Chester CountyPRESS
www.chestercounty.com
Covering Avon Grove, Chadds Ford, Kennett Square, Oxford, & Unionville Areas
Volume 152, No. 3
60 Cents
Wednesday, January 17, 2018
New county row officers Speaker tells MLK reflect on their historic win INSIDE gathering: ‘Our difference ‘A seismic is a blessing, not a curse’ change in the By Richard L. Gaw Staff Writer
Reflecting on the message of the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King., Jr. and juxAvon Grove tops taposing it against the contemporary backdrop Unionville, 50-31...6A of a racism that continues to smolder in the United States nearly 50 years after Dr. King’s death, Bishop Dwayne D. Royster delivered a searing, inspirational and informative message to an audience of more than 250 who attended the 17th annual Martin Luther King, Jr. CommUNITY of the Greater Kennett Area breakfast, held at the Red You’re invited to a very Clay Room in Kennett silly evening of theater Square on Jan. 15. ...1B Introduced as “a man of the faith and a man of action,” Royster said that the long-imagined dream of racial and economic equality in the United States is headed on a backward course. Using the speech King gave at the Riverside Church in New York City
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© 2007 The Chester County Press
By Richard L. Gaw Staff Writer
Photos by Richard L. Gaw
Bishop Dwayne D. Royster was the event’s guest speaker.
on April 4, 1967 as a backdrop to his address, Royster said in reading the text of the speech, King made frequent reference to “the soul of America,” proclaiming that racism, extreme materialism and militarism were preventing some Americans from achieving equality, all of which, Royster said, did not go away after the election of Barack Obama in 2008, but
merely “went underground” during Obama’s two terms in office. Referring to the increased incidents of racially motivated violence in the United States in 2017, including that which happened in Charlottesville, Va., Royster said that “we’ve gotten to an age where folks don’t feel the need to wear the white sheets over their Continued on Page 4A
On Jan. 3, just before noon in the Ballroom of the Sykes Student Union on the campus of West Chester University, four elected officials -- all Democrats, none of whom had ever pursued a public office prior to their election last Nov. 7 -- took their oaths of office to assume their roles in Chester County government. Patricia Maisano became treasurer, Yolanda Van de Krol became clerk of courts, Dr. Christina Vandepol became coroner and Margaret Reif became controller. They became the first Democrats to occupy seats on the Chester County row since 1799. To the many who claim to know the real skinny behind Chester County pol-
itics, these elections simply represented a backlash against the controversial presidency of Donald J. Trump, but to Maisano, Van de Krol, Vandepol and Reif – all of whom attended a Chester County Democratic Committee party at Barnaby’s in West Chester on Dec. 19 – the results of the historic election had less to do with the President than it had to do with the public’s need for increased transparency in county and local government. “This election was a seismic change in the whole county, and I say that not just from the standpoint of these four elections,” Lani Frank, vice chair of the Chester County Democratic Committee. “We were hoping for one of the candidates to be electContinued on Page 2A
Eager to serve Families fill Unionville-Chadds Ford schools with the spirit of giving By John Chambless Staff Writer
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whole county’
The spirit of volunteering inspired by Dr. Martin Luther King was overflowing in Unionville-Chadds Ford schools on Jan. 15, as full parking lots and jampacked cafeterias showed how eager families were to donate their time. While it’s an official school holiday, King’s birthday has been turned into a day of service nationwide, and in the U-CF School District, it’s one of the most eagerly anticipated
days of the year. Instead of sleeping late, students at Unionville High School signed up to work at one of several activities on Monday morning. As 9 a.m. approached at Hillendale Elementary School, several high-school students arrived in the chilly cafeteria to help prepart peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, fill snack bags, make chocolate chip cookies, and help children decorate lunch bags and make place mats. The lunches went to Safe Harbor, along with handmade cards made by children that
Photo by John Chambless
Household items were donated and sorted at Patton Middle School.
offered messages of hope. In the kitchen, a vat of chicken noodle soup was simmering early on Monday morning, ready to be ladeled into containers and taken to a senior center in Avondale.
