Last week I had the opportunity to cover an event that sent me back to my past.

The assignment was in Lansford, in the home of Chester Trojan.I climbed the stairs up to his residence with a camera crew from TV-13, as well as the Carbon County Commissioners.The commissioners were there to present Chester with an emergency kit, one of 320 that will be distributed to area seniors through the Options Program of the Carbon County Area Agency on Aging in the coming weeks.The climb brought back memories of a time when I was just a little girl.Chester was just like the man I remembered from the Lansford AMVETS, He's 20 or so years older, but still as friendly and welcoming as ever.His warm smile lit up the kitchen as we entered and his eyes were wide in surprise as he learned what he was receiving.I stood off to the side, tucked away in the corner of the small room, listening and photographing the scene as the commissioners and Cheri Santore, director of the Area Agency on Aging, presented the bag to the 96-year-old Lansford native.He smiled brightly, repeating over and over that it felt like Christmas came early as he watched item after item fill his table.After the presentation, we all chatted briefly and Chester talked about his time in the Army with my grandfather, John Zubek, during World War II; his former home next to where my grandmother, Helen, grew up on East Abbott Street; my father, Joe; his wife of 70 years, Marie, who passed away last March at the age of 89; and the Lansford AMVETS Post 83, a place where he bartended for 43 years and the place where our paths first crossed.Chester told me things I never knew about my grandparents and life in the small town when business was booming.We also reminisced about his time at the AMVETS, a place I knew well when I was a little girl, going there with my dad and Pop Pop on weekends to spin on the seats and play with the claw toy machine.At the time, my treat there, which Chester always served up perfectly, was an RC Cola and a Kit Kat.As we said our goodbyes and I descended the stairs to the street, I found myself smiling because it is people like Chester who are the backbone of this area and who worked long, hard hours and devoted themselves to making a better future for people like me.To Chester, thank you for opening your home and sharing memories and for helping me remember some of the people who contributed to me becoming who I am today.