4 The Post EDITORIAL Sunday, June 5, 2005 OUR OPINION Volunteers play a vital role in our community f there is one particular glue that holds a community together, it may be the willingness of people — often trangers — to help one another. The aid may be as sim- ple as a neighbor sending flowers or food in time of grief, or as complex as the dozens who put on the Back Mountain Memorial Library Auction each year. But even that enterprise pales in comparison to another kind of volunteer, the firefight- ers and emergency responders who drop what they're doing and race to the scene of a fire or collision where they risk their own safety in providing service to others. _ Who are these people, willing to leave family picnics and places of work at the sound of a beeper? They are Bob Besecker, an active Dallas Fire and Ambulance member, who once responded to a fire on his daughter’s wedding day, wear- ing a tuxedo. Or Dan Manzoni, current chief of the Jackson Township Volunteer Fire Department, who is approaching his 30th year of service. Or others, too many to name. Not only is their volunteer work unpaid, it often has costs beyond incon- venience, in training sessions and equipment that is required but not funded by anything but their own pocketbooks. The Back Mountain is fortunate that many capable and willing volunteers still exist. But there are not always enough, with the result that some departments have resorted to paid staff during workdays, when most volunteers are at work, many of them outside their coverage area. The Jackson Township department is holding an open house today, partly to show off a new tanker but also in the hope of attracting new blood. A junior firefighter program there is currently without members, and committed volun- teers are not getting any younger, raising concerns about the future. Other departments hold similar events each year, but anyone who thinks they might like to help out need not wait for them. You can call these non-emergency numbers to learn more: Dallas: 675-0636 Franklin Township: 333-4124 Harveys Lake: 639-1919 Idetown: 639-5755 Jackson Township: 696-1818 Kingston Township Ambulance: 696-3776 Kunkle: 675-3334 Lake Silkworth: 477-5976 Lehman Township: 675-5654 Shavertown: 675-1302 Sweet Valley: 477-5121 Trucksville: 696-1871 MOMENTS IN TIME The History Channel ® On June 10, 1692, in Salem Village in the Massachusetts Bay Colony, Bridget Bishop, the first colonist to be tried in the Salem witch trials, is hanged after being found guilty of the practice of witchcraft. ® On June 7, 1866, 13 years after American settlers founded the city named for him, Chief Seattle (Seathl) dies in a nearby village of his people. In 1853, Chief Seattle had been so friendly and wel- coming to settlers that they named the tiny new settlement on Elliott Bay in Puget Sound in his honor. ® On June 8, 1935, Joan Rivers is born in Brooklyn, N.Y., the daughter of a prominent physician. Her big break came in 1965, when she appeared on “The Tonight Show” and made a fan of host Johnny Carson. ® On June 6, 1949, George Orwell's novel of a dystopian future, “1984,” is published. The novel’s all-seeing leader, known as “Big Brother,” becomes a universal symbol for intrusive government and oppressive bureaucracy. ® On June 11, 1967, the Six-Day War between Israel and its Arab neighbors ends with a United Nations-brokered cease-fire. The outnumbered Israel Defense Forces achieved a swift and decisive victory, more than doubling the amount of territory under Israel's control and seizing the Old City of Jerusalem from Jordan. ® On June 12, 1975, Indira Gandhi, prime minister of India, is found guilty of electoral corruption in her successful 1971 cam- paign. Despite calls for her resignation, Gandhi refused to give up India’s top office and later declared martial law in the country. ¢ On June 9, 1990, Charles Freeman, the owner of E-C Records store in Fort Lauderdale, Fla., is arrested for selling the rap album “As Nasty As They Wanna Be” to an undercover police officer. Two days earlier, a U.S. district judge had ruled that the 2 Live Crew recording was legally obscene. (c) 2005 King Features Synd., Inc. Treasures, or trash? Photo by Charlotte Bartizek. LIBRARY NEWS Kickoff dinner and call for auction setup