Oh
»
i
i
: 8 Pea
i ER
Fin: 3
Vol. 106 | No. 24
FE
B
-
'| just shot my father and grandfather’
‘By GRACE R. DOVE
(9
Post Staff
DALLAS TOWNSHIP - After a
decade and a half without a
murder to investigate, Dallas
Township police chief Carl Miers
and his department are handling
the second killing in only three
years. And this time it hits close to
home.
* Dallas Township resident
Frederick C. Kirkendall, Jr., visit-
ing his family on an eight-hour
pass from the Clarks Summit
State Hospital, told police Satan
made him shoot his father and
grandfather June 11 around 6
p.m.
Kirkendall's grandfather, 81-
year-old Charles Besteder, was
declared dead at his Kunkle Cor-
ners home Sunday, after being
shot at close range with a .16
gauge shotgun. His father, Freder-
ick C. Kirkendall, Sr., is in critical _
Dallas, Pennsylvania
condition at Community Medical
Center in Scranton with similar
wounds.
“I knew Besteder for about 35
years,” police chief Carl Miers said.
“I graduated from Dallas High
School with Fred Kirkendall, Sr.,
in 1963. Fred played with the
Starfires, one of Eddie Day's
bands, during the ‘60's. They of-
ten played at dances at Hanson's
at Harveys Lake.”
TREE
The Kirkendalls had lived in
Kingston Township, where Fred,
Sr., operated Back Mountain
Music, for several years, Miers
added.
He said he also had gone to
school with the suspect's mother,
Judy Kirkendall.
Kunkle fire chief Jack Dodson,
who was first to reach the scene,
saw the suspect standing along-
side Route 309 and asked him
what had happened.
a -_m __——Y TH ——
OV El a ER
Kirkendall replied, “I just shot
my father and my grandfather,”
repeating the statement several
times.
When Dodson and Kirkendall,
Jr., met police arriving on the
scene, the suspect told police, “I
killed them with a shotgun. Satan
made me kill them.” He told police
his grandmother, Florence Best-
eder, had taken the gun away
from him and it was in the house.
EA ETRE SEE EEE EL
Suns 14 aw dung) 20, 1995
Kirkendall, who has “numer-
ous involuntary commitments” for
treatment of psychiatric illness,
had made more than 10 home
visits since March with no prob-
lems, according to Department of
Welfare communications director
Mary Ellen Fritz.
Kirkendall was first committed
to Clarks Summit in February,
)
See SHOOTING, pg 10
O
(®
{D
@
#
4
School Monday night.
Joy Scott, left, and Laura Poplielarz were all smiles after graduating from Dallas High
Chuck Kindler, left, and Robert Brown celebrated graduation from Lake-Lehman High
School last Thursday.
Graduation Day at Dallas, Lehman
By GRACE R. DOVE
Post Staff
middle school’s auditorium.
beginning of another.
else,” he said.
things.”
*
Q
RTE ET
DALLAS - Rain didn’t dampen the spirits of
Dallas High School's Class of 1995, since gradu-
ation ceremonies were moved indoors to the
“I was anxious for a change of scenery and
sometimes a change of company as well, but over
the past few days I began to wonder why everyone
was in such a big hurry to get away from everyone
Reflecting on the cameraderie which only high
school can provide, he reminisced about meeting
best friends each day in English class and ex-
changing friendly smiles in the hall.
Sobocinski reminded his classmates of “failed
economics tests, broken hearts and the endless
fights we had with our friends over pointless
“For far too long this class has
accepted the criticisms and
negative labels of others.”
Scott Sobocinski
Dallas Valedictorian
Valedictorian Scott Sobocinski compared
graduation to the end of one life journey and the
He also commented on the community’s de-
scription of his class as “one of the worst to ever
pass through this school.”
“For far too long this class has accepted the
criticisms and negative labels of others,” he said.
“Many of us even began to actually believe these
detractors. Now, as I look out into this class
today, I see creative, bright and ambitious young
people, whom I am proud to call my peers...future
engineers, painters, physicians, pharmaicsts,
educators, scientists and lawyers.”
