The "Can You Write In Cursive?" Story

It was an ordinary day.  Checking out my Sunday News Paper's "Letters to the editor" page which is part of the LETTERS/OP-ED Section of the newspaper.  One letter submitted by Lisa Garrett from East Earl Township caught my eye.  Letter was titled...We don't need to teach cursive writing.  Something I had never thought about in the past!  And, just why don't we need to learn cursive writing I thought to myself.  I had to learn it and it's only fair that students today should have to learn it.  Make sense to you?  Than, I began to think about it and I'm not quite sure how to think...now.  I'm typing this story today on my laptop, which doesn't type in cursive!  At least I don't think I can type in cursive!  The letter to the editor that I had just read in my Sunday News was not in cursive.  And, I had no trouble reading it.  The letter began with....

It is with great amusement that I read of our state Legislature focusing on what really matters.  Specifically, some lawmakers want to make the teaching of cursive writing mandatory for pubic schools, because of the complaints of a few grandparents.  Let's be realistic.  Children today are expected to learn more than ever.  We keep adding more to the list of things that they need to be taught, and something must go.  Why not cursive writing?  Cursive resulted from the need to keep the quill pen on the parchment to keep the dipped ink from blotting so much.  That made sense 500 years ago, but less sense since the invention of the printing press and then, especially, the ballpoint pen and computers.  Printing is now prevalent.  I would hazard that most people do not know how to use an abacus or slide rule anymore, because they have been replaced with the modern calculator.  I would not want teachers wasting precious time on teaching the use of either.  It is time to stop teaching cursive writing and the likewise obsolete Roman numerals and analog clocks.  The world and technology move on.  Our children, and their grandchildren will no longer use cursive.  I barely use it anymore.  And, if you want your grandchidren to help you with your smartphone, then it's best to send them a printed message that they can read.  As far as future generations reading cursive, I am sure there is an app for that -- or that AI will be able to translate.    Lisa Garrett, East Earl Township. 

 So...what do you think?  I find it hard to say...but I believe Lisa is correct!  I learned cursive writing in elementary school in the 1950s and don't think about it anymore.  I just assumed that everyone knew how to write in cursive.  But, I was recently reading a letter that my grandson wrote to me which was not in cursive.  Perhaps he doesn't know how to write in cursive!!!  Maybe he never learned to write in cursive!  I was able to read it without any trouble! And...it didn't really matter to me.  I just assumed his cursive writing wasn't his best way to communicate, and that was why he printed it.  Many times I also print.  My cursive isn't the best and when I don't want to make it hard for someone to read what I have just written, I'll do so by printing it.  This story you are reading isn't in cursive, since I don't know how to write in cursive on my computer.  I just assumed I could only use printed words!  I grabbed my latest "Smithsonian" magazine from next to me and paged through it.  Yep!  All was printed!  Even the mailing address on the front cover of the magazine was printed.  Perhaps elementary schools should stop teaching cursive writing if they haven't already.  One less subject that is needed which consumes quite a bit of your time to do if you are a young child.  And...these old foggies who believe that cursive should still be taught in school should wise up and live in the present/future and not the past.  I'm one old foggie who would vote for no more lessons in how to write in cursive.  Seems it is obsolete!  Amen!  And...Thank You Lisa Garrett for your letter to the editor.  The best letter today!  It was another extraordinary day in the life of an ordinary guy.      

The "Life & Legacy Of C. Emlen Urban" Story

Prelude: In each century, there are a handful of individuals who define a city and make their stamp on history.  Written by architect Gregory J. Scott, FAIA, Urban Legend is a book about C. Emlem Urban and 25 of the architectural masterpieces which left an indelible mark on the City of Lancaster, Pennsylvania.

Mr. Urban, a true legend, designed 700+ commissions with no formal education beyond the age of 17.   On the pages of this book, Scott shares insight gathered from years of research including Urban's personal diaries, sketchbooks, and linen drawings.  This landmark book was produced locally with photography by Matthew Tennison and design and marketing by Fig Industries.  

If you treasure history, appreciate architecture, or love the City of Lancaster, get your copy of Urban Legend.  Go to egganddartbooks.com or follow @egganddartbooks on Instagram and Facebook for book signings and retail locations.

It was an ordinary day.  Just left the auditorium of Woodcrest Villa, where I am a resident, after listening to a stirring presentation by Lancaster's Mr. Gregory Scott about one of Lancaster's most famous residents, C. Emlem Urban.  Greg recently finished his book, "Urban Legend: The Life & Legacy of C. Emlen Urban" and was giving a presentation to the residents of Woodcrest Villa about the life of Mr. Urban and what they might find in his new book.  A story in the local newspaper began with ....."You won't find author Gregory Scott's name on the cover of "Urban Legend: The Life & Legacy of C. Emlen Urban" - a new book detailing the work of Lancaster's most iconic architect.  

Mr. C. Emlen Urban

But the omission of Scott's name is not an oversight, it was by design. "It's not my book, it's Urban's book," says Scott who is a resident of  Lancaster, Pennsylvania.  "At the end of the day, I had the privilege of putting this book together for Urban and for the community."  I had just spent the past wonderful hour listening to Greg tell the story that he has now placed in his new book about the life and times of Mr. Urban.  Fantastic story that was extremely interesting.  The book is a beautiful book, both in size and content.  The story inside the front cover tells the life and legacy of Mr. C. Emlen Urban, one of Lancaster's most famous and prolific architects.  Gregg is an architect himself who's been practicing for more than 50 years with 42 of them at Lancaster's RLPS (Reese, Lower, Patrick & Scott).  He told his audience that he was destined to write the book since both he and Urban were the second of five children and struggled scholastically.  They both married their high school sweethearts in their early 20s, had two children and lived in Lancaster.  They both spent their careers in architecture and Scott says, "we're notorious for underestimating the cost of our projects."  But, for Scott, the kicker came last fall, when he acquired a formal coat once owned by Urban from a young woman who found it in a Denver, PA based thrift store.  "We're living parallel lives.  These mysterious connections kept happening. It was just meant to be."  Greg said, "I'll pit our boy Urban against any other national architect for his ability and depth of knowlwedge."  The talk that Greg gave to his audience at Woodcrest was both fun and interesting.  He added just the right amount of background information to let his audience know about his connection to Mr. Urban without overdoing it.  I was amazed at his wealth of knowledge he presented about Mr. Urban.  One of my former high school students, James Mehaffey, had worked with Greg and told me about the connection between Greg and Urban.  Well, the talk today was both informative and interesting and I'm hoping to be able to buy one of his new books he has recently finished.  I'm sure I will be amazed with the magnitude of work that Mr. Urban has contributed to Lancaster's city and county.  It was another extraordinary day in the life of an ordinary guy.  Following are photos of a minute few of Mr. Urban's many buildings in Lancaster, Pennsylvania

