Please accept my apologies if this letter—or even the name on its envelope—dredges up memories that you would rather leave alone. I refer specifically to the events of August 15, 1973, when my father, Thomas J. Wingate, was arrested for assaulting a man named Walter Suhaka; I do not know whether that man was you or your father, and in part I write this letter to seek clarification on the events of that day and the people involved. 

At the time my father was a brother in the Composition Roofers Union Local 10 in Paterson, and employed by J.P. Patti Company. I understand, from paperwork my mother kept long after my father’s death in 1975, and which recently came to me, that you or your father was the local’s treasurer. I suspect you might be able to shed light on what caused my father—a volatile, troubled man—to allow his frustrations to boil over so ferociously that he would attempt to take another man’s life. 

His arrest record reads Assault with Intent to Kill, and I saw him leaving our house with a handgun very early on that August morning. But beyond that, I can only make assumptions. It is difficult to get information about what exactly happened that day—whether that firearm was discharged, for instance—let alone why things unfolded as they did, and this is where I hope you or your father can help me.  

I do not seek to reopen any animosities by contacting you, but only to better understand the causes of my father’s breakdown. This is of particular concern to me now as I am at work on a book called daddylabyrinth which explores the ways that the brief impression my father made on me (he died when I was ten) has shaped my relationships with my own sons. I am a writer and creative writing professor (South Dakota State University), and information about me and my various projects is available at www.stevenwingate.com. 

If you have any insight into my father’s situation that you or your father can share, I would much appreciate it. (I would never seek to incorporate your response into my work without your expressed consent.) I have assumed, since finding you online, that my father tried to kill yours, and have been curious about how that event may have shaped your life—whether it played, for instance, a role in your decision to become a policeman.

 
I view daddylabyrinth, as well as this letter, as attempts—however vain they may be—to help put my father’s unquiet spirit to rest by understanding the circumstances of his life, decline, and death. If you or your father have anything you would like to tell me about what unfolded with Tom Wingate, I would be thankful. If you do not, please accept both my apologies for bringing up the past and my best wishes for your family’s continuing peace. 

Sincerely,