Sobocinski concluded by reminding his class-
mates to cherish their high school friendships and
See DALLAS, pg 8
By GRACE R. DOVE
Post Staff
LEHMAN - The leaders of Lake-Lehman'’s Class
PHOTOS BY CHARLOTTE BARTIZEK
Be proud, Dallas Valedictorian tells class At Lehman, thanks, farewells and plans
“Love those around you and
of 1995 quoted poetry, thanked teachers and par-
ents and reminded friends to remember them
during a moving commencement June 8.
Valedictorian Jennifer Fehan compared high
school and graduation to chapters in a book, each
complementing the next, each “a stepping stone
for our future.”
“Our parents, teachers and friends may have
been supporting characters, but in the end only
we can complete the story,” she said. “We must
use the lessons we have learned and the knowl-
edge we have gained to discover what we will
become...It is now time to turn the page and begin
the next chapter...”
Quoting from a poem by an anonymous author,
she spoke of “learning the subtle difference
between holding a hand and chaining a soul,”
learning to accept defeats with the grace of an
love yourself too.”
Jaclyn Race
Lake-Lehman Class President
too much.”
plans, and futures have a way of falling down in
mid-flight...and even sunshihe burns if you get
She urged her friends to plant their own
gardens and decorate their own souls instead of
waiting for someone else to bring them flowers.
Class president Jaclyn I. Race reminded class-
mates that they had been through many experi-
ences toegther, and “even though we may not
have always supported one another's decisions,
we have stood by each other.”
adult, learning “to build all your roads today
because tomorrow's ground is too uncertain for
Quoting from a poem from a graduation card
she received, she reminded her classmates to
treasure the world's beauty and try to add some to
it, honor others’ different opinions, stand up for
See LEHMAN, pg 9
Kids Around Town' raise funds to make trails
By GRACE R. DOVE
Post Staff
BACK MOUNTAIN - They
‘wanted to do something to im-
‘prove their community and ended
up becoming part of local history.
, When a group of 170 Dallas
[Middle School students read about
‘the Anthracite Scenic Trails Asso-
iciation’s efforts to transform two
‘miles of abandoned railroad grade
‘between Luzerne and Trucksville
into the Back Mountain's first bike
trail, they decided to help out.
| ‘Allmembers of a school organi-
‘zation called Kids About Town,
the students had voted to build a
bicycle trail as a community serv-
lice project but had become bogged
‘down until they read about the
‘proposed trail in The Dallas Post.
“It ‘seemed hopeless at first,”
|said Randa Shahin. “All we could
'do was promote bike safety. Now
‘we're happy — we're involved in
‘something that will help the whole
Take atourof trail
this weekend, pg 10
community.”
Joey Youngblood, a student in
Mrs. Boyer's homeroom, organ-
ized a bake sale and a collection
which he dubbed “Pails For Trails,”
setting out canisters to solicit
donations at 91 area businesses.
The cans were out only a week or
two, and the response was out-
standing.
The group raised nearly $390
from the sale and collection, which
it donated to the Anthracite Sce-
nic Trails Association June 12.
“This is really exciting!’ said
ASTA president Judy Rimple, who
didn’t know about the collection
until the students gave her the
money. “These students are the
reality to the vision - they're help- :
See KIDS, pg 10
POST PHOTO/GRACE R. DOVE
STUDENTS COLLECT MONEY FOR BIKE TRAIL — Members
of Dallas Middle School's Kids About Town organization raised
nearly $390 to donate to the Anthracite Scenic Trails Associa-
tion, which is developing a bicycle trail on a former railroad bed
between Luzerne and Trucksville.
HB They're tops!
8-page Top of the Class
tabloid of Dallas academic
stars in this issue.
BM Bribe case wil
move to county court. Story,
photo on page 2.
26 Pages 3Sections
Calendar..................... 15
The Dallas Post
CALL 675-5211
FOR HOME DELIVERY,
NEWS OR ADVERTISING
MAILING LABEL- Please enclose this label with any address changes,
and mail to The Dallas Post, P.O. Box 366, Dallas PA 18612-0366