Home → Columnists ( January 12, 2022 )
Fairdale – Grange met at the hall on Saturday and after an oyster dinner the following officers for the new year were installed in a very able manner by Brother and Sister H.G. Jenner; Master, Cleon Smith; Overseer, Earl Ainey; Steward, Reed Very; Chaplain, Minnie Horton; Treas., Glen Cronk; Sec'y, Edith Ainey; Ass't. Steward, Frank Tyler.
Montrose – Lake Montrose furnished ideal skating for the young people the first of the week. ALSO J.A. McCabe and Joe Donovan have been harvesting fine, eleven-inch ice at Jones' Lake [Lake Montrose] this week. We understand the Borden Milk Co. expect to fill their ice houses next week. ALSO Comrade W.A. Taylor, of Cherry Street, celebrated his 82nd birthday by entertaining the members of Four Brothers Post, GAR, at his home. The time was spent with stories, told as only the old "vets" can relate them, and a delicious supper was served. The Dr. Ellen E. Mitchell Tent, Daughters of Union Veterans, sent a bouquet of cut flowers with their best wishes for the happiness of the veterans.
South Montrose – Eddie Ingraham, who has been in Germany the past four years, was visiting friends here Monday. At the beginning of the war, Mr. Ingraham enlisted, but, being a small man, he was rejected several times. Then he joined the National Guard and was sent to New York to do guard duty. Then a time came when the question was asked, "Who wants to go across?" and Ingraham was among the first to step out. He spent four years in Germany, and has been in Washington, DC for a while, and is now at the home of his father here.
Dundaff – Dr. G.A. Fike, age 71, among the oldest practicing physicians of northeastern Pennsylvania, and a resident of this place the last 45 years, died at the Emergency hospital, Carbondale, Jan. 6, 1922, a victim of blood poisoning. Dr. Fike was ready at all times to heed the sick call and it mattered not the hour or weather conditions to him. He felt it his duty to relieve the distressed. His funeral was a gathering of mourners.
South Auburn – The South Auburn Grangers will hold their annual dinner on Saturday. The ladies of the Grange will furnish the baking and each one is requested to bring some kind of meat. Officers will be installed. ALSO Arthur Bunnell, of this township, has recently built an ice house in which to store ice to cool milk in the summer months.
Springville – C.H. Young, agent for Studebaker cars, has an advertisement announcing new prices of the Studebaker line. ALSO Dame Rumor says that Clark Sherman has purchased his grandmother's farm, known as the Theron Strickland place and will move there in the spring.
Dimock – Judge Charles E. Bunnell is in the States on business connected with the Alaska Agricultural College and School of Mines. He has been appointed president of the institution which is located at Fairbanks, and is very optimistic over the future for Alaska's first college. He comes east to visit a number of similar institutions. Also to purchase necessary equipment and to employ a staff of instructors. The school will open next September. He will go to Washington and may appear before congressional committees studying Alaska affairs, and then come to Pennsylvania. [Charles E. Bunnell was born in Dimock in 1878, graduated from Bucknell University, and became the first President of the University of Alaska (first named above) from 1921 until 1949.]
Susquehanna – Rev. D.J. Bustin, the newly appointed pastor of St. John's, reached here on Friday and greeted his people at both Masses on Sunday. He is a man of scholarly attainments and the people of St. John's are to be congratulated upon his appointment. ALSO Patrick Sheridan, of Forest City, came here to accept a position on the Susquehanna Transcript.
Franklin Forks – Lyle Stockholm is putting up a telephone line. He will soon be ready for his 'phone.
Thompson – M.C. Whitney, of North Jackson, went to Binghamton with his truck and brought home the new windows for the M.E. Church.
Uniondale – W.T. Curtis is installing a new furnace in the Methodist Episcopal Church. The parsonage has also been provided with a furnace. ALSO The creamery ice house is filled with a superior quality of ice. It holds about 700 tons.
Browndale/Lanesboro – Joseph Miluszusky lost a new Wells adding machine from his Browndale store a few nights ago. While skating under the Starrucca Viaduct, at Lanesboro, some boys noticed a peculiar looking package. On investigation it was found to be Mr. Miluszusksy's property. He went up Monday to recover the machine.
The Knickerbockers, who conducted a successful dance in the Borough hall, having the Frisco Syncopators of Atlantic City, NJ, will entertain their many friends of the community and vicinity, by conducting a Party Dance in the Borough hall on the evening of January 16. Music will be furnished by Gregory's Society Six, of Philadelphia. ALSO The Borough Council reorganized by the election of Dominick Franceski, as Chairman of Council. J.W. Jones was appointed Chief of Police and William Connelly, Street Commissioner.
