50plus LIFE York County August 2018

coverage e r a c i d e Is your M expensive? too ls? th referra i w g n i l a ids Still de hearing a r o f e g a r e Need cov or dentures? t see wha to 3 1 e g Go to pa do for you. we can

Complimentary | York County Edition

August 2018 • Vol. 19 No. 8

Licensee ependent d In n a is eCross sociation Capital Blu Cross BlueShield As of the Blue

On Wings and Waves, His Life’s Path Led to PA page 4

highlights from senior games page 8

soldier stories: the fighting quaker page 14

Savvy Senior

Please join us for this FREE event!

Jim Miller

16th annual

YORK COUNTY

Sept. 26, 2018 9 a.m. – 2 p.m.

York Expo Center

Memorial Hall East • 334 Carlisle Ave., York Exhibitors • Health Screenings • Seminars Entertainment • Door Prizes

Fun! Informative!

Sponsored by:

Principal Sponsors: Health & Wellness Sponsor:

Visitor Bag Sponsor: OSS Health

Community Outreach Sponsor:

Seminar Sponsors: Bellomo & Associates Capital BlueCross Media Sponsors:

Supporting Sponsors: ClearCaptions Gateway Health Misericordia Nursing & Rehabilitation Care UPMC Pinnacle

(717) 285-1350

www.50plusExpoPA.com 2

August 2018

50plus LIFE t

Tips and Resources for Older Job Seekers

Dear Savvy Senior, What resources can you recommend to help older jobseekers? I’m 60 and have been out of work for nearly a year now and need some help.

– Seeking Employment Dear Seeking, While the U.S. job market has improved dramatically over the past few years, challenges still persist for many older workers.

To help you find employment, there are job resource centers and a wide variety of online tools specifically created for older jobseekers. Here’s where you can find help.

Job Centers Depending on where you live, there are career service centers located throughout the U.S. that can help you find a job. One of the best is the American Job Center, which has around 2,500 centers nationwide.

Funded by the U.S. Department of Labor’s Employment and Training Administration, AJCs are free-to-use resource centers that can help you explore your career options, search for jobs, find training, write a resume, prepare for an interview, and much more.

To find a center near you, call (877) 872-5627 or go online to CareerOneStop (www. careeronestop.org).

Some other good programs for older workers include the Senior Community Service Employment Program and AARP’s Back to Work 50+ program.

The SCSEP — sponsored by the Department of Labor — helps place income-eligible workers over age 55

in part-time, temporary communityservice positions where they can learn job skills. To learn more or locate a program in your area, visit www. doleta.gov/seniors or call (877) 8725627.

AARP’s Back to Work 50+ program currently offers workshops in 19 locations around the U.S. that provide career counseling, job coaching, and skills development for 50-plus job seekers.

Or, if you can’t attend their workshop, they also offer an excellent guide called 7 Smart Strategies for 50+ Jobseekers. To get a free copy, or to see if there’s a workshop in your area, call (855) 850-2525 or visit www.aarp.org/aarp-foundation.

If none of the above programs is available in your area, check with your local public library or nearby community college to see if they provide career services.

Job-Search Sites There are also a number of online job-search sites that can help you connect with companies that are looking for mature, experienced workers.

Some good sites for 50-and-older jobseekers include: • W hat’s Next (www.whatsnext. com) offers a job-search site and has online assessment tools, calculators, career guides, and career coaches • Retired Brains (www.retiredbrains. com) provides information on finding temporary or seasonal jobs, as well as starting your own www.50plusLifePA.com

business, working from home, writing your resume, finding fulltime work, and continuing your education • RetirementJobs.com lets you post your resume and search for full-time or part-time jobs online • Workforce50.com has job-search functions, a list of favorite friendly employers by industry, and allows users to sign up for job alerts Work at Home If you’re interested in working at home, there are many opportunities depending on your skills, but be careful of work-at-home scams that offer big paydays without much effort.

Some popular work-at-home jobs include sales and marketing, customer service, teaching and tutoring, writing and editing, web development and

design, consulting, interpreting, and medical coding, just to name a few.

To find these types of jobs, a good place to start is FlexJobs (www.flexjobs. com), which filters out the job scams and lists thousands of legitimate workat-home jobs in dozens of categories.

You can gain access to their listings for $15 for one month, $30 for three months, or $50 for a year.

Start a Business If you’re interested in starting a small business but could use some help getting started, the U.S. Small Business Administration offers tips, tools, and free online courses that you can access at www.sba.gov.

Send your senior questions to: Savvy Senior, P.O. Box 5443, Norman, OK 73070, or visit www.savvysenior.org. Jim Miller is a contributor to the NBC Today show and author of The Savvy Senior book.

It Was 50 Years Ago Today

‘Harper Valley PTA’

For Love of Family Devotion. Compassion. Dignity. When your loved one needs help, join hands with Homeland at Home.

We are privileged to be part of your caregiving team.

Hospice 717-221-7890 | HomeHealth 717-412-0166 | HomeCare 717-221-7892 HomelandatHome.org | Hospice volunteers are always welcome.

Community Outreach of Homeland Center

Senior Real Estate Specialist

Randal Hill

growing up in Olive Hill, In 1967, country Kentucky. artist Margie Singleton He later recounted, recorded a Top 40 country hit with “I was fascinated by [the widow’s] grit. To see this her cover version of very insignificant, socially Bobbie Gentry’s “Ode disenfranchised lady — a to Billie Joe.” A year single mother — who was later, Singleton asked songwriter Tom T. Hall, willing to march down to the local aristocracy and who had a knack for read them the riot act, so narrative and a keen eye to speak, was fascinating.” for detail, to write her a His inspiration for the similar tune. song’s title came about Hall, who had once “Harper Valley PTA”

By Jeannie C. Riley one afternoon when he been a DJ in Salem, August 1968 Virginia, used to spend noted the name Harpeth Valley Elementary School his free time writing as he drove through the Nashville poetry and strumming his $46 guitar.

Later, after creating minor country hits suburb of Bellevue.

Hall’s slice-of-life song involves for Jimmy Newman and Dave Dudley, a raucous confrontation between a he relocated to “Music City”— young widow and the local powers that Nashville, Tennessee.

Hall honored Singleton’s request, be, who object to her mode of dress, her familiarity with the local men, and basing his “Harper Valley PTA” her social drinking. melody on “Ode to Billie Joe” and In the story, a junior-high girl brings his lyrics on gossip that he had once overheard about a young widow while please see PTA page 5 www.50plusLifePA.com

| Harrisburg, PA

With 30 Years of Real Estate Experience • 2016 Realtor of the Year •2 014 President of Realtor’s Association of York and Adams County

Paula Musselman Selling or buying a house?

Please call me – I’ll guide you every step of the way!

Office: (717) 793-9678 Cell: (717) 309-6921 2525 Eastern Blvd.

York, PA 17402 Paula1159@aol.com

• Licensed in PA and MD •P roviding Reliable and Trustworthy Contracting and Moving Resources •S pecializing in Senior Moves and Transitions

Taking the time to make your transaction smooth and stress free.

