by Len Lear
T
Wybar visits a mountain village where a terrible mudslide last year killed this woman's daughter, leaving her with five grandchildren to raise. She is 88 and crippled. Barbara took one of the children and put him in her orphans’ program.
The Children of Peace gather at the vocational school every Saturday. They are orphans, many of whose parents have died of AIDS.
hose of us at an advanced age cannot help but hope that our presence and contributions to others have made a significant difference in this world. There is absolutely no doubt that Barbara Birks Wybar, 72, of Chestnut Hill, has done just that. Barbara, 72, grew up in Montreal. She graduated from McGill University with a major in art history and psychology. She never worked in either field, but she insists that she has used some of what she learned in psychology courses in her teaching career. She taught third grade for two years in London, England, but left in 1987 to come to Philadelphia, where her then-husband, Michael, was in the insurance business. They moved to Mt. Airy, where she lived until 1999, and she then moved to Rex Avenue in Chestnut Hill. (Michael left in 1993; the couple had four teenagers at the time.) Barbara was a teaching assistant at Germantown Friends School and
then taught second grade at Chestnut Hill Academy for 10 years. But in 2007, Barbara left her big, comfortable house on Rex Avenue and since then has been living for a part of each year in a village called Bududa in Uganda, East Africa, where she has no electricity, running water or any other 21st century conveniences that the rest of us consider second-nature, not to mention barely enough food to survive. (“I have never seen an obese person there,” she said.) In Bududa Barbara has been the driving force behind the building, staffing and operation of the Bududa Vocational Institute (BVA), a school that now turns out graduates who can earn a living — something that was barely possible before when the village had no school. She also raises funds to feed starving AIDS orphans. Every so often Barbara, who receives no salary in Uganda, returns to Chestnut Hill to visit friends and family and to raise funds for her school and the AIDS orphans. She also tries to (Continued on page 7)
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Chestnut Hill Local | Thursday, June 6, 2019
Beloved Mt. Air y artist/teacher still going strong at 68
Marcia’s “Still Life with Bird” is a 10- by 14-inch watercolor.
by Len Lear
E
ven in Mt. Airy, a virtual hothouse for talented artists and art teachers, Marcia Jones stands out. Marcia, 68, a native of Indianapolis who has lived in West Mt. Airy for 26 years, has been a popular teacher of watercolors and drawing for Mt. Airy Learning Tree (MALT) for 12 years as well as at numerous other area venues and in her own studio. And if you talk to any of her students, you hear the kinds of
encomiums any business owner might give his/her first-born child to get on social media. For example, according to Mt. Airy resident Janet Filante, “Marcia’s art graces our home now. I love her work in oil, multi-media and watercolor. The compositions have a strength of emotion beyond just technical beauty. We are lucky to have such a talented artist and wonderful person in our community.” A Chestnut Hill resident and photographer, Kelly Vincent, said, “I’ve studied watercolors with Mar-
cia for 10 years now, and learning from her has changed my life. I found her class at a difficult time and not only learned how to paint but also found a family with my fellow students. Marcia is encouraging, patient and knowledgeable. She is among the best teachers I’ve had, and I’m happy to call her a friend.” After hearing such unabashed raves, we decided to ask Marcia, whose own stunning work can currently be seen hanging on the walls of LeBus, a restaurant on the corner of Ridge and Midvale Avenues in East Falls, some questions to find out the secret of her success. • Did you always plan to be an artist and art teacher? “Oh, yes.” • What college did you go to? “Tyler School of Fine Art, MFA in Painting, Rome Campus, 1976.” • After college, did you have any other jobs outside of art and teaching? “Yes. I have worked in publishing and in medical education.” • Where have you taught besides MALT? “I offer private and small group lessons in my studio, 'Making Art Makes Us Smarter,' and I have
Marcia stands next to one of her paintings at LeBus East Falls, where some of her works are on exhibit. (Photos by Kelly Vincent)
