The "We Are #1...Again" Story

It was an ordinary day.  Picked up the morning paper and there it was, as big as ever across the upper left of the newspaper..."TOWNSHIP STILL ON TOP".  It was in 1950 that I began my studies in the Manheim Township School District as a first grader.  

Newspaper heading tells the story!

I lived at the far South of the school district, a half-block from the City of Lancaster and about 100 yards from the city's Ross Elementary School.  Little did I know that I was lucky to be on the extreme edge of Manheim Township, even though I had to walk about a mile to Brecht Elementary School which was one of several elementary school in Manheim Township.  I graduated from Manheim Township High School in 1962 and began teaching Industrial Arts at the Manheim Township High School in 1967 after graduating from Millersville State Teachers College.  The same high school that was recently picked as one of US News & World Report's best high schools in the state of Pennsylvania.  Manheim Township has been one of the best high schools in Lancaster County since I was a student at the school over 60 years ago.  I'm not sure if my parents knew that we would be living in Manheim Township School District when they purchased their first home when I was a few years old, but their move allowed me to attend one of the best school districts in the state, even back then.  Today's story said that this year was actually the second consecutive year that they where the top school district in Lancaster County.  I should point out that even though the school is a great school, the 1,800 student school district is still ranked 60th in the State of Pennsylvania.  Rankings include the entire United States which has 17,800 public high schools with the state of Pennsylvania having 678 of those high schools.  The ranking comes from judging and assigned points based on performance on Advanced Placement and international baccalaureate exams, proficiency on reading and math standardized tests, underserved student performance and graduation rates.  I should also tell you that U.S. News has been criticized for its school rankings because of its heavy reliance on standardized test performance which, to many, is an assessment of wealth, not intelligence.  But, recently, U.S. News has added data that factor in students who are economically disadvantaged, and those who quality for free and reduced school meals.  The tradition of scoring high on state and national tests has always been part of Manheim Township School District.  Parents who value education are known to move to the district because of the high scores they achieve on a yearly basis.  I didn't teach an academic class such as science or math, but I could definitely see the interest in the courses I taught.  The classes I taught,  Graphic Arts and Photography, were always filled with students who valued education as a way to success in their life.  And, knowing that the school district is traditionally one of the top academic schools in the county is why my wife and I moved to the district so our children could attend the same high school which I did as a student.  So glad we did!  It was another extraordinary day in the life of an ordinary guy.   

The "I Must Be Losing My Mind" Story

It was an ordinary day.  My wife Carol and I are visiting with our friends Jere and Sue who live in State College, Pennsylvania, about a two-hour drive from Lancaster.  It's been the first time in about a year-and-a-half that we have been able to make a visit due to COVID-19.  All four of us have had a couple doses of the vaccine and waited a month before deciding it was time for a visit-in-person.  I graduated from high school with both Jere and Sue and taught at that same high school with Jere for many years.  After both of us retired in 1999, we began to travel together to exotic locations in the Caribbean as well as a few trips to Hawaii.  Jere and Sue moved to State College shortly after Jere retired and we have been making visits back and forth for the past 20 plus years to spend time together and talk about just about anything you can imagine.  Before we left for State College, I asked if we could visit the Horseshoe Curve which is located near Altonna, Pennsylvania which is about an hour drive from State College.  

Plaque near the Museum at the bottom of the Horseshoe Curve.

Have always wanted to see the place and see exactly why it was called the Horseshoe Curve.  We arrived about 10:00 AM on a Saturday morning and after a few hours of conversation, we had a great lunch which Sue had prepared for all of us.  Wasn't long before we were in their car, headed to The Horseshoe Curve.  Easy drive, especially for me, since I didn't have to do the driving.  The rolling hills and valleys in the Allegheny Mountains on that bright Spring day were amazing and a touch of green showed that summer will soon be here.  Wasn't long before we pulled into the parking lot and above, on the side of the nearby mountain, could be seen the multi train track Horseshoe Curve which stretched for as far as we could see in all directions. Walked into the entrance of the gift shop where tickets were sold which allowed you to take a ride on the nearby lift to the top of the mountain on an incline car.  

This is the inclined plane that we had hoped to ride to the top.

Only problem today was that the incline car was not in operation and if you wanted to get to the area were the tracks wrapped around the mountain, you had to walk to the top.  Wow!  We decided to walk through the museum and watch a short movie on how the tracks were laid and the incline was added for transportation to the top of the mountain to watch the trains.  

Sue and I climbed the steps to the top.

After we watched we exited the museum and talked about walking to the top which looked to be "way up there!"  Sue and I thought we would give it a try while Carol and Jere found a bench to sit on and relax.  About ten minutes later we reached the top of the mountain and could see for miles.  The train tracks stretched the entire distance around the sides of the mountain.  

View of the train tracks once we reached the top.

The Horseshoe Curve is a three-track railroad line on Norfolk Southern Railway's Pittsburgh Line in Blair County, Pennsylvania.  The curve itself is about 2,375 feet long and 1,300 feet in diameter and was completed in 1854 by the Pennsylvania Railroad as a way to lessen the grade to the summit of the Allegheny Mountains.  

View from the bottom of the steps of the train rounding the curve.

Back in the 1850's dynamite had not yet been invented so black powder was what the construction gangs used for blasting to form the horseshoe curve.  Horseshoe curves are fairly common on railway lines in steeply graded or hilly country, where means must be found to achieve acceptable grades and minimize construction costs.  The biggest problem in laying out a horseshoe is keeping the radius as large as possible since sharp curves limit train speed and are harder on the actual rails due to increased friction.  Replacement of the rails needs to be done more frequently on a horseshoe system.  

View of the Museum and the train rounding the Horseshoe Curve.

Well, Sue and I made it to the top and I snapped a few photographs as we began our wait to view a train rounding the horseshoe curve.  Didn't happen!  We finally gave up and headed back down the stairs.  A few minutes after we got to the bottom we heard a rumbling noise in the distance.  Yep!  A train was arriving!  I decided I was a heading to the top once again, but changed my mind after the first few steps.  We watched the train traverse the horseshoe curve as I snapped a few photos from the base of the mountain.  Wasn't long before we were back in the car and headed to our next historical stop.  Now, the reason for the title of my story today.  When we returned to Jere and Sue's home, Sue grabbed one of her old photo albums and opened it to reveal a photo of me standing at the top of the inclined plane years ago.  Next to it was another photo of me riding on a train around the Horseshoe Curve.  I looked at it and couldn't believe my eyes.  "That's not me!" I told her.  She laughed and said we actually rode a train around the Horseshoe Curve many years ago.  I realize that I'm not getting any younger, but how could I have forgotten that I rode a train around the Horseshoe Curve!  The more photos I looked at, the more I realized that I must have already made a visit to the Horseshoe Curve years ago and had totally forgotten about it.  That's enough to make a grown man cry, but I held it back!  What's worse is that I'm now sitting in front of my keyboard, typing this story and I still don't remember it!  Ever get the feeling that you're losing it?  I often thought my memory was completely intact...but I now know that isn't true.  I only hope that if I live another ten to fifteen years and travel back to the Horseshoe Curve once again, that I will remember that I have visited the location...twice already.  It was another extraordinary day in the life of an ordinary guy.  

