a a a ns A Se mh Se Sah v 3 PAGE TWELVE ment; The Luzerne. County Industrial Development Authority announced today the successful completion of the 100th project ‘of ‘the local Authority, “which was established by the Luzerne County Com- missioners in September of 1 11969. The = an- nouncement came from Alfred ‘H. Ackerson, L.C.1.D.A. chairman. The project is the ex: pansion | of ‘the Wilkes- Barre plant of Air Products and Chemicals, Inc., which is completing the addition of 40,000 square feet of plant space by enlarging two. con struction bays used inthe manufacture of cryogenie equipment. The cost of the Air Produets expansion 4s and was financed by the Authority with Ballard, Spahr, Andrews. and as bond counsel. The site, ap- proximately 15 ‘acres’ of lahd adjacent ‘to the Air Products property on the Sans Souci Parkway, was acquired by Air Products for the expansion through the Redevelopment Authority of Luzerne County and the Hanover Township Urban Renewal Project. Ackerson paid tribute to the cooperative efforts agencies - in con- summating the ex- pansion, which is. ex- pected to generate 68 additional jobs, bringing the: plant’s total em- ployment to ap- proximately 438. Among those ‘involved were congressmen, state legislators, the Depart- ment of Transportation, Conrail, and other The expansion required the assurance of retention of a railroad right of way, permitting the tran- sportation of the huge pieces of equipment to be manufactured. The cryogenic equipment includes storage vessels, air separation plants, and heat exchangers, used for processing gases to convert ‘them to liquids for ease in transportation. Ackerson also reported that, in the ten years since the Authority’s establish- ment, the Authority has processed and completed projects . totaling $88,950,817, for which it helped to finance loans of approximately $83,507,305, + with = the remaining equity provided by .the par- ticipants. Since the establishment of the Authority in 1969. it has fulfilled its purpose with - the creation of an estimated 2,800 new jobs. In addition, 3,900 existing jobs ‘were protected through new construction and additions. Loans arranged by the Authority are generally negotiated at interest rates from 2Y percent to 3 percent below = com- mercial lending rates, on the basis of Penn- sylvania’s Industrial Development Law of August, 1967." Interest earned by . financial in- stitutions on these loans is exempt from income tax. The completion of the Air Products expansion project was celebrated at a cocktail reception and dinner at the West- moreland Club. by Joan Kingsbury Banker, politician, family man--all three describe Dallas resident Robert W. Brown. Bob has been a resident of the Back Mountain since he moved here with his parents in 1939. He is a graduate of Dallas Borough High School as is his wife, the former Marjorie Evans. Follow- ing a tour of duty with the Navy, Bob began his banking career in 1950 when he went to work for the First National Bank of Dallas, which is now the United Penn Bank, =~ Throughout his career Bob has served at seven different banks. In 1957 he joined Hanover National Bank where he instituted the consumer loan pro- gram. Following his years at Hanover, Bob joined Participants included the officers and directors of the L.C.I.D.A.; George Hartnett, Air Products vicelpresident and general manager of the Industrial Chemical Department; Hank Mason, the firm’s works manager for all divisions; Ronald Barkley, cor- porate treasurer; William Reynolds, assistant corporate treasurer; George Medzerian, plant manager for the Wilkes- Barre plant; Henry Woodeshick, . personnel director; Harleth Davies, special projects manager for all liquid natural gas projects and public’ relations director: Charles Smith, traffic manager. Attorney Ralph J. Johnston is solicitor for the Authority, and Ballard, Spahr, Andrews and Ingersoll were represented at the meeting = by Joseph Flanagan, Esq., and Thomas O'Neill, Esq., of Philadelphia. © Remarks were made by Ackerson, Medzerian, and Hartnett. Also on ‘hand for the occasion were Edgar interests. the staff of the First National Bank of Sayre. Bob and his family re- turned to the Back Mountain when. he became cashier of the Plymouth National Bank, which later merged with First Eastern Bank. Pre- sently Bob is vice president and consumer loan officer at First Eastern Bank. Bob has attended Wilkes-Barre Business College, Pennsylvania School of Banking at Bucknell. He has also studied (at Rutgers University and Columbia University School of Business. This September he will be teaching a 12- week course for the employees. of First Eastern Bank. Bob was also’ an instructor for many years for the Lashford, president of the Wilkes-Barre Chamber of Commerce, and County Commissioners Frank P. Crossin and Edmund C. Wideman, Jr. The board of the Authority, ap- missioners, includes; Alfred H. Ackerson, chairman; Frank M. Fay, vice chairman; Oscar W. Schnell, secretary-tre- asurer; Paul E. Cadden, assistant secretary-tr- easurer; William Cherkes, George J. Ellis, Stanley V. Genetti, Michael Romancheck, Jr., and Berneice Hollock. Air Products and Chemicals, Inc., was founded in 1940 to design and build equipment for the onsite generation of industrial gases. Today, it is a diversified, technologically strong company with 14,300 employees in 11 countries, Among the 500 largest U.S. industrial