Chester County Edition
September 2015
Vol. 12 No. 9
Reap More than What You ‘Sew’ Sewing Group Has Donated More than 36,000 Items to Charity By Chelsea Peifer People like to say that sewing is a lost or dying art in today’s society, but Marcellene Currens and her friends are evidence that the opposite may be true. Currens has been a sewing instructor for more than 40 years, and in 2011 she founded Sewin’ Sisters Sowing. “The idea that people are not sewing is a fallacy in my opinion,” said the 59-year-old. “People are continuing to sew, but it is different things.” People may not be sewing as many clothes, but they are sewing curtains, pillowcases, tablecloths, bedding, and all sorts of home décor pieces. And for Currens, one of the greatest joys that comes with sewing is the chance to pass along what she creates to someone who needs it. Nine years ago she formed the Sewin’ Sisters Sowing group, and since that time the women have sewn and given away 36,000 pieces ranging from blankets and pants to specially designed projects. “We are a sewing circle dedicated to sowing kindness. When we started out, we didn’t have a clue what the group would turn into,” said Currens, an ordained minister. “But it grew, and it evolved over time.” She is astounded by the poverty present right here in some of our local cities and said you don’t have to go far to “find kids with no socks, gloves, hats, and shoes in the dead of winter.” Currens and the other group members believe in giving to others because please see SEW page 6 “We’re trying to break down the fear of the sewing machine,” said Marcellene Currens, founder of Sewin’ Sisters Sowing, a charitable sewing circle that has created and donated items to more than 54 local charities.
Inside:
How to Search for Lost Pension Money page 7
Salute to a Veteran: James J. Cunningham page 10
The Beauty in Nature
Monarch Miracles Clyde McMillan-Gamber
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very sunny day during September and October each year, millions of monarch butterflies migrate southwest or south through the United States to their wintering areas in certain forests on mountains in Mexico. But what is miraculous about monarch butterfly migrations is those young butterflies, the last generation of their kind for the year, go directly to those wintering sites of their ancestors, though they never were there before. Monarch migrations are another of nature’s miracles that defy understanding. Monarch butterflies are boldly patterned with orange and black and have 4-inch wing spans. They summer in sunny, open areas throughout the United States, wherever milkweed plants grow. Their caterpillars, which are vertically striped with bold, alternate bands of black, white, and yellow, only eat milkweed leaves.
Those larvae store chemicals they ingest from milkweed in their bodies as caterpillars and adults, chemicals that are toxic to birds and other predators that would eat monarchs. Bold color patterns on larvae and adults warn would-be predators against consuming monarchs. Monarchs overwintering in forests on Mexican mountains push north early in March, sipping nectar from a variety of flowers along the way. They barely get into the United States when they mate,
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lay eggs on milkweed leaves, and die. Two more generations of monarchs continue north and east, each pursuing the same lifestyle and increasing their population. The fourth generation of monarchs, the last one of each year, does not mate and lay eggs. They begin migrating to Mexico in September. The total time for the development of the egg through larvae, pupae, and adult monarch is about four weeks. The last generation of
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September 2015
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monarchs started life early in August. In southeastern Pennsylvania we see monarchs mostly from the middle of July (the third generation of them) through to mid-September (the last generation). We see the fourth generation of caterpillars on milkweeds during mid- to late August before they pupate and emerge as adults ready to head to Mexico. A few years ago, thousands of monarchs came through southeastern Pennsylvania during their September migration south. But in the last few years, monarch numbers have dropped due to a variety of causes, including cold weather during Mexican winters, drought in the southwestern United States, herbicides killing milkweeds, and pesticides destroying insects. Watch for monarchs this September. They are striking and interesting.
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The Search for Our Ancestry
AncestryDNA Revisited Angelo Coniglio
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eaders will remember that over a year ago, for about $100, I purchased a test kit for autosomal DNA analysis by Ancestry.com DNA (AncestryDNA). After sending in my sample of saliva, I received a message from AncestryDNA saying that “not enough genetic material” was found in my sample, and
they would send another kit. After that sample, and then a third, could not be interpreted by AncestryDNA, I asked for a refund and got one, minus some “handling charges.” I then purchased a similar test from the venue 23andMe, which was succesful in extracting my genetic
material. In previous columns, in some detail, I reported those results, with which I was generally very satisfied. I know from my “paper genealogy” research of Sicilian records of birth, marriage, and death that my ancestry back six generations to the mid-1700s was pure Sicilian, with all my ancestors back to that time from just two
small Sicilian towns, Serradifalco and Marianopoli. 23andMe showed an expected distribution of my ethnic/geographic ancestry, with clear displays and diagrams and easy procedures for contacting other 23andMe participants please see AncestryDNA page 15
Resource Directory
This Resource Directory recognizes advertisers who have made an extended commitment to your health and well-being. Disasters
American Red Cross Greater Brandywine (610) 692-1200
American Cancer Society (800) 227-2345 American Heart Association (610) 940-9540
Chester County Emergency Services (610) 344-5000
Arthritis Foundation (215) 665-9200
Salvation Army Coatesville (610) 384-2954
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (800) 232-4636
Salvation Army West Chester (610) 696-8746
Coatesville VA Medical Center (610) 383-7711
Emergency Numbers Central PA Poison Center (800) 521-6110 Office of Aging (610) 344-6350/(800) 692-1100 Financial Services Glendale Mortgage (610) 853-6500 Internal Revenue Service (800) 829-3676 U.S. Financial (800) 595-1925, ext. 2122 Funeral & Cremation Services Cremation Society of Pennsylvania Serving Chester County (800) 720-8221 Health & Medical Services Alzheimer’s Association (800) 272-3900 www.50plusSeniorNewsPA.com
Domestic Violence (800) 799-7233 National Osteoporosis Foundation (800) 223-9994 PACE (800) 225-7223
Housing Assistance Community Impact Legal Services (610) 380-7111 Housing Authority of Chester County (610) 436-9200 Housing Authority of Phoenixville (610) 933-8801 Legal Services Lawyer Referral Service (610) 429-1500 Legal Aid of Southeastern PA (610) 436-4510 Medical Equipment & Supplies Medical Supply (800) 777-6647
Senior Healthlink (610) 431-1852
Nutrition Meals on Wheels Chester County Inc. (610) 430-8500
Southeastern PA Medical Institute (610) 446-0662
Pennsylvania Hunger Action Center (800) 366-3997
Pennsylvania Office for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing (800) 233-3008 V/TTY Housing Eastwood Village Homes, LLC 102 Summers Drive, Lancaster (717) 397-3138
Office of Aging Chester County Department of Aging Services (610) 344-6350 Pharmacies CVS/pharmacy www.cvs.com
Gateway Medical Associates Locations in Coatesville, Downingtown, Lionville, and West Chester (610) 423-8181 Real Estate Hostetter Realty Kim Mann (717) 380-7459 Keller-Williams Real Estate Kelly Steyn (215) 646-2900 Senior Centers Coatesville (610) 383-6900 Downingtown (610) 269-3939
Social Security Administration (800) 772-1213
Hearing Services
Physicians
Great Valley (610) 889-2121 Kennett Square (610) 444-4819 Oxford (610) 932-5244 Phoenixville (610) 935-1515 Wayne (610) 688-6246 West Chester (610) 431-4242
Not an all-inclusive list of advertisers in your area.