A photograph I found showing the Horseshoe Curve.

A night-time photograph of the Horseshoe Curve.

An old black and white showing the Horseshoe Curve.

   

The "More Than Likely You Never Heard Of This Fine Athlete!" Story

It was an ordinary day. Reading about a young man named William Clarence Matthews; baseball player extraordinaire.  Ever hear of him?  More than likely not, since I never knew of him until a few days ago...and I love the game of baseball and and have for years.  He played for Harvard University in the early 1900s.  At the time, Harvard had produced three big league players in catcher Jack Robinson (not Jackie Robinson), pitcher Walter Clarkson and second basement Eddie Grant.  Little was known of a guy by the name of William Matthews.  Why?  He was black!  William was born in Sellma, Alabama in 1877 which was at the tail of the Reconstruction Era.  He was raised in Montgomery and from 1893-97 attended Tuskegee Institute where he trained to become a tailor like his late father, William, Sr.  While at Tuskegee he organized a football team and baseball team, which he was captain of, and graduated as the salutatorian of his class.  At the time, Booker T. Washington was the director of the Tuskee Institute who helped Matthews get an opportunity to continue his college preparation at the prestigious Phillips Andover Academy, where Matthews was the only Black student in a class of nearly 100 young men.  

William Clarence Matthews 

Through his baseball, football and track feats, he earned the acceptance of his fellow students who particularly admired his willingness to move from shortstop to catcher to fill a need late in the season while playing through a particularly gruesome thumb injury.  When Andover beat arch-rival Exeter in the best-of-three series, Matthews was hailed as the hero.  His school newspaper wrote of him: "Captain Matthews behind the bat gave an exhibition of sand (meaning grittiness) that would have inspired any team to win."  His school Principal gave him a recommendation and before long was admitted to Harvard where his academic and athletic exploits continued.  During his four years at Harvard he stared for a team that went 75-18; a true testament to his talent.  

At the time there were no minor leagues, but collegiate ranks were much the same at the time.  He was coached in his freshman year by none other than Cy Young and then later by baseball star Willie Keeler.  Harvard produced three stars while Matthews was there; catcher Jack Robinson, pitcher Walter Clarkson and second-baseman Eddie Grant who was Matthew's double-play partner.  Matthews, however, was never granted access to the Major League stage.  Could it have been his size which was 5-foot-8, 145 pounds or the fact that he was...Black!  He wasn't welcomed by the crowds at his games even though he was a top-notch player and conducted himself in a gentlemanly manner.  But, it must be pointed out that the support he received from his teammates was noteworthy.  The team at Harvard, during his senior year, refused to play at Annapolis and Trinity (Duke University) because he wasn't welcomed at these locations.  All of this helped prepare him for what awaited him after he completed his Harvard career and ventured off to the only place where a Black man could find a place to play in a white man's professional league in 1905, the remote baseball bulwark of Burlington, Vermont.  It was on July 4, 1905, that Burlington's Athletic Park awaited their new shortstop.  For weeks his identity had been kept a secret, but on June 28, the Boston Globe revealed that William Clarence Matthews, star of the Harvard squad, was going to play for Burlington which wasn't affiliated with the Major Leagues.  The crowd cheered as he gathered 3 hits in a double-header that Independence Day.  At the time, the league he was playing in was integrated.  But, one of his white teammates was so disgusted by his arrival that he quit the team.  Much was written in newspapers up and down the coast about a Black player joining the league and the fact that it probably was going to break up the league.  That year he hit .314 in his first 13 games.  He had to be moved to the outfield since runners would try to spike him every time they slide into base when he had the ball waiting for them.  Matthews' words were placed in a Vermont newspaper: "I think it is an outrage that colored men are discriminated against in the big leagues.  What a shame it is that black men are barred forever from participating in the national game.  I should think that Americans would rise up in revolt against such a condition." He went on to say more, but it didnt' seem to make much difference.  Affiliated baseball, much like American society, in general, wasn't ready to accept him.  Seems he never was given a chance to play professional baseball and it wasn't until 42 years later that Jackie Robinson made his debut with the Brooklyn Dodgers.  The cruel irony in all of this is that Boston, the city where Matthew's baseball feats were so widely reported and celebrated and where he could have made a big impact in professional baseball, wound up as the last major league city to integrate.  I guess affiliated baseball wasn't ready for William Clarence Matthews.  Doesn't matter I guess, since I probably wouldn't have ever read his story recently had it not been for the fact that he was such a great player who was never given a chance to prove just how good he was...or could have been.  His name will never appear in the baseball history books as being the all-time leader in hits...or doubles...or batting average...or whatever.  William Clarence Matthews enrolled in Boston University Law School and passed the bar in 1908.  William Clarence Matthews was athletically and intellectually talented.  He also had to have an incredible mental capacity to be able to put up with all the racism he was subjected to...legal racism to be exact.  Another great Black athlete, William H. Lewis, established a legal practice with William Clarence Matthews and both stayed involved in sports as coaches at the high school level.  In 1912 Matthews was appointed by President William Howard Taft as special assistant to the U.S. District Attorney in Boston.  Mr. Matthews eventually became legal counsel to Marcus Garvey who was the Jamaican-born leader of the Pan-Africanism movement and founder of the Universal Negro Improvement Association.  He also became the leader of, believe it or not, the Republican Party's so-called colored section that generated support in Black communities for Calvin Coolidge in the 1924 Presidential election.  Black voters put him in office back then.  He was then appointed an assistant U.S. Attorney General which was his role when he died from a perforated gastric ulcer at the age of 51 on April 9, 1928.  In "The New York Age", a Black Weekly, his photograph appeared with the heading, "Matty' is Dead".

He was considered "one of the most prominent Negro members of the bar and leaders of the colored race."  I will remember him as one of the best ever baseball players I have read about, even though he never made it to the Big Leagues.  He was inducted into the National College Baseball Hall of Fame in 2014.  My hope is that those who read my blog will now know a bit more about one of the greatest baseball players of all time.  Remember that name forever when you think baseball...William Clarence Matthews!  It was another extraordinary day in the life of an ordinary guy.

Images of William Clarence Matthews throughout his life.

