The "Long Lost Elegant Gentleman's Country Estate" Story

It was an ordinary day.  Carol and I were taking a ride through our old neighborhood known as Grandview Heights.  We lived close to the center of the neighborhood on Janet Ave. until about 20 years ago when we moved to our current home about a mile away.  After driving throughout the "Heights" we began heading back to our current house when we drove past a large home that sat at 221 Fordney Road.  We both were amazed at the condition of the home today.  At one time it was an 18th century brick farmhouse with beautiful landscaping and stately trees surrounding it.  We all knew it as "The Fordney Mansion".  Originally it was a huge property with acres of farmland surrounding it. It was owned at one time by Col. William Bush Fordney who "read law" with James Buchanan.  

"Wheatland" was the home of President James Buchanan

Yep...the same James Buchanan who became President of the United States.  Col. Fordney originally lived on the corner of Duke and Orange Streets in the city of Lancaster, Pennsylvania, but bought the farm in 1867 to use as a country home.

An old black and white of the Fordney Mansion

 In 1890 he added what was called the "West Wing" to make the home an "elegant gentleman's country estate" for his son, Thomas Potter Fordney.  The last Fordney to live in the home was Miss Alice Fordney who was the last of her immediate family who died in April of 1973 at the age of 85.  The house is no longer in the Fordney family, as far as I can determine, but is still known as the "Fordney Mansion."  

The name of Fordney Mansion is still on the house.

As we passed the home while leaving Grandview Heights we were amazed at how overgrown the home has become.  Trees and shrubs make it impossible to see the front door of the once beautiful mansion.  If Col. Fordney were still alive today he would be outraged at his once beautiful "Fordney Mansion."  As for the final Fordney to inhabit the house, Alice Potter Fordney was born on June 21, 1887 and was the daughter of Ida Cox and Thomas Potter Fordney.  She at one time was a prominent antique dealer from the late 1920s to her retirement in 1965.  She was known for her custom hooked rugs.  Her maternal great-grandfather was John Michael who owned the historic Grape Hotel in downtown Lancaster for almost 35 years while her paternal great-grandfather, Col. William Bush Fordney, was a prominent lawyer in downtown Lancaster.  

A pen and ink drawing of The Grape Hotel in Lancaster

He served as the District Attorney from 1839-1845 and negotiated for the loan that enabled the city of Lancaster to build the "Lancaster Water Works" in the 1930s.  Her maternal grandmother, Sarah Cox, was a philanthropist and helped manage the Home for Friendless Children in Lancaster while her sister Ellen Fordney Franklin was a "pioneer" in the women's knit suit industry.  Miss Frodney opened her first shop in Philadelphia in 1929.  Miss Alice never married, but kept in contact with her nieces and nephews.  Many of these letters are part of a file on her at the Lancaster Historical Society.   Well, I stopped back at the once great Fordney Mansion today to take a few photographs.  I was very disappointed since I couldn't even see the front porch of the once beautiful house on Fordney Road.  Tough to see how this place was at one time an "elegant gentleman's country estate."  It was another extraordinary day in the life of an ordinary guy.

Photo taken years ago showing the Fordney Mansion

Photo taken recently of the Fordney Mansion

The "It's Finally Over After Over 60 Books" Story

It was an ordinary day.  Can't seem to get the tune to the song "It's Over" by Roy Orbison out of my head.  Sang it to myself for hours after finally making the call to the Landis Run Intermediate School and telling them that I would no longer be working on the school yearbook.  It all began in 1968 when my friend and fellow teacher Ed Blazer asked if I would be interested in helping him with the Manheim Township High School Yearbook.  Told him I'd love to help and I have been working on yearbooks since them.  Some years it was only one book that I would help produce while other years it was two schools I would help with the yearbook.  When I first began working on the yearbook my friend and fellow teacher, Jim Gallagher would help me with the high school book.  We had a student yearbook club which did most of the writing and layouts for the book, while the two of us were in charge of making sure everything was completed on time.  We worked with the Josten's Yearbook Company which was located in State College, Pennsylvania.  Jim and I were able to take our staff to visit the company and they would show us how the book was done on their end and how it was printed.  The students were amazed as they stood and watched the presses running, printing yearbook after yearbook.  Josten's produced yearbooks for all but three of the years that I was the advisor.  Those years were completed by a different company that offered me new computers for the school as well as myself if we could change to their company.  After the three year contract expired we shifted back to Jostens.  I worked on the yearbook until I retired in 1999.  Upon retirement I asked the High School Principal if he wanted me to continue with the yearbook and he declined my offer saying he wanted an in-house teacher to help with the book, but the following day the Principal of our Manheim Township Middle School called and asked if I wanted to be in charge of their school yearbook.  Yep!  I did that book until 2020; mostly by myself since the book was smaller and I found it hard to visit the school all the time to have students help me with the book.  

A few of the yearbook covers from recent years.

In 2013 the school district opened a new building that housed those students in grades 5 and 6 known as the Manheim Township Intermediate School.  Today I just notified  the Principal that I wouldn't be available to do the book for next year.   I found this past year a rather tough job with the COVID-19 virus keeping me out of the school except for an hour one afternoon to take a few candids.  We did cut back on the size of the book which included primarily the class photographs as well as a few candids and plenty of stories written by the students telling of their travels through the school year with COVID-19.  Many students chose home schooling and only had their photo in the yearbook if they submitted one to me.  I recently heard that school will return to normal this coming year (whatever that means).  The past few weeks have once again shown an increase in COVID-19 cases and most students under the age of 12 will not have been vaccinated as of now.  Landis Run School is comprised of students about 12 and under, so I can't be sure if they may carry the virus or not; and I can't take the chance that they may be a carrier and I will become infected with the virus.  I am vaccinated, but don't want to chance gettin the virus at my age.  May never recover!  So, I placed a call to the Landis Run Principal and passed along the news to him.  I wish the school the best in trying to find a faculty member to take over the book, but if not...I'm pretty sure a parent can step in and do the job with the help of the staff at Josten's Yearbook Company.  Will I miss it after producing 61 yearbooks?  Yeah, but it was getting harder every year to make constant trips to the school for club photos, musical photos, candids, plays, etc.   I will miss the students and faculty, but my health is a bit more important to me than a school yearbook.  I will be anxious to see how nice the book looks when it is published in 2022.  I've had a great time, but it's now time for me to relax and allow someone else the chance to enjoy the role of Yearbook Advisor!  It was another extraordinary day in the life of an ordinary guy. 

The "We Need To All Grow Old Together" Story

It was an ordinary day.  Reading yet another story written by Mr. Robert Olsen who is a pastoral counselor and family therapist who specializes in geriatric issues.  Perfect for an old guy like me.  I read his stories since we both share some of the same ideas and philosophies about life in general.  A story published in the Lancaster Newspaper a few weeks ago featured one of his stories titled "Elders need voice to care for each other."  