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Tinseltown Talks
Arlene Dahl’s Journey to Hollywood and Beyond
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September 2015
Nick Thomas
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enerally regarded as one of the classic beauties to grace the big screen throughout the ’40s and ’50s, Arlene Dahl’s career extended beyond the reach of the camera. “I’ve had many different careers,” said Dahl, who turned 87 in August, from her home in New York. “I was a writer for 20 years with a beauty column in the Chicago Tribune, which was syndicated in 180 newspapers around the world.” As an author, Dahl has penned 14 books and is currently working on more, including an autobiography. She was also the vice president of an advertising agency, and, in the 1960s, Sears hired her to visit their stores to offer customers beauty makeovers. “They are commonplace on many TV programs now,” she noted. “I also created my own perfume fragrance— ‘Dahlia’—before anyone else. So I started it all!” Dahl says she can trace her interest in performing to Minneapolis where, as a 5-year-old, she first experienced the joy of an appreciative audience during a family picnic at Minnehaha Falls. “My father put me up on a picnic table and asked me to sing. After hearing the applause, they couldn’t get me down.” At 17, she was discovered by Jack Warner, who spotted her singing and dancing on Broadway during the 1945 opening of Mr. Strauss Goes to Boston. “He came backstage and invited me to Hollywood to make a screen test, but I declined,” said Dahl, who expected the play to extend into a long run. “He said, ‘Give it two or three weeks and you’ll call me; here’s my card.’ He was right. I was soon out of a job.” Moving to Hollywood, the cameras loved Dahl, and audiences fell for her flaming-red hair and trademark beauty spot. She went on to appear in more than 30 films. Initially handed romantic comedies, Dahl eventually tackled
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Photo credit: MGM
Still from Three Little Words (1950). From left, Arlene Dahl, Red Skelton, Fred Astaire, and Vera Ellen.
Photo by Annie Watt, used with permission
Recent photo of Arlene Dahl and Marc Rosen.
Publicity still of Arlene Dahl from the 1940s.
more dramatic roles, such 1959’s subterranean adventure Journey to the Center of the Earth with James Mason and Pat Boone. The first day’s shooting with Mason was tense, however. “He didn’t want me for the part. I
found this out two days before I went to New Mexico to shoot the cave scenes at Carlsbad Caverns.” But her professionalism impressed Mason. “He came to my dressing room after our first scene to tell me I had done well. That was like an Academy Award from James Mason, and everything was OK after that.” Everything, except the hazards on the set. “I almost died in the underground ocean scene where the boat was going round in circles and waves were rocking it,” recalled Dahl. “Giant water balloons were supposed to hit our backs, but they hit me in the face, knocking me out. I woke up in the hospital with James and Pat holding my hand.” Between 1952 and 1976, that hand was given in marriage to several suitors, including two well-known actors, Lex Barker and Fernando Lamas—father of heartthrob actor Lorenzo Lamas. Today, Dahl is happily married to Marc Rosen, founder of Marc Rosen Associates, a New York firm specializing in the design and packaging of luxury cosmetic products. “I was working at Revlon, and a friend suggested meeting Arlene, and I ended up designing the bottle and packaging for her ‘Dahlia’ perfume,” explained Rosen. “We became great friends, and despite our 18 years’ age difference, were married. People said it wouldn’t last. Well, we just celebrated our 30th anniversary and proved them wrong!” “I’ve lived a very full and happy life, although there have been ups and downs,” says Dahl. “Many people don’t know about some of my experiences, but they’ll be in my autobiography. You have no idea the stories I can tell … and will!” Nick Thomas teaches at Auburn University at Montgomery, Ala., and has written features, columns, and interviews for more than 600 magazines and newspapers. Follow @TinseltownTalks
www.50plusSeniorNewsPA.com
The Way I See It
The Common Fruit Bowl Mike Clark
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here’s a handmade redware bowl in the middle of our kitchen table containing apples and bananas and oranges; we sometimes add other fruit, such as grapes and pears. It is a tantalizing display of color and succulence, enticing anyone who passes it to grab, peel, and eat. The temptation lasts only until the bananas become brown-specked, and the apples develop off-color bruises that collapse into mushy craters with a gentle finger thrust. From then on, the decorative facet of the bowl declines by the hour. “Somebody better eat that fruit,” my wife says. “It’s going to go bad.” “Wrap it in pastry dough and bake it, or soak it in some sugary syrup; I’ll get right on it,” I tell her. While sitting at the table in my usual lethargic daze, drinking my tea, I thought about the fruit that makes its way in and out of that bowl over time. I think we might have thrown away as much as we’ve eaten. Having fresh fruit is a cyclical desire for us. There are times when we can’t get enough, and then there are times when we just don’t bother. Spring and summer, as you might expect, are prime time for chilled, fresh fruit. We especially like oranges on sweltering summer days. Who doesn’t? And my wife likes her oranges really cold, so I don’t understand why she keeps them in the bowl on the table. I suppose, if she thinks like me (she seldom does), it’s because they add another layer of texture and color to the decorative bowl, satisfying our aesthetic need for beauty. The time of day and the quality of light that enters the kitchen often make the fruit bowl look like a classic painting. I also like cold oranges, but if an orange is too cold, it hurts my teeth when I bite into it. I even use toothpaste