Lancaster's Southern Market

The Watt & Shand Department Store Building

The Greist Building

                                                              The Woolworth Dept. Store

The "RIP Tom Smothers" Story

It was an ordinary day.  My wife had just opened the morning paper as I sat nearby, preparing to write another story for my blog.  She said to me, in a alarming voice..."Tom Smothers just died!"  "What!, I said back to her.  Where did you read that?"  Before long she was reading the story that appeared in my morning newspaper.  Read like this.... 

Comedian Tom Smothers, who with his brother performed as the singing duo, the Smothers Brothers, has died, according to a family statement shared by the National Comedy Center.   He was 86.  Dick Smothers, Tom's younger brother and professional partner said his brother was at home at the time of his death, related to cancer.  "Tom was not only the older brother that everyone would want in their life, he was a one-of-a-kind creative partner," Dick Smothers said in a statement.   "I am forever grateful to have spent a lifetime together with him, on and off stage for over 60 years.  Our relationship was like a good marriage - the longer we were together, the more we loved and respected one another.  We were truly blessed."  The folk singing brothers  became pioneers with their biting satirical comedy that was at the forefront of their CBS variety show "The Smother Brothers Comedy Hour," which ran from 1967 to 1969.  CBS famously yanked the show from the air after they ran afoul of the network for their political critiques, defense of civil rights and their opposition to the Vietnam War,  "50 years later I look back on us being fired and I'm still pissed off." Tom Smothers said to laughs in a 2019 interview shared by "All Arts TV."  Tom was born in 1937, a year before his brother Dick, and the pair grew up in California and began performing after attending San Jose State University.  In an interview with CBS News last year, Tom said he and his sibling initially thought of themselves as stand up comedians.  "We thought of ourselves as folk singers."  After breaking into television with their music, their "The Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour' became a hit.  "It was just the biggest thrill, it was unbelievable!" Dick told CBS News.  Their mix of music, skits and political send ups - with Tom as the bumbling guitarist brother and Dick as the bass playing straight man - challenged network censors of the time.  The brothers often joked about criticism they faced for their candor during their comedy hour, but freedom of speech was something they took seriously.  "The right for us not to allow even to give our viewpoints to other people who are interested in hearing it is contrary, I think, to the principle of our country and to the principle that makes the world go round" Tom Smothers once said on their program.  The times were changing so quickly in the sixties and we loved chasing them," Dick said during an apperance on CNN's "The Sixties" docu-series.  "We just reflected 'em," his brother added.  Their brand of comedy was extremely influential for many in the business, including some who have gone on to become household names.  Some of the early writers on their show included Steve Martin, Lorne Michael, Rob Reiner and David Steiner.  Remember most of them.  I loved them all and their comedy.  Shortly after, CBS chief executive officer and President William Paley canceled their show, citing their failure to meet delivery dates for their episode so the brothers succesfully sued the network to show they didn't breach their contract.  The program, however, never returned to the air.  The Smothers Brothers announced last year that they were returning to the stage with a tour in 2023.  And...I so much looked forward to seeing them in person.  The Smother Brothers will forever be missed.  Perhaps Dick may continue with his music, but it will never be the same without his sidekick brother Tom.  A private memorial service for Tom Smothers will take place in 2024.  I have lived much of my life watching the Smother Brothers and their form of musical comedy.  Yeah...they were great musicians, but they could make me laugh quicker and longer than any other comedians. And yeah, I know they really weren't comedians, but can you name too many comedians who were as funny as the Smothers Brothers?  I think not!  RIP Tom!  You will be missed by so many who loved your type of musical comedy!  It was another extraordinary day in the life of an ordinary guy.  

The "Lancaster's One & Only...Mr. Thaddeus Stevens" Story

It was an ordinary day.  Reading a story in Smithsonian Magazine about one of my hometown's most famous residents...Thaddeus Stevens.  He was portrayed in the story as one of the greatest heroes in U.S. history.  But, why hasn't he gotten his due?  Story begins by saying...Arguably the most important opponent of slavery in American history, Thaddeus Stevens is also the most forgotten. And perhaps...that is why I enjoy writing about my Lancaster hero!  If the abolitionist Pennsylvania congressman is known at all today, it's thanks to Tommy Lee Jones' portrayal of Stevens in the 2012 film Lincoln, where he is the moral absolutist to Lincoln's pragmatic deal maker on the 13th Amendment--a righteous scold with vicious one-liners and a bad toupee.  Yet, at the time of Stevens' death in 1868, he was one of the most revered men in the country.  When he died, he was only the third American ever to lie in state at the U.S. Capitol.  

On the side of Sevens' tombstone

Thousands of mourners attended his funeral.  But, a few years later he was lying in an unkempt grave in Lancaster, Pennsyvania.  Stevens could "lay claim to being one of the best-hated men in our past."  Now...I realize that some of the blame must go to the residents of my home city of Lancaster, since they could have taken it upon themselves to show some respect and made sure his burial site was kept in a respectable state.  Luckily, today Thaddeus Stevens is finally getting his due in Lancaster as well as other locations in his home state of Pennsylvania.  In Gettysburg, a group of citizens erected a bronze statue in front of the Adams County courthouse.

But, the biggest honor will arrive soon when the city of Lancaster's preservationist group LancasterHistory will open the Thaddeus Stevens and Lydia Hamilton Smith Center for History and Democracy in 2025.  The $25 million complex will honor Steven's life and his work.  The site will also showcase regional heroes of the Underground Railroad, including the work of Lydia Hamilton Smith, a freeborn woman with African American heritage who spent 21 years of her life as Stevens' house manager and confidante as well as his alleged common-law wife.  

