&
”
oT.
wv ¥YYN
Er CHTON
EB
BOX zs INDERY po
BRIG TON, y fe
Vol. 96, No. 6
25 Cents
By CHARLOT M. DENMON
Staff Correspondent
Carbon monoxide fumes which overcame 11 people,
including firefighters and their children, Monday night
at the Fairmount Township Volunteer Fire Company
No. 1 Fire Hall on Route 118, was a freak accident
according to Fire Chief Ed Jones, and some of the
victims. The (victims were allegedly affected by the
were running as a test.
“We have run the trucks hundreds of times in the
past when volunteers were working in the adjoining
meeting room without any problems,” said Chief
Jones. “We recently built a new addition which is
about two feet lower than the rest of the building. We
have forced hot air oil heat and, since we ran the
engines sometime before the people were in the
meeting room, we believe the fumes collected near the
large duct in the addition. When we turned on the
blower, it apparently sucked the fumes through the
duct into the meeting room.”
Jones said he talked with all of the victims Tuesday
morning ‘and they were all ‘recovered, although some
had slight headaches. Six of the persons affected were
children.
Chief Jones reported that in the future, the linemen
will run the trucks at a time when no one will be using
the building,
An employee for an area heating contractor con-
firmed Jones statement that fumes from the engine
could collect in an area such as the addition of the
building.
Jane Garbush of RD 1, Sweet Valley, one of the
victims, was treated and released from NPW Hospital
where her daughter, Cathleen, seven, and Korena
DeHart, 12, RD 2, Benton, were also treated and
released.
“I’m alright,” said Mrs. Garbush Tuesday morning.
“I have a bad headache, but that’s all. The trucks
weren’t running at the time we were there. I had my
two children with me, Cathleen and Stanley, 12. He
(Stanley) was treated and released from Wilkes-Barre
General Hospital.
“A small baby became ill at first, then some of the
other children,” Mrs. Garbush added. “We realized
something was wrong, so we all went outside. When
the men run the fire trucks they always have the doors
open. They have run them many times when we have
been there.”
Catherine Houssock, RD 1, Sweet Valley, was
treated at Nesbitt Memorial Hospital and released,
along with Kimberly Long, 11, Lisa Long, both of RD
1, Sweet Valley and Ruth Parsons, also of RD 1, Sweet
Valley. They were released from the hospital at 1:30
a.m. Tuesday.
“I have a slight headache today, but that’s all,” said
Catherine.
Mrs. Houssock is treasurer of the fire company and
captain of the Fairmount Township Fire Police. She
said the volunteers were in the meeting room to
prepare a mailing for the company’s annual fund
raising campaign.
“The trucks were running some time before we
came to the hall,’ she said. “The fumes from the
engines must have collected in our new addition and
later blown into the meeting room through the ducts
near our room.
“The: children were affected first,”” Mrs. Houssock
added. “A two year old, who never causes any
problems began crying and screaming then two other
children became ill and passed out. We knew some-
thing was very wrong. We checked our gas stoves, but
they were all right so we immediately went outside.”
Mrs. Houssock said someone called the emergency
unit and, before the 11 victims were taken to Shelley’s
Diner, the paramedic unit and four ambulances were
waiting there to take the victims to the hospital. At the
hospital she said, the emergency rooms were set. up
and waiting for them.
“They took us to four different hospitals which made
it possible for quicker treatment,” she added.
The eleven affected in the incident were Jane
Garbush, 35, RD 1, Box 288B Sweet Valley; her
daughter Cathleen Garbush, 7, same address; Korena
DeHart, 12, RD 2, Box 124, Benton; Larena DeHart, 31
, RD 2 Box 124, Benton; Stephanie DeHart, age 2,
same address; Kathleen Jones, 38, of RD 1 Box 249K,
Sweet Valley; Stanley Garbush, 12, of RD 1 Box 288B,
Sweet Valley; Kimberly Long, 11, of RD 1 Sweet
Valley; Letha Long, 7, same address; Ruth parsons,
40, RD 1 Sweet Valley; and Catherine Houssock, 52, of
RD 1, Sweet Valley.