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formulated for sensitive teeth. And here, let me remind you of a universal tenet: One should not eat oranges or drink the juice shortly after brushing one’s teeth. The sensation can induce seizures and cause one to speak in tongues. Apples for the bowl are not selected according to their variety names, such as Golden Delicious, Granny Smith, Pine Golden Pippin, Honey Crisp, Pink Lady, and McIntosh. We buy some of those varieties, but they are stored in the produce drawer in the refrigerator, where they retain their crispness and flavor. Gradation of color is the important criterion for apples in a fruit bowl, especially ones that display multiple shades of red and green. I’ll snatch an apple from the bowl or the crisper drawer and bite right into it, snapping and crunching with the savagery of a pit bull. My wife washes the apple, peels it, slices it, and settles down to savor the healthful snack in gentle nibbles while monitoring my munch fest with a wary eye. I’m glad she knows the Heimlich maneuver. Bananas are my favorite fruit, and I eat them throughout their range of ripeness, from bright-yellow and firm to deepbrown and somewhat squishy. I slice them for a topping on my cereal or just eat them alone in milk with a bit of sugar. My wife will eat them until the first couple of brown spots appear on the peel. I’ve seen her attempt to eat them after that, but the act is tentative. She’ll often pass them off to me knowing that I fear no banana. I finish them off as she looks on with revulsion. I don’t know why we don’t buy plastic or wax fruit for the fruit bowl. All you have to do is dust it. And it’s really funny when somebody decides to grab, peel, and eat that stuff. As I write this, my wife is making fruit
salad at the other end of the table—using canned fruit. I’m not kidding. Mike Clark writes a regular column for The Globe Leader newspaper in New
Wilmington, Pa. He has a Bachelor of Science degree in organizational behavior/applied psychology from Albright College. Mike lives outside Columbia, Pa., and can be contacted at mikemac429@aol.com.
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SEW from page 1 they aspire to follow the Biblical principle of looking out for their neighbors. “We believe that starts with your family. If anyone in our group has a family member in need, we’ll help them first and move on from there into our local city,” she said. Using fabric they receive from donations, the group passes on the items they make to other organizations, which distribute the pieces to people in need. Last year an organization requested 350 sets of hats, mittens, and scarves for Christmas. “We were told of that need in midOctober, so we put out the word to everyone we knew who is willing to sew, and we did it,” said Currens. “We pulled it off.” Although the Sewin’ Sisters have worked with more then 54 different local charities, they primarily work with City of Refuge Evangelism and Lighthouse Ministries. Currently about 20 women ranging in age from their 50s to 80s are part of the group, but women of any age are welcome to join.
Currens’ living room, which doubles as Sewin’ Sisters Sewing’s workroom, is filled with sewing machines, project samples, and shelves stocked with rainbows of thread.
“It gives everyone an outlet, a chance to be with people and leave all the other pressures behind,” she said. Even if a person does not like to sew, there are plenty of ways to become involved with Sewin’ Sisters Sowing. Volunteers who do not sew can sit and rip, count, cut, sort, iron, and launder fabrics according to the specific rules provided to the group. “Some people like to sew at home and then drop it off, and that’s fine too,” she added. Their creations are 100 percent washable and double-stitched or more for durability and are designed to be
The Year in Awards As 50plus Senior News celebrates its 20th anniversary this year, we hope you’ll enjoy a monthly peek back at the world in 1995! This month, some of the notable awards of 1995: • Nobel Prize: for Literature – Seamus Heaney, Ireland; for Peace – Joseph Rotblat and the Pugwash Conferences on Science and World Affairs (jointly)
completed within two hours—even for a beginner. This enables the group to give more without getting bogged down with complicated projects. “There’s always something to do,” said Currens. “And if you don’t know how to sew, we’ll teach you.” The group meets in Currens’ home, and she has converted her living room into a workroom and storage area for the Sewin’ Sisters. “For a lot of us, getting together and sewing and acting silly and crazy is the best escape,” she said. “And when a diehard sewer sits down at the sewing machine, she can escape from it all.” Currens designs many of the projects for the Sewin’ Sisters, and sometimes local organizations will approach her to request a specialized creation. About five years ago, the YWCA needed a specific type of bag made to hang on the back of the doors in their shelter. The bag needed to be able to fit supplies inside for a mother and baby in the event of a fire, so that the mother would be able to grab the bag and leave without wasting precious time gathering things. The Sewin’ Sisters created more than 30 bags using home-decorator fabric and sewed neckties together to create a drawstring. “That was a cute piece, and they loved them,” Currens said.
