ay ia — £3 The Dallas Post Dallas, PA Wednesday, July 13, 1994 3 She got it Carrie Cocolin of Dallas held up her bid number after a winning bid of $3 for a school desk, as her brother Owen looked on. - By JACK HILSHER ' Post Correspondent The career of Meeker Road resident Frank Snyder came to a . crashing halt recently in more ways than one. While doing some attic rewiring, Snyder crashed through his bathroom ceiling, * landing on his spine and cracking his vertebra. This unfortunate mishap forced his premature re- tirement after 19 years as head - custodian at Lehman-Jackson " Elementary School. Snyder was honored at the school’s annual Awards Day cere- mony held last month. Principal Charles C. James, in presenting a gift clock to Snyder said, “He * was a fine custodian - the best.” *. = James, a 30-year administra- tor, added, “His was nota 9 to 5 job: “It was*100%, weekends in= - worth $3 million and replacement . costs sky high, you need someone " both skilled and dependable. « Frank was that someone, and . more...we are all going to miss * him very much.” + Lehman-Jackson Elementary ; is set back from Market Street in . Lehman and cannot be seen too - well from Route 118, which is . regrettable because it looks better * as it ages...a rambling one-story structure in longish, tan, stone aggregate blocks, tastefully ac- cented all across its front with attractive canopied walkways. Built in 1975, it houses 45 class- rooms and 1,200 pupils. Frank Snyder describes the school this way, “It's not a square, and it’s not arectangle. I suppose 3 @ | ® Persons have until December 31, 1994, to file for rebates under the state's Property Tax/Rent i Rebate Program, according to Sen. Charles D. Lemmond (R-20). Lemmond said the original deadline was June 30. “Expanding the deadline by six months will enable more people to participate in the program,” he said. Large Enough To Serve You | y cluded With abuilding like ours, 4 + « JOB WELL DONE - Frank Snyder is congratulated by Lehman-Jackson principal Charles James. you could call it a sort of octagon, with four long wings going out from a center hub.” “But you don’t go from one wing directly over to another. You must first walk back to the hub, then walk back down the other wing. Take it from me - I must have walked hundreds of miles in those wings.” Frank's background may have prepared him for his job at Lehman-Jackson; it certainly didn't hurt, for he built his own house. The handsome Snyder rancher boasts an attractive grey exterior enclosing meticulously- State residents age 65 or older, widows and widowers age 50 and older, and disabled people 18 or older may be eligible for up to $500 in rebate benefits—if they have annual household incomes of less than $15,000. Persons interested in applying for this assistance should call the local office of the Department of Revenue. For Luzerne and Wyo- POST PHOTO/CHARLOTTE BARTIZEK Francis Stolarick donated several of the desks which were auctioned one at a time over four days. More photos on page 6. fitted (and exquisitely finished) hardwood flooring and wood trim. In the beautiful kitchen, tile looks micrometer-installed; the kitchen is a functional showcase many housewives would kill for. All this came from a guy with no prior professional experience. He did it his way...hours of study at the library and hours of watch- ing contractors do their thing. The result speaks for itself, although Frank is modest enough to admit, “There may be a few more 2x4's than necessary. Sure, I knew about the sixteen-inch centers, but if I didn’t have any- thing to nail butted wallboards on, I just added another 2x4!” The Snyders, married 36 years, met at church, and wife Carol says, “I guess it was one of those first sight’ things. But I admit I had my fishing rod outand had no trouble catching him.” (An odd coincidence: both. their dads worked at the old Hazard Wire Rope in Wilkes-Barre, before it was acquired by American Chain & Cable.) They have two sons, Frank Jr., 30, at Commonwealth Telephone, and Jeffrey, 27, with Luzerne County Human Resources. And in keeping with what seems to be a Back Mountain custom, their refrigerator sports the usual grandchildren pix: Keri, Kaitlyn and Frank III. The two years it took for the Snyder house to be built almost never came to pass. When the foundation was complete and Frank needed building materials, he walked confidently into his bank expecting to walk out with a loan. Nodice. “No contractor, Mr. Tax and rent rebate filing deadline extended ming county residents, the phone number is (717) 826-2466; for residents of Monroe, Pike, Susquehanna and Wayne coun- ties, it's (717) 963-4585. Since Pennsylvania's Property Tax/Rent Rebate Program began in 1971, more than $1.96 billion has been distributed to eligible state residents. The program is funded by the Pennsylvania Lot- tery. LUMBER CO.INC. P.O. BOX L « BENTON, PA 17814 1-800-326-9567 * FAX (717) 925-2475 Opening Soon To Better Serve The Back Mountain and All of Wyoming Valley At the Intersection Rte. 118 & 415 Dallas Small Enough To Know You “Oh, I'll tell you, many’s the time I've been up to my elbows in chocolate milk, rummaging for brace retainers.” Frank Snyder Retired Lehman school custodian Snyder? No loan, Mr. Snyder!” All the other banks slammed the same door. Finally, as a last resort, he tried veteran S&L banker J.J. O'Malley, Sr., who grudgingly - and probably grumpily - agreed to present Frank's case