4 The Dallas Post Dallas, PA
Wednesday, February 21, 1996
FER
EDITORIALS
Children's library
expansion deserves
enthusiastic support
In its 50th year, the Back Mountain Memorial Library is
about to embark on the most ambitious — and necessary —
project since moving to the former Dallas Borough school
building on Huntsville Road. The institution’s board of direc-
tors has committed itself to enlarging and renovating the
portion of the library dedicated to its youngest patrons, the
Back Mountain's children. We cannot think of a more impor-
tant task for the library, both in the physical facility and the
dedication of personal and professional resources.
The present area, a single 24’ by 30’ room, is clearly
inadequate to meet the needs of a growing community, and has
been for years. Children’s librarian Marilyn Rudolph has
struggled gamely to offer programs for children along with a
selection of materials accessible to young readers, but the
cramped space forces those two goals to conflict. When 20 or
more children, along with parents and siblings, are crammed
into the room, there's no place or quiet for others. And, since
the small space can accommodate a limited number at a time,
programs must be divided into multiple sessions, further
limiting the hours when the room is available to casual users,
or students working on school projects.
The solution will be an addition of approximately 1,200
square feet, split by flexible dividers into three spaces. That will
allow organized programs to take place in one section, while
other activities go on undisturbed. There will also be some
technological additions, offering the opportunity for any child
in the Back Mountain to keep pace with his or her peers.
This project will allow the Back Mountain Memorial Library
to fulfill the most basic of its missions; to offer stimulation to
young minds in an atmosphere that fosters learning and the
love of knowledge. But it won't happen on automatic pilot. In
fact, it won't happen at all without substantial financial
support {from the community, and an ambitious fund raising
campaign is about to begin. When that is completed, a state
grant will round out the finances, and construction can begin.
~ When fund raisers come calling, pledge your support to this
most worthwhile project, no matter how much or little you can
afford. It’s important that as many individuals, families and
businesses as possible rally behind the library — especially
this part of it — where the seeds of future community leaders
may well be sown.
Publisher's notebook
Rubbing It In Dept. Thanks, I think, to Hanford and Phyllis
Eckman for sending along a page from the January 24 Miami
Herald, with an article and photo of Betty Williams of Dallas,
ready to move to “Sunny Florida” after a recent snow storm.
Herald reporters took obvious delight as they put together a
roundup of winter weather woes throughout the Northeast. As
anyone who has traveled to South Florida during the winter
months knows, they are joined in that enterprise by local
television weathermen, who take great pains to point out the
cold, snow and general miserableness of our winters. But they
got a taste of their own medicine thisyear. Our neighbors, Miles
and Betty Price, took ofl for the Sunshine State a couple of
weeks ago, and reported that nighttime temperatures reached
.28°, Of course, it was probably about 0° here the same night.
When Texas Senator Phil Gramm announced his candidacy
for the Republican presidential nomination, I predicted he had
at least as much chance of success as I do. I was right. Gramm
has never impressed me, and he may be lucky to never have
become a serious candidate, since he has more skeletons in his
closet than an osteopath. No one’s quite sure what went wrong
with his campaign, but I suspect arrogance had a lot to do with
it. When he boasted that he had the best possible friend in
American politics, “ready money,” things began to fall apart.
It's turning out to be a bad year for big spenders, with
Gramm'’s failure and Steve Forbes's poor showing in Iowa
demonstrating again that voters are smarter than some candi-
dates think. Mostly, I hope these events portend the end of
negative campaigning, which Forbes now thinks may have cost
him votes. Of course, he’s likely to have a revelation a week as
the season wears on. Lamar Alexander is another story. His
low-key approach gives the impression of someone who has
well-developed positions and is willing to present them pa-
tiently until he is understood. That task was difficult until his
strong showing in Iowa, because he didn't attract much news
coverage or interest.
Skillful politicians, of course, can fool enough of us to win
elections and then retreat from many of the positions that won
our votes. The jury may still be out on Bill Clinton, but there
have been many times when I felt that he conveniently forgot
the promises he made in 1992. And, I believe if he had stuck
to them, he and the country would be better off today.
The Dallas Post
Published Weekly By Bartsen Media, Inc.
P.O. Box 366, Dallas PA 18612
717-675-5211
. Charlotte E. Bartizek
ASSOCIATE PUBLISHER
Ronald A. Bartizek
PUBLISHER
Grace R. Dove
REPORTER
Peggy Young
ADVERTISING ACCT. EXEC
Paul Rismiller Olga Kostrobala
PRODUCTION MANAGER CLASSIFIED/TYPESETTING
Jill Gruver
OFFICE MANAGER
A le 7
: PRINTED WITH ALD PENNSYIVANIA
: SOY INK] ON iar PAPER NEWSPAPER
PRN
Squatter's rights, in Lehman. Photo by Charlotte Bartizek.