taught at Allens Lane Art Center. Before that, I taught at Tyler School Of Art. I have just started a new watercolor class at Center On The Hill at Chestnut Hill Presbyterian Church.” • What satisfaction do you get from teaching at MALT? “The students show curiosity and intelligence. Their lives are interesting. And they are enthusiastic about developing their creativity.” • Who are your own favorite artists, past and present, and why? “There are so many. Most recently, I enjoyed the Berth Morisot
exhibit at the Barnes. Her exquisite brushwork, her depiction of women as expressive, active participants in life and her modernist approach to composition have earned her a place alongside the other, more famous Impressionists. For watercolor, John Singer Sargent gets high marks.” • What exhibits, if any, of your work have you had? Where and when? “I have presented annual shows of my own work as well as my students' work at Allens Lane Art Center and in Ned Wolf Park in my neighborhood for the past 10 years. I'll present a one-person show this coming November at Center on the Hill.” • How would you characterize your work — abstract, representational, etc.? “Well, both. One recent project is a series of paintings for each guitar composition that my late husband, Richard Drueding, wrote. Some are figurative, some abstract. My favorite activity is plein air painting, or working from a still life in the studio, which are representational.” • What medium do you work in mostly? Why? “Watercolor, because of the transparency and texture of the luscious pigments and the gorgeous papers that are available.” • How did the LeBus exhibit come about? “I was asked by Isa Goldfarb (a partner in the restaurant). She and I have been in outdoor shows together and have been neighbors for many years.” • How have you done there? Over what period of time? “I've been showing there since they opened in January of 2018. Sales have been good. I also love being a part of the beautiful setting and great food there.” • What was the hardest thing you ever had to do? “Besides dealing with the loss of loved ones and motherhood, I'd say finding my way as an artist after graduate school.” • What is the best advice you ever received? “From my graduate painting mentor, Robert Keyser: Be aware of the effect of every mark you make in a painting.” • Which talent that you do not have would you most like to have? Why? “Songwriting. Music brings me joy.” • What is your most impressive characteristic? “I like my nose.” • If you could meet and spend time with anyone on earth, who would it be? “Matisse.” • Any family members you would like to mention? “My husband, the late, masterful guitarist, Richard Drueding, and our son Emmett Drueding, singer-songwriter, two very disciplined artists.” For more information: marciajonz@gmail.com. Len Lear can be reached at lenlear@chestnuthilllocal.com
Chestnut Hill Local | Thursday, June 6, 2019
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Chestnut Hill Local | Thursday, June 6, 2019
Scholar formerly worked in factor y Hill 'Gritty' author, 76, discusses ‘People’s Histor y’ here by Len Lear
M
aynard Seider, 76, who has lived in the Chestnut Hill Village Apartments since 2012, grew up in New Haven and Hamden, Connecticut, in a working class, union family. His father belonged to the postal clerks union, and his mother, a seamstress, belonged to the International Ladies Garment Workers Union (ILGWU). “I always considered myself to be on the Left and seeing unions as a very necessary and progressive force,” he said last week. “When I started teaching at thenNorth Adams State College, the factories were still in operation, particularly Sprague Electric Company, which inhabited the 20-plus buildings that before housed the Arnold Print Company. Sprague had become the biggest producer of capacitors in the world, and Arnold at one time had been the biggest print company (dye/printing of cloth fabrics) in the world.” Seider went on to earn a B.A. from the University of Connecticut in 1964; an M.A. from the University of Wisconsin, Madison, in 1967; and a PhD from the University of Wisconsin, Madison, 1973. Starting in 1969 he taught sociology at a Black college in Tennessee (Knoxville College) for three years. He then tried Law school for a year but dropped out, working instead in a trailer repair operation for a year while finishing his doctoral dissertation. Even with the doctorate, he couldn't get a teaching job, however, working instead in a transformer factory and later writing the book, "A Year in the Live of a Factory." From 1976 until 2010, he taught at the college level, first as an adjunct, then other short stints and finally beginning a 32year-career at the state college in
Seider will discuss his new book,' “The Gritty Berkshires, A People's History” (February, White River Press), on Wednesday, June 5, 7 p.m., at Lovett Memorial Library.