volunteers: A last-minute reminder: The kickoff dinner for the 5-9 1h Annual B a. ek Mountain Memorial Library Auction will be held Monday, June 6, at .the Apple Tree Terrace, Newberry Estate, Dallas, with hospitali- ty from 6 to 7 p.m., and dinner at 7 p.m. This is an informal occasion, with a mini-auction which is always lively. Please CAROL KING call the library, 675-1182, for ticket information and to sign up for the dinner. oo 0 Volunteers needed! Adults and students agedl2 years and up are asked to give com- munity service by helping to set up for the auction. The hours are Sunday, July 3, from 12 noon to 5 p.m.; Monday, July 4, 9 am. to 4 p.m.; and Tuesday, July 5, 9 am. to 5 p.m. Come and bring your friends to serve for two hours, or for a full day — give as much time as you can. It can be lots of fun, and it will be very much appreciated. Refreshments will be provid- ed. Call the library to sign up. oo 0 This year the library is sell- ing buttons which you can wear to proclaim your support for the auction. They read “The Auction Alive in ’05!” They're priced at $2 and are available at the library. o00 There will be some new food vendors this year, along with traditional favorites from years past. Master gardeners will be on hand during the auction to answer gardening questions. Naturalists are bringing birds of prey and bats (Did you know they’re good for wus?). Ronald McDonald will put in ‘an appearance on Friday evening, and on Saturday a magician will entertain the children. There will be something for children of all ages, from little ones to teens. : e000 There will again ‘be shutt service between the CVS vl) ing lot and the library. LN J : The full program schedule for the auction, which runs from July 7 through July 10, will be given in a Post supple- ment on Sunday, July 3. 70 Years Ago June 7, 1935 U.S. BUYS 12,000 ACRES FOR PARK Twelve thousand acres of land, including forty-five farms and some of the finest virgin timber remaining in the Eastern part of the United States, has b e e n acquired by ONLY YESTERDAY Letters are welcome Letters to the editor are welcome and will be published, subject to the following guidelines: ® Letters should not exceed 500 words. ® Letters must be signed and include the writer's home town and a daytime telephone number for verification. ] e Names will be withheld only if there exists a clear and verifi- able threat to the writer. Letters can be sent many ways: By e-mail to: thepost@leader.net By mail to: The Post, 15 N. Main St., Wilkes-Barre PA 18711. By using the drop box located in the Uni-Mart convenience store on Route 309 in Dallas, across from the Dallas Shopping Center. Tie POST TIMESeLEADER Community Newspaper Group 15 N. MAIN ST., WILKES-BARRE PA 18711 « 570-675-5211 the United States government in the Kitchen Creek are preparatory to establishing its long-rumored National Park there. Two Girl Scout Troops from the Dallas District have select- ed sites to develop in competi- tion for the prize which The Dallas Post has offered to the troop which does the best job of cleaning up and improving some local spot. Troop 16 of Fernbrook of which Miss Emily Goldsmith is captain will make a picnic grove of a site in Fernbrook. Troop 7 of Dallas, captained by Miss Ruth Hull, will clean and improve the lot on Main Street near Stanley’s Garage. In the face of overwhelming opposition from an estimated eighty-five percent of the bor- ough’s taxpayers, the three majority directors of Dallas Borough School Board — Henry Disque, Harry Pittman and Eugene Lazarus — last night refused to rescind their action in appointing Ronald Doll as principal of the local schools to succeed Calvin McHose. 60 Years Ago June 8, 1945 LEHMAN MARINES MEET ON OKANAWA met on Okanawa recently when PFC Francis Chamberlain, hitch-hiking along a mountain road, was picked up by 1st Lt. Warren J. Lewis in his amphib- ian tractor. The former Lehman neighbors had not seen each other since Lewis, then a staff sergeant on recruiting duty in Wilkes-Barre, filled out Chamberlain’s enlistment papers in February, 1943. Lt. Peter Skopic who has just returned to this country after bing released from a German Prison Camp arrived in Lehman just a day late to see his brother, Joseph, graduate from Lehman High School. Joe was the tenth member of the Skopic family to graduate from the Lehman schools. Graduation exercises were held in the Noxen Theatre Monday evening. Members of the graduating class of Noxen High School are Warren Harding, Doris Turner, Helen Butry, Shirley Hackling, Jean Doty, Verna Hubbell and Laura Keiper. 