The "I Just Turned In My Keys" Story

It was an ordinary day.  Had just walked out of the Manheim Township High School front door for perhaps the last time in my life.  Story goes way back to September of 1950 when I entered Brecht Elementary School as a scared 1st grader.  

Brecht Elementary School where I went to elementary school.

Six years later I was entering the original Manheim Township High School on Valley Road as a 7th grader.  Spent two years in that building and then moved across campus to a brand new High School building that held grades 9-12.  

Manheim Township High School which at the time housed grades 7-12.

Graduated in 1962 and in September of 1966 I was back once again as an Industrial Arts teacher.  Spent the next 32 years of my life teaching in the building with many memories.  Had the honor of having all three of my children in my class as well as the children of other teachers whom I taught with at the high school.  

Entrance to Manheim Township High School.

Was fortunate enough to coach the high school rifle team to the first State Championship in school history and being nominated as a dedicated educator.  Also was fortunate enough to work for the school district throughout my teaching career doing all of the in-house printing, since I taught graphic arts and had a few printing presses in my classroom.  Printed hall passes, excuse cards, school tablets, stationery, envelopes, football programs, etc., etc, etc.  

My classroom at the high school.  Notice that I was known as L DUB which is the same as LW or my initials.

Anything they would need to run the school district, my friend Mike and I printed during the summer months.  I also was the adviser to the High School's Yearbook and produced 30 yearbooks before I retired from teaching in 1999.  The following year the Middle School principal called and asked if I was interested in doing their yearbook.  Sure, why not!  

The AB Dick printing presses we used in my classes as well as school printing.

Did the Middle School book until 2020.  Eight years ago the Landis Run Intermediate School was opened and the Principal called and asked if I could do their yearbook.  Sure, why not!  As of today's date I am still doing their book.  Now, getting back to leaving the High School today.  I recently resigned my duties as in-house printer since it was getting too hard for me to lift all the cases of paper needed to do the job.  Since I no longer needed to be in the high school I thought it was best to turn in my keycard and room keys.  I had seven room keys on my key chain that had small plastic colored rings around them.  The colors were to tell me which door they would open in the high school.  

A Landis Run student who designed the very first  yearbook cover.

So...one weekend I entered the high school and painted the small circle in the center of the door knob where the keyhole is with different colored paints to match the plastic colored rings I had on the keys.  The Monday after I had completed my fantastic idea, there was an announcement at the end of the day over the school intercom asking if the person who painted all the locks would come to the office.  The school Principal wasn't happy with my idea.  Why, I don't know, but I had to remove all the paint if I wanted to be employed the next day.  

A few of the Landis Run Yearbooks

Didn't take long to clean the paint off with the printing solvents we used.  Well, today was the day that I entered the high school perhaps for the last time.  I put all the keys in a Manheim Township High School envelope that I had printed and walked in the front door using my keycard.  The first young female secretary I approached looked surprised.  She wanted to know how I got in the door without her buzzing me in.  Showed her my keycard and told her why I was there.  She checked my temperature and made me wash my hands with sanitizer and opened the door to the office.  

The Rifle Team was State Champions in 1972 and also named Team of the Year by the Lancaster Newspaper.

Found old time friends and secretaries Donna and Patti in the office and handed the keys to them.  They looked at them and asked why they had colored rings on them.  Had to give them the whole story before thanking them for all the years and years of good times we had and telling them I may never return again.  You know how hard that was to do?  I've spent 67 years of my life working for the Manheim Township School District as either a student or teacher/printer.  Tough to say Goodbye!  I still work for the Landis Run Intermediate School creating their yearbook, but that may also end soon.  I need to have liability insurance in order to be in their building.  Have needed it since I stopped teaching, but the cost wasn't too bad being I was doing jobs for other schools as well.  With just one job to do, the cost may eat up any profits I would get from doing the yearbook.  Still haven't decided what I will do, but I doubt I will ever enter the High School again after turning in my keys today.  I will miss the place.   It's been a second home with many friends.  But, I will still see some of them since Patti is my next-door neighbor and I am surrounded in my neighborhood with former students as well as current ones.  Also, still get together with members of the Industrial Arts Department.  The one thing I will miss the most at the high school is entering the different rooms while using my keys with the color strip on them.  Something I will always remember!  And, perhaps you will also!  It was another extraordinary day in the life of an ordinary guy.

My 1st grade class.  I am back row, far left.

The Industrial Arts teachers celebrating the end of another school year.

I still have my name badge from when I taught.  A prized possession I will keep forever.

Recognize this guy?  Famous Manheim Township High School graduate.  Had his locker in front of my classroom.  A brilliant student, naturally!

The "Brood X Cicadas Will Arrive Soon" Story

It was an ordinary day.   Getting ready to call my friend Hal and see if he and his wife are interested in heading to Mount Gretna to hear a concert or two this coming summer.  Tickets haven't been offered for sale yet...but hopefully sometime in the near future they will be.  The past half-dozen years Carol and I  have gone to Mount Gretna with Hal and Jeannie to hear Phil Dirt and the Dozers which are one of the featured bands during the Cicada Festival which runs during the first full week in August.  

One of our favorite bands...Phil Dirt and the Dozers.

The concert gets its name from the sound of the cicadas that at times add the background tempo to the music that is on the outdoor stage at Mount Gretna.  I was recently reminded of the festival when I read a headline in the local newspaper titled "Billions of cicadas to emerge."  Seems that the Brood X cicadas are set to arrive this year after being underground since 2004.  Do you know how many years ago they were last humming around the grounds at Mount Gretna?  

The Mount Gretna outdoor playhouse.