Senior Real Estate Specialist ®

50plus LIFE t

August 2018

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Cover Story

On Wings and Waves, His Life’s Path Led to Pa. Corporate Office

3912 Abel Drive, Columbia, PA 17512 Phone 717.285.1350 • Fax 717.285.1360 Chester County: 610.675.6240 Cumberland County/Dauphin County: 717.770.0140 Berks County/Lancaster County/ Lebanon County/York County: 717.285.1350 E-mail address: info@onlinepub.com Website address: www.onlinepub.com

PRESIDENT AND PUBLISHER Donna K. Anderson

EDITORIAL

Vice President and Managing Editor Christianne Rupp Editor, 50plus Publications Megan Joyce

ART DEPARTMENT Project Coordinator Renee McWilliams Production Artist Lauren Phillips Production Intern Kaelyn Buskey

BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT Account Executives Wendy Letoski Janette McLaurin Jessica Simmons Angie Willis Account Representatives Matthew Chesson Jennifer Schmalhofer Events Manager Kimberly Shaffer Marketing Coordinator Kelsey Fishburn

ADMINISTRATION Business Manager Elizabeth Duvall

Member of

Awards

50plus LIFE is published by On-Line Publishers, Inc. and is distributed monthly among senior centers, retirement communities, banks, grocers, libraries and other outlets serving the senior community.

On-Line Publishers, Inc. will not knowingly accept or publish advertising which may be fraudulent or misleading in nature.

Views expressed in opinion stories, contributions, articles and letters are not necessarily the views of the publisher. The appearance of advertisements for products or services does not constitute an endorsement of the particular product or service. The publisher will not be responsible for mistakes in advertisements unless notified within five days of publication. On-Line Publishers, Inc. reserves the right to revise or reject any and all advertising. No part of this publication may be reproduced or reprinted without permission of On-Line Publishers, Inc. We will not knowingly publish any advertisement or information not in compliance with the Federal Fair Housing Act, Pennsylvania State laws or other local laws.

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August 2018

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By Jason Tabor As he jumped from the plane and floated through the air, wind blasting his face and brown-and-green squares of New Jersey farmland rushing up to meet him, Stephen DeBock thought, “Wow, I’m finally flying like Superman!”

DeBock is a natural storyteller, and he has quite a long list of stories to tell. Fifteen years into his retirement from teaching, DeBock stays busy as ever as a published author — writing fantasy, horror, and zombie literature.

As a young man, he achieved his dream of flying like his boyhood hero after taking up the hobby of sport parachuting, and this same drive guided him through an exciting and unconventional path in life before he and his wife, Joy, settled in Central Pennsylvania in 2006.

“I couldn’t have known it at the time, but all roads eventually led me back to Hershey, Pa.,” laughs DeBock, a New Jersey native.

At 76, DeBock’s life stories weave a complicated tapestry of a well-lived life governed by an attitude of “have a goal, work hard, pursue it, and make it happen!”

Born outside of Newark, New Jersey, DeBock grew up with a passion for fishing and swimming; studied art, literature, and writing; and had a young man’s desire for adventure, which led him to enlisting in the Marine Corps after his high school graduation.

“I didn’t know what I wanted to be when I grew up, but after meeting with the Marine recruiter, I thought that would be an avenue where I would mature and figure it out,” he says.

After completing boot camp at Parris Island, DeBock

DeBock at Camp Lejeune in 1963, shortly before his release from active duty.

Following his summer vacation in Newport, 1960, President Eisenhower authorized this coin to be struck for each of the Marines who formed his security detail (including then-Pfc. DeBock).

DeBock has co-authored a trilogy of zombie novels with award-winning horror writer Ralph W. Bieber.

was selected to serve in the President’s Honor Guard, a prestigious Marine drill group where he would march in parades and ceremonial occasions in Washington, D.C., as well as military funerals at Arlington Cemetery.

His unit also provided security for President Eisenhower at Camp David, and DeBock recounts the time when he was chosen to serve as a lifeguard for then-Vice President Nixon’s daughters, who wished to use the pool while on vacation.

“They were 12 and 14 at the time,” he says. “Very pleasant kids.”

DeBock remained in Washington long enough to march in President Kennedy’s inaugural parade and to serve as sentry during one of his Camp David visits. His Washington tour over, he transferred to Camp Lejeune, North Carolina, and participated in the Cuban blockade in 1962.

He was released from active duty in 1963 and returned to his parents’ home in Toms River, New Jersey.

“I didn’t realize it at the time, of course, but had I reenlisted, I probably would have ended up in Vietnam two years later,” he says.

During his time at Camp Lejeune, DeBock would drive to Washington on the weekends, and one Saturday he went on a blind date with a young lady named Joy, whom he would marry in 1964.

They took a winding road trip on their honeymoon, stopping in Hershey to tour the chocolate factory before reaching their destination of Niagara Falls.

This long trip with many unexpected stops along the way would prove to be an overarching theme for their life together.

Before the ’60s came to a close, the couple had two children, and DeBock was www.50plusLifePA.com

enrolled at Trenton State College (now College of “I feel wealthy because of the friendships I’ve made New Jersey), studying elementary education while throughout my life, especially the relationships forged working days as a lab technician at a chemical with former students — it sets my heart aglow,” he corporation. says. “My true passion was always the kids.”

DeBock spent 33 years teaching fifth- to eighthDeBock and his wife are looking forward to grade English, reading, and social studies. celebrating their upcoming 54th wedding anniversary During this time, he completed a master’s degree with a Viking ocean cruise through Scandinavian in media studies and: taught night classes at a local countries in Europe, having already crossed the U.S. community college; opened a video rental store by car in 2011. with Joy; started a wedding video business; dabbled “Joy’s encouragement on these adventures, and her in sport parachuting; and, after earning his pilot’s participation in many, inspired me in too many ways license, he became a 20-year member of the Jersey to count. Our children and three grandchildren are Aero Club. continuing sources of pride and inspiration as well,” DeBock recounts flying friends and family into he says. the small airport adjoining Hersheypark to spend the “The world has so much to offer, and we’ve seen day in Chocolatetown, as well as bringing groups of so many families rooted to one job, one town, one schoolchildren to the park on field trips during his address for most of their lives,” DeBock says. “Roots teaching years. are important, but then again, so are wings.”

Then there was the time he sold most of his earthly belongings to move onto a 42-foot trawler yacht with To read DeBock’s story on how he inspired an DeBock and his granddaughter, Adrienne, Joy. aviation career or two, see page 17. standing in the shadow of a “The kids were out of the house by this time, and Cessna Skyhawk’s wing following we’d done a lot of research and just decided to try the her first light airplane ride.

On the cover, clockwise from left: During his teaching live-aboard life,” he says. years, DeBock flew friends and family from New Jersey Life on the yacht, which they named Homeroom, into the small airport adjoining Hersheypark. included summer cruises up and down the East Coast with friends and family.

The Homeroom, the 42-year trawler yacht on which the DeBocks lived for three After three years as live-aboards, he and Joy sold the boat and designed and years. built a home on riverfront property in Toms River.

President Eisenhower lays a wreath at tomb of World War I Gen. John “Black Jack” DeBock retired from teaching in 2003, and not surprisingly, has stayed Pershing, September 1960. DeBock is among the Marines in the second row. consistently busy ever since.

Photo credit: United Press International In 2006, he and Joy sold their New Jersey home and moved to Hershey to be closer to a new grandchild, and “after 33 years of reading and grading students’ stories, I figured it was time for me to start writing in earnest as well.”

PTA from page 3 A lifelong horror fan, DeBock says his writing career began as a whim.

“I just wanted to see if I could do it. And then my short story about recorded Hall’s as-yet-unreleased her mother a note from the local werewolves turned into a novel, and that turned into the Pentacle Pendant PTA board that berates the lady for ditty, the Plantation honchos rushed trilogy, blending horror and historical fiction that stretches back to the time of Riley’s version onto the market in her behavior and the bad example King James,” he says. order to beat the competition. she is setting for her daughter.

