By Douglas Graves © 2008
The shelves are almost empty. The food in stock will sustain health but choices are very limited. The store is so small that only one family at a time can go in. Moveable food shelves compete with three, wheeled racks over-crammed with clothes. Twenty dollars is considered a substantial donation—no big corporate sponsors or government grants here. Still, the St. Stephen’s Food Pantry in Whitehall is doing good business.
Food Bank Director Karen Schell is also the Regional Sales Manager of the Equine Division for Straight Arrow Products. She is the kind of person who only sees the bright side of the situation—just as she sees only the gentler angels of human nature.
“St. Stephen’s [Episcopal Church] is kind enough to provide space, electricity and shelves,” she said. “The church members also provide volunteers, food and money to us.” The Food Pantry is in one of the rooms that the large church at 3900 Mechanicsville Road. “It’s a community effort. Next year we hope to get other churches to participate more.”
The numbers aren’t yet in for 2008, but the number of households served jumped from 525 in 2006 to 590 in 2007. Job loss, economic downturn, foreclosures and evictions are likely run that number up for 2008.
St. Stephen’s Episcopal Church’s Annual Report sums it up: “We serve Whitehall residents of all ages, races, and creeds. We are the only food pantry serving the area.”
Schell’s hope for more church involvement came to pass in a way for which she is grateful. “St. Paul’s Lutheran Church on Second Street just gave us a generous donation—they closed up shop but left us some money.” Schell didn’t want to reveal the amount but she was very happily calculating were the windfall could best be spent.
Other churches have helped mostly by “faithfully donating food and money,” said Schell. “They have kept us going when times were lean.” Some of those appreciated churches include Faith Evangelical Lutheran, St. John’s Evangelical Lutheran, St. John’s UCC, Shepherd of the Hills. Some civic organizations pitch in: Whitehall Township Woman’s Club and the Lion’s Club of Whitehall.
Schell is enthusiastic about the network of volunteers and organizations that keep this little operation going. “Whitehall Food Bank is very rich in volunteers but we are always short on food,” she said. “We have a wonderful group of people who work hours and hours. Young and old help out, [church] members and non-members—most have full-time jobs.”
These are the kinds of folks who probably know of the exhortation from Psalms 146: “How blessed is he . . . who gives food to the hungry.”
“Doreen Wagner comes every week with her 12-year old granddaughter Alycia Wagner and Alycia’s friends Mariah Lopez, Tamara Wesmann and CeCe Barona. Scott Heefner is an ‘every week’ regular. Donna Scott brings the bread from Weiss Market (they provide bread every week) and helps unload the food that Tom Steckel and Dave Heffernan pick up from Second Harvest every four to six weeks.”
It isn’t just the manual labor that keeps things going. “Carol Siegmund handles the checking and savings accounts,” said Schell. “Judy Kuntz, our church secretary, handles correspondence associated for the Food Bank.”
Some provide financial back-up for supplies that run short. “Karen and Marty Brynildsen help buy food when we fall short. For example, they bought enough pancake mix to cover [a shortage].”
This year the Food Bank added free clothing to their services. “Karen Brynildsen and Doreen Wagner started a clothing drive for the recipients for the food bank,” said Schell. “Marilyn Shive and Darlene Dimmick organize and distribute the clothing which is free to our recipients.”
Northampton High School senior Karrysa Herman her mother, Denise, come in on Monday nights to help distribute food. Other hard workers include Joe and Matthew Lathrop, John Rothschild, Charlie Robinson, Terry Daubet and Dottie Lesavoy. Beverly and Tom Donegal also help with their hard work..
The annual food drive conducted by postal workers get a special, emotional ‘thank you’ from Schell. “The postal workers are doing this on their own time—they’re also breaking their backs.” She pointed to a poster board with food-laden mail trucks and postal workers posing with their culinary collections from customers on their mail routes.
“Second Harvest faxes me a list of what is available and I can stock up.” The “available” list varies every week so there is no chance to keep a dependable supply of any particular brand. This week Schell ordered 10 cases of corned beef and 10 cases of meat balls with tomato sauce. Second Harvest provides 70 per cent of the food to the St. Stephen’s Episcopal Food Pantry.
Sometimes candy is available from her suppliers. The fiscally creative Schell once had what she thought was a great idea: take the candy, have church youth groups re-sell it at fund-raisers and use the money from the candy sales to buy hard-to-find staples to give out to the needy. But, no. Strictly against government rules. No selling of donated candy to buy something useful.
Other food donors include Nestlès who “is very generous” said Schell. The shelves have scatterings of Nestlès’ chocolate drink mix and other products.
Recently Boy Scout Zachary Wehr proposed an Eagle Scout project that he hopes will raise 6,000 pounds of food.
Schell is hoping for donations of the hard-to-find items: jelly, peanut butter, and canned tuna fish. She also needs a food freezer to replace one that is broken.
The Food Bank’s service is for Whitehall residents only who have a financial need. Each family gets one visit per month and should bring bags or boxes for their food. Call 610-262-1264 for an appointment but call only between 9 a. m. and 8 p. m. (It is a private home.)
Sunday, November 30, 2008
Sergeant Robert A. Bell, Shivering in an Ancient Battle Jacket . . .
By Douglas Graves © 2008
Marines mustered from all over the Valley on Monday, Nov. 10 at Cedar Beach Park on Hamilton Street in Allentown. The late afternoon wind swirled fallen leaves and chilled the stones of Marine Corps memorial set like sentinels over the fallen. The oldest Marine present was Dom Marciano who had served as a 60-millimeter mortar man with the Sixth Marine Division on Okinawa in 1945.
It was the 18th annual memorial service held at the monument set in a glade between Hamilton Street and Muhlenberg Lake near the 24th Street traffic signal. As the Marines and friends of Marines crowded in and around the eight tall stones that form the perimeter of the memorial, retired Master Gunnery Sergeant Carl J. Schroeder Jr. led the group in reciting the Pledge of Allegiance.
Most of the Marines wore elements of an old uniform or a Marine Corps League jacket and cap. Some wore baseball caps emblazoned with “Marines” or “Marine Corps.” Several were in business suits or blazers with lapel pins depicting medals earned long ago. Lance Corporal Jamie J. Williams of Allentown was wearing “biker” regalia with campaign ribbons. Regardless what they were wearing, the spirit of comradeship was evident.
Veterans of World War II, Korea, Vietnam, the first Gulf War and the current wars in Iraq and Afghanistan were all represented.
Sergeant Robert A. Bell, shivering in an ancient battle jacket and accompanied by his wife, Nora, rendered a crooked fingered salute for his flag and brought his arthritic hands together in noiseless applause as leaders stepped from the ranks to speak to the group. Bell, now in an assisted living home, had served his country from 1945 to 1951.
Retired Hospitalman First Class Richard Bentley of Macungie wore the forest-green Marine Corps uniform authorized for Navy Corpsmen assigned to the Fleet Marine Force as medical personnel. One man approached him and thanked all corpsmen for being there when Marines are in tough spots.