At Lake-Lehman
By CHARLOT M. DENMON
Staff Correspondent
The appointments of three aides for ‘the second
semester of the TELLS Remedial Instruction Program
were approved by the Lake-Lehman School District
board of directors at its regular meeting last Thurs-
day.
Those persons approved at the-rate of $8.00 per hour
were Bonnie Turchin, three and a half hou#s at Rost
Elementary; Louise Schwartz, four hours at {.ehman-
Jackson Elementary and two hours at the junior high
and Maureen Doerfler, two hours daily at Lake-Noxen
Elementary.
The ‘directors also approved the appointment of
Emily Hosey Sallitt of Dallas to a position in the
elementary school library; Roseanne Ragnacci of
West Pittston as a mathematic teacher at a salary of
$16,850, Step 6 on the scale; and the addition of Daniel
A. Albert of Hunlock Creek as a substitute biology
instructor.
Education chairman Daniel Hudzik’s resolution to
support the establishment of a Head Start Program in
the district for pre-school four-year-olds was approved
by the directors.
The program will emphasize parent effectiveness
training and is meant to help train parents in handling
family conflicts. The comprehensive program will be
provided for qualifying parents and children.
Joanne Ennis will present the program to the
parents of the four-year-old children at Lake-Noxen,
Feb. 25; Ross Elementary, Feb. 26 and Lehman-
Jackson Elementary, Feb. 27 between 9 and 10:30 a.m.
each day. Separate programs for the children will be
available each day at the same time. Registration
may be made by calling one of the above schools.
The motion by Finance chairman Gilbert Tough to
increase a change in the cafeteria managers addi-
tional hourly rate was approved as follows: Lake
Noxen from 10 to 25 cents; Lehman-Jackson from 15 to
30 cents; Ross Township from 10 to 15 cents; junior
high from 15 to 25 cents; and senior high from 15 to 30
cents, with all new hourly rates to be effective March
19.
« The board also approved a resolution to amend the
early retirment policy as follows: age at retirement,
50 years, 75 percent last full year’s salary; 51 years, 74
percent,; 52 years, 73 percent; 53 years, 72 percent;
and 54 years, 71 percent, all percentages of last full
year’s salary. The district will accept applications
from those planning to retire prior to the openifig or
during the. 1985-1986 school yearmtil April 1, 1985.
The board accepted the resignation of Rodger
Bearde as head baseball coach. The directors also
approved ‘the appointment of the following according
to their negotiated contracts: 1984-1985, head baseball
coach, Dwight Barbacci; assistant baseball coach,
Robert Langan; assistant junior high softball coach,
Rhonda Hudzik.
1985-1986, head football coach, Mark Kirk; assistant
football coaches, Robert Roberts, Robert Langan;
assistant junior high football coaches, Jeff Smith, Sean
Moran; head field hockey coach, Jean Lipski; assist-
ant field hockey coach, Lynn Coury; assistant junior
high field hockey coaches, Flossie Finn, Cheryl
Travis; golf coach, Michael Sharok; cross country
coach, Ed Narkiewicz; girls volleyball coach, Robert
Rogers; varsity cheerleader advisor, Darlene Stickler,
and assistants, Jean Lipski and junior high Susie
Snyder.
The board also approved the position for an assist-
ant boys’ volleyball coach.
Faculty instructor Walter Sorber was granted sabb-
batical leave for the first semester of the 1985-1986
school year for travel and education and Barbara
Shulde was granted sabbatical leave for the 1985-1986
school year for education.
Solicitor Peter Savage reported that contract talks
with the Lake-Lehman Education Association were
progressing and that the board had scheduled a
meeting with the LLEA representatives for Friday,
Feb. 15.
The March meeting of the directors will be March
12, 8 p.m., in Lake-Lehman Junior High Gym.
Women in business
By CHARLOT M. DENMON
Staff Correspondent
Kern Brothers, located in the
Dallas Shopping Center, recently
observed the 50th anniversary of
the family beverage company.
It was in late 1934 that Edwin
H. and Marian Kern, then resi-
dents of Harveys Lake, opened a
beverage company in the garage
adjacent to their home on Old
Lake Road. It was not an easy
decision to make at the time for
this couple, who were the parents
of 11 children. With the economy
what it was at that time, how-
ever, they decided it was best to
; operate. a: business where they
could supervise their children as
well as use their assistance.