This trilogy was followed by fantasy and adventure novels, and his most The offended mother — Mrs. It turned out to be a wise business recent work is a trilogy of zombie novels co-authored with award-winning move. Riley’s mini soap opera Johnson — storms into the horror writer Ralph W. Bieber. caught fire overnight and eventually afternoon PTA meeting, boldly DeBock has also authored a media education plan published by the state of topped both the country and the dressed in a miniskirt, and exposes New Jersey and contributed to essays appearing in Time magazine and on ABC pop charts, the first such feat for any various instances of board-member World News Tonight. indiscretion and misbehavior, with female country recording artist.

He and Bieber will appear at the Scares that Care Charity Weekend in Her song later inspired a 1978 her final salvo being: Williamsburg, Virginia, the first weekend in August, to display and sell their This is just a little Peyton Place, film and, in 1981, a spinoff TV work. series, both starring Barbara (I and you’re all Harper Valley In his limited free time, DeBock likes to stay active at the gym and remains Dream of Jeannie) Eden playing puthypocrites. in contact with more than 300 of his former students on social media. upon Mrs. Johnson, who now had a Ouch! first name: Stella.

Jeannie C. Riley was a striking 22-year-old from Stamford, Riley recorded five more Top 10 country hits for Plantation Records Texas, who in 1966 had moved to Nashville with her husband and but would never again enjoy another pop success, although her nowinfant daughter. Riley worked as a $41-a-week secretary for a music iconic single proved popular enough to ensure her a place of honor in publisher while recording demos 1960s music history. (demonstration records) part time.

One day Riley cut a demo — in Randal C. Hill is a rock ’n’ roll just one take — of Hall’s “Harper “Like” us on Facebook to receive a historian who lives at the Oregon coast.

Valley PTA” for newly formed free 6-month subscription!

He may be reached at wryterhill@msn.

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Plus, you’ll receive event updates, story links, and more! that Margie Singleton had already

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August 2018

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CCRCs/ Life Plan Communities Designed with their residents’ changing needs in mind, CCRCs (Continuing Care Retirement Communities)/Life Plan Communities offer a tiered approach to the aging process.

Healthy adults entering these communities can live independently. When assistance with everyday activities becomes necessary, they can transition to personal care, assisted living, rehabilitation, or nursing care facilities.

Some CCRCs/Life Plan Communities have designated dementia areas that address the progressing needs of people who have any form of dementia. In addition, some communities have sought out and earned accreditation from CARF International, signifying they have met CARF’s stringent set of quality standards. CCRCs/Life Plan Communities enable older adults to remain in one care system for the duration of their lives, with much of their future care already figured out—creating both comfort and peace of mind.

The listings with a shaded background have additional information about their center in a display advertisement in this edition.

Bethany Village

325 Wesley Drive Mechanicsburg, PA 17055 Stephanie Lightfoot Director of Sales & Marketing (717) 766-0279 www.bethanyvillage.org

Homeland Center

Cornwall Manor

1 Boyd Street, P.O. Box 125 Cornwall, PA 17016 Jennifer Margut Director of Marketing (717) 274-8092 info@cornwallmanor.org www.cornwallmanor.org

Landis Homes

1901 North Fifth Street Harrisburg, PA 17102-1598 Barry S. Ramper II, N.H.A. President/CEO (717) 221-7902 www.homelandcenter.org

1001 East Oregon Road Lititz, PA 17543 Sarah Short Director of Residency Planning (717) 381-3549 sshort@landishomes.org www.landishomes.org

Woodcrest Villa Mennonite Home Communities

Zerbe Retirement Community

2499 Zerbe Road Narvon, PA 17555 Lynne Bickta Director of Independent Living (717) 445-8741 lbickta@zerberetirementcommunity.com www.zerberetirementcommunity.com

2001 Harrisburg Pike Lancaster, PA 17601 Connie Buckwalter Director of Marketing (717) 390-4126 www.woodcrestvilla.org

Cross Keys Village The Brethren Home Community 2990 Carlisle Pike New Oxford, PA 17350 Amy Beste Senior Retirement Counselor (717) 624-5350 a.beste@crosskeysvillage.org www.crosskeysvillage.org

Pleasant View Retirement Community

544 North Penryn Road Manheim, PA 17545 Amanda Hall Sales & Marketing Manager (717) 664-6207 ahall@pleasantviewrc.org www.pleasantviewrc.org

If you would like your CCRC/Life Plan Community to be featured on this page, please contact your account representative or call (717) 285-1350.

The CCRCs listed are sponsoring this message. This is not an all-inclusive list.

Ladies’ Tea Raises Funds for Local, International Missions The ladies of Covenant Moravian Church, York, were recently treated to tea served by the gentlemen of the church and catered by Red Brick Bakery.

More than three dozen women participated, and many wore hats to celebrate the day.

This annual event is sponsored by the Covenant Women’s Fellowship, and any proceeds are used to support mission work, both local and international.

For more information about the church or the Women’s Fellowship, call (717) 755-3269.

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From left, Ginny Potter, Barb Wolfgang, June Gochenour, Sonya Cole, Connie Holtzinger, Holly Holtzinger, Deb Holtzinger, and Darlene McCullough.

www.50plusLifePA.com

Alzheimer’s State Plan Task Force Launched The Pennsylvania Department of Aging recently announced the formation of Pennsylvania’s Alzheimer’s State Plan Task Force.

The task force was created to take a lead role in implementing and championing the goals and recommendations of Pennsylvania’s State Plan for Alzheimer’s Disease and Related Disorders.

“Over 400,000 Pennsylvanians are living with Alzheimer’s disease or a related disorder and the toll of this disease extends beyond those affected to their families, friends, and communities,” Gov. Tom Wolf said.

Objectives of the task force include: • Working with local organizations, entities, advocates, and other stakeholders to identify and share best practices that support the goals and the overall success of the plan • Leading efforts to review and revise the state plan, as necessary • Developing and facilitating the actions needed to carry out the plan

• Pursuing research and reviewing any other issues that are relevant to Alzheimer’s disease and related disorders • A ssisting in planning the annual Alzheimer’s Disease and Related Disorders Forum • A ssisting in the development of an annual update to the plan “We are confident that the task force will help us ensure that home- and community-based services and supports are available, accessible, and responsive to the needs of both caregivers and those living with dementia,” Secretary of Aging Teresa Osborne said.

Since the plan was developed, the department has held three statewide forums and seven regional roundtable discussions to engage with stakeholders and inspire action at the local level.

For more information on the Pennsylvania Department of Aging, visit www. aging.pa.gov.

Volunteer Mentors Needed in Hanover RSVP – York County is seeking volunteer senior mentors over age 55 for Hanover Street Elementary School in the Hanover Public School District.

Volunteer benefits include: transportation reimbursement, free supplemental liability insurance, recognition and appreciation events, paid assistance with

clearances, free two-hour tutoring training, Comcast Newsmakers appearance, volunteer of the month recognition in 50plus LIFE. For more information, contact Scott Hunsinger at (717) 893-8434 or yorkadamsfranklin@rsvpcapreg.org.

At Your Fingertips Helpful numbers, hotlines, and local businesses and organizations eager to serve you—all just a phone call away.

