PAGE 4 THE POST EDITORIAL Sunday, July 23, 2006 TO THE EDITOR Lehman fire company blessing to community Editor’s note: The following letter was written to Lehman Town- ship Volunteer Fire Co. Chief Dennis Bonning. The author of the letter, Jerry Shilanski, has asked for it to be published in The Post. Dear Chief Bonning, During the early hours of Thursday, June 29, 2006, I realized the water in my cellar was rising and the rain was not slowing. My sump pump was not capable of discarding the water and my hot water heater, washer and dryer and furnace were in danger of being inundated. Not knowing what to do, I called 911. They asked only, would I incur property damage. When I said, “Yes” the dispatcher told me not to worry; he would get someone out to my house. Within 10 minutes, Chief Bonning was at my door. He accessed the situation and called in a unit with a pump. Within another 10 minutes, the truck was at my house and the pump was set up with a hose through my cellar window. By 2:30 a.m., most of the water was out of my cellar and my appliances were saved. I especially want to commend a young man named Josh Simms, who manned the hose and waded into the water without any hesitation. I understand Josh is a recent gradu- ate from Lake-Lehman High School. He is a credit to his school and his community. I know your fire company was on duty throughout the night and helped several other area residents. We are fortunate to have such dedicated and capable people serving our community. I don’t think I could have hired or bought the kind of service you and your crew provided. I sincerely thank you. Please accept the enclosed check as a donation to the fire compa- ny. It is merely a token of my respect and appreciation. However, it in no way represents the value of your dedication and service. Thankfully, Jerry Shilanski Outlet Road MOMENTS IN TIME The History Channel * On July 25,1894, actor Walter Brennan is born. Brennan worked in vaudeville before World War |, then headed to Hollywood after the war. He became the first actor ever to win three Academy Awards, for “Come and Get It" (1936), “Kentucky” (1938) and “The Westerner” (1940). ® On July 24,1901, William Sydney Porter, otherwise known as O. Henry, is released from prison after serving three years for embez- zlement from a bank in Austin, Texas. Porter began writing stories to support his young daughter while he was in prison. He specialized in stories about everyday people, often ending with an unexpected twist, as in “Gift of the Magi.” ® On July 28,1932, during the Great Depression, President Herbert Hoover orders the U.S. Army to evict thousands of Bonus Marchers from the nation’s capital. An estimated 20,000 marchers had as- sembled in Washington to cash in their World War | veterans’ bonus certificates. The camps were set on fire, and the veterans were dri- ven from the city. * On July 26,1942, actor Gene Autry is sworn in to the Army Air Corps during his radio show, “Gene Autry’s Melody Ranch.” He served as an officer until 1945, when he resumed his show, which ran until 1956. * On July 27,1974, Russian ballet dancer Mikhail Baryshnikov makes his U.S. debut in a performance of “Giselle” with the American Ballet Theater in New York. The dancer had defected from the Soviet Union while on tour in Canada earlier in the year. * On July 29,198], nearly 1billion television viewers in 74 countries tune in to witness the marriage of Prince Charles, heir to the British throne, to Lady Diana Spencer, a young English schoolteacher. The marriage ended in divorce in 1996. ® On July 30,1994, Jesse Timmendequas is charged with the murder of 7-year-old Megan Kanka in New Jersey. Kanka's death inspired Megan's Law, a statute enacted in 1994 requiring that in- formation about convicted sex felons be available to the public. (c) 2006 King Features Synd., Inc. STRANGE BUT TRUE King Features Syndicate * In a masterpiece of understatement, at the end of World War II, after the cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki had been destroyed by atomic bombs, Japanese Emperor Hirohito commented, “The war situation has developed not necessarily to Japan's advantage.” ¢ Salt Lake City, Utah, gets a higher average annual snowfall than Fairbanks, Alaska. * America’s first motel (a word, by the way, that was derived by combining the words “motor” and hotel") opened in 1925 in San Luis Obispo, Calif. The cost? Not quite $3 per day. As a sign of how times change, consider this: In 2004, the average cost of a motel/ hotel room was $86.24 per day. * |f you were a tourist in ancient Rome, you could rent a chariot to do your sightseeing. * Here's a rather depressing factoid for you: If you're like the aver- age American, you waste approximately one hour every single day just waiting - standing in elevators, sitting traffic, waiting in lines and on and on and on... * Poor Arvo Nikula was killed by an occupational hazard that most people don't consider. After a normal labor and delivery, the Finnish obstetrician was holding the newborn