The "Balance Life Community, Style" Story

It was an ordinary day.  Opened my morning newspaper and out fell a 46-page magazine titled "balance." Magazine featured a photograph of chef Oliver Sayer's bringing his African-Inspired cuisine into our home via one of Lancaster's new "ghost kitchens."  The magazine was marked as the Spring issue which evidently means that there will be a Summer issue and possibly there was a Winter issue that I must have missed a few months ago.  The magazine featured sections on Home, Career, Health, Fashion, Food and Service.  Each section has an editor which must decide what should be offered in the section and whom will write the stories for it.  Very nice magazine that looks to be printed on at least 20 lb. paper in full color.  There was a story titled "Summer in the Shade" that showed a rather large porch with an awning over it to show you how to conserve energy in the summer.  Another story featured a professional who told about power washing your deck and the advantages of doing so.  A story on "How to Complete A Room" followed.  Naturally there were many advertisements which helped pay for the magazine that was featured as part of the newspaper.  An informative story titled "Brewing up a new Business" told about opening a craft beer location.  A story in the Health section said it was never too late to learn the right way to sleep and was titled "Sweet Dreams."  A story in the "Fashion" section featured Spring outfits and one of my favorite stories titled "What Does Your Pen Say About You?" followed.  Talked about communicating in the workplace and shows how different pen styles and colors can be used for different things.  There were the C-Style, D-Style, S-Style and I Style of people who were either extroverted or introverted.  The C-Style were people who used black pencils or red to circle errors.  The D-Style used black pens with thick lines such as a Sharpie.  The S-Style used a blue-ink pen while the I-Style used multiple colored pens or a keyboard if the person's handwriting was sloppy.  Had to do with effective communication in the work place.  A story in the balance section discussed PawFECT CARE and showed a variety of pets.  Another story in the balance section was titled "Rise of the GHOST KITCHEN" and talked about the rise of the pop-up kitchen.  That story was followed by a story on "Brighten Your Smile" and other one titled "It Takes a Village" explaining dental care for children.  One story was written about "life's moments" and talked about Marriage, kids, mid-life, retirement and legacy.  Very interesting article which I have saved for myself...just in case I need it.  My favorite article was the final one in the magazine titled "Donate Life" and talked about organ donation with sections on living organ donation, deceased organ donation, tissue donation, cornea donation and transplant services.   Extremely well written and a good reason to put the magazine on a shelf...just in case.  I did find a double page advertisement that was of interest to me that talked about back and neck pain.  I have had four operations over the past 20 years and still have back pain.  I plan to give the neurosurgeons listed a call and find out if it would do me any good to make a visit to their office.  Today's newspaper was a big hit in our house as well as many other homes I'm sure.  Great to have something like that included in your morning paper.  Will be anxious to get my summer issue in a few months.  I find I still learn something new every day no matter how old I may become.  Thanks to the Lancaster Newspaper, I have learned a few new lessons through today's newspaper supplement.  It was another extraordinary day in the life of an ordinary guy.  PS - My guess why the supplement was titled "balance", with the lanc letters in bold, is because we live in Lancaster, PA and we tend to abbreviate our city as "lanc".

The "And...The Winners Of The 10 Best Farmer's Markets In The United States Are...! Story

It was an ordinary day.  April 2 and I had just posted a story I had written about Lancaster Central Market vying for a top spot in the "Favorite Public Market in the United States" contest which was sponsored by USA Today.  I asked if you could possibly take the time to open the USA Today website and vote a few times for the Lancaster Central Market in downtown Lancaster.  

Lancaster's Central Market

You could vote every day until the contest had ended a few days ago.  There were a few other choices from Lancaster County with one being the Green Dragon Farmer's Market in nearby Ephrata and Root's Market & Auction near East Petersburg.  A panel of experts partnered with 10Best editors to pick an initial list of markets in the United States.  To have several public markets chosen from Lancaster County was a big accomplishment.  Today's Lancaster Sunday News posted the results of the contest in their morning paper.  To my pleasant surprise, Lancaster County took two of the top 5 places in USA Today's national competition.  That is a remarkable feat for a county that has less than 550,000 people and a total square mile area of less than 950 square miles.  I believe the two winners from Lancaster County won because many of you who read my story took the time to vote for one of the couple of Farmer's Markets that are located within the boundaries of Lancaster County.  I want to thank every one of you who got online and voted for one of the public markets; in some cases voting more than just one day, which was allowed by the contest.  

Ephrata's Green Dragon Farmer's Market

The market that came in second in the national competition was the Green Dragon Farmers Market and Auction in nearby Ephrata.  My brother lives near the market and spends many market days sitting in the auction house selling and buying items he has taken to the market and returning home with others which he puts online sites for sale.   The winner of the contest was the West Palm Beach GreenMarket in West Palm Beach, Florida.  A bit of history about the Green Dragon Farmer's Market is: It was founded in 1932 and is located at 955 N. State Street in Ephrata Township and is open every Friday, offering produce, baked goods, crafts, furniture and other items.  The only market to do better was Philadelphia's Reading Terminal Market which claimed the title of Favorite Market in the United States.  My choice for winner was naturally Lancaster Central Market in downtown Lancaster which captured fifth place in the competition.  Not bad at all!  Central Market has been open since 1730 and is the nation's oldest farmer's market.  The market is open Tuesday, Friday and Saturday and features about 60 vendors.  My congratulations go out to Ephrata's Green Dragon Farmers Market.  They deserve a top 5 place in the competition just as Lancaster Central Market did.  Perhaps both will move up in the rankings next year.  I'll be in touch when the completion begins so you can help my choice gain a top spot in the competition.  It was another extraordinary day in the life of an ordinary guy.  

The "Do You Need To Speak Pennsylvania Dutch When You Visit Lancaster County?" Story

It was an ordinary day.  Carol and I just returned from a drive around Lancaster County, Pennsylvania.  We traveled in the north end of the county through areas known as Terre Hill, Adamstown, Ephrata, Akron and Denver.  The majority of our journey took us through Amish territory with acre after acre of rolling hills and beautiful farmland.   As of 2020 there were approximately 36,000 to 37,000 Amish living in Lancaster County with most of those speaking Pennsylvania Dutch.  

A young Amish couple on a Sunday afternoon ride.

Almost all also speak English, but at home they speak Deitsch (Pennsylvania Dutch).  Lancaster County has the largest Amish settlement in the world.  There are about 4,000 Amish living in other parts of the state, with the remainder living within the borders of Lancaster County.  Throughout my story today I may refer to the Amish as Mennonite or vice-versa, since they do fall under the same religious umbrella and share many of the same beliefs, but at the same time, many Amish and Mennonite, particularly Old Order and Conservative Mennonites, share an affinity for one another.  About 8% of Lancaster's residents are people who use horses and buggies for transportation and have their religious services in German and speak Deitsch as their principal family language.  There are also another 9,000 Old Order Mennonites, Amish Mennonites and Beachy Mennonites who also speak Dutch, but drive a car instead of a horse-drawn buggy.  To that I should add a few more conservative Mennonites, Lutherans, Reformed, Brethren and Moravians who speak Dutch.  Do I speak Pennsylvania Dutch or do I understand it?  I should tell you that with my poor hearing, I have a hard time understanding and speaking regular English!  So, the final number of those in Lancaster County who speak Dutch or Deitsch are about 50,000 of the 550,000 that are fluent in Pennsylvania Dutch.  Recently, Lancaster County had an increase of about 2,500 more people with about 1,000 of them being Amish.  The number of new-born Lancastrians who will grow up speaking Pennsylvania Dutch is rising.  

An Amish gathering to build a new barn for a neighbor.

Wasn't long ago that many historians believed that Pennsylvania Dutch would become non-existent in the close future, but it seems to be the exact opposite of that since the amount of Amish babies, as compared to all others, has grown in the past few years.  Mr. Frank Kessler, a Pennsylvania Dutch dialect enthusiast who lives in Belgium, has a interest in Lancaster County due to Lancaster having the largest settlement in the world in the county.  He predicts that the dialect's future looks bright and the number of newborns who'll grow up speaking Pennsylvania Dutch is rising.  

A young Amish mother with her children.