The last time they surfaced the Boston Red Sox broke an 86-year World Series drought.  Now, they are about emerge in the next few weeks to help to orchestrate the soundtrack of the Summer festival.  Brood X surfaces every 17 years while other groups have 13 year cycles.  How do they know when it is time to wake up and begin to add background music to the performers at Mount Gretna?  Cicadas feed from the sap of trees and plants and count freeze-and-thaw cycles as an "internal tally system" that tells them when it is time to surface.  Brood X is one of the largest groups of cicadas and their emergence this year may total over a billion.  Can you imagine the noise they will make?  First of all, the soil must warm to about 64 degrees before they will begin their exit.  Probably will happen in the third week of May, but could be sooner.  Naturally has to do with the location where they are located.  Brood X is supposed to be in about 18 states from Michigan to Georgia and from the east coast to Illinois.  My home state of Pennsylvania is one of the states that will see and hear their noisy music.  When they arrive from underground, they will feed on small trees, shrubs and plants but will not hurt humans.  

The adult cicada 

They are just really big and awkward.  It is a marvelous display which we only get to see every 17 years.  Next time I get to see then I will be in my mid-90s.  The noise they make is a buzzing sound as they look for a mate.  At times it can be deafening and if they ar still around during the Cicada Festival, they will definitely add some background music for Phil Dirt and the Dozers.  Some cicadas "sing" in different tones from a mellow whistle to to a raspy chorus.  I don't mind them too much as long as they keep close to the same tune as the band.  At times their noise can be up to 90 decibels which is the sound of a motorcycle.  You get a few hundred together and the band can perform without the drummer.  A human can damage their hearing in about an hour of constant noise from the cicadas.  Only good thing with Brood X is once they emerge they will only be with us for about six weeks.  Then the nymphs will go underground until 2038.  I should tell you that cicadas are edible and taste like tofu.  They are gluten free, high in protein and low in fat and carbs.  And, if you eat enough of them you will  more than likely hum while sleeping.  Hope you are prepared for this.  It was another extraordinary day in the life of an ordinary guy.

The "So Who Are These Five Guys?" Story

 It was an ordinary day.  I was showing my wife a photograph I had just found of her favorite musical group of all time, The Beatles.  The photograph featured five musicians instead of four, but also happened to be missing Ringo Starr.  So, who were these musicians pictured in the photograph I had found.  

The colorized photo I had found.  Read on to see whom the musicians may be. 

Her love affair with The Beatles began when she saw them appear on the Ed Sullivan Show.  It was on February 7, 1964 that the Pan Am Yankee Clipper flight 101 from London Heathrow landed at New York's Kennedy Airport and instantly "Beatlemania" had arrived.  The British rock-and-roll quartet had just had their first No. 1 hit in The USA with "I Want to Hold Your Hand."  The "Fab Four," as they were called, were dressed in mod suits and sporting their trademark bowl haircuts.  More than 3,000 screaming fans greeted them as they departed from the plane onto American soil.  Then, two days later they made their first appearance on The Ed Sullivan Show.  If I remember it correctly, it was really hard to hear what they were singing due to the constant screaming of the teenage girls who were in attendance at the television studio where the show was broadcast from that day.  Ed Sullivan was so impressed the he quickly booked them for two more appearances that month.  The "Fab Four" made their first public concert appearance on February 11 at the Coliseum in Washington, D.C. with another group of 20,000 screaming fans.  The following day they gave two performances at New York's Carnegie Hall.  

The Beatles when they appeared on The Ed Sullivan Show in 1964.

The surrounding streets had to be closed due to the large amount of people who surrounded the Hall.  On February 22 the Beatles returned to England.  So, now for the photograph I was showing my wife.  It featured five instead of four musicians and one of those musicians wasn't Ringo Starr.  So...what gives?  Well, the colorized photograph looks really creepy.  Almost like a photograph taken at Madame Tussaud Wax Museum.  The photograph has what many called the "fifth Beatle."  Two of those in the photo were Pete Best on drums and Stu Sutcliffe on guitar.  Eventually Ringo Starr replaced Pete and Stu left the group to pursue a career in art.  He died shortly after leaving the group of a brain hemorrhage.  Actually, Stu's girlfriend was responsible for giving The Beatles their iconic mop top haircuts.  For those of you who are fans of the Beatles, the photograph was taken in Hamburg, Germany in 1960.  The musicians in the photo are from left-right: John Lennon, George Harrison, Pete Best, Paul McCartney and Stuart Sutcliffe.  I wonder what Pete and Stuart must have thought a year after this photo was taken.  They missed out on being perhaps the best quartet in Rock & Roll that ever was.  Eventually the Beatles returned to the United States in 1964 for a second tour and at one point that year they had the top five best-selling singles in the U.S..  And, if you are wondering when the Beatles disbanded, it was 1970.  They left a legacy of 18 albums and 30 Top 10 U.S. singles.  Quite a hard act to follow.  It was another extraordinary day in the life of an ordinary guy.