Allentown Assistant Police Chief and former Marine David M. Howells, Jr. attended with his father who is a former Allentown Police Chief and Marine. Major Jim Robbins attended and gave a short speech to his comrades. Robbins, an Allen High School teacher and reserve Marine officer, was a detachment commander in the Iraq war.
Lehigh Court of Common Pleas Judge and Marine colonel Jim Anthony attended as did former Marine corporal Bill Derricott, a retired Parkland School District teacher.
Whitehall High School student Connor Purcell and his brother Corey, as a drum and fife duo, provided timeless martial tunes for the simple affair. Sergeant Howard J. Cooper of Wescosville read the birthday message sent in 1921 to Marines in all “posts and stations” by the thirteenth commandant of the Marine Corps, General John A. Lejuene a World War I general and revered figure to Marines.
The Marines finished the service by singing the Marines’ Hymn that ends with the refrain, “If the Army and Navy ever look on Heaven’s scenes, they will find the streets are guarded by United States Marines.”
Following the annual Marine Corps memorial service many in the group met for a cake-cutting at the VFW hall on Hamilton Street. The “youngest and oldest Marine” present were invited to be the first served from the celebratory cake.
This year the honor went to Marciano, the WW II veteran, and to Sergeant Howard Cooper, the youngest, at 42.
The celebration of the U. S. Marine Corps’ 233rd birthday was a simple event but the emotion that all Marines feel for this day is best understood by realizing that on every November 10, Marines around the world from generals to privates gather together in groups large and small to celebrate the day 1775 when the Marine Corps was first organized in Philadelphia. These celebrations may include lavish banquets with grand military balls or maybe just three dirty-faced men in a far away fighting hole sharing a cold ration, but, without fail, the Marine Corps Birthday is celebrated.
Marines mustered from all over the Valley on Monday, Nov. 10 at Cedar Beach Park on Hamilton Street in Allentown. The late afternoon wind swirled fallen leaves and chilled the stones of Marine Corps memorial set like sentinels over the fallen. The oldest Marine present was Dom Marciano who had served as a 60-millimeter mortar man with the Sixth Marine Division on Okinawa in 1945.
It was the 18th annual memorial service held at the monument set in a glade between Hamilton Street and Muhlenberg Lake near the 24th Street traffic signal. As the Marines and friends of Marines crowded in and around the eight tall stones that form the perimeter of the memorial, retired Master Gunnery Sergeant Carl J. Schroeder Jr. led the group in reciting the Pledge of Allegiance.
Most of the Marines wore elements of an old uniform or a Marine Corps League jacket and cap. Some wore baseball caps emblazoned with “Marines” or “Marine Corps.” Several were in business suits or blazers with lapel pins depicting medals earned long ago. Lance Corporal Jamie J. Williams of Allentown was wearing “biker” regalia with campaign ribbons. Regardless what they were wearing, the spirit of comradeship was evident.
Veterans of World War II, Korea, Vietnam, the first Gulf War and the current wars in Iraq and Afghanistan were all represented.
Sergeant Robert A. Bell, shivering in an ancient battle jacket and accompanied by his wife, Nora, rendered a crooked fingered salute for his flag and brought his arthritic hands together in noiseless applause as leaders stepped from the ranks to speak to the group. Bell, now in an assisted living home, had served his country from 1945 to 1951.
Retired Hospitalman First Class Richard Bentley of Macungie wore the forest-green Marine Corps uniform authorized for Navy Corpsmen assigned to the Fleet Marine Force as medical personnel. One man approached him and thanked all corpsmen for being there when Marines are in tough spots.
Allentown Assistant Police Chief and former Marine David M. Howells, Jr. attended with his father who is a former Allentown Police Chief and Marine. Major Jim Robbins attended and gave a short speech to his comrades. Robbins, an Allen High School teacher and reserve Marine officer, was a detachment commander in the Iraq war.
Lehigh Court of Common Pleas Judge and Marine colonel Jim Anthony attended as did former Marine corporal Bill Derricott, a retired Parkland School District teacher.
Whitehall High School student Connor Purcell and his brother Corey, as a drum and fife duo, provided timeless martial tunes for the simple affair. Sergeant Howard J. Cooper of Wescosville read the birthday message sent in 1921 to Marines in all “posts and stations” by the thirteenth commandant of the Marine Corps, General John A. Lejuene a World War I general and revered figure to Marines.
The Marines finished the service by singing the Marines’ Hymn that ends with the refrain, “If the Army and Navy ever look on Heaven’s scenes, they will find the streets are guarded by United States Marines.”
Following the annual Marine Corps memorial service many in the group met for a cake-cutting at the VFW hall on Hamilton Street. The “youngest and oldest Marine” present were invited to be the first served from the celebratory cake.
This year the honor went to Marciano, the WW II veteran, and to Sergeant Howard Cooper, the youngest, at 42.
The celebration of the U. S. Marine Corps’ 233rd birthday was a simple event but the emotion that all Marines feel for this day is best understood by realizing that on every November 10, Marines around the world from generals to privates gather together in groups large and small to celebrate the day 1775 when the Marine Corps was first organized in Philadelphia. These celebrations may include lavish banquets with grand military balls or maybe just three dirty-faced men in a far away fighting hole sharing a cold ration, but, without fail, the Marine Corps Birthday is celebrated.
Monday, September 29, 2008
“The French have gotten a bad rap in the U. S. They fought hard here and were brave soldiers.”
Douglas Graves © 2008
Originally published in VMI Alumni Review, 2008, Issue 3
Pre-conceptions about Europe started falling away almost as soon as the 20 VMI cadets landed in Paris. They were there on a week-long trip through some of the European battlefields with VMI history professor Dr. Malcolm “Kip” Muir. The trip was organized by Military Historical Tours (www.miltours.com) based in Alexandria, Virginia which specializes in taking clients to historical locations with knowledgeable historians.
The cadet’s first stop: Cantigny, France, a small village where, in May 1918, the American Army’s 1st Division--the “Big Red One--first met and defeated German forces.
It was at Cantigny that VMI graduate George C. Marshall, Class of 1901, first saw action.
The cadets got their boots muddy on these shell-cratered battlefields, exploring damp and broken bunkers, ruined forts and gun pits.
“In understanding war, there is no substitute for seeing the ground,” said Professor Muir. “The cadets [will] begin to appreciate that [World War I] was not a mere backdrop to World War II but that it represented a titanic struggle in its own right.”
The Aisne-Marne battlefield was the next objective. It is five miles northwest of Chateau-Thierry.
Local historian Gilles Lagin led the cadets through the Bois de la Brigade de Marine or, as U. S. Marines ever since WW I have known it, Belleau Wood.