North Adams, Massachusetts, in the northern Berkshire Mountains. He always taught sociology and courses about social change, minority groups, etc. In 1995, along with others, Seider wrote a script which became a local history play, "The Sprague Years," which was performed at North Adams State College, with special morning performances for local middle and high school students who watched amateur actors play the roles that their parents and grandparents performed in the factory and community. In 2012, the Hill author wrote and directed a documentary, "Farewell to Factory Towns?" which covered the industrial history of the community. After retiring, he continued to do research (and enjoyed getting
back to the North Berkshires for interviews and library digging) and wrote a couple of articles about the Great Depression and a lengthy strike in North Adams. “With more time available in retirement, I worked on bringing a lot of the material I had already worked on into book form, filling in the gaps with more interviews and research, as the community continued to change and deal with the challenges of a growing service sector/tourist economy. In 2014, the full-service hospital that had serviced the community for over a century closed with three days notice and has been replaced by only an emergency room and a variety of out-patient facilities.” The result of Seider's almostfour years of extensive research was “The Gritty Berkshires, A
People's History” (February, 2019, White River Press), which the author will discuss with a public reading on Wednesday, June 5, 7 p.m., at Lovett Memorial Library, 6945 Germantown Ave. Two very important findings by Seider that he explores in detail in the book are the role of the North in benefitting from slavery and its integration to the slave South (cotton mills, politics and the Fugitive Slave Act, the founding of Williams College) and the resilience (hence the title "gritty") of workers over the years fighting for better conditions, starting worker-owned enterprises, striking when necessary, engaging in politics, coalitions, sharing house/child care, etc. What brought Seider to Philly was his wife, Sheila Weinberg, who lived and went to rabbinical school here in the late '70s and '80s. The couple met in Massachusetts in 1991, when Weinberg was the rabbi of the Jewish Community of Amherst and Seider was still teaching. They married in 1994 and are a blended family. Maynard has a son with family in Massachusetts, and Sheila has a
son with family in New York City and a daughter with family in Mt. Airy. “I like the diversity of this neighborhood on the border area between Mt. Airy and Chestnut Hill,” said Maynard, “also the ease of shopping, two libraries within walking distance and the less than 10-minute walk to the Septa train.” Seider is also an active volunteer at Houston School in Mt. Airy, where he tutors in literacy and also helps to keep the library there functioning for classes and teachers. He also works with young men in their late teens and early 20s through Northwest Interfaith Hospitality Network, helping with school work, college prep and (“the hardest part”) driver education. Barbara Bloom, founder of the Mt. Airy Learning Tree and an author in her own right (“Ephemeral Blooms”), who brought Seider to our attention, said, “I find him to be a wonderful, kind and generous soul and therefore am eager to support him as well as I can.” For more information about the Lovett event, call 215-685-2095. “The Gritty Berkshires” can be obtained through amazon.com. Len Lear can be contacted at lenlear@chestnuthilllocal.com
Seider is also an active volunteer at Houston School in Mt. Airy, and he works with young men in their late teens and early 20s through Northwest Interfaith Hospitality Network.
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Chestnut Hill Local | Thursday, June 6, 2019
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Chestnut Hill Local | Thursday, June 6, 2019
A lifetime of 89 years from cash to chip implants by James Smart
H
aving welcomed some great-grandchildren recently, I can’t help wondering about the world they are entering. It’s a bit different than the one I was born in. On the day I was born, Herbert Hoover was president. That year, “The Star Spangled Banner” was designated the national anthem. Nevada made gambling legal. Alcoholic beverages had been illegal for 10 years. The Empire State building was just finished, and the construction of Rockefeller Center was started. Polio was a widespread crippling children’s disease; they called it infantile paralysis then. Most phonographs were windup, not electrical. That was a U. S. Census year, and census takers were asking citizens if they owned a radio set. Television was a rumor. Most telephones were two pieces, the mouthpiece and a dial on a stand, with the ear piece
connected by a wire. Little kids today see phones carried in pockets. Also radios. They take television for granted. And they quickly learn about the Internet and computers. In my first job, I was paid in cash. Then, it became checks. Now, my pay for this column is electronically deposited in my bank account. I remember getting something called a credit card in the mail. “I’ll never use this thing,” I thought. But soon I was in a system that required account numbers and passwords. So, what will it be like for these little tots as they get older? From what I’ve been reading, technology companies are developing systems that, instead of numbers or passwords, will let machines identify users by their fingerprints, voice recognition or even facial recognition. Apple has some face recognition phones on the market already. I don’t know if some crafty crook could obtain a photo
The two most important things anyone needs to know about the year 1930 are: Herbert Hoover (seen here) was president, and Mt. Airy columnist James Smart was born.