As I was
Jack Hilsher
The first United States airmail
stamps were issued in 1918 and
featured a Curtiss monoplane
nicknamed the “Flying Jenny.”
Today those three stamps in mint
condition sell for far above their
face value: the 6¢ orange goes for
$80; the 16¢ green is $125 and
the carmine 24¢ $150.
But hold onto your hats! A
printer's goof on some sheets of
the 24¢ denomination inverted
the airplane and a valuable rarity
was born immediately. Today's
Scott catalog lists this freak error
at $13,000. Of course, you can
always dicker.
Interested? If so, I know ex-
actly where you can get one. Or
two. And not too far away. Hit the
bypass todowntown Wilkes-Barre
and visit the Miner Stamp Com-
pany, operated by Irwin Weinberg
of Alderson and Kingston. Mr.
Weinberg runs his business from
the Mellon Bank Center, where he
has been doing so since it was
called the Miners’ National.
Weinberg also trades under
another name, “Irwin Weinberg
Rarities,” which explains why he
owns Flying Jenny stamps and
other rare oddities. It is doubtful
you could buy any Elvis Presley
Close to home source of a
world-class stamp rarity
stamps from this establishment.
Weinberg depends mostly on
mail marketing to a select list of
long-time clients, who receive a
list of specials at regular inter-
vals. He also promotes this list
with ads in leading stamp jour-
nals; he wrote the ad himselfyears
ago and it pulled so well he has
never changed a word.
Genuine U.S. Rarity
1918 "Flying Jenny" 24¢
airmail with inverted center
For safe-keeping, the bulk of
Weinberg's stock is kept below
ground level in abank vault, where
it resided when Hurricane Agnes
did her thing in ‘72. He had time
then to save everything by moving
it to higher ground, although his
most valuable item, the rare Brit-
ish Guiana 1 ¢ magenta, which he
bought for $270,000in 1970, was
stored in a New York bank vault.
(After this auspicious purchase,
he took it with him to philatelic
exhibitions around the globe, a
publicity ploy which probably en-
hanced its value tremendously.)
In January, when the
Susquehanna River again threat-
ened the Weinberg vault stock, he
decided on that Friday afternoon
he had better be safe than other-
wise. The banks, however, had
other ideas, and had closed a
short time before he arrived.
Weinberg thought, “I won't worry.
I'm probably overreacting.”
But by eight o'clock he changed
his mind and called bank officials
who agreed to open the next morn-
ing. Then midnight came and
with the situation worsening they
agreed to move everything up,
met himat2 a.m. and, once again,
he moved everything out to higher
ground.
That 1¢ British Guiana had
been sold in 1980 for $935,000 to
an anonymous bidder at a New
York City auction. It is said the
new owner was so pleased with
his purchase that he had it flown
around the Statue of Liberty's
torch before taking it home, where
he slept with it under his pillow.
Guess who?
John E. Dupont, that's who,
the Dupont heir who allegedly
murdered a wrestler at his Main
Line estate in January. Long
known as a world-class whacko,
Dupont is also, | am embarrassed
to relate, an avid stamp collector
and philatelic exhibitor of some
renown. But you can be certain
Johnny won't be exhibiting again
for some time to come.
Wonder where the 1¢ magenta
will end up? Back in the vault?
LEGISLATORS DIRECTORY
Federal Officials
Representative Paul E.
Kanjorski (PA 11th District)
(Democrat)
Wilkes-Barre: 825-2200
Washington: (202) 225-6511
Address: 10 E. South St., Wilkes-
Barre PA 18701-2397 :
or 2429 Rayburn Building, Wash-
ington, DC 20515
Senator Arlen Specter
(Republican)
Wilkes-Barre: 826-6265
Washington: (202) 224-4254
Address: 116 S. Main S., Wilkes-
Barre PA 18701
Senator Rick Santorum
(Republican)
B-40 Dirksen Building
Washington, DC 20510
Woshinglon (202) 224-6324
ax: (202) 228-4991
State Officials
State Sen. Charles D.
Lemmond (R)
(717) 675-3931
22 Dallas Shopping Ctr., Memorial
Hwy., Dallas PA 18612-1231
[Lemimond’s district includes the
Back Mountain.
State Rep. George Hasay (R)
287-75050r542-73450r474-2276
or 477-3752
369 South Mountain Boulevard,
Mountaintop PA 18707
Hasay's district encompasses:
Harveys Lake, Lehman Township,
Jackson Township, Lake Town-
ship, Franklin Township, Ross
Township, and Dallas Township's
north voting district.