The "Something I Never Learned In School - Did You?" Story

It was an ordinary day.  Sitting in front of my desktop computer with my two cats nearby watching out the window to make sure nothing tries to get into my office and scare me.  When they see something scary, they take off and that is their message to me to take a look outside!  Seems all is clear right now...so I will begin my story for today.  Story about The Richmond Bread Riot which occurred on April 2, 1863.  I realize I was not a good student of history during my high school and college careers, but that began to change as I became part of that history that people read about.  But, that still doesn't include the bread riot.  Well, seems that during the Civil War there was a lack of food, money and supplies which created  unbearable conditions for women living in the southern United States.  Lack of supplies left families in big need, but women were especially affected and they felt the financial pinch more than others.  Then the drought of 1862 arrived and impacted the harvest.  Food supplies became scarce and salt needed for preserving meat became more scarce.  In the spring of 1863 tensions were at an all-time high and civil unrest broke out across the South.  The unrest was organized by women who were enraged by the high price of bread.  They raided stores, stealing food, clothing and supplies.  The largest of these Southern riots took place in Richmond, Virginia on April 2, 1863.  The month before a woman named Mary Jackson started to recruit women to be part of an organized protest.  She was upset with the government who weren't able to help the families of soldiers who were fighting for the Confederate side in the Civil War.  About 300 women provided support for her and on the morning of April 2 they arrived at Richmond and began marching towards the governor's office in Capitol Square.  Some claim that the governor did come to speak to the women, while others said an angry crowd marched towards Ninth Street with hundreds behind them.  They were armed with guns, hatchets and household implements and began to chant "Bread or Blood!"  They broke into grocery stores, warehouses and other businesses, stealing food, supplies and even fine jewelry.  Wasn't long before Mayor Joseph Mayo arrived and read the Riot Act aloud to the mob.  Didn't matter, since they ignored him.  Gov. John L. Letcher sent for Confederate President Jefferson Davis and he begged the women to disperse, telling them that he would order open fire on them if they didn't back off.  As Davis watched the women, he emptied his pockets, throwing money to them.  That finally eased the tension and the crowd disbursed.  Confederate secretary of war James A. Seddon asked the local press to refrain from publishing news of the incident, fearing it would fuel Union propaganda.  Didn't matter since Union prisoners who watched from their cell windows somehow leaked the story and on April 8, The New York Times had the story on the front of their newspaper.  Jackson was arrested as well as more than 60 others.  Their punishment was nominal.  After that the City of Richmond increased efforts to provide aid to the poor, restoring a measure of calm.  The 1863 bread riots showed just how hard life had become for women on the home front.  An article in "The Lancaster Examiner" dated April 15, 1863 had a headline that read "Bread Riots".  The story told of the bread riots that had arrived in the South.  In the very capitol of the Confederacy, under the eye of Jeff Davis and his brothers in mischief, three thousand starving women have raged along the streets, broken open and sacked stores, and supplied themselves with food and clothing wherever they could.  A few weeks ago the same had happened in Savannah; and a short time before the women of Atlanta helped themselves in like manner, presenting pistols at the heads of shopkeepers.  Five days later a story about The Bread Riots appeared in the "Liverpool Mercury" titled Bread Riots in Richmond and nine days after a story appeared in The Chanute Times telling the same story.  I'm not quite sure where Liverpool and Chanute might have been, but they got in on the news to sell their newspapers.  Always happens that way.  It was another extraordinary day in the life of an ordinary guy.

The "A Visit To Mount Gretna & The Cornwall Iron Furnace: Part II - The Furnace" Story

 It was an ordinary day.  Googling and reading about the Cornwall Iron Furnace's impact on the small community of Mount Gretna which is about a half-hour drive from my home in Lancaster, Pennsylvania.  The Cornwall Iron Furnace is a great example of furnaces that covered the countryside in Pennsylvania in the 18th and 19 centuries.  A few days I posted a story about the village known as Mount Gretna which was one of many small villages and towns that covered the countryside near a variety of iron furnaces.  The Cornwall Iron Furnace is one example of a furnace that garnered artisan's shops, stores, schools, churches, homes as well as the mansion of the wealthy iron master.  All of the raw materials needed for the smelting process such as iron ore, limestone and wood for charcoal, were found at the Cornwall Iron Furnace.  Today, Cornwall is the only surviving charcoal cold blast furnace in the Western Hemisphere.  

The Grubb Mansion in Cornwall, Pennsylvania

Back in the 1730s a stone mason known as Peter Grubb began to mine the area known as Cornwall.  He had named the area Cornwall in honor of he area in England from where his father had emigrated.  Then in 1745 he leased the ironworks to a consortium known as Cury and Company.  Ownership eventually went to Peter's sons, Curtis and Peter Jr. when he died.  The brothers took control and ran it quite successfully until the 1880s.  Curtis lived on site and built the original 19 room mansion that still stands prominently next to the property.  Peter Jr. ran a forge at Hopewell, refining the pig iron produced by the furnace into more valuable bar iron.  The ironworks were major suppliers to the Revolutionary War effort and General Washington once made a visit to inspect the operation.  In 1750 the British Parliament tried to restrict the production of iron in the colonies, but the immigrants wouldn't have it.  The output from the furnaces began to rise with Pennsylvania being the top producer, smelting about one-seventh of the world's iron.  By 1798 a fellow by the name of Robert Coleman had gained ownership of the furnace operation and eventually became one of Pennsylvania's first millionaires.  Coleman's son, William, was named manager of Cornwall Furnace and lived in the mansion.  In 1865 the Coleman's remodeled the mansion into the 29 room structure known today as Buckingham Mansion.  The furnace remained in operation until 1883 when iron furnaces started to become obsolete since furnaces fueled by anthracite coal became popular.   Eventually the furnace was abandoned, leaving the building untouched until it was given in 1932 to the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania by Margaret Coleman Freeman Buckingham, Robert's great grand-daughter.  In the mid-19th century, Cornwall's iron plantation contained industrial, residential and agricultural activities with small villages, created for furnace workers and miners.  Most structures were built in the gothic Revival style with stone and brick. Bethlehem Steel acquired ownership of the mine between 1917 and 1922 where both strip mining and underground mining were used to extract ore from the ground.  The open pit mine began to flood in 1971 and today the open pit is filled with water.  As of 1973 all operations have been stopped.  It was another extraordinary day in the life of an ordinary guy.

The "A Note Of Thanks To All Those Who Volunteer!" Story

It was an ordinary day.  The "Letters to the editor" column began with a letter from Maulik Patel, M.D.  He titled his letter - "Thanks for help with vaccinations."  For my wife, Carol and I, it all began months ago when we began our search for the COVID vaccination shot.  Where can we go...when can we get it...whom do we call...exactly what do we do?  Our search began!  We have been lucky enough to be able to afford vacations to the Caribbean and Hawaii since my retirement from teaching in 1999.  Then along came Miss Virus and all that ended.  We had to cancel a trip and reschedule it.  Then it became apparent that we weren't going to be able to take that trip on the new date and had to do the same thing all over again.  Changes seem easy to make, but it requires quite a bit of time for all the calls and letters to be made.  We decided we needed to get our vaccinations in order to be able to fly and be allowed into specific vacations sites.  A search began.  Calls were made...and made...and made again...and I'm sure you had the same results.  Can never find someone to answer the phone or the line is always busy or all you get is a recording.  Then our daughter called and asked if we had arranged our vaccinations yet.  She happened to have someone whom she worked with who knew someone that had me as a teacher in high school and still lived in the area and was willing to make arrangements for us.  Wow!  We agreed and before long we had shots scheduled at the nearby Wyndham Resort in Lancaster, Pennsylvania.  Made a test run to see where we would go and when we arrived at the Resort I went inside to ask about the vaccinations.  I was told they were in the large building next to the resort.  We were set.  We had our time emailed to us and we arrived that Saturday and within an hour were back in the car headed home.  Three weeks later we had the same situation and we now have both our vaccinations.  I must admit, the people at the vaccine site were amazing.  They were very well organized.  The entire operations was run by The South Asian Association of Lancaster.  The letter to the editor I had just read was a testament to the job that was well done by all involved.  I have copied the letter for you to read so you can see what organizations such as The South Asian Association of Lancaster can do when needed to help their community.  Read on...

