! KEITH O’CONNOR NATE BLAIS
Connecticut Valley
Mineral Club K ids are fascinated and love collecting rocks, but not every child develops a true love for minerals and becomes a serious collector. For Fred Wilda of Hadley, his interest in minerals began much later in life when he was in his 40s. “I was planning a trip to visit my brother in North Carolina and he wanted me to bring a tent along, so we could go camping in the Smoky Mountains. We spent a week there going from mine to mine collecting rubies, emeralds, sapphires, quartz and other specimens,” Wilda said. Wilda, who very much enjoyed
the experience, didn’t have the time to pursue the hobby with children at home and a busy advertising and art business to attend to. It wasn’t until about 20 years later in 1995 when he met his longtime partner, Helen Rodak, that the couple planned a trip to South Carolina to visit relatives. “We took a day and a half detour to North Carolina where I did some digging for minerals and the experience re-energized my interest in the hobby, and Helen became hooked as well. The next year we took a more detailed trip to North Carolina and visited more mines collecting much better-quality specimens than before.
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