Animal Hospitals Community Animal Hospital Donald A. Sloat, D.V.M. 400 S. Pine St., York (717) 845-5669

Health & Medical Services Alzheimer’s Association (717) 651-5020

Automobile Sales/Service Gordon’s Body Shop, Inc. 10 Mill St., Stewartstown (717) 993-2263

American Diabetes Association (800) 342-2383

Coins & Currency Steinmetz Coins & Currency 2861 E. Prospect Road, York (717) 757-6980 Energy Assistance Low-Income Energy Assistance (717) 787-8750 Entertainment Dutch Apple Dinner Theatre 510 Centerville Road, Lancaster (717) 898-1900 Funeral & Cremation Services Cremation Society of Pennsylvania Serving York County (800) 720-8221 www.50plusLifePA.com

Alzheimer’s Information Clearinghouse (800) 367-5115

CONTACT Helpline (717) 652-4400 The National Kidney Foundation (800) 697-7007 or (717) 757-0604 Social Security Information (800) 772-1213 Healthcare Information Pennsylvania HealthCare Cost Containment (717) 232-6787 Hearing Services Pennsylvania Office for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing (800) 233-3008 V/TTY Home Care Services Homeland at Home Serving all of York County (717) 221-7892

Visiting Angels Living Assistance Services Hanover: (717) 630-0067 Lancaster: (717) 393-3450 York: (717) 751-2488

Pharmacies CVS/pharmacy www.cvs.com

Hospice Services Homeland at Home Serving all of York County (717) 221-7890

real estate Berkshire Hathaway Paula Musselman (717) 793-9678 (Office) (717) 309-6921 (Cell)

Housing Assistance Housing Authority of York (717) 845-2601

Services York County Area Agency on Aging (717) 771-9610

Property Tax/Rent Rebate (888) 728-2937

Veterans Services Lebanon VA Medical Center 1700 S. Lincoln Ave., Lebanon (717) 228-6000 or (800) 409-8771

Insurance Capital Blue (888) 989-9015 (TTY: 711)

Volunteer opportunities RSVP of the Capital Region (443) 619-3842

Medicare (800) 633-4227 Insurance – Long-Term Care Apprise Insurance Counseling (717) 771-9610 or (800) 632-9073

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Not an all-inclusive list of advertisers in your area.

August 2018

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Senior Games Offer Fun Week for Wide Range of Ages, Abilities

By Megan Joyce

Organized by the York County Area Agency on Aging in conjunction with the Senior Games Planning Committee, In 2008, two of Beverly Butash’s neighbors talked her into joining them at the Senior Games are made possible by sponsors, agency staff, and community the York Senior Games. and business volunteers.

Ten years, several medals, and “If it weren’t for the planning and hard measureless enjoyment later, Butash is so work done all year by the Area Agency glad they did. on Aging and the many volunteers, that “It’s an experience I look forward to anticipated week in June just wouldn’t every year!” Butash said. happen,” Butash noted.

The 2018 York County Senior Games Nace said the months of coordinated were held June 18-22 at Central York planning come happily to fruition during High School, with the exception of a few offsite events hosted by other community the weeklong games, their efforts rewarded by the sincere gratitude, feedback, and locations.

Jenny Nace, information specialist with suggestions the athletes offer.

“We all look forward to the Senior the York County Area Agency on Aging, Games each year,” she said. “Just seeing said attendance increased from last year to our efforts come together for a wonderful almost 500 participants, all York County week of fun, fitness, and the making residents over age 50.

“The Senior Games provide older adults of many new memories makes it very rewarding!” the ability to come together for an entire Butash tries to return the favor her week of friendly competition,” Nace said. neighbors did for her years ago by “Older adults of all ages and physical abilities could participate, as there was an encouraging new seniors to join the games and by encouraging already-participating event for everyone!” athletes to try sports they haven’t Nace said their oldest competitor was attempted before.

97-year-old Dorothy Betz, who played “You might not do well, but you learn her hand at 500. John Barton, 92, a new activity, and it’s tons of fun and participated in 15 events, and Quentin laughter to cure the soul,” Butash said.

Stambaugh, 94, joined in 11.

“It’s a week of great competition, “I’m in awe when I see those in their exercising your body, catching up with old 90s, in wheelchairs, and with medical friends and making new, reminiscing of disabilities participate, some even doing those no longer with us — five days of fun better than me,” Butash said. and contagious laughter!”

Butash participated in many of the For more information on the York Senior Games’ more than 45 events, County Senior Games, call (717) 771including bocce; washers; ladder golf; 9001 or visit yorkcountypa.gov/healthsoccer kick; baseball, football and Frisbee human-services/agency-on-aging.html. throws; horseshoes; shuffleboard; mini The website also contains full result golf; darts; hotshot and free-throw listings. basketball; Wii bowling and Wii archery; For more photos from this year’s games, and the most popular game, cornhole, check out yorkcountyseniorgamesyorkpa. which drew 200 players, Nace said. shutterfly.com.

The games’ other offerings were poker, swimming, nine-hole golf, pinochle, three-on-three basketball, A Walk in the Park with a York County Doc, trap shooting, table tennis, and a variety of individual and relay running events.

“I have surprised myself when I won gold when I least expected it,” Butash said. “Even if I did not medal, if I improved my playing in any event, I was glad that I had improved.”

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www.50plusLifePA.com

Lifting Therapy Caps is a Load off Medicare Patients’ Shoulders

By Susan Jaffe Physical therapy helps Leon Beers, 73, get out of bed in the morning and maneuver around his home using his walker. Other treatment strengthens his throat muscles so that he can communicate and swallow food, said his sister, Karen Morse.

But in mid-January, his home healthcare agency told Morse it could no longer provide these services because he had used all his therapy benefits allowed under Medicare for the year.

Beers, a retired railroad engineer, has a form of Parkinson’s disease. The treatments slow its destructive progress and “he will need it for the rest of his life,” Morse said.

But under a recent change in federal law, people who qualify for Medicare’s therapy services will no longer lose them because they used too much.

“It is a great idea,” said Beers. “It will help me get back to walking.”

The federal budget agreement Congress approved in February removes annual caps on how much Medicare pays for physical, occupational, or speech therapy and streamlines the medical review process.

It applies to people in traditional Medicare as well as those with private Medicare Advantage policies.

As of Jan. 1, Medicare beneficiaries are eligible for therapy indefinitely as

2018

York County Senior Games

The York County Senior Games would like to thank the 2018 sponsors whose contributions have made the events possible.

Platinum

Bellomo & Associates, LLC The Brunswick at Longstown & Colonial Manor Nursing and Rehab ManorCare Health Services • UPMC for Life

Gold

AetnaSM • Pennsylvania Lottery • SpiriTrust Lutheran

Silver

Victory Athletic Association

Bronze

Dallastown America Legion Post 605 • Glatfelter Insurance Group • Highmark Normandie Ridge Senior Living Community • OSS Health Providence Place Senior Living • Shiloh American Legion Post 791 • UPMC Pinnacle Visiting Angels Living Assistance Services • WellSpan Orthopedics

Supporter

VFW Post 556 • West Manchester VFW Post 7374

long as their doctor — or in some states, physician assistant, clinical nurse specialist, or nurse practitioner — confirms their need for therapy and they continue to meet other requirements.

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services has notified healthcare providers about the change.

And under a 2013 court settlement, they won’t lose coverage simply because they have a chronic disease that doesn’t get better.

“Put those two things together, and it means that if the care is ordered by a doctor and it is medically necessary to have a skilled person provide the services to maintain the patient’s condition, or prevent or slow decline, there is not an arbitrary limit on how long or how much Medicare will pay for that,” said Judith Stein, executive director of the Center for Medicare Advocacy.

But don’t be surprised if the Medicare website doesn’t mention the change. Information on the website will be revised “as soon as possible,” said a spokesman, who declined to be identified. However, information from the 800-Medicare helpline has been updated.

Until then, patients can refer to the CMS update posted for providers.

Kaiser Health News is a nonprofit news service covering health issues. It is an editorially independent program of the Kaiser Family Foundation, which is not affiliated with Kaiser Permanente. https://khn.org advertisement

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August 2018

9

Traveltizers

A Time-Traveling Trip to an Earlier America

By Andrea Gross

I’m standing on a mesa 370 feet above the New Mexican desert.

The sky is turquoise blue, the winds are blowing, and nearby a few people are making pottery while others are preparing food on outdoor ovens.