to his board, then sternly warned him, “Son, you'd better finish that house for sure!” So the Snyders were off and running. Construction proceeded after a slight zoning hitch (his lot was rated “A” for agriculture) and as soon as the roof was on and water hooked up they moved in, “Ready or Not!” Left jobless when his employer, Craft Associates, sold out and laid off, Frank met principal James at a Boy Scout meeting. Oneremark Auction (continued from page 1) expenses and payments are still outstanding, but he said the total sales were around $58,000. “I think we're right on target for where we were looking to be,” Kluger said. He had said earlier that this year’s goal was a net amount of $40,000. Eason sells, buys big On Saturday night, Jim Eason was thrilled to be the auctioneer selling the quilt made by Dallas Elementary students. On Sun- day, he became one of the event's biggest buyers, bidding $1,375 for an original watercolor of this year's auction by Sue Hand. “That was the single most ex- citing piece I think I've ever sold,” Eason said of the quilt that went for $950. The painting was proba- bly his most exciting purchase. “I'm proud to own it,” Eason said Monday. “Historically, she put a lot into it. That's the real reason I bought it.” Well, maybe not the whole reason. Eason said his wife, Carol reminded him at several points in the bidding that he would regret going home without the prize. “I was going to drop out at $1,000, then $1,100, then $1,200,” he said. But he persevered, outlast- ing John Shaskas, who became his main rival. The price, by far the highest ever paid for one of Hand's auc- tion paintings, was about $500 led to an interview and he was hired. When former custodian Karl Search retired, Frank took his place and the rest, he says, is in the record book. But that book also contains a lot of fond memories, thoughts of which may take some of the sting out of missing work, his friends both teachers and staff, and - most of all - the kids. “What I wouldn't give,” says Frank, “to have a dozen of them around me all the time.” His special favorites were kindergarten and first grad- ers. “The teachers would march those grades to the school cafete- ria under a strict silence code, for they went past open-door class- rooms. Ifl was in the hall as they passed, I would get a lot of little discreet waves and whispered ‘Hiya, Mr. Snyder!” Don't think I don't treasure those moments.” “And then,” Frank adds, “There is the matter of those brace re- tainers. Those expensive little gadgets were on some tykes’ teeth. They would take them off at lunch, put them on a plate and com- pletely forget to put them back in their mouths. Who do you sup- pose would be called to retrieve them from the trash? Yep. Me. A. “I sent a friend with a check and told her not to come home without the quilt.” Judy Dickson High bidder for children’s quilt over last year, which set a new standard at the time. “I'm still shaking,” she said later in the evening. A study, painted earlier from a different perspective, is still available. In addition to showing the auction from a fresh angle — behind the auctioneers — this year's painting includes the names of more than 100 volunteers and community leaders who support the annual event. The Easons have been attend- ing and volunteering at the auc- tion for about 15 years, and have bought “a lot of” antiques. But their move to a contemporary home meant most of those items didn’t fit the new decor. “This is something I wanted to take to the new house,” Eason said. While the Easons decide where to hang their latest acquisition, the painting will be on display in the window of Sue Hand's Im- agery on Main Street in Dallas, along with the artist's notes de-, scribing how she conceived of and executed the work. Frank Snyder turns in his broom after 19 years Once alittle one cried, and through her tears said, ‘Mr. Snyder I did it again.” That she did...it was the third time. Oh, I'll tell you, many's the time I've been up to my elbows in chocolate milk, rummaging for brace retainers. Once, when 1 found one and gave it back to the owner, I pointed to the trash truck just pulling up and said, ‘Look: See what you just missed?’ “Another thing, please mention the seven wonderful girls who work in the cafeteria. They took Carol and me out to dinner and pre: sented me with a ‘Friendship Plaque’ signed by each one. And whenever they had birthday cakes there was always a piece for me.” If the above sounds like a “Mutual Admiration Society” that's exactly what it was. But the Snyder Christmas cards last sea- son featured “Humpty Dumpty” and his fall, which in Frank's case could be blamed entirely on a flashlight which failed at a critical moment. When it went out, Frank mistook a cardboard box for a joist, stepped on it, and went through the ceiling. Now he wonders, “If my flashlight batter- ies had been the kind that ‘keep right on going and going’ would I still be going to the school?” ATHLETIC FOOTWEAR » CASUAL FOOTWEAR CASUAL APPAREL » HUGE SELECTION/LOW PRICE! SNEAKER Qe What are rugg ed, durable, attractive and seem to go on forever? New Balance athletic shoes...and they’re 20" off now at Sneaker King! Men’s/Women’s Athletic Walkers and Running Shoes new balance’ Now at Sneaker King you can save 20% on selected styles of New Balance footwear, starting at just $49.97. 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Significant historical Pennsylvania newspapers