Vol. 124 No. 41
THE BACK MOUNTAIN'S NEWSPAPER SINCE 1889
December 15-21, 2013
he
IATT AS POST =
WILKES-BARRE, PA.
WWW.MYDALLASPOST.COM
AN EDITION OF THE TIMES LEADER
Remembering Kevin
Statue honors
memory of
H-year-old
SUSAN DENNEY
Dallas Post Correspondent
It was a time for smiles
and a time for tears. A large
group of family and friends
@ in the Children’s
oom at the Back Mountain
ibrary on Dec. 4 for the
unveiling of a statue in
honor of Kevin Miller who
died last December at age 5
in a tragic accident.
Kevin was a student at
I'm Big Now, a preschool
and kindergarten in Dallas.
After his death, many
people associated with the
school wanted to honor
the boy who was known for
his sweet smile and love of
singing.
“We were inundated
with requests,” said Lisa
Wallace, co-owner of the
school and preschool
teacher there. She and co-
owner Linda Fritzges had
to decide what to do with
the funds.
“The first place we
thought of was the library,”
Wallace said. “It was the
perfect place.”
Wallace and Fritzges
decided to leave the deci-
he following children’s families at I'm
Big Now contributed to the statue in
memory of Kevin Miller: Erika Doran, Jack
Leandri, Kyla Kon, Lily Velez, Natalie Joseph,
Juliana Konnick, Luke Nicolai, Lauren
Capece, Gregory Preate, Carlee Fitch, Ernie
Priebe, Logan Valkenburg, James Gibbons,
Sophia Strazdus, Amanda Battin, Cassie
Alaimo, Jacob Bryk and Ava Magdalinski. The
Memorial Library.
sion about how to honor
Kevin in the hands of
Back Mountain Library
Director Martha Butler and
Children’s Librarian Janet
Bauman.
Bauman said they
thought about books first
following staff members at the school also
contributed: Mrs. Linda Fritzges, Mrs. Lisa
Wallace, Mrs. Cornelia Romanowski and Mrs.
Paulette Moran.
The following members of Kevin Miller's
family were able to attend the ceremony:
Dr. Stephen and Attorney Caroline Miller,
Kevin's parents; Christopher and Stephen,
his brothers; Theresa Prebola, maternal
BILL TARUTIS | FOR THE DALLAS POST
The bronze Kevin Miller statue, sculpted by Randolph Rose, will be on permanent display in the children’s section of the Back Mountain
but realize that books wear
out. “We saw this statue
and thought it would be an
everlasting memorial.”
“The statue is perma-
nent,” she added, “and its
home will be ‘the fireplace’
in the Children’s Room.”
grandmother; and Dr. James and Frances
Miller, paternal grandparents. The following
aunts and uncles also attended: Thomas and
Lynn Prebola and their children, Joshua and
Gingerbread contest
about more than sweets
& -amily-friendly
event patterned
afteronein N.J.
SARAH HITE
Dallas Post Correspondent
Back Mountain families
showed off their sweet
skills while getting into
the holiday spirit dur-
ing the Gate of Heaven
Church Christmas
Festival and Gingerbread
House Contest on Dec. 7
at the parish.
About 20 entries were
displayed, with candy-
coated construction
products ranging from
classic gingerbread walls
and roofs to marshmal-
low chimneys to icing
wreaths.
The contest was open
to the entire community,
@: just members of the
eR : i
Yoarish, said organizer
Carol Carroll.
Festival coordinator
Carol Yezilski, of Dallas,
was inspired to create a
family-friendly gathering
after attending a simi-
lar event in New Jersey,
where her daughter lives.
“They’ve been doing
it for the past 18 years,
and it’s the first week
of December,” she said.
“They have 200 houses
at the gingerbread house
contest.”
Yezilski makes a gin-
gerbread house with her
BILL TARUTIS | FOR THE DALLAS POST
Scott Field. 13, of Noxen, shows off his gingerbread house at Gate
of Heaven School.
family for the contest and
feels the event is about
more than fashioning a
house out of sweet treats.
“lI enjoy the bonding
with family,” she said.