This is the Acoma Pueblo, the oldest continuously inhabited community in North Homes in the age-old Acoma America.

Pueblo lack water, electricity, As my husband and sewers. and I stroll the mesa’s dusty roads, we feel as if we’ve been transported to another world, one that existed a century or more ago. We want to learn more about this world, to experience it as best we can.

Thus we decide to time travel to an earlier America.

The next day we return to Acoma, and in the following weeks we expand

our journey to include three other parts of the country: the antebellum South, the rugged Northwest, and the more established Northeast.

Tillicum Village lets visitors glimpse the beliefs and traditions of life in the Pacific Northwest centuries ago.

The Ancient Southwest In my mind, it’s 1861. Abraham Lincoln has just been elected president, the country is at war, and 2,000 miles from the battlefields, Pueblo Indians are living in

mud homes hardened by the sun.

Their village, part of present-day New Mexico, won’t become part of the United States for another 50 years.

Sky City, as the pueblo is often called, isn’t like most so-called living history

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August 2018

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museums, which are filled with reconstructed buildings and costumed interpreters.

It’s authentic to the core, a genuine community where about 50 people choose to live in their ancestral homes and follow ancient traditions.

Acoma offers us an unfiltered view of a time and world long gone. It’s exactly what we wanted.

The Pacific Northwest A 45-minute boat ride from Seattle takes us to Tillicum Village, where we’re introduced to the lifestyle of people who lived in the Pacific Northwest long before white settlers began arriving in the early 1850s.

We’re greeted by a man in Native garb who hands us an appetizer of steamed clams before leading us to a long buffet Many Native cultures used totems to table filled with fresh fruits and symbolize the relationship between vegetables, venison stew, and animals, humans, and the land. salmon that was prepared over an open-pit fire.

“This is the same type of food that was eaten by Chief Sealth, the Duwarmish Indian leader after whom Seattle was named,” he says.

After dinner, we watch a multimedia show, replete with masked dancers and a narrator who relates ancient tales.

Like the village itself, the presentation doesn’t focus on a specific tribe but instead helps visitors understand the beliefs and traditions of a generalized group of people. To ensure cultural accuracy, the show was developed with the help of local tribes.

The Antebellum Southeast It takes us two days to explore the Great River Road that runs 70 miles between New Orleans and Baton Rouge.

In the mid-19th century, there were more than 300 plantations in this part of Louisiana; today, about a dozen have been restored and are open to visitors.

Each plantation is different, and each deepens our understanding of the country that Abraham Lincoln was elected to govern.

We begin at Whitney Plantation, which is dedicated to interpreting the experience of enslaved people in Louisiana.

Although we walk through the plantation home, which has the oldest kitchen in Louisiana, it’s the memorial walls and first-person slave narratives that more fully transport us back to the past. It’s a sobering introduction to the Antebellum South.

At Destrehan we see an old sugar plantation. At Laura Plantation we tour a house that was home to four generations of a Creole family, both free and enslaved.

And at Oak Alley we get a multidimensional view of antebellum life by touring six reconstructed slave quarters as well the stately master’s home.

The More Established Northeast Not far from the well-known living history sites of the East Coast, such as Plymouth and Williamsburg, both of which represent specific time periods, is the Bronck House, a lesser-known and truly fascinating museum in Coxsackie, New York.

Here, visitors can immerse themselves in the life of one family for 276 years. www.50plusLifePA.com

Grand oak trees line the road to Oak Alley plantation, which is built in the Greek Revival style.

Eleven original buildings are still standing on the old Bronck family property.

Pieter Bronck, a Swedish immigrant, purchased the land from the Katskill Indians in 1662. The property passed from generation to generation until 1939, when the last family owner willed the entire complex to the Greene County Historical Society.

There’s a 1663 stone house and a 1738 brick house, as well as a kitchen dependency (detached kitchen).

In addition, there’s a 13sided barn built in the 1830s, a New World Dutch barn, and a Victorian horse barn. Taken together, these structures show how the family was affected by the changing economy and new architectural techniques.

As was the case with Acoma, Tillicum Village, and the Louisiana plantations, the Bronck House is indeed a passport to another world.

For more information on these and other such sites, see “Napkin Notes” on www.traveltizers.com. Photos © Irv Green unless otherwise noted; story by Andrea Gross (www.andreagross.com).

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August 2018

11

The Beauty in Nature

Birds Benefitting from Mowing Clyde McMillan-Gamber

A few kinds of summering birds that I have watched getting food in southeastern Pennsylvania benefit from lawn mowing in suburban areas and hay cutting in croplands.

These species are adaptable, common in much of North America, and entertaining to watch as they snap up invertebrates stirred into the air by machinery mowing grass or hay.

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And, most chimney swifts, interestingly, and purple these birds martins, which have learned are another kind to associate of swallow, are mowers of built similarly various kinds for catching with suddenly flying insects available food. in midair.

American Examples of robins run and convergent stop, run and evolution, they stop over shortare all small, grass lawns speedy, and and watch maneuverable Gray catbird and listen for in flight and invertebrates have large at grass’s root mouths to level when they engulf their stop. prey.

Mowers Entertaining moving over to watch, lawns flush out swallows and flying insects, swifts swoop particularly swiftly over froghoppers hayfields after and small, flying insects brown moths, stirred out of which the pretty clover robins see and and alfalfa fields Barn swallow grab with their by hay mowers. beaks. Mowers Beautiful make it easier poetry in for robins to get the food they already motion, the many swallows and swifts prey upon, and in greater abundance. weave in and out among their fellows Gray catbirds roam over lawns without collision, ever. And that in search of food much the way collection of graceful, airborne birds robins do. Catbirds, however, nest in moves up and down the hayfields thickets of shrubbery and vines along close behind and to the sides of the woodland edges and streambanks and mowers. in older suburban areas.

When full of insects, the swallows I chuckle when mowing grass and line up on roadside wires to rest, see a catbird perched on the edge digest their meals, socialize, and preen of shrubbery to watch the mower’s their feathers. And when hungry progress across the lawn. again, off they go to follow the When the catbird spots a moth mowers across the hay fields to catch rising from the grass before the more flying insects. mower, it zips low across our lawn, These adaptable birds all get food seizes the insect in its bill right in more easily by following mowing front of the mower, and flips away machines on lawns and in fields. And with it to a perch to swallow its victim we are entertained by their foodand watch for more. gathering activities on those humanBarn swallows, tree swallows, made habitats, right at home. www.50plusLifePA.com

Study Names 10 Worst States for Women’s Retirement New research scores, and stateby comparison site tax friendliness Expert Market to determine the has investigated best place for the best and women to head worst states for to when they’re women to retire ready to retire. to, identifying the places that offer Ready for the best quality Retirement? of life for women Avoid New York who are ready New York to stop working scored a and lead a life of disappointing leisure.

27th for women’s opportunities At a time when and well-being, American women are almost twice rendering it the as likely as men worst of all the to live below states in which the poverty line to be a woman during retirement, in retirement. the new study is The Empire the first to deliver State performs Bottom 10 States for a female-first poorly across Women’s Retirement outlook on the the board, 50. New York best states to retire. particularly 49. Illinois in terms of its “Since women 48. Alaska tough economy, often get the 47. Mississippi rough deal in ranking in the 46. New Jersey bottom two terms of retirement 45. Louisiana 44. Wyoming for state-tax and increasingly 43. Connecticut friendliness, cash-strapped 42.