Mr. Robert Olsen - Pastoral Counselor and Family Therapist

As I read it I kept telling myself that this guy thinks the same thoughts that I do about the same topics.  He began his column telling about the respect shown for elders in tribes from the past.  The tribal council was usually made up of elders who consulted with each other and then with the tribe at large.  The older you were, the more you were respected in the tribe, since it was thought that the oldest were the most wise.  God had intended for the elders to set the example for the remainder of the tribe.  And, you would think that as life went on, attitudes towards the elderly would only bear more respect.  In most countries today that still holds true, but it doesn't seem to be that way in the United States.  More and more elder abuse is being reported as elderly are being subjected to physical trauma and being cheated out of property and money.  Then, two years ago, along comes a professor on the West Coast who says that people over the age of 75 need to be euthanized because they were of no benefit to society any longer.  He believes that the longer people survive, the more they drain the Social Security  and health care systems.  He more than likely forgot that we old people worked hard all our lives to put money into these systems and spent great sums of money filling our homes and garages with the latest technology.  And, its not only him that feels that way.  Other critics feel the elderly have become a burden and should become invisible.  Do you realize that about 80% of the 600,000 U.S. deaths from COVID-19 were over the age of 65.  As Mr. Olsen writes, most were warehoused in nursing homes or stuck in a large single-family dwelling previously owned by themselves and their spouse who was deceased.  Many more than likely suffered from substandard care or perhaps from families that were unequipped to provide adequate care.  You know what?  It's only going to grow worse.  Medical science is allowing older generations to live longer and longer.  Today there are almost 100,000 centenarians in the United States and this number is going to increase in the future.  So, where are all us old folks going to go?  Perhaps the elders of the community should use their wisdom and gain control once again.  Now, I should tell you that Mr. Olsen didn't suggest that...I did!  Mr. Olson reports that he has pondered these issues for the past eight years and has come to the conclusion that there are three major aspects that can be addressed by the elderly community and those who care for them.  These aspects are the educational, emotional and spiritual dimensions of the elderly community.  They were probably the same issues that were addressed by the tribe long ago.   Back then, the young in the tribe grew up watching their elders make long-lasting decisions that would help the tribe in general.  They got to observe the necessary wisdom needed to provide healing for the troubled souls; the elders.  Mr. Olsen believes that there needs to be a grassroots effort to establish a professional and educational business to teach elders how to care for and support each other.  He believes it needs to be modeled on the life and teachings of Jesus; where love is taught as being unconditional, where nonviolence is practiced, were physical care along with ongoing emotional and spiritual support are taught and demonstrated.  This would all be part of "The School For Elders."  At present, Lancaster has a sizable elderly community as shown by the many retirement communities in Lancaster County.  Every year several magazines vote Lancaster, Pennsylvania as one of the best places in which to retire.  We have the old people here...now all we have to do is get them organized so they can lead the rest of the tribe as well all grow old together.  His one final thought was: Who in society teaches us what it really means to grow old?  He believes that should be the task of us elders.  Amen!  I volunteer to help!  It was another extraordinary day in the life of an ordinary guy.

The "Luckily...It Will Never Stop Happening" Story

It was an ordinary day.  Sitting next to a young lady, making arrangements for another visit to my doctor to have a few more injections in my lower back.  This has been an ongoing problem for me for many years.  All began about 50 years ago when I was helping a relative move a rather large window air-conditioning unit.  Felt something unusual in my back and to this day I swear that was the source of all my back problems.  It was back on June 8th that I wrote a story telling of my visit to the Lancaster General Health Campus to have a variety of tests done that would hopefully help Dr. Roberts determine what was the next step in helping me gain some relief from the pain in my back.  We had discussed my four major operations  I have undergone over the past 20 years and I told him if they couldn't get the problem solved after 4 operations, another one wouldn't help either.  So I agreed to try a few injections in my lower back.  The first two, a few months ago, didn't do a bit of good, so he will now try a few more injections, only with a more potent drug.  He had me go to the Health Campus for an MRI and a few other tests to help him pin-point the exact location that he would place the needle.  My trip today was to view the results of the MRI so he could show me exactly where the pain was located.  On the screen was a outline of my backbone with two large areas that shown in a bright red color.  These were the areas where he would inject the material needed to make the pain magically go away.  Now, getting back to my trip for my MRI.  Seems that the fellow who performed the MRI was a former student on mine at Manheim Township High School.  We talked for quite some time about his life and the fact that he was planning on retiring soon.  I looked at him and said, "How old are you?"  Now, remember...this was a student of mine in high school.  Seems he was 65 and ready to retire!  For the first time I actually felt OLD!  Well, today's visit was on par with the last visit.  After meeting with Dr.  Roberts I was directed to a secretary who would make arrangements for my trip back to get the two injections.  I sat next to the young lady who stared at me for a minute or so and asked...Are you the same Larry Woods who taught school at Manheim Township.  You must remember that I had a mask on at the time and she based her question on the photo she had of me on the screen in front of her.  "Yes, that's me!" I said to her.  She looked at me again and said, "I had you in high school for Graphic Arts.  My name was Pat Solecki at the time."  My wife, sitting in a chair across from me, began laughing out loud. "Everywhere we seem to go, someone has had him for either Graphic Arts or Photography.  You wouldn't believe how many people either recognize his face or his name."  The next 15 minutes was devoted to talking about the class and who else might have been in the class with Pat.  She also told me her married name and how long she had been working at the Spine Care Center.  She did tell me the year she was in my class, but I have since forgotten it.  Seems that after teaching 35 years at Manheim Township High School, my own Alma Mater, I have had hundreds of students who still remember one of my classes that they were in during their high school years.  I am often reminded that I retired almost 25 years ago and that my students number in the thousands after all those years of teaching so finding one of them every few weeks is going to happen.  I am glad that they all have told me they enjoyed my classes, but then who wouldn't enjoy a class that was an elective.  Tomorrow will bring another day and perhaps another..."Are you the same Mr. Woods that I had as a teacher in 1968?" "Yes...that's me.  I know I look older now, but that's something I can't do anything about."  It was another extraordinary day in the life of an ordinary guy.