Marriage Licenses: Howard W. Estabrook, of Gibson and Rosamond Westbrook, of Jackson; Lloyd P. Hill, of Susquehanna and Gladys I. Morgan, of New Milford; Maurice W. Ellsworth, of Harford and Angie N. Richardson, of Hallstead; Harry Lee Ellsworth and Gertrude Louise Tingley, both of Harford; J.W. VanVechten and Beatrice Hay, both of Montrose; Harry C. Sandell and Alice Gathany, both of Hallstead; Mike Kriso and Mary Bednar, both of Forest City; Anthony Mlinar and Annie Mikene, both of Forest City; Ralph Bailey and Annie Matilda Jones, both of Forest City; Theo Pinkole and Stella Mary Andracka, both of Forest City; Eli D. VanAken, and Millie McGuane, both of Susquehanna; Chas. T. Weiss and Mary L. Flummerfelt, both of Bridgewater Twp.
Back issues of "100 Years Ago" can be found on our website, www.susqcohistsoc.org. You may also visit our Facebook page to see what is happening at our Historical Society. Plus, we have a number of out-of-print township histories, county histories and much more in our museum store.
The Susquehanna County Bar tragically lost one of its members when Patrick M. Daly, Esquire, died on December 29, 2021. In thinking about Pat over the past several weeks, I thought it would be a good time to share a few memories with the community that he served – not only as an attorney – but as a son, brother, father, uncle, sailor, fireman, museum curator and so much more.
Pat was only a year behind me in school but we did have a few classes together before I graduated. Given that Pat was a year behind me, the fact that we ended up in some of the same classes demonstrates that he was an intelligent and hard-working student who could handle coursework ahead of his grade level. As teenagers tend to do, there were plenty of debates and discussions on wide ranging topics where Pat began to hone both his oratory skills and his wonderful wit. It was during this period of time that I had my first opportunity to enjoy Pat's storytelling abilities, his wonderful sense of humor and his contagious laugh.
After I graduated, I did not see Pat for many years as life took us in different directions. When I returned home in 1999 after a 3-year stint in Scranton as a law clerk, Pat was still abroad – he had completed his undergraduate degree at Boston University, then served his country for four years in the United States Navy, and was enrolled at Northeastern University School of Law. After graduating from law school in 2001, Pat returned home, where he served as a law clerk for Kenneth W. Seamans, President Judge of the Court of Common Pleas of Susquehanna County. Many years later, Pat and I would fondly discuss our times as law clerks remembering how much we learned, how much we enjoyed it and how we occasionally still missed it.
After a few years of clerking, Pat traded the tranquility of the judicial chambers for the hustle and bustle of a law practice. In addition, Pat took on the part-time county position of conflict counsel in criminal cases. When a defendant cannot afford an attorney, the public defender is assigned to represent the defendant. If the public defender's officer has a conflict of interest, then the conflict counsel would represent the defendant. Pat served in the conflict counsel role for more than a decade representing hundreds of indigent – and often difficult – clients. In that capacity, Pat and I had several memorable criminal jury trials together while I was a prosecutor.
When we negotiated criminal cases, Pat was both reasonable and pragmatic in searching for an appropriate resolution. Pat worked hard in representing his clients though the compensation for his conflict counsel work was far less than he would have received in his private law practice. In seeking a favorable resolution for his clients, even in a court-appointed capacity, Pat was tenacious and would often refuse to accept that a plea offer was not going to improve – and there were occasions when his extra effort yielded positive results for his clients.
When I became judge, I discovered the difficulties that occur in attempting to appoint attorneys to represent indigent parties. While attorneys have an ethical obligation to accept court-appointments, this does not mean that they have to be happy about it nor does it mean that they won't search for reasons to contend that they cannot do it. When it came to a court-appointment, however, Pat had an "old school" approach: If the court wanted him to do something, he accepted it and did it to the best of his abilities.
As a prosecutor and then as a judge, there were plenty of occasions that Pat and I did not see a case the same way – but Pat never took it personally and, if he was mad, he certainly never held a grudge. An older attorney once told me that you need to strive mightily as an advocate in court but afterwards strive mightily to be friends. Pat exemplified this approach to the practice of law and it was appreciated by all of his professional colleagues and the court itself. As it relates to the practice of law, it is safe to say that Pat only had friends and no enemies. In a profession largely based upon argument, discord and strife, it takes a person of very special character to achieve that result.
