Thomas McDonald

Just wanted to acknowledge this day, August 24th, as it's been two years now that we have been without the kindred spirit of Scott Bubar ! They say as long as you remember a person they are never really gone, so with this in mind, I raise my glass to parted friends, and cherish the memories of days past ! Till we meet again, Rest in Peace, my friend, Mac *Here is a thread I posted last year on some of the boards Scott frequented (I may have missed posting it here ?) Remembering Scott ... and the Molly Stark ! This coming August 24th will mark the one year anniversary of the loss of our good friend Scott Bubar! (alias Sikandur here on NetSword, and Deacon Frye on the Pyracy Pub) I did not want to let this date pass without once again mentioning how much we miss our old friend, and to remember fondly all the great discussions, comments, and humor, that he brought to the many boards where he participated ! Scott had a soft spot for cannons .... and he seemed to take more than just a little interest in the period that founded his country, the American War for Independence ! It is with that in mind that I bring you (and Scott, as I’m sure he’s reading along here :-) the following ! Last weekend the family and I took a short trip up north, via Rt. 13, and passed thru the New Hampshire town of New Boston. I’d been through New Boston many times in the past, actually having partied there sometime in the mid-80's .... (but that’s another story) ....but never put two & two together to realize that this was where the famous Molly Stark cannon resides, given to the town by none other than New Hampshire’s most famous soldier General John Stark ! History of the Molly Stark Cannon “The famous Molly Stark cannon, captured from the British at the battle of Bennington (VT) by New Hampshire troops under the command of General John Stark on August 16, 1777, has for many generations been the proud possession of the citizens of New Boston. She is two hundred and twenty years old, having been cast in Paris, France, in 1743. Old Molly, as we affectionately call her, has had a most glorious history, serving under the French flag once, the British twice and the American twice.” –excerpt from “The New Boston Artillery Company and Molly Stark" Clement A. Lyon 1963 In 1743, the cannon and a mate were cast in Paris, ornately decorated with a shield and crown flanked by American Indians armed with bows and arrows. Both cannons traveled across the Atlantic Ocean to protect the citizens of Quebec. The British forces at the Battle of the Plains of Abraham captured both of the cannons in 1759. Once again, both cannons changed hands when they were surrendered to General John Stark at Bennington in 1777. “the fruits of the victory were four pieces of brass canon, several stand of arms, eight brass drums, a quantity of German broadswords, and about 700 prisoners.” Our gun, Molly Stark, was one of these four pieces, it being a four pounder.” The Molly Stark cannon (named affectionately after General Stark’s wife) served in defense of the British siege at Detroit, Michigan, during the “Second Revolutionary War” the War of 1812, and was actually recaptured by the British after the surrender of the city. As fate would have it, the Americans captured Old Molly from the British once again, this time at the Battle of Fort George during the same war. Prior to his death in 1822, General John Stark removed old Molly from storage at the first arsenal built by the United States (in Watervliet, New York “The Arsenal City”). Old Molly was retired from active duty and presented to the New Boston Artillery Company of the 9th Regiment of the New Hampshire Militia by General Stark for the company’s contributions to the success of the Battle of Bennington. When the Artillery Company disbanded in 1852, everything except Old Molly was returned to the State of New Hampshire. “All military accouterments were returned to the State except Molly Stark. Those hardy souls who had preserved and protected her would not give her up” -Clement Lyon, New Boston Artillery Company, 1963. I went over near the town hall to inquire where the cannon might be and discovered that it was housed in the little yellow Historical Society building and that I needed to return the following Thursday, between 12:00 - 2:00, when a nice old lady would open it for me! (*guess they don’t staff it on a regular basis, ?, so do call ahead !) So long story longer ..... I endeavored to persevere and went back today and finally got up close and personal with ‘ol Molly Stark ! (just for you, Scott ‘ol buddy ;-) Coincidentally, I found out that this famed 4 pounder will be “live fired” during Battle Week celebrations at Bennington, VT., on August 20th & 21st .... so if you got your ear plugs handy it might be a booming good time ! http://www.historicvermont.org/bennington/ Rest in Peace, my friend , Mac