Marine Corps Major General John A. Lejeune, superintendent of VMI from November 1929 until October 1937, commanded the Marines at Chateau-Thierry and Belleau Wood. He was the superintendent of VMI from November 1929 until October 1937. The forest, then blasted to splinters, has since recovered. It still conceals water-filled shell holes pock-marking the damp ground. At the wood’s edge, rock outcroppings and boulders shelter former machine gun nests and command rugged slopes where men grappled in close combat. Here VMI graduate and future 20th Commandant of the Marine Corps Lemuel C. Shepherd Jr. was twice wounded leading his 5th Marines platoon.
After a solemn visit to the Aisne-Marne American Cemetery, the curator opened the gates to a private estate. In the stable yard of long destroyed Chateau de Belleau, the maw of a bronze mastiff dog spits cold spring water into a shallow pool. Called by U. S. Marines the “Devil Dog Fountain,” it is reputed to add 10 years to any Marine who drinks the water. The future Marine lieutenants in the group—John Krahling of Stafford, Virginia, John Douglas of Birmingham, Alabama, Andrew Gay from Ridgeland, Mississippi and Mark Parton of Orlando, Florida--all had a good drink.
At Compiègne Forest the history students saw where Germany compelled France’s surrender during WW II. After a night on the town in Reims, they drove past the Porte de Mars, a Roman triumphal arch. The cadets spent a couple hours at Reims’ Notre Dame Cathedral. Built between 1211 and 1311, it is the traditional coronation site for the kings of France.
Reflecting on his first few days in France, Cadet Thomas Schirra, ’11 of Powatan, Virginia, said, “The French are lot nicer than you think. They are usually thought of by Americans as being ‘stuck up’ but they really are not. They love Americans.”
A few miles from Reims the men arrived at the Meuse-Argonne area, site of the last great battle of WW I; it is still broken by shell holes—clear testament to the tornado of steel that ravaged the men here. The Mercedes tour bus stopped next to a granite marker with an arrow pointing to the steep ravine--the “Lost Battalion.” Elements of the 1st and 2nd Battalions of the 308th Infantry Regiment heroically fought here during the Meuse-Argonne offensive. The cadets scrambled down the slope toward a small stream sparkling through the budding trees. Soon one was back, his hands full of battlefield treasure--corroded but recognizable, thirty-caliber brass cartridge casings and a lone .30 copper-jacketed slug.
Later, on their tour of the Argonne Mountains, Cadet John Douglas, with his father, Gilbert, stood at the foot of the massive memorial at Montfaucon. They had John’s great grandfather’s 78th Division shoulder patch, the Cross of Lorraine, brought back to the battlefield where doughboy Captain Gilbert Douglas served as a young Army doctor.
Not far from Montfaucon, the Ossuary of Douaumont commemorates the battle of Verdun in 1916. The bones resting beneath marble capstones have no names, but French widows and families paid to have the names of their missing men engraved on the interior walls and columns.
The group’s guide, Chantal, pointed out the name of her grandfather chiseled high up on the curving wall: Boissonard, Charles 28-7-85 -- 27-6-16. “The ossuary has an almost insane amount of bodies,” said Cadet Noah Scribner ’09 of Armonk, New York. “The artillery shrapnel made Verdun hell on earth. I have much more respect for the French military. They were fighting for four years--putting their husbands and sons through a meat grinder—they held on, fought and defended their homes.”
Cadet after cadet voiced this greater appreciation of the French during the trip.
“My attitude toward the French [military] has changed,” said Cadet Jesse Burnett ’08 from Marion, North Carolina after walking through the Verdun battlefields. “They fought very well—it’s a misconception we have that they didn’t fight. The French have gotten a bad rap in the U. S.,” he said. “They fought hard here and were brave soldiers.”
“I liked Fort Douaumont,” said Cadet Anthony “A. J.” Korbely ’10 from Armada, Michigan after exploring one of the massive French forts protecting Verdun. “It was very impressive to see how they had to fight. I have a new admiration for the French soldier.”
At the 50-acre American Cemetery in Luxembourg several cadets retired the American flags flying from twin flagpoles on each side of the grave site of General George Patton, Class of 1907. Five thousand, seventy six Americans are buried there, most of whom died during the Battle of the Bulge.
Muir’s cadets spent the next three nights in Bastogne, Belgium, their base for an extensive exploration of “Battle of the Bulge” battlefields. A Sherman tank, snow covered by a late spring storm, is proudly displayed on a downtown square. Several cadets reported that in different cafes and pubs they were told, “Your money is no good here. Your grandfathers saved our country. The beer is on us!”
The cadets went from the “dragon’s teeth” and casements of the Siegfried Line on the German frontier to the infamous site where Germans massacred American soldiers at Baugnez near Malmedy. The cadets and their history professor tramped through snowy forests, climbed down mossy stone steps and scrambled up hillsides.
The VMI cadets finished their European tour in Paris where they explored the city and enjoyed the night life.
Muir summed up the experience. “A significant goal was to give the cadets a close look at three of our NATO allies, France, Luxembourg, and Belgium; and to have the opportunity to interact with the peoples of those nations. All indications are that this goal was resoundingly met.”
Originally published in VMI Alumni Review, 2008, Issue 3
Pre-conceptions about Europe started falling away almost as soon as the 20 VMI cadets landed in Paris. They were there on a week-long trip through some of the European battlefields with VMI history professor Dr. Malcolm “Kip” Muir. The trip was organized by Military Historical Tours (www.miltours.com) based in Alexandria, Virginia which specializes in taking clients to historical locations with knowledgeable historians.
The cadet’s first stop: Cantigny, France, a small village where, in May 1918, the American Army’s 1st Division--the “Big Red One--first met and defeated German forces.
It was at Cantigny that VMI graduate George C. Marshall, Class of 1901, first saw action.
The cadets got their boots muddy on these shell-cratered battlefields, exploring damp and broken bunkers, ruined forts and gun pits.
“In understanding war, there is no substitute for seeing the ground,” said Professor Muir. “The cadets [will] begin to appreciate that [World War I] was not a mere backdrop to World War II but that it represented a titanic struggle in its own right.”
The Aisne-Marne battlefield was the next objective. It is five miles northwest of Chateau-Thierry.
Local historian Gilles Lagin led the cadets through the Bois de la Brigade de Marine or, as U. S. Marines ever since WW I have known it, Belleau Wood.
Marine Corps Major General John A. Lejeune, superintendent of VMI from November 1929 until October 1937, commanded the Marines at Chateau-Thierry and Belleau Wood. He was the superintendent of VMI from November 1929 until October 1937. The forest, then blasted to splinters, has since recovered. It still conceals water-filled shell holes pock-marking the damp ground. At the wood’s edge, rock outcroppings and boulders shelter former machine gun nests and command rugged slopes where men grappled in close combat. Here VMI graduate and future 20th Commandant of the Marine Corps Lemuel C. Shepherd Jr. was twice wounded leading his 5th Marines platoon.
