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Working with young people
has become a way of life for the
Allisons, residents in the Leh-
man area . . . and it didn’t just
happen that way—they planned
it.
Always interested in youth,
Ken and Priscilla Allison have
made a special effort to estab-
lish good communication, close
understanding, and a healthy
fun relationship with various
age groups.
Their rapport and gradual
interest in youth activities
began even before their mar-
riage when both went their sep-
arate ways in forming many
friendships and planning activ-
ities with those younger than
they.
Priscilla, a native of Gib-
sonia, a small community in the
Greater Pittsburgh area first
met Kenneth Allison when he
spent summers with his grand-
parents who lived near Gib-
sonia. However, since Ken was
from Hanover they lost track of
one another between summer
vacations.
The former Priscilla Olden-
dorf graduated from high school
and went on to Shippensburg
State College where she again
came into contact with Kenneth
Allison who after working for
five years with Jones and
Laughlin at Aliquippa, resigned
to return to college.
They renewed their friend-
ship which later developed into
romance and after graduation
in 1964, they became husband
and wife.
Priscilla with a B.S. in educa-
tion with an English major
accepted a position with the
Wilkes-Barre Campus of Penn
State, then located in Wilkes-
condition.
Spare time they don’t have a
lot of, for their involvement
with students at their respective
schools, children in their neigh-
borhood, and the many hours
spent as advisors with the
young people at St. Peter's
Lutheran Church in Wilkes-
Barre takes up most of their
spare time.
When they first moved to the
area in 1965, the Allisons
became members of the church
and soon after took over as
directors of the youth in St.
Peter's, and also taught the
church’s Saturday School for
more than six years—a 9 a.m. to
12 noon concentrated effort on
teaching religion. They told the
Post that the Saturday morning
school was a great help in their
youth work for it was there they
were able to become acquainted
with young people of all ages.
Priscilla also teaches the high
school age Sunday School in the
church and Ken served two
years as chairman of the
congregation and is presently a
member of the Church board of
education.
Because of their active
participation with the young
people at St. Peter’s when
Allisons moved to the Back
Mountain they continued their
membership downtown, not
wanting to lose touch with the
youth they loved so well and
whom they found so exciting,
exuberating, and dedicated.
One need talk to the Allisons
for only a short time to feel their
affection and genuine interest in
today’s modern generation.
Ken is rather modest and it
was only through a phrase here
and there that the Post learned
Barre, and Ken, with a B.S. in of his many involvements with
education with secondary math his students, his concern for
as his major took a position with their education, for their learn-
the West Pittston Schools. When ing to think and act for them-
the schools merged to become selves, for their traveling down
Wyoming Area School District, the right roads.
he became instructor of eighth Priscilla’s enthusiasm left no
grade math at the Exeter «doubt of her interest and her
Junior High building: admiration for the young people
When they first moved to the of today. She described the trips
Valley, they resided in Ashley their groups took to Wash-
but with the location of Wilkes- ‘ington, the summer camping
Barre Campus in Lehman, the trips they take each summer
Allisons purchased the former (not this past summer due to the
home of Bill Ransom, whose : flood) and the winter events the
mother still resides on the, Allisons hold at. their home
Outlet Road to Harveys Lake. when the young people congre-
Proof that they plan to gate for skiing, sleighriding, or
become permanent neighbors of skating parties.
the Back Mountain is evidenced Both Priscilla and Ken
they
put into their home since they describe the weekend when they
done most of the work himself staying in their small home—
and has completed the living- students of highschool age from
room with its huge fireplace at their own church and from
one end, paneled ceiling, and Philadelphia. They described
victorian print paper. The the “terrific’’ good time they all
diningroom is another of his had and the rows of sleeping
achievements as is the bath- bags on the floor both down-
room. He has done the entire stairs and upstairs. They
outside of the house in cedar agreed it was worth every
shingles. minute and will do it again.
The current project of the They did tell the Post that
Allisons—in their spare time— since the flood, youth groups
is renovating the kitchen, study from the churches in Wyoming
and bedrooms. This is not a - Valley have decided to merge
small project for they take out as one large group with the
the walls, insulate them and exception of individual church-
then restore them to original
oriented service projects such
as their work with the Vets
Hospital, Christmas programs
for groups of handicapped
persons, holiday decorations
within the church, ete. They
confessed that they liked work-
ing with the smaller groups—
feel that there was a closer
relationship with each person, a
better understanding of per-
sonalities.
Their interest, however, is not
limited to the young people in
the church. They have no chil-
dren of their own but in their
yard is a large sandpile—the
neighborhood sandpile—for
children of the surrounding
area. The youngsters bring
their toys and congregate in the
Allison yard. The Allisons enjoy
each and every child and the
children love them. When
Priscilla drives in her drive-
way, children come from all
corners to greet her.