The South Asian Association of Lancaster (sail.us) would like to thank the owners of the Wyndham Resort - Bakul Vakil and Kalpesh Vakil.  They have been a great inspiration showing what leadership means in time of need.  Graciously, they have donated their facilities and personnel for several months  to ensure that more Lancaster County residents have access to COVID-19 vaccines.  During a time in which the hostility industry has been hit very hard, there are some who truly support the greater good.  This degree of assistance has enabled the administering of over 8,000 vaccine shots thus far, with a goal of 20,000-plus over the next few weeks.  In their words, "Let us do our part to serve others." Our vulnerable residents are forever grateful for their generosity.  They have demonstrated exemplary corporate charity, for which the township of East Lampeter and Lancaster should be proud.  We also would like to thank the following for providing free breakfasts and lunches for the vaccine clinic volunteers: Ram ad Sangita Patel of Dunkin' in Leola; Mani Shama of Taj Mahal; Manuel Torres of El Serrano; and Very Ptel of the Lititz Pike Subway.  Signed: Maulik Patel, M.D.; Advisory board member, South Asian Association of Lancater.  

My wife and I would also like to thank all those who were so kind and understanding when we entered to have our vaccination.  We were greeted warmly, made to feel relaxed at a time that could have been stressful, offered any help we needed and were treated extremely well when we had our shots.  For me, the most interesting part of the entire situation was sitting in the chairs along one side of the complex waiting for 15 minutes to expire before we could leave.   There were doctors from local hospitals there to check on you and Carol and I enjoyed talking with them.  They too were volunteers.  One doctor was the mother of children whom I had as students in school.  What a wonderful experience we had in a stressful situation.  Thank you to all who participated in this event.  We both "Thank You" for your service and for being so kind and understanding.  It was another extraordinary day in the life of an ordinary day. 

The "Matting & Framing Mementoes From A Possible Relative!" Story

 It was an ordinary day.  Almost 8:00 AM and I had just arrived at my part-time job at Grebinger Gallery in the small town of Neffsville, Pennsylvania.  My boss and former student, Keith, had a job waiting for me which featured an old 78 rpm vinyl record, a business card, four membership cards, a small pin featuring a musician and an autographed photograph of Eddie Cochran.  That name, for many of you, might not ring a bell, but to me he was one of my favorite rock and roll artists of my high school years.  Songs he made popular featured  "Twenty Flight Rock", "C'mon Everybody" and my all-time favorite "Summertime Blues." But, what made him more special was his name, for you see my grandfather on my mother's side happened to be Bill Cochran.  When Eddie first began his career, my grandpap claimed that Eddie was a distant relative of his.  Often told me stories about how he had met him a few times and loved to listen to him play his guitar.  He told me he called him Ray, but he used his middle name when he sang.  I never was sure if I should believe him or not since he often told me stories about just about everything that were often very hard to believe.  But, to have a famous rock and roll artist as a relative was fine with me.  Often told my friends about Eddie knowing my grandpap. Not sure if they believed me, but it didn't matter to me anyway, just as long as I believed it.  

                           Ray Edward Cochran...a relative?
Eddie's name was really Ray Edward Cochran and he was born on October 3, 1938, six years before I was born.  Not only did he play rock and roll, but rockabilly, country and blues.  He also experimented with multitrack recording, distortion techniques and overdubbing while playing his guitar, piano, bass and drums.  He was a cool looking guy who liked to be sharply dressed for his performances.  In 1954 he formed a duet with guitarist Hank Cochran, another relative of mine according to my grandpap.  He released his first "solo artist" single in 1956 which featured "skinny Jim" which was a rockabilly classic.  Then in 1958 he finally hit it big time with his famous teenage anthem, "Summertime Blues."  That song made him one of the most important influences on rock and roll in the 1950s.  It made it to #8 on the hits chart that year.  Records that followed were "C'mon Everybody, "Something Else." "Teenage Heaven," and "Three Steps to Heaven."  In 1960 Eddie was on tour int Britain from January through April with his friend and fellow performing artist Gene Vincent.  On Saturday, April 16 they had just finished a concert when they hopped in a taxi on Bath Road to travel from Bristol to London when the 19 year-old taxi driver lost control and crashed into a concrete lamppost at Rowden Hill in Chippenham.  At the moment of impact, Eddie threw himself over Sharron Shelley, a 20-year-old songwriter who happened to be Eddie's fiancée and riding with him in the cab.  The force of the collision caused the left rear passenger door to open and Eddie was ejected from the cab, sustaining a massive traumatic brain injury from blunt force trauma to the skull.  Eddie never regained consciousness and died the following day.  Sharron suffered injuries to her back and thigh and Vincent suffered a fractured collarbone and severe injuries to his legs.  Eddie's body was flown back to the United States where he was buried on April 25 at Forest Lawn Memorial Park in Cypress, California. A posthumous album, My Way, was released in 1964.  One of his posthumous releases was 'three Stars", a tribute to J.P. Richardson, better known as the Big Bopper, and Eddie's friends Buddy Holly and Richie Valens, who had all died in a plane crash just one year earlier.  Eddie Cochran was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1987.  His pioneering contribution to the genre of rockabilly has also been recognized by the Rockabilly Hall of Fame.  On September 27, 2010, the Mayor of Bell Gardens, California, declared October 3, 2010 to be "Eddie Cochran Day" to celebrate the famous musician who began his career when living in that city.  The matting and framing job I did today brought back so many memories of Eddie Cochran and his supposed relationship to our family.  My guess is that none of that was ever true, but it is still neat to think that someone as famous as Eddie Cochran might have been a distant relative of mine.  It was another extraordinary day in the life of an ordinary guy.