Mary, now deceased, was the
eldest of the children and spent
23 years in the convent. When
she was old enough, Mary helped
her parents as did her brother,
‘“Bub’’, second oldest and now
retired.
The late Carl Kern, podiatrist,
also worked in the business until
he finished college and went into
private practice. James, former
owner of Jimi’s Restaurant,
Dallas; Bill, deceased; Dick, still
working in the business; Carol,
married and living in Kentucky;
Ray, Leon “Lum’, owner of
Fernbrook Inn; John, employed
at Offset Paperback and Kate,
married and living in South Car-
olina, all worked in the business
helping their parents.
The boys loaded or unloaded
the trucks, kept the place clean
and, when old enough, made
deliveries. The girls kept
records, took orders, helped with
the inventory and did whatever
else was necessary to keep the
business running smoothly.
When Edwin died in 1954, 30
years after he started the busi-
ness, his wife, Marian, continued
to operate the company, assisted
by Bub and some of the other
children.
In 1955, Marian moved the today.
(EDITOR’S NOTE: This is the
second installment of a six-part
series entitled ‘“Women in Busi-
ness.” The series features Back
Mountain women who have made it
big in business as they relate their
feelings of working in what used to
be a man’s world.”)
Sandy Rohrbach Vidlicka, busi-
ness manager. of the Dallas School
District, is one of only three female
business: managers in the Luzerne
Intermediate Unit No. 18, which
covers Luzerne County. There is
only one female business manager
in LIU No. 19, covering Lacka-
wanna County.
Sandy came to the Dallas District
three and one half years ago from
Glidden Paint Company where she
was employed as credit manager.
While at Glidden’s, she was working
for her last credits for her Bachelor
of Science degree in accounting. She
is currently working on her
Master’s Degree in Finance at
Wilkes College.
While at Glidden’s, Sandy saw the
advertisement for a business man-
ager and applied for the position.
After being interviewed, it was not
too long before she was notified of
her acceptance by the school board.
Sandy had worked in a school
district for three years in the 1970’s
as secretary to the superintendent
before she went to college. While
there, Sandy did a lot of forms she
now works with every day.
She left the school district to
accept a position for a chemical
company, Crompton and Knowles.
They offered to pay for Sandy’s
college education and she took
advantage of the opportunity. Sandy
remained with the company for four
years, then went to Glidden Paint
Company where she was credit
manager for four years.
It was at Glidden that she met her
husband, who was from the Wyo-
ming Valley area. That was the
reason Sandy was interested in
locating in this part of the state.
They were married in April, 1983,
and now reside in Oakwood Park,
Laflin.
When -she came to work in the
Dallas District, Sandy discovered
she had to overcome alot of obsta-
cles. She accepted each day as a
challenge and proved she could do
her work successfully.
She has held the position longer
than any of her three predecessors,
business to the Memorial High-
Post/Ed Campbell
Michael
granddaughter and grandsons.
the responsibility rested with
Bub until Ray started driving
and helping wherever necessary.
In 1967, Bub and Ray moved
the beverage company to its
present location in the Dallas
Shopping Center.
Ray’s son, Ray, Jr., a student
at Wilkes, came into the business
first and later Ray’s son,
Michael, who attends Lycoming
College started to work for Kern
Brothers during the summers
and holidays.
Bub retired from the business
in 1978 after being ill for a period
of time. Until recently when she
became ill, Marian Kern contin-
ued to take an interest in the
business helping in the office
from time to time.
Ray is now sole owner and, in
addition ‘to his two sons, he has
four other employees, some of
whom serve those customers who
stop in to make their purchases
and several who make deliveries
to numerous restaurants.
Among the many persons. to
whom they attribute the half
century of success are George
Edwards, Gertrude Wilson,
Percy Higgins and the many
families, who have continued
with Kerns since Edwin and
Marian started it in 1934. Chil-
dren of many of the original
customers now stop to purchase
their favorite beverages and
snacks.
Inside The Post
Classified ..... 13,14.15
Commentary nen 4
Cookbook .............. 3
Crossword .............d
Obituaries . 2
people encaiemns
School .
Cesena r en
Fray Eas ane
SANDY VIDLICKA
i
Sports ............ 3,10,