4 Dallas Post Dallas, PA Wednesday, March 28, 2001 EDITORIALS Local candidate could shake up the courthouse Clarence Michael may not be on everyone's list of personal favorites, but his candidacy for Controller of Luzerne County offers some intriguing insights and possibilities. One thing you can be sure of; should he be elected, the controller will no longer sit silently while the commissioners decide how to spend our taxes. Michael, whose “I Like Mike” posters are seen around the Back Mountain, appears at first to be a Don Quixote type character, tilting at the windmills of sloppiness and graft that have been the hallmarks of Luzerne County politics for generations. But he also has experience that could give him the tools needed to clean up a lazy, corrupt courthouse pop- ulation — if only he could get elected. That's unlikely, since he’s a Republican, and he’s outspoken. About the only posi- tion anyone like that has gained in recent memory is minori- ty commissioner, which is the equivalent of being baby brother tagging along on big sister’s date. Will Clarence Michael win election? Not likely, but if along the way he adds to the ruckus that is beginning to shake the foundation of county politics, he’s certainly doing the public a service. Looking at the past, projecting a great future Critics are fond of pointing out American students weak- nesses in geography and history. Each year an article ap- pears in which a college professor lists the things freshmen don’t know about the nation in which they've grown up in comfort and peace, and the wider world that awaits them. But he won't be able to use material from some Dallas and Lake-Lehman students who just won a slew of awards at the annual History Day competition held at the Penn State Wilkes-Barre and Hazleton campuses. With topics that ranged from John Locke to the birth of rock & roll, these students have shown not only that they have an interest in history and all its implications, but that they can understand and interpret the valuable lessons each era, personality and movement leave behind. Congratulations to all the participants, and best of luck to those who are moving on to state competition. Publisher’s Notebook Travel is broadening, so they say, so I must be consider- ably wider than a week ago, at least in the waistline. I was away, you see, to a place most of you wouldn't think of as a destination in mid-March — Duluth, Minnesota. I know what you're thinking: “Why in the world would anyone go to a god- forsaken, rust belt, falling-down city on the 47th parallel in March?” Well, I was thinking the same thing before I left, but then, as happens far too often, I was pleasantly surprised to find Duluth a a few things going for it that I never suspected to find on the shores of Gitchi Gummee. (Don’t laugh; we also drove past the Minnehaha Elementary School in one small town.) But I'm rambling. Here are the unexpected sur- prises in Duluth, just in case you have too much time on your hands and too many miles in your frequent-flyer ac- count. First, from what I'm told, the weather was better there than here, with daytime temperatures in the 40s to 50 most days, and evenings about 20. Then there’s Canal Park, which is a restaurant/shop/hotel district hard by Lake Su- perior and next to the convention center, which propagan- dists said was the third busiest in the nation. A few blocks from the tourist district was a large, brick former brewery converted to more shops and restaurants. Is this beginning to sound familiar? I hate to admit it, but Duluth sounds a lot like what Wilkes-Barre wants to be. Oh, and there’s one more thing I'm guessing Duluth has that we should steal, fa- mously straight-laced political leaders who — egads! — put public interest ahead of personal aggrandizement or no-show jobs for supporters. But maybe I'm being too hard on our area. My traveling companion and I agreed that visiting a city isn't like living there, and perhaps we just don’t appreciate all the cultural and material amenities in our own backyard. That's why this weekend I'm going to wake up and pretend I'm a tourist, looking for a good time. (No, not that kind of good time, just a place to sit down, have a meal and a drink, listen to some good music and stroll the shops.) If you have any suggestions on ‘what I've been missing, I'd sure appreci- ate hearing them. Call me at 675-5211 with your tips on where to find places that wash sweet Duluth from my mind. Send your letters to the Post. Include a phone number where you can be reached. The Dallas Post TIMESeLEADER munity Newspaper Group P.O. BOX 366, DALL A 18612 » 570-675-5211 Julie D. Imel EDITOR Ken Brocious ADVERTISING ACCT. EXEC. Ron and Charlotte Bartizek PUBLISHERS EMERITUS Stephen Peterson PRESIDENT & CHIEF OPERATING OFFICER 1-800-427-8649 REPORTER Ruth Proietto Produciton Manager Summer tourists return to Perrin’s Marsh. Photo by Jim Phillips. ONLY YESTERDAY 70 Years Ago - Mar. 27, 1931 LEHMAN HIGH SCHOOL GIRLS WIN CHAMPIONSHIP The girls basketball team of Lehman township high school closed