by Owen from Corning asks Santa about a fiber optic Santa decoration, learns about the Chemung River, and hears about Corning’s real glass and fiber optics industry heritage
Dear Santa, my name is Owen and I am nine years old. I live in Corning, New York, where my grandpa says a very important invention involving thin strands of glass that carry light was actually developed right here in our own town.
Dear Owen, your grandpa is entirely right, and I have real admiration for that particular invention myself.
Santa, I have three questions.
My first question is, is there a fiber optic Santa? Our neighbor has a glowing decoration with color-changing strands, and I wondered if that particular kind was named after the invention from our town.
It certainly is, Owen. Fiber optic decorations use the very same light-carrying technology your town helped pioneer, glowing softly and shifting color in a genuinely festive way.
My second question is about our river. My teacher says the Chemung River flows near Corning. Is that true?
It is, Owen. The Chemung River flows near Corning, an important part of the region’s landscape and history. Flying along its path each Christmas Eve is a genuinely peaceful part of my American route.
My third question is about glass and fiber optics. My teacher says Corning became a major center for that kind of technology. Is that true?
It is true, Owen. Corning became a significant center for glass manufacturing and later fiber optics, technology that now helps carry internet and telephone signals around the entire world. I always notice that careful, precise engineering in decorations made near your town.
Merry Christmas, Santa.
Your friend,
Owen Fitzpatrick
Corning, New York
P.S. Does the workshop use fiber optics too?
Increasingly, Owen. The elves adapt quickly to good ideas.