of me and use it to mess with my photo ID bank account, but I hope the Apple techies have thought of the problem. In Sweden, a company has come up with a microchip that is implanted in a person’s hand between the thumb and forefinger that broadcasts the user’s identity
and other information to make credit purchases, open locks, operate vending machines and deal with computers, all with a swipe of a hand. It’s said that thousands of Swedes are already using this system. Can’t you imagine an electronically savvy thief somewhere now working on a program that will hack chips in people’s hands? I can’t guess whether the Swedish hand chip will catch on elsewhere. But facial recognition could work fine at bridge and highway toll booths, and people sensitive about privacy could hardly complain, since the government already photographs them for a driver’s license. Photo ID’s would speed things up at polling places on Election Day, make train conductors’ and bus drivers’ jobs easier. As I ponder where all this is likely to take our daily lives, I think back to the1950s, when I had to go downstairs to the cashier’s office at work on payday to pick up my little envelope of
cash. Then, they began handing me a paycheck. I had to stop off at the little neighborhood bank on the way home to cash it. The teller was a neighbor. She would say, “Hi, Jim.” The little bank became the branch of a big bank. The next Friday evening I went in, my friendly teller said, “Hi, Jim. Can I see some ID, please?” Soon, I guess she would ask in what part of my body the chip was implanted. James Smart, 89, is a long-time resident of Mt. Airy, an author of local history books and a former columnist for the Philadelphia Bulletin. He can be reached at jamessmartsphiladelphia.com “I like to appear in the Local,” he told us, “so my neighbors know what I do beside take out the trash. I've been writing a column for one publication or another for all but six of the past 60 years. My goal is to become a 100year-old columnist, and I have 11 years to go.”
Flourtown author recreates 1978 Philly — Rizzo, mob, etc. by Len Lear
S
am Levitt, 60, a Flourtown resident for more than 30 years, tried for five years to get an agent for his book, “Ben’s,” named for a man named Ben who owned a candy store in Logan where teenagers hung out in the 1960s and ‘70s. The kids were so closely identified with the store that they were known as “Bens.” The book, which took Levitt 10 years to write from beginning to
end, is as Philly as soft pretzels and hoagies. Taking place in 1978, it deals with gang wars, Frank Rizzo, the racial divide, blockbusting, cops and the Mafia, specifically Angelo Bruno and Nicky Scarfo, as well as other issues. Unfortunately, it is about as hard these days for a previously unpublished author to secure an agent as it is for a high school kid to play in the NFL. So Levitt took the self-publishing route, making his debut at a
book signing May 4 at the Philadelphia Print Shop at the corner of Germantown and Highland Avenues. A graduate of the Parkway Program High School in center city, Levitt moved on to Montgomery County Community College and then Temple University, from which he graduated with a major in American History. Sam worked for the city of Philadelphia in the records room of the adult probation department in the 1980s and ‘90s. “I hurt my
Levitt (center) is seen here at a recent book signing at the Philadelphia Print Shop in Chestnut Hill with Dickie Cobbs and Celeste M. Walker.