companies listed by Fortune magazine, Air Products ranks 253rd in sales, 178th earnings per share growth over the past decade. Banking. Bob was instrumental in establishing a program to provide tuition financing for medical students. Funds are avail- able for medical and Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and from HEAL, federally guaranteed funds from the department of Health, Education and Welfare, for medical, osteopathic and pharmaceutical students. In addition to these programs, First Eastern Bank offers an in- house medical financing program. To qualify for funds students must have proof of acceptance at an acceptable medical school. Bob is a director of the Advisory Board of the American Bankers Association installment approximately 120 boards this board has jurisdiction in New Jersey and Pennsylvania. Bob is also a director of the Consumer Counseling Service of Northeastern Pennsylvania. A Mason and member of the Shrine, Bob was an active participant in Back Mountain Little League for many years. For 20 years Bob was active in Dallas Borough politics. From 1957 until 1965 he served as borough secretary. Bob is a former member of the Dallas Borough Board of Health and formerly served as Justice of the Peace. An Luzerne County ¢ - Redevelopment Autho- rity, Bob was appointed to fill the unexpired term of Dallas Borough Mayor Tom Morgan in 1965. Elected to borough council in 1971, Bob served a full term as council member. Concerning his political career Bob reflected, ‘I donated 20 years to Dallas Borough politics. I en- you can become frus- trated when you see things you want to do that can’t be done. At the present time I don’t think I would become a candi- date but I am still very in- volved in what goes on.” Bob and his wife, Marj, agree that they are very family and home- oriented. The Browns have two children. Their son, Bob, is a graduate of Dallas High School, Wilkes College and Hershey Medical School. An M.D. specializing in internal medicine and infectious diseases, Bob is director of Kingston Family Practice. He and his wife, the former Karen Walk, and their children Amy, age seven, and Benjamin, who is two and a half, live in Dallas. The Brown's daughter, Shirley, is a graduate of Sayre High School, College Misericordia and Marywood College. Shirley, who is married to » Albert Breymeier, . is employed by the Luzerne County Intermediate Unit. Marj, who was a charter member of the Dallas Junior Woman’s Club works part time at Payne Printery. She also is on the advisory board of the Dallas United Methodist Church. Gardening and working 3 in the yard are Bob’s way of relaxing from his busy business schedule. Robert Brown LIBRARY NEWS ~ Auction history by Nancy Kozemchak The 1979 Library Auction is now history and thanks to Hoe so many wonderful, dedicated hard-working people, it a was the most successful yet. Some new ideas, many new faces and an awful lot of community spirit made the auction again a great place to be. Bill Spurlin as chairman did an outstanding job and thanks to all the volunteers, the library will have financial help with the budget. Ihavebeen taking a collection of books and magazines to the Senior Citizens Center at Merey Center each month, which allows them to browse through them in some of the time they spend at the center each day. I rotate the collection and take different books each month. The members seem to enjoy these and they are constantly making new crafts and looking for ideas on what to do in their spare time. The center is really very efficiently run and is a great place for senior citizens to spend time. New books at the library: ‘‘Sophie’s Choice’ by William Styron unfolds a story as absorbing and effective and memorable as any work of fiction in our time. The mastery of its style and the power of its narrative never falter. A: hauntingly evocative love story. ; ‘“‘Broca’s Brian” by Carl Sagan, one of our leading ge astronomers, is about reflections on the romance of i science. This book is concerned with preliminary i solutions. This is a wonderfully lucid account of recent 3 astronomical discoveries. This is a book on the joys of finding out how the worldd works, on the romance of the scientific endeavor. Shirley J. Botsford has a new book titled, “Between i Thimble And Thumb’ which is an inventive sewing book i for the beginner or the expert. This book demonstrates : fourteen sewing techniques and fourteen corresponding projects, with interchangeable blocks. We are gradually getting the inside of the main library painted and would like to thank the Back Mountain . Kiwanis Club for the contribution towards some paint. For the male half of the ‘small fry set’, now is baseball time, tennis time, and swimming time, almost anything but school time and concentration-on-book time. It’s also the ideal time for parents to suggest a trip to the Back Mountain Memorial Library for very practical reasons. . .to seek advise and instruction on how to throw a curve, return a tennis serve, or learn the skills that make for safe and happy water sports. Invite your youngster to consult the experts who have written books when he wants to increase his proficiency and enjoyment in sports. This is a wonderful season to demonstrate to your boy that books are practical and helpful in almost every phast of life. on every 1979 MGB MIDWAY MOTORS 287-3114
Significant historical Pennsylvania newspapers