I have taken many photographs of his home on South Queen Street and the surrounding area.  Stevens was born in Vermont, poor and with a club-foot.  He was ridiculed for his inability, which at the time was thought to have been a punishment from God for something he did wrong in his early life.  When he was 12 years old, his alcoholic father abandoned the family, leaving his mother to work the farm as well as raise her four children.  She worked days and nights to allow her sons a chance to go to school.  That instilled in Thaddeus a lifelong commitment to free public education and a disdain for hereditary privilege.  In 1815 he left Vermont for Pennsylvania to take a job as a schoolteacher, but soon made his way into a law career, passing the bar in 1816 and moving to Gettysburg, PA.

Over the next 21 years he became a renowned trial lawyer, businessman and maverick politician in the state and federal legislature.  He paid his mother back for her investment in him by purchasing her a 250-acre farm with 14 cows.  In the years before the Civil War, Steven's corner of southeastern Pennsylvania was a crucible of pro and anti-slavery forces.  The Southern border of Pennsylvania was a hugh battlefront in the war on slavery.  Pennsylvania had abolished slavery in 1780, but 20 miles away, in the neighboring state of Maryland, slavery was legally protected.  Stevens eventually joined the front lines of resistance.  By 1837, he was an avowed abolitionist, and that year he founded an ironworks outside Gettysburg, with the specific aim of employing free Black men and freedom seekers.  But, during the Civil War, Confederate General Jubal Early burned down Steven's forge enroute to the Battle of Gettysburg.  In 1842, Stevens left Gettysburg for Lancaster to expand his law practice, but also continued his dangerous work harboring fugitives and running a resourceful antislavery spy ring extending throughout southeastern Pennsylvania.  Stevens' spies managed to infiltrate groups of bounty hunters who regularly traveled to Adams and Lancaster Counties.

One of his most daring ploys was to pay off the secretary of notorious bounty hunter George Hughes, whose office on King Street in Lancaster was around the corner from Steven' office on Queen Street.  Hughes' secretary would copy the names of the wanted and immediately pass this information to Stevens' agents, who alerted anyone harboring freedom seekers.  Stevens' greatest legacy came from his chairmanship of the House Ways and Means Committee during the Civil War, and later the Appropriations Committee during Reconstruction.  Through indomitable grit and spirited political maneuvering, Stevens played the primary role in ushering through Reconstruction via constitutional amendments.  He was the most radical of the Radical Republicans, the fervent antislavery bloc; Stevens was thus a thorn in Lincoln's side who agitated to end slavery with more focus than the President would ever muster, calling it "the most hateful and informal blot that has ever disgraced the escutcheon of man."  Stevens' arguments were crucial in ensuring the passage of the 13th Amendment, abolishing slavery, and historians acknowledge Stevens as the main architect of the 14th Amendment, which enshrined equal protections under the law.  He also fought for universal suffrage, though he died 19 months too early to see Black men casting their first votes under the 15th Amendment in 1870.  Radicals like Stevens were seen as having overreached in championing Black citizenship, and in the 1868 impeachment of Andrew Johnson for blocking Reconstruction.  "The myth that they achieved nothing" is false.  Reconstruction was the direct result of Stevens' "parliamentary acumen and his devotion to egalitarian principles." Stevens died in 1868, at the height of Reconstruction, a time of great promise.  Just nine years later, by 1877, Reconstruction had ended with the withdrawal of federal troops from the South, and Stevens' reputation was trashed.  Yet, those who remembered his fading legacy made pilgrimages to his grave.  In the summer of 1886, a group of Black Civil War veterans gathered there and welcomed D. Henderson, a fellow veteran from New York whom had come to pay his respects at what he called the "Sacred Spot."  The men stood in formation and sang "nearer My God To Thee," after which Henderson thanked Stevens for his "Hopeless fight" in holding America to its stated ideals of justice and liberty for all.  I recently made another visit to Stevens' burial site take a few more photos of his tombstone.  His burial site is a few miles from my home at Woodcrest Villa.

I also stopped at his downtown Lancaster home site to see how the renovations are going with his home site on South Queen Street.  The refurbished site will be a true honor to one of Lancaster's most famous people.  The historical site will be one of Lancaster's finest in the downtown area.  I'll take you with me by photographs when it is finished!  My visit to his gravesite and his Lancaster home made me feel like I'm a part of the history of our country.  It was another extraordinary day in the life of an ordinary guy.  PS - Check out some of my older stories about Thaddeus Stevens that I have written in the past.  PPS - My wife and I named our third child, Paul Thadeus in honor of Thaddeus Stevens.  Tad, as we call him, only has 1 "d" in his name, but is still famous in our family.   

 

The "What A Fish Tale" Story

It was an ordinary day.  Reading a story titled "What a Fish Tale!" Brought back so many memories from when I was a young boy of about 10 years old and wanting to go deep sea fishing on a boat in Ocean City, New Jersey.  My dad would get seasick when on a fishing boat when they stopped to fish while out at sea.  So...for the life of me, I'm still not sure to this day why he said I could go by myself if I wanted to, but he did.  I got on a boat and off I went, out to sea!  I still could see land when we stopped to throw out our lines for the first time.  Wasn't more than 15 minutes before I began to feel ill.  I was standing next to an older man, perhaps the same age as my dad, when he looked at me and asked if I was sick.  I told him I thought I might have to throw up.  He asked where my dad was and when he found out he was not on the boat, he took it upon himself to help me.  He helped me bring in my line, secure the rod and then helped me into the cabin so I could lay down on one of the benches.  I wasn't the only one using the benches inside the boat, since the water was rough that day and quite a few were laying on benches inside the boat.  He helped me get situated and said to take deep breaths and exhale through my mouth.  After perhaps 5 minutes I was beginning to feel better, but he said he thought I should stay there for at least another 15 minutes to make sure I wouldn't get sick.  He had me lay down and he left to fish outside the door where I was located.  Every so often he would stick his head in the cabin to see how I was doing.  About 20 minutes later the boat began to move once again and I began to feel better.  He arrived to check on me and said I looked ready to go again.  I agreed, but within another 10 minutes we made another stop to fish again, and I was ready to throw up once more.  I did the same routine as the first time and stayed on the bench a bit longer.  Eventually the boat began to move and the man was back once again to check on me.  Funny, but I never asked his name and he never offered it to me.  My deep-sea fishing trip that year was spent mostly laying down inside the cabin of the fishing boat.  And, had it not been for that very nice guy, I'm not sure what I would have done.  When we returned to get off the boat, he made sure I got safely off the boat and then left me.  My dad was closeby, so I ran to him with my fishing gear in hand.  He naturally asked how I did.  The more I told him, the more he asked where this guy was that had helped me.  We never did find him, but to this day, 70 years later, I still have his facial image embedded in my mind...and if I should ever see him, I'm almost sure I would know who he was.  So..."Thank you, Mr. XXXXX" for all you did for me that day and for taking your time that you could have been fishing to help make sure I was OK while laying inside the cabin.  I often wonder if I will ever meet him again or if he is still alive.  Well, one thing I never did after that....was go deep sea fishing!  I want nothing to do with that ever again.  