Washington where the tax pension funds risk 41. Indiana rate is 27 percent leaving millions higher than the of Americans U.S. average. high and dry, we Top 10 States for Expensive thought it was Women’s Retirement living costs important to look 1. Hawaii and a high into the factors 2. New Hampshire unemployment that can make 3. Tennessee rate (5 percent) or break a state’s 4. Iowa pushed New appeal for women 5. Delaware York to the of retirement age,” 6. Oregon 7. Vermont bottom of the Karla McDougall, 8. North Dakota ranking. who headed up 9.

Maine Mississippi this research for 10. Arizona and Louisiana Expert Market, also placed said. among the five The study worst states to investigates retire to, scoring the retirement poorly for women’s opportunities environment in 50 states by crossand well-being. Mississippi has the referencing data on women’s worst healthcare of all 50 states, and opportunities and well-being, the Louisiana comes in the bottom 10 number of retirees in each state, the having one of the smallest retiree cost of living, healthcare quality, communities in the study. weather statistics, economic health www.50plusLifePA.com

Aloha, Hawaii At the other end of the spectrum, Hawaii has emerged as the No. 1 state for women to retire to, with the best healthcare ranking of any state in the study.

With one of the most accessible Medicaid criteria seen across all 50 states, it’s no wonder that Hawaiians have one of the highest life expectancies in the country.

The island state also showed high women’s-opportunities score and a thriving retiree community — 16 percent of the population is over 65.

Retirement Party in Florida or Vermont?

With nearly a fifth of the population (19 percent) over 65, Florida has the largest retiree community of all 50 states.

Despite Florida’s popularity amongst senior citizens, however, the Sunshine State scored particularly badly in terms of women’s opportunities and well-being, with one of the highest rates of uninsured females, pushing it into 11th place.

Conversely, Vermont fairs much better. The state has one of the biggest elderly communities (17 percent of inhabitants are over the age of 65), good-quality healthcare, and the third-highest women’s well-being score, making it the seventh best place overall for women of retirement age.

Pennsylvania came in 33rd in the research rankings.

For more about the retirement study, visit www.expertmarket.com/ focus/research/best-states-for-womento-retire.

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August 2018

13

Soldier Stories

The Fighting Quaker Robert Naeye

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Aug. 28, 2018 Nov. 1, 2018 9 a.m. – 2 p.m.

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Retired schoolteacher Jim Dixon Quaker, he had to sign extra papers, was raised a Quaker. But unlike most and later he had to sign additional Quakers, who are pacifists, Dixon papers to be sent to Vietnam. joined the U.S. Marine Corps and The marines trained Dixon to be experienced brutal combat in the an MP, a military policeman. His Vietnam War. unit spent four months in California Dixon grew up in the countryside, working with the highway patrol with the closest city being learning how to conduct arrests and Wilmington, use handcuffs.

Delaware.

Dixon, along “Some people with the other say they had to men in his unit, walk a mile to crossed the Pacific school. Well, I on the Upshur. It had to walk a was a miserable mile to get to experience. the school bus,” “There were he recalls.

600 marines and His parents 593 of them were were members seasick,” he recalls.

Dixon was recently the guest of the Society But when his speaker at a meeting of the Central of Friends, Pennsylvania Vietnam Roundtable. unit arrived in better known Vietnam, they as Quakers. But Dixon’s father had were assigned regular infantry duties fought against Germany in World and never used any of the police War II, and his uncle fought in the training they received in California.

Korean War. The infantry took 83.5 percent of “I thought it was my turn to the casualties in Vietnam. According fight for the country and stop the to Dixon, World War II infantrymen communists from taking over experienced an average of 40 days of Southeast Asia. That’s one of the combat. In Vietnam, that number reasons I joined the military,” says skyrocketed to 240 days.

Dixon, who adds that he knew he “I was a grunt. If you were in the was fully capable of aiming a gun at infantry, you didn’t have tents. You’d another human being and pulling the just find a dry puddle and crawl up in trigger. there and go to sleep,” he says.

Dixon decided to join the Marine please see QUAKER page 18 Corps. When he told them he was a

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Puzzle Page

CROSSWORD

Solutions for all puzzles can be found on page 16 SUDOKU

Across WORD SEARCH

Double “O” Words

1. Golden, for one 5. Small lizard 10. Energy source 14. Between ports 15. Elaine’s last name on Seinfeld 16. French Sudan, today 17. Twinge 18. Gives off 19. Rainbow goddess 20. Dismounted 22. Daisy ___ 23. Sheltered nook 24. Maple genus 25. The ocean, e.g.

27. Cut of meat 29. Have a bawl 30. Shogun’s capital 31. Driving hazard 34. African antelope 38. ___ de force 40. Wrangles 42. Buffalo’s lake 43. Illegal firing 45. Position 47. Gasteyer of Mean Girls 48. Defective 50. Drool 52. Yellow or orange flowers

57. Salon supplies 58. Astronaut Bean 59. Quilting party 60. Brewer’s need 61. Bill & ___ Excellent Adventure 62. Corkwood 64. Water color 67. Donald Duck’s nephews, e.g.

68. Cay 69. Beach feature 70. Collar type 71. Retreats 72. On its way

25. Walks 26. Heartache 27. Kind of blocker 28. Raised railroads 32. “Mangia!”

33. Lock of hair 35. 1966 Peck, Loren thriller 36. He was dressed to the ___ 37. Expensive 39. First name in a Defoe book 41. Dog Day Afternoon role

44. Henpeck 46. Extinct pigeon relative 49. Workhorse 51. Go around 52. Photo finish 53. Like Argus 54. Dashboard feature 55. Renter’s paper 56. Small wooded hollows 60. Derbies 63. Tennis unit 65. Fancy vase 66. Toward the stern

Down 1. Mountain pass 2. Fit ___ fiddle 3. Obstinate 4. High fliers 5. Opposite of hinder 6. Rare find 7. True inner self 8. Beryllium, e.g.

9. Stocks and such 10. Friendly 11. Gypsy’s deck 12. Martini garnish 13. Scrooge 21. Nettles 24. Passion

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August 2018

15

Building a Strong Social Network is Job No. 1 for ‘Solo Agers’

By Sara Zeff Geber, Ph.D. If you are like me, a child-free Solo Ager, you have a more limited network of relationships than your parent peers.

For a parent, each child represents another factor in their network of relationships. The children’s relationships with their friends and, eventually, in-laws become part of the parents’ relationship network as well.

As a Solo Ager, if you are part of a couple, the strongest connection in your social network is probably your partner. If you are single, the strongest connections might be with your siblings or close friends.

Lesser, but still important, relationships are with cousins, sometimes nieces and nephews, and often with additional friends. Community ties are often stronger for people without children as well.

Strong evidence exists for a direct connection between social support resources (relationships) and good mental health. Strong social networks have buffering effects when we go through painful events or experience temporary stressors.

Relationships are critical for everyone, and especially for those of us who are child-free. Friends, relatives, and community ties are not just nice-to-have pieces of your life; they are key to your survival!

Anyone over 60 will likely tell you they have seen their primary relationships change over the years. Ideally, these changes marked a steady progression toward a core social support system, one that is mutual and rewarding to both parties.

For older parents, primary relationships include their adult children, whether those children are enjoyable to be around or not. For the rest of us, relationships are much more a matter of choice.

If you are finding you need to bolster your friendship network and you aren’t sure where to start, you may find the following suggestions helpful: Look around you. Who lives in your neighborhood that you don’t yet know? Could you form a stronger friendship with a close neighbor?

Go back to school. Is there a language you have always wanted to learn? A hobby you would like to pursue? A computer skill you wish you possessed? Classes are a great place to meet new friends with similar interests.

In addition to extension programs at local colleges, Osher Lifelong Learning Institute (OLLI) programs can be found on the campuses of many colleges across the country. Check out the Bernard Osher Foundation’s website (www.osherfoundation.org).