After a solemn visit to the Aisne-Marne American Cemetery, the curator opened the gates to a private estate. In the stable yard of long destroyed Chateau de Belleau, the maw of a bronze mastiff dog spits cold spring water into a shallow pool. Called by U. S. Marines the “Devil Dog Fountain,” it is reputed to add 10 years to any Marine who drinks the water. The future Marine lieutenants in the group—John Krahling of Stafford, Virginia, John Douglas of Birmingham, Alabama, Andrew Gay from Ridgeland, Mississippi and Mark Parton of Orlando, Florida--all had a good drink.
At Compiègne Forest the history students saw where Germany compelled France’s surrender during WW II. After a night on the town in Reims, they drove past the Porte de Mars, a Roman triumphal arch. The cadets spent a couple hours at Reims’ Notre Dame Cathedral. Built between 1211 and 1311, it is the traditional coronation site for the kings of France.
Reflecting on his first few days in France, Cadet Thomas Schirra, ’11 of Powatan, Virginia, said, “The French are lot nicer than you think. They are usually thought of by Americans as being ‘stuck up’ but they really are not. They love Americans.”
A few miles from Reims the men arrived at the Meuse-Argonne area, site of the last great battle of WW I; it is still broken by shell holes—clear testament to the tornado of steel that ravaged the men here. The Mercedes tour bus stopped next to a granite marker with an arrow pointing to the steep ravine--the “Lost Battalion.” Elements of the 1st and 2nd Battalions of the 308th Infantry Regiment heroically fought here during the Meuse-Argonne offensive. The cadets scrambled down the slope toward a small stream sparkling through the budding trees. Soon one was back, his hands full of battlefield treasure--corroded but recognizable, thirty-caliber brass cartridge casings and a lone .30 copper-jacketed slug.
Later, on their tour of the Argonne Mountains, Cadet John Douglas, with his father, Gilbert, stood at the foot of the massive memorial at Montfaucon. They had John’s great grandfather’s 78th Division shoulder patch, the Cross of Lorraine, brought back to the battlefield where doughboy Captain Gilbert Douglas served as a young Army doctor.
Not far from Montfaucon, the Ossuary of Douaumont commemorates the battle of Verdun in 1916. The bones resting beneath marble capstones have no names, but French widows and families paid to have the names of their missing men engraved on the interior walls and columns.
The group’s guide, Chantal, pointed out the name of her grandfather chiseled high up on the curving wall: Boissonard, Charles 28-7-85 -- 27-6-16. “The ossuary has an almost insane amount of bodies,” said Cadet Noah Scribner ’09 of Armonk, New York. “The artillery shrapnel made Verdun hell on earth. I have much more respect for the French military. They were fighting for four years--putting their husbands and sons through a meat grinder—they held on, fought and defended their homes.”
Cadet after cadet voiced this greater appreciation of the French during the trip.
“My attitude toward the French [military] has changed,” said Cadet Jesse Burnett ’08 from Marion, North Carolina after walking through the Verdun battlefields. “They fought very well—it’s a misconception we have that they didn’t fight. The French have gotten a bad rap in the U. S.,” he said. “They fought hard here and were brave soldiers.”
“I liked Fort Douaumont,” said Cadet Anthony “A. J.” Korbely ’10 from Armada, Michigan after exploring one of the massive French forts protecting Verdun. “It was very impressive to see how they had to fight. I have a new admiration for the French soldier.”
At the 50-acre American Cemetery in Luxembourg several cadets retired the American flags flying from twin flagpoles on each side of the grave site of General George Patton, Class of 1907. Five thousand, seventy six Americans are buried there, most of whom died during the Battle of the Bulge.
Muir’s cadets spent the next three nights in Bastogne, Belgium, their base for an extensive exploration of “Battle of the Bulge” battlefields. A Sherman tank, snow covered by a late spring storm, is proudly displayed on a downtown square. Several cadets reported that in different cafes and pubs they were told, “Your money is no good here. Your grandfathers saved our country. The beer is on us!”
The cadets went from the “dragon’s teeth” and casements of the Siegfried Line on the German frontier to the infamous site where Germans massacred American soldiers at Baugnez near Malmedy. The cadets and their history professor tramped through snowy forests, climbed down mossy stone steps and scrambled up hillsides.
The VMI cadets finished their European tour in Paris where they explored the city and enjoyed the night life.
Muir summed up the experience. “A significant goal was to give the cadets a close look at three of our NATO allies, France, Luxembourg, and Belgium; and to have the opportunity to interact with the peoples of those nations. All indications are that this goal was resoundingly met.”
Thursday, July 17, 2008
"Get The Hell Outta Here"
By Doug Graves © 2007
This week’s anniversary of the terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center provides the occasion for this story. It is the story one man’s struggle to survive and his need to find a deeper meaning to his life. It is the story of how one man faced unknown and fearful odds, summoned courage, focused on the needs of others, and brought himself and one other person through disaster to safety.
Whitehall High School graduate James Saganowich was a newly recruited employee of financial giant Morgan Stanley and was in the World Trade Center Building II to begin his new career with the Wall Street corporation. He and colleagues had taken a break from a training session and were going to breakfast in the lower levels of the building. It was Tuesday morning with a beautiful blue sky; however, from the mezzanine overlooking World Trade Center Building I he saw that the tower was “on fire and had debris falling from it.”
“Nobody seemed to know what had happened. There was a lot of speculation: bombs or helicopter or plane crashes were being considered. Then I heard the Port Authority order everyone out of the building and into the street.
“Still not realizing what had happened and having left my briefcase, wallet and phone on the sixty-first floor, I started back to get my stuff. I took the elevator back up to the meeting room where I had left them. When I got there the floor was eerily empty. As I walked down an empty hall two security guards ordered me to ‘Get the hell outta here.’ They escorted me to the stairwell and locked me into it.”
James Saganowich had grown up in Whitehall, Pennsylvania . After securing an appointment to the United States Military Academy he went to West Point for two years where he played football on the Army team. He transferred to Kutztown University and graduated in 1989 with a degree in Russian language. After selling securities in Florida and going through a divorce, he joined Morgan Stanley. They had just sent him to Manhattan for a training session with the firm.
Now, having been locked into the stairwell of a building and unaware of exactly what had happened, Saganowich still did not realize he was now in a desperate struggle for survival. “The stairwell was jammed with people walking down the thousands of steps to the street,” he said. “I was in no hurry and was still hoping to get out of the stairwell to go back and get my things.”
He slowly realized that something serious had happened to the building.
“We all knew something big was wrong. People started to panic. They were pushing and shoving. I was locked in a stairwell with a mob of frightened people. It was hot and dusty. Then I could smell kerosene. I began to grab people and try to calm them down. At about the fifty-ninth or fifty-eighth floor bloodied people with torn clothes started coming down. They had been in or above the impact zone where the airplane had struck the building. They were screaming and we stood aside to let them pass.
“Suddenly one of the women slammed into me as she came down the stairs. I grabbed her and kept her from falling. She looked in my eyes and said that we were going to die. I told her that it was ‘ok’ and that I would get her out.”
Saganowich, with the exhausted and fearful thirty-six year old woman, then began to focus on getting her through the stairway and into the street. Her name was Liz.