The "Lancaster County's Civil War Hero" Story

It was an ordinary day.  Reading a story written by a fellow teacher, Jeffrey Hudson who was a Social Studies teacher at Lampeter-Strasburg High School.  The story told of the life of Mr. Stephen A. Swails, a native of nearby Columbia, Pennsylvania who was one of the first black United States Army commissioned officers.  The article also told of Lancaster's President of the United States, James Buchanan and perhaps one of the reasons why President Buchanan is now considered one of the worse Presidents in the history of the United States.  Goes back to March 4, 1857 when Buchanan delivered his inaugural address from the steps of the U.S. Capitol.  His speech gave everyone the impression that he thought his election would solve the problem of slavery in the United States.  Shortly after, Chief Justice Roger B. Taney issued his opinion in the Dred Scott case which found that Dred Scott, a slave who claimed he should be a free man, since he had been taken to a free state, had no right to sue for his freedom because he wasn't a citizen.  This decision incensed abolitionists and gave momentum to the anti-slavery movement and served as a stepping stone to the Civil War.  Buchanan thought that the slavery conflict wasn't one that he had the capacity to solve. Then,  Confederate Vice-President, Alexander Stephens rejected the Declaration of Independence's statement that "all men are created equal" and said that the Confederacy's government is founded upon exactly the opposite idea and that the negro is not equal to the white man.  The Confederates eventually made war on the very idea upon which America was founded.  Lancaster native Stephen A. Swails was the child of a Black father and white mother who was born in nearby Columbia in 1832.  At the age of 8 his family moved to Manheim which is to the north west of Lancaster.  When the Civil War began the family moved once again to New York where Stephen enlisted in the 54th Massachusetts Colored Infantry.  He did realize that he could not become an officer since he was Black, but little did he know that he would not be paid the same as a white soldier.  He was so well liked by his comrades that they all refused the meager amount they were given until Stephen was also given the same.  Finally in June of 1864 Congress passed the equal pay law for black soldiers and granted retroactive pay to those who had been freemen at the time of their enlistment.  On July 18, 1863 the 54th led the attack on Fort Wagner which helped protect Charleston Harbor in South Carolina.  They suffered enormous casualties with Col. Robert Gould Shaw, their commanding officer, killed in the line of duty.  William Carney planted the regiment flag at the top of the parpapet and was wounded.  He later became the first Black man to receive the Medal of Honor.  Sgt. Swails also made it to the top along with two white officers, one being killed and the other mortally wounded.  Sgt. Swails sustained a severe head injury at the Battle of Olustee in Florida and Gov. Andrew recommended him for promotion to second Lieutenant.  Swails' promotion was the first for a line officer and put him in the position to give orders to white soldiers.  The promotion was eventually removed when it was found that he was of African descent.  Then Gov. Andrew wrote to the Sec. of War telling that he was a man of character and intelligence and a soldier of superior meat and worthy of the recognition.  He received his commission once again and would later be promoted to first Lieutenant after being wounded a second time near the end of the war.  Over 200,000 Black soldiers fought in the Civil War which was considered a "white man's war."  As the war progressed, Gen. Ulysses S. Grant encouraged the formation of more Black units.   Being that the South was outnumbered, they granted some Blacks their freedom to join the rebel cause.  Confederate Gen. Howell Cobb said, "If slaves make good soldiers, our whole theory of slavery is wrong."  Then Confederate Pres. Jefferson Davis signed the "Negro Soldier Law" allowing slaves to be recruited into the Confederate Army.  

Lt. Stephen Atkins Swails

Stephen A. Swails, a native of Columbia, Pennsylvania proved that the "whole theory of slavery" was wrong and destroyed the very idea on which the Confederacy was founded.  Lately there has been a crusade to remove statues as a way of reckoning with America's past.  Perhaps with the departure of some of Lancaster's monuments from the past, a new monument featuring Lt. Stephen Atkins Swails, America's first Black line officer and patriot could be added, if not in downtown Lancaster, surely in our neighboring town of Columbia.  It was another extraordinary day in the life of an ordinary guy.  

The "Playing The Game Of Euchre" Story

It was an ordinary day.  Searching the internet, trying to find a bit more about a card game known as Euchre.  Have you ever heard of the game.  If so, have you ever played the game?  I've lived more than three-quarters of a century and at no point in my life did I every hear of the game.  Not saying that it is the end of the world because I never heard of the game, but I can't believe not a single one of my friends ever asked me to play the game.  If I hadn't been searching for information on a specific deck of cards this past week, I never would have heard of the game.  So, not I find myself looking up site after site, trying to figure how you play the game called Euchre.  So far I have found that the game is a trick-playing card game that is commonly played in Australia, Canada, New Zealand, Great Britain and the United States.  You can play it with a deck of 24, 28 or 32 standard playing cards.  Normally there are four players, two on each team, although there are variations that range from two to nine players.  And, the main reason I happened upon this card game is due to the fact that I was wondering if all decks of cards had jokers in them.  Seems that Euchre was responsible for the joker being placed in the modern deck of cards.  While searching one website I found that:  The Joker Deck was introduced to Americanized Euchre around 1860 with the joker acting as a top trump or best Bower.  Euchre is believed to be closely related to the French game Écarté, the seventeenth-century game Loo, and the 19th century game Juckerspiel.  It may be sometimes referred to as Knodk Euchre to distinguish it from Bid Euchre.  Well, now I understand everything.  Not!!  Actually I understand absolutely nothing, but that's OK since I will never play the game of Euchre anytime soon.  Maybe I might play Loo or Jackerspiel, but I suspect not, also!  All I really wanted to know was why there is a Joker in some deck of cards and not in others.  I did find that before the early 1800s there wasn't a need for the joker card.  It was only when Eucher was invented that an extra card, or the Joker, was needed.  And...why did they call it a Joker?  Actually it's called a jolly jester, but that doesn't really matter anyway.  

A few of the original Bower and Joker cards

When the game of Euchre became popular in the United States around 1860, a trump card was needed.  People began using blank cards to create what they called the "Best Bower."  So, a guy by the name of Samuel Hart released what is thought to be the very first illustrated "Best Bower" card which he called the "Imperial Bower." Many people began calling the card a Joker.  Euchre boomed in popularity within the ranks of Civil War soldiers who used the card game as a release from constant combat.  

Civil War soldiers playing cards

Then along came poker which didn't need a Joker card.  Didn't matter, since most card manufacturers began to incorporate Jokers into their deck of playing cards.  The original Joker card designer, Samuel Hart, was born in Philadelphia in 1818.  His family had worked in the stationery business since 1831 with his uncle Lewis Cohen having produced playing cards since 1832.  So, the joker was here to stay.  Eventually the game of poker, which didn't need a joker, overtook Euchre in popularity, but still the joker couldn't be banished from the deck of cards.  Most manufacturers began incorporating it into their decks.  Why...perhaps they could charge a few cents more!  Now, getting back to Mr. Hart.  He was born in Philadelphia in 1818.  He was part of a manufacturing family that worked in the stationery business since 1831.  His uncle Lewis I. Cohen even produced playing cards since 1832.  Samuel opened his own store in Philadelphia in 1844 and five years later opened stores in New York City.  He introduced the "Mongul" and "Steamboat" brands of playing cards which became popular in the States.  In 1854 Mr. Cohen retired and placed his business in the hands of his son Solomon and nephew John Lawrence.  By 1871 the New York Consolidated Card Company was established.  It featured Samuel Hart & Co., Lawrence & Cohen, and two more cousins named John and Isaac Levy.  Having Hart's name in the title bolstered it's popularity.  Today's playing cards with their glossy satin finishes and rounded cornered playing cards were popularized by Samuel Hart.  If it hadn't been for him we may not have had the cards with the clubs, spades, diamonds and hearts on them.  And, we also have the many gaming rooms and back room card games that are played today.  Not sure if that is good or bad.  But, for me...I still have no idea how to play Euchre.  Do you?  It was another extraordinary day in the life of an ordinary guy.