Some experts had recently predicted that the dialect would expire as older generations took their language with them when they left this world.  Mr. Kessler is a leader of the German-Pennsylvanian Association, which promotes Pennsylvania Dutch in Germany and America.  As for my thoughts on the subject, I make visits to Lancaster's Central Market quite often and one of my stops is at an Amish farm stand who sells meats and cheese.  He actually speaks English much better than quite a few other stand holders as well as myself.  I made a visit about ten years ago to an Amish buggy maker and everyone of the men and women with whom I spoke talked excellent English, but I could also hear some who, when speaking amongst themselves, were talking Pennsylvania Dutch.  Wouldn't you love to be able to do that?  I know I would.  At times, when speaking to myself, (I'll bet you do that also from time to time), I talk in just about any language and sometimes can't even understand myself.  But then, I'm allowed to do that, since I'm over 75 and can say anything I want, and in any language, while talking to myself.  When you get this old you too can do the same.  Just tell your family members that LDub  said you could!  It was another extraordinary day in the life of an ordinary guy.

The "Telling Your Story: How Is Life Treating You?" Story

 It was an ordinary day.  Reading another article written by another of my favorite columnists, Robert Olsen.  Robert writes a weekly story for his column known as "Senior Life."  I have written about him before, but found his story this week to be so interesting I just had to share it with you.  He writes about story telling and passing the stories along from generation to generation, sometimes becoming a form of entertainment in the process.  I have written a few stories on my blog that over time get retold and retold and suddenly change from what my original story was to something totally different or may become a form of entertainment which at the first telling wasn't meant to be that way.  He begins with telling about his last name of Olsen and how, during the 17th century in the country of Norway, his name meant the oldest son in the family.  Back then, your name was your logo or identity marker.  Your name was also a story of your life.  Today names are still considered important and parents go to great lengths to pick a name for their child.  Carol and I went to great lengths when we named our three children Derek, Brynn and Paul (Thadeus).  Derek received his name since it was a great ice hockey player we admired and hoped one day he would be a great athlete.  Our daughter Brynn's name was found while watching a television show.  We gave it to her in hopes she would be as unique as her name would become.  Our youngest son, "Tad" was named after Thaddeus Stevens, one of Lancaster's most famous historical figures.  If you are a parent, have you too taken time to pick a name that will have meaning for your child when they become an adult?  The Public Broadcasting System has a series called "Finding Your Roots" and the program "Ancestry" which both have become popular due to telling about names that have meaning.  Robert Olsen writes in his column that he takes pride in telling others that his parents were married using President Coolidge's car, his uncle David Olson created and designed the Les Paul guitar, his father was one of the doctors that took care of Milton Hershey in his later life and his oldest daughter, Dee, worked in the West Wing of the White House under President Reagan.  He is glad to have his family member's names remembered as being part of a family that was rich in their presence and connected to others who made a big difference in the lives of others.  Then there are others who shy away from picking names that will connect their children with someone or something that will bring attention to them because that may look boastful.  Mr. Olsen, in his column, also encourages everyone who reads his latest column, to keep a journal where you prepare a written document of the major events in your life and the persons to whom you have been connected.  What you write should answer (1) Who a I? (my ID), Why am I? (my purpose in living), What do I do with the time of my life? (the application of my purpose) and How do I do it? (My structure to develop and apply a life of intention and quality).  Look at what you have written.  Are you proud about what you wrote?  Are you happy about what you wrote?  Are you depleted or enriched by what you wrote?  He suggests you keep a journal which monitors your life's dreams which can help you prepare for "living well" during the rest of your life.  For those that are old, as myself, it can help us cross the finish line with a smile on our face and love in our heart.  Thank you Mr. Olson for your insight into my life.  I always seem to have a smile on my face and a laugh waiting to come out when I meet someone whether for the first time or the umpteenth time in my life.  Life is too short to face it with a frown and fear or anger in your heart.  Try to always remember that!  It was another extraordinary day in the life of an ordinary guy.

The "Celebrating Newspaper Columnists" Story

 It was an ordinary day.  Reading one of my favorite columns in the Lancaster Newspaper titled "The Scribbler."  I've been reading it forever, or at least it seems that long.  The author of "The Scribbler" is Jack Brubaker whose column in today's Sunday News is titled "Celebrating newspaper columnists."  Jack has been writing "The Scribbler" for 42 years and today reminded everyone, including yours truly, that April 18 is National Columnists' Day.  "On this day," Jack says, "columnists look not to the forgettable scribblings of the past, but to the dazzling columns to come."  He also tells his readers today that columns are the quirkiest creations of newspapers, and there have been some really quirky columnists."  I have been writing my stories, some perhaps quirky,  since September 2, 2009, so my columns aren't anywhere near as old as his columns, but being that I write a story, or column, everyday...I'm probably catching up with Jack in amount of words or stories published.  

Jack Brubaker..."The Scribbler"

Jack lives in Lancaster County, but I have never met him.  He has written about me a few times, and even featured a photo of me taken by my good friend and newspaper photographer, Dan Marschka.  I often thought being a newspaper columnist would be a great job, but I guess the word "Job" makes it at times a bit more work than I care to do anymore.  Jack tells us today that his favorite columnist is Dave Barry who has written a syndicated humor column for 25 years and then retired so he could concentrate on writing witty books.  "The Scribbler" column began in 1919, a year before my father was born.  It is one of the oldest columns in the world!!  Pretty neat to write a column once a week that is over 100 years old!  I envy Jack being able to write something that is read by hundreds of people everytime he has it published in the newspaper.  Heck..yeah I have to use that word...I'm lucky if I have 250 people read my column every day.  In Jack's column today he wrote that "Longevity, for a columnist, is a simple proposition.  Once you start, you don't stop. You do it until you die or can no longer put a sentence together."  Wonder if I will last that long.  I must admit that what I write are more like stories than they are a column.  I try to have a beginning, middle and ending to all that I write while a columnist can write about a topic and not have to tell a story in doing so.  I taught school for over 30 years and loved every minute of it, but, often wondered if I would have loved working for the newspaper as a columnist like Jack or been a photographer for the paper like Dan.  I often invited newspaper photographers, including Dan, to speak to my photography classes about photo journalism.  Many students told me, after hearing Dan's, or other newspaper photographers exciting presentation that that's exactly what they wanted to do.  I'm not sure if any did, but I had a few who went on to become very well known professional photographers.  Jack writes at the end of his column today that "The Scribbler does not have to answer despairing readers on a regular basis.  This column receives some cockeyed communications, but rarely of a negative nature."  He does get quite a few column ideas from his readers. Some ideas he uses and as he puts it, "salts it all with humor.  Why not?  The world is a mess.  Why dwell on it?"  He claimed at the end of his column today that "if I might provide the amusements of a nation, I would not care who made its laws."  Amen, Jack.  It was another extraordinary day in the life of an ordinary guy.    

The "Remember...It's Your Earth Too!" Story

 It was an ordinary day.  Somewhat ordinary, but a day that should have some impact on you, since today is Earth Day!  Did you forget?  I know...all you can think about anymore is searching for the light at the end of the pandemic tunnel.  It will arrive soon!  Remember, it won't be long before you are able to safely visit with friends, go out to eat, go to the movies, etc., etc.  One good thing about the long pandemic was that it has made our earth a better place.  Air pollution has decreased, water quality has improved and noise pollution has dropped according to NASA and the U.S. Geological Survey.  Now...if we could only live the rest of our lives as if we were still in a long pandemic tunnel, our planet would be forever grateful!  We can do it, you know, but it would require everyone to participate throughout the world.  We do have a chance to do better!  Here's how we can all help to get started.

