The "So, Do You Still Say "Say Cheese" When Taking A Photo?" Story

It was an ordinary day.  Making a visit to the Landis Run Intermediate School in the Manheim Township School District in Lancaster County, PA to photograph a few club and music groups for their yearbook.  Have been doing so for the past four years after the school was first opened.  The school houses 5th and 6th grade students with ages ranging from perhaps 10 years old to thirteen years old.  Always a great bunch of students who still enjoy having their photograph taken for the yearbook.  I line up the group on the risers, make sure I can see every student and ... "Say Cheese."  Always works for this age group of students.  Usually get a big laugh from them which needless to say is the exact reason I say "Say Cheese."  When taking photos of Middle School students who are slightly older, it doesn't seem to work as well so I just say "Smile" and hope for the best.  So why do photographers say the phrase "Say Cheese" and when did it first start?  Well the reason to say it is to cause the lips to form into a smile with a slight bit of teeth showing.  As to when it first was used, no one seems to know.  Probably first used in 1943 as reported in the Big Spring Herald newspaper from Big Spring, Texas.  Also could be credited to U.S. Ambassador Joseph E. Davies who disclosed the formula of "Say Cheese" while having his own photograph taken while on the set of his "Mission to Moscow."  

Daguerrotypes that are part of my collection.  No smiles here.

Ambassador Davies credited a famous politician, thought to be Franklin D. Roosevelt for whom he served, with telling him to "Say Cheese" when having his photo taken.  I have never read any other accounts of having used the saying for the first time.  Certainly wasn't used in the mid-1840s when Daguerrotypes were the portraitures of the day.  

Louis Daguerre - Photo inventor

Showing your teeth usually wasn't done since the exposure time to take a photo was longer than today as well as the dental hygiene in the Victorian era wasn't the best and not many wanted to show their pearly whites.  The cost of a Daguerrotype photograph was expensive and the etiquette for formal studio photographs was to act "prim and proper" which meant don't smile.  But then in the late 1880s and early 1900s George Eastman founded Kodak and the use of film became common.  

Advertisement for the Brownie

The masses now had a chance to have their photograph taken with Kodak's $1.00 Brownie camera which claimed, "You push the button, we do the rest!"  So, it could be a good reason to think that smiling and "Say Cheese" may have started in the early 1900s.  Whenever, and for whatever reason, "Say Cheese" was first uttered doesn't really matter, since it still seems to work today, at least on certain age groups.  That is until it no longer is "cool" to "Say Cheese" when around your peers.  And, I should know!  It was another extraordinary day in the life of an ordinary guy.   

The "The Ride Is Finally Over!" Story

It was an ordinary day.  Walked out for the Sunday morning newspaper and opened it to the sports section to read about the Manheim Township football team.  This year's Manheim Township High School football team in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania went as far into the State Playoffs as any team in the history of the school.  And that, my readers, goes way, way back.  The school district was founded in 1729 in the years when Pennsylvania was still a British colony.  Three of the five men appointed by the Second Continental Congress to draft a Declaration of Independence in 1776 hadn't even been born when the township was created.  So, history really has been set this past football season.  Now, I must admit that Manheim Township High School only opened in September of 1929, but the township existed long before the school was built.  As far as football is concerned, Lancaster Catholic High School, also located in Manheim Township, began football long before the public high school did.  Catholic started high school football in 1930, the year after Manheim Township opened their high school.  It wasn't until 1944 that the board of directors of the township approved the varsity sport of football.  Then in 1945 they played, and won, their very first football game.  So, reaching the semi-finals in the State 6A (largest size school in the state) Playoffs this year has been 72 years in the making.

My friend Jere, seated, and myself
played football together in 1958.

I graduated from Manheim Township High School in 1962 and as a 6 foot, 150 pound freshman, played football.  All my friends were playing football so I naturally had to play also.  One of my childhood friends, neighbors and now traveling companions, Jere played also.  We played on the freshman team, Jere being the center and me being the quarterback.  Actually got to play one play with the Varsity when the coach had me play defense one play in a blow-out win the final game of the year.  Guy came running through a hole, knocked me on my butt and kept on going.  Following Monday I turned in my equipment and that was it for me and football.  When I graduated from college I returned to Manheim Township to teach and the first year was asked to help coach football.  

The 1958 Freshman team at Manheim Township High School.
Jere is #72 in the right front and I am #68 in the center of the photo.

Luckily the head coach at the time, Eugene Kruis, never read my high school stats from years before.  Once again, after the season I turned in my locker room key and that was the end of my football coaching.  Over the years Manheim Township had some of the best football teams in the county.  

