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1174 Zimmer Driv e , N. E. Atl anta, Georgia September 8, 1966. Dear Ivan: Th er e are ma ny r eason s why I value your friendship so highly. Foremost among th ese, of cours e , is th e f a ct tha t your fath er was one of my staunchest supporters during the many years I was with th e Atlant a Retail Merchants Association. He was a g reat encourageme nt to me a nd s tood behind me in everything I did. I shall r ememb er al wa ys tha t you cancell ed an out-of-town engagement to be th e speaker at th e t es timonial g iv en Reba and me by the Ass ociation shortly b efor e my r etir ement. That a lone would endear you to me for ev er. Th en you ha d the vision and courage to g iv e At l anta Bi g Ba s eball is my favorit e sport, a nd League Baseball a nd Football. it is wonderful to ha ve the opportu nity to see right here in Atlanta a ll of th e best baseball play ers in th e world. And when Atl anta g ets into a World Seri es , as I beli eve s h e will within the next f ew year s, I just hop e I shal l be fortuna t e enough to s ee some of tho se games . Just r e c ently you ha v e co ndu ct ed yours elf magnificently in conn ect ion with the Fir emen's Strik e; and what now a pp ears to have been a Castro- inspir ed riot, throug h some hot-h eaded revolutionar i es in our midst. Well, there are many ot her reas ons, a nd I just felt, in a time of great stress , that you should be told your fri ends are st a ndi ng solidly behind you in your efforts to make our beloved Atla nt a a bea con-light city f or all to see. Cordially & Sincer el y k- L. L. Austin. �