It's Your Library By DOTTY MARTIN Associate Editor Joann Freeman, chairman of the 1983 Back Mountain Memorial Library Auction, says ‘the library is for the public.” It would probably be safe to say that most of us agree with her. Logically speaking, it would also probably be safe to say that the auction is for the public, too, since the library is the sole benefactor of the four-day affair. It seems, however, there are some people who do not follow that line of thinking as the auction grounds have come under some pretty heavy vandalism in recent years. One of the booths suffered serious damage when someone broke into it and sprayed the fire extinguisher over everything. And the refreshment booth took a beating when someone gained unlawful entrance and strewed paper products all over the floor. The Book Booth now has flaps all around it, disallowing any unauthorized persons access to it and, as Mrs. Freeman explained, the antiques to be auc- tioned are no longer stored in the barn as they have been in previous years. committee is too afraid of vandalism to store the valuable antiques in the barn. Instead, the antiques are kept at people’s homes until right before the auction. And, when the auction opens, the grounds will be patrolled around the clock so as to prevent damage to the goods. Moving the antiques at the last minute, however, only makes more work for the committee members. But risking damage to them is too high a price to pay for such valuable items. , What people fail to realize is the amount of hard work the committees put into making the auction the success it has been for the past 36 years. And what they don’t realize either is that the library is the one and only thing that benefits from the auction’s proceeds. What makes the whole situation so sad is that those people causing the vandalism are probably users of the much theirs as it is that of the committee members. The committee members are involved - putting in their time and effort - to make the library a better , place for its patrons and for the entire community. * Certainly, there are more people who benefit from the library than just those who help to organize the auction. But, as we all know, it takes only one bad apple to spoil the barrel. The bad apples who are responsible for the vandalism at the auction grounds are spoiling things for everyone else. They are causing the commit- tee more work by delaying their set-up time and are causing hard feelings and frustration among those who have been involved with the auction for so long.. Where would the library be if these people were to become so disgusted they were no longer interested in helping with the auction? Not one bit of good comes from this vandalism and, other than a few laughs over what they have done, the vandlas themselves accomplish nothing with their antics. If you are not interested in the library and its auction, then why not just leave well enough along? Those who are involved with it are certainly not causing anyone else any grief so let’s simply allow them to do their thing without inflicting any pain. And, if you are interested in the library, make it a point to attend the auction. Remember, it is your auction as much as it is anyone else’s and you should feel entitled to be a part of it. Your presence alone will be gratification enough for the hard work that goes into the auction. If you attend and let the committees know how much you appreciate their efforts, it might be a little easier for them to forget about the vandals. And you might even have a good time, to boot! Since its dedication in 1886, the Statue of Liberty has been our inspirational ‘official greeter’ to ‘countless millions of immigrants, visitors and returning tourists to our shores. Now, Lady Liberty needs our help. National Park Service engineers say Miss Liberty is in ‘alarming shape. The intricate web of 2,000 iron armature bars, hidden beneath the hand-hammered copper skin, have deteriorated over the decades since they were designed by French engineer Alexandre Gustave Eiffel. And the 200,000 pound copper skin itself has thinned due to pollutants and acid rain. Pieces of the torch have fallen into New York Harbor; the torch and portions of the right arm may even have to be replaced. Instead of going to Congress for funds to restore this priceless treasure, President Reagan is asking the American public to join in a national effort to rescue her - and rededicate the nation to the values she represents. The 151-foot figure was not built with government money. The people of France raised the two-million francs (then $400,000) so sculptor Frederic August Bartholdi could devote nine years to Lady Liberty’s creation. Meanwhile, in the United States, a similar private effort raised the $101,091 for the pedestal; 80. percent of this came in donations of less than a dollar. At President Reagan’s request, Chrysler Corporation Chairman Lee Iacocca has agreed to coordinate the new grassroots fundraising campaign (Contributions to ‘The Statue of Liberty-Ellis Island Foundation, Inc., P.O. Box 1986, New York, New York 10018, are tax deductible). The 20-member advisory commission also includes Bob Hope and Douglas Fraser, former presi- dent of the United Auto Workers. This, ‘Save the Statue of Liberty Commission,” according to an article in the July Reader’s Digest, has expanded its effort to include nearby Ellis Island. Almost two-thirds of those who emigrated to the United States came through Ellis Island, which has fallen into investigating the restoration of Ellis Island’s historic sites along with the Statue of Liberty. The estimated cost for the joint project is $230 million. The official fundraising hadn’t even begun when the U.S. public began to respond. Bridgeport, Connecticut, had suffered a tragic pre-Christmas 1982 fire at its toy center for poor children - Christmas Village. And people from around the nation donated enough money to rebuild the center. In lieu of thank you letters, the city raised $3,600, all from nickels, dimes and quarters contributed by schoolchildren. This was then donated to help restore Lady Liberty. An elementary