“She leaned more and more into me as we slowly moved down the stairs. The hot, humid air smelled of jet fuel,” he said. “Thank God I had Liz to focus on or I think I may have wigged out in there.
“We started to see firemen struggling up the stairwell as we went down. Seeing them soothed us and we started to feel safe for the first time in an hour. They were sweating in their gear as they climbed past us.
“We made in down the next thirty or so floors. People escorted us across the mall area. It was weird to see the huge empty space of the mall now devoid of people.
“We looked up at the smoke and fire. It seemed like miles up to where the fire was burning.
“We were safe.”
Saganowich and Liz were joined by Liz’s friend, Vanessa. Liz was worried about her missing fiancé, John, who had been in the building with her. People were now jumping from the burning building.
“I couldn’t watch,” said Saganowich. “I urged Liz and Vanessa to keep moving and we walked toward my hotel on the Upper East Side. We had walked about ten minutes when the tower collapsed. We saw a cloud of dust traveling toward us. Liz fell to the pavement, sure that John must be dead. We knew that people were dying, that the firemen and policemen were dying.
“I had no more positive words to motivate Liz. I had left them all in the building. I couldn’t say ‘John will be alright,’ not even one more time.
“I bent down and picked Liz up. I said nothing because you can’t say any thing to someone in that much pain that makes any sense. The three of us kept walking. Cars had stopped. People were standing in the street staring back at where the Trade Center had been. In Chinatown the people at a small tailor shop let Liz use their phone, but there was no news of John. Liz was silent and stared straight ahead.
“I used a pay phone to call my ex-wife in Florida and asked her to let my family know I was alright. Then we kept walking to my hotel on Seventy-Sixth Street. Fuzz Fetherolf, my childhood friend from Whitehall was there pacing on the street. We had earlier planned to meet at the hotel.”
“I still keep in touch with Liz. Her experience was different from mine. She lost half of the people in her company, but her fiancé, John did survive. She told me that she still has nightmares about that day. She told me recently that she wants to leave Manhattan.”
Saganowich was changed, too. He began to feel that somehow the financial industry was harming a lot of people around the world and that maybe it was contributing to the conditions that leave many people in despair. He felt that this might be empowering terrorists.
He is now a therapist in residency in Naples, Florida. He works for a non-profit community mental health facility in a chemical dependency unit. He is engaged now and though he makes a fraction of what he made working for a Wall Street financial company, it is enough. He is happy and still helps people in need. He is engaged to Debbie Gilmore and they plan to be married. Saganowich’s daughter, Taylor, also lives in Florida.
His mother, AnnJean Sarko, lives in Treasure Island, Florida near his brother, Jerry Saganowich, a retired professional wrestler. His sister, Lisa, lives in Boca, Florida. His father Jerome Saganowich, Senior is deceased.
This week’s anniversary of the terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center provides the occasion for this story. It is the story one man’s struggle to survive and his need to find a deeper meaning to his life. It is the story of how one man faced unknown and fearful odds, summoned courage, focused on the needs of others, and brought himself and one other person through disaster to safety.
Whitehall High School graduate James Saganowich was a newly recruited employee of financial giant Morgan Stanley and was in the World Trade Center Building II to begin his new career with the Wall Street corporation. He and colleagues had taken a break from a training session and were going to breakfast in the lower levels of the building. It was Tuesday morning with a beautiful blue sky; however, from the mezzanine overlooking World Trade Center Building I he saw that the tower was “on fire and had debris falling from it.”
“Nobody seemed to know what had happened. There was a lot of speculation: bombs or helicopter or plane crashes were being considered. Then I heard the Port Authority order everyone out of the building and into the street.
“Still not realizing what had happened and having left my briefcase, wallet and phone on the sixty-first floor, I started back to get my stuff. I took the elevator back up to the meeting room where I had left them. When I got there the floor was eerily empty. As I walked down an empty hall two security guards ordered me to ‘Get the hell outta here.’ They escorted me to the stairwell and locked me into it.”
James Saganowich had grown up in Whitehall, Pennsylvania . After securing an appointment to the United States Military Academy he went to West Point for two years where he played football on the Army team. He transferred to Kutztown University and graduated in 1989 with a degree in Russian language. After selling securities in Florida and going through a divorce, he joined Morgan Stanley. They had just sent him to Manhattan for a training session with the firm.
Now, having been locked into the stairwell of a building and unaware of exactly what had happened, Saganowich still did not realize he was now in a desperate struggle for survival. “The stairwell was jammed with people walking down the thousands of steps to the street,” he said. “I was in no hurry and was still hoping to get out of the stairwell to go back and get my things.”
He slowly realized that something serious had happened to the building.
“We all knew something big was wrong. People started to panic. They were pushing and shoving. I was locked in a stairwell with a mob of frightened people. It was hot and dusty. Then I could smell kerosene. I began to grab people and try to calm them down. At about the fifty-ninth or fifty-eighth floor bloodied people with torn clothes started coming down. They had been in or above the impact zone where the airplane had struck the building. They were screaming and we stood aside to let them pass.
“Suddenly one of the women slammed into me as she came down the stairs. I grabbed her and kept her from falling. She looked in my eyes and said that we were going to die. I told her that it was ‘ok’ and that I would get her out.”
Saganowich, with the exhausted and fearful thirty-six year old woman, then began to focus on getting her through the stairway and into the street. Her name was Liz.
“She leaned more and more into me as we slowly moved down the stairs. The hot, humid air smelled of jet fuel,” he said. “Thank God I had Liz to focus on or I think I may have wigged out in there.
“We started to see firemen struggling up the stairwell as we went down. Seeing them soothed us and we started to feel safe for the first time in an hour. They were sweating in their gear as they climbed past us.
“We made in down the next thirty or so floors. People escorted us across the mall area. It was weird to see the huge empty space of the mall now devoid of people.
“We looked up at the smoke and fire. It seemed like miles up to where the fire was burning.
“We were safe.”
Saganowich and Liz were joined by Liz’s friend, Vanessa. Liz was worried about her missing fiancé, John, who had been in the building with her. People were now jumping from the burning building.
“I couldn’t watch,” said Saganowich. “I urged Liz and Vanessa to keep moving and we walked toward my hotel on the Upper East Side. We had walked about ten minutes when the tower collapsed. We saw a cloud of dust traveling toward us. Liz fell to the pavement, sure that John must be dead. We knew that people were dying, that the firemen and policemen were dying.
“I had no more positive words to motivate Liz. I had left them all in the building. I couldn’t say ‘John will be alright,’ not even one more time.
“I bent down and picked Liz up. I said nothing because you can’t say any thing to someone in that much pain that makes any sense. The three of us kept walking. Cars had stopped. People were standing in the street staring back at where the Trade Center had been. In Chinatown the people at a small tailor shop let Liz use their phone, but there was no news of John. Liz was silent and stared straight ahead.