Eugene Kruis was the head coach when Manheim Township
went undefeated in 1962 when I was a senior.  Gene ended
his career as one of the best high school coaches in
Lancaster County as well as the state of Pennsylvania.

When I was a senior our team was undefeated, but that was as far as your team could go at the time.  When my brother played, his team also won the league title, but once again, that was as far as you could go.  It wasn't until 1987 that state playoffs in high school football in Pennsylvania began.  Then in 2012 Manheim Township hired a hulk of a man by the name of Mark Evans who in no time had the "Blue Steaks" playing in the District Tournament.  

The 2017 Manheim Township High School football team who were the 6A (big school) District III Champions. 

This year they went undefeated in league play, losing only 1 non-league game.  They won their first round District game and finally won the school's first District Championship the week after to a team that had been picked to win by a large margin.  In the state semi-finals the following week they faced an opponent whose quarterback will go to Notre Dame next year.  Their opponent, Pine-Richland, had a record of 15-0 coming into the game and Manheim Township ended up playing defense too much and ended their season losing 28-7.  It was a great ride this year for the "Blue Streaks" who have set the bar a notch higher for the football program.  So what's next.  A taste of play-off winning can only help the Township program.  Time will tell.  It was another extraordinary day in the life of an ordinary guy.    

The "Jobs In My Lifetime That No Longer Exist" Story

It was an ordinary day.  Sorting through a few files that contained photos I took in the past few months.  One photo drew my attention since it was one that I had also taken a few years ago, only in different locale.  It was back in 2012 that I took a photo of the Good Humor Man when I was visiting The Train Museum at Strasburg, Pennsylvania.  Then this past September I saw him once again at the Neffsville, Pennsylvania car show.  Got me thinking about how many Good Humor Men there may still be operating in the United States.  It brought back memories of my younger years when they would drive past our home on North Queen Street on the outskirts of Lancaster playing their musical theme from speakers on their truck.  Boy would that be a neat job to have!  Made me think of all the other jobs and occupations that used to exist at one time, but have vanished in today's world.  Talked to a few people as well as my wife and came up with a list to share with you.   Now, it depends upon how old you may be as to whether you remember the occupations or not.  Check them out and see if you remember.  It was another extraordinary day in the life of an ordinary guy.

The Good Humor Man was a regular in my neighborhood when I was a child.  

My brother sold newspapers on the street corner for a couple of years while growing up in Lancaster.  His spot was at the corner of McGovern Ave. and the Manheim Pike at the border of the Lancaster, PA city limits.

The soda jerk was still in existence when I was growing up, but it may be hard to find one today.  The best soda counter was at the Lancaster Train Station where you could get an ice-cream soda, grab a comic book off the shelf and enjoy yourself for half an hour. 

I actually found a photo of the soda fountain I talked about in my caption above.  Just loved the bar stools.

Our family had a doctor that would make house calls.  Tough to find one that will do that today.   

There were a few department stores in downtown Lancaster that would have elevators with someone to help you in the elevator and then take you to the floor you wished.  My favorite ride was in the Watt & Shand Department Store.  If I remember correctly, he or she would ring a hand-bell before closing the door.

Turkey Hill is a local dairy and you would see the truck in the neighborhood delivering treats to the houses. My favorite would be the orange creamsicle.  Once again, tough to find any ice cream truck that does that today.  

Mom had her milk box on the front porch of our home on North Queen Street.  I can still remember using it to hold the end of the rubber runner high in the air so I could race my marbles down the runner.

A few blocks from our house was the RCA Factory.  My brother and sister-in-law both worked there at one time.  At the time they worked at RCA the company was making TV picture tubes as pictured here.  Tough to find that today.

Pinsetters made minimum wage and had to work hard at the job.  I often thought I wanted to be a pinsetter, but never had the chance.

The shoe-shine boy could be found at a few places in Lancaster.  Used to be one around Central Market on market days.  At times I would see one at the Lancaster Train Station, trying to shine the shoes of a waiting patron.

Telephone switchboard operators were always busy.  Hard to believe that there are no more operators as pictured above.  My mom and dad had a party line in our home on North Queen Street.  When you picked up the phone, you listened first to make sure no one was talking before you made your call.  When the phone rang, it rang either one time, two times or three times and we were one of three families who were on the same line.  I still remembering picking up the phone when I wasn't supposed to and listening to the conversation of one of our neighbors.  Can you imagine that today.