The "A Visit To Mount Gretna & The Cornwall Iron Furnace: Part I - Mount Gretna" Story

 It was an ordinary day.  My wife and I had just received our second COVID vaccination shots yesterday and were trying to decide if we wanted to go for a drive to get out of the house.  We talked about visiting my brother and his wife, but decided we needed to wait another few weeks before we attempt to do that.  Thought we might take a drive to Mount Gretna for a walk through the quaint houses that fill the hills in Mount Gretna.  The village of Mount Gretna is amazing with homes that for some are year-round residences while for others are summer cottages which they from time to time will rent to those who care to share the feeling of living in a quaint atmosphere.  The site, known as Mount Gretna, was discovered in 1883 as a pleasant place to spend a summer day along the extinct Cornwall and Lebanon Railroad which linked the Reading Railroad in Lebanon with the Pennsylvania Railroad near Elizabethtown.  

Cornwall and Lebanon Railroad Station

Mount Gretna was first settled in a forest of chestnut trees.  For over 100 years it provided charcoal to the nearby Cornwall Furnace that once forged cannons for General George Washington's Army.  Mount Gretna was accessible by rail from just about any location in the United States.  President Benjamin Harrison made trips with friends to the area where they got off the train and walked down a tree-lined path past a stone fountain to spend the day in a wooded park that in later years contained a carousel, a "switch-back" roller coaster, a dance pavilion and and amusement park.  In 1885 the Pennsylvania National Guard began to train at Mount Gretna near the Conewago Creek which eventually was damed to form Lake Conewago which today is used for swimming and canoeing. Then in 1889 Robert Coleman, iron-foundry heir and owner of most of Mt. Gretna's original land, built a narrow gauge railroad to carry visitors from the park to the top of Governor Dick Hill where they could view the surrounding area as far away as Lancaster and Harrisburg.  Eventually, in 1892, Methodists found Mount Gretna to be a good location for a Chautauqua which is a location to assembly as a group that was popular in the late 19th and early 20th centuries.  The Chautauqua provided education with entertainment in the form of lectures, concerts and plays.  The United Brethren moved in across from the Chautauqua and built a Tabernacle for religious services and Bible meetings.  The Tabernacle still stands today.  The Brethren divided the surrounding land into plots for tents around the Tabernacle, but before long cottages began to be built instead of the tents.  Mt. Gretna began to become a summer retreat which led to restaurants and hotels as well as the Chautauqua Inn, The Jigger Shop Ice Cream Parlor, The Conewago Hotel, Kaufman's Store and Hotel as well as a few other buildings.  

Advertisement in local newspaper telling about the Hotel Conewago

For the first 20 years of the 1900s, Mt. Gretna had many summer visitors who attended concerts, lectures, trade sows and Bible meetings while relaxing in the park, lake and on porches.  

Postcard showing the Hotel Conewago in Mt. Gretna, PA

The 125-room Conewgo hotel was one of the first in the country to offer private baths and telephones in the rooms and an elevator.  It thrived for only about two decades until the Depression set in and visitors ceased to visit.  

The Hall of Philosphy in Mt. Gretna

Carol and I continue the visits today by going to their yearly arts and crafts show as well as plenty of summer musical concerts.  Follow along tomorrow when I tell you a bit about the Cornwall Iron Furnace.  It was another extraordinary day in the life of an ordinary guy.

The "One Of My Favorite Baseball Players: Part II - "Willie Mays : The Say Hey Kid" Story

It was an ordinary day.  Watching a video clip of my all-time favorite baseball player, Willie Mays, make an over-the-shoulder catch in deep centerfield.  I never tire of watching the catch, though I wish it were in color instead of black and white.  At the time, there was only black and white television when he made the catch off the bat of Vic Wertz during the 1954 World Series.  Actually, the entire world had a chance to watch that catch since the season had ended and everyone was watching the World Series at the time.  If you "Google" Willie Mays, you will find page after page about his life to go along with photograph after photograph as well as his famous over-the-shoulder catch clip.  But, rather than bore you with an entire story about his statistics, I thought I would pass along a few stories about Willie Mays.   Starts with a story when Bill Rigney was his coach and Willie hit a triple against the Cubs that landed at the bottom of the fence in left center, about 470 feet away.  

Willie Mays makes an over the shoulder catch.

The ball hadn't even sounded well-hit.  When he pulled into third base Bill said, "Willie, you didn't get all of that, did you?  And he replied, "No skip, I didn't get all of it.  Another time Willie was asked what his biggest thrill had been that was related to baseball.  He didn't mention his spectacular catch or his visit to the White House after the World Series or all his awards he had received.  Instead he said "My biggest thrill is playing ball every day.  I didn't say being a ballplayer.  I said playing ball."  Willie is notoriously bad with names.  One time a fellow by the name of Charlie Einstein wrote a book about Willie Mays titled "Born to Play Ball."  After he had finished the book he called Willie at the clubhouse to tell him it was finished.  Willie picked up the phone and Charlie said, "This is Charlie."  Willie replied, "Charlie who?"  "Charlie Einstein!"  