“I used a pay phone to call my ex-wife in Florida and asked her to let my family know I was alright. Then we kept walking to my hotel on Seventy-Sixth Street. Fuzz Fetherolf, my childhood friend from Whitehall was there pacing on the street. We had earlier planned to meet at the hotel.”
“I still keep in touch with Liz. Her experience was different from mine. She lost half of the people in her company, but her fiancé, John did survive. She told me that she still has nightmares about that day. She told me recently that she wants to leave Manhattan.”
Saganowich was changed, too. He began to feel that somehow the financial industry was harming a lot of people around the world and that maybe it was contributing to the conditions that leave many people in despair. He felt that this might be empowering terrorists.
He is now a therapist in residency in Naples, Florida. He works for a non-profit community mental health facility in a chemical dependency unit. He is engaged now and though he makes a fraction of what he made working for a Wall Street financial company, it is enough. He is happy and still helps people in need. He is engaged to Debbie Gilmore and they plan to be married. Saganowich’s daughter, Taylor, also lives in Florida.
His mother, AnnJean Sarko, lives in Treasure Island, Florida near his brother, Jerry Saganowich, a retired professional wrestler. His sister, Lisa, lives in Boca, Florida. His father Jerome Saganowich, Senior is deceased.
Angels Are Where You Find Them.
By Doug Graves © 2007
Angels are where you find them. The problem is to recognize them when you see them. They seem so ordinary, so much like regular folks. Those at the St. Stephen’s Episcopal Church Food Pantry at 300 Mechanicsville Road in Whitehall didn’t have a set of wings in whole bunch.
Karen Schell is the director and has been volunteering there for the past five years. Schell operates the Food Pantry by appointment only. “We do that because if we advertise a particular day and are forced to change the date because a volunteer is not available, then we run the risk of people standing in line waiting for volunteers that won’t be there.” To get an appointment, call (610) 262-1264.
The range of clients who use the Food Pantry include the elderly, single moms raising children, cancer patients and the homeless.
They have plenty of food. They are well stocked in dry foods like cereals and pasta and have lots of canned goods. Bread is plentiful. Meat is sometimes available but their storage capability for fresh meat is very limited plus much of it comes from private donations that might or might not be available any given week.
“We get hamburger in one-pound packages,” said Schell. “We try to distribute it based on family size. For example, a family of three people gets a one-pound package. A family of over seven would get a three-pound package.”
They do similar rationing for chicken and turkey. “A family of three or more would get a turkey,” she said. “Smaller families get a chicken.”
Milk and eggs are not available through the Food Pantry.
“We have 60 to 80 families in here each week,” said Schell. “That’s about 300 people. Each family gets $75 to $100 worth of food each visit.
“Families also get to choose what they want,” she said. In the past volunteers would bag up a set of grocery items and issue them to a family, but that changed under Schell’s direction.
Paper goods are something that St. Stephen’s Food Pantry provides. They have paper towels and toilet paper. This class of supplies cannot be purchased with food stamps in a retail store.
“Once in a while we have fresh vegetables if parishioners bring them in,” said Schell. Otherwise potatoes, corn and other vegetables are not available.
Like any food store, the Food Pantry gets inspected by the government. Since the township has no health department this is done by the state or the federal authorities. One of the requirements is that no food be stored on the floor.
Eagle Scout Michael Siegmund, as part of his Eagle Scout service project, built grocery shelves on wheels. The moveable shelves not only keep food off the floor but facilitate movement of food around the small efficiency-style apartment that the church has allocated for use by the Food Bank.
Doreen Wagner, a parishioner and one of the volunteers, is there when needed. “I feel I’ve been called to help,” she said.
Dottie Lesavoy and Scott Heefner pitch in. “I’m part of the vestry of the church,” said Heefner. “This is just one of the things I do to be active in the church.” Heefner drives a forklift for Moyer Lumber in Bethlehem. He has been volunteering for the past three months.
Donna Scott from Egypt said, “I was a client. Now I come here to volunteer.” Her assistant angel is her 21-year old daughter, Jennifer. They both are committed to helping feed the hungry.
While supervising the scheduling of volunteers and buying the food, Schell also volunteers her time. A woman of seemingly boundless energy, she also has a busy, full-time career as the national sales manager for an equine products company, Straight Arrow Products, Inc. She gets help in her Food Pantry duties from her assistant angel, daughter Denise Herman.
Schell’s impulse to give of herself seems limitless. Once she took an abused woman home with her until better arrangements could be made. She has been known to give her personal phone number to lonely elderly folks so they could “have someone to talk to.”
Their mission is to provide food for the needy in and around Whitehall. They buy food through the Second Harvest Food Bank with offerings left in St. Stephen’s “Hunger Bowl” and from other money donated. Other groups are helping, too: the Lions Club, the Women’s Club and the church’s youth organizations. About 2,000 pounds of food is received from the Boy Scout’s and the Postal Service’s annual food drives.
“Because some of our parishioners are pet lovers and don’t want to see people’s pets go hungry,” said Schell, “they give us pet food which we can pass on to those who need it.” She emphasized that all pet food is donated directly by the parish’s pet lovers.
The urge to help extends to making sure that the children in needy families get a Christmas gift. With the cooperation of parishioners and a local bank, Schell’s volunteers coordinate a “sponsor a child” program to make sure that the kids have a gift under their Christmas trees.
To volunteer, call (610) 435-3901. Angel wings are not required, but will be issued in due time.
Angels are where you find them. The problem is to recognize them when you see them. They seem so ordinary, so much like regular folks. Those at the St. Stephen’s Episcopal Church Food Pantry at 300 Mechanicsville Road in Whitehall didn’t have a set of wings in whole bunch.
Karen Schell is the director and has been volunteering there for the past five years. Schell operates the Food Pantry by appointment only. “We do that because if we advertise a particular day and are forced to change the date because a volunteer is not available, then we run the risk of people standing in line waiting for volunteers that won’t be there.” To get an appointment, call (610) 262-1264.
The range of clients who use the Food Pantry include the elderly, single moms raising children, cancer patients and the homeless.
They have plenty of food. They are well stocked in dry foods like cereals and pasta and have lots of canned goods. Bread is plentiful. Meat is sometimes available but their storage capability for fresh meat is very limited plus much of it comes from private donations that might or might not be available any given week.
“We get hamburger in one-pound packages,” said Schell. “We try to distribute it based on family size. For example, a family of three people gets a one-pound package. A family of over seven would get a three-pound package.”
They do similar rationing for chicken and turkey. “A family of three or more would get a turkey,” she said. “Smaller families get a chicken.”
Milk and eggs are not available through the Food Pantry.
“We have 60 to 80 families in here each week,” said Schell. “That’s about 300 people. Each family gets $75 to $100 worth of food each visit.
“Families also get to choose what they want,” she said. In the past volunteers would bag up a set of grocery items and issue them to a family, but that changed under Schell’s direction.
Paper goods are something that St. Stephen’s Food Pantry provides. They have paper towels and toilet paper. This class of supplies cannot be purchased with food stamps in a retail store.