The "Life Together - Reflections On Faith, Love, And Caring For A Spouse With Alzheimer's" Story

It was an ordinary day.  Reading a story about a fellow by the name of Robert Wyble who taught school for many years and loved to travel with his wife Naomi.  His wife, Naomi, was a tour manager for a local travel service for many years.  Her job was to travel to different locations and scout hotels, bus lines and guides, making an itinerary in hopes of selling packaged tours to customers where she worked.  Robert never kept a written journal of their travels, instead he took photographs of their travels, mostly in black and white.  And then, one day his wife was diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease.  He said, "Learning that Naomi had Alzheimer's disease was like an earthquake that registered 8.5 on the Richter scale."  It was at this point in his life that he began to write a memoir about caring for a spouse with Alzheimer's.  His memoir is titled "Life Together: Reflections on Faith, Love and Caring for a Spouse with Alzheimer's."  

In his memoir he writes that "Our world took a sudden jolt, and shifted forever.  Our dream of a long retirement together suddenly took a turn we had not anticipated."  It was in 2020 that Naomi's health began to decline and his memoirs became more urgent.  He began to reminisce about their travels together when he would document their trips with black and white photographs.  His first memory of his wife's condition was during a trip together to southern France in 2015.  At the time they had both been retired for about 10 years.  She had fading memories and trouble recognizing her surroundings.  Instead of retreating into seclusion, they decided to keep traveling and enjoying their retirement as much as possible.  He decided they weren't going to stop living.  

A photograph of Robert and his wife Naomi

But then Naomi was diagnosed with lung cancer.  She died on November 20, 2020.  They had been married for 57 years.  He writes in his memoir that he wan't overcome with emotion, because he had lost her a long time ago.  She had lost her ability to talk with him at the beginning of the summer and mostly told her that they had lived a wonderful life together.  He says that it was time for him to release her and let her go.  Robert's memoir talks of his faith journey when he volunteered at an Atlanta hospital as a conscientious objector during the Vietnam War.  He also tells of his 34 years in public education.  His book portrays a man who never stops questioning, reconsidering and learning.  His attitude is reflected in his caring for his wife as she fell deeper into the fog of Alzheimer's.  He found he couldn't reason with her so he tried to get into her world and talk about what was real to her.  At times he hired outside help so he could still live his own life.  Today, he is learning how to live alone.  He relies on his family to help him through the tough times.  He also is revisiting his Mennonite faith as he tries to gain new views on God and the Bible.  He has found the quote "We are in God as fish are in water" and has embraced it.  His says that his faith has undergone a sort of evolutionary change in that the concept of God isn't something set in stone, it's something that must be explored and redefined.  He now feels he has matured into a kind of harmony with his faith in terms of understanding that God is not somebody that fixes things but somebody that's a source of love.  As we age, we all find new ways to live our lives as it become necessary.  God too finds a way to help us.  We just have to trust in him.  If you care to read Robert Wyble's book "Life Together: Reflections on Faith, Love and Caring for a Spouse with Alzheimer's", you can purchase it on Amazon.com.  I'm sure you will enjoy his story.  It was another extraordinary day in the life of an ordinary guy.

The "Hey...I Have 16 Months To Live" Story

It was an ordinary day.  Reading a story about how long I will probably live.  As I began to read the story I realized I had never in my life read a story about how long I could expect to live.  Have you?  And...does it matter?  For me...I'll live until I die!  Won't we all?  Well, the article I found online (now that's probably the first problem) told me that the life expectancy in the United States fell by a year and a half in 2020.  Holy cow!  Maybe I missed the cutoff and should have died 6 months ago and didn't know it until I read the story.  Now what do I do?  The reason that my life, and your life also, will not be as long is due to the COVID-19 pandemic.  That's according to data released by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.  They reported that..."U.S. life expectancy at birth for 2020, based on nearly final data (whatever nearly final data might be), was 77.3 years, the lowest it has been since 2003.  Life expectancy declined from 78.8 years in 2019 to 77.3 years in 2020.  COVID-19 deaths contributed to 73.8% of that decline.  The report was based on provisional data from death and birth records for the year 2020, processed by the National Center for Health Statistics.  The study relies on recorded deaths and births; but some deaths or births that had not yet been counted or recorded were not included in the early data. Oh, so that's the reason I may die sooner.  It's due to someone not being counted on time.  Anyway, the researchers found that life expectancy for men fell from 76.3 yers in 2019 to 74.5 in 2020 and life expectancy for women dropped from 81.4 years in 2019 to 80.2 in 2020.  OK...now I have to worry once again.  I didn't realize that I should be dead by now according to statistics.  Who are these people who like to play God and scare you about how long you will likely live?  If it were me, I'd have everyone living until they are 94.2 or perhaps 98.1.  It all will depend on the month you were born.  I want everyone to live to be the same age.  But wait...there are some racial disparities that I found out about as I began to read a bit more.  Hispanic people experienced the largest decline in life expectancy between 2019 and 2020, primarily due to COVID-19, decreasing by three years from 81.8 years to 78.8 years.  And, life expectancy fell by 2.9 years for Black people from 74.7 years to 71.8 years.  Seems that just about all the numbers falling are due to the COVID-19 problem.  Mortality due to COVID-19 had, by far, the single greatest effect on the decline in life expectancy at birth between 2019 and 2020, overall, among men and women, and for the three races shown in the statistics.  Other reasons for the decline in life expectancy was unintentional injuries, homicide, diabetes and chronic liver disease and cirrhosis.  But, the more I read the better I began to feel since if it hadn't been for the COVID-19 problem, I may have aded a few years on to my life since there were decreases in chronic lower respiratory diseases, heart disease, suicide and certain perinatal conditions.  Seems that COVID-19 was the third leading cause of death in the United States last year.  The top 10 leading causes of death in 2020 were:

1. Heart Disease...2. Cancer...3. COVID 19...4. Unintentional injury...5. Stroke...6. Chronic lower respiratory disease...7. Alzheimer's disease...8. Diabetes...9. Influenza and pneumonia...10. Kidney disease.

So...should I worry about the deduction in the amount of time I will live?  Nah...I won't remember any of those figures when I die, anyway.  And...neither will you.  We all will be one big statistic for those who enjoy scaring us with all these predictions as to how long we will live.  It was another extraordinary day in the life of an ordinary guy...and I enjoyed every minute of it!

