let me explain why.
In your lead article “Rolling on the River,” Kimberly Allen quotes Richard Wiesner (speaking of the previous owner, Rose Jones) as saying the following: “She wanted a fancy boat on what she called her river.”
This is completely false; indeed, a fabrication of Rose.
How do I know this? Rose was my wife.
Rose, an ordained minister of the Gospel and a pastor, did not want a fancy boat and did not claim the Rock River as if it were hers. Rather, the paddle-wheeler was the choice of her staff. Furthermore, she did not want the boat named, “The Rose of Rock River.” It was at the recommendation of a public relations executive from Etnyre Corp. that insisted the proposed name of “The Belle of Maxson Manor” be changed to “The Rose of Rock River.”
Rose said, “No, I have enough controversy,” but allowed her staff (her church members) to vote on the matter. It was unanimous.
This remark by Mr. Wiesner makes my wife to be an egocentric woman; she was not. Rose was remarkable in her honesty and kindness, and what happened in the switched ownership of the Manor and the Rose after her passing in 1992 is a travesty of justice. And, for the record, her name is Rose Aluli. We married in November 1990.
Because of this untruth, I, her husband, formally request a clarification of this quote.
Note to readers – The Rev. Kale F. Aluli is pastor of The Church of Jesus Christ Forever.