Are you interested in traveling? Taking a trip with likeminded older adults can spark some terrific friendships. Road Scholar (formerly Elder Hostel) is a tour company that serves only older adults.

Start online. In the same way young people are now meeting and getting to know one another through social media before they ever have a face-to-face encounter, older people can begin to form friendships in the same way. You can connect with all kinds of special-interest groups by searching online.

My husband likes to quote something his mother told him when he was in junior high: “To have a friend, you need to be a friend.”

Somewhere along the way, as your relationship develops, look for an opportunity to do something for your new friend. Offer a ride to the airport or an invitation to a dinner party. You may have the opportunity to offer caregiving after a minor medical procedure.

These kinds of small gestures are the glue that holds relationships together.

Sara Zeff Geber, Ph.D., is a speaker, retirement coach, founder of LifeEncore, and author of Essential Retirement Planning for Solo Agers: A Retirement and Aging Roadmap for Single and Child-free Adults. Geber lives with her husband in Santa Rosa, Calif. www.lifeencore.com

Puzzles shown on page 15

Puzzle Solutions

What are you interested in? Join one of the thousands of “Meetups” occurring in communities every day around the United States (www.meetup. com). Stitch (www.stitch.net) also links people who share interests.

What do you care about? Whether your passion is local politics, animal rights, road safety, or practicing medicine halfway around the globe, volunteer opportunities exist for you to help change the world and at the same time meet likeminded people.

If you are unsure about how to get started, try VolunteerMatch (www. volunteermatch.org).

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The Ripple Effect: A Pilot, a Teacher, and a Teen

By Stephen M. DeBock

and one day he told me he’d been approved to fly the F-117 stealth fighter.

My friend Bill passed No sooner had he checked away some years ago, and out in the craft than Gulf following his interment War I broke out, and he I wrote two letters. One was off to do battle, always was to his wife, expressing in the zero dark thirty gratitude for his having hours, returning to base introduced me to the world before first light. of private flying, as well as Following the war’s his encouragement while conclusion, I received a I earned my own pilot’s phone call from Dale. license.

“Would you like to The other was to a see some cockpit tapes?” younger friend named Dale Dale Zelko, seen here in a An F-117 Nighthawk stealth fighter jet, he asked. “I’m on leave Zelko, to inform him that U.S. Air Force portrait, wasn’t rarely seen by civilians. visiting my mom. You’re although he’d never had the only one of DeBock’s invited to join the family the pleasure of meeting former students to go on to for dinner.”

Bill, had it not been for his become a pilot.

The next evening, as earlier influence on me, I watched the incredible he — Dale — might never night-vision videos have embarked upon his taken from his cockpit, I own aviation career. noticed Dale fiddling with Here’s how it unfolded: something in his hand. It looked like a piece of broken lanyard with a metal Back in the days before litigation eclipsed baseball as the national pastime, clip at one end. Captain Queeg with the ball bearings came to mind, but I I used to offer my middle-school students afterschool sightseeing flights in pretended not to notice. my flying club’s single-engine aircraft. Once at cruising altitude, I’d show the Afterward, he said something I’ve never forgotten: youngster in the right seat the dual controls, explain how they work, and invite “I love to fly; I love my country; and I love to fly for my country. Now, on him or her to try flying the plane. one of my sorties, I realized that if it hadn’t been for that flight you took me on The kids would usually be quick to take hold of the yoke — whereupon the way back when, I almost certainly wouldn’t be doing what I’m doing today.” plane would porpoise through the sky as they tried to adapt to the delicacy of I nodded, unsure where this was going. the controls.

“So I dedicated my target that night to you, and although I can’t tell you Most quickly gave up, but Dale didn’t. From the start, he held the Cessna what it was, you’ll be pleased to know it’s now a pile of debris.” He held out stable and maintained altitude; further, he kept a proper scan forward, to the what he’d been holding. “This is the arming clip from that smart bomb. It’s sides, and up and down. yours.”

Oh, he’s flown before, I thought, maybe with a relative who owns a plane.

Dale asked me next what the instruments represented, and he nodded as *** I explained their functions. Soon he was making precision turns to specific headings, at my direction. The kid was good.

By the time Dale presented me with this treasured memento, the attorney Oh yeah, he’s done this a lot of times before. for the board of education had long put an end to my student flights.

When the hour was up, I landed the plane, refueled it, and returned it to He opined that even though the permission slips I’d sent home specified I the tie-down area, with Dale studying my every move. I thought he might be was acting as a private citizen and not as a school employee, the fact that I’d comparing me with his pilot relative. used the school’s ditto machine to print the slips, and that I’d mentioned the Once I’d settled my account for the hour flown, I walked Dale to the flights during school time and on school grounds, made the board liable for parking lot, where his mother was waiting. As we walked, I asked him how any student injuries that might occur. many times he’d flown before today.

He was right, of course, and yes, I’d been naïve even to risk driving my “None,” he answered. “This was my first time in a plane.” students to the airport, much less putting them aboard a plane.

I was stunned. After a moment’s thought, I said, “Dale, it’s not my place But when I consider the beauty of introducing my kids to the wonders of to tell you what to do with your life. But from what you’ve demonstrated just flight — Dale wasn’t the only one who went on to become a pilot — I bless my now, I’d say you were born to the yoke.” youthful naïveté.

A modest sort, he gave me a simple thank-you as we greeted his mom and As for Dale, his career took him to the Yugoslavian conflict in 1999, where made our farewells for the day. his stealth fighter was blown out of the sky by a ground-fired missile.

His account of the against-all-odds, literally-in-the-nick-of-time combat *** search and rescue made for a compelling two-hour debriefing he gave his Time passed, and when Dale was a high school junior, he sent a letter asking family, my wife, and me upon his safe return.

But that’s a story for another time. if I would consider writing a commendation for him to the Air Force Academy, something I was proud and honored to do.

Dale graduated the academy and became a fighter pilot. We stayed in touch, Please see our profile of writer Stephen DeBock on page 4.

Air Force Day is Aug. 1

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opportunities Make a Volunteer for Seniors 55+ throughout Difference York County, with non-profits, agencies Volunteer schools, and community Today service organizations.

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YorkAdamsFranklin@rsvpCapReg.org

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50plus LIFE t

QUAKER from page 14 On Christmas Day 1966, a cargo walked out.” plane crashed near his base. Dixon Speaking of his unit, Dixon says, and his men had to collect the bodies, “We were together that whole time; many of them charred and burned, I got to know those guys and they and then place them in plastic bags in knew me, right up until the time they the pouring rain. died. Sometimes we had to go and Not surprisingly, Dixon describes identify their bodies.” this as “the worst Christmas I have After returning stateside, Dixon ever had.” served as a guard at the Pentagon Dixon also explains how he and until his tour of duty ended. He his colleagues later attended often had to Millersville remove leeches, University and which were married a woman omnipresent in named Patricia. water. The men “When I came couldn’t feel back, I never told these creatures anybody I had at all, even as been to Vietnam. they burrowed When I went one of their two to Millersville, As a Quaker, Dixon had to sign extra every student heads under the papers to enter the Marine Corps. skin. The leeches and professor was could enter antiwar. They all anywhere on the body but would hated the war. frequently crawl toward a man’s “So I just kept it a secret. I took private parts. all my memories, put them in a box, The men would often have to burn and carried them around in my brain them off with a cigarette. Often men inside my head, and I locked them in would burn leeches off each other. a closet and forgot about them. My “But when it comes time to burn wife didn’t know a lot of the things them off your genitalia, you’d have to that went on.” do that yourself,” says Dixon.