1.  In 2018, 11.3 million tons of textiles went into landfills.  That's awful!  Why can't we keep the stuff that's already been made in circulation longer?  There would be less impact on the planet from more production of fabrics.  All you have to do is think a bit more when you are buying something to wear.  Could you place a patch on the pair of jeans you have and wear them longer?  Actually, jeans look so much better today if they have tears in them.  Why not stop at a thrift shop and buy something second-hand.  That way the imperfections might already be in the jeans.  Why not shop online at a used clothing site or maybe trade clothes with a friend your size.  Could you form a "BuyNothing" group whose members gift each other stuff they no longer need or want?  If you do need to buy a new pair of jeans, consider a place that sells Levi's and Madewell which have partnered with Cotton's Blue Jeans Go Green program which gives discounts to those who turn in a pair of jeans before buying a new one.  Patagonia also gives you a store credit for returning merchandise to them when you no longer want it.  

2.  It's time to ditch the glitter!  When those tiny pieces of plastic enter the ocean, fish and seabirds as well as other marine life gobble them up which in turn will more than likely kill them.  Remember...it's plastic!  Last year scientists found the highest concentration of dangerous-to-sea-life microplastics ever measured on the ocean floor.  It was about 1.9 million pieces in 11 square miles.  You do realize that the makeup glitter you use can kill a sea animal when you wash it off in your sink at home.  It goes down the drain, into the sewer system and eventually finds it way into the ocean.  Why not use products that use synthetic mica, a sparkly but biodegradable alternative to plastic glitter.

3.  How about quitting the plastic habit altogether!  We eat, swallow or breathe 2,000 particles of plastic a week which is about the weight of a credit card.  If we don't stop cutting back on plastics, scientists predict the amount dumped in our oceans will triple in 20 years.  It is so pervasive that if you take a minute to walk room by room through your home, you'll see it everywhere.  If you floss every day, you're tossing 7.3 little plastic floss containers every year along with the shampoo bottles, kitchen sponges and plastic straws.  Why not try and buy products that are non-plastic or biodegradable or with containers that can be refilled or reused?  You know you can do it if you try.

4. Everyone needs to be food smart and don't throw away the 219 pounds per person in plastic products that we now do every year.  The majority of the food waste happens in grocery stores, restaurants and food service businesses, but it also happens at home.  Try and reuse your plastic items as many times as you can before throwing them away.

5. See if you can find a new way to compost.  Food scraps and yard waste make up more than 30% of what we throw away each day.  Composting is a great way to reduce waste.  Food scraps don't break down in landfills and take up space and release methane which is a big contributor to global warming.  Home composting doesn't have to stink or attract rodents.  Bokashi composting uses microorganisms to effectively "pickle" food waste into a nutrient-rich mix that can be dug into the soil where it breaks down completely within a few weeks.

If we all did our part, our Earth would be a better place to live.  But, we all know that everyone willl not participate, so we have to be doubly sure that we follow the ideas I have presented to you in my story today.  Remember...this earth is home to you and me and it will not live forever if you don't help to take care of it.  Try your hardest, please!  It was another extraordinary day in the life of an ordinary guy.

The "Going Down With The Ship" Story

 It was an ordinary day.  Reading about one of the most-read tales ever told to the public.  The event I am going to review with you today happened over 100 years ago.  Perhaps when I begin my story you will recognize right away what I am going to remind you of  today.  About 110 years ago the newspapers were covered with stories about one of the biggest events that ever happened on the seas.  The public was beginning to gain knowledge of what perhaps caused the event.  First off, the crew had no training in manning, equipping or launching lifeboats.  Ah, you guessed it already, didn't you?  Continuing...The White Star Line and its personnel placed too much faith in the notion that the boat was unsinkable.  Beside that, the lifeboats could only accommodate less than half of its passengers.  And, to top all that off, the Captain proceeded through an area of the ocean that was littered with icebergs.  It was on April 15, 1912 that the unsinkable Titanic, with nearly 1,500 crew and passengers aboard, struck an iceberg and sank.  Since that time there have been many stories told, many accounts of the accident and even a movie made about the sinking of the Titanic.  As I read the story in this morning's LNP Newspaper, I wondered what it must have been like the day of and the day after the sinking of the Titanic took place.  So...I went online and read and read and read some more.  Published on April 16, 1912, a New York newspaper told that help reached the ship too late.  A newspaper from Montreal of the same date told that The Allan Line had issued a statement that read...We are in receipt of a Marconi via Cape Race from Captain Gambell of the Virginian stating that he arrived on the scene at the disaster too late to be of service.  Another headline from Halifax, N.S. on the same date read..."The Allan liner Parisian reports via Sable Island that she has no passengers from the Titanic on board.  The Parisian has just come into touch with the Sabine Island wireless station.  

The Semi-weekly Lancaster New Era ran headlines that read...More Than 1,300 Lives Lost As the Liner Titanic Sank.  Also...While Work of Transferring Her Passengers to Life Boats Was in Progress Early Monday Morning The Titanic Made Her Great Dive Into the Sea.  And, Cunard Liner Carpathia Picks Up From Life Boats Over 800 Persons and Is Preceeding to New York.  Off to the side in that newspaper was a smaller headline that read "Help Reached Her Too Late."

 In the April 27, 1912 News-Journal from Lancaster ran the headline Sensational Story At Titanic Inquiry.  I'm quite sure that every newspaper in the world ran headlines much the same as Lancaster, Pennsylvania ran in their newspapers those days after the sinking of the Titanic.  Many members of the White Star Line were quoted soon after the ship was said to be in trouble that it was impossible for the ship to sink.  P.A.S. Franklin, vice-president of the White Star Line stated: "We place absolute confidence in the Titanic.  We believe the boat is absolutely unsinkable.  We are not at all worried about the loss of the ship, but we are extremely sorry for the annoyance and inconvenience to our passengers and the traveling public."  24 hours later reality sunk in at the headquarters of the White Star Line.  There were reports in the newspaper about passengers rushing to the deck partly dressed, having been awoken from their beds by urgent calls to evacuate, and then getting into lifeboats in the frigid North Atlantic while scantily clad.  Shortly after the Lancaster New Era stated, "the sinking Titanic made her great dive into the sea, carrying with her hundreds of persons to death."  Being that the Titanic's first-class cabins were filled with the wealthiest members of the social elite of 1912, they received a large amount of media attention.  The Lancaster Morning Journal from April 17 dedicated most of its front page to the Titanic story, just as all local papers did for the entire week of the disaster.  As of that date it was still uncertain whom might have survived and whom didn't.  Among the rich and famous mentioned in that article were: John Jacob Astor IV who was one of the richest people in the world and member of the prominent Astor family.  Another was Isidor Straus, A Representative from New York and co-owner of Macy's department store.  Major Arcibald Butt, military aide to President William Howard Taft was on the ship as was Bruce Ismay, managing director of the White Star Line.  All but Ismay perished.  On a side note...Alfred G. Vanderbilt, tycoon of real estate and railroads, was said to be a passenger, but did not board the ship at the last minute.  Funny, but three years later he was on the RMS Lusitania that was torpedoed by a German U-boat.  There were no passengers from Lancaster on board the Titanic that fateful day, but a Mennonite Missionary from Boyertown, Berks county Pennsylvania, died in the event.  Her mother was so upset about losing her daughter that she died a year later from grief.  In the days following the sinking, local newspapers awaited the arrival of the Carpathia, a large boat that brought a load of Titanic survirors to New York on April 18.  Most lifeboats from the Titanic were filled with women and children.  The survivors paddled for hours in the icy waters of the North Atlantic, awaiting a rescue that none of them knew for certain would ever come.  One officer of the Titanic shot himself and of course, as has been reported over and over again, the ship's band played through the entire disaster from secular songs to hymns as the ship sank.  The Lancaster New Era story had these lines:  The Titanic sank, bow foremost, with 1,595 souls aboard, her captain at the bridge, her colors flying and her band playing "Nearer, My God, To Thee" in 2,000 fathoms of water, off the banks of New Foundland, under starlit skies, at 2:20 a.m. Monday."  By April 20, with the survivors on American land, the press began to pinpoint the problems that needed to be investigated.  Too few lifeboats, no training, etc. were talked about in most homes in the country.  And, the "Unsinkable Titanic" will be remembered and written about forever in United States history.  And, you have just read another of these accounts.  It was another extraordinary day in the life of an ordinary guy.