1952 Bowman bubble gum card.

After a long, quiet time, it was obvious Willie had no idea wo he was.  Charlie said, "You know, the guy you just did the book with."  Willie replied, "What book?"  Willie eventually said that he comes to the park to play baseball and once he is there, he tries to think of nothing but baseball.  Well, even if Willie doesn't worry about details, I will give you few rather important one.  May 6, 1931: Willie is born in Westfield, Alabama.  His grandfather was a pitcher and his father was a semipro ballplayer for the local iron plant.  He was born a Black man in the Deep South during the Great Depression and his parents separated and Willie worked to help provide for his family while excelling in football and basketball at Fairfield Industrial High School.  They didn't sponsor a school baseball team, but Willie did play on his dad's factory team and semi-pro baseball teams. 1950: Willie signs with the New York Giants. Previously he had played for the Birmingham Club and managed a hit off of Satchel Paige.  In 1948 he helped his team reach the Negro World Series.  Dodger's star, Roy Campanella begged his club to sign Willie, but Willie signed with the Giants for a $4,000 bonus.  May 28, 1951:  Mays get his first hit when Leo Durocher insisted he be called to the parent team.  He was put in center field and after an 0-for-12 start, homered off Warren Spahn at the Polo Grounds.  Then...another 0-13 followed but he ended with a .288 average with 19 homers and the award of National League Rookie of the Year.  September 29, 1954: Sandlot games all over the the country, including games I played in Lancaster, argued who was the best center-fielder in baseball: Willie or Duke Snider.  Then in Game 1 of the 1954 World Series Vic Wertz clubbed a ball that was headed for the center-field wall.  Willie turned and went on a dead sprint before he heard the delayed crack of the bat.  He hauled in Wertz's drive over his shoulder for the most famous catch in baseball history.  Willie quickly stopped, turned and three the ball to the infield to stop Larry Doby from scoring.  That play vaulted the Giants to an extra-inning win in the opener and to an unexpected sweep of the World Series.  "The Catch" was a lasting image for the 23 year old Mays.  He was the MVP winner with a batting average of .345, slugging average of .667, hitting 41 homers and 13 triples.  Did I say that he was 23 years old!  

1961 photograph of Willie Mays

April 30, 1961: Willie slams four homers in a game against the Milwaukee Braves.  He was the ninth player to ever complete that feat.  And, the night before he was felled with a case of food poisoning.  To compensate for his weakness due to his illness, he used Joey Amalfitano's lighter bat when he hit the homers.  That bat is now in the Hall of Fame.  September 13, 1965:  Willie hits his 500th homer.  At the time only Babe Ruth, Jimmie Foxx, Ted Williams and Mel Ott had hit that many.  Willie was 34 years old at the time and he ended up winning the NL MVP with 52 homers.  

1965 photograph of Willie Mays

September 22, 1969: Willie became a member of the 600th Home Run Club.  Only Babe Ruth had hit that many.  He hit the shot off of San Diego's Mike Corkins with only 4,779 fans in the San Diego stadium at the time.  Four months later the Sporting news named him the "Player of the Decade."  He joined the likes of Hank Aaron, Roberto Clemente, Bob Gibson, Sandy Koufax and Frank Robinson when he won that award.  July 18, 1970:  Willie joined the 3,000 hit club as a member of the San Francisco Giants.  It was off of Expos pitcher Mike Wegener in San Francisco'a Candlestick Park.  Only Hank Aaron, Alex Rodriguez and Albert Pujols have accomplished that feat.  You know.,..if I were a pitcher facing Willie with a record on the line, he'd get the best hitting pitch I could throw him.  How do you think Wegener got his name in the record books.

1972 photograph of Willie Mays

May 11, 1972:  Willie returns to New York when he is traded to the Mets for a minor leaguer.  He finally returned to the city where it all started!  "He came back to paradise," he said.  I can remember going to see the Phillies that year just so I could see Willie one last time.  Willie Mays retired after the 1973 season.  He did get to play in the 1973 All-Star Game and the Mets did play in the World Series.  Willie had his final hit in the World Series off Oakland's Rollie Fingers.  His hit drove in the winning run in the 12th inning of Game 2.  January 23, 1978:  Willie was elected to the National Baseball Hall of Fame in his first year of eligibility.  He said in his induction speech, "This county is made up of a great many things.  You can grow up to be what you want.  I chose baseball, and I love every minute of it."  We too enjoyed it.  September 29, 2017: May's name graces the World Series MVP trophy. He received a number of accolades in his retirement from baseball and in 2009 he flew on Air Force One alongside President Barack Obama to the All-Star Game in St. Louis.  

Willie meeting his hero, Barack Obama.

In 2015 Mays, along with Hank Aaron, Johnny Bench and Sandy Koufax were honored as baseball's four "Greatest Living Players."  Mays was The Godfather to Barry Bonds who surpassed Mays on the all-time homer list.  Today, LeRoy Neiman's 1996 painting of Mays in in the Baseball Hall of Fame.  My story today may have been long, but I'm not sure what I could have cut out of it.  I think I did say he was probably my favorite player, didnt' I? That is besides my grandson Caden!  It was another extraordinary day in the life of an ordinary guy.

1996 LeRoy Neiman's painting of Willie Mays

The "One Of My Favorite Baseball Players: Part I - Richie Ashburn" Story

Snickerdoodle, my baseball watching buddy!

It was an ordinary day.  Watching the Phila- delphia Phillies on the TV in the living room with my good friend Snicker- doodle sitting on the back of the sofa behind my right shoulder.  He enjoys the games and cheers with me when the Phils are doing well.  I have been following the Phils since I was a young boy and had the chance to ride on the train to Connie Mack Stadium to see the Phils play during the Grocer's Picnic weekend.  One of my all-time favorite players was Richie Ashburn who played center field for the Phils.  

Richie Ashburn, one of my favorite Phillies.

Richie was one of the famous "Whiz Kids" who were the National League Champions in 1950.  Richie grew up a farm boy and became a major league baseball player where he spent 12 of his 15 major-league seasons as the Phillie who patrolled centerfield.  He ended his career with a .308 lifetime batting average and led the National League twice in batting average.  I can still remember his fantastic catch he made in centerfield during the annual All-Star Game.  He brought the Detroit Stadium crowd to their feet with a brilliant leaping catch in the sixth inning to rob Vic Wertz of a homer.  He caught the ball in front of the right centerfield screen 400 feet from home plate after a long run.  