State Rep. Phyllis Mundy (D)
283-9622 or 655-3375
Suite 107, 400 Third Avenue,
Kingston PA 18704
Dallas Borough, Dallas Township
except for the north voting district,
and Kingston Township.
8 Li oe
OF ‘NI
YESTERDAY
60 Years Ago - Feb. 28,1936 =:
AREA'S LAST CIVIL WAR
VETERAN DIES
Although she will be 84 tomor-_
row, Mrs. Emma Heitsman DeWitt
of Centermoreland will be celebrat- | “»
ing her 21st birthday. She was ~~
born Feb. 29, 1852, a Leap Year.
Mrs. DeWitt born in Phillipsburg,
NJ has lived at Centermoreland
since she was three years old.
She is the only child left ofa family
of four. 5
Peter Culp was still in his teens
when he enlisted as a private, in;
Co. F, 53rd PA Volunteers. . He
was in his early 20's and a corpo- 4
ral when he stood at Appomattox.
and saw General Robert E. Lee on
present his sword in surrender to
General U.S. grant. He was the
last surviving member of John S.
Whitney Post, G.A.R. of Dallas.
His passing severs this section’ TR
final living link with the Civil War. _
You could get - Bread, 18-oz. :
loaf 8¢; Gold Medal flour, 24 1 2 “3
Ib. bag, $1.05; 8 O'Clock Coffee, 2
Ibs., 29¢; iceburg lettuce, 2 lg. o :
hds, 15¢.
1 (15
50 Years Ago - Mar. 1 1946 ,
BORO COPS CRACK ~~
DOWN ON SPEEDERS
Dallas police are conducting a’ +
campaign against motorists who, ~]
drive recklessly on Main Street
and fail to stop before proceeding’
past stop signs. Officer James =
Gansel, who has charge of regu- ~~
lating traffic during the absence
of Chief Walter Covert, has warned -~
several drivers and also has two
cases pending which will be heard .»
before Burgess George Williams. °
Pictured 1n 1ast week's 1ssue ol .-,
Life magazine is Miss Ada Jack-
son, daughter of Mr. and Mrs.
ClarkJackson of Centermoreland. 0»
She is flanked by two huge stacks “~
of testimony of the Pearl Harbor.
hearings which will fill 61 vol-
umes totaling 12 times the length -
of “Gone With the Wind". Agradu-
ate of Dallas Township High
School, she is employed as a
teletype operator in the Senate
Office Building.
40 Years Ago - Feb. 24,1956 »
LAKE TWP. STARTS
UNUSUAL YEAR IN BLACK
For the first time in a numberof '
years Lake Township is starting
the year with a balance in its ~
treasury. In addition, the Super-
visors have purchased consider-- +’
able road working equipment and *
have also purchased land fn: a
dumping ground.
Salaries of the Librarian ‘and "0
Assistant Librarian were increased.
at a meeting of Back Mountain: +
Memorial Library Executive Board -
held at the Library Annex. Miss "i!
Lathrop will receive $22.50 per '!
month and Mrs. Jones $10, retro-"."
active to Jan. 1. ¢
30 Years Ago - Feb. 24, 1966...
'NOMORESURPLUS 78
FOOD FOR SCHOOLS y
A large tract of prime commer-
cial property on Memorial High:
way located above Davis’ Market
in Dallas Borough has been sold .
recently. Landowners are i) I
ing for commercial occupants and -
one of them told The Dallas Post :
this week, that interest has been. y
shown by “three major opeéra-
tions.” It is not possible to elabo- a
rate on the statement at this time
said the owners, “Lakeway Prop-
erties” which is the partnership
name of Francis J. Dixon and i,
Albert Ciccarelli.
Federal subsidies for the milliey
program are safe until July 1, the.
start of the fiscal year for schools:
To date surplus foods are still
available for school lunch pro; gy
grams, though much food which, °
was obtainable last year is not on,
the list this year. But with, the
milk program seriously curtailed, «
salaries of cafeteria workers in-
creased and food stuffs boughton
the open market skyrocketing in;
price, school administrators see a
problem in the making. Ri
20 Years Ago - Feb. 26,1976
'E
PSUSTUDENTS RAISE &
FUNDS FOR M.S. He
Students at Penn State Wilkes- -
Barre campus raised close: to
$1,000 for the Multi-Sclerosis..
Society in their 24-hour dance.
marathon last weekend. The lo- -
cal campus Circle C Club spon-
sored the marathon and music
provided by Watlock Interpries LL
was without cost.
P asin Q