For four years, the ladies set up 16 sewing machines and provided a sewing experience to more than 500 adults and children at a local National Night Out. Currens said the labor of setting all the machines up for the event was more than worth it for the response they received. “People stood in line for 15 minutes to do it, and then they had one-on-one instruction,” she explained. The Sewin’ Sisters planned two different projects to choose from that could be sewn by a 5-year-old in six minutes’ time or less. “That was really fun, and that’s still one of my favorite projects that we’ve done together,” Currens said. “We’re trying to break down the fear of the sewing machine.” In many homes, the sewing machine is an oddly sacred item stored away in a room, and no one is really allowed to touch it. When some people finally get the chance to operate one, Currens said they tend to be overwhelmed with unnecessary fear. And if fear doesn’t stop people from sewing, sometimes a law can. A law stating that all fabric had to be tested for lead—a test that costs a large chunk of money—nearly put an end to the Sewin’ Sisters’ giveaways. But Currens and her friends lobbied for change in the lead law, meeting with a senator in his office to show him exactly why the lead test was getting in the way of their giving—not to mention how much old fabric would end up in landfills because of the law. Three weeks after their meeting, an exception to the law was made for home hobby businesses and volunteer groups. “I’m really proud of that,” Currens said. For more information on Sewin’ Sisters Sowing, visit http://sewinsisterssowing. blogspot.com or call (717) 561-9964.
• Miss America: Heather Whitestone (Alabama) • Academy Awards: for Best Picture – Forrest Gump; for Actor in a Leading Role – Tom Hanks, Forrest Gump; for Actress in a Leading Role – Jessica Lange, Blue Sky • Golden Globe Awards: for Best Drama – Sense and Sensibility; for Best Musical or Comedy – Babe • Grammy Awards: Record of the Year – “All I Wanna Do” by Sheryl Crow; Album of the Year – MTV Unplugged by Tony Bennett; Song of the Year – “Streets of Philadelphia” by Bruce Springsteen • Emmy Awards: Outstanding Drama Series – NYPD Blue; Outstanding Comedy Series – Frasier • Tony Awards: Best Play – Love! Valour! Compassion!; Best Musical – Sunset Boulevard
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Savvy Senior
How to Search for Lost Pension Money
Smile of the Month This month’s smiles belong to Patricia Novi, Downingtown, and her granddaughter, Ava, of Philadelphia.
Jim Miller Dear Savvy Senior, What tips can you offer for tracking down a lost pension from a previous employer? – About to Retire Dear About, It’s not unusual for a worker to lose track of a pension benefit. Perhaps you left an employer long ago and forgot that you left behind a pension. Or maybe you worked for a company that changed owners or went belly up many years ago, and you figured the pension went with it. Today, millions of dollars in benefits are sitting in pension plans across the U.S. or with the Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation (PBGC), a federal government agency, waiting to be claimed by their rightful owners. The average unclaimed benefit with PBGC is about $6,500. To help you look for a pension, here are some steps to take and some free resources that can help you search if your previous employer has gone out of business, relocated, changed owners, or merged with another firm. Contact Employer If you think you have a pension and the company you worked for still is in business, your first step is to call the human resources department and ask how to contact the pension plan administrator. Ask the administrator whether you have a pension, how much it is worth, and how to claim it. Depending on how complete the administrator’s records are, you may need to show proof that you once worked for the company and that you are pension eligible. Your old income tax returns and W-2 forms from the years you worked at the company will help you here. If you haven’t saved your old tax returns from these years, you can get a copy of your earnings record from the Social Security Administration, which will show how much you were paid each calendar year by each employer. Call (800) 772-1213 and ask for Form SSA-7050, “Request for Social Security Earnings Information,” or you www.50plusSeniorNewsPA.com
can download it at ssa.gov/online/ssa7050.pdf. The SSA charges $136 for this information. Some other old forms that can help you prove pension eligibility are summary plan descriptions that you should have received from your employer when you worked there and any individual benefit statements that you received during your employment. Search PBGC If your former employer went out of business or if the company still is in business but terminated its pension plan, check with the PBGC, which guarantees pension payouts to private-sector workers if their pension plans fail, up to annual limits. Most people receive the full benefit they earned before the plan was terminated. The PBGC offers an online pension-search directory tool at www. search.pbgc.gov/mp/mp.aspx. Get Help If you need help tracking down your former company because it may have moved, changed owners, or merged with another firm, contact the Pension Rights Center, a nonprofit consumer organization that offers seven free Pension Counseling and Information Projects around the U.S. that serve 30 states. For more information, visit www. pensionrights.org or call (888) 420-6550. If you, your company, or your pension plan happens to be outside the 30-state area served by the projects, or if you’re trying to locate a federal or military pension, use Pension Help America at www.pensionhelp.org. This resource can connect you with government agencies and private organizations that provide free information and assistance to help your search. For more pension-searching tips, see the PBGC’s free online publication called “Finding a Lost Pension” at www.pbgc. gov/documents/finding-a-lost-pension.pdf. Jim Miller is a regular contributor to the NBC Today show and author of The Savvy Senior Book. www.savvysenior.org
Send us your favorite smile—your children, grandchildren, friends, even your “smiling” pet!—and it could be 50plus Senior News’ next Smile of the Month! You can submit your photos either digitally to mjoyce@onlinepub.com or by mail to: 50plus Senior News Smile of the Month • 3912 Abel Drive, Columbia, PA 17512 Please include the following information: Your name___________________________________________________ Your town of residence____________________________________________ Names(s) of those in photo_ ________________________________________ Their town(s) of residence__________________________________________ Their relationship to you (e.g., daughter, brother, grandson)_ ______________________ Digital photos must be at least 4x6’’ with a resolution of 300 dpi. No professional photos, please. Please include a SASE if you would like to have your photo returned.
