Page 20--SUSQUEHANNA BULLETIN
The Story of Emmy Lou Foley
The time: October, 1960.
The place: Mount Joy, Pa.
A five-year-old girl is
playing happily with her ball
in front of her house.
The ball rolls out into the
street in front of an oncoming
car. The little girl is intent
only on retrieving her ball
and runs out into the street
after it - and suddenly her
life and the lives of her
family are altered.
For thirty-five days she is
unconscious, lingering be-
tween life and death, while
her family keeps an anguish-
ed vigil in the hospital.
At last, they learn that
their little girl will live, but
her brain has been severely
damaged, her pituitary gland
crushed.
They are told that their
daughter must learn all over
again to walk and talk and do
all the simple activities of
everyday living.
Thus begins a story of
frustration, courage, toil,
faith, and love - and. with
ups and downs, the slow
rebuilding of a human life,
the life of Emmy Lou Foley,
daughter of Mr. and Mrs.
Warren H. Foley.
From the time of the
accident the Foleys had the
unflagging help and counsel
of Dr. Laurence J. Adams,
Lancaster neurologist. He
was a tower of strength with
his down-to-earth, no-non-
sense realism.
The Foleys were deter-
mined that their little girl
should lead as full and
normal a life as possible and
not be cut off from the
mainstream of life with other
people. She received therapy
to help her physical co-
ordination at the Elizabeth-
town Home for Children, but
started public school with her
peers in Mount Joy. It was
difficult for her to keep up
with the other children, and
often she would come home
exhausted and dejected.
Then the Foleys received
help from Dr. June Smith,
county school psychologist.
Dr. Smith, unlike some
educators, agreed with the
Foleys that Emmy Lou would
benefit most by continuing in
public school with other
children, instead of attend-
ing a special school for
exceptional children.
Dr. Smith recommended
that the Foleys get a special
tutor for Emmy Lou to help
her in her regular school
studies.
(Based on her experience
with Emmy Lou, Dr. Smith
later set up similar programs
for other children.)
A very significant person
entered Emmy Lou’s life,
Jeannette (Mrs. Warren L.)
Hayman. Mrs. Hayman had
once taught at the Devereaux
School for exceptional child-
ren near Philadelphia, and
agreed to be Emmy Lou's
tutor.
-
OLUNT JOY
ERCHANTS
SSOCIATION
The Mount Joy Merchants
Association, which is spon-
soring a Spring Bonanza
city—wide sale this week-
end, got it's start in 1971.
That is when Al Newlin,
Claire Mummau, Arthur
Hostetter and Walter Sloan
decided that it would be of
mutual benefit for all local
merchants to coordinate their
efforts. _
With Al N ewlin as their
first president, the organiza-
tion started off in a format
that is still their yearly
procedure
The group meets monthly
for luncheon discussions of
common problems, and ar-
rangements for their 3or 4
yearly promotions. The
promotions offer their cus-
tomers special bargains, free
parking and big prizes.
The merchants also
arrange for free parking
during the Christmans shop-
ping season.
The merchants monthly
meetings are not all busi-
ness. Once a year they throw
a big bash and invite their
mates to a festive party.
Carolyn Sloan is 1975
president of the Merchants
Association. Al Newlin,
Claire Mummau and Don
Yingst are past presidents.
The following local busi-
nesses are current members:
Central Hotel, Coleman’s
Creamery, Dauphin Deposit,
Greer Jewelry Store, Jack
Horner Shoes, Hostetter
Dining Service, J.B. Hostet-
ter and Sons, Inc., Hostetter
Hardware, Inc., Hy—Lo,
Kinsey Arrow Shop.
Koser Jewelry Store, Lea-
man Tire Co., Lincoln Res-
taurant, McComsey’s Sport-
ing Goods, Martin S and 10,
Merchandiser, Mount Joy
Restautant, Mummau Fire-
ston, G. C. Murphey, Myer’s
Gift Shop.
National Central, Newlin’s
Interiors, Orange Owl, Les-
ter Roberts and Son. Rutts
Appliance, Sloan's Pharm-
acy , Sipling's Pet
Shop , Stehman’s IGA
Susquehanna Bulletin, Tas-
tee Freeze.
Union National Bank,
Wissler’s Motors, Western
Auto, Yingst Auto Sales.
/
Emmy Lou Foley
There were obstacles to be
overcome, however. The
public schools with their
standardized program for the
mass of children were not
geared to the needs of the
unusual child. A room had to
be set aside in the school in
which Jeannette Hayman
could tutor Emmy Lou.
Almost immediately,
Emmy Lou’s schoolwork
picked up.
She had learned about the
story of Helen Keller, who
was both blind and deaf, but
learned from the finger of
Anne Sullivan writing in the
palm of Helen’s hand how to
communicate with other
people. Helen Keller became
one of the most sensitive
persons the world has ever
known. She also became an
inspiration to Emmy Lou
Foley.
In some ways, Jeannette
Hayman played the role of
Emmy Lou’s Anne Sullivan.