Ashburn's 1952 Bowman baseball card.

Richie was a singles hitter rather than a homer hitter.  In 1951 he hit eight singles in a double-header against the Pittsburgh Pirates.  But, one of his most memorable games took place on August 17, 1957 when he fouled off a ball in Connie Mack Stadium that hit a woman in the stands, breaking her nose.  After a brief delay for the medical staff to reach her and begin to carry her off on a stretcher, Richie hit the next pitch in the same direction, hitting her one more time as she was laying on the stretcher, breaking a bone in her leg.  The woman's name was Alice Roth, wife of the sports editor for the the Philadelphia Bulletin newspaper.  They later became friends and her name seems to appear in every story written about Richie Ashburn on the Internet.  

This was a large framed collage I did for my
brother.  It features a poster and cards
from every year Richie played baseball.

Richie was traded to the Chicago Cubs following the 1959 season for three players.  Anticipating a future career as a sports announcer, he would conduct post-game instructional clinics at Wrigley Field for the benefit of the youngsters in Chicago.  He spent his final year as a New York Met before retiring.  Throughout his career he spent the off-season as a basketball official doing high school games.  In 1963 he became a radio and TV color commentator for the Phillies.  He first worked with Bill Campbell and later with Harry Kalas.  Richie also wrote columns for The Philadelphia Bulletin and The Philadelphia Daily News.  On September 9 (my birthday), 1997 in New York City, after broadcasting the Phillies-Met game at Shea Stadium, Ashburn suffered a heart attack and died.  He was buried in the Gladwyne Methodist Church Cemetery, Montgomery County, Pennsylvania.  Richie was eventually inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1995.  He was a real inspiration to me as I was growing up and playing baseball.  I never became the player that he was, but still enjoyed my playing days.  I now get a chance to relive my playing days...but, through my grandson who has become a fine player in a much larger body than I had.  He is 15 and 6'1" tall and about 180 pounds.  Twice the power thet I ever had with a fastball about 10 miles an hour faster than mine.  It was another extraordinary day in the life of an ordinary guy.

The Richie Ashburn statue at Citizens Bank Park.

The "Spotlight Is On The Year 1944" Story

 It was an ordinary day.  September 9,1944 and I was born.  Seems just like yesterday to me, but to most of you reading this story, it probably sounds like a date from years and years ago.  In some ways...we are both correct.  So, what else happened in 1944 that you may remember.  My Reminisce Magazine had a multi-page story about 1944 with the heading of "Time Capsule."  Never thought of it that way, but I guess I can see how many would think that over 75 years ago would be part of a time capsule.  One of the biggest events of 1944 would have been in early June when on June 5 the American troops lead the Allied liberation of Rome, Italy.  That same day the British codebreaker Colossus Mark 2 cracked German naval communications vital to D-Day plans.  The following day, June 6, more than 160,000 Allied troops stormed France's Normandy coast to deliver a crushing blow to occupying Nazi forces; and in November, Washington state scientists created a weapons-grade plutonium, leading to the atomic bombs that were dropped on Japan in 1945.  Some other important events from the year 1944 would be:

January 11: President Roosevelt called for an Economic Bill of Rights in his State of the Union address.

January 15: An earthquake in San Juan, Argentina killed an estimated 10,000 people and destroyed 90% of the buildings.

January 18: Louis Armstrong and Billie Holiday were among the performers in the first jazz concert held at New York city's Metropolitan Opera House.

February 3:  U.S. troops capture the Japanese held Marshall Islands.

February 20: The Big Week, the biggest air battle of World War II begins.

February 26: Sue S. Dauser became the first female captain in the U.S. Navy

March 2: Casablanca won best picture at the 16th Academy Awards

March 18: Italy's Mount Vesuvius begins to erupt, lasting a month.

March 24: More than 75 Allied prisoners slip out of a nazi POW camp via a secret tunnel.  This became known as the Great Escape, but only three men made it to freedom.  You may remember the movie of the same name.

April 25: 27 colleges form the United Negro College Fund.

May 3: Going My Way with Bing Crosby as an inspiring young priest, opens in New York.

June 17: Iceland forms an independent republic after rescinding its union with Denmark and the author of this blog was married 23 years later.

June 22: President Roosevelt signs the GI Bil of Rights into law.

July 20: A plot to kill Adolf Hitler fails.

August 4: Anne Frank and her family are found.  Later, they are sent to a concentration camp.

August 9: Smokey the Bear is created as part of a national campaign to prevent forest fires. 

September 5: Central New York is hit by the largest earthquake in the state's recorded history.

November 28: MGM releases Meet Me in St. Louis, with Judy Garland, and directed by her husband-to-be Vincente Minnelli.

December 14: National Velvet makes a star of 12-year-old Elizabeth Taylor.

December 16: The Battle of the Bulge begins.

December 18: The Supreme Court rules that the internment of Japanese Americans is allowed under the Constitution.

1944 may have been much like every other year, but it did have quite a few historic topics and dates which I have listed.  Can you remember any historic events that happened during your birth year?  If you are still a young whippersnapper, perhaps when you celebrate your 50th or maybe your 75th birthday, I'm sure you will find stories or lists telling about the history of the year you were born.  It was fun reading for me, if not for you.  It was another extraordinary day in the life of an ordinary guy.

