I am writing in reference to two notices in recent publications of your newspaper; one on May 27 “Susky High Class of 55 Reunion” and the second on June 3rd “Clarification” of an issue that I made known to your paper.

Laurel Hill Academy has never been a part of Susky High. I believe you have confused Laurel Hill Academy, a parochial school, with the Laurel Street School which was the public high school until 1955 when the Consolidated school was opened, which included students from Susquehanna, Lanesboro, Thompson, Starrucca, and Oakland. LHA remained open, my husband and I both graduated from there in 1959 as did my sister in 1962.

In 1968 the IHM nuns were removed from LHA and it would have closed had not John and Judy Chianese and a staff of three additional teachers kept the high school in operation while an attempt was made to acquire a staff of teaching nuns to operate the facility. Their attempts were in vain and in 1970 the high school was forced to close, however the grade school, through sixth grade, remained open until 1974 when the IHM nuns who had remained to teach the grade school were removed.

Sincerely,

Peggy Grausgruber Chianese

Hadley, PA

Sybrina Fulton, you remember, is the estranged (or is it strange) mother of Trayvon Martin. She gave up Trayvon to a stepmother when he was two and did not see him again until he was 14. So what did the aggrieved biological mother do when she heard of her son's death? She contacted the law firm of Parks and Crump, famed civil rights attorneys.

The heady odor of money was thick in the air. Parks and Crump detected the scent and ran after it like hounds on a fox hunt.

Twenty years earlier the civil rights case of Rodney King dominated the national news. King, a black man, was videoed being beaten by four white police officers. He successfully sued the city of Los Angeles for the use of excessive force in his arrest. The jury awarded King $3.8 million (in today's dollars it would be $6.4 million) plus $1.7 million for attorney's fees.

But it wasn't enough to ward off rioting, looting, and arson, that cost Los Angeles an estimated $1 billion.

The Trayvon Martin case had every indication of being even more lucrative. The residents of Ferguson, Missouri, where Trayvon was killed, were massively for the 17-year old as were the media, and against his shooter, George Zimmerman.

The City Council of Ferguson was well aware of what happened to Los Angeles in 1992 and they didn't want their city to be similarly sacked. Yet, despite the efforts of the president of the city council, a corrupted police sergeant, and a biased judge, a jury acquitted Zimmerman of all charges.

Were the dreams of financial sugar plumbs dancing in the head of Crump dashed? If you think so, you have underestimated him. Today, Sybrina is a millionaire. How did Crump do it? There were several strategies in his bag of tricks.

First, on behalf of Sybrina, he sued the Home Owners' Association citing the wrongful death of T.M. in that community. The Association's insurer agreed to a $1 million settlement. It was rejected. Eventually Crump agreed to an out-of-court settlement. But by how much it exceed the original offer of $1 million no one is saying.

But that's just the beginning.

Next Crump guided Sybrina through the paperwork to patent and trademark T.M. merchandise. Tee shirts printed with, “I Am Trayvon,” or “Justice For Trayvon,” and hoodies were profit-making best sellers.

Then the Trayvon Martin Foundation was created to “provide support” for Trayvon's family (err, that would be Sybrina) and other families who had a member killed in a “violent crime.”

Small donations as well as some sizable contributions from organizations poured in from across the nation. How much? Like the wrongful-death settlement, the T.M. merchandise, and the donations to T.M. Foundation, they are vaulted in impenetrable secrecy.

Go to the T.M. Foundation web site for some interesting discoveries. First, you'll see a photograph of Trayvon as a cherubic-faced 12-year old.

Not sure if you should contribute? Click on “Donations” and read 12 reasons why you should make a donation. “Twenty dollars for his twenty birthday” is suggested. But peculiarly, donors are specifically instructed, “Do not make donations payable to the T.M. Foundation.” “Please mail check/money order to, The Miami Foundation.” Why not to the T.M. Foundation?

That's just one of many questions.

For example: (1) What is the murky connection between the T.M. Foundation and the Miami Foundation? (2) Is Sybrina, her husband, or their relatives, connected directly or indirectly to these foundations? (3) Since donations are diverted to the Miami Foundation, is there any way to tell exactly how the funds are used? And (5) Why doesn't the tax exempt T.M. Foundation publish its income?

What of Sybrina? She left her $68,000 job with Miami-Dade County for “greener” fields. Her plans are to devote her full-time energies to the T.M. Foundation and as a paid speaker. Could be she hopes to join such incendiary luminaries as Jesse Jackson and Al Sharpton in an all star riot-to-riot road show?

Strip away the visibly honest from the underlying hypocritical, the real tears from the crockadilian, the high-sounding intentions from the hushed actions, and what does one find? Civil rights is an odd-couple relationship of the noble with the ignoble; regrettably, it is more of the ignoble.

Sincerely,

Bob Scroggins

New Milford, PA

As I make my way through the back roads in Ararat Township, grading raking and rolling roads I see many things of beauty.

Last week, as I was pounding ridge road with the roller I saw a few baby turkeys and several deer scurry away from the edge of the road when I roared past.

As I was catching up to the road crew I happened to see a family watching me as I came up Ridge Road. As I drove past I waved. Two little girls, with their eyes opened wide and their ears plugged were amazed at the machine.

I had to stop to say hello and to comment on their barn boots. It was chilly I had my winter barn boots on also. I shook the Grandma’s hand, she introduced me to the little girls and their mom, and told me to keep up the good work on the pot holes and not to worry about catching up to the boss but to continue at my pace to do it right.

While I got back on the machine it made me feel so good to know what we do matters. We are working to please our residents and it makes it nice to see them smile.

Sincerely,

Peter A. Seman 

Thompson, Pa.