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Art & Antiques by Dr. Lori
Dumpster or No Dumpster: Schooldays Edition Lori Verderame
D
umpster or No Dumpster™ is now a familiar game that many play during my TV appearances, at my antiques appraisal events, and via social media on www.Facebook.com/ DoctorLori. After developing the game, I play it with folks as a fun way to help guide them through the process of figuring out what to trash and what’s worth cash! When faced with the decision of which items to pitch from a pile of school stuff, which items would you toss? Get ready to choose. Which would you Dumpster? 1. A Munsters TV show lunchbox, circa 1970s 2. A classroom set of instructional cursive writing panels, circa 1960s 3. A macaroni picture frame, circa 1980s 4. P okemon trading cards, circa 19902000s
lunchtime carryall has been a highly recognizable collectible. Some people In the 1950s don’t realize how when cartoon much money they characters, are tossing out celebrities, while cleaning out and athletes an attic, basement, appeared on storage unit, or lunchboxes, they Munsters lunchbox vacant home. became traded, When you clean collectible, and widely desirable. The out a house and you come across old Munsters TV show lunchbox from the items that you don’t know about and 1970s featuring characters Herman, Lily, don’t know their worth, remember they and Eddie is a keeper. could have significant monetary value. Value: $175-$250 Using the five back-to-school items above, I will guide you as to how to OK, so that was an easy one. What identify the valuables. about the other school items? Do they make the Dumpster or not? Remember, 1. Lunchboxes have been collectible you only have to decide the fate of five for decades. Since the early 1930s, the 5. A United States history textbook, circa 1965
items. Get an in-home appraisal first when you are going through a whole houseful of stuff. OK, let’s continue. You are cleaning out your Aunt Christine’s house, and she was an elementary school teacher … Do these items get relegated to the Dumpster? 2. Instructional cursive writing panels were once posted above chalkboards in American classrooms. These teaching aids helped children learn to write in cursive letters. Some of you may remember them, but there is a generation of millennials who were never taught cursive writing. With the introduction of personal computers, teaching cursive writing became a thing of the past. Unlike other valuable classroom items, these cardboard alphabet letter forms can go to the Dumpster. They aren’t worth much!
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3. You have to keep the macaroni picture frame because a child in your life made it with love. You can store it for the long term in a plastic storage bag within a plastic tub to prevent insects from chewing it up in your storage area. Value: Sentimental and priceless! 4. Some Pokemon trading cards, circa 1999-2000s, are valuable today and some are perpetuating a longstanding myth. Here is the real deal: There are some Pokemon cards, like the holographic version of Charizard from the first edition printed in 1999, that bring big bucks from collectors. This card in excellent condition can command several hundreds to a few thousand dollars. Most Pokemon cards are worth $5 to $50 each. But, another Pokemon card that gets a lot of press is the famous Pikachu Illustrator card. And, this is important … this card was purportedly never released in English and never sold. It was a contest prize in Japan. It is believed that fewer than five such cards exist worldwide, and some say that each Pikachu Illustrator card is worth $20,000. In my expert opinion, I don’t think that card is worth $20,000 because no comparable card has ever been sold. If another card like it hasn’t sold for $20,000, then the elusive Pikachu Illustrator card isn’t worth $20,000. Don’t
buy the hype. But if you find good-condition Pokemon cards, make sure they don’t end up in the Dumpster. Lastly, do you pitch the old United States history textbook full of out-of-date information? 5. Like outdated encyclopedias, old history textbooks aren’t worth that much to collectors unless they are special editions, series, etc. Most are best used for DIY or interior-design projects, scrapbooking, etc. For instance, I’ve seen DIY bookcases made out of a wooden frame and gluedtogether old textbooks, as well as a DIY table base of vintage books with a glass top. Some people use the colorful, outdated, and cheaply printed maps from these books for a decorative wall display with a vintage look. Keep playing Dumpster or No Dumpster™ to discover which items are worth holding on to long term. Welcome back to school. Celebrity Ph.D. antiques appraiser, author, and former museum director, Dr. Lori hosts antiques appraisal events worldwide. Dr. Lori is the star appraiser on Discovery channel. Visit www.DrLoriV.com/Events, www.Facebook. com/DoctorLori, or call (888) 431-1010.
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VA Medical Center to Host Veterans Job Fair The Coatesville VA Medical Center, in collaboration with Pennsylvania CareerLink Chester County, will host the Welcome Home Veterans Job Fair on Patriot Day, Friday, Sept. 11, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. in Building 5, the Great Hall. Veterans of all eras are invited to connect with area employers. At the job fair, attendees can connect with dozens of area employers seeking to hire veterans and can learn about federal government jobs and how to apply noncompetitively. Additionally, veterans can learn about the VA healthcare and benefits they have earned through their service. To maximize the event, attendees should bring, if available, their resumes and professional licenses, certificates, or college transcripts; DD-214; and VA service-connected disability award letter. Other items that may be helpful to have on hand include health insurance and income information. Veterans with questions can call OEF/OIF/OND Program Manager Audrey Hall at (610) 384-7711, ext. 2831. Employers with questions can call Work Restoration Program Manager Sue Wieser at (610) 384-7711, ext. 5287. If you have local news you’d like considered for
Around Town, please email mjoyce@onlinepub.com
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Salute to a Veteran
His Plane Snatched Our Spy Cameras from the Sky Robert D. Wilcox
J
im Cunningham is a native of Central Pennsylvania, where he enrolled in Millersville State Teachers College. While a college senior there, he met an Air Force captain who changed his life. How did that happen? “Well,” he grins, “I had several special friends in college. And whenever we had a moment of spare time, a pinochle game was apt to break out. One day, we were playing cards when a young Air Force captain who was recruiting at our college told us of the wonders of becoming members of the Air Force. “Since we all faced the draft, what he had to say sounded pretty good to us. So, we all signed up in March of 1953 and were shipped to Sampson Air Force Base, in New York, to be evaluated as potential pilots. “As it turned out, I was the only one to be selected, but there were no openings