upside down when it kicked him in the temple. The infant must have been pretty strong; the kick triggered a hemorrhage in Dr. Nikula that proved to be fatal. * Thanks to their usefulness in scientific research, more is known about fruit flies than about any other species in the world. ® Tour guides in the area claim that the town of Chicken, Alaska, was so named because none of the locals could spell “ptarmigan.” ® 00 Thought for the Day: “Whatever women do they must do twice as well as men to be thought half as good. Luckily, this is not difficult.” - Charlotte Whitten THE POST TIMES®LEADER Community Newspaper Group 15 N. Main St., Wilkes-Barre, Pa. 18711 ® 570-675-5211 thepost@leader.net \ Patrick McHugh PUBLISHER David C. Konopki EDITOR Erika Calvert ADVERTISING FOR THE POST/CHARLOTTE BARTIZEK ome moments are not best filled with toys or tricks or fey homes. Some moments are best filled by time enough to listen to the S unending and gentle waves and the occasional splash of water on bare feet. Such moments are special, and too infrequent. Memorial books added to Back Mountain Library's collection The following memorial books were donated to the Back Mountain Memorial Library. For information about donating a book in someone’s memory or honor, call 675-1182. In memory of Paul A. Priebe, Jr.: “Luzerne County: history of the people and culture” byDr. Paul J. Zbiek, presented by Nan- cy L. White In memory of Paul A. Priebe, Jr..”Chrysler, Dodge and Ply- mouth Muscle” by Anthony Young, presented by Nancy L. White In memory of Hazel Wink: “The Women’s Guide to Lower Scores” by Kellie Stenzel, pre- sented by The Lehman Ladies Golf League In memory of Emma Jean Gil- ligan: “Clarice Bean Spells Trou- ble” by Lauren Child, presented by Greg and Diane Pocono In memory of Mrs. Bernard Harned: “Birds of Pennsylvania” by Franklin C. Hass, presented by Jim Snyder In memory of Keith Ian Ander- son Davison: “The Journey: how to live by faith in an uncertain world” by Billy Graham, present- ed by Elizabeth Chamberlain In memory of Penny Simpson: “Katz on Dogs” by Jon Katz, pre- sented by Jack and Gigi Wolen- sky In memory of Nancy Daileda: “Thriller: stories to keep you up all night” edited by James Patter- son, presented by Gregg Daileda and Julie Grob In memory of Dr. Christopher Molley: “The 360 Degree Lead- er” by John C. Maxwell, present- ed by Margaret Cable In memory of Emma Jean Gil- ligan: “Ivy and Bean” by Annie Barrows, presented by Greg and Diane Pocono In memory of Donna Plank: “The Spirit of Gardening” by Nancy Mair, presented by Dr. and Mrs. Glenn Weaver In memory of Donna Plank: “Jerry Baker's Year-Round Bloomers” by Jerry Baker, pre- sented by Dr. and Mrs. Glenn Weaver In memory of Jason Brown: “John Muir: America’s first envi- ronmentalist” by Kathryn Lasky, presented by the Mark Milling- ton family In memory of Jason Brown: “An Egg is Quiet” by Dianna A: ton, presented by the Mark lington family In memory of Maria Therese Alexander on your 7th birthday: “Cookies: bite-size life lessons” by Amy Rosenthal, presented by Dad, Mom, and brother Scott 70 Years Ago July 24,1936 STULL NATIVES READY TO RETURN The friendly spirits that pop- ulate this section’s “deserted village” will . walk again on Satur- day, August 2 when for- mer resi dents of Stull, a famous lumbering center at the turn of he century, return to the tiny settlement along Bowman's Creek. The community was named for Adam Stull, who was associ- ated with the Albert Lewis Lum- ber Company when lumbering, was the chief industry in this sec- tion and sawmills dotted nearly every stream. ONLY YESTERDAY The long-expected shuffling of Dallas Borough School Dis- trict’s faculty, looked for in fulfill- ment of the new majority’s pro- fessed intention of creating a staff free from political influen- ces, came on Wednesday night when the directors dropped two teachers, re-elected two and named three new appointees. Ronald Doll, son of Mr. and Mrs. E. Stanley Doll of Dallas, whose appointment was the cen- ter of a raging controversy last year, and Miss Emily Hill, a teacher here for nine years, were the two dropped teachers. Two teachers, Cornelia Davis, first grade, and Ernest Line, athletic coach, were re-elected. The new teachers named are Charlotte Hilderbrant daughter of Mr. and Mrs. John Hilderbrant of Meeker; Betty Culbert, daugh- ter of Mr. and Mrs. A. S. Culbert of Dallas; and William Brickel, son of Mr. and Mrs. R. L. Brickel of Dallas. 