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leg on the job and retired, but I wanted to be a writer since the late ‘70s. I wanted first to be a sportswriter. My hero was Jack Kiser, who used to write about racehorses. Then there was Larry McMullen and Pete Dexter from the Daily News. “I had a stroke in my early 20s and didn't know what I would do for a career. So that’s when I started writing about the only thing I knew, which was betting on baseball games. I had 15 articles published on baseball, basketball, football and one on a racehorse named Heating Arthur.” They were published in Gambling Times magazine, “Win” magazine and one in “American Turf Monthly” magazine. “Mario Puzo (author of ‘Godfather’) was my favorite writer. When I first got interested in writing, I liked Jimmy Breslin but then grew to really dislike him. Right now my favorite writer is Vincent Patrick, who wrote ‘The Pope of Greenwich Village.’ That book made me want to write a novel about my city and neighborhood and my teenage years in Logan. Yes, it is based on real people such as Angelo Bruno, Frank Rizzo and others.” (The book was self-published but with help from bookfuel, an outfit in Denver.) If Sam could meet and spend time with anyone on earth, who would it be? “Pete Dexter, Martin Scorsese or Francis Ford Coppola.” What is the best advice Sam ever received? “The best advice I ever got was from my mother, who told me to just go at my own pace
but to keep moving, as slow a pace as it may be.” Sam has the name Pal Joey in his email address. Why? “I am a Frank Sinatra fan, and ‘Pal Joey’ was one of his movies. Also, 'Paljoey' was a racehorse I used to follow and bet on.” If San could spend time with anyone on earth, who would it be? “I would like to spend time with Sophia Loren because she reminds me of my mother, and I would like to talk to Martin Scorsese or Pete Dexter.” What is the hardest thing Sam ever did? “The hardest thing, or at least the most tedious thing, was writing the book.” Sam has another book on deck that he’s been working on for three years. It is called "The Will of the Creator" and is about a disgruntled Vietnam vet named Charley. He owned a little luncheonette in center city, but the area was overrun with homeless people who ruined his business. His wife left him, and he basically loses his sanity. He proceeds to kill vagrants in Germantown, South Philadelphia, Frankford, Logan, West Philly and center city, 10 in all. Charley owns a mail-order business in center-city called “Golden Decade Records.” He is a frequent caller to radio talk shows and sports shows. He loves baseball and kills only on nights when the Phillies lose. (Who hasn’t known somebody like that?) For more information, visit amazon.com. Levitt said the book will soon also be available at Barnes & Noble.
Chestnut Hill Local | Thursday, June 6, 2019
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Miracle worker brings a future to those who had none (Continued from page 1)
visit Canada because she has relatives in both Montreal and Toronto and also to raise funds. (Both of Barbara's parents had big families whose ancestors had been in Montreal since the War of 1812.) “The biggest recent change at BVA,” Barbara told us last week, “is a much-needed extension to the girls’ hostel. As the school year began, we had more female students than there were hostel beds. In a miraculously short time we collected $5000 for this building project, partly from the students and partly from volunteers. Under the watchful eye of their teachers, our bricklaying students grabbed their tools and set about mixing cement and laying bricks with gusto! It was a joy to see their enthusiasm at putting their newly acquired skills into practice. Like lightning the foundation was dug, the slab laid, the walls erected and the roof went on, all in the space of one month! “So far this year we have had 12 volunteers/visitors who have shared their highly diverse skills and interests with our staff and students. One of the volunteers, Lyn Buchheit, 40, of Chestnut Hill, is teaching English as a second language for three months at BVA. Many Chestnut Hill residents have supported Lyn in her work for Bududa. The English department needed a shake up and it got it with Lyn. Teachers tended to want to go by the book and not focus on the spoken language. For students learning skills in Bududa, though, the spoken English language was what was needed. Lyn is a master at that, having taught at the Univer-