The "The Eruption Of LaSoufriere On The Island Of St. Vincent" Story

It was an ordinary day.  Reading a very disturbing article on LancasterOnline which is the website of my local newspaper LNP.  My wife, Carol, and I have made numerous trips to the Caribbean to visit a variety of islands.  We have never traveled to St. Vincent, but assume it is very similar to many of the other islands we have visited.  In September of 2017, Hurricane Irma struck the island of Sint Maarten/St. Martin and created havoc throughout the island.  The island was one of our favorites!  Carol and I returned to the island in 2019 to visit and saw the devastation that still exists years after the hurricane struck.  

Can't imagine what the island of St. Vincent must look like today after the eruption of the volcano that stands on the island.  I have very little I can say, since I have not visited the island, but have found stories in many publications telling about the eruption of La Soufriere.  The following story was taken from Lancaster Online "People and Social Trends" reporter Aniya Thomas.  The story was written by Jes Tangert, a traveler to St. Vincent.  Other parts of the following story came from The Associated Press.  Carol and I hope that the residents of St. Vincent will be able to survive the aftermath that will most certainly create havoc on the island.  We certainly wouldn't want to have to live through an event as life-changing as a volcano eruption.

Jes and Ben Tangert

A Lancaster County mission worker and her husband are organizing a relief effort for a Caribbean island after a volcano erupted there late last week.  Jes Tangert, 29, and her 25-year-old husband, Ben, were packed and ready to go to St. Vincent before La Soufriere erupted Friday for the first time since 1979, sending ash and gas high into the air.  “The volcano throws up explosions of ash, rock and pyroclastic flow that is hundreds of degrees and destroys anything in its path,” Jes Tangert said. “There are many homes that have been destroyed.  At 11 a.m., after the explosion, it looked as if it was night because of the ash that covered the entire island.”  A bigger eruption occurred Monday that generated pyroclastic flows down the volcano’s south and southwest flanks, according to the Associated Press, which also reported about 16,000 people who live in communities near the volcano were evacuated under government orders April 8, but an unknown number remained behind and refused to move.  No casualties have been reported as of this past Thursday.  With no flights headed to the island nation of about 110,000 people located in the Lesser Antilles between St. Lucia and Grenada, the Leola couple were grounded.  In the meantime, they’ve been gathering supplies and raising money with the help of Hinkletown Mennonite Church in Earl Township, Jes Tangert’s home church, and are looking for others to help make a difference.  Clean water is in short supply on the island, with some communities going as long as 48 hours without it. Power outages across the island have lasted for days.  “St. Vincent wasn’t ready for this explosion,” Jes Tangert said. “It’s a mess.”  Jes Tangert lived in St. Vincent for the past seven years doing missionary work with Youth With A Mission (YWAM), a youth discipleship program, but returned to Lancaster County last April because of the COVID-19 pandemic. Ben Tangert had an expiring contract with the Pennsylvania National Guard and was simultaneously growing a passion for mission work.  Their passion for mission work came together when the couple met in January 2020 at a small group session at Ben Tangert’s home church, Dove Westgate, in Clay Township.  “We fell in love quickly. We married in December. Now, he plans to move with me to St. Vincent and the Grenadines to work with Youth With A Mission,” Jes Tangert said.  An Akron, Pennsylvania  native, Jes Tangert was involved in her church from a young age. When she was 11 she went on a church-organized mission trip to St. Croix with her family, where she was introduced to YWAM and fell in love with its cause.  “The Lord spoke to me about being a missionary with Youth With A Mission,” the Ephrata High School graduate said. “I told my parents and they said maybe you should get through school first. So I did.  “After graduating from nursing school in 2012, the Lord said, ‘now’s the time to go,’” she said.  In January 2013, her parents traveled with a group to St. Vincent and saw a YWAM base there. About five weeks later, she went on a six-month trip to St. Vincent and led a discipleship training school, a prerequisite to work with YWAM full time.  After fundraising for her move to St. Vincent, Jes Tangert become a YWAM missionary in 2014. She is now the administration and kitchen manager for the St. Vincent YWAM program, based on the tiny island of Mayreau.  She teaches kids about Christianity, helps with building projects for community members, bonds with people in the village through cooking, fishing, workouts, devotions, children ministries and other duties on a daily basis.  Jes and Ben Tangert are eager to move to St. Vincent and continue her work with YWAM. In the meantime, they are targeting their charitable efforts for St.Vincent.  “St. Vincent is a tiny country that gets forgotten and a lot of people don’t even know it exists,” Jes Tangert said. “But there are 110,000 people there that need help and love, too.”

We wish Jess and Ben the best and pray that they can lend aid to those in need on the island of St. Vincent.  It was another extraordinary day in the life of an ordinary guy.

