4 The Dallas Post Dallas, PA
January 10, 2001
EDITORIALS
Hemlock Gardens proves
determined citizens can win
Maybe you can’t fight city hall and win, but sometimes you
can work around and with the powers that be to accomplish
useful goals. That may be the lesson in the saga of Hemlock
Gardens, a development at Harveys Lake that has been plagued
by road and runoff problems for years, but may now be getting
some help.
Millie Monk and her husband, Bill, have lived at Hemlock
Gardens for some time, long enough to see the development’s
steep .dirt roads become rutted and nearly impassable. For
much of that time, Millie tried to get the Harveys Lake Borough
Council to step in and improve the situation, which is not only
uncomfortable but dangerous, and a threat to the health of the
lake. Her pleas never seemed to spark action until she began to
look into state grant money that could be used to repair the
Hemlock Gardens roads. She found some, with plenty of help
from the borough’s Environmental Advisory Council, the Luzerne
County Conservation District, county commissioner Stephen
Urban and Dr. Fred Lubnow, of the firm that will now use the
$156,550 grant to improve drainage and make improvements to
the roadways.
There's still a long way to go before the roads in Hemlock
Gardens are up to the standards we expect, but the first step in
the improvement process will be taken soon, thanks to Millie
Monk's never-say-die attitude.
Students have much to
teach about tolerance
Students at Dallas High School are working hard to break the
stereotypes and prejudices that are still too common in the Back
Mountain. The Diversity Club, only three years old, now has 70
members and has helped raise awareness of issues that might
otherwise be overlooked in our relatively sheltered setting. Club
members have sponsored programs on the Holocaust, Dr.
Martin Luther King and other topics. They have gone out of their
way to promote tolerance of those with backgrounds and
lifestyles outside the local mainstream, with some success,
according to Robyn Jones, guidance counselor.
All has not been sweetness and light along the way;.some club
members have been subject to taunts and their posters are
occasionally defaced by immature classmates who aren't com-
fortable with diversity. But club members carry on, mindful of
their motto, “Respect the dignity of all people. "Their actions can
be an inspiration for all of us.
Publisher's notebook
I'm dizzy. It seems mere months ago, we were the luckiest
people ever to inhabit the earth, at least in a financial sense. It
was “the longest expansion in American history,” to quote
umpteen press releases, especially the ones coming out of the
White House. Job growth and home ownership were at all-time
highs, credit was free and easy and the stock market — well, it
was just racing into the stratosphere. There even was a book out
titled “Dow 36,000,” in which the author made the case that
stocks weren't overvalued, it was our fuddy-duddy thinking that
kept them at depressed levels, even as prices soared. And to
whom did we owe gratitude for this seemingly endless prosper-
ity? Why to a quiet former musician named Alan Greenspan, the
president of the Federal Reserve, otherwise known as Alan the
Omnipotent. :
~ That was then, and this is now. Unemployment is still the
same, wages are growing a bit faster and the markets are in the
tank. Why? Because old Uncle Alan didn’t get it perfect. It turns
out that as he quaked in fear of inflation, he raised interest rates
too high, and thus stopped consumer demand dead in its
tracks. And, as we are reminded endlessly, that’s two-thirds of
our economy. The result of Alan's gross error was that corporate
profits weren't as strong as expected for three months or maybe
even six, which apparently is the modern squivalent of the
Apocalypse.
This reminds me of sports reporting in the year 2001. Ifa team
loses two games in a row, it’s as if they might as well fold up their
tent and go home. But let them win the next two and they're
considered practically unstoppable. In the same way, stocks hit
lows — since last March!! — and you'd think the certificates
might be useful only as toilet paper.
But don’t worry, the pundits say; the worst will be over by
mid-year, and we can resume our eternal quest for material
fulfillment, secure in the knowledge that while the stock market
goes up for 10 years at a time, it only goes down for half a year.
At least that’s what the guys who peddle shares say.
Send or bring your items to:
The Dallas Post, P.0. Box 366, Dallas PA 18612
or drop them off at our office at 607 Main Road, Dallas.
Deadline: Fridays at 4 p.m.
The Dallas Post
TIMESeLEADER ITY NEWSPAPER GROUP
P.O. Box 366, Dallas PA 18612 * 570-675-5211
Julie Imel
EDITOR
Elizabeth Skrapits
REPORTER
Ruth Proietto
PRODUCTION MANAGER
‘Ken Brocious
ADVERTISING ACCT. EXEC
Ronald and Charlotte Bartizek
PUBLISHERS EMERITUS
Stephen Peterson
PRESIDENT & CHIEF OPERATING OFFICER
1-800-427-8649
Clothespins, not birds, flock PE on an empty winter clothesline. Photo by Charlotte, Bartizek.