The Allisons and the neigh-
borhood children go cycling to-
gether, too. What started out as
healthy exercise for them
turned into a fun-time for all in
the neighborhood as parents
consented to their children
going riding as long as the
Allisons ‘‘were along.” Ken has
plenty of helpers when working
in the out-of-doors for all the
boys in the neighborhood come
to help and some of the older
ones come to visit him for a
game of chess.
The Allisons, however, are
not joiners preferring to give
their time to children. They are
active in their school organiza-
tions and Priscilla has achieved
a good many firsts since she
joined the faculty at Wilkes-
Barre Campus. She and J. P.
Cancro were co-chairmen and
faculty marshalls of the first
graduation held at the local
campus in 1971; she served as
chairman of the first local
campus Senate, and was the
first advisor to the campus
cheerleaders, a new job now
taken over by Roberta Kunkle.
She was also the chairman of
the first Campus Arts Festival
held last year, and organized
and taught the first coed eti-
quette class. For the past two
years she has served as chair-
campus coeds, an affair that
has replaced the former
‘Mothers Tea.’ It is only natural
that with her interest in young
people that she should serve on
the student affairs committee, a
policy-making group for student
activity and problems; and she
was also a member of the
former Commons Group which
planned social activities and
introduced the ‘Roman Riots’,
a week-long series of competi-
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tive games taking place an-
nually in May with awards
presented to the victors.
Ken is active in the Wyoming
Area chapter of ‘the P.S.E.A.
which takes a lot of his time and
he also travels to East Strouds-
burg each week where he is
taking a course in middle school
since the school district is
making tentative plans for a
Middle High School in the exist-
ing high school building.
Priscilla has received a
Masters degree since her tenure
at the local campus with a
speech major and English
minor. Ken did not pursue his
Masters but has continued to
take courses of study which
interested him and to date has
accumulated approximately 30
additional credits.
Asked about special interest,
both replied almost simul-
taneously ‘‘young people’, so
pursuing the subject further,
they told the Post that they had
a joint interest in selecting
items for their home, furniture
or paintings—an interest
evidenced by the many beauti-
ful paintings on the, walls of
their home and the different
pieces of furniture—each with a
special story.
Ken's leisure time he spends
going to school, completing ‘‘do-
it-yourself’’ projects in their
home and watching football.
Priscilla, has been taking
lessons in rug hooking from
Mrs. Brown; she also crochets,
sews and, her husband swears,
“bakes excellent cherry pie.”
Most impressive about the
Allisons, however, is the fact
that both are young and have no
children, free to travel, to follow
any path of interest of their
choice but they belong to that
select group of people who
would rather dedicate them-
selves to the young generation,
giving of their time, talents, and
enthusiasms, for they believe in
young people and these young
people believe in them—proven
by the number of young adults
(former members of their youth
groups) who come to visit them.
Ken and Priscilla Allison
have found that the length of
hair, choice of clothing, does not
indicate’ character; that most
and reflect the actions of their
older associates. Through their
Rte. 309 between
Tunkhannock
and Dallas
298-2250
ROBERT
J. CASEY-
NOV,
PAID
/TH
FOR BY:
communication and rapport
with youth they find that they
react unfavorably to people who
are phony or sterotyped and
that they are quick to recognize
these kind of people.
In closing we might add that
although Allisons do not join
many organizations they are
quick to offer their services as
volunteers. During the summer
days and nights serving the
many people evacuated from
their homes due to the flood.
They also housed several resi-
dents in their home, one a 97-
year old woman and two in their
late 70’s, and just as they relate
to young people so did they
relate with these golden age
citizens.
A special kind of admiration
is deserving for these two young
neighbors of the Back Moun-
tain. May we continue to enjoy
them as residents of our
community.
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Put New Faces
in Congress
“The American people have a
chance this fall to put a new
face on Congress by putting new
faces in Congress,” Dr. Donald
B. Ayers, Republican candidate
for. Congress from the 1ith
District, said today.
Noting that the Democrats
have controlled Congress for
the past 18 years, the GOP
contender said the problem
about which his Democratic
opponent now complains
developed during this period of
time. ‘The fault lies not in the
country but in the Congress,’ he
said.
Since the 92nd Congress
started last year, the GOP
candidate said, President Nixon
has sent to Capitol Hill at least
62 major legislative proposals
of which only 20 have been
enacted. More than 30 presi-
dential requests have not even,
been considered by either house
of Congress, he added.
Dr. Ayers noted that bills yet
to be enacted by both houses
include those to reform the
welfare system, establish
revenue-sharing programs,
expand health re set up
consumer protectionrograms,
reorganize the sprawling
federal bureaucracy, establish
minority enterprise programs,
reform pension programs now
in effect, broaden assistance for
older Americans, and set a
$250 billion a year.
‘We need new directions for
Congress--directions that can
only come from a Congress that
will work with President Nixon
instead of against him,’ said
the Republican candidate. “The
President needs a responsible
and responsive Congress. This
District needs a ref ic and
responsive Congressttian.’’
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