The "The Amish Of Lancaster County: Parts I & II" Story

It was an ordinary day.  Reading a story in the "Amish Country News" titled "John Reist-The Forgotten Man in Amish History", which was written by Clinton Martin.  Story told of a man known as Jacob Amman who was credited as the founder of the Amish church.  His name is known to be the reason why the Amish were named as they were.  As important as Jacob Amman is to the Amish, John Reist is just as important.  Amman is well known, while little is known of  John (also known as Hans) Reist.  The date of birth, birth place or even to whom Mr. Reist was born is not known, but it is known that Mr. Reist knew Mr. Amman.  It is assumed that Mr. Reist was from the Sumiswald region of Emmental in the Canton of Berne, Switzerland which was very active in Anabaptist activity.  Being that Mr. Reist knew Mr. Amman, it means they both lived in the same region during the 1600s.  At the time they were both bishops in the Swiss Brethren Church which today is known as Amish, Mennonite and Brethren.  Though they knew each other, they both had different ideas as to how they should live their lives within their Swiss Brethren faith.  Mr. Amman interpreted his faith as being more strict as to manners of dress and shunning while Mr. Reist believed a more relaxed view of the same topics.  Their disagreements grew so far apart that they finally arranged a meeting in 1693 to discuss and try to reconcile their differences.  The problem was that Mr. Reist and Mr. Amman were so far apart on their views that no mater how much talking they might do, their differences were too far apart for any agreement.  Actually, Mr. Reist didn't show up for the meeting and submitted his views in writing telling Mr. Amman how much he disagreed with his ideas.  One item that Mr. Amman preached was the wearing of "hooks and eyes,,"  This had to do with the fasteners on Amish clothing.  Well, Mr. Reist even differed with him on this when he said they should wear clothes fastened with buttons.  Eventually they disagreed on so many topics that they both excommunicated each other from their respective church which led to two totally different movements.  This eventually led to today's Amish and Mennonite Church congregations.  Now, that was more than 300 years ago and today both faiths, Amish and Mennonite, remain distinct and separate, but all remain friends with both groups living amongst one another peaceably.  Thus, this is the reason why Mr. John Reist is now known as the Forgotten Man in Amish History.

The second part of my story today tells about the language known to those living in Lancaster County as Pennsylvania Dutch.  It is spoken mostly by Plain people or those who might be Amish or Mennonite.  Also known as "Deitsch", you may find it is also spoken by a very small minority of the "English" population, or those people just as you and I.  At times, when I visit Central Market in downtown Lancaster, I hear Amish stand holders talking Pennsylvania Dutch to each other, but they will speak to me in English.  Neat to hear them talk in "Deitsch", but I'm glad I don't have to respond to them in that language.  If there happens to be a  local Amish or Mennonite event, you may find them talking in Pennsylvania Dutch at that affair.  You may even find a sticker nearby at the event that reads "Pennsylvania Dutch Spoken Here" (Mir schwetze Pennsylfaanish Deitsch).   I feel I'm in another country when I visit an Amish event and can't understand what they are saying. I realize it is me, and not them, since I could learn Pennsylvania Dutch just as they have taken the time to learn both English and Dutch.   But, I can usually understand enough to get by.  I can just imagine a tourist to Lancaster going to an Amish event and finding out they are all speaking in Pennsylvania Dutch.  We in Lancaster who are "English" residents are so glad we can offer another experience to visitors to our beautiful Lancaster County.  If you ever get a chance to visit my home town, please drive throughout the verdant farmland and see what I get to see every day.  Stop and talk to an Amish resident and ask them to speak to you in Pennsylvania Dutch.  You will get to experience an entirely different world.  Then you may better understand my story today.  It was another extraordinary day in the life of an ordinary guy.

The "Talk About Being Creepy!" Story

It was an ordinary day.  Reading a rather creepy story about a lumber company in East Drumore Township, which is in Southern Lancaster County, Pennsylvania.  They had just made a nightmarish find when they had cut a large maple log in half.  Two employees had just finished cutting the log in half when they looked at the center of the log and there, wedged in the center of the log, were the remains of a young girl.  Upon examination, they realized it was a large doll, a really creepy large doll.  The owner of the Groff & Groff Lumber Company, Douglas Grove, said to a newspaper reporter that "We find stuff in logs all the time, but this was a really odd thing.  It was very disturbing to find a doll looking out at you through the log."  Can you imagine what the two workers, who were cutting the large log in half and seeing what probably looked like a real child staring back, must have thought?  I'm sure I would have been scared to death, thinking it was a real child that had been placed in the tree years ago.  The dismembered head, torso and legs of the aging toy doll were said to be about 50 years old, based on the size of the tree's growth and size.  

The two employees removed the toy doll from the log and placed it in Mr. Grove's office.  He told the reporter that he doesn't want it to stay much longer.  "Let it go creep somebody else out," he said.  They did have a good clue as to the age of the doll based on the date of 1971 that was stamped on the back of the doll's head.  So, what company made dolls that matched this doll in 1971?  Mr. Grove estimated that the doll was in the tree for 30 to 40 years before it was recently sliced open.  He said that he thinks somebody's mean older brother stuffed the doll in the crotch of the tree and it grew over it and was completely forgotten until they recently cut open the tree.  Many of the company's customers stopped to look at the doll and offered to buy the slab of log with the doll imbedded in it.  Others suggested the unique find be preserved in epoxy.  Mr. Grove said he doesn't want the creepy thing in his house.  The wooden slab will be dried for another two years and then treated in a kiln before it's available for sale.  As for the creepy find...the doll will be kept with the log in the meantime.  I suspect that it will be placed somewhere where no one will be able to see it.  I certainly wouldn't want the creepy thing staring at me all the time.  It was another extraordinary day in the life of an ordinary guy.

The "Olympic Events From The Past" Story

Preface:  I wrote this story more than a year ago, before the Olympics were put on hold last summer.  At the time it wasn't certain if the Olympics would be held or if they would be cancelled.  As you probably remember, they were canceled and moved to this summer.  As you read this story, you will see a few reverences to it being last year.  I'm publishing the story today in hopes the Olympics will still be held this year, but at times it looks and sounds as if they might be put on hold for yet one more year.  I feel sorry that fans cannot attend the event this year, but since the virus is still with us, it probably was the correct choice for the health of all concerned.

It was an ordinary day.  Just read an article about the 2020 Summer Olympics to be held in Tokyo. Seems the Governor of Tokyo is optimistic about the chances that the Olympics will be held despite public doubts concerning the Covid-19 virus.  Can't imagine the amount of money being spent at present to prepare for the world to visit or watch this summer's premier sporting event known as the Olympics.  The Olympics have been around for centuries, but some of the sports that were once part of the venue are no longer a part of the games today.  After reading about some of the sports, I could understand the reasoning behind dropping them.  In the 1900 Olympic Games in Paris, a swimming obstacle race was added.  It was a 200-meter race in which the participants had to climb over a pole, scramble over one row of boats and swim under another before reaching the finish line without leaving the water.  The event was held in the River Seine which was known for its swift current.  It lasted for just that year.  In 1904 the Olympics included a Plunge for Distance event.  Participants started on a diving block, dove in and tried to cover as much distance underwater before surfacing.  Being that it was in 1904 in St. Louis, few people could watch, since underwater cameras weren't made at the time. The winner of the event was an American by the name of William Dickey who managed to drift 62 feet and 6 inches.  He wasn't able to defend his title, since the event was discontinued after just one year.  Another event held that year was Club Swinging which is exactly what it sounds like.  Competitors held two large, bowling pin-like clubs in each hand and twirled them around their bodies as quickly as they could following a complicated routine.  Points were awarded for the execution and complexity of the routine.  Club Swinging was featured in 1904 and once again in 1932 when the Olympics were held in Los Angeles.  In 1908, London added Motorboat racing as an Olympic event.  The event had motorboat pilots navigating their craft around an 8 nautical-mile track five times before they crossed the finish line.  Similar to NASCAR on water.  But, in the summer of 1908, the weather was so bad that some boats ran aground during the race.  Others were forced to stop and at the end of the race, only one competitor crossed the finish line.  That was the last year for the event.   One final water event was added at the Los Angeles Olympic Games.  Solo Synchronized Swimming debuted in 1984.  It was the same as regular two or eight-person events that are still in the Olympics, but with a single, solitary swimmer in the pool by themselves.  The event was continued in 1988 and 1992 before it was discontinued.  I don't believe I ever saw it, but it does sound rather boring.  Perhaps next summer another new event may be added, or maybe it will be the last year for one that now exists.  I just hope we all have the chance to cheer on our athletes no matter what country you may cheer for next year.  The virus just has to stop before next summer...doesn't it?  Here's hoping!  It was another extraordinary day in the life of an ordinary guy. 