“Once in a while we have fresh vegetables if parishioners bring them in,” said Schell. Otherwise potatoes, corn and other vegetables are not available.
Like any food store, the Food Pantry gets inspected by the government. Since the township has no health department this is done by the state or the federal authorities. One of the requirements is that no food be stored on the floor.
Eagle Scout Michael Siegmund, as part of his Eagle Scout service project, built grocery shelves on wheels. The moveable shelves not only keep food off the floor but facilitate movement of food around the small efficiency-style apartment that the church has allocated for use by the Food Bank.
Doreen Wagner, a parishioner and one of the volunteers, is there when needed. “I feel I’ve been called to help,” she said.
Dottie Lesavoy and Scott Heefner pitch in. “I’m part of the vestry of the church,” said Heefner. “This is just one of the things I do to be active in the church.” Heefner drives a forklift for Moyer Lumber in Bethlehem. He has been volunteering for the past three months.
Donna Scott from Egypt said, “I was a client. Now I come here to volunteer.” Her assistant angel is her 21-year old daughter, Jennifer. They both are committed to helping feed the hungry.
While supervising the scheduling of volunteers and buying the food, Schell also volunteers her time. A woman of seemingly boundless energy, she also has a busy, full-time career as the national sales manager for an equine products company, Straight Arrow Products, Inc. She gets help in her Food Pantry duties from her assistant angel, daughter Denise Herman.
Schell’s impulse to give of herself seems limitless. Once she took an abused woman home with her until better arrangements could be made. She has been known to give her personal phone number to lonely elderly folks so they could “have someone to talk to.”
Their mission is to provide food for the needy in and around Whitehall. They buy food through the Second Harvest Food Bank with offerings left in St. Stephen’s “Hunger Bowl” and from other money donated. Other groups are helping, too: the Lions Club, the Women’s Club and the church’s youth organizations. About 2,000 pounds of food is received from the Boy Scout’s and the Postal Service’s annual food drives.
“Because some of our parishioners are pet lovers and don’t want to see people’s pets go hungry,” said Schell, “they give us pet food which we can pass on to those who need it.” She emphasized that all pet food is donated directly by the parish’s pet lovers.
The urge to help extends to making sure that the children in needy families get a Christmas gift. With the cooperation of parishioners and a local bank, Schell’s volunteers coordinate a “sponsor a child” program to make sure that the kids have a gift under their Christmas trees.
To volunteer, call (610) 435-3901. Angel wings are not required, but will be issued in due time.
"It made me realize how fortunate I am."
By Doug Graves © 2007
Almost 60 people of all ages were busy helping Santa last Thursday at the Holiday Inn Conference Center of the Lehigh Valley in Fogelsville. They were wrapping or sorting almost 2,000 toys, books and stuffed animals that had been donated by various groups and organizations, including the Marine Corps Reserve through their “Toys for Tots” program. Books were donated by the Cops ‘n’ Kids Children’s Literacy Program.
The Holiday Hope Chest Campaign donated 1,000 shoe boxes, wrapped and filled with a selection of small gifts.
“We haven’t bought a toy in five years,” said George Pitsilos, catering and sales manager at the hotel. “They are all donated.”
Eight high schoolers from Liberty High School pitched in. They represented the student government body demonstrating that most effective leadership trait—leading by example. “We are here to volunteer,” said Caroline Vail. “Just here to help.”
Mala Saha-Guzman, there with her family, said “We’re here to help out and to show our children its not just about getting gifts.” She was there with her husband Romulo and their children, Amaya, 7, and Ryan, eight and half.
Trevor McCleary, 14, was helping transport wrapped packages to the staging area. “I came to help people,” he said. “To help the community.” Trevor is a student at Orefield Middle School.
The same sentiment was expressed by Dickinson Law School student Christine Lombardo of Allentown. She was there with her children, Madison, 7, and Katie, four and a half. “I like to volunteer. This the first time for them . . . they wanted to volunteer.”
Working at the book table, other college students were busy. Duquesne University student Brigitte Gotzon was there. She is an ’06 graduate of Liberty High School. The University of Pittsburgh’s Carly Stasak was there—also a LHS ’06 grad.
Lauren Diehl from Susquehanna University was helping—another LHS Class of “06” alumna. Also sorting books was Emmaus High School’s Maddie Bean. Working across the room Rutgers University’s was Andre “Hoagie” Morales, also an ’06 grad of LHS.
The huge event room at the conference center was a hub of activity. Tables were surrounded by teams wielding scotch tape and wrapping paper. Others took wrapped packages to staging areas and sorted them into separate piles for boys and for girls and further sorted by age group.
Orchestrating this whirl of scissors, tape and brightly colored wrapping paper, Pitsilos kept the seemingly chaotic “happening” flowing smoothly. With his bull-horn and big smile he kept the group informed and directed supplies flowing to the tables. More wrapping paper here, more tape there, more presents to that table.
“I’ve been working for the company for 14 years,” said Pitsilos. “This event started 15 years ago. It made me realize how fortunate I am—it’s a humbling experience.” Pitsilos’ family participates. His daughter, Kayla, started when she was three years old. Now she is a fashion major at a New York City college.
Why all the gifts?
Sarah Kim, 11, was sitting on the floor and wrapping packages with her brother Joshua, 9 and her good friend, Emily Leonardo, 12. “Come back on Christmas Eve,” Sarah said. “Kids will sit on Santa’s lap and open presents.”
On Christmas Eve Pitsilos plans to feed over 4,000 people from around the Lehigh Valley. These guests have, for a large part, been selected by various homeless shelters and community action centers and they will be bused to the hotel by Trans-Bridge Lines—free.
Once at the hotel they will be honored guests. That’s right. 4,000 guests—not customers. The conference center is being decorated as though it were the social event of the season. Buffet lines will be overflowing with traditional holiday food, drink and sweets. The main course? Turkey, of course—240 of them donated by Jaindl Farms.
The names of some of the other people donating money and services seemed familiar. . . . philanthropist Linny Fowler . . . David Jaindl’s Jaindl Farms . . . hotelier Kostas Kalogeropoulos. These same names are linked to some other marvelous Lehigh Valley institutions: the Miracle League, leadership awards at SkillsUSA, Camelot for Kids-- to name a few.
Almost 60 people of all ages were busy helping Santa last Thursday at the Holiday Inn Conference Center of the Lehigh Valley in Fogelsville. They were wrapping or sorting almost 2,000 toys, books and stuffed animals that had been donated by various groups and organizations, including the Marine Corps Reserve through their “Toys for Tots” program. Books were donated by the Cops ‘n’ Kids Children’s Literacy Program.
The Holiday Hope Chest Campaign donated 1,000 shoe boxes, wrapped and filled with a selection of small gifts.
“We haven’t bought a toy in five years,” said George Pitsilos, catering and sales manager at the hotel. “They are all donated.”