The cobbler was found all around Lancaster.  They repaired old shoes as well as sold new ones.  I hesitated to add this job to my list since there still are two cobblers in Lancaster.  I wrote a story about one of them last year.  Seems that he is so busy that it takes days, sometimes months, before you can get your shoes, pocketbook or anything made of leather returned to you.

The "It's Been A Long Journey: Part III - Game Day & Where Is My Allegiance?" Story

The back-seat gang: LDub, Carol, Courtney and Brynn.

It was an ordinary day.   Sunny with tempera- tures in the low 50s and just a slight wind.  Perfect day for a football game.  Months ago my son-in-law Dave asked if the family would like to go to the Maryland vs. Penn State football game at Maryland.  Dave is on the staff of the football team at Maryland and said he could get us tickets if we wanted to see the game.  I should tell you that Carol and I have been fans of Penn State for many years and going to the game would be tough since we were told that if we came to the game we would have to wear Maryland school colors and cheer for Maryland.  

Maryland Marching Band enjoying pre-game preparations.
Click on photos to enlarge!

Well, family matters more than allegiance to any football team, so we accepted his invitation and traveled to Urbana, MD to visit with our daughter and son-in-law as well as our granddaughters and go see the game.  It was the final game of the season and with both teams in the Big 10, the game should be fun to watch.  

I just had to add one Penn State photo.  Thought this was
such a neat sign on the back of the truck that brought
the Pep Band to the game.

Carol and I along with Brynn and grand- daughters Courtney and Camille hopped in our son Derek's truck along with grandson Caden and headed to the stadium which is about 45 minutes from Dave and Brynn's home in Urbana.  Dave gave us a parking pass and with my Handicap placard we were able to park right next to Gossett Team House.  

Pre-game National Anthem.

The excitement was evident from the moment we stepped from the truck and saw the Maryland Marching Band close by preparing to enter the stadium.  We entered Maryland Stadium through the Team House and found ourselves in the end zone next to the large scoreboard.  Maryland and Penn State fans were finding their way to their seats in the beautiful stadium.  In a few minutes Dave made his way towards us on crutches.  He had recently had knee surgery and was partially immobilized.  We all were wearing special passes that Dave had given us and decided that our son Derek and the three grandkids would sit in seats Dave had been given and the rest of of would watch the game from the mezzanine.  

Flags from all the Big 10 schools fly above the stadium.

Now, before I tell you what followed, I should give you some background information about the coaches and players.  Penn State coach James Franklin happened to be an assistant coach at Maryland from 2000-04 and again from 2008-10.  He at one time was expected to take over as head coach at Maryland, but that never happened.  Franklin went to Vanderbilt and then to Penn State.  He still has many friends at Maryland.  

Penn State enters from the Team House.

Four of Penn State's best players are from Maryland and Franklin has recruited one of the best high school players from Maryland for next year.  Before the game Franklin took a walk around the stadium and made a few stops for hellos and hugs.  Well, the National Anthem was sung without any problems, the team captains met at mid-field, the coin was flipped and the time-clock hit 00:00.  

The Maryland "Terps" enter with fire and "booms".

The Big 10 TV cameras are rolling as Penn State takes the opening kick-off ... and goes down and scores.  Wow!  And ... it didn't get any better after that for the Maryland team and fans.  I wound my way along the pathways to mid-field to take some photos.  As I entered the seating area high above the stadium, a woman attendant saw my pass and told me I could sit in the chair on the end of the row with the padded seat.  

Handshake and coin-flip.

Wow, again!  Spent the first half there and then wandered back to the rest of the family.  One thing I found interesting was the many time-outs that were called so TV stations could show their commercials.  During those time-outs the teams gathered in front of their respective benches and just waited as did the crowd.  

Plenty of fans from both sides at the stadium.

At the end of the third period we had seen enough and headed for the truck.  If you haven't heard the score by now, it ended Penn State 66-Maryland 3.  Awful!!  Penn State certainly didn't need our support anyway. They actually had many more fans in the stadium than Maryland did.   And, Maryland didn't do any better with us yelling for them.  The day was still a fun experience and our family had a great time even though the team we were cheering for had not won.  Oh well, there's always next year!!  It was another extraordinary day in the life of an ordinary guy. 

Penn State's Squon Barkley gains yardage.

This is what happens during a TV commercial.  Players, coaches and fans just wait for the commercial to end and then someone runs on the field and signals the commercial is over.

Tommy Stevens heads into the end zone for a touchdown.

Maryland quarterback Max Bortenschlager passes. 