If you want to be great, then serve others The importance of service to the community and helping others was a theme at this year’s Spirit of Giving Luncheon in Oxford By Steven Hoffman Staff Writer In a sermon that he delivered in February of 1968 at the Ebenezer Baptist Church in Atlanta, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. said that whoever wants to become great must be willing to serve. The sermon that day, titled “The Drum Major Instinct,” was inspired by Mark 10:43. During the sermon, King said that, one day in the future, after his death, he would want someone to mention that he tried to give his life to serving others. King was assassinated in Memphis, Tennessee less than two months later, but his words and actions and legacy live on, and—just as he had hoped that February day in his home church in Atlanta—people do remember that he gave his life to the service of others. The Spirit of Giving Luncheon in Oxford was just one of the events in the area that celebrated the life and legacy of Dr. King on Monday. The luncheon,
now in its 28th year, is an important fundraiser for the Oxford Area Neighborhood Services Center, the Oxford non-profit organization that helps less fortunate families in southern Chester County. “It’s only fitting that on Martin Luther King, Jr. Day, we would recognize an organization like the Neighborhood Services Center,” said Jim McLeod, who serves on the committee that plans the event each year. McLeod explained that the Neighborhood Services Center helps many people in need, and the organization’s resources are stretched thin this time of the year. All the proceeds from the luncheon will be used by the Oxford Area Neighborhood Services Center to provide nutritious food, financial assistance for housing, heating, and utility services, and health care assistance for individuals and families in need. The Spirit of Giving Luncheon was started in 1990 by a group of community leaders and business
people who wanted to raise funds for the Neighborhood Services Center. Initially, the luncheon took place right before Christmas, but in 2008, when the Oxford Area School District joined as a partner, the luncheon was moved to the Martin Luther King, Jr. holiday, combining the original purpose of the event with the spirit of King’s life and legacy. McLeod noted that Oxford Area School District superintendent David Woods and his team at the school district are very supportive of the event. Numerous food service employees volunteer their time to prepare the food for the luncheon, and student groups like Interact and Earlyact volunteer for the event. “They have made it truly a community event,” McLeod said of the school district’s participation, adding that it’s never too early to teach young people the importance of getting involved in the community. Continued on Page 3A
Michael Audevard, the principal at Hillendale, was watching the operation unfold smoothly thanks to volunteers and several years of practice at funneling the energy of everyone in the
right directions. “The kids are always so excited about this, to get a chance to do something with their hands,” Audevard said, surveying the busy room. “It’s one Continued on Page 2A
Nursing home development to be discussed in Lower Oxford Township A conditional-use hearing was to take place on Tuesday, Jan. 16 By Steven Hoffman Staff Writer The Lower Oxford Township Board of Supervisors was scheduled to hold a conditional-use hearing on Tuesday, Jan. 16 regarding the request by G.M. Leader Corp. for a conditional use under section 27-800.12(J).M. of the Lower Oxford Township Zoning Ordinance, as codified, for a Nursing, Rest, or Retirement Home use in the C-1 Neighborhood Commercial District. The nursing home is proposed for approximately 12.5 acres of a parcel at 175 Limestone Road, near the Oxford Commons Shopping Center. The property is owned by Runnymede Partnership. The Leader family has been in the business of operating quality retirement services since 1962. It was founded by George M. Leader and Mary Jane Leader. George M. Leader served as Pennsylvania’s governor from 1955 to 1959. While he was governor, the state made strides in promoting safety and personal welfare for residents. The state’s Office of Aging was first established under Gov. Leader, and he and his wife were both personally interested in helping older adults maintain and enjoy personal independence and the highest possible quality of life. The family oversees eleven different retirement communities throughout the state, including locations in Allentown, Bethlehem, Mechanicsburg, Hershey, Lancaster, Wyomissing, and York.