sity of Pennsylvania and at Community College of Philadelphia.” Many of Barbara’s local friends have helped with the fundraising. For example, Martha Repman, former librarian at the Chestnut Hill Library, once sent requests to her address book people, which brought in several contributions. Other friends forwarded the request. The BVI currently has well over 100 students who do pay very low fees, augmented by Barbara’s fundraising. Masons, carpenters, nurses, etc., are turned out by the school. Wybar has to raise $80,000 to $100,000 a year for both students and orphans. Her orphans' organization, Children of Bududa (COB), has managed to recruit more than 125 sponsors in North America to support their many orphans. Local residents live in mud huts, although many do now have doors and windows that were made by graduates of Barbara’s vocational school. There are now 73 children in COB, and the program is running smoothly with weaving, computer skills, sewing and literacy being taught on Saturdays. Numbers do fluctuate, though, as youth age-out of the program, fall by the wayside or just disappear. “We are concentrating on providing quality care for each child and promoting the brightest,” said Wybar. Most people in Bududa eat one meal a day, but if they do not grow their own food, they do not eat! They rarely eat meat. “We had two boys, Julius and Simon, who had nothing, no food, sleeping on a mud floor,” said Barbara in an earlier interview. “Julius said he was going to join the rebels in Kenya (terrorists), not because he wanted
to hurt people but only because he knew he would be fed. But he came to our school instead. Now he is a carpenter with the biggest smile. And a job maker! He has his own shop and can make a door a day! He can sell it for about $35, although he only gets $5 or $10 of that.” The village looks like something out of National Geographic magazine. Women carry their belongings on their heads. An occasional cow is moved along with a stick. Children are always hungry, and it is about 90 degrees or more every day of the year. “The kids are so malnourished,” said Barbara, “but they are still fit and strong. They do a lot of hard work early in the morning, and then they walk two to three miles to school. It’s a real wakeup call for people from Europe and North America. Two-thirds of the world lives this way.” Does Barbara, who is used to eating like most Americans (too much), eat the same food as her African friends? “Yes,” she replied. “We eat one meal a day of cabbage, beans and rice. Chicken is rare and tough to get. And it is tough to get the meat off the bone because they run around and use their muscles, not like the ones in huge pens in the U.S. (injected with hormones to make them plump up fast). When I am there, I sometimes dream of having a crab cake in a Chestnut Hill restaurant.” For more information, visit www.bududa.org or bviuganda.blogspot.com. Barbara can be reached at bwybar@yahoo.com Donations should be made out to Bududa America Foundation and sent c/o Barbara Wybar, 111 Rex Ave., Phila. PA 19118
Lyn Buchheit, of Chestnut Hill, is seen with Samail Nakhayenze,Vice Principal, Education and Academics, of the school established by Barbara Wybar of Chestnut Hill. (Photo by Isaac Peace Namisi)
A visitor to Wybar’s school, Dr. Toby Shawe, took this photo during a side trip to the Impenetrable National Forest in Bwindi, Uganda. The forest is home to 300 endangered mountain gorillas, about one-half of the world’s population. They were made famous by the late Diane Fossey and her book, “Gorillas In the Mist” and its subsequent movie
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Chestnut Hill Local | Thursday, June 6, 2019
Became myster y novelist in his 70s Hiller with many successful careers; now add 'author' by Len Lear
I
t is said that cats have nine lives, but one might say that long-time Chestnut Hill resident Gene Caffrey, 77, has had so many avocations and vocations that it seems as if he has also had nine lives. Caffrey studied psychology for three years in grad school and even finished a doctoral dissertation before he decided to switch to law school, which ended with a law degree in 1970 and a relatively brief career with the major Philadelphia firm of Montgomery McCracken. In order to pay for his higher education, Caffrey also taught in a Catholic high school at age 23. He then used his earnings as a teacher to buy a soft ice cream truck and called himself “The Emperor of Ice Cream” (after a poem by Wallace Stevens). He shocked himself by making good money and used it not only to pay for law school in Chicago but also to buy a small apartment building, which he converted to condominiums. When Caffrey came to Philadelphia in 1970, he immediately began buying more small apartments and managing them mostly at night after coming home from his law practice. In 1973, however, he took a six-month leave of absence to buy a small business and never went back to the practice of law. The business was a wholesale distributorship of tobacco and candy products in West Chester. That business morphed into a chain of shops in the lobbies of Center City office buildings, which
Local community activist-turnedauthor Gene Caffrey, 77, has received favorable reviews from Kirkus, a respected book review website, which described Owen Delaney, Caffrey’s protagonist, as a "convincing amateur sleuth whose kinks are as enjoyable as his triumphs."