#1 D.J. Moore heads through the Penn State defense.

Penn State's Cothren Parker blocks a pass.

Camille, Courtney, Caden and Derek enjoying the game.

Penn State quarterback Trace McSorley passes for yardage. 

Sun begins to go down at Maryland's Stadium.

Maryland kicks a field goal and the fireworks fly.  Sorry to say we only got to see this one time during the game.

The "It's Been A Long Journey: Part II - The Move To College Coaching" Story

It was an ordinary day.  Talking with my son-in-law Dave who has been the Director of Player Personnel for the University of Maryland football team for a little over half-a-year now and just loves his job.  

After coaching high school football for close to 15 years and being extremely successful at his job, I wasn't sure how well he could adjust to the college level and not being a coach on the field.  Seems that young men who love the game of football and will do everything necessary to be successful at what they do are the type of student-athlete that Dave enjoys whether they be high school or college athletes.  That, plus the excitement and  atmosphere of Division I college football is a great replacement for the high school football scene.  A brief description of what Dave is involved in on a daily basis goes like this:  Maryland football is in its 125th season this year, having began in 1892.  At that time they were known as the "Aggies" and disbanded after three years to once again begin the following season.  

The Maryland team mascot, Testudo! Click on photos to enlarge.

After close to 30 seasons they became known as the "Terrapins."  Since that time they have won 11 conference champion- ships, celebrated 11 consensus All-Americans and 16 NFL first-round draft picks, appeared in 27 bowl games and won the 1953 National Championship.  So you see how Dave has grown to love the atmosphere of Maryland football.  

My granddaughters Camille and Courtney frame my grandson
Caden in front of the Gossett Football Team House.

If you're wondering about the mascot name of "Terrapin," it all began in 1932 when the coach recommen- ded that the Diamond- back terrapin (turtle) be made the school mascot, since it was the state reptile.  The terrapin is native to the Chesapeake Bay, so it was a logical choice for the team's mascot.  But, why was the mascot named "Testudo"?  

The newly refurbished Cole Field House.

It happens to be the scientific classifi- cation for turtle, so once again, a natural choice.  In 1933 the graduating class decided to give a bronze replica of the mascot as its graduation gift to the school.  Sculptor Arsitide Cianfrani cast the bronze 300 pound terrapin using a live Diamondback as a guide.  

The Capital One Field at Maryland Stadium.

On May 23, 1933, Testudo was unveiled to the world.  Today the second casting of Testudo sits in front of what at one time was Byrd Stadium, but today is known as Maryland Stadium.  The field itself is known today as Capital One Field at Maryland Stadium.  It seats slightly over 50,000 fans and on November 1, 1975 set an attendance record of 58,973. The field is shaped like a horseshoe with the Gossett Team House standing on the open end of the horseshoe.  

The cover of the Maryland-Penn State program.

To one side of Gossett Team House is the new Cole Field House which was recently finished and is said to advance the science of sports on the campus.  It houses a full-sized football field with strength, conditioning and hydro-therapy centers inside of it.  Pretty impressive building that will make it much easier to get top notch high school football players to commit to Maryland to play their college football.  I write about all this since Dave recently got tickets for his wife and daughters as well as my wife Carol and myself and my son Derek and grandson Caden to attend the Penn State vs. Maryland football game at the Maryland Stadium.  Final game of the regular season for both teams who are members of the Big 10 Conference.  Tomorrow I will finish my story telling you about game day and the excitement that is truly college football.  It was another extraordinary day in the life of an ordinary guy.

The "It's Been A Long Journey: Part I - The Background" Story

It was an ordinary day.  Just got home from a trip to Urbana, Maryland where we visited with our daughter Brynn and her family as well as made a visit to the University of Maryland to take in a football game.  Brynn's husband is Dave Mencarini whom I have written about many times over the past few years.  Dave was one of Montgomery County, MD's winningest football coaches ever.  

Dave celebrating his State Championship. Click to enlarge.

He spent 17 years coaching in the county with stops at Seneca Valley and Poolesville before being named an assistant coach at Quince Orchard in 2002.  Two years later Dave was named head coach and over the next ten seasons complied a record of 107 wins and 18 losses.  Yes, you read that right ... 107 wins in 10 years.  Eight of those years his teams won over 10 games, running deep into the state playoffs during those years.  

Celebrating his 100th win.

