Who was St. Patrick, really? By Jennifer Cahill Each year, on March 17, America holds a national Irish wake for the patron saint of Ireland, Saint Patrick. We parade, hold parties, paste and pin green shamrocks, wear green clothing, and drink beer: usually domestic. Until I got this assignment, I never asked myself Who Was Saint Patrick? I began by asking the students of Penn State Capital College their opinions. Tucked away in the back room of the Lion's Den I located engineering major Richard Cook. I asked what St. Patrick Day means to him and—who was Saint Patrick? He looked at me with disbelief, and then responded, "It is a day which recognizes the Irish heritage. !He was a leader of long ago," he said. I gave Cook no points for original desciption. Next, I approached Cindy Dagey and Kevin Kennedy, who were sitting at a table near the former smoking section of Cindy must have thought we were playing a word association game: I asked, "What does Saint Patrick's Day mean to you?" She quickly responded, "Green!" I persisted with "who was Saint S repeated, ',....keen!" • • Kevin hesitated, so Cindy covered for bun ! "He thinkS its green too." This interview reminded me of my favorite Dr. Suess book, Green Eggs and Ham. Cindy and Kevin sent me to the game room for expert opinion. There I found Tomas Nagey, Mark Jordan, and Rob Lindey huddled around a video machine. All three claimed to be of Irish heritage. They were brainstorming their projection of Saint Patrick's Day 1989 activites. "March Madness NCAA basketball, a party at our place and a hangover on the eighteenth." I still needed to know more. "Who was Saint Patrick?" Rob Linden summed up his perception. "A beer drinking little Irishman," he said. Today the spirit of Saint Patrick's Day lives but many of the rituals have lost their meaning. According to The Encyclopedia Britanica, Irishmen around the world celebrate the patron saint of Ireland on March 17. In America this tradition was popularized by Irish buisnessmen, bar owners and the media, in New York and Philadelphia during the 1930'5. At the heart of this tradition dwells the work and Christian teachings of the missionary bishop Saint Patrick. Surprisingly, he was not a native to Ireland. He was born in 385 A.D. in the small town of Bannavem,which is thought to have been located in England or Scotland. Berks County Jobs Event Scheduled The Berks County Chamber of Commerce has announced that they will sponsor an employment recruitment fair this spring. Job Fair 'B9 will be held March 31 and April 1 in the Student Center at Albright College, Reading, Pa. According to Chamber President Anthony F. Grimm, Job Fair 'B9 will provide an opportunity for candidates to maximize their visibility and availability with the job market. "The Job Fair is an instrumental placement and recruitment tool that pays good dividends to everyone involved," Grimm said. Close to 100 Berks County employers will be participating in the two-day event. A cross-section of participants includes manufacturing, commercial, industrial, health, government, financial and service industries, to name a few. The scheduled times for the Job Fair are Friday, Mar. 31 from 9 am. to 9 p.m., and Sat., April 1 from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. Additional information about Job Fair 'B9 is available by contacting the Berko County Chamber of Commerce or your college Career Planning and Placement Office. we I wasn't rubbing it in-I just wanted Eddie to know the score of last night's we,,, • WITENTION - NININ Gouerrnment Jobs - your any immediate openings waiting list or test. $17,840 -$69,485. Call 1-602-838-11885. ENT N • • • 944-41 DOMINO S PIZZA $2.00 off any 16" - item pizza unti March 2811989 Penn State Univer S =SE Go ahead and gloat. You can rub it in all the way to Chicago with AT&T Long Distance Service. Besides, your best friend Eddie was the one who said your team could never win three straight. So give him a call. It costs a lot less than you think to let him know who's headed for the Playoffs Reach out and touch someone® If you'd like to know more about AT&T products and services, like International Calling and the AT&T Card, call us at 1 800 222-0300. MT The right choice.
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