The Senior
Side
Jack Hilsher
If you were listening to the ra-
dio 50 years ago on a Sunday
night at nine o'clock, you must
have heard this: “Good evening
Mr and Mrs North America - from
border to border and coast to coast
- and all the ships at sea.” This
announcement was followed by
the clicking of a telegraph key.
You were hearing the most hated,
and famous, journalist of the 20th
century ... Walter Winchell.
And ifyouweren'tlistening back
then you belong to a different
generation. Explaining Winchell
to you will be almost impossible,
but I will’ try. In his prime,
Winchell, reporter, gossip colum-
nist and political commentator,
had an audience each week never
before equalled. or since, and I
include Larry King, Huntley and
Brinkley, Murray and Brokaw. I'll
even throw in Joyce Brothers.
Out of an adult population of
75 million, at the very least 50
million either listened to his weekly
The Stork Club, icon of New York
broadcasts or read his daily news-
paper column. Winchell became
enormously powerful.- He made
stars out of Arthur Godfrey, Lucille
Ball and Desi Arnaz. He pushed
Franklin Roosevelt into an un-
precedented third term as Presi-
dent. He made friends. He made
enemies. Both fed his ego. Dor-
othy Parker said, “Poor Walter.
He's afraid he'll wake up some day
and discover he’s not Walter
Winchell.”
One of his most notorious
achievements, which proves the
word to be a mighty effective in-
strument, was the world famous
Stork Club in New York City.
Owner Sherman Billingsley said,
“Walter made me a multimillion-
aire after my first plug in his
column.” For 20 years, Winchell
wrote constantly about the club
and made it the most famous
night spot in America.
Billingsley was strange.
‘Shrewd, but strange. He talked
little of his past, but would re-
mark offhandedly to reporters, “I
killed a man back in Oklahoma.”
He had been arrested and con-
victed twice for liquor law viola-
tions, was sentenced to 15 months
in Leavenworth and fined $5,000.
He served less than four months.
In the ‘20s Billingsley ran a
speakeasy and then in 1933 when
booze became legal opened up the
Jiork[Clus
CLOSE COVER BEFORE STRIKING
Reproduction of a Stork Club
matchbook cover.
lavish Stork Club on 53rd St. He
would give Winchell fawning at-
tention, Walter would return again
and again, calling it in his col-
umns “the New Yorkiest Place in
New York.” The two became friends
and Billingsley had it made.
In 1943 the Stork Club grossed
$1.25 million and was averaging
2,000 guests on weeknights, 3,000
on weekends. Breakage and theft
alone - mainly of the famous; Stork
Club ashtrays - amounted to
$25,000 per year. In 1944 Mayor
La Guardia discovered sales tax
padding but since checks were
placed face down it was said that
“only an outlander who should
not be at the Stork Club at all
would turn the check over to total
up the bill.” | ¢
When Billingsley expanded he
added the “Cub Room,” designed
so Winchell could preside from
Table 50 over a roomful of celeb-
rities, eliminating contact with
lesser-knowns in the main room.
Blacks were never seen there, but
they rarely appeared outside of
Harlem. Prominent Jews came but
if unknown to Billingsley found
themselves turned away at the
door. If they asked about empty)
tables they were said to be re-
served.
Billingsley had his prejudices
but anyone familiar with the club
knew about them. So did Winchell. :
An associate once complained to
him, creating one of the most-
quoted Winchell legends, “My God,
Walter, how can you be friends
with that guy? You love Roosevel'S
and stick up for the Wagner Act
and he fights the unions. You're
an enemy of prejudice - and he
hates ‘niggers.’ You're a Jew ap]
he’s anti-Semitic!”
“I know, I know,” Walter replied
sadly. “But Sherman never lets
me see that side of him.” :
So there, younger generation,
is the story of the world’s most
famous night club. Sherman
Billingsley may have owned it,
but Walter Winchell made it.
ONLY
YESTERDAY
70 Years Ago - Jan. 9, 1931
EXPLODING STOVE CAUSES
SHAVERTOWN FIRE
Considerable damage was done
to furniture in the home of Stan-
ley Coslete, of Shaver Ave., Shav-
ertown, Saturday evening, when
a stove in the kitchen exploded,
when a new fire had been started
in it.
After warning his children not
to cross the main highway in the
vicinity of the Lutheran church,
where they were coasting on the
Franklin St. hill, Dorey Kitchen,
45, Shavertown, received injuries
to his head when the sled on
which he and two other men were
coasting on Friday evening
crashed into a truck belonging to
the Mountain Springs Ice Com-
pany, after the front end of the
truck had passed over the cross-
ing. 4
60 Years Ago - Jan. 10, 1941
DALLAS SHUT-INS ENJOY
HOLIDAYS
Members of Dallas Shut-in So-
ciety had a jolly holiday season
filled with gifts and Christmas
goodies.