There were others in the
Donegal schools, like Mary
Margaret Perraro, who gave
Emmy Lou a strong helping
hand. Mrs. Perraro will
never forget the day Emmy
Lou stood up and gave her
scheduled speech to the class
in her well measured words.
Her subject was ‘Helen
Keller,” and it was one of the
most moving speeches the
class had ever heard.
In her freshman year at
Donegal High School Emmy
Lou made the ‘B’ honor roll,
and when she was graduated
in May, 1974, she received
the Jeffrey L. Haines award
for outstanding achievment.
Last month she started
working at the Mount Joy
Library, successor to Robert
D. Schenck, Jr., who resign-
ed prior to moving to Florida.
Someone said lately that
Emmy Lou’s life is ‘a real
success story.” There were
lots of people who contribut-
ed to this success, including
a group of Mount Joy ladies
who prayed for her at their
weekly meetings. Most of all,
of course, there were her
parents, whom Emmy Lou
describes as ‘unique, be-
cause of their patience and
understanding.’
Acknowledging and grate-
ful for all the professional
and friendly help he and his
wife have received, Emmy
Lou’s father makes a strong
point, however. In the last
analysis, he says:'Emmy
made it on her own with her
determination and desire.’
It is Emmy Lou’s own
indomitable spirit that has
seen her through her ordeal.
‘I'm tough and opinionated,’
she says. She also has a very
good sense of humor, Jean-
nette Hayman says, to help
see her through the harder
times.
Emmy Lou smiles at you,
and her smile cuts through to
a core you didn’t know you
had and melts something
there with love.
We all have a lesson to
learn from Emmy Lou, a
lesson of courage, hope,
love.
She reminds us that we are
all a little handicapped, in
one way or another. She also
reminds us that lurking
somewhere within us we
have a determination to
make something of our lives,
despite our handicaps.
Let us learn from Emmy
Lou Foley how to make the
most of our lives.
May 14, 1975
Duke awards Schock
Memorial Trophy Sat.
by Barbara Landis
The photo below shows
Mr. Jere Duke, chairman of
the Athletic Council, pre-
senting the Clarence Schock
Memorial Trophy to the
Hempfield Girl’s Track
Team. This is the first year a
team trophy was presented
at the county meet and a
traveling trophy, to be
kept by the first team to win
it three times consecutively,
was created in honor of Mr.
Clarence Schock whose gen-
erosity made possible the
building of Donegal’s all
weather track.
Donegal’s track served as
the meeting place for the
Lancaster—Lebanon girl’s
track teams. This rendez-
vous resulted in the best
county meet ever held in this
area. Donegal’s heroine for
the day was Pam ‘Butch’
Kolp who threw the javelin
103 ft. 11 in. to set a school
record and earn the bronze
medal. The joint meet
started with time trials in the
80 yd. hurdles, 100 yd. dash,
and the 220 yd. dash.
Following was the mile run in
which Donegal’s Joan de
Vitry again set a record of 5
min. 48 sec. breaking a
record set only last Thurs-
day. The winner of the mile
ran an amazing Smin. 19 sec.
to set a meet record by nearly
30 sec. Also, in the morning,
the field events were held.
The high jump record of S ft.
1 in. fell to a jump of S ft. 4
in. while the shotput record
also fell. Marcia Weidman
fin ished a very commend-
able 7th in the league in this
event. Records which will
probably stand for quite a
while were established in
both the discus and the
javelin since they are new
events this year. Due to a
four place tie it was
necessary to have a run off to
determine the qualifier for
the 100 yd. dash finals. The
440 yd. relay record was
broken by a strong Hemp-
field team. Donegal, how-
ever, was unable to complete
the race as Helen DeJesus
took a bad fall due to a faulty
spike. In the spill, Helen was
very fortunately unhurt. The
440 yd dash record was
destroyed by Brubacker of
Elizabethtown as the first
three finishers broke 1 min.
Eleven sec. flat was the
astonishing run of the 80 yd.
hurdles. Perhaps the best
race of the day was the final
of the 100 yd. dash in which
Wickenheiser of Hempfield
shocked the crowd by racing
without starting blocks and
finishing the race in 11.2 sec.
and breaking the record of
12.0 sec. The records for the
880 yd. relay and the 880 yd
sprint medley relay were
both demolished by the Black
Knights of Hempfield. The
team of Meszaros, Parker,
Derr, and DeJesus again set
a school record for Donegal
in the 880 yd. relay. In the
880 yd. run Norma Heisey
who just finished a winning
streak of 3 races and Helene
Dalkewicz who is within 3
sec. of the school record
recorded excellent times.
The record was broken in the
220 yd. dash as the Hemp-
field girl nipped Manheim
Central’s girl at the string.
Throughout the day, the
meet which was run by
Coach Prowell went smoothly
and according to schedule.
Afterwards gold, silver, and
bronze medals were given to
first, second and third place
finishers and the team trophy
standing almost 3 ft. high
was presented. The weather
throughout the meet was
absolutely beautiful as evi-
denced by the sunburned
participants. Donegal’s re-
slite track with its spongy
quality was extremely fast as
the meet record for 13 of the
14 events fell.
Jere Duke and Hempfield tri-captans