its season by winning 39- 19 over Beaumont. This eleventh victory of the season in which the Lehman girls have been de- feated but once, brought the championship of the Bi-County League. Playing for Lehman were: F. Johnson, 23 pts; F. Conner, 11; C. Kinsman, 0; S. C. Parrish, 0; G. Anson, 0; G. Sear- foss, 0; G. Roushey, 0; C. Wheel- er, 0; S. S. McCarty, 0; G. Lam- oreaux, 0; F. Major, 0. Beau- mont players: F. Fritz, 10 pts; F. Doll, 9; C. Wall, O; S. C. Jones, 0; G. Fritz, 0; G. Denman, O. Workmen began the demoli- tion of the old paint shop back of Stanley's Garage on Main Street, Dallas. The removal of the old building will further re- duce the fire hazard in the heart of the borough and will make way for the construction of a modern fire proof building on the Moret property. The nucleus for a Little The- atre group has been organized in Dallas and will present its first play, “The Silent Shape”. Mem- bers of the group are: Marie Woolbert, Lettie Lee, Barbara Hoffmeister, Walter Rau, William Rau, Art Culver, . Clarence Adams and Phillip Anderson 60 Years Ago - Mar. 28, 1941 LEHMAN PLANS BACK MOUNTAIN MEMORIAL DAY Plans for a Back Mountain Memorial Day celebration, the greatest in history, got under way with the appointment of committees by Osage Lodge, I.O.O.F., of Lehman. For a num- ber of years Lehman has staged a Memorial Day Celebration with band concerts, parade, baseball games and special dinners in the Lehman and Idetown churches. This year the committee hopes to make it an All-Back Mountain program. The Armour Leather Company plant at Noxen is back on a five- day schedule, working near nor- mal production in most depart- ments after several months of short time work. During the first World War the plant enjoyed the greatest volume in its history and was working on war orders when it was destroyed by fire. Admirers of Monsignor Fulton J. Sheen, famed Catholic radio orator, in Dallas and vicinity, will be afforded an opportunity to hear him over Station WBRE. The current speaker on the na- tionwide Catholic hour, Mon- signor Sheen holds the world’s record for religious radio mail. 50 Years Ago - Mar. 30, 1951 ROBERT BACHMAN JOINS THE POST AS AD MANAGER Robert F. Bachman, ,Kunkle, assumed his duties as advertis- ing manager of The Dallas Post. Mr. Bachman brings to the Post and the Back Mountain area, ten years of experience in the advertising field. Mr. Bachman was associated with Wilkes Col- lege as a night school instructor in advertising, and had more re- cently had taken a position with Brown and - Bigelow, world’s largest producer of Remem- brance Advertising, when the Post prevailed upon him to join its staff, feeling the need for a trained advertising man to assist local businessmen with their ad- vertising problems. Fees charged by Back Moun- tain physicians will be increased for the first time in a generation. New fees will be $3 for office calls; $4 for home calls between 7 am. and 9 p.m.; $5 for home calls between 9 p.m. and 7 a.m. Some of the local physicians who will be increasing their fees are: Dr. H. A. Brown, Lehman; Dr. Malcolm Borthwick, Dr. Sherman Schooley, Shavertown; Dr. Richard Crompton, Dr. Charles Perkins, Trucksville; Dr. A. A. Mascali, Dr. H. G. Gal- lagher, Dr. F. B. Schooley, Dal- las; Dr. Lester Saidman, Noxen. Dr. Ralph Deker, president of Wyoming Seminary is going to “kick-off” the first Career Day program of Dallas Borough High School. Cooperating in the pro- ject are the Dallas Kiwanis Club, Dallas Borough Hi-Y Club, Dal- las Borough High School, and the Back Mountain YMCA. 40 Years Ago - Mar. 30, 1961 HEDDEN TO BUILD GENER- AL OFFICES IN DALLAS BOR- OUGH Ground was broken for the new general offices of Raymond R. Hedden & Company, general contractors, on a plot of land on the former Grand View Estates opposite Crown Imperial Bowling Lanes on Memorial Highway. The ground was formerly owned by Benjamin and David Jenkins. Harold Cornell is clearing it of trees and underbrush. Community Service Award of Back Mountain Protective Asso- ciation will be awarded to Mis- ericordia College, according to an announcement of Rev. Robert Yost, president of the Associa- tion. This award goes to an indi- vidual or organization in recog- nition of achievement, industry and advancements benefitting the Back Mountain Area. Charles J. Natitus, seaman, USN, son of Mr. and Mrs. Charles J. Natitus of Harris Hill Road, Trucksville, is serving aboard the anti-submarine war- fare support aircraft carrier USS Valley Forge operating out of Norfolk, Va. 30 Years Ago - Apr. 1, 1971 DALLAS GIRL LOOKS FOR- WARD TO SUMMER IN FRANCE The thrill of a young life is an- ticipated by Nancy Gordon, a ju- nior at Dallas Senior High School. Miss Gordon has learned that she has been accepted by the American Institute for For- eign Study for summer classes at the University of Vichy in Vichy, France. She will study French language and civiliza- tion. ; C.V. Products, manufacturers of precision optical equipment, is a new industrial addition to the Back Mountain area. The plant is in the process of moving into the former Kern Distributor building on Route 415, Idetown. The plant will manufacture pre- cision optical equipment from raw materials. Although small in scope presently, the two part- ners, Robert Vanderhook and Edmund Castellani, optimisti- cally expect and plan for expan- sion in the future. The Dallas Senior High School girls’ basketball team, along with their coach, Jane Millin, boarded a bus for the trip to see the world renowned Harlem Globe- trotters in Philadelphia. At the Spectrum, they enjoyed the Glo- betrotters play their game of “basketball”, and then watched a game between the Philadelphia 76ers and the Cincinnati Royals. 