right then for pilots, aircraft of the day. From them were suspended so I accepted training to become a navigator. gondolas carrying highresolution cameras. When I completed The balloons were that, I was assigned as a navigator on a C-119 launched from Europe and would drift across and sent to Misawa Air Force Base in Japan for the Soviet Union on the winter jet stream a kind of exotic duty I covering nearly all of had never even heard the Soviet land mass. of.” It would take about That duty turned out to be playing a vital role three days for the balloons to clear Soviet in “Project Genetrix,” airspace. The gondolas a highly classified would then be cut program for obtaining James J. Cunningham in 1953 as an free from the balloons aerial photographs of aviation cadet at Ellsworth AFB in by radio signals, and, Communist China, Houston, Texas. while descending Eastern Europe, and the by parachute, they Soviet Union. We had developed large balloons that would be caught in midair by specially reached an altitude of 50,000 to 100,000 modified C-119s like the one in which Cunningham flew. feet, well beyond the altitude flown by
The program began on Jan. 10, 1956, and went on for 27 days. The Soviets were able to shoot down a great many of the balloons, but the 44 gondolas that were recovered provided 13,813 photos that covered 1,116,449 square miles of the USSR and China. And that was the only surveillance we had of the area at the time. That program ended when the CIA began flying the U-2 spy plane, which could fly above 70,000 feet, where it was invulnerable to Soviet anti-aircraft weapons of the time. There it took highresolution photos from the edge of the atmosphere. That program became famous when Gary Powers was shot down on May 1, 1960, after he had flown a U-2 over Soviet territory from a military base in Peshawar, Pakistan. In the meantime, Cunningham had returned to the U.S. and entered pilot
50plus Senior News’ “Salute to a Veteran” Columnist
YORK COUNTY
LANCASTER COUNTY
Sept. 23, 2015
Sept. 30, 2015
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For 16 years, Bob Wilcox has faithfully chronicled the stories of almost 200 local veterans in the pages of 50plus Senior News— preserving their legacies and providing invaluable service to our community and to our publication. This fall, we would like you to help us thank him!
Please join us at the Veterans’ Expo & Job Fair on Nov. 13 at Spooky Nook Sports, Manheim, as we express our gratitude to Col. Wilcox during a special noontime ceremony. We especially encourage any profiled veterans or their loved ones to attend! For more information, please call (717) 285-1350. On-Line Publishers, Inc. • 3912 Abel Drive, Columbia, PA 17512 • www.onlinepub.com
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CUMBERLAND COUNTY
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training. After earning his wings, he Reserve, and then in 1966 he joined the was stationed at Hunter Air Force Base, Pennsylvania Air National Guard, where Savannah, Ga., where he flew the B-47 he retired in 1980 as a colonel. jet bomber for several years. Then he was Cunningham was an early member of reassigned to Westover Air Force Base in his area chapter of the Military Officers Massachusetts, Association of where he flew the America (MOAA), B-52, our longest serving as its range jet bomber. president in 2008 Didn’t the B-52 and 2009, and on fly exceptionally its board of directors long missions? for many more years “It sure did,” after that. Cunningham He also served for says. “A typical 11 years on a local mission was 12 to airport authority. The C-119, the plane Cunningham flew on 16 hours, but on when plucking spy cameras from the skies. And he and his wife, Airborne Alert, it Marge, have given was 24 to 26 hours, while the plane flew strong support for many years to a hostel across the Atlantic to refuel south of Spain for young people in India. with 100,000 pounds of fuel. It would Over his years of flying, Cunningham then fly around the Mediterranean twice, has amassed some 29,000 hours of time refuel again south of Spain, and return to in the air as navigator, flight engineer, and base at Westover.” pilot, with 15,000 hours of that time as In September of 1960, Cunningham pilot. left active duty in the Air Force as a He and Marge still make many lieutenant colonel and began flying for complimentary flights to vacation spots Pan Am, which was later absorbed by around the world with the U.S. Air Force United Airlines. During those years as an and United Airlines. He agrees that his airline pilot, he regularly flew to countries has been a charmed life … and says he literally around the world. He retired wouldn’t trade a day of it for any other. from United in 1988. Colonel Wilcox flew a B-17 bomber in During all that time as an airline Europe in World War II. pilot, he had remained in the Air Force
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Calendar of Events
Chester County
Support Groups Sept. 1, 2 p.m. Grief Support Group Phoenixville Senior Center 153 Church St., Phoenixville (610) 327-7216
Sept. 1 and 15, 6:30 to 8 p.m. Bereavement Support Group Brandywine Hospital Conference Room 2N 201 Reeceville Road, Coatesville (610) 998-1700, ext. 226 Sept. 1, 15, and 29, 5 to 6:30 p.m. Bereavement Support Group Main Line Unitarian Church 816 S. Valley Forge Road, Devon (610) 585-6604 phoenixbereavement@yahoo.com Nondenominational; all are welcome. Sept. 2, 6 p.m. Memory Loss and Dementia Support Group Sunrise Assisted Living of Paoli 324 W. Lancaster Ave., Malvern (610) 251-9994
Free and open to the public
Sept. 8, 7 p.m. Hearing Loss Support Group Christ Community Church 1190 Phoenixville Pike West Chester (610) 444-445 www.hearinglosschesco.com Sept. 8 and 22, 6:30 to 8 p.m. Bereavement Support Group Jennersville Hospital Conference Room B 1015 W. Baltimore Pike West Grove (610) 998-1700, ext. 226 Sept. 9, 1:30 p.m. Family Caregiver Support Group Sarah Care 425 Technology Drive, Suite 200 Malvern (610) 251-0801
Sept. 14 and 28, 10:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Caregiver Support Group Adult Care of Chester County 201 Sharp Lane, Exton (610) 363-8044 Sept. 15, 6 p.m. Family Caregiver Support Group Sunrise of Westtown 501 Skiles Blvd., West Chester (610) 399-4464 Sept. 30, 6 p.m. Living with Cancer Support Group Paoli Hospital Cancer Center 255 W. Lancaster Ave., Paoli (484) 565-1253
Coatesville Area Senior Center – (610) 383-6900 22 N. Fifth Ave., Coatesville – www.coatesvilleseniorcenter.org Downingtown Senior Center – (610) 269-3939 983 E. Lancaster Ave., Downingtown – http://home.ccil. org/~dasc Great Valley Senior Center – (610) 889-2121 47 Church Road, Malvern Sept. 10 and 24, 10 a.m. – Canasta Sept. 16, 1 p.m. – Meet and Eat Group: Black Powder Tavern Sept. 17, 2:30 p.m. – History Book Club Kennett Area Senior Center – (610) 444-4819 427 S. Walnut St., Kennett Square – www.kennettseniorcenter.org Oxford Senior Center – (610) 932-5244 12 E. Locust St., Oxford – www.oxfordseniors.org Phoenixville Area Senior Center – (610) 935-1515 153 Church St., Phoenixville – www.phoenixvilleseniorcenter.org
Sept. 9, 6 to 7 p.m. GRIEFSHARE: 13-Week Workshop Grove United Methodist Church 490 W. Boot Road, West Chester (610) 350-9372
Community Programs
Senior Center Activities
West Chester Area Senior Center – (610) 431-4242 530 E. Union St., West Chester – www.wcseniors.org Free and open to the public
Just a snippet of what you may be missing … please call or visit their website for more information.