While Pat's loss will be felt most deeply by his family and close friends, our small legal community will miss him as well. Pat was a good man who left us way too soon – and may he rest in God's eternal peace.
"I hear you and the wife are going down South for the winter," said the pharmacist. "I've got that antibiotic prescription ready for you to take." "Thanks, Doc," said Mr. Henry. "I figured if the wife and me get the sniffles, we can split the prescription and get better fast. Otherwise, other people in our condo complex are willing to share." "Red flag!" thought the pharmacist.
First, if by the "sniffles", Mr. Henry means a viral cold, the antibiotic will not work on viruses. Second, by not taking the entire course of an antibiotic as prescribed because they will share it, both patients may develop a severe opportunistic bacterial infection. Third, misuse of antibiotics results in antibiotic resistance. This is when the bacteria become impervious to other antibiotics, and the patient can die from a serious infection.
The message is clear: Do not share prescription medications. So, who is going to stop you from sharing drugs? Is someone going to call 9-1-1 and ask for a swat team to move in and bust everyone? Probably not. But you may be calling for an ambulance instead. For example, well-meaning Wilma was talking to her friend, Mrs. Roe, who was coughing almost continuously. "Do you have a cold?" she asked Mrs. Roe. "No, I think my apartment is dry," she replied. "Or maybe it's my allergies. Doctors tell you one thing, and it's actually another." "Why not try the cough syrup my doctor prescribed for me?" Wilma suggested. "It will knock the bejesus right out of you!"
However, Wilma did not realize that Mrs. Roe was big on the whiskey and consumed at least a pint a day – quite a bit for an 80-year-old who weighed less than 100 pounds. In addition, she was on at least 6 medications for her heart and arthritis. Wilma's cough formulation contained a narcotic – the last thing Mrs. Roe needed to add to her abundance of medications. The next day Wilma heard Mrs. Roe groaning inside her apartment. Wilma called for help and saved Mrs. Roe's life. And Wilma learned a valuable lesson: Do not share prescription medications. Especially if they are narcotics as that is illegal, and you can be held criminally accountable.
One more example. Howie was having bad headaches. He mentioned his problem to his pal Danny. Danny slipped him a few tablets that he had left over from a recent surgery. "Try these," Danny said. "They really worked after my operation." Howie downed several of the pills along with a pain medication his doctor gave him. Within the hour, Howie was vomiting violently and doubled up in pain. He ended up in the hospital for several days with severe dehydration until he was stabilized. Later, when he asked Danny what kind of pills he had given him, Danny had no idea. "I usually don't read the labels," he admitted.
You are doing no one a favor when you pass along prescription medications to people for whom they were not prescribed. For instance, the older the recipient of your "kindly gesture", the more likely he or she will be using additional medicines. Consequently, harmful side effects, as well as drug interactions, can occur. Also, similar symptoms can be caused by different illnesses. Case in point: while a cough may be caused by a cold or allergies, it could also be a symptom with another diagnosis, such as emphysema or congestive heart failure. Indeed, doses for many medications are tailored to a patient's age and weight. An elderly patient who may be in poorer health may be slipped a drug that is inappropriate for that person's body type.
As the pharmacist advises, if you want to help another person, suggest they return to their physician. That's the most caring act you can do for that individual. And don't share prescriptions!
Ron Gasbarro, PharmD, is a recovering pharmacist and writer-in-residence at Rx-Press.
Life is centered with the principle of give and take. From corporate business deals, to who gets the remote during TV time, we are constantly strategizing on who gets what. Compromising takes time, energy, resources and most of all patience.
Sometimes, there are situations where you can't compromise, and then there are times when you can but you simply choose not to. It's important when working to develop a community, to keep the principle of compromise as the compass for progress. Communities are filled with differences; religious, political, financial, familial, cultural, etc. The structure of differences then branches into personality types, social inhibitions and more. Our goal as a community is to foster and promote progress with these differences the best that we can.
This means that civic leaders, volunteers, business owners, non-profits and residents need to keep an open mind when engaging over the topic of progress. Will this model have a cost? Of course it will, but in the end, it ensures the longevity and success of a project. From visionaries to concrete realists, we all need to work together with an open mind… the success of our communities relies upon it.
By doing this we can enhance our housing market, reduce blight, increase safety, attract businesses, develop services and promote quality of life achievements.