The "The Mirror Image Of The 1918 Influenza?" Story

 It was an ordinary day.  A day in September of 1918 when the city of Philadelphia hosted the Liberty Loans Parade which happened to become one of the worst super spreader events in the history of the United States.  Wasn't long before the city of Lancaster began to feel the effects of the so-called "Spanish Flu."  Same thing happened about 100 years ago as what happened recently when the Lancaster city Board of Health decided to succumbed to business and political pressure and made the bad decision to open the city prematurely.  Bad decision both times since it endangered tens, even hundreds of thousands of lives.  It was six days after the parade in 1918 that Dr. Benjamin Franklin Royer, the head of the Pennsylvania Department of Health, issued a crowd ban which was much like the social distancing ban from this pandemic.  Dr. Royer's mandate was the first of it's kind from what at the time was a new Department of Health.  In Lancaster, the city's Board of Health, which is no longer in existence, closed public theaters and restaurants.  It was a bit too late since entire Lancaster families died.  By early October of 1914, there were over 600 cases of the flu with 4 deaths.  A few days later the number had quadrupled with more than a dozen dead.  But, almost all public places remained open which allowed the flu to further spread and take dozens more lives in the city of Lancaster.  Finally in mid-October the Board of Health in Lancaster realized the magnitude of the flu and shuttered public places and limited travel in and out of downtown Lancaster.  But, the business owners pressured the city and the following day everything was reopened.  Sound familiar to anyone?  The Board of Health justified their decision by saying the flu was over and began to spread the news through the local newspaper like the Intelligencer Journal.  That decision gave a false sense of security that would last until the end of the pandemic.  The battle between the city's decision to be open and the state's decision to keep everything closed began to heat up by the end of October.  Dr. Royer's battle heated up with mandates to close into November, but the city of Lancaster's Board of Health still did what they wanted and kept the city open.  So, Dr. Royer had traffic blocked and began prosecuting business owners who remained open.  But, his decisions to do so didn't help keep the flu at bay.  The city of Lancaster was among the very few in Pennsylvania to disregard the closure notice.  Eventually hundreds died in the city alone.  Eventually the state rerouted trains around Lancaster's Train Station and had State Police block the roads.  The state sealed-off the city of Lancaster!  What is unusual is that the same thing happened during the pandemic we are now part of in 2021.  Lancaster County had a plan to reopen in defiance of Pennsylvania's Governor Wolf.  A Democratic minority member on the Board of Commissioners maintained at a May, 2020 meeting that "the county has no legal authority" to reopen.  A Republican Commisioner countered and said the Governor's order was unenforceable.  Gov. Wolf decided to withhold federal monies, but they had already been given to Lancaster.  Since that first reopening, Lancaster County has closed and partially reopened to varying degrees.  The fight over personal liberties during a public health crises seems to transcend time as seen in both 1918 and 2021.  Lancaster's reaction to the 1918 influenza pandemic and COVID-19 are almost identical despite being a century apart.  Will the city and county of Lancaster take into consideration what happened 100 years ago when they debate what to do after our current pandemic?  

Have they learned a lesson from the past?    By the end of the 1918 pandemic, 603 Lancastrians had died.  What will be the final number after this pandemic finally ebbs?  Must remember that the population between the two time periods is more than likely quite different.  10 to 20 years from now this will all be a memory for those that survived, but those now going through it may take heed as to how the other pandemic ended and try to give a better ending to the current one.  Let's hope it is that way!  It was another extraordinary day in the life of an ordinary. guy.  PS - Much of my story was written after reading an essay in the Lancaster Sunday News written by Franklin and Marshall college sophomore Tyson Gates who resides in Etters, York county and is an astrophysics major. Thank You very much Mr. Gates for your information and insight into the comparison between the two time frames.

The "Education Is At A Crossroads Which We Must Conquer Or Else" Story

It was an ordinary day.  Checking out my W-2 form from when I began teaching high school at Manheim Township High School in 1972.  Couldn't believe how much a teacher made back then and how my wife and I managed to own a house as well as having her stay at home to raise our first son who had been born the previous year.  I had always wanted to be a teacher and when I had the chance to enter Millersville State Teacher's College I decided now was my chance to be a teacher.  My dream was to be a math teacher since I did well in my math classes at Manheim Township during my time there from 1957-1962.  Well, my tests I took to get into college weren't good enough to be a math teacher, but my interviewer at Millersville asked if I might be interest in being an Industrial Arts teacher.  Always loved working with my hands so I jumped at the chance and entered the Industrial Arts curriculum at Millersville in 1962.  My tuition at the time (1962) was $144.00 a semester plus perhaps $40-$50 for books.  Four years later I was teaching at York Eastern High School for a year to fill in for a teacher on sabbatical.  The following year I was lucky enough to land a position at my former high school, MTHS.  Wasn't long after that I met a beautiful girl and a year later we were husband and wife.  When our first child arrived we decided it would be best if she could stay at home and be a mother rather than work in a cancer laboratory where she had been employed.   The year after our son was born I was making a bit over $11,000 for the year.  I did supplement my job by putting siding on homes with my cousin's husband on weekends and during the summer when I wasn't back in school taking more courses to obtain a higher degree to increase my salary.  But, I loved every minute of it.  Being a teacher was a dream of mine since I played school teaching my younger brother how to do math problems when he was in elementary school and I was in junior high school.  I retired from teaching in 1999, but stayed on as the yearbook advisor in the Middle School and eventually the Intermediate School.  Actually, I still am the advisor for the Intermediate School yearbook.  Also continued to do the in-house printing for the entire school district which is a job I began a few years after I began teaching at the school.  Stationery, envelopes, student and parent handbooks, hall passes, etc. were all printed in my classroom where I taught Graphic Arts and Photography.  I just loved my job and being a teacher.  Now, I tell you all this since I recently read a story written for the local newspaper by Elyse Mundorff, a Garden Spot High Scholastic's student in Lancaster County, PA.  She titled her story "Teaching careers don't appeal to Generation Z."  She goes on to write that when she was little she would often have her relatives sit on the floor and act as her students while she played teacher.  She would write on an easel with fun-colored dry-erase markers and read them picture books.  She always wanted to be just like her elementary school teacher.  She always envisioned herself becoming a teacher when she grew up.  She went on to write that when she entered high school, her days of playing teacher were long over, as were her dreams of actually becoming a teacher.  She considered the risks of becoming a teacher and found it to be less appealing.  What a shame!  She wrote that the number of instructional licenses granted by the Pennsylvania Department of Education has decreased 71% across all subject areas.  So why is this happening.  She listed one reason being the amount of money paid to teachers today.  She says that she will be having to pay off student loans, perhaps having a house with a mortgage, car payments and the cost of raising a family.  I guess I have to agree with her since tuition today is in the thousands of dollars instead of the hundreds when I was a college student.  Add on the cost of needed graduate school to continue to teach and you are even more in debt.   She also tells of the need to be able to teach online with inconsistent schedules.  Teaching online makes it impossible to establish a relationship with your students which is why many people want to be teachers in the first place.  And, all the preliminary testing needed to even get into a school to be a teacher is causing more high school students to think twice about teaching as a career.  Elyse tells how year after year of standardized testing has been a nightmare and she can't imagine being a teacher and having to subject her students to the same thing she had to go through.  Ultimately, teaching is losing its appeal for the current generation of students.  What a shame!  What will become of our educational system if this trend continues in the future.  Where will they find teachers?  The amount of money paid to teachers has grown slightly since I taught, but the additional education required to continue to teach takes away some of the income gained.  I must agree with Elyse when she says..."Why would anyone want to be a teacher?"  Such a shame!  I truly loved my years as a teacher.  Loved them so much that I still enjoy heading back into the schools to take photos for the yearbook so I can interact with the students in a slightly different atmosphere.  I only hope that the story Elyse Mundorff. wrote for the newspaper opens the eyes of their readership and they begin to make a few changes that may help attract new teachers such as Elyse in the near future.  We must succeed or our educational system will not be able to function.  It was another extraordinary day in the life of an ordinary guy.  