20 Years Ago - Mar. 25, 1981 VERN PRITCHARD WILL RE- TIRE “Mr. Republican” as he, is known to his many friends and constituents in a large part. of the Back Mountain, is retiring after 20 years as the Kingston Township tax collector at the end of his term in December. Vern Pritchard, 205 Maple St., Trucksville, confirmed he also will semi-retire from his insur- ance business. It is doubtful he will ever really retire from the political scene, but will only change perspectives from partic- ipant to knowledgeable spectator and some say “advisor.” Twin brothers Ricky and Rocky Bonomo joined heavy- weight Mike Leskowsky in cap- turing state titles to lead Lake- Lehman to the PIAA Class AA team title at Hershey Center. This marked the first time in 36 years that twin brothers ‘won state titles. This was also the first time that a Wyoming Valley team took the Class AA crown. Jack Hilsher Where 1s he now? @ Mort Sahl | I suppose, you either worship Woody Allen or hate him, no middle ground. You'll admit his was an amazing transforma- tion... from a shy Brooklyn boy to gag writer to standup comic (§) to director of award-winning films, not to mention his acqui- sition of Mia Farrow, Soon Li and season courtside seats to | the Knicks games. Not to worry. Woody won't be today’s subject. Instead we shall recall the guy who got Mr | Allen started as a comic ... Mort Sahl. Sahl started a revo- | lution in night-club and TV | comedy. He began performing $ | in 1950 after his graduation from USC. Within a few years he was appearing at the Blue Angel, a Manhattan club where his act was light-years away from the typical comic. Aéts | like Milton Berle and Jack Carter drew their laughs by ca- vorting with chorus girls. Jokes were about women’s under- @ | wear. In contrast Sahl talked about | philosophy, politics, jazz, cars, | and psychiatry. He wore no tux, or baggy pants, but walked on stage attired in a sweater, jeans and an open- necked shirt. He carried a rolled-up newspaper which he would pre- | tend to read. Actually it con- | tained key lines he could glance at when crowd silences $ would cause him to forget a routine. This was a comedian? One of his routines had a group of college students trying | to hold up the Fairmount Hotel | in San Francisco, and I can re- member it because it is so typi- cal of his humor. They planned to use the money to live in the hotel for the rest of their lives. The cashier they are demand-@ ing the money from is also a college student. : “Give us the money and act normal,” they say. “First you must define your terms,” the cashier tells them. “What is normal?” And the routine goes on from there. Sahl describes a 16-year-old girl in the Village dressed in a short skirt and long earrings, saying, “Western religion ha failed me;” Richard Nixon's an- swer to the questioner who asks if he was born in a log cabin: “That was Abe Lincoln. I was born in a manger,” and he imagined the comments of the three leading contenders for the 1960 Democratic presiden- | tial convention John F. Kennedy: “I am here to accept the nomination.” Lyndon B. Johnson: “I am a candidate, but I can’t be here because I have to run the country.” Adlai E. Stevenson: “I am not a candidate and I'm not here.” Twenty-eight years later Sahl described another presidential candidate with his usual subtle dig: “Jesse Jackson... the Rev- erend Jesse Jackson ... A man of the cloth... cashmere.” o Because Sahl's act depends on his audience being familiar with sometimes far out sub- jects, and certainly different from usual comics, people thought.of him as an intellectu- al. Bob Hope once introduced him at the Academy Awards with, “Here he is, the favorite of nuclear physicists everywhere,” ® That is probably not true. In- telligent, yes, but as one writer put it, “the first entertainer in years who contrived to smuggle his brains past~a velvet rope.” You cannot laugh at Sahl with- out knowing the facts, and he explains them first. He did what they say S.J. Perelman did in his stories he ex- plained the runway before he took off. Woody Allen watched Sahl perform on Broadway and tele- vision for several years before he got up enough nerve to think he could “maybe be a co- median, too.” So really if any- one could be blamed (given credit?) for Woody's rise to fame it was Mort Sahl. Wonder where he is today? 9 I'd go see him.
Significant historical Pennsylvania newspapers