Greetings friends I was informed by Red Maria that we shared a mutual friend in Scott Bubar, aka Deacon Frye ! Scott certainly touched alot of folks and was repected, & loved, by many a community around this world wide web .... I cannot even imagine how hard his passing was on his family, and close friends at home in CT. The following are posts that I did at the time of his passing, I was not aware of his participation on this board so please except my apology ! Slàinte, Mac It is with great sorrow, and a heavy heart, that I bring you the news of our good friend Scott Bubar's passing ! I received the following e-mail from Scott's son , Jonathan ( his pride & joy) and its contents left me stunned and saddened. "Hi Tom, For the several past months my father has been in poor health. I recently finished a vacation with my father in Maine where his health was increasingly deteriorating. On August 24, my father died of heart failure. It was my father's wishes that I would inform the members of sword forum if he ever died. I was hoping that you, Tom, would be able to relay this message to the members of the forum. I am sorry for putting this burden on your shoulders, but at the present time I am having trouble registering with sword forum. I am also unaware as to where on the forum my Dad has posted. Once again I apologize for putting this burden on you, however I would really appreciate it if you could inform the members. -- Thank You, Jonathan Bubar" My reply to Jonathan & Family : Dear Jonathan I am so sorry to hear about your Dad .... this comes as a real shock ! Please express my deepest condolences to your family, and of course to you, his pride & joy! (he spoke to me often about you, as I did with him about my daughter Rachel, he was very very proud of you!) I will of course notify his Forum friends on SFI, NetSword, MyArmoury, and the Mohican boards, to which he was such a great contributor & friend ! I feel honored that you asked me to do this for Scott ! Your Dad was a very special man .... I'm glad that I had the chance to speak with him on the phone a few times, share many a good e-mail, and of course the hundreds of Forum discussions ! ( Scott always raised the most interesting questions, and usually found the answers before most of us :-) He will be missed .... Rest in Peace, my friend, the pipes will lead you home ! Please keep in touch, Jonathan ! -- Thomas aka Mac God Bless you, Scott ! Your friend, Mac Here are links to boards that I placed this message, concerning Scott ! If anyone knows of any other places that should be notified please let me know ! Peace, Mac NetSword : http://netsword.com/ubb/Forum1/HTML/002257.html Sword Forum: http://forums.swordforum.com/showthread.ph...6046#post436046 Mohican Board: http://www.mohicanpress.com/messageboard/t...p?TOPIC_ID=2542 myArmoury: http://www.myarmoury.com/talk/viewtopic.php?t=2182 Viking Sword: http://www.vikingsword.com/ubb/Forum1/HTML/002468.html legacy.com had the following notice about our good friend ! *Be sure and sign his guestbook , Peace, Mac http://legacy.com/Legacy.asp?Page=LifeStor...ersonID=2554127 Scott Bubar (Sikandur) Scott Bubar, a Stamford, CT resident for the past 16 years, passed away on Tuesday, August 24, 2004 at Stamford Hospital, Stamford, CT. Born May 31, 1951 in Brooklyn, NY, he was the son of the late Harley Marshman and Margaret Weber Bubar. He was 53. Scott grew up in Darien, CT and graduated valedictorian from Darien High School. He also graduated from Yale University. He was a long time employee of the Stamford Hospital most recently working as a case manager. He is survived by his son, Jonathan Aston Bubar of Stamford, CT and his long time companion, Pauline Costanzo also of Stamford, CT. He is also survived by one brother Mark S. Bubar of Riverside, CT and a half-brother Robert Bruce Perkins of Mandeville, LA. A Funeral Service will be held at the Edward Lawrence Funeral Home on Saturday, August 28, 2004 at 12:00 Noon with Rev. Mark Scarlata of Stanwich Congregation Church in Greenwich, CT. Burial will follow at Spring Grove Cemetery, Darien, CT. In lieu of flowers, memorial donations may be made to the Stamford Health Foundation, 2015 West Main Street, P. O. Box 110315, Stamford, CT 06913. ------------------ 'Gott Bewahr Die Oprechte Schotten'