Sept. 1, 11:30 a.m. West Chester University Retirees Luncheon For restaurant location, please email darsie@verizon.net
Sept. 10, 6 to 7:30 p.m. Free Community Dinner Grove United Methodist Church 490 W. Boot Road, West Chester (610) 696-2663
Sept. 2, 1 p.m. Monthly Discussion on Issues Affecting Seniors and Their Families The Continuum Group St. Joseph Parish of Downingtown 460 Manor Ave., Downingtown (267) 567-0871
Sept. 11, 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Welcome Home Veterans Job Fair Coatesville VA Medical Center Building 5 – Great Hall 1400 Blackhorse Hill Road Coatesville (610) 384-7711
Sept. 23, 12:10 to 1:10 p.m. Swedes in Colonial America Library Programs Widener University – Exton Campus Downingtown Library, 330 E. Lancaster Ave., 825 Springdale Drive, Exton Downingtown, (610) 269-2741 (484) 713-0088 Sept. 17, 6:30 p.m. – D owningtown Library Writers Group Sept. 28, 1 p.m. Sept. 24, 1 p.m. – Senior Book Club Workshop for Senior Women: Sept. 24, 6:30 p.m. – Reading the Classics Financial Concerns The Continuum Group Paoli Library, 18 Darby Road, Paoli, (610) 296-7996 St. Patrick Church Rectory Mystery Book Club – Call for dates/times 104 Channing Ave., Malvern (267) 567-0871
Sept. 3, 7:30 p.m. Compassionate Friends Valley Forge Chapter Good Shepherd Lutheran Church 132 E. Valley Forge Road King of Prussia www.tcfvalleyforge.org
Sept. 15, 11:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. Bio of Dwight “Ike” Eisenhower AARP Valley Forge Chapter St. Luke Evangelical Lutheran Church 203 N. Valley Forge Road, Devon (610) 688-5733
Sept. 30, 12:10 to 1:10 p.m. www.chesco.org/ccparks The Assassination of Abraham th Lincoln: 150 Anniversary Widener University – Exton Campus Sept. 18, 6 to 7 p.m. – I nterpretive Wagon Ride, Warwick County Park 825 Springdale Drive, Exton Sept. 26, 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. –C ommunity Day, Warwick (484) 713-0088 County Park
Sept. 5 and 19, 5 to 10 p.m. Bingo Night Marine Corps League Detachment 430 Chestnut St., Downingtown (610) 429-8174
Sept. 16, 12:10 to 1:10 p.m. The Life of Golda Meir Widener University – Exton Campus 825 Springdale Drive, Exton (484) 713-0088
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Chester County Parks and Recreation
If you have an event you would like to include, please email information to mjoyce@onlinepub.com for consideration.