The "The Snare Of The Smartphone" Story

It was an ordinary day.  Walking out the door of my local supermarket when I noticed a few piles of flyers and small magazines.  Grabbed one of each and when I got home I began leafing through the couple I had taken from the store.  The most interesting one was titled "Amish Country News" which was a 38 page magazine.  Page after page of interesting articles, many dealing with the Amish and their way of life in Lancaster, Pennsylvania.  The one story that I enjoyed the most was one titled "smartphones - The Amish Community's Pandora's box?" If you are not familiar with the phrase "Pandora's box," it is an item from ancient lore that today means "Any source of great and unexpected troubles" or "A present which seems valuable, but which in reality is a curse."  The story goes on to ask if the smartphone is really a valuable gift or is it a curse for the Amish?  I can still remember a few years ago when I stopped an an Amish company that was making Amish Buggies.  I was introduced to a young man about 25 years old who showed me around the building and explained to me how they produced their Amish buggies.  When I grabbed my tablet and pencil he questioned me as to why I don't take my notes on my iPhone.  I asked him, "Do you have a cell phone?"  "Sure, we all have cell phones."  Seems that cell phones were adopted by some of the Amish as soon as they became accessible to mainstream society.  Actually, the Amish had telephones as early as 1910 when a division occurred in the Amish Church based on the effect the telephone had on the community.  The Old Order Amish allowed telephones, but they weren't allowed in their home.  By the 1950's most Amish farms had phone booths at the entrance to the road leading to their property and each booth had a landline in it.  It had certain restrictions, but could be used for emergencies. By the 1980's, as many Amish moved away from making their living by farming, they had businesses that needed the use of a landline telephone.  Then cell phones came along and it was harder to keep them out of the home.  All of a sudden these devices became the "world in one's pocket."  Not only that...it could take photos, video, play games, access the internet, social media, gambling, dating, and the list goes on and on.  The smart phone became a polarizing item among the Amish.  So, what do the Amish think of today's smartphones.  A few year's ago a meeting was called among the Amish Church to create one, unilateral approach to cell phones among the Amish.  A policy was decided upon, but fell apart immediately after the meeting dismissed.  Seems that the cell phone is an enigma among the Amish.  Recently a book was published titled "The Snare of the Smartphone."  It was printed in Pennsylvania and was designed to warn Plain Sect members (Amish and similar churches) of the pitfalls of smartphones.  It mostly says that total prohibition is the answer.  There are two main topics: Pornography and Social Media.  So...what will happen in the future with the Amish and their smartphones?  I believe that the younger generation of Amish isn't much different than any other group of people who just can't put their cell phones down.  I guess the answer might have to do with technology.  Can someone help the Amish create safeguards for their phones where social media and pornography can be eliminated.  Nah!  Amish kids are just as smart as any other kids and they will circumvent any restrictions put upon them by their elders.  I'll bet a few of them already have ways to get past any restrictions and are trying to figure a way to make money off of their ideas.  And...it's going to happen!  It was another extraordinary day in the life of an ordinary guy. 

The "When Color TV First Began" Story

 It was an ordinary day.  Watching "I Love Lucy" with my Mom, Dad and brother on our color TV in the living room of our home at 929 N. Queen Street at the edge of the city of Lancaster, Pennsylvania.  The year was 1955 and color TV sets had just been on the market for about a year.  My Aunt and Uncle had purchased a new color TV the year before, but my parents didn't have enough money until the following year to buy one for the family.  My brother and I thought we must be rich to be able to have a color TV.  And we loved watching shows that were broadcast in color.  One such show was the weekly "I Love Lucy" show.  My only complaint was that the show wasn't on long after it was first shown in color.  The show had first aired in October of 1951 on CBS in black and white.  The show topped the Nielsen ratings for 4 out of the 6 years it was on TV.  One thing I never knew for many years was that Lucy and Desi, the stars of the show, were actually married in real life during the years they were on the show.  They eventually got divorced in 1960, after 20 years of marriage.  They still remained best of friends, but didn't enjoy being married anymore.  I recently learned a few things about the two of them and the show that they had on TV for a few years.  

Lucy, Ethel, Desi and Fred

Seems that CBS at first didn't think that Americans would buy the idea that Lucy was married to a "foreign" man.  At the time Lucille Ball had a radio show called "My Favorite Husband."  She agreed to place it on TV only if her real-life husband, Desi Arnaz would play the role of her husband.  CBS wasn't sure that American viewers would watch a show that had her married to a "foreign" man with an accent.  I suppose that many didn't realize that they had already been married in real life for over a decade.  Lucy also said that she would be the only one who could make fun of her husband's fractured English.  The show at first had a hard time finding sponsors, since Lucy wanted smoking allowed on the show.  Luckily Philip Morris signed on as a sponsor.  Only problem they had was that Lucy smoked Chesterfields so one of the stagehands had to stuff her Chesterfield cigarettes into Philip Morris wrappers.  Another problem was that Lucy was just about the same height as her husband and when she wore heels she stood higher than Desi.  He in turn had to wear "lifts" in his shoes.  One of my favorite episodes was called "The Candy Factory Episode" where Lucy and Ethel stuff their faces and clothing with chocolates while trying to keep up with a speedy conveyor belt.  At the time I was a young teenager who thought that was hilarious.  Not sure what I would think today.  One thing that most people who watched the show never knew was that Luci and Dezi's friends, "The Mertzes," couldn't stand each other.  Vivian Vance, who played Ethel, was actually 22 years younger than her TV husband Fred.  She didn't care for him in real life, calling him and "odd poop."  He in turn called her a "sack of doorknobs."  They were smart enough not to let that get in the way of their acting.  Most of the writers and directors never knew about it until the show was no longer on TV.  Well, "I Love Lucy" was just one of my favorite early color TV shows that I loved.  

Pernell Roberts, Michael Landon, Lorne Green and Dan Blocker

Another was Bonanza with Father Ben, Adam, Little Joe and Hoss.  Watched that every Sunday evening.  But, that's another story for another day.  It was another extraordinary day in the life of an ordinary guy.  

