Gloria Kerr

particularly along Mahoning Street,” she says. “The Garden Club has sponsored downtown clean-ups and Weeding Wednesdays to spruce up the downtown area, but those efforts are compromised by the many sections of the downtown sidewalks that are cracked, broken, uneven, or even missing. Weeds spring up profusely in the cracks in the most deplorable sections.”

Gloria points out that the sidewalk situation illustrates the fact that improving the community requires not only the efforts of individuals, groups, and businesses, but also involvement of the local government. “I’ve heard that business owners are responsible for the sidewalks in front of their establishments. That makes sense for sweeping and clearing snow, but that’s not a practical ordinance, if it’s one at all, for constructing sidewalks,” she says. “How can 30 or 40 different businesses create a uniform sidewalk? We don’t ask businesses to be respon- says Gloria. “When we travel to other places or talk to out-of-town agents on the phone, and someone asks us where we’re from, almost invariably those hearing of our hometown will say, ‘Oh, yes, the groundhog Punxsutawney Phil,’ and we’re happy to help spread the word of his greatness – or, at least, the great fun it is to celebrate him.”

Personally, Gloria finds continual inspiration and encouragement from one of her favorite literary and historical figures, Henry David Thoreau (1817-1862). “From the time I discovered his book Walden: Life in the Woods, first published in 1854,” she says, “I have admired this man, definitely an idealist and non-conformist, and his philosophy.”

Punxsutawne Y Country Club

Join under any of the existing base rates and see step plan below.

JOIN UNDER ANY OF THESE 2023 ANNUAL BASE RATES

FAMILY $3,720

SENIOR $1,900

ADULT $2,095

WOMEN’S $1,725

ADULT 35-40 $1,590

ADULT UNDER 35 $945

NON- RESIDENT $1,185

Qualify for the following Step Plan outlined below:

Step 1 50% of base rate 1st year

Step 2 66.6% of base rate 2nd year

Step 3 83.2% of base rate 3rd year

Step 4 Dues go to full base rate 408

Golf Membership Benefits

• Tournaments, unlimited golf 7 days a week, 4 hour rounds

• Includes social membership, with no food or beverage minimums

• Full use of Clubhouse, access to dining room & bar

• No initiation fee

ADDITIONAL OFFERS

ASSOCIATE outside 12 air mi. from PCC $795

SPECIAL JUNIORS age 18-22 $280

JUNIORS $180

KIDS 14 & UNDER FREE PAHS GOLF TEAM $100 sible for repairing the street in front of their business. The poor sidewalks are an issue for the borough, not individuals.”

Gloria adds that “I did see in the February 8 Spirit that the Borough Council is discussing sidewalk improvement again. I hope they find funds to do the job.”

Whether proposing new sidewalks or planting new gardens, Gloria sees a source of inspiration and strength in her community – a source that most communities would covet. “Punxsutawney’s greatest strength is having Punxsutawney Phil to unite us all. He’s totally non-political and the Groundhog Club Inner Circle makes sure he stays that way,” she says. “Phil, his legend, and our annual celebration of his prognosticating prowess are known world-wide.”

The presence of the Seer of Seers provides a solid foundation for community spirit, which feeds community pride, which motivates community involvement. “He gives everyone from Punxsutawney a common source of pride and a solid communal bond,”

Gloria finds a kindred spirit in the 19th-century writer. “Thoreau believed that a good life was one lived simply and with a focus on living in harmony with nature,” she says, explaining that Walden “is based on his twoyear stay in a small cabin he built at Walden Pond near Concord, Massachusetts, on land owned by his friend Ralph Waldo Emerson.”

Gloria summarizes why Thoreau inspires her. “I’m inspired by the emphasis he puts on individuality, simplicity, self-reliance, and humility, qualities sometimes difficult to cultivate in our complicated, high-tech ‘flat world.’” Ever the teacher, she explains that “flat world” is the name that New York Times columnist Thomas Friedman created “for our global society with no borders anymore.”

Thoreau’s writing style in Walden is epigrammatic, and readers of the book find many quotable quotes between its covers. Gloria’s favorite among the many is this: “If a man does not keep pace with his companions, perhaps it is because he hears a different drummer. Let him step to the music which he hears, however measured or faraway.”

Congratulations to Woman of the Year Gloria Kerr, who marches to the measured drum beat of community care and involvement.

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SOCIAL $10 single $15 Couple

*Only available to New Members. Active members of the Punxsutawney Country Club for the years 2019-2022 are not considered new members and are ineligible for the Step Plan