
Virgil Ronk.   One of
my friends from childhood.  We lived in Highland, New
  York on North
  Road.   One day he came over to my house and he was
eating a sandwich.   I asked what kind of
sandwich he had.   He said that it was a
ketchup sandwich.   I said that I had
never heard of such a thing as a ketchup sandwich.   He said to me to try a bite and offered me
his sandwich.   I took a bite and I was
amazed at how good it tasted and told him so.  
He offered me half of his sandwich and I gladly accepted.   That day I became a big fan of ketchup.  Now I drown french fries, hamburgers, meat
loaf and a host of other foods in it.   I
have had a saying for many years:  "With
enough ketchup I can make anything taste good."   I don't like fish and my wife makes me fish
sticks on Fridays.   But I put ketchup on
the fish sticks to make them taste good.  
Any thing I don't like the taste of, out comes the ketchup bottle.   I mean, why eat something with a taste that
I don't like when with some ketchup I will like it.   I don't know if Virgil ever remembers
offering me half of his ketchup sandwich but it made a big impact on my life.   And ketchup sandwiches?   It is a favorite snack of mine.   When I want something quick to eat, I just
have a ketchup sandwich.   At age 79, I
still eat them.   Even recently.   All I can say is "Thank You
Virgil".   I have told this story of
Virgil and the ketchup sandwich many times to many people and always include
his full name, Virgil Ronk.   I hoped
that somehow my appreciation of him would get back to him.   Last week I did an internet search just to
see how he was doing.   I found out that
he had died August 17, 2021.   And he was
buried on my birthday of August 25.   I
can't get to thank him but I will continue to remember him over the years and
his ketchup sandwich.   Lewis Dallas