The "Roslyn Is In Need Of A Few Repairs!" Story

It was an ordinary day.  Reading a bit more about one of Lancaster, Pennsylvania's most distinguished and renowned architects.  The year was 1896 and C. Emlen Urban was 33 years old and celebrating his 10th year of private practice.  By now he had used his Queen Anne, East Lake, Chateauesque and Romanesque Revival architectural styles on quite a few homes and businesses in the city of Lancaster.  He had designed the home of chocolatier Milton S. Hershey, tobacco giant Menno M. Fry and renouned downtown Lancaster mercantilist Peter Shand.  Shortly after, he was busy once again with a Chateauesque mansion at the corner of President and Marietta Avenues for Mr. Shand's partner, Peter T. Watt.  The three-story cut stone residence had broad balustrade porches, round turrets, conical roofs, stepped gables, finials and six chimneys.  But what I thought was just as neat was the building that sat to the north of the house. a two-story carriage house which I often called a garage until I was told different.  The year was 1896 and Mr. Urban was a busy guy having also designed a cigar factory in downtown Lancaster as well as the Strawberry Street Public School.  Oh, yeah...he also found time to design his own house at 212 E. King Street.  This house was actually a remodel of a former 1860s Federal Style residence.  This remodel included gold-colored bricks, arched entrances, leaded glass transoms and classical ornamentation of the roofline balustrade.  After his 10th year of designing architecture for the city of Lancaster, he celebrated by publishing a booklet titled, "Recent Work by C. Ellen Urban, Architect."  My story continues today with a bit more information about the Chateauesque mansion on the corner of President Avenue and Marietta Avenue.  Seems that new owners bought the place in 2016 and rehabilitated it in 2018.  They recently decided to sell the mansion once again.  They found it would be easier if they marketed the mansion and carriage house separately.  So, the carriage house was given an address of 321 N. President Street and marketed on its own.  Only problem was that the 4,000-square-foot carriage house was less impressive than the mansion.  The first floor former stable area was mostly unimproved and a second floor apartment hadn't been occupied for a decade.  Many of the trees surrounding the carriage house were either deae or dying and there was quite a bit of bamboo which had infected the 1.1 acre property.  Didn't matter to the family who bought the place in 2019 for $325,000.  The family that purchased the home had plans to rehab the carriage house.  But, there was one little problem...or should I say one big problem.  On Christmas Day an entire wall collapsed!  The story in the newspaper said that after spending months and tens of thousands of dollars dealing with the invasive bamboo as well as overgrown trees and vegetation, they were about to begin on the house.  They had received a building permit for basement work and excavation and reinforcing of walls.  All you have to do is drive by and you can see what happened.  It was reported in the newspaper that the place now looks like a dollhouse with the rear of the place removed and the bottom corner of another wall missing.  The owners now claim that they have finalized the engineering plan to rebuild the carriage house and expect it to start by last month.  The house was originally built with stone from the Avondale quarry in Chester County.  To make the house historically accurate they will have to find the same type of stone.  They are going to have it done right and historically accurate.  "When we're done, you'll never know the collapse happened," they said.  Might cost them close to $750,000, or more than double what they paid for it.  The actual mansion, not including the carriage house, was purchased for $1 million in 2016 to a physician from New York.  It has been known as "Roslyn" since Peter Watt had it built.  The President of the board of directors of the Historic Preservation Trust of Lancaster County reports that the carriage house is as much a landmark as the main home.  He is glad that the new owners of the carriage house plan to keep it historically correct.  Hopefully we will never know that it was damaged after the reconstruction is finished.  It was another extraordinary day in the life of an ordinary guy.  PS - photographs follow...

The original Roslyn

Another view of Roslyn

Looking at the mansion from the road.

This is the Carriage House behind the mansion.

and...this shows the damage to the left side of the carriage house.

The "She Always Had A Book In Her Lap" Story

It was an ordinary day.  Recently, an obituary appeared in the Lancaster, Pennsylvania newspaper telling of the death of Ruth Steinmuller Freitag (pronounced FRY-tog).  

Ruth Steinmuller Freitag

Recognize the name?  I didn't think much of it, since I never had heard her name before it appeared on the obituary page of the paper.  Seems that Ruth was a very special lady over her lifetime.  She was born in Lancaster on June 8, 1924 and died October 3, 2020.  Her father, Albert, was an immigrant from Germany who worked at Lancaster Lock Company while her mother, Lina, her father's third wife, was a homemaker and expert seamstress.  While in high school she won a trip to Washington D.C. according to a front-page article in "The Lancaster New Era."  She studied biochemistry at Penn State University, graduating with a liberal arts degree in 1944.  She then served with the Women's Army Corps in China beginning in 1945.  After three years she was accepted to the United States Foreign Service, working as a communication specialist at the US Embassies in the UK and Hong Kong.  By 1959 she had earned a Master's Degree in Library Science at the University of Southern California and took a post at the library of Congress.  In the 1960s she was instrumental in developing the MARC (Machine-readable cataloging) standards, which helped standardize digital records shared between libraries.  While at the Library of Congress she was a reference librarian specializing in the implication of bibliographic guides, particularly on topics related to astronomy.  She was given special recognition for her compiling, illustrating and annotating an extensive bibliography on Halley's Comet, which was published by the Library of Congress in 1984.  Her patrons included Isaac Asimov and Carl Sagan.  She retired from the library in 2006 at the age of 82 and died October 3, 2020 at a nursing home in Falls Church, Virginia.  She rests today at Greenwood Cemetery in the south of the city of Lancaster.  A longtime colleague of Ms. Freitag, Constance Carter, visited Ms. Freitag last year just before the Covid-19 pandemic shut down nursing homes, then lost touch with her.  She finally looked her up on Google this spring and came across her obituary.  Seems that Ms. Freitag was her own analog version of Google, providing answers to a wide array of queries from writers and researchers in astonishing depth and detail decades before computers and the internet transformed the research process.  Ms. Carter said that, "Ruth was known for her ability to find a needle in a haystack.  She always had a book in her lap."  She was best at compiling epic bibliographic guides and resources.  She was best known for her knowledge of subjects such as the star of Bethlehem, the flat earth theory and women in astronomy.  Her greatest achievement was her illustrated, annotated, 3,235 entry bibliography on Halley's Comet, complete with citations of books, journals, charts and pamphlets as well as references in fiction, music, cartoons and paintings.  The bound book was published by the Library of Congress in 1984, just in time for Halley's comet's last pass-by of Earth in 1986.  London's Halley's Comet Society made frequent calls to Ms. Freitag for information. This lady also compiled bibliographies on presidential inaugurations and whether a new decade or century was considered to begin in the year ending in zero or the year ending in 1.  In 1995 she compiled a pamphlet titled "Battle of the Centuries" which had spirited quotations about disputes over the ages.  She was also known for her relentless quest for precision.  And then, on October 3 of 2020, at the age of 96, Ms. Ruth Steinmuller Freitag died.  "She was absolutely the go-to person for getting manuscript material and goods," David DeVorkin, the recently retired curator of astronomy at the National Air and Space Museum at the Smithsonian Institution, recently said.  Her death went largely unreported at the time, announced only in the short obituary by the Charles E. Snyder funeral home in Lancaster, Pennsylvania.  She was buried with military honors.  A true hero to many!  It was another extraordinary day in the life of an ordinary guy. 

