My uncle, John Ritter, is a teacher.

For 28 years Uncle John has taught English at Parkland High School in the Lehigh Valley area in which he (and my father), his grandparents, great grandparents, and great great grandparents and ancestors have lived, worked, and raised families since 1732.

I admire Uncle John because he teaches and believes in the potential of individuals to find their passions, take risks, and to do good works in their communities. He felt called to be a teacher, and he is as proud of that role as he is to be a husband and father.

John feels strongly about families, neighborhoods and communities. He has served his teaching profession as an association leader and as president of his 600+ member local association to make sure that teachers could do the job they loved with dignity. Since that time he has decided that he can do even more for the place he loves, and when he decided to run for Pennsylvania State Representative (187th State House Seat) representing Lehigh County several months ago, I played the first ever political event of my life to raise money for his candidacy (see below.) Uncle John wanted to keep it simple so we didn't "send out the word;" I came in three hours before show time and played two shows at the Schnecksville Grange. I have to tell you that I got to meet many of the supporters that enabled John to win his primary by a 2 to 1 margin. I probably could have played chop sticks and John's friends, colleagues, parents, and students would still have clapped; they were just having such a great time being together.

A few days after the event, John was diagnosed with Leukemia.

As determined as any man who teaches English to high-schoolers, he has decided to continue his campaign. Between chemotherapy, the host of ailments that derive from it, and a fragile immune system, John's door to door visits will be limited. But anyone who knows John knows that as soon as he can do it, he will.

Around the area my family called home there are thousands of old stone walls, some dating back to before the Revolutionary War. Some have crumbled into disrepair and some stand tall as if they had been built only yesterday. But the truth is that a stone wall is always being built. When it stops being built, it quickly becomes just another pile of useless rock.

There are a lot of things in our communities that need repair. Some are hard to see on our drive to work or standing in line at the supermarket, but we all know they're there. This is a tough time. The work ahead will be tremendous and will need all of us.

I am, as I believe it is best to be, a hopeful cynic when it comes to politics. Our ship has been drifting for some time now, and sometimes it seems the leaders we need - those people of Herculean effort, great deeds, and greater humanity - seem present only as statues lining our State Houses.

But they are not statues. I know one, and he is my Uncle John.

I'm no politician. No doubt a letter like this can be torn apart fairly easily by those who do that sort of thing for a living. But it is a hopeful time in America and I'm writing hopefully. Not just because we are hopefully seeing the end of a dark era in American history, but because there are individuals among us like my Uncle John Ritter who can show us the kind of light worth the working towards.

John may be sick, but he's out there fixing the walls that need fixing in his community. If he's doing that now, even as he is fighting for his life, just think of what he'll do when he gets better.

This is not a solicitation for funds. If you're interested in John's work, in finding out ways that you can get involved, or in just sending him a note to say hello, please visit www.citizens4ritter.com .

Thank you for taking the time to read about a man who is a hero to me.


My Very Best,

Josh Ritter
Moscow, ID



special concert announcement from this past April