PS --- If you are that person who helped me that day about 70 years ago, many thanks for what you did.  I'm sure I never thanked you enough! It was another extraordinary day in the life of an ordinary guy.

PPS - Sorry that I forgot to post a story yesterday...on Christmas Day!  My wife and I had the entire family of 10 to our home at Woodcrest Villa to celebrate Christmas and it was so very hectic that posting a story was on the bottom of my list.  Thanks for understanding!  LDub   

The "A Small History Of Our Christmas Celebrations In Our Nation's Capitol" Story

It was an ordinary day.  Reading in my Saturday Evening Post the story about The White House experiencing numerous firsts around the celebration of Christmas, sometimes establishing holiday traditions that spread nationwide.  One such story had to do with President Benjamin Harrison who in 1889 became the first president to set up a holiday tree inside the White House for the pleasure of family, staff, and visitors.  Five years later, Grover Cleveland replaced the decorative candles traditionally used to illuminate the White House tree with a string of electric lights, an innovation made possible by the introduction of electricity to the White House in 1891.  The public took notice, and before long, family Christmas trees around the country were similarly decorated.  It wasn't until 1923 that a Christmas Tree was placed in proximity to the White House for the public to enjoy.  That tree, complete with lights and decorations, came to be known as the National Christmas Tree, and this December will mark a century since that first tree lighting, and 100 consecutive years of a cherished ceremony.  A Christmas tree for the people was the brainchild of Lucretia Walker Hardy, acting director of the D.C. Community Center Department.  On November 30, 1923, Hardy reached out to C. Bascom Slemp, secretary to President Calvin Coolidge, regarding a national Christmas celebration.  Hardy wanted to place a tree on the White House grounds, but First Lady Grace Coolidge suggested that it might be best if it was held on the Ellipse near the White House.  The tree was a 48-foot balsam fir gifted to President Coolidge by Middlebury College in Vermont.  The first tree-lighting ceremony, on Christmas Eve, drew more than 6,000 visitors, who sang Christmas carols on the South Grounds of the White House.  Additional entertainment was provided by the Epiphany Church choir, which performed with the U.S. Marine Band.  President Coolidge was present to light the tree, but true to his nickname, Silent Cal, made no public remarks.  In response to a national movement led by the American Forestry Association, to use live trees for community Christmas trees, it was decided that the National Christmas Tree should be a live tree as well.  So in 1924, a Norway blue spruce was planted on the west side of Sherman Park, near the east entrance of the White House.  That tree was a highlight of the Christmas celebration until 1929 when it was determined that the decorations and hot lights had caused significant damage.  Another Norway spruce was planted in Sherman Park in May, and decorators used scaffolding rather than ladders to protect its branches.  Despite these efforts, the tree was found to be in rough shape just two years later and was replaced yet again.  The tree lighting was essentially a local event until 1925, when NBC broadcast carols and the president's remarks nationally via radio for the first time.  The first television coverage occurred in 1946, though it remained regional.  with NBC and the Dumont Television Network broadcast the festivities nationwide the following year.  Construction around Sherman Plaza in 1934 forced the relocation of the National Tree to Lafayette Park, a seven-acre tract north of the White House on H Street.  The tree returned to the Ellipse in 1939, then moved to the White House ground in 1941 at the request of President Roosevelt, and it still grows there.  A pair of Oriental spruce tree were planted, and one remains today at the southeast corner.  There is a retired National Christmas Tree in the park, which they are proud of.  For 18 years, starting in 1954, cut trees were delivered to the Ellipse from various states, many from national or state forests.  In 1973, a living tree was reintroduced  with the planting of a Colorado blue spruce on the Northside of the Ellipse.  The current tree, a white fir, was planted there in 2021.  As its popularity grew, the National Christmas Tree celebration expanded over the decades.  The lighting ceremony was pushed back to early December, and various activities were added, such as a live nativity, a puppet show for children, and a burning Yule log.  However, some activities, such as the blazing Yule log, proved problematic and were eventually discontinued.  In an effort to mark the celebration around the National Christmas Tree more than just a few hour of carols and speeches, a multi-week, peace-theme celebration was proposed by Edward Kirby of the Washington board of Trade.  The first Christmas Pageant of Peace took place in December 1954 and featured a life-size nativity with live animals, exhibition booths, nightly entertainment, and a visit from Santa Claus.  The Pageant of Peace continues today, as does the equally popular Pathway of Peace, consisting of 58 smaller Christmas trees, decorated with student-designed ornaments, representing each state, the five inhabited territories, the District of Columbia, and schools managed by the Department of the Interior Bureau of Indian Education and the Dept. of Defense Education Activity.  The National Tree lighting was always a huge event, and from 1926 to 1933, a flare was sent into the sky to let the public know.  "When they saw the flare, Boy Scouts would trumpet throughout D.C. to let the community know the tree was officially lit.  And from 1937 to 1942, the Woman's council of the Washington Federation of Churches placed more than 200 Christmas trees around D.C. to extend the holiday celebration throughout the area."  Family and colleagues typically join the president during the tree-lighting ceremony, and on occasion others have lit the tree in the president's stead.  In 1961, for example, John Kennedy asked Vice President Lyndon Johnson to take his place because Kennedy had to rush to Florida to be at his ailing father's bedside.  Members of the public are also sometimes invited to participate.  In 1983, 7-year-old Amy Benham of Westport, Washington, was invited to light the tree in response to her letter to the Make-A-Wish Foundation.  Though the National Christmas Tree is a joyous tribute to the winter holidays, the celebration around it often reflects issues of the day.  From 1942-1944, the tree was decorated, but not lit out of security concerns.  The tree also remained unlit, aside from the top ornament, during the 1979 and 1980 holiday seasons in honor of the 52 Americans held hostage in Iran, though in 1980, in a special tribute sponsored by the National Broadcasters Association, the tree was fully lit for 417 seconds - one second for each day the hostages were in captivity.  On January 20, 1981 the tree was decorated and then illuminated the moment the aircraft returning the former hostages cleared Iranian airspace.  The National Christmas Tree festivities have lost none of their pizzazz over the past century and attract thousands of attendees and big-name entertainers.  "The lighting of the tree is important because it's one of the few national traditions that has never been canceled.  It's also an important opportunity for the President to address the nation and weave some of the concerns of the day into his Christmas message.  It's a chance to reflect on the past, look forward to the future, and honor the traditions of the holiday as best we can."  

