Page 2 — SUSQUEHANNA BULLETIN Gloria Alice Fisher has become Gloria Fetter, the ‘weather Gloria Fetter at home near Eden with her boxer, Dutch. On October 31, 1947, a junior at East Donegal High School in Maytown was crowned Halloween Queen of Lancaster County. The pretty junior, Gloria Alice Fisher, lived in Florin on the south or East Donegal side of town and consequently attended the Maytown High School. Her family had moved to the area from York County only a couple years before, but Gloria had quickly become an outstanding student in Maytown. She was elected to National Honor Society in her junior year. She sang in the choir and glee club. She had dramatic ability and played leads in an operctta, and in the junior and senior plays. She played basketball and was sports editor of the school paper, The Beacon. Good Sutdent Although she made *“‘A’s”’ in her courses, she had no desire to go on to college. She was enrolled in the commercial course, and her great ambition was to be a secretary. Years later she would remember the in- struction she received in shorthand and office prac- tice from Miss Naomi Julius (now Mrs. Norman Houseal, Maytown). She would also remember the English she learned from Miss Grace Henderson (still a resident of Maytown). And she would rememer her best friend in high school, Betty Ann Blessing (now Mrs. John R. Stauffer, Mount Joy). Today, Gloria Fisher, the Lancaster County Halloween Queen of 1947, is better known to thousands of people in Lancaster and York Counties as Gloria Fetter, the ‘‘weather girl” who appears every Monday through Friday night around 11:23 on Channel 8, and tells us what kind of weather to expect the next day. Becoming a “weather girl’ How did the Halloween Queen become the regional “‘weather girl’’? Before she became a meterorological woman, Gloria had become a wife (Mrs. James R. Fetter) and a mother (children:Sharon, now a dramatics student at the University of California, and Michael, now in the Air Force in Michigan). Also, she had realized her early ambition, to be a secretary (working for Robert S. Mayo, civil engineer). girl’ It was the summer of 1962 and a friend with whom she drove to work told her that WGAL-TV was looking for a weather girl. Not really very interested in getting the job, but thinking it might be fun to apply, Gloria went for a tryout. 100 applicants As it happened, WGAL had already interviewed 100 women for the position, and Gloria got to the studios on the very last day the station saw any new applicants. She did rather well, mainly she says, because she was not deeply interest- ed in getting the job, and was consequently very re- laxed. Weeks went by, she heard nothing from WGAL, and decided she was out of the running. Then, in Septem- ber, the station called, asking her to come for another and final test. All but four of the hundred girls who had applied had been eliminated from considera- tion, and Gloria was among the four finalists. Executives from Bell Tel- ephone in Philadelphia were at the station to help in the final selections. She still didn’t think she wanted the job, and when she was told that she had been selected to be WGAL'’s weather girl, she told her new employers and sponsors that she didn’t want the position. That first night But she was prevailed on to accept their offer. For the next two months she studied and rehearsed in front of the cameras and with a tape recorder at home. She bought all the books she could on weather and immersed herself in the subject. On November 19, 1962, she appeared live for the first time as the weather girl on Channel 8's 11 o’clock news show. She had to learn every detail of the weather report that had come in at 10 o'clock, check the 11 o’clock report, put together her summary, arrange and pre- pare all the maps and charts to be shown, and then deliver her report without notes or prompter in a few minutes before the camera. Needless to say, when the little red light flashed on telling her she was ON— Gloria was nervous. Takes course It didn’t take her long, however, to learn to do her job smoothly and efficiently. Taking a course in meteoro- logy at Millersville State College gave her a solid background of knowledge . for her nightly reports to waiting farmers, vacation- ers, picnicers, ballplayers, housewives who wanted to hang out their wash the next day, etc.—on whether it would rain or shine the next day. Being a weather girl changed Gloria’s life con- siderably. Social life for her and her husband has been all but eliminated during the weekdays and must be crowded into weekends. In addition to foretelling the weather, Gloria is fashion coordinator for the Showcase of Fashions, which supplies her TV wardrobe. Her daily schedule is unlike most other people’s. Her whole day is geared toward those few minutes following 11:23p.m. when she presents the summary of all the radar and meteorological data she has carefully condensed and prepared. When she comes home around midnight, it takes her a couple hours to unwind. Rarely does she go to bed before 2 a.m. When she goes down- town, strangers recognize her, and take a second, third, fourth and so on looks. A woman once approach- ed Gloria and said, ‘‘You are—— ——— , aren’t you?" And Gloria replied, “Well, I think I am.” “We could have a cloudy day tomorrow." August 27, 1975 WILL YOU BE HAULING. A GANG OF KIDS AGAIN THIS YEAR? STOP NOW & HAVE YOUR § CAR CHECKED OUT Fog { SAFETY MILLERS | Mobil’ SERVICE 271 WEST MARKET STREET, MARIETTA 426-3430 Visit COLONIAL Donegal Mills Plantation Charming restored early American 18th Cen- tury community. Mansion house, Miller's house, herb garden, bake house, mill and petting corral with live animals. South of Mt. Joy on Rt. 141, Right on Musser Rd., first road left. Special Candlelight Tour Sunday before Labor Day - 7 p.m. to 10 p.m. — Open 6 days a week thru Oct. 13. So Daily Tours $ Tues. thru Sat. 10 a.m. to 4:30 ; i p.m. Sun: 1 to 5 p.m. Closed Mondays except National Holi- days. No answer call “+” 717/653-1331 Phone: 717/653-2168 SUSQUEHANNA BULLETIN SHARP’S DISTRIBUTORS Beer & Ale Porter & Soft Drinks 10 Decatur St., Marietta — 426-3918 LANCASTER COUNTY FARM DINER YMORGASBORD 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. BANQUET FACILITIES Phone 717-367-6956 . R* 230 1 Mile Fast of Flizabethtown Pa. EMERGENCY EMERGENCY MEDICAL CALLS MEDICAL SERVICES Saturday Afternoon Available Day & Night and Sunday COLUMBIA HOSPITAL Norlanco Health Center 7th & Poplar (Mount Joy Area Only) (Emergency Entrance) Susquehanna Times & The Mount Joy Bulletin Box 75A, R. D. 1, Marietta, Pa. 17547 Published weekly on Wednesday except 4th of July and Christmas week (50 issues per year) Publisher - Nancy H. Bromer, 426-2212 or 426-1707 Advertising Mgr. Nancy Bromer, 426-2212 News Editor Hazel Baker, 426-3643 Circulation Mgr. Judy Swab, 426-3159 Advertising Rates Upon Request Entered at the post office in Marietta, Pa., as second class mail under the Act of March 3, 1879. Subscrintion Rate: $4 per year Vol 75 No. 32 August 6, i Aug: An pe fair: last and rais ple Edi rais dyst Li ner fish toss mul ger, Whi soft gam dist: priz Mat New
Significant historical Pennsylvania newspapers