school in Hightstown, New Jersey, organized a festival, releasing hundreds of red, white and ‘blue balloons containing notes asking finders to write for information about the Statue. They also raised $200 selling cookies and turned this over to the A Tucson, Arizona, elementary school staged a three- mile Liberty Run with students collecting pledges for the run. They rised $2,400 for the project. The Hicksville, New York, Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW) chapter raised more than $1,100 with a casino night; and the Jersey City, New Jersey, Business and Professional Women’s Club is collecting pennies using the slogan: ‘‘Copper pennies for the restoration of the copper gown of Lady Liberty.” On October 28, 1986, the Statue of Liberty’s 100th birthday will be observed with a rededication cere- mony. During the 1986 Fourth of July week, the commission plans a big affair - with the return of the tall ships that helped us celebrate our nation’s Bicen- tennial, with heads of states from dozens of countries, Army and Marine units on parade, Navy ships booming their salutes, and Air Force jets zooming over a rejuvenated Lady Liberty. With the generous help of the American people, we will be assured that the Lady will still be lifting her “lamp besides the golden door’’ as she did for the last century’s ‘‘huddled masses yearning to breathe free.” Commissioner of Correction Ronald J. Marks has announced the of justice in his colony, but as the History points out, Pennsylvania publication of a history of correc- tions in Pennsylvania, entitled “30th Anniversary Commemorative His- tory: The Bureau of Correction and its Institutions.” The History was written by Judith R. Smith, infor- mation specialist, to mark the occa- sion of the Bureau of Correction’s 30 years of existence. Mrs. Smith holds a Master of Arts Degree in English from Duquesne University. The History tells how the Bureau of Correction came to be created: how the impact of the 1953 riots at Pittsburgh and Rockview played a lishment of the Bureau of Correc- tion which followed. The early goals of the new Bureau are described, and the accomplish- ments of each of the five correction commissioners from Arthur Prasse to Commissioner Marks are sum- marized, as the History follows the growth of the agency and its institu- tions from 1953 to the present. Another section of the History traces the early history of correc- tions in Pennsylvania from the days of William Penn. soon had a rampant crime problem, with many of its first citizens being felons or ex-felons. Yet the Quaker colony persevered in its enlightened code of justice and later evolved the penitentiary system. The “Queen of Penitentia- ries’, Eastern Penitentiary, was opened in 1829 and soon became a model for the young nation and the world. The History also treats the found- ing of Western Penitentiary in Pitts burgh which was not a success and had to be rebuilt three times until Tre (USPS 147-720) (in the Jean Shop building) the state had the facility we know today as the State Correctional Institution at Pttsburgh (which inci- dentally, is soon to undergo massive renovation.) The history also documents the crises, misadventures and, ulti- mately, the success of the State Correctional Institution at Hunting- don which opened in 1889 as the Huntingdon Reformatory. Included in the panorama of historical events is the progression of ideas that moved corrections forward in the Classified Ad 25¢ on newsstand $14 out of state paid in advance Rick:'Shonnon..... ge. ai MikeDanowski... ...... 0... 0000. Sheila Hodges. ....... IE BL CE the post office in Dallas, Pa. under the act of March 3, 1889. 19th and 20th centuries. Both correc- tional thinking and legislative action changed over the years, resulting in different types of institutions and eve non-institutional programming. For instance, the Bureau’s largest institution, Graterford, opened in 1929, was designed in the telephone pole style, a French innovation, and originally conceived to hold 3200 inmates. But times changed, and the institution was never completed as first planned. Instead, a some- lwhat smaller facility evolved, with a design capacity of 2,000. The third and final section of the History is devoted to contemporary correctional practice and the prob- lems currently faced by the Bureau of Correction. Chief among these is [institutional overcrowding and the |various options available as solu- tions. Publisher from | (Copies of the History are availa- ble in limited supply from the ‘Bureau of Correction’s Public Infor- ‘mation office, Box 598, Camp Hill, Pa., 17011.) nh Only Yesterday party given by friends at Dallas. their taxes on the roads. 50c; watermelons 49c¢ ea.; glasses 39c doz.; 2-22 oz. bottles 15¢; Palmolive soap 4 cakes 25¢. Case was camp chairman. ences in Africa and America. Dodson to Charles Gensel. Deaths - Dorothy Wentzel, Lloyd, Trucksville. 33e.1b.; cabbage 3c Ib; tomatoes 15¢ pkg. Moore, president; Thomas Earl, George Dymond, secretary. Married Schimincke to Paul Winter; 69c Ib.; 2 1vs. 27c¢. jelly vinegar Florence Sr., 25 years. 55¢ 1b.; oupes 3-$1. - Thomas Howard Johns." tus; Thomas 8S. vice-president; smoked hams 49c 1b.; oranges 49c¢ doz.; cantal- round roast $1.39 By HOWARD J. GROSSMAN A new program is underway in the Wyoming Valleywhich will impact how economic growth will take place in the Greater Wilkes-Barre area including: the Back Mountain, Mountaintop, Bear Creek and other sections of the Wyoming Valley during the 1980s and 1990s. Spearheaded by a group called the Committee for Economic Growth, this project was launched recently after months of careful planning. The Greater Wilkes- Barre Chamber of Commerce is the organization spearheading the effort in which a Planning Task Force and a Special Action Task Force have been established for the purpose of taking on these new responsibilities. The Planning Task Force is taking a year with which to collect information, evaluate it, and delineate assets and liabilities which separate the Wyoming Valley from its competitors in relation to economic growth. The Special Action Task