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Wreaths Across America Rolls Into a Local Middle School & Butler VA Connects With Vets Via Their Video Connect
Celebrate the ’60 World Series Win By Janice Lane Palko
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ou could say Wayne Stewart has sports in his blood. Born in Pittsburgh and raised in Donora, the hometown of Stan Musial, he was also a high school Ken Griffey, Sr. & Wayne Stewart classmate and baseball teammate of Ken Griffey Sr. He began writing magazine and newspaper stories in 1978 for local papers and national magazines such as Baseball Digest, Beckett Publications, and USA Today/Baseball Weekly and has sold about 500 stories to magazines. In 1988, he turned his attention to writing books. “I have now written 35 books for publishers such as McGraw-Hill, Triumph, and Rowman & Littlefield on baseball, football, and basketball, including a book which focused on great football players (especially quarterbacks) from western Pennsylvania,” said Wayne, who resides in Cleveland. A prolific writer, Wayne has three new books out: 1960 When the Pirates Had Them All the Way, The Colorful Characters of Baseball: Wits, Flakes and Clown and Name that Ballplayer: The Ultimate Baseball Quiz Book. This Pirates book commemorates the 1960 World Series. “The Pirates book marks the 60th anniversary of that fantastic season. I got to interview most of the living Pirates who shared great stories and insights about that magical season and the wildest, most lopsided World Series ever. So the book has exclusive material (some controversial such as the issue of the season’s MVP voting) from Cy Young winner Vern Law, MVP Dick Groat, Roy Face, Bill Virdon, Bob Skinner, Hal Smith, Dick Schofield, Bob Oldis, and Bob Friend not long before he passed away. Plus, the book contains material from many other players of the day including Ralph Terry who gave up the Maz home run and Series MVP Bobby Richardson. The book can be purchased on Amazon. n
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APRIL 2020 | www.northernconnectionmag.com
By Paula Green
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reaths Across America (WAA) was founded in 1992 by an enthusiastic group of volunteers. With a trailer full of wreaths, the crew decorated the gravesites of fallen soldiers in Arlington National Cemetery. Since its inception, WAA has now become a national organization with over 1,200 participating locations. The volunteers are all focused on the mission to Remember – Honor and – Teach. WAA is committed to teaching younger generations about the value of their freedoms. They also demonstrate the importance of honoring those who sacrificed so much to protect those freedoms. The organization offers learning tools, interactive media projects and opportunities for youth groups to participate in the events. One of those educational tools is a mobile education exhibit. A Ryan Glover Middle School student (RGMS) Elise Ketler was instrumental in having the WWA unit visit her school, which is part of the Seneca Valley School District. The eighthgrader has been fundraising with this military organization for the past two years. The WWA unit rolled into the secondary elementary campus on March 10, thanks to Elise’s perseverance. For more information on WWA, visit https://wreathsacrossamerica.org/. Another military service that is being lauded is video technology, which can be found at the Butler VA Health Care System in Butler. This health system’s primary care providers and mental health professionals are trained to deliver telehealth services to a Veteran’s home. If the vets cannot attend an appointment in person, they are given the option to utilize VA Video Connect (VVA) to provide virtual care. What makes this system even more unique is any Veteran who lives in the United States is eligible to use virtual care. VA Video Connect can be used on almost any computer, tablet or mobile phone with an internet connection, a web camera and a microphone. VA Video Connect uses encryption to ensure privacy in each session. Virtual care is personalized, safe and effective, and there are no co-payments associated with VVC appointments. For more information on VVC or to download the app, visit the VA mobile app store: https://mobile. va.gov/app/va-video-connect. n