The program he developed at Quince Orchard became one of Maryland's most successful programs.  His Cougars won the Maryland 4A State Title in 2007 and had back-to-back runner-up finishes in 2011 and 2012.  In 2011 he was named All-Met Coach of the Year.  Then, on September 24, 2013 Dave's team celebrated their  coach's 100th win.  

Dave, on the left, celebrated with his coaches which
included his dad, Joe, on he right.

100 wins in less than a full 10 years.  What an accomp- lishment.  Then to everyone's surprise, Dave resigned from Quince Orchard to take a job in Frederick County as head coach at Urbana High School.  His two daughters, Carol and my granddaughters, were his main reason.  Instead of close to an hour drive to Quince Orchard, he would now be able to walk to school if he cared to do so.  He decided he wanted to teach and coach in his own neighborhood to be closer to his family.  

The newspaper tells of his move
to nearby Urbana HIgh School.

But then, on September 10th of 2016, an incident during the first game of the season of Dave's second year at Urbana changed Dave's life forever.  According to a police report, Dave was said to have raised his arm and struck one of his players along the sideline of the game.  The player's father notified the school of the incident and in no time Dave was suspended from his coaching job.  Ten days later the father pressed criminal charges and Dave was placed on leave from his teaching job.  A multitude of witnesses came forward and said they had seen the confrontation he had with the player and eventually Dave was cleared of the charge, but the administration said he had violated his suspension by emailing a parent of a player.  Dave decided he no longer had administration backing and for the best of the team, resigned his coaching job.  

Large framed collage shows Dave's reign as State Champs.

Well, this past summer Dave was named Director of Player Personnel for the University of Maryland Terrapins who play in the Big 10.  The attack by one parent to try and tarnish Dave's name became history with Dave's reputation as an outstanding coach and mentor being brought back to life.  All is well once again and Dave now has gained the confidence of the college ranks with his new position.  

Dave was chosen to help coach the Maryland All-Star team
in the Big 33 Game against the All-Stars from Pennsylvania.
This framed collage shows his memories from the game.

His family and friends knew the charge against him was bogus and we are all proud that he now has a chance at his dream of working in college football.  We recently had the chance to go to a game at the University of Maryland to see Dave's "Terps" face the Penn State Nittany Lions.  I realize you may know the score from the game, but check in tomorrow and I can give you some of the highlights from our journey to see the game.  It was another extraordinary day in the life of an ordinary guy. 

The "She's A Real Hurricane!" Story

The formation of Hurricane Irma.

It was an ordinary day.  August 27, 2017 and a tropical wave moved off the west African coast.  Three days later near the Cape Verde Islands that tropical wave turned into Hurricane Irma.  Within 24 hours it had become a Category 2 hurricane.  Wasn't long before it intensified and became a Category 3 hurricane or what is known as a major hurricane.  Due to a series of eyewall replacement cycles, the storm fluctuated between a 2 and 3 for the next several days.  Then, on September 4, Irma resumed intensifying, becoming a Category 5 by the end of the next day and two days later reached its peak intensity of 185 mph which made it the strongest storm of 2017.  Another eyewall caused it to recede to a Category 4, but it regained steam and once again became a number 5 before making landfall in Cuba.  Along the way it caused catastrophic damage in Barbuda, Saint Barthelemy, Saint Martin/Sint Maarten, Angulla and the US Virgin Islands.  It caused close to 150 deaths along its path with devastation so intense that some of those islands will never fully recover from the damage.  Sint Maarten/St. Martin, the island that Carol and I have so warmly call our second home, could be one of those islands.    Irma was truly a Hurricane Queen.  But, why was this hurricane known as Irma.  Seems that years ago powerful storms were given arbitrary names.  An Atlantic storm that ripped the mast off a boat named Antje became known as Hurricane Antje.  Then, in the mid-1990s storms were all given female names.  Why?  I don't want to offer a reason, but I did read about a novel in which a meteorologist named storms after his ex-girlfriends.  Then, after years of feminist advocacy in favor of male names, a more efficient system was devised and in 1979 names from a pre-designed alphabetical list with both male and female names was used.  The first storm to occur in a year would be assigned a name beginning with A.  But, I thought I would throw this issue into the mix.  Seems that gender bias still exists since, according to a 2014 study, hurricanes named for women don't seem to be as threatening to people so they don't prepare for them as much as hurricanes with men's names.  Ironically, storms in the past few year have proven just the opposite.  Irma would be the most recent to prove the study correct.  No matter what the name and in what order the names are assigned, hurricanes can be deadly and should all be taken with the same amount of concern.  Take it from those affected by Irma!  It was another extraordinary day in the life of an ordinary guy.