Dixon taught junior high school And if all this wasn’t bad enough, history classes for 28 years. He often their M16 rifles would jam and Patricia have two sons, one of during combat. Dixon recalls an whom drove a Bradley tank during incident where his unit came across Operation Desert Storm. five dead Marines, all of whom were Dixon says he still suffers mildly in various stages of using a cleaning from post-traumatic stress syndrome, rod to unjam their rifles. a common illness for Vietnam Near the end of his tour, he was veterans. involved in a firefight with North “To this day, I still don’t like Vietnamese soldiers. fireworks on the Fourth of July,” says “There were basically 240 of us that Dixon. “I don’t like the sounds of walked into the valley, and 80 of us helicopters. The last time I was on a helicopter, they shot the pilot. That’s  one reason I don’t fly helicopters.”

At his wife’s suggestion, he wrote a book about his experiences, Things I’ ll Never Forget: Memories of a Marine  in Vietnam. It took him 47 years to   summon the energy to write this   memoir, but Dixon says the writing     process was therapeutic. The book is       available from Amazon and some of     the proceeds go to veterans.     





Robert Naeye is a freelance journalist living in Derry Township. He is the former editor-in-chief of Sky & Telescope magazine.

www.50plusLifePA.com

York County

Calendar of Events

Community Programs/Support Groups Free and open to the public

Senior Center Activities

Aug. 1, 7 p.m.

Surviving Spouse Socials of York County Faith United Church of Christ 509 Pacific Ave., York (717) 266-2784

Aug. 21, 7-8 p.m.

Alzheimer’s Support Group Providence Place 3377 Fox Run Road, Dover (717) 767-4500

Crispus Attucks Active Living Center (717) 848-3610, www.crispusattucks.org

Aug. 6, 9:30 a.m.

Green Thumb Garden Club Meeting Emmanuel Lutheran Church 2650 Freysville Road, Red Lion (717) 235-2823

Aug. 25-25, 1-5 p.m.

67th Annual Shrewsbury Flower Show Assembly of God 234 N. Main St., Shrewsbury (717) 235-1130

Dillsburg Senior Activity Center – (717) 432-2216

Parks and Recreation Aug. 5 and 26, 9-11 a.m. – Boats and Birds Paddle on Lake Redman, Kain Park Aug. 7, 10-11:30 a.m. – Woods Wander, Rocky Ridge Park Aug. 11, 9 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. – Open House: The Gardens at John Rudy Park

Library Programs Arthur Hufnagel Public Library of Glen Rock, 32 Main St., Glen Rock, (717) 235-1127 Au g. 8, 1-2 p.m. – Police K-9 Officer Lt. David Godfrey and His K-9 Partner Dargo (Family) Aug. 27, 6:30-8 p.m. – Book Club: Empire Falls by Richard Russo Collinsville Community Library, 2632 Delta Road, Brogue, (717) 927-9014 Tuesdays in August, 6-8 p.m. – Purls of Brogue Aug. 8, 10:30-11: 30 a.m. – Boom Whackers: Music from Unusual Instruments (Family) Dillsburg Area Public Library, 17 S. Baltimore St., Dillsburg, (717) 432-5613 Aug. 8, 5:30-7 p.m. – Origami (Family) Aug. 9 and 23, 6- 7 p.m. – Sit Stay Read: Read to Bliss, Trained Service Dog (Family) Dover Area Community Library, 3700-3 Davidsburg Road, Dover, (717) 292-6814 Aug. 3, 10:30 a. m. to 12:30 p.m. – Pet and Learn about 20 Exotic Animals (Family) Aug. 17, 11 a.m. – Self-Defense Class Glatfelter Memorial Library, 101 Glenview Road, Spring Grove, (717) 225-3220 Aug. 1, 10-11 a.m. – This Way Up Band (Family) Aug. 8, 5:30-7:30 p.m. – Board Game Night Guthrie Memorial Library, 2 Library Place, Hanover, (717) 632-5183 Aug. 2, 6:30-8 p.m. – Enjoying a Plant-Based Diet with Rachel Goodkind Aug. 7, 6:30-8 p.m. – The Life We Bury by Allen Eskens Kaltreider-Benfer Library, 147 S. Charles St., Red Lion, (717) 244-2032 Thursdays, 6-8 p.m. – Knit Wits Aug. 25, 9 a.m. to noon – Book Nook (Family)

Kreutz Creek Valley Library Center, 66 Walnut Springs Road, Hellam, (717) 252-4080 Aug. 7 and 21, 6-8 p.m. – Knitters and Crocheters Aug. 14, 6:30-7:45 p.m. – The Danger Club: From Storm Chasing to Banana Jousting (Family) Martin Library, 159 E. Market St., York, (717) 8465300 Aug. 28, 6-7 p.m. – Mystery Book Club Mason-Dixon Public Library, 250 Bailey Drive, Stewartstown, (717) 993-2404 Aug. 1, 15, 29, 10:30 a.m . to noon – Wednesday WIPS Needlework Group Aug. 6, 6-8 p.m. – R hythm and Rhyme Poetry Workshop for Families (Family) Paul Smith Library of Southern York County, 80 Constitution Ave., Shrewsbury, (717) 235-4313 Aug. 8, 5-7 p.m. – Coffee and Coloring Aug. 25, 10:30-11:30 a.m. – Local Author Series: Maria Green Red Land Community Library, 48 Robin Hood Drive, Etters, (717) 938-5599 Aug. 16, 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. – Tech Guru Aug. 22, 6:30-8 p.m. – Refuse for Wolves Writer Chuck Rineer Salem Square Library, 596 W. Princess St., York, (717) 650-2262 Tuesdays, 10 a.m. to noon – Baby and Toddler Story Time (Family) Thursdays, 10 a.m. to noon – Preschool Story Time (Family) Village Library, 35-C N. Main St., Jacobus, (717) 428-1034 Thursdays, 5 p.m. – Village Knitters Aug. 2, 10:30-11:30 a.m. – Worm Races (Family)

If you have an event you would like to include, please email information to mjoyce@onlinepub.com for consideration.

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Delta Area Senior Center, Inc. – (717) 456-5753

Eastern Area Senior Center, Inc. – (717) 252-1641 Golden Connections Community Center (717) 244-7229, www.gcccenter.com Weekdays, 9 a.m. – Games Tuesdays and Wednesdays, 10 a.m. – Pinochle Fridays, 9:15 a.m. – Computers 101 Golden Visions Senior Community Center (717) 633-5072, www.goldenvisionspa.com Heritage Senior Center, Inc. – (717) 292-7471 www.heritagesrcenter.org Northeastern Senior Community Center (717) 266-1400, www.mtwolf.org/SeniorCenter Red Land Senior Center – (717) 938-4649 www.redlandseniorcenter.org September House – (717) 848-4417 South Central Senior Community Center (717) 235-6060 http://southcentralyorkcountysrctr.webs.com Weekdays, 10:15 a.m. – Tai Chi Thursdays, 9 a.m. – Walking Through the Bible Fridays, 9 a.m. – Friends Together Craft Class Stewartstown Senior Center – (717) 993-3488 www.stewsenior.org Susquehanna Senior Center – (717) 244-0340 www.susquehannaseniorcenter.org Mondays, 9:30-10:30 a.m. – Chorus Practice Tuesdays, 6-10 p.m. – Bluegrass/Country Music Jam Session White Rose Senior Center – (717) 843-9704 www.whiteroseseniorcenter.org Windy Hill On the Campus – (717) 225-0733 www.windyhillonthecampus.org Aug. 21, 12:30 p.m. – Monthly Book Club Yorktown Senior Center – (717) 854-0693 www.yorktownseniorcenter.org Submit senior center events to mjoyce@onlinepub.com.

50plus LIFE t

August 2018

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