The "Voganville & The Queen Desperado" Story

 It was an ordinary day.  Reading about a small village known as Voganville which is in the township of Earl in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania.  Voganville, sitting on the western side of Earl, is a hamlet that at one time had no trolley lines, railroads or macadamized highways.  Within Voganville lived a family that had emigrated from a county known as Caven on the Emerald Isle known as Ireland.  It was in Voganville that John Vogan was born on March 22, 1782.  John erected the first house in Voganville in 1839 during Martin Van Buren's administration.  Part of his frame home still stands today on the southeast corner in the center of town.  Shortly after he had finished his house he planted a walnut tree which still stands today.  Several years after he had constructed his home, he began a brick yard east of town where bricks were made with a single mould and by hand and burnt in a kiln by wood.  Mr. Vogan used these bricks to build just about every house in town.  He eventually owned hundreds of acres of land in this part of the county.  His holdings extended to West Earl, Ephrata, East Earl and East Cocalico Townships.  He made many bequests throughout his lifetime with one major bequest being the purchase of coal for the poor and indigent of Voganville.  This bequest can be found in his will, recorded in the Register's Office of Lancaster County.  It is in Volume X, page 575, fifth item.  The bequest grew so large that it paid to erect the "Union Church."  He still has a postal office named for him near his town.  The illness that eventually caused his death lasted only a few days in 1863, when the Civil War between the North and South was at its height in our country.  A prominent monument in the Union Cemetery towering above all the others marks the last resting place of the beloved Mr. Vogan of Voganville.  Now...for the second part of my story...born near Voganville in 1862 was a woman by the name of Salome Buck.  She married Abraham Whitman in the town of New Holland on August 2, 1883.  A year later she was the first woman in Pennsylvania to be jailed for stealing horses.  One night she was out late with the son of Abe Buzzard, who dared her to steal a team of horses that were in front of a house occupied by a Mr. Showalter.  She never could turn down a dare, so she stole the team of horses and headed toward her grandfather's home near Briantown.  During her ride she raced a Dr. George DeHaven and they both ended up in a bar in a town known as Blue Ball.  The next day Mr. Showalter wondered what happened to his horses and found them in Blue Ball.  DeHaven mentioned the girl who was tracked down and sentenced to twenty months in prison.  The following year she was caught in another prisoner's cell and placed in solitary confinement.

Miss Buck, aka Mrs. Whitman and later Mrs. Filson spent time here.

The following year she was released, but a few months later she returned after stealing several yards of fabric from Adam Weitzel in New Holland.  She fought the entire way to the hearing.  She somehow managed to avoid more jail time and settled down when she married for the second time.  I could find noting more about her, so I assume she lived happily ever after.  History never ceases to amuse me.  It was another extraordinary day in the life of an ordinary guy.  

The "There Is Always More History To Learn" Story

It was an ordinary day.  Had just opened my email and read a very interesting email sent to me by my friend Sue who I graduated from high school with in...well the date isn't that important...is it?  Sue and her husband Jere have traveled with my wife Carol and I on many adventures in the past 20 plus years.  Now there I go...just gave you some information you didn't really need.  We have taken multiple trips to the Caribbean as well as a few trips to Hawaii.  Sue's email dealt with the trips to Hawaii and our trips to visit the USS Arizona Memorial.  The USS Arizona Memorial is the reason that Pearl Harbor is the number one visitor destination in Hawaii and the USS Arizona Memorial is where your Pearl Harbor experience begins.

The USS Arizona Memorial from the air.

 Millions of people from all over the world come to this majestic setting to see for themselves where WWII began for the United States on December 7, 1941.  Sue attached a story written by John Guy who is a British historian and biographer and has a Master's Degree in history.  John was passing along a story about Pearl Harbor that he says he never knew until he bought a book in the Pearl Harbor gift shop written by Admiral Chester Nimitz titled "Reflections on Pearl Harbor."  John thought it important enough to pass along the following, since he thought we all should know about Admiral Chester Nimitz and his part in the history of our country.  The date was Sunday, December 7, 1941 and Admiral Nimitz was attending a concert in Washington, DC.  

Arriving at the USS Arizona Memorial.

During the concert he was given a note telling him there was a phone call for him.  It was President Franklin Delano Roosevelt on the line.  He told Admiral Nimitz that he is now the Commander of the Pacific Fleet and needed to go immediately to Hawaii.  Admiral Nimitz landed at Pearl Harbor on Christmas Eve, 1941.  At the time there was such a spirit of despair, dejection and defeat that you would have thought the Japanese had already won the war.  

View after arrival inside the Memorial.

After arriving he was given a boat tour of the destruction with big sunken battleships and Navy vessels cluttering the waters everywhere you looked.  After returning to the dock, the helmsman of the small boat asked, "Well, Admiral, what do you think after seeing all this destruction.  Admiral Nimitz's reply shocked everyone.  He said, "The Japanese made three of the biggest mistakes an attack force could ever make, or God was taking care of America.  Which do you think it was?"  The young helmsman was shocked by the Admiral's response and asked him "What do you mean by saying the Japanese made the three biggest mistakes an attack force ever made?  Admiral Nimitz began his explanation to his young helmsman with:

Mistake #1: The Japanese attacked on Sunday morning.  Nine out of every ten crewmen of those ships were ashore on leave.  if those same ships had been lured to sea and been sunk...we would have lost 38,000 men instead of 3,800.   

Mistake #2:  When the Japanese saw all those battleships lined in a row, they got so carried away sinking those battleships, they never once bombed our dry docks opposite those ships.  It they had destroyed our dry docks, we would've had to tow every one of those ships back to America to be repaired.  As it is now, the ships are in shallow water and can be raised.  One tug can pull them over to the dry docks and we can have them repaired and at sea by the time we could have towed them to America.  And, I already have men ashore anxious to man those ships.

Mistake #3: Every drop of fuel in the Pacific theater of war is on top of the ground in storage tanks five miles away over that hill.  One attack plane could have strafed those tanks and destroyed our fuel supply.  That's why I say the Japanese made three of the biggest mistakes an attack force could make or, God was taking care of America.  

Mr. John Guy said, "I've never forgotten what I read in that little book I bought at the gift shop.  It is still an inspiration as I reflect upon it.  In jest, I might suggest that because Admiral Nimitz was a Texan, born and raised in Fredreicksburg, Texas...he was born an optimist.  

One of my favorite photographs I took on a visit to the Memorial.

But, any way you look at it...Admiral Nimitz was able to see a silver lining in a situation and circumstance where everyone else saw only despair and defeatism.  Seems President Roosevelt had chosen the right man for the job.  We desperately needed a leader that could see silver linings in the midst of the clouds of dejection, despair and defeat.  There is a reason that our national motto is, In God We Trust.  Why have we forgotten?  PRAY FOR OUR COUNTRY!  IN GOD WE TRUST."  I more than likely will never forget what I just typed.  I, too, had Never heard of the three big mistakes made that fateful day in 1941.  Will I remember them in the future?  Perhaps, but if I don't, it will be because of old age and forgetfulness.  I, like John Guy, love to learn as much about our history as possible, but my mind no longer can remember everything since it is so full of facts that when I learn a new one, an old one must say goodbye.  So "Thank You" Sue for making me make a choice as to which "stuff" I need to discard from my mind to allow me to replace it with what I just learned today.  It was another extraordinary day in the life of an ordinary guy.