The "Happy Easter Tidings To All" Story

It was an ordinary day.  That is if you consider Easter to be an ordinary day.  We usually celebrate Easter Sunday with the entire family, but today our home will be empty, except for Carol and I and our two feline friends; The Gray Lady and Snickerdoodle.  We celebrated Easter yesterday with the family at our home in Lancaster, Pennsylvania.  Our daughter and her family, who live in Maryland, did not make the journey since one of our granddaughters may have the virus.  They are awaiting the results of tests and we all thought it best if they not attend our meal today.  Our granddaughter had planned to return to college today anyway, so our plans for a meal together yesterday would still have happened.  One other reason why we had changed out plans to a Saturday meal were the fact that Carol and I had plans to get our second and final COVID-19 vaccination.  A few had told us that their arm was very sore and another few told us they stayed in bed the following day due to a reaction to the vaccination.  Well, the vaccinations went well, the meal was shared with the family we have in Lancaster, and so far we seem to feel fine, with just a slight pain in the arm.  As I rested after our meal yesterday I checked my email and found a story posted by one of my favorite magazines; The Saturday Evening Post.  The Post was tracing their roots to Benjamin Franklin almost 300 years ago.  The magazine eventually grew to be one of the most popular magazines in the United States and many regard it as "America's Magazine."  Their news, culture, humor and literature still continues in their issues today as it did when they first began.  Each issue features reporting on social and political trends, inspirational stories about real-life American heroes, health guidance, humor, cartoons and classic art from their archives.  The latest issue does highlight a few of the Easter covers they have placed on their magazines in the past.  I have included some of them for you too to enjoy.  I normally never put information in my stories about subscriptions, but perhaps you may enjoy The Saturday Evening Post as much as I do and you can subscribe here:  PO Box 433235, Palm Coast, FL 32143-5576.  Their email address is: saturdayeveningpost@emailcustomerservice.com.  If you care to get an email subscription you can use this address: appsuport@ziniopro.com.  Hope you enjoy the covers from the past which follow, click to enlarge them.  It was another extraordinary day in the life of an ordinary guy.

Subway Girl and Easter Lily by George Hughes (1953)

Chocolate Easter Bunies by Stevan Dohanos (1950)

Easter Rainbow by J.C. Leyendecker ( 1938)

Easter Fairy by J.C. Leyendecker (1937)

Easter eggs and Chickens by Ken Stuart (1943)

Springtime, 1935 boy with bunny by Norman Rockwell (1935)

Easter Egg Hunt by J.C. Leyendecker (1933)

Easter, 1928 by J.C. Leyendecker (1928)

Easter Dutch Girl by J.C. Leyendecker (1926)

Couple on Easter Walk by J.C. Leyendecker (1912)

The "Little Miss Sunbeam Bread" Story

It was an ordinary day.  Got dressed and headed down to the kitchen to get something to eat before I headed to the gallery for a few hours of matting and framing.  At times I have cereal while other times I have a muffin or perhaps a few slices of toast that I dunk in a cup of hot chocolate.  I can still remember back to the 1950's when my mother would make me a few pieces of toast that I would spread with butter and strawberry jam and dunk in my cup of hot chocolate.  I know my brother still does the same, but does anyone else still do that?  One of our favorite loaves of bread back then was the one that had a colored picture of a little girl on it that was known as Little Miss Sunbeam.  She was one of the most recognizable faces from the second half of the 20th century.  Today, when I see a picture in a book or magazine of Little Miss Sunbeam, it brings back memories of my childhood and bygone times.  Did some searching and found that the Sunbeam brand of bread was first introduced by the Quality Bakers of America in 1942 in the Philadelphia, Pennsylvania area.  It was an immediate success and really took off at the end of World War II.  It was said to be both nutritious and wholesome for you.  When the brand first began, a woman by the name of Ellen Segner, who was a well-known children's book illustrator, was given the job of coming up with something to put on the loaf of bread.  

The little girl on the left is Donna Erickson who is posing with
artist Ellen Segner after she was picked as a Sunbeam contest winner.

She had been the illustrator for the Dick and Jane series of books and articles for magazines.  She was inspired to create Little Miss Sunbeam after observing a little blonde girl in New York City's Washington Square Park.  She created sketches of the little girl, but never found out who the little girl might have been.  Ellen produced more than 30 original oil paintings for Sunbeam advertising campaigns that featured Little Miss Sunbeam.  Then in 1955 a little five-year-old girl by the name of Patty Michaels was selected to be the first Little Miss Sunbeam.  

Little Miss Sunbeam as drawn by Ellen Segner.

She made public appearances for two years and then went on to play Louisa von Trapp in the Broadway production of The Sound of Music.  The success of the character Little Miss Sunbeam led to appearances in several comic books in the 1950's.  The comic books were given away to promote Sunbeam bread.  Today Sunbeam products are distributed at nearly 40 locations across the U.S. and Little Miss Sunbeam still appears on the packaging.  As I read a bit more about the bread and Miss Sunbeam, I came upon a story telling about sliced bread.  It is one of the world's oldest prepared foods.  Bread was made over 300 years ago.  Wasn't until 1928 that bread was packaged in pre-sliced loaves.  It was said to have been "the greatest forward step in the baking industry since bread was wrapped."  It was a fellow by the name of Otto Rohwedder who successfully designed a machine that not only sliced the bread, but wrapped it.  He sold his first machine to a friend and baker Frank Bench who installed it at his Chillicothe Baking Company in Chillicothe, Missouri in 1928.  

An advertisement for Sunbeam Bread

The very first loaf of sliced bread was sold on July 7, 1928.  Two years later major baking companies began to sell sliced bread when they saw the demand for it.  Naturally, pop-up toasters began in 1932.  Then on January 18, 1943, it all came to a screeching halt when Claude R. Wickard, the Secretary of Agriculture, came up with the idea to ban pre-sliced bread in America.  It was said to be a wartime conservation measure regarding resources such as wax paper, steel and wheat.  The steel was needed to make materials for the military, including ammo and weapons.  The masses were quite disappointed when they learned about the ban.  Mr. Wickard stated in a New York Times article that "The ready-sliced loaf must have a heavier wrapping than an unsliced one if it is not to dry out.  This would require the paper to be waxed.  Since America is focused on defeating the Nazis and the Japanese, the country has better things to do than wrap sliced bread!"  The comments were so stupid that the public rebelled and on March 8, 1943, the ban was lifted.  So the next time you reach for a loaf of bread, remember this story and how important wrapping sliced bread was at one time. Today I take sliced bread for granted and I still enjoy my toasted sliced bread with butter and jam to dunk in my hot chocolate in the morning.  It was another extraordinary day in the life of an ordinary guy.