So...on this Christmas Eve Day...this ordinary guy and his wife wish you and your family "A Merry Christmas & A Happy New Year!"  It was another extraordinary day in the life of an ordinary guy.

The "Christmas Extrordinaire" Story

It was an ordinary day.  My wife, Carol, is putting some finishing touches to the Christmas decorations that adorn our Villa at Woodcrest Villa in Lancaster, Pennsylvania.  My dear wife has just accomplished what I suspect many other people just dream about accomplishing during the Christmas Holiday Season.  Our villa has taken on a Christmas personna...so to speak, and has brought the Christmas Holiday to life.  Check out some the decorations that make the Christmas season exciting at our villa.  It was another extraordinary day in the life of an ordinary guy. 

Tree in our sunroom

Decorations inside the front door.

Another cabinet inside our front door.

On the window above our kitchen sink.

On divider between our living room and sun room

Kitchen display

Fireplace mantle

One side of the fireplace

Other side of the fireplace

Sunroom

Tree in the dining room

Larger view of the wooden sled inside front door

And...in our living room!

The "Through The Viewfinder - Stories Enhanced By Photography" Story

It was an ordinary day.  Sunday, December 17, 2023, and I had just opened my front door to grab my LNP Sunday News.  Newspaper has so many sections in it and is so heavy that it takes close to half-a-day to read all the sections and needs a dolly to bring it into the house.  The "Local" section gives me the news of Lancaster city and county and features the "THROUGH THE VIEWFINDER" section which weekly features a fantastic photograph taken by one of the newspapers great photographers as well as a story that tells the story of the photograph.  Today's photograph was taken by Blaine T. Shahan and is a photograph of a Bald Eagle snagging a large fish from the Susquehanna River, just below the Conowingo Hydroelectric Generation Station at Conowingo Dam.  

The photograph had been taken 10 days before it appeared in the newspaper.  I have stood at the exact location with my camera in hand where Blaine recently stood, but have never seen anything like the fantastic photograph that you see in the newspaper today.  Blaine tells readers that the bird grabs the fish with one set of its talons and pulls the fish forward and grabs it with both sets of talons.  At this point, the eagle looks down as if it's looking to see what was caught.  That is what you are seeing in the accompanying photograph.  From here the eagle flies off to a tree where it perches to eat the fish.  At times, if other eagles are in the area, they will attempt to steal the fish from the eagle which could lead to a confrontation along the riverbed.  Luckily, that didn't happen, Blaine reported.  Lancaster newspapers has some of the greatest photographers on staff.  Not just one or two, but all of the photographers who work for them.  Most of Lancaster Newspaper's fabulous photographers have visited my high school photography classes I taught, before I retired several years ago at Manheim Township, to share their stories and skills with my photography classes.  Their trips were always the highlight of the day for my classes.  A few of those fabulous photographers have retired in recent years, but many more still carry their camera equipment when they go to work in the field for the daily newspaper.  The city of Lancaster, Pennsylvania and its surrounding communities doesn't realize just how lucky they are to have professional photographers with the skills and mindset that Lancaster Newspapers does.  We are blessed to be able to have newspaper stories told not only in words, but in photographs.  It was another extraordinary day in the life of an ordinary guy.

The "How The .918 Club Was Founded."

Sharing Letterpress In Pennsylvania: The .918 Club

The .918 Club in Lancaster, Pennsylvania was founded to preserve and teach the art of letterpress printing. The Club is an all-volunteer 501(c)3 non-profit group of educators, printers, and the general public which has as its goal keeping the craft of letterpress printing alive. The .918 Club is named after the standardized height of printing type in the United States. Letterpress was the predominant method of printing until the 1950s but it still has widespread applications and avid followers today.  Printers today produce posters and short-run books, and all kinds of personal printing. The .918 Club’s goals are to educate about the history and process of letterpress printing and to provide opportunities for letterpress printing by students and the general public.

People can enjoy hands on experiences with presses that the .918 Club/Heritage Press Museum has collected and stored since it’s beginning.  There are plans for future expansion of its programs through the Heritage Press Education Center so finding and preserving the tools of the trade are a focus.

The .918 Club began with a partnership in 2004 with the Lancaster Heritage Museum, establishing a working print shop at 5 W. King Street to help meet their first goal of education. After the Heritage Museum closed in 2009, The .918 Club found a new home at the warehouse marketplace known as Building Character on North Queen Street in Lancaster. The museum program was restored, but there is no space for classes and hands-on printing.

In 2014 the Thaddeus Stevens College of Technology offered space for presses and classes. Because this successful program has already outgrown the available space, Thaddeus Stevens College of Technology offered The .918 Club the unused Naval Reserve Training Center building at its nearby Branch campus. This 3000 square foot building is directly across the street from the current facilities. It would greatly expand the educational and work space available while the museum will continue to operate at the North Queen Street location.

The .918 Club has offered workshops and programs attractive to a wide range of ages and interests. Some visitors have the museum as their destination while others encounter the displays while shopping inside Building Character.