Eight high schoolers from Liberty High School pitched in. They represented the student government body demonstrating that most effective leadership trait—leading by example. “We are here to volunteer,” said Caroline Vail. “Just here to help.”
Mala Saha-Guzman, there with her family, said “We’re here to help out and to show our children its not just about getting gifts.” She was there with her husband Romulo and their children, Amaya, 7, and Ryan, eight and half.
Trevor McCleary, 14, was helping transport wrapped packages to the staging area. “I came to help people,” he said. “To help the community.” Trevor is a student at Orefield Middle School.
The same sentiment was expressed by Dickinson Law School student Christine Lombardo of Allentown. She was there with her children, Madison, 7, and Katie, four and a half. “I like to volunteer. This the first time for them . . . they wanted to volunteer.”
Working at the book table, other college students were busy. Duquesne University student Brigitte Gotzon was there. She is an ’06 graduate of Liberty High School. The University of Pittsburgh’s Carly Stasak was there—also a LHS ’06 grad.
Lauren Diehl from Susquehanna University was helping—another LHS Class of “06” alumna. Also sorting books was Emmaus High School’s Maddie Bean. Working across the room Rutgers University’s was Andre “Hoagie” Morales, also an ’06 grad of LHS.
The huge event room at the conference center was a hub of activity. Tables were surrounded by teams wielding scotch tape and wrapping paper. Others took wrapped packages to staging areas and sorted them into separate piles for boys and for girls and further sorted by age group.
Orchestrating this whirl of scissors, tape and brightly colored wrapping paper, Pitsilos kept the seemingly chaotic “happening” flowing smoothly. With his bull-horn and big smile he kept the group informed and directed supplies flowing to the tables. More wrapping paper here, more tape there, more presents to that table.
“I’ve been working for the company for 14 years,” said Pitsilos. “This event started 15 years ago. It made me realize how fortunate I am—it’s a humbling experience.” Pitsilos’ family participates. His daughter, Kayla, started when she was three years old. Now she is a fashion major at a New York City college.
Why all the gifts?
Sarah Kim, 11, was sitting on the floor and wrapping packages with her brother Joshua, 9 and her good friend, Emily Leonardo, 12. “Come back on Christmas Eve,” Sarah said. “Kids will sit on Santa’s lap and open presents.”
On Christmas Eve Pitsilos plans to feed over 4,000 people from around the Lehigh Valley. These guests have, for a large part, been selected by various homeless shelters and community action centers and they will be bused to the hotel by Trans-Bridge Lines—free.
Once at the hotel they will be honored guests. That’s right. 4,000 guests—not customers. The conference center is being decorated as though it were the social event of the season. Buffet lines will be overflowing with traditional holiday food, drink and sweets. The main course? Turkey, of course—240 of them donated by Jaindl Farms.
The names of some of the other people donating money and services seemed familiar. . . . philanthropist Linny Fowler . . . David Jaindl’s Jaindl Farms . . . hotelier Kostas Kalogeropoulos. These same names are linked to some other marvelous Lehigh Valley institutions: the Miracle League, leadership awards at SkillsUSA, Camelot for Kids-- to name a few.
“Don’t know. Americans will figure this out.”
By Doug Graves © 2007
Ten to fifteen people showed up at the Federal Building in Allentown on Wednesday, July 18 to protest the United States’ policy in Iraq. Pedestrians generally avoided the group or walked stoically past them. Some motorists honked their horns in support of the message, but most remained passively silent. At least one motorist shouted “Hippy!” preceded by an obscene expletive as he drove across Hamilton on 5th Street.
Bill Maurer of Bethlehem said, “People are supportive of security measures; it is difficult to make an argument about which tactic is effective. Bush is not the one to make the decision.” When asked who is [the one to make a decision], Maurer shrugged, “Don’t know. Americans will figure this out.”
Self-described pacifist Judith Woodruff of Allentown, when asked what her response to 9-11 would have been she said, “Legally pursue the people who had something to do with it. 9-11 wouldn’t have happened if the U. S. had been a country that was just in their actions with other countries, especially third world countries.” When asked if she could name a country that she considered as being “just in their actions” with third world countries, she could not. “Maybe a Scandinavian country,” she said.
On the Lehigh County Courthouse courtyard diagonally across from the protesters office workers and contractors sat in ones and twos taking their lunch breaks and passively watching as the demonstrators waved upside-down flags and shouted.
“Don’t they have jobs?” said Ron Castagnera of Emmaus. “I understood why we went into Iraq,” said Dale Inglehart from Dallas, Pa. “I can’t tell you that we should pull out today. I don’t know if that’s the best solution.”
The event was staged outside the Federal Building where Republican Senator Arlen Specter has an office, but Specter was in Washington where Republicans defeated a procedural ballot that would have allowed a vote on an amendment that would bring U. S. troops home from Iraq by April 30. The Democrat leadership needed at least 60 votes to bring the amendment to a vote. They lost 52-47. A call to Senator Specter’s Allentown office on Wednesday was not returned.
Groups that had representatives at Wednesday’s protest included the Lehigh-Pocono Committee of Concern and the Allentown Armory Activists.
Ten to fifteen people showed up at the Federal Building in Allentown on Wednesday, July 18 to protest the United States’ policy in Iraq. Pedestrians generally avoided the group or walked stoically past them. Some motorists honked their horns in support of the message, but most remained passively silent. At least one motorist shouted “Hippy!” preceded by an obscene expletive as he drove across Hamilton on 5th Street.
Bill Maurer of Bethlehem said, “People are supportive of security measures; it is difficult to make an argument about which tactic is effective. Bush is not the one to make the decision.” When asked who is [the one to make a decision], Maurer shrugged, “Don’t know. Americans will figure this out.”
Self-described pacifist Judith Woodruff of Allentown, when asked what her response to 9-11 would have been she said, “Legally pursue the people who had something to do with it. 9-11 wouldn’t have happened if the U. S. had been a country that was just in their actions with other countries, especially third world countries.” When asked if she could name a country that she considered as being “just in their actions” with third world countries, she could not. “Maybe a Scandinavian country,” she said.
On the Lehigh County Courthouse courtyard diagonally across from the protesters office workers and contractors sat in ones and twos taking their lunch breaks and passively watching as the demonstrators waved upside-down flags and shouted.
“Don’t they have jobs?” said Ron Castagnera of Emmaus. “I understood why we went into Iraq,” said Dale Inglehart from Dallas, Pa. “I can’t tell you that we should pull out today. I don’t know if that’s the best solution.”
The event was staged outside the Federal Building where Republican Senator Arlen Specter has an office, but Specter was in Washington where Republicans defeated a procedural ballot that would have allowed a vote on an amendment that would bring U. S. troops home from Iraq by April 30. The Democrat leadership needed at least 60 votes to bring the amendment to a vote. They lost 52-47. A call to Senator Specter’s Allentown office on Wednesday was not returned.
Groups that had representatives at Wednesday’s protest included the Lehigh-Pocono Committee of Concern and the Allentown Armory Activists.
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