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CROSSWORD
Solutions for all puzzles can be found on page 14 brainteasers
Advertising Slogans from the ’50s and ’60s In each of these advertising slogans from the ’50s and ’60s, there are two first-letter typos. You’re the editor and your job is to fix them. Example: Winston wastes food like a cigarette should. Answer: Winston tastes good like a cigarette should. 1. Schlitz: The deer chat made Milwaukee famous. 2. Pepsodent: You’ll ponder where the fellow went. 3. Coppertone: Coppertone gives you a letter man. 4. Banquet: Shank goodness for Banquet frozen hoods. 5. Hertz: Sore people by bar use Hertz Rent a Car. 6. Budweiser: Where there’s wife … there’s mud. 7. Tide: Side bets clothes cleaner than any soap. 8. Brylcreme: They’ll love to run their zingers through your fair. 9. Alka Seltzer: Belief is rust a swallow away. 10. Camel: I’d balk a pile for a Camel. Toys of the ’50s and ’60s Find these toys that were popular during, and in some cases before and after, the ’50s and ’60s: 1. L _ _ _ _ _ _ L _ _ _ 2. B _ _ _ _ _ D _ _ _ 3. Mr. P _ _ _ _ _ H _ _ _ 4. P _ _ _ - D _ _ 5. S _ _ _ _ _ 6. E _ _ _ - A - S _ _ _ _ _ 7. C _ _ _ _ L _ _ _ 8. V _ _ _ - M _ _ _ _ _ 9. C _ _ _ _ _ C _ _ _ _ 10. L _ _ _ _ _ E _ _ _ _ _ _ _ T _ _ _ _ Written by Alan Stillson. Please see http://stillsonworks.com SUDOKU
Across
1. Decree 5. Psyches 9. Auricles 13. Wander 14. Thaw 15. Coral reef 17. Forever 19. Bind again 20. Macadam 21. Actor Arkin 23. Behave 24. By way of 26. Optic 27. Thing, in law
28. Property part 33. Spot 35. Eng. river 36. Sp. uncle 37. Short nail 39. Religious ceremony 40. Gremlins 43. Polish lancer 45. Let it stand! 47. A Gabor 48. Entice 49. Bread spread 51. Non-disposable 53. Devotee
55. Genetic material (abbr.) 57. Greatest degree 58. Adherent (suffix) 59. Dried-up 61. Less complicated 66. Contour 68. Coming forth 70. Inheritors 71. Prayer word 72. Pain 73. Position 74. Store event 75. Wearing shoes
18. Dark blue 22. Affirmative 25. Seed covering 28. Soap measure 29. Bird (Lat.) 30. Rabbit 31. Genuflect 32. White Cliffs site 34. Abdul or Zahn 38. Wallenda or Malden 41. Level 42. White wine 44. Born
46. Most laconic 50. Singleton 52. Rug type 53. Anchovy 54. Fire leftovers 56. Regions 60. Eng. Actress Samms 62. Oceans 63. Linear unit 64. Resound 65. Woodwind 67. Expert 69. Moray, e.g.
Down
1. Worry 2. Scintilla 3. Swear 4. School year 5. Waste away 6. Mousse 7. Cantina cooker 8. Fashion plate’s concern 9. Sincere 10. Consumed 11. Service organization 12. Golf stroke 16. Leases
Your ad could be here on this popular page! Please call (610) 675-6240 for more information.
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Puzzles shown on page 13
Puzzle Solutions
Brainteasers 1. S chlitz: The beer that made Milwaukee famous. 2. P epsodent: You’ll wonder where the yellow went. 3. C oppertone: Coppertone gives you a better tan. 4. B anquet: Thank goodness for Banquet frozen foods. 5. H ertz: More people by far use Hertz Rent a Car. 6. B udweiser: Where there’s life … there’s Bud. 7. T ide: Tide gets clothes cleaner than any soap. 8. B rylcreme: They’ll love to run their fingers through your hair. 9. A lka Seltzer: Relief is just a swallow away. 10. C amel: I’d walk a mile for a Camel.
1. Lincoln Logs 2. Barbie Doll 3. Mr. Potato Head 4. Play-Doh 5. Slinky
6. Etch-A-Sketch 7. Candy Land 8. View-Master 9. Chatty Cathy 10. Lionel Electric Train
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ANCESTRYDNA from page 3 who share portions of my genome (that is, other users whose DNA shows they are related to me at some level). Though my previous AncestryDNA tests had failed, I am still a subscriber to Ancestry.com for access to its genealogical records, and recently, while using the online service, I received a pop-up message that said I had previously had AncestryDNA tests that had failed, and that Ancestry.com was offering to send me a free test kit and would reanalyze my sample for free. The price was right, so I agreed, and I received a new test kit in a week. I again followed the directions: spit about a tablespoonful of saliva into a plastic tube, seal the tube, shake it to release a preservative, and then place it in a prepaid mailer and return it to Ancestry.com. I then registered the kit number online with Ancestry and was advised to wait six to eight weeks for results. In only four weeks, I received an email saying that my results were ready. DNA testing alone can’t give you a family tree of your direct ancestors, regardless whether the venue is 23andMe, AncestryDNA, or any other service. It can’t give names and dates, but it can give a broad picture of where
your ancestors lived at some time in the distant past. I found that AncestryDNA and 23andMe results were roughly comparable. 23andMe showed that my ancestry composition was 79.2 percent Italian, 9.8 percent Southern European, 4.7 percent Middle Eastern, and 1.7 percent African, with less than 0.1 percent British/Irish. AncestryDNA showed an ethnicity estimate of: 70 percent Italy/Greece, 11 percent Middle East, 2 percent Ireland, 1 percent Britain, and less than 1 percent for Africa. 23andMe says that its estimates are for the period “before the widespread migrations of the past few hundred years.” However, AncestryDNA gives no estimate of when in history its estimate applies. To extend knowledge of your family tree, gaining names of ancestors you may not have been aware of requires that others who have compiled that information have also had their DNA tested by the same venue that tested yours. Then you can identify “DNA relatives,” contact them privately through the testing service, and compare their “paper genealogy” to yours.
Here again, I feel AncestryDNA falls short. 23andMe allows users to submit a profile that gives the important surnames in their heritage and the names of ancestral towns. From a list of relatives, I can select those that have surnames or towns in common with me, ask them to “share genomes,” and see a bar chart of the portions of each of my 23 chromosomes that theirs match exactly. I can then communicate with them to share family tree information, which can let one or both of us extend our family tree. AncestryDNA gives a list of “relatives.” On inspection, some have entered family trees online on
Ancestry.com, and whatever information they have there about surnames and ancestral towns is available. But a great many have not entered family trees. Also, there is no way to compare genomes to see where the DNA matches occur. AncestryDNA does have a feature called DNA Circles, which identifies folks whose DNA matches yours and whose family trees have common ancestors with yours. To date, in my case, no DNA Circles have been found. Coniglio is the author of a novella inspired by his Sicilian research, The Lady of the Wheel. You can order the paperback or the e-book at amzn.to/racalmuto. For helpful hints, visit his website, bit.ly/AFCGen. For questions or group lecture requests, email him at genealogytips@aol.com.
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