50 Years Ago June 3, 1955 TWO THROWN INTO WATER IN BOAT MISHAP Warren Boston, Pike’s Creek Chevrolet dealer, and Robert Hontz, Sweet Valley, a compan- ion, had a narrow escape from serious injury and possible drowning late Memorial Day when their motor boat struck a submerged object at Sylvan Lake, veered from its course, threw both men in the middle of the lake and then continued on its course. State and local police are without good leads on the two masked bandits who held up Larry Ferraro, Monday night and escaped with $450 of the Memorial Day receipts of Casper’s Restaurant. H. Myron Wetzel, vice-presi- dent and cashier of The Wyoming National Bank of Wilkes-Barre, will spend Friday evenings serving Back Mountain residents at the new Shavertown office of the bank. The Back Mountain office is open 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. and 5 to 8 p.m. on Fridays. 40 Years Ago June 3, 1965 NEW POST OFFICE AT LAKE LANGUISHES Work on the Harveys Lake postoffice, to be located at Laketon across from the beach- es, has not yet begun, although the contractor has had the con- tract for a year now, ground was broken in November, and equip- ment for the building which isn’t there continues to be shipped in. Postmaster Roy Tyson said that he has not heard from the Postoffice Department on the matter. Catherine Mary and Carol Ann, twin daughters of Mr. and Mrs. AW. Hudak, are graduat- ing on Tuesday with fellow classmates of the Dallas Class of 1965. Just in time for graduation, Evans Drug Store in Shavertown advertised a Rex 127 camera outfit, including flash bulbs, film and batteries, for $3.99. 30 Years Ago June 5, 1975 WAGNER NAMED BEST GIRL ATHLETE Cheryl Wagner was named “most valuable” girl athlete at Lake-Lehman High School. Her athletic career started in the sixth grade when she won the AAU Junior Olympics as the outstanding girl athlete. In her senior year at Lehman, Cheryl was a member of the District II championship hockey team and set the district record for gos with 24. : Joseph “Red” Jones was granted the right to have ‘all voting machines opened in Luzerne County in a decision handed down Tuesday mo ing. He claimed a discrep in the May 20 primary tally-o votes for Republican Colfly Commissioner. You could listen to the sounds of “Valley Drifters” while munching on shrimp and steamed clams at Irene’s Lake Silkworth Hotel. ) 20 Years Ago June 5, 1985 ‘BAMBI’ PAYS VISIT TO THE POST Game Commissioner Ed Gdosky stopped by the Post, carrying a three-week-old fawn. The baby deer had been picked up by a passer-by near Lake Catalpa who assumed it was abandoned. Gdosky cautioned against adopting wild animals, and said the mother is usually nearby, but out of sight. Heather Anne Brody, age daughter of Douglas and Millie Brody, Overbrook Ave., Dallas, was recently chosen Pennsylvania’s Little Miss at’ a pageant held in Essington. Heather was named Most Photogenic and won first place “in the party dress and sports- wear competitions. Bank mergers were all the rage in the business world. Wyoming National Bank was becoming Merchants Bank after combining with First State Bank. United Penn Bank was merging with Security Bank & Trust of Stroudsburg. Neither - bank name exists today. Only Yesterday is compiled from the” back-issue files of The Post. thepost@leader.net Two back Mountain Marines Patrick McHugh Ronaly Bartizek i PUBLISHER H ; Erika Calvert Post d rop box in Dal las News items, photos and other correspondence can be deposit ADVERTISING The building that housed The Post until October has been sold, there at any time. Please do not place cash or checks in the box, Pat O'Donnell and the drop off box there has been closed. A box at the Uni-Mart To assure that items reach us in time for publication, deposit PREPRESS MANAGER in Dallas, across from the Dallas Shopping Center, remains open. items before 8 a.m. Wednesdays. y i 4» aH ¥ \% q J
Significant historical Pennsylvania newspapers