Force is directing its increasing the opportunities for economic development. Recently, a meeting was held at the Luzerne County Community College, at which over 130 persons dis- study groups have been established on a comprehensive voluntary basis to sift through a wide range of data on topics which impact economic growth. These study groups will evaluate of the following activities: Educa- tion, recreation, health and medical, culture, housing, geography, location, climate, demography, and air and environmental quality, spiritual resources, ethnic com- position and history of the area, crime, social services, utilities-enrgy, condition of infrastructure (on hold), land, sites, facilities and costs, transportation, commu- nications, waste disposal (including industrial- hazal) ous), natural resources (on hold), financial resources, commercial and industrial activity, state of local economy, cost of living, insurance costs, constructi costs, market linkages, business involvement in the community, taxes-incentives and inducements, political organizaion and structure, government spending, serv- ices, and fiscal health, government regulation (particu- larly environmental) productivity, cost of labor, rela: tions with management-reliability of labor force, composition and skills-number available and employed, image, community ethos, and attitudes toward busi- ness. The Committee for Economic Growth in the Wyoming Valley is one in a series of new economic activities which are taking place throughout Northeastern Penn- sylvania. For example, in the Greater Scranton area, the Chamber of Commerce has launched an examina- tion of the 1990s and where Greater Scranton will be in that decade. In October, 1983, a major conference on the. 90’s is planned by that organization. In Greater Pittston, the Chamber of Commerce has launched an Image Improvement Campaign to change the perception which many people have of the Greater Pittston Area. In Greater Pottsville, the American City Corporation is evaluating the future of the Greater Pottsville Area. The Committee for Economic Growth and its 5 forces in the Wyoming Valley should be commendea™®®r launching this important and focused evaluation on the Valley’s economic future. For those who wish to communicate with the Committee and to participate in this function, the address for the Committee for Economic Growth is: 92 South Franklin Street, Wilkes-Barre, Pa. 18701. The head of Pennsylvania’s larg- est teacher uniontoday branded so- called merit pay proposals ‘nothing more than a scheme to hand a token amount of extra money to a handful of teachers in order to escape paying a fair salary to all.” Jacque D. Angle, president of the Pennsylvania State Education Asso- ciation (PSEA) said his organiza- tion would be willing to consider - ‘consider, not necessarily support” - merit pay only under the following conditions. - All teachers are brought up to professional-level salaries that reflect their educational prepara- tion, their classroom responsibili- ties, and their experience on the job. - That any merit pay plan under study allows all teachers on a fac- ulty to qualify for extra pay on the basis of performance. - That teachers themselves devise the mechanism through which per- formance would be evaluated. “But I must emphasize that even under those idea conditions, we are extremely skeptical of merit pay systems or their value in improving education,” Angle said. “On the contrary, where we have seen differential pay or bonus sys- tems implemented in local schools they have had a devastating effect on teacher morale, student confi- dence, and the quality of education itself.” The call for merit pay for teach- ers has been most frequently issued “A Nation at Risk,” a report from the National Commission on Excel- lence in Education. “Tht was a well thought-out report that offered many sugges- tions for the improvement of our schools - suggestions which PSEA has strongly supported for years,” Angle said. “But the President has chosen to ignore those suggestions and instead zero in on merit pay as a quick-fix approach to quality education. “In truth, Reagan isn’t talking merit pay at all or he would use his leadership to assure that all teach- ers are paid at the level their work merits.” Angle said that the same features that make merit pay unacceptable to teachers have also shown up in private industry merit pay plans. “Then most recent and most nota- ble example is Citicorp of New York, which abandoned a 28-year- old merit system because, in their words, it was divisive and contrib- uted nothing to the improvement of the Citicorp operation,” Angle said. “Thnk how much more difficult it is to implement ‘a useful merit system in educaion, where there are so many intangibles involved in a teacher’s performance. “To some administrators, a teacher is doing a good job if the classroom is silent and neat. “To others, the prime criterion of excellence is cooperation with the school administration - whatever that means. % “The point is that in the plans we have seen, no one has devised an accurate fair way of evaluating teacher performance. “And the bottom line is that with few exceptions, the 125,000 class- room teachers in Pennsylvania do an exemplary job of educating our young people - given the necessary materials and equipment and. a sensible teaching load. “We suggest that school districts strive to develop these positive working conditions - rather than a cosmetic merit-pay scheme - if they are genuinely interested in provid- ing the best possible Sues children.” Chamber Book is Available The Pennsylvania Chamber ‘of Commerce now has its 1983-84 “State and Regional’ Directory for sale. This 150-page directory is com- pletely updated annually and lists the names, addresses, telephone numbers and key officials of over 1,350 Pennsylvania organizations. The 1983-84 ‘‘State and Regional Directory” is priced at $11.39 per copy ($8.50 plus $2.24 postage plus 65¢ sales tax) and may be ordered by sending $11.39 per copy to the merce, 222 N. Third St., Harrisburg, Pa. 17101. <4 ue
Significant historical Pennsylvania newspapers