812-Lincastef Farming, Saturday, December 16, 2000
Red And White Promoter
Walks Across America
LINDA WILLIAMS
Bedford Co. Correspondent
EVERETT (Bedford Co.) Ninety
year-old Elmer Carpenter has always
been one to express his opinions.
When other farmers were quickly
disposing of red and white calves born
of black and white Holsteins, Elmer
studied the situation and found these
more colorful offsprings to be only re
cessive genes.
So enamored was he with the red
and whites he joined in their promo
tion and was the founder of the first
Red and White newsletter still being
published at Crystal Springs near
Breezewood.
One of his earliest comments was,
“There just isn’t anything ‘purtier’
then a whole field of red and white
cows in a field of ‘yeller’ dandelions.”
Always a promoter of the breed,
Elmer has won many awards with the
Red and White Association and has
raised a considerable sum of money by
auctioning off his own paintings.
Elmer has also won awards exhibiting
his paintings with the Bedford County
Arts Council.
Now, at the age of 90, this opinion
ated and strong-minded retired farmer
has undertaken yet another cause. A
supporter of the Green Party and
Ralph Nader, he began a cross-coun
try trek on his 90th birthday, Septem
ber 13.
“My goal is to equal Granny Go,”
he says. “But, I soon became aware of
the fact that woman is as tough as
nails with the guts of a grizzly bear.”
His trek began after his birthday
party attended by more then 100
friends and relatives at Chesapeake
Beach, Maryland. Averaging 17 to 20
miles a day, he was near Tuscaloosa,
Alabama, when his Achilles tendon
acted up forcing him to return to Bed
ford County for a respite.
He plans to hit the road again in
January. If not then, certainly by early
spring. A friend, Stanley Hoynitski of
the Harrisburg Auto Auction, had lent
a motor home and driver to follow
Elmer on his endeavors. However, this
was a limited offer and Elmer is hop
ing to find someone else willing to ac
company him with a motor home that
provides shelter and comfort when
needed.
As Elmer walked, he attempted to
talk to newspaper editors across the
country regarding his causes. “I came
to the conclusion that too many papers
are now owned by chains,” he says.
“Most of them didn’t care much about
my opinions.”
His main causes are for campaign
finance reform, because he does not
Leadership Awards
Rebekah Winder, Perkasie, and
Curtis Poorman, New Britain, re
ceived the “I Dare You Leadership
Award” recently at the Bucks County
4-H Achievement Day event.
This award recognizes leadership
qualities, academic achievement,
school and community involvement,
physical or athletic activities, and good
character.
Winder, daughter of Robert and
Anita Winder, is a member of Hill
town 4-H Club. For three years, she
has been project leader for the sche
rensnitte craft of paper cutting. She
Elmer Carpenter, a Red and White award winner is now at
tempting to walk across the United States. Here he points to the
place where he was forced to take a temporary rest after a bout
with Achilles Tendonitis.
want the government to be bought,
and his fears for the planet, so there
will be one for future generations.
“We are using too much gasoline
and not taking care of the water not
taking of our planet,” he emphasizes.
Elmer also believes in term limits
and a limit of the amount of a dona
tion a person can contribute to a can
didate. He thinks the Electoral College
is a dinosaur.
Helping with his walk were mem
bers of his family, children and grand
children, who joined in walking on
weekends when work schedules per
mitted.
“Biggest problem,” says his daugh
ter, Glenda Truax, “is that he kept
getting farther and farther away so it
was difficult to catch up with him for
just a weekend. Unfortunately, we all
have to work during the week.”
Elmer’s favorite walking shoes are
discards from his son, a marathon
runner. “He sends me his discards and
I get another year out of them,” he
says proudly.
When the pain first began in his
ankle, Elmer attributed it to a sprain.
As it worsened, he remembered having
4-H
HAPPENINGS
has served as 4-H club treasurer and
news reporter. She has taught younger
4-H members the skills needed for
being successful club treasurers. She
has earned recognition through 4-H
for her sewing skill. A recent high
school graduate, Winder was home
schooled.
Poorman, son of Ken and Sharon
Poorman, is a member of the Bucks
County 4-H Sheep Club and Goat
Club. He has served as club secretary
and a member of the club leadership
team. He competed in livestock
judging at Delaware Valley College
and Penn State 4-H Achievement
a similar discomfort many years previ
ous when he suffered from Achilles
Tendonitis.
Returning to Everett, Elmer sought
the advice of a specialist in Pittsburgh
who agreed and ordered him off his
feet for several months. By that time,
Which was mid-November, he had
walked a total of 845.9 miles.
“There are friends and family mem
bers who just cannot imagine why we
are letting Dad do this,” says Glenda.
“But, I think it is something he wants
to do, and it is a lot better then sitting
in a rocking chair staring at the four
walls. He always enjoyed his painting
so much, but now he has gotten ar
thritic fingers and cannot do that any
more. Walking is something he can
still do and, for the most part, it is
good for him.”
To help with his expenses, Glenda
has set up a “Go Pappy Go” fund at
the First American National Bank of
Everett, Everett. She is also seriously
looking for anyone willing to accom
pany him from Tuscaloosca to the
West Coast in a motor home. “Even if
they can only go for a short spurt, it
would help,” she says.
Days. This year he was the reserve
champion sheep showman.
North Mountain
The last meeting of North Mountain
4-H was Nov. 20. Ronald McDonald
attended the meeting to tell the club
members about the food drive for the
Ronald McDonald house.
The food drive for the house will be
December into January. The club
would like to have SOO items to take to
the house.
Some of the items they will be tak
ing are canned items, and nonperish
able items.
Some of the members of North
Mountain will be packing boxes for
flood victims around the world in
Ephrata on Dec. 28. The club will be
helping the Mennonite Central Com
mittee.
4-H bowling night is Feb. 10 at
Palmyra.
For community service, the club is
collecting soda tabs and doing a food
drive for the Ronald McDonald
House. There was an officer-training
meeting Nov. 25.
:si|
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