60 Years Ago July 26, 1936 KINGSTON TWP. SCHOOLS TO RECEIVE FACELIFTS In line with its policy of raising the educational standards and at the same time improving the physical property of the district, the Kingston Township School Board has embarked on a pro- gram that will see all buildings improved and refreshed and sev- eral new faces on the faculty when school opens this fall. The board has issued a call for bids on improvements to the grounds at Shavertown and Trucksville Grade School Build- ings. As now planned, grounds at Shavertown building will be scraped, graded and rolled and the area in front of the building will be paved. The building will also be painted. The WPA last painted this building in 1936. Playing top-notch baseball, the Dallas Legionaires defeated Mehoopany on Sunday by a score of 13-0. Ace of the game was Chet Sutton who pitched a beautiful game, only to be robbed of the opportunity in the fifth inning to make it a no-hit, no-run contest. Chet struck out 11 Mehoopany batters allowing no one to get beyond first base. He walked no one, allowed one hit and hit one batter. The latter two batters were the only ones to reach first base. 50 Years Ago July 27, 1956 DALLAS LIONS CLUB TO PERFORM AT THEATER The Dallas Lions Club will sponsor a performance at the Dallas Outdoor Theatre on Au- gust 8, featuring a picture for the entire family. Between the shows, a number of door prizes will be given away. Dallas Lions Night is for the benefit of sight- saving for school children. During the past five years the Dallas Lions club, formerly Old Toll Gate Lions Club, has coop- erated with school nurses in car- ing for the sight of school chil- dren of the area. Forty pairs of glasses have been furnished, plus treatment toward off wear- ing of glasses in other instances. The teenage league will put on two games this afternoon, at 2:30 and 6 p.m. as preliminary to the opening of the Anthracite Agricultural Fair at Dallas-Fran- . klin-Monroe Township High School on Friday and Saturday evenings. The American Legion game will be played Saturday at ~ 2:30 p.m. Tonight, festivities will begin at 7:30, with a square dance. Bill Cobleigh will be the caller, while Atlee Kocher and Cecil Moore will furnish music. Promptly at 8 p.m. Back Mountain children under direction of Kathleen Sweeney will present a program. 40 Years Ago July 28, 1966 JOPLIN FAMILY LOSES ALL IN FIRE A family of two adults and five children lost their home at Meeker in a devastating fire on July 8. Lost also ware all the fur- nishings except a new refrigera- tor, and all family clothing. The Joplins must now start from scratch. Present intentions are to build on the original foun- dations, on an expanded floor- plan to permit a one-story struc- ture. Daniel C. Roberts Fire Compa- ny, Harveys Lake, is all set for their big festival next week. Jim McCaffrey, chairman, reports all plans completed with many ex- pected to attend the ham supper at the Lutheran Church at Old Sandy Bottom on the opening evening of the fair. A big color TV set will be awarded to some one among the lucky ticket hold- ers and the Ladies Auxiliary will furnish homemade treats. A rash of accidents in the Back Mountain sent ten victims to the hospital within the past six days. The first accident occurred in Harveys Lake. 30 Years Ago July 29, 1976 EMERGENCY PERSONNEL APPEAL FOR FUNDS Residents of the Dallas area will be receiving an important piece of mail Thursday and Fri- day. It is a letter of appeal for funds from the Dallas Fire and Ambulance Inc. The annual let- ter and card enclosed with it is the only appeal by the corpora- tion to the community for funds to operate the volunteer fire and ambulance association through- out the year. Abraham George, an official of Wilkes-Barre post office, accom- panied by Robert Voelker, also of the Wilkes-Barre post office, ap- peared before Dallas Borough Council at the last Tuesday night’s meeting to ask councils opinion on a recommendation to include the Dallas Post Office a branch of the Wilkes- Post office for economy and per- sonnel efficiency. 20 Years Ago July 30, 1986 L-L BOARD VOTES TO FIRE ATHLETIC DIRECTOR “Politics make strange bedfel- lows” seems to be the case in the Lake-Lehman School District re- cently. In an unexpected turn of events at the June board meet- ing, the new majority voted down the re-appointment of Rodger Bearde as athletic direc- tor. Director Martin Noon moved to table the motion to re-appoint Bearde. despite the fact that Bearde was the sole applicant for the position he has held since 1982. Bing Wolfe seconded the motion. Noon then directed di trict Superintendent M. Da Preston to re-advertise the posi: tion within and outside the dis- trict. (Editors note: Bearde was later re-hired). Harveys Lake Borough coun- cil president Richard Boice read a complaint letter concerning garbage buildup in a borough resident’s yard at the councils regular monthly meeting last Tuesday. The correspondence, ad- dressed to council, expounded on the run-down appearance of a neighborhood residence. Jeanie Jones wrote council that the resi- dent’s yard looks like a “junk heap,” and fears that the proper- ty is becoming a health hazard. Jim Barral, zoning board official, told council he is aware of the problem and had asked the own: er to appear before the zoning board to face building code vio- lations on his property. Barral told council the owner neve showed up. Borough solicit: Thomas O'Connor told council to cite the owner for violations of borough ordinances and the building code violations. > y
Significant historical Pennsylvania newspapers