Plans for a new three-lane high-
way from Dallas to Harvey's Lake
are nearing completion in the en-
gineering offices of the State High-
way Department at Scranton.
Workman for Banks Construc- .
tion Company began pouring ce-
ment this week for the over-pass
bridge on the new Dallas-Trucks-
ville highway where it crosses
Fernbrook Avenue near Colonial
Inn. When completed the new
bridge will be one of the most
unusual and beautiful parts of
the highway, eliminating a dan-
gerous road crossing. At this
point all traffic from Fernbrook
Corners to the junction with Pio-
neer Avenue at Cobb’s Corners
will pass over the Dallas-Trucks-
ville road.
Dallas Post office closed its
December quarter with the larg-
est volume of holiday business in
its history and with total receipts
for the year which Postmaster
Polacky believes will raise the rat-
ing of the office from third to sec-
ond class.
50 Years Ago - Jan. 12, 1951
KILER UPDYKE TO LEAVE
KOREA FOR CALIFORNIA
Mr. and Mrs. Palmer Updyke
have had a letter from Kiler, dated
January 1, in which he reports
that he will be flown from Base
Hospital in Korea to San Fran-
cisco. He hopes to be hospitalized
somewhere nearer home eventu-
ally, until shrapnel and mortar
shell wounds received early in
September are completely healed.
Robert Henney, son of Mr. and
Mrs. Ray Henney of Kunkle, has
been called back into the U.S.
Navy and is at present aboard the
destroyer U.S S. Stribling at Ports-
mouth, Va. He will return to duty
Sunday after being granted a leave
to attend the funeral of his grand-
mother, Mrs. Otto Stompler.
40 Years Ago - Jan. 12, 1961
TAPE RECORDER IS PTA
PROJECT
Purchase of an opaque projec-
tor and tape recorder will be the
project this year for the Parent/
Teacher Association.
One of the largest crowds to
witness an event at Dallas Junior
High school gymnasium came out
Saturday night to see three excit-
ing basketball games between
Dallas Faculty and WARM radio
announcers.
Back Mountain Bird Club will
meet at Frank Jackson's home,
Pole 172, Harveys Lake, Saturday
afternoon at 1, if the weather per-
mits. Frank Jackson will talk on
identification of trees in winter,
demonstrating by a hike through
his woodlot. Mr. Jackson, one of
the region’s authorities on birds,
is equally informed on trees, flow-
ers, and wildlife in general.
30 Years Ago - Jan. 14, 1971 |
FIRE BLAZES AT ASPHALT
YARD
Heavy black smoke and flames
marked the site of a fire Satur-
day morning at American Asphalt
Paving Company off Chase Road
in Jackson Township. The fire
broke out at about 9:30 a.m. near
three liquid asphalt tanks.
"Science Countdown”, a 13
week series of high school science
quiz programs made its debut Jan.
11 over Channel 44. ~
The Pennsylvania Game Com-
mission last week praised deer
hunters in the state for their fine
safety record in 1970.
The 40 accidents during the
regular antlered and antlerless
deer seasons were the lowest num-
ber reported since 1954. This year
there were seven fatal deer Seasorgy
mishaps, a tragic number per
haps, but this was the lowest
figure since 1964. One year ago
there were 86 accidents, includ-
ing 14 fatalities.
20 Years Ago - Jan. 15, 1981
JACKSON TWP. FIREMEN
ELECT NEW OFFICERS
The Jackson Township Volun-
teer Fire Department recently held,
election of officers at the townshij
fire hall for the year 1981. The
following members were electe
to a one year term: president,
Daniel Manzoni; vice-president,
John Manzoni; secretary, Walte
Knorr, Jr.; fire chief, Rollie Evans
and assistant fire chief, Franci
Manzoni, Jr. In addition, Josep
Cigarski was elected toa five-y&
term as trustee.
In its first major team showi
of the 1981 wrestling season the
Back Mountain Wrestling Tear
took a second place trophy at.
first Endicott Wrestling Bowl Holi-
day Tournament (an invitational
tournament held at the Endicott
Boys Club) consisting of eight
teams from various parts of Penn-
sylvania, New York and New Jer-
sey.
The Harveys Lake Historicog
Society held a complimentary te
to entertain old and new mem-
bers. The Society has a member-
ship of over 100 members all of
whom are asked to participate in
this year’s Bicentennial program. |
You'll find ‘Only Yesterday’ only in The Dallas Post e