As you can see, the .918 Club in Lancaster County is a rather unique local club that all are invited to visit and actually give participate.  I have visited it a few times and it has brought back many memories from my high school teaching days at Manheim Township High School.  It was another extraordinary day in the life of an ordinary guy.

 

The "Teaching The Art of Letterpress Printing" Story

It was an ordinary day.  The year was 1967 and I had just been hired by Manheim Township High School in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania (the school from which I had graduated 5 years before) to teach Industrial Arts to 11th and 12th grade boys and girls.  The courses I was to teach were Wood Shop and Graphic Arts.  At the time, graphic arts was a new course that was being offered.  Graphic Arts included wood and linoleum cuts as well as printing on the two platen presses and the one offset press that were in the Industrial Arts Department.  A platen press is a foot and hand operated press that uses metal type pieces to form the words and stories that are then placed in a metal frame known as a chase.

A hand-operated platen press

The hand-set individual type pieces are placed in a hand-held composing stick which in turn will be placed in the chase and held in place by using pieces of wood known as furniture.  Small metal quoins (clamping devices), are used to hold the metal type in the metal frame, also called a chase.  The metal frame (chase) is placed in the press bed and locked in place with a clamp.  When the press begins to run, the chase that holds the type will come in contact with rubber rollers that are covered with printer's ink. The rubber rollers obtain the ink from a round ink disc on the top of the press.  Lost Yet!!  The rollers put ink on the type which in turn comes in contact with the paper that the person running the press places on the platen of the running press.  The type, covered with ink, strikes the paper and "VIOLA!" words appear on the paper.  I'm sure that many of you reading this are having a tough time visualizing what I just wrote.  I found a photo in a recent newspaper article that may be of help to you.

The gentleman, Ken Kulakowsky, using the press is standing in front of a platen press.  His left hand is on a lever that when pulled down (right in pix) will engage the metal type letters with the paper that is placed on the platen which is the part of the press in the center and then travel down, across the type that is in the chase.  PS - remember...I had to teach this to children who were 15, 16 and 17 years old.  And I had to make sure they didn't put their hand in the press at the wrong time!!!  When the type struck the paper that was held on the platen (paper in the middle of the photo with the printing on it) it would print the letters that were held in a chase with wooden pieces known as "furniture".  In the photo, the two metal bars that point upward, are clamps that can be used to hold the paper in place.  There are very small metal pieces that hold the paper in place, but at times, the larger clamps are also needed to hold the paper from falling down through the press.  What I have just attempted to explain to you is known as letterpress printing and was used for many, many years to print books, newspapers, etc. before offset printing was invented.  Very time consuming process which was all done by hand for many years.  Each printed piece had to be touched by the printer in this method of printing known as letterpress printing.  I loved teaching this course to the junior and senior boys and girls that I had in my Graphic Arts classes.  After a year of letterpress, the students (usually always seniors) could take the course I taught in offset printing which is how most printing pieces are done today. It was another extraordinary day in the life of an ordinary guy.   

The "Gettin' Your Shot!" Story

It was an ordinary day.  And...I finally got an answer to my question after 70+ years!  My answer was to my question..."Why don't I have a vaccination mark on my left arm like all my friends did when I was in elementary school from 1950 to 1956?"  In order to attend school at Brecht Elementary School in the Manheim Township School System, you had to be vaccinated for smallpox.  And...that vaccination hurt when you got it and also left a mark about the size of a penny on your arm.  My first shot, while in 1st grade, hurt...but disappeared from my arm after about two weeks.  That shot was administered by the school doctor, who happened to be my family doctor, in the school nurse's office.  I was checked by my doctor in a few weeks and was told I needed to have a second shot, since the first shot didn't work.  I was so upset and I'm sure I must have cried myself to sleep a few nights before I finally had a second shot...this time by my family doctor in the school nurse's office once again.  Remember...I was 6 years old at the time and hated to have shots in my arm.   Well, that mark disappeared just as the first one did.  And...guess what?  I was told to go to my family doctor and have it administered one more time.  My mom made an appointment with Dr. Martin and took me to his office.  He looked at me when I arrived and I could just feel the sympathy he had for me when he grabbed his needle once again.   There must have been a law at the time that you had to have at least 3 tries at the innoculation for smallpox before you were declared that you had full immunity due to natural immunity.  To this day I have no red mark on my arm like most people do who are my age.  Eventually smallpox was irradiated and the vaccination was no longer required.  Our three children were never required to have the smallpox vaccination before they entered school after 1976.  Today, most states require shots for polio, measles, mumps and rubella before you enter school...and I still symphasize with each and every one of them when they have to have their shots.  I know exactly how they felt, since I went through it in 1950...three times...for no good reason!  What's funny is that I have no fear or nervousness about having to go for shots for just about anything and everything today.  Bring 'em on!  I'm an old hand by now at getting my shots.  Only difference is that Dr. Martin is no longer around to give me my shots.  He would be so proud of me!  It was another extraordinary day in the life of an ordinary guy.    