Scott Field, 13, of
Noxen, and his fam-
ily baked the gingerbread
they used for walls and a
roof from scratch.
“We wanted to it to
look like a cabin in the
woods,” he said.
The structure was sur-
rounded by pointed ice
cream cones covered in
green-tinged frosting to
simulate a tree-heavy
spot in the forest. Field
said the lake, made from
colored candy sticks, was
a little trickier to make.
“We took hard candy
and crushed it and melt-
ed it in the oven,” he said.
“We had to use quite a
Shepherd Ryan Michaels, 6,
left, of Dallas, angel Melanie
Selner, 9, and little drummer
girl Jillian Selner, 6, both of
Shavertown, try out manger
scene costumes.
The Gate of Heaven Handbell Choir performs Jingle Bells under
the direction of Anthony J. Kubasek.
bit. We used foil to create
the shape of the lake.”
Field said his family has
made gingerbread houses
from store-bought kits in
the past, but making this
one from scratch, though
a bit more difficult, had
its benefits.
“We do get to eat
them,” said Field.
“Some of the ones
from the kits taste bad,
depending on the kit.”
See SWEETS | 4
Juliette; Kristin Sassi and children, Jonathan,
Tyler and Katelyn; Dr. John and Lisa Miller
and children, John and Eric; Randy and
Christine Lisman, and children Janice, Alan
and Andrew; and cousin Megan Miller.
Kevin Miller's parents, Dr. Stephen and Atty. Caroline Miller, try to
hold back tears as they listen to the statue presentation.
I'm Big Now Learning Center co-owner Linda Fritzges presents the
Kevin Miller statue to Dr. Stephen and Caroline Miller and to the
Back Mountain Memorial Library.
The spot is not a true
fireplace but a shelf on a
brick wall in a prominent
place in the room. Bauman
also pointed out a wall
display of felt dinosaurs
in the room which was
donated by the Christine
and Randy Lisman fam-
ily in Kevin's memory.
During the brief cer
emony, Fritzges told the
assembled group that
Kevin was “near and dear
to a lot of people’s hearts.”
She read the inscription
See KEVIN | 4
BILL TARUTIS | FOR THE DALLAS POST
Daddow-Isaacs American Legion Post 672 50- and 60-year members honored at the Pearl Harbor Day
remembrance breakfast are, from left, first row, Len Groboski, 56 years; Bucky O'Neill, 61 years. Back
row: Carl Moyer, 57 years; Herbert Dreher, 58 years; and William Wallo, 51 years, all of Dallas.
Legion remembers Pearl
Harbor, honors members
Large group of
veterans reflects
on Dec. 7 1941
SUSAN DENNEY
Dallas Post Correspondent
For most Americans
the events of Sept. 11,
2001 stand out in their
memory as the most
tragic day for America.
But those who remember
Dec. 7, 1941 know the
consequences of that day
were far greater.
Members of the
Daddow-Isaacs American
Legion Post 672 gathered
on Dec. 7 to remember
those who died when the
Imperial Japanese Navy
bombed Pearl Harbor. A
few had memories of the
actual day.
In spite of icy weather,
a large group of veterans
honored the day with a
short service, a break-
fast and a recognition of
Legionnaires who have
been members of the post
for 50 years or more.
At the beginning of
the program, post histo-
rian Clarence Michael, of
Dallas, led the in singing
of “God Bless America.”
A surprising number of
those in attendance knew
the words and joined him
in singing the less-known
song, “Remember Pearl
Harbor.”
The Rev. Bill Lewis is
chaplain of the post. A
retired military chaplain
living in Dallas, he spoke
to the group about Pearl
Harbor and its signifi
cance.
“God bless you all who
still remember,” Lewis
said, encouraging mem-
bers to share their his-
tories. “Tell your stories
and pass on to the next
generation the spirit you
have.”
James “Bucky” O’Neil,
of Dallas, who has been
a member of the post for
61 years, was one of the
members honored.
O'Neil was a mem-
ber of the Marine Corps
and served from 1949 to
1962. He said he made
staff sergeant in one
and a half years because
he was already serving
when the Korean War
broke out. He was a cook
and then a chief cook
See HARBOR | 5
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