The "It's Time For Some Championship Baseball - Part II" Story

It was an ordinary day.  Getting ready for the start of this year's New Era Tournament, Lancaster's premier baseball championship.  The tournament, which was stated in 1946, is now known as the LNP LancasterOnline Tournament.  I have written about the tournament in the past, but I never tire of writing about my favorite sport as well as my involvement with the tournament that this year will be celebrating 75 years of baseball in Lancaster County.  I have been a part of the tournament since 1956 when my summer baseball team, Schick, made it into the first round of the tournament.  

I'm wearing my Schick uniform in this photograph

We lost, but it was something that I will never forgot.  Since that time I have coached in the tournament for 7 years and also saw my sons play in the tournament several times.  The first time I coached in the tournament was back in 1969 when I was coaching the Hamilton Watch Jr. Midget Team along with my cousin Judy's former husband, Lance and my wife's cousin Bobby Nonnemocher who had played professional baseball for the Kansas City Athletics before hurting his arm and having to leave professional baseball.  We were in the first round of the Jr. Midget level tournament when the opposing pitcher hit my pitcher while he was batting.  Hit him in the head with a pitched ball.  Bobby grabbed him and headed to the hospital.  Always thought that it was intentional, but could never prove it.  We lost and were eliminated from the tournament.  

My Hamilton Watch team that played in the New Era Tournament.

My oldest son was on the winning team back in 1987 when he played with for Manheim Township.  My youngest son played on the team that I coached known as the Manheim Township Sertoma.  I coached the team for six years...2 years each at the 12 years old and under, 14 years and under and 16 and under.  We made the tournament every year, but had to face a team from Willow Street who had a pitcher who eventually was signed by the Phillies to a minor league contract.  He pitched against us each of the first 5 years and beat us, one time in the finals and 4 times in earlier rounds.  In my final year of coaching in 1991, the Willow Street pitcher injured his arm near the end of the season and they didn't make the tournament.  My Sertoma team made it to the finals where we had to play against the  Lancaster Township Midgets (16 and under) that were coached by...my wife's cousin Bobby, a one-time professional baseball pitcher.  

Article in the newspaper telling of our reaching the finals!

My team was so psyched that we handily beat the other team and won jackets given to us by Lancaster Newspapers.  

After six tries at winning, we finally did it!

Perhaps you read my story a few years ago about my winning the jacket and having them put my name across the breast pocket.  Only problem was they spelled my last name as "Woops" instead of "Woods".  They gave me a new one, but over the years I wish I hadn't asked for a new jacket.  The old one would have gotten more stares and comments which would lead to me telling how I won the jacket.  

Team photo after we won the New Era Tournament in 1991.

Recently my grandson, Caden, has had the chance to play in the tournament a few times and his 14 and under team won the championship last summer with him hitting a homer in one of the games.

The 14U Mountville Team that won the LNP Tournament.

 My wife and I were on the island of St. Martin at the time, but did get to watch it on my phone through the app GameChanger.  Baseball, as you can see, is a big part of my family's lives.  And, it all goes back to what at one time was called the New Era Tournament.  My family appreciates all that the Lancaster Newspaper has done for Lancaster County by allowing my family, as well as many other families in Lancaster County, to participate in  The New Era Tournament beginning in 1946.  

My grandson Caden pitching in the tournament.

The teams that may possibly make the tournament this year recently had stories published about them in the newspaper.  Caden is part of the Hempfield Black team that still has a chance of making the tournament this year.  The teams that make the tournament all have an equal chance to claim the title of best team in their respective divisions.  The LNP Tournament will give all the teams a chance to win and end their season with a win.  But, all teams in the tournament can claim to have played superior baseball throughout the summer months of 2021.  A real accomplishment!  And, perhaps someday, years from now, one of the players or coaches will write about being in The Lancaster New Era Tournament/ LNP Tournament just as I did.  It was another extraordinary day in the life of an ordinary guy.

The "It's Time For Some Championship Baseball - Part I" Story

It was an ordinary day.  Lancaster County baseball season is about to come to a close for the summer of 2021.  We missed the baseball season last year due to COVID-19, so this season was a bit more special than ever before.  My grandson Caden played for the Hempfield Black 16U (16 years old and under) team this past summer.  Hempfield High School is one of the largest high schools in Lancaster County which means you have to be a pretty good baseball player to make the team.  The high school season ended with the team from nearby Manheim winning the County Championship.  Soon after that season ended, the summer league began play with close to 16 teams.  Since Hempfield is larger than most other areas, they entered two teams in the league.  My grandson played on the Hempfield Black with about a dozen other boys while the Hempfield Red team had about the same amount of players.  I suspect the high school coaches tried to make the teams as equal as they could to make both teams competitive.  Well, the season is almost over and Hempfield Black is undefeated, but does have one tie with...you guessed it...Hempfield Red.  At the end of the season will be played the annual tournament that at one time was known as The New Era Tournament.  The tournament began 75 years ago and is sponsored by our local newspaper.

 It is an honor to play and coach in this annual tournament which has three different age brackets once known as Midget-Midget (ages 9-12), Jr. Midget (ages 13-14), and Midget (ages 15-16).  Today they are 12 and under (12U), 14 and under (14U), and 16 and under (16U).  The tournament began back in 1946 when Lancaster County seemed to have a little bone to pick with its youngsters.  It was shortly after the end of WWII and the county elders though that the kids in town were getting into too much trouble.  So, the local newspaper's sports editor, George W. Kirchner, decided he would do something to pull those kids away from less wholesome pursuits and organized a baseball tournament.  Mr. Kirchner wrote in the newspaper about the brand new baseball tournament .  He figured if you could take the kids and "steer them into a path that would lead to good, clean, healthy fun, it would get their minds off things that would lead to mischief."  That first summer 65 teams in Lancaster County competed in the Midget division which at that time was ages 12-14.  Another four teams of 9-11 years old had a shorter tournament.  On August 20, 1946 the team from New Providence beat Hamilton 6-3 to claim the tourney's first ever tournament championship.  

The 1946 New Providence Champions.

The game was played at Stumpf Field along the Fruitville Pike in Manheim Township.  Stump Field at the time was the home of the Lancaster Red Roses, who played in the Class B Inter-State League from 1940-1953.  The game drew quite a crowd.  Across the front page on August 21 was a panoramic photograph of the jammed stadium the night of the game.  The headline read: "Record Crowd of 7,250 at Stumpf  Field for Finals of the New Era Midget Baseball Tournament (Story on Sports Pages.)"   It seemed as if all of Lancaster County turned out for this grand finale.  That was the start of what today is still just as big as it ever was for Lancaster County.  On the 50th Anniversary of the tournament, Mr. Curt Aspril, the New Providence ace pitcher in that very first game, thanked former sports editor Bill Carroll for a story marking the tournament's 50th Anniversary.  As you can see, the New Era Tournament has been, and still is, a big deal in Lancaster County.  

The first page of the Sports Section in today's newspaper.

It now has three categories and is no longer known as the New Era Tournament, since the newspaper is now called LNP LancasterOnline.  Hey, no big deal as long as they will sponsor the tournament.  My personal journey through the tournament will be my story tomorrow.  Follow along...  It was another extraordinary day in the life of an ordinary guy. 

Another insert in today's newspaper telling about the upcoming tournament.