The "Best Day To Do This Or That" Story

It was an ordinary day.  Reading in my Reader's Digest as to which day of the week I should go shopping for groceries and which day of the week I should fill the car with gas.  If I followed their suggestions, I would have more money in my pocket by the end of the week.  So, if you care to know what they suggest...follow along.  The cheapest day of the week to buy gas is Monday.  They didn't say why, but they also said that Thursday is the worst day of the week to buy gas.  And...if you want to buy some wine for your visitors at Christmas, buy your wine on Tuesday or Wednesday.  The best day of the week to sign a contract to buy a new house is Monday or Tuesday.  The cheapest day of the week to book a flight on an airplane is Tuesday or Wednesday for domestic as well as international flights.  When it comes to booking a hotel room, best day of the week is Sunday.  The cheapest day to shop for groceries is Wednesday or Thursday since some items are typically marked down on Wednesdays and snacks are often the cheapest on Thursdays. Plus, no one shops on those days and they need more customers.   I never read why they suggest these specific days, but they must have a reason for picking these days.  As for buying a car, Sunday is the best day.  Now, if your dealer is closed that day, they suggest you buy a car on Tuesday.  The least amount of savings is on Thursday.  Best day to buy a laptop is on Monday when most stores offer the biggest savings.  The cheapest day to head to the mall for shopping is Thursday.  Cheapest day to head to a salon is on a weekday, since many people work and can't make it on weekdays, thus the price is less to try and attract more business on weekdays.  Now...that makes sense to me!  Tuesday is the cheapest day to go to a movie, since most people don't have time on a Tuesday to go to a movie.  The cheapest day to book a cruise is on a Thursday.  That day you will get the best deals.  Hey...the cheapest day of the week to get married is Tuesday.  Needless to say, Saturday is the most expensive day since that's when most people get married.  I'm sure there are many more "Best Days To Do This or Do That", but I have no idea how anyone can figure out why there is a best day.  I know, when the fewest people will do something on a specific day of the week, that's almost always the cheapest day to do that chore.  But, that's also the day when you probably have to do something else.  My guess is that the best days I have listed to do this or that has been picked at random, just to write a story to be published on Tuesday.  Actually, today is the cheapest day of the week to read this story!  Aren't you glad you picked it to read my story?  Yep...today is free!  But...so is every other day!  It was another extraordinary day in the life of an ordinary guy.  

The "Let The Music Play On...And On...And On!" Story

It was an ordinary day.  That is until I re-read a story that I had found in an old Reader's Digest that was stuffed in one of my desk drawers.  The more I read...the more the tears began to flow from my eyes.  Then I thought to myself...this can't be!  Crying while reading a story in of all places...the Reader's Digest.  The title of the story was "When Music is Medicine" and it had to do with a patient at the Princess Margaret Cancer Centre in Toronto, Canada and a young musician named SarahRose Black.  The patient seemed to be struggling and was unwilling to engage with staff or be part of any activities.  The staff told SarahRose that the man was short and grumpy with them and they were wondering if she might be able to help.  He was about to have an upcoming procedure which included chemo and he was in need of soothing.  You see...SarahRose isn't a doctor or nurse, but a musician!  So, on a wintry Wednesday afternoon, she approached the patient and introduced herself.  She asked if she could sit, and offered to play some music.  "If you don't like it, you can tell me to leave," she told the patient.  After a bit of gentle urging, the 70-something man, who had lung cancer, told SarahRose a few of his classical composers that he enjoyed, but then turned away from her.  As she started to play one of his favorites, Bach, on her portable keyboard, the man's arms unfolded, and he turned toward her and started to cry.  SarahRose stopped the music. "Do you want me to continue?" she asked.  "Absolutely," he said through his tears.  SarahRose said, "It was as if the music went places that nothing else could.  He shared with me afterward that he had been holding in so much and had been unable to talk about anything, but the music showed up at a moment when it felt like a hug."  If you have ever felt that same spark of joy when a favorite song comes on your radio at just the right moment or wept along with a singer expressing heartache, you will understand the emotional resonance of music.  Now, a growing body of scientific evidence demonstrates that music can be medicinal, also.  A review of 400 research papers looking into the neurochemistry of music by psychologist and neuroscientist Daniel Levitin at McGill University found that playing and listening to music had mental and physical health benefits, including improving our immune systems and reducing stress.  WOW!!  Perhaps anxiety before a major surgery could be reduced by listening to music!  Another study conducted in 2018 at Barcelona's Hospital Del Mar found that patients participating in a music-therapy program experienced significant decreases in tiredness, anxiety and breathing difficulties, as well as an increase in feelings of well-being.  In 2019, the National Institutes of Health allocated $20 million for research in music therapy and neuroscience.  A session can be as unique as an individual's needs on a given day.  If a patient loves classical music, that's what SarahRose will play.  Maybe it's folk or jazz.  SarahRose said, "One woman spoke no English, but she taught me a Farsi folk song.  She'd sing a line, I'd sing it back, and then we were singing this beautiful song together.  SarahRose is gentle in her approach.  "I make it very clear that pre-existing musical experience or training isn't required.  If I were to ask, "What kind of music do you like?", that might be a difficult question to answer, so instead I ask what they want to feel."  If the goal is pain management, SarahRose might match the pace of her playing with the patient's breathing, and then gradually slow the music down which will give a calming effect to the patient.  Perhaps a patient might need help with their emotions from what they are going through or needs help with connecting with loved ones.  She can play music to help sooth them!  SarahRose said that "Sometimes the patient says, "I'm having such a profound experience.  I have no words!"  She knows from so many wonderful brain studies that music can trigger memories and touch parts of the brain that other mediums cannot.  SarahRose may only be a musician, but not many doctors can touch her when it comes to soothing the soul of those in pain.  Her music is the only way to do that!  Thank you so much SarahRose for your music and understanding.  I only hope that if I ever need help...you will be there for me...ready to play a soothing song for me!  Perhaps a Jimmy Buffett song might do the trick!  It was another extraordinary day in the life of an ordinary guy.

The "The Amish Way of Life" Story

It was an ordinary day.  My wife and I drive the back roads of Lancaster just about every week to reach a few of the food stores that my wife and I love to frequent.  Some of the stores offer food goods that are raised on these back roads by the local Amish men and women of Lancaster County.  I recently read that a Works Progress Administration study conducted during the latter years of the Great Depression found that Lancaster County's Old Order Amish comprised the most economically and culturally stable farming community in the nation.  And...my guess is that it hasn't changed much since then. That finding is no surprise to those of us living amongst the Amish in Lancaster County.  The Old Order Amish of Lancaster County are also extremely thrifty in all they do.  One reason is based on the fact that all Amish family members participate in tasks on the farm, rather than hiring help or employing expensive machines.  They make their own clothing and grow their own food.  They spend nothing on recreation.  And...the list goes on and on.  And, the women of the family contribute as much as the men in the family farming operations.  One of the most significant observations is that Amish help each other "harmoniously."  That means that men, women, boys, and girls all work together toward a common goal.  The Amish notion of a rigid patriarchal labor system in which men alone performed cash-making outdoor duties isn't at all true, since everyone in the family pulls their load.  That refers to adults as well as children in the family.  The labor is distributed among all family members according to the task being done and what the family member is capable of doing.  This mutuality of effort is often masked by designation of Amish men as "farmers," but the government study of the 1930s found Amish women often did more than their share of work on the farm.  A new book, "Amish Women and the Great Depression" has a quotation from Lydia Stoltzfus, telling that "Amish woman struggled some during the Depression, but we worked hard, on the farm, and did whatever needed to be done."  One woman said she stripped tobacco, mixed donuts and papered the house.  What Amish take for granted, the authors of the book concluded, was what Amish history and religious beliefs had prepared the Amish for, for generations.  "To embrace the practices and mindset necessary to farm succesfully when confronted with harsh economic conditions" is the Amish way of life.  Always has been and forever will be!  It was another extraordinary day in the life of an ordinary guy.      

