# End Of The Whirl

Leominster Access Television digital restoration of a David Letters Film. "The End Of The Whirl" David roller skated across the United States in the early 1970's and created this film along the way. Following is a story that appeared in the Leominster Champion; Memory Lane: Skating across the land A column by Mark Bodanza The 1973 OPEC oil embargo strained the American economy and gave rise to an upward spiral in gas prices, rationing and a 55-mile-per-hour speed limit. Americans reexamined their energy consumption and transportation habits. David Letters, a Leominster native and University of Massachusetts graduate, thought it might be a good idea if the privileged and empowered in our nation’s capital walk the Washington Mall as a way to get in touch with transportation and the country’s needs. Letters had long been drawn to walking and dreamed about walking across the country. It was a natural extension of Letters’ fascination with Leominster native Johnny Appleseed’s 19th-century sojourns into the Midwest. In 1974, Letters was 27 years old and he knew if he was to ever realize his boyhood dream to see America up close, the time was at hand. If the idea of walking across America seems frivolous, Letters can assure you it is not. The oil crisis caused Letters to modify his plan. Roller skates were an inexpensive, environmentally friendly and efficient way to travel. David’s objective became roller skating across America. He planned and trained. Routes that permitted his…

- Kind: TV
- Year: 1973
- By: David Letters
- Archive: [Internet Archive](https://archive.org/details/EndOfTheWhirl)
- Licence or status: [CC BY-NC-ND 3.0](http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/3.0/) (as the archive states it)
- Who can watch: Teens profiles and older (the archive gives no rating; placed by Invisible Network from its collection and subjects)

[Watch now](https://invisiblenetwork.ai/watch/archive/ia/EndOfTheWhirl?play=1)