The "Music Can Be Soothing To The Soul" Story

It was an ordinary day.  Just finished reading a short story in one of my past Reader's Digest magazines that was titled "When Music Is Medicine...As it turns out, tunes can soothe us all."  The author of the story was Anicka Quit.  Story was about a cancer patient in a palliative care unit at Princess Margaret Cancer Centre in Toronto. A young woman who worked at the unit, Sarah Rose Black, was asked if she could reach out to a patient who had been at the facility for about a week.  The man was struggling and unwilling to engage with staff or be part of any activities.  The patient was said to be short and grumpy with the staff, and was it possible that Sarah Rose could help?  You should know that Black is not a doctor or a nurse...just a musician therapist with the right touch to help.   So, one morning Sarah Rose approached the patient's room and introduced herself to the patient.  She offered to sit and play some soothing music to the patient if he would allow it.  He told her a few classical composers he liked and she started to play one of his favorites on her portable keyboard.  The man unfolded his arms and turned toward her and started to cry.  Sarah Rose stopped the music and asked, "Do you want me too continue?  He quickly replied through tears, "Absolutely!"  It was as if the music went places that nothing else could.  Sarah said, "He shared with me afterward that he had been holding in so much and had been unable to talk about anything, but the music showed up at a moment when it felt like a hug."  Anyone who has ever felt that spark of joy when a favorite song comes on the radio at just the right moment or wept along with a song expressing heartache will understand the emotional resonance of music.  Now, a growing body of scientific evidence demonstrates that music can be medicine, also.  A review of 400 research papers looking into the neurochemistry of music found that playing and listening to music had mental and physical health benefits, including improving our immune systems and reducing stress.  One such study found that listening to music before surgery had the same effect in reducing preoperative anxiety as taking Valium.  Anxiety before a major surgery can affect postoperative pain and recovery time.  Another study found that patients participating in a music-therapy program experienced significant decreases in tiredness, anxiety and breathing difficulties, as well as an increase in feelings of well-being.  A session can be as unique as an individual's needs on a given day.  If a patient loves classical music, that's what Sarah will play.  "One woman spoke no English, but she taught me a folk song.  She would sing a line and I'd sing it back, and then we were singing this beautiful song together.  Sarah is gentle in her approach.  "I make it very clear that pre-existing musical experience or training isn't required.  If I were to ask...'What kind of music do you like?, that might be a difficult question to answer.  Instead...I ask what they want to feel!"  If the goal is pain management, Sarah might match the pace of her playing with the patient's breathing, and then gradually slow the music down.  This process, called entrainment, can help slow the breath and has a calming effect.  Sometimes the patient says, "I'm having such a profound experience.  I have no words."  Sarah knows from brain studies that music can trigger memories and touch parts of the brain that other mediums cannot.  Finding those meaningful moments is the therapist's role, but as music therapist Sarah Rose Black notes, people have been connecting with music  their whole life.....and she is just helping them access it once more at a time when they need it most.  We have a heartbeat, as we have a drum inside us; we are wired to be musical people," Sarah says.  She smiles as she reflects back on one patient, a man in his late 30s with late stage brain cancer.  "He said, 'Sarah Rose, I have a lot of friends, and they're great; but they don't really understand what's gong on here.'" she says.  "He told me, 'The music is like my friend who gets it!.'"  Amen.  It was another extraordinary day in the life of an ordinary guy.

The "Nicky The Turtle" Story

It was an ordinary day.  Opened an old Reader's Digest that had been pushed under a chair in my living room.  Began to leaf through it when I came upon a story that had the top right corner folded under.  As soon as I began to read the story, I realized why I had folded the edge under!  The story I had bookmarked, by folding the page under, was titled "Nicky the Turtle."  And, then I noticed the line under the title of the story...Lancaster, PA.  Wow, the story came from my hometown of Lancaster.  The story had been nominated as the BEST PET PALS story by Georgene A. for this months issue.  The really neat story read:

When I first got Nicky, I was 10 years old, and she was about the size of a quarter.  We've grown together (I'm now 80 and she weighs 5 pounds), and she's been my best friend through it all.  Nicky lives in our backyard pond in the summer, and has her own room and filtered kiddie pool in the winter.  She's a yellow-bellied slider, but she's far from cowardly.  

Nicky

She's actually quite social and curious.  As the star of 'show and tell'  for four kids and eight grandkids, she cranes her neck out of her shell to get a good look at her fans.  Nicky loves munching on the tomatoes and pretzels the neighbor kids feed her, and she's even gutsy enough to steal a mouthful of dog food from time to time.  On her 50th birthday (these turtles typically live 50 years or more), we threw her a blowout party, complete with a gift any turtle would die for: her own in-ground pond.  She is a good pet and a better friend.  She keeps all my secrets.  Nicky was in my lap the day after my wedding and as we moved from home to home, and she'll be there till the very end.

So...what do you think?  Interesting story?  A bit strange?  Pretty neat that a story from my hometown is in an issue of Reader's Digest!  And...I thought it was a pretty good story!  It was another extraordinary day in the life of an ordinary guy.

The "Beachey Ornaments To Brighten A Winter Day" Story

It was an ordinary day.  Checking out some of the Christmas Tree ornaments that my wife has placed on our Christmas trees.  We have been collecting ornaments for many years and many of the ornaments have come from our vacations to beaches in the Caribbean.  Every Christmas brings back those memories from trips to warm locations around the world.  Most every family has special ornaments that they place on their Christmas Tree, and the following are a few of our favorites.  Enjoy!  It was another extraordinary day in the life of an ordinary guy.