Gene eventually sold, using the proceeds to buy more real estate, mostly apartment properties in Northwest Philadelphia, including for about 20 years ending in 1998, Wyndmoor Arms on Willow Grove Avenue in Chestnut Hill. “That model was the template for my career,” he said. “Buy or create small businesses, sell them and buy real estate. My only long-term business holding was the Flourtown Swim Club, which I owned from 1989 to 2007.” As if teaching, psychology, law, business and entrepreneurship were not enough, Caffrey also began a career in community service shortly after arriving in
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Philadelphia when, through an intermediary at Montgomery McCracken who knew of his hands-on involvement in real estate, Lloyd Wells, founder of the Chestnut Hill Community Association (CHCA), asked him to become head of the Chestnut Hill Realty Trust, billed as “the Redevelopment Arm of the CHCA.” “I don’t remember the precise dates during which I served in that capacity,” Caffrey said. “The trust essentially dissolved when Chestnut Hill became 'hot' and no longer needed community efforts to promote development, but my tenure did include the construction of the Top of the Hill Plaza.” For these efforts, Caffrey and others on the Top of the Hill Committee received the Chestnut Hill Award. During the 1970s, when his children were young, Caffrey became very active with the Chestnut Hill Fathers Club, the predecessor of today’s Chestnut Hill Youth Sports Club. For several years he was President of the club and has always said that he was “as proud of my work in that capacity as I have been with anything I’ve ever done.” During his tenure as President, the club introduced tee-ball and opportunities for girls to play and instituted the Saturday intramural soccer league. For his work with the Fathers Club, Caffrey was given a second Chestnut Hill Award. During his early years in Chestnut Hill, Caffrey was also a board member of the CHCA and a trustee of the Community Fund. In
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“Finding Bridget” is the fourth and latest novel in Gene Caffrey’s popular Owen Delaney series. Caffrey had done a good deal of writing in the past but did not start writing novels until the age of 70.
the late 1970s, when the Fathers Club began using the Crefeld School fields and gym for some of its activities, Gene was asked to join the school's board. He remained on the board for over 20 years, serving as President for an extended period of time. He also served for 14 years (including a long stint as Treasurer) on the board of the Friends of the Wissahickon. “I love Chestnut Hill,” the longtime activist insisted in a previous interview, “for all the usual reasons, including the fact that I can bump into so many friends on the Avenue (though, like me, walking is not that easy for them any more). Because of dietary restrictions, there are now many foods I can no longer eat, but when I could eat what I wanted, I loved Cin Cin, McNally's and, most recently, Paris Bistro.” It is hard to believe that after all of these careers, Caffrey would have a new one, but he does — as a crime novelist. “I was always a reader but never thought about writing until college,” he said. “The problem was that I wanted to write something 'deep,' and I wasn’t a very deep person at the time. My efforts were pathetic. During the 1990s, however, I took
up short story writing and enjoyed it (one story was published in the Local a few years ago in connection with the summer writing contest), but I was unable to devote the time it took to develop any craft. “Finally, about seven years ago, after retiring from a career in business and real estate investment, I decided to try writing in earnest. I chose to write mysteries because I thought it would be easier to write plot-driven novels than characterbased novels. But I still needed a character to serve as protagonist. So I based the main character, Owen Delaney, on a friend from my 20s with shocking blond hair, a romantic temperament and some quirky eccentricities who had what to me at the time seemed like fascinating life experiences.” During the last several years, Caffrey has written four novels — “Shock Treatment,” based on reallife incidents; “Two Souls,” “Sweet Caroline” and the most recent, “Finding Bridget,” which were entirely creations of his imagination. The four books are all set in Philadelphia, and Owen Delaney, a 30-something amateur sleuth, lives in Chestnut Hill. They are published by Automat Press in Austin, Texas. an e-book publisher of mysteries and non-fiction. In “Finding Bridget,” Owen is asked by a wealthy but odd colleague at his university to help find his runaway 18-year-old daughter. Owen eventually realizes he is dealing with a lot more than just a runaway. And what he is dealing with is deadly. “I see these books as being as much about Owen’s personal evolution as about the crimes he ends up solving,” said Caffrey, who spends much of his time now in Sarasota, Florida. “After all, in 'Sweet Caroline,' he’s still in his 30s. I’m in my late-70s and still evolving. We all just have to wait and see.” Caffrey's novels are now available in paperback and digital versions on Amazon. More details: www.owendelaneynovels.com.
Do most insurance cover this treatment? “Almost all health insurance pays for this treatment and my office accepts most insurance plans” replied Dr. Cute. It is important to have regular spinal examinations to detect and correct any spinal subluxations before they lead to serious health problems.
How can people find out more about this technique? “Anyone who reads this article and is interested in finding out if they are a candidate for this treatment or want to learn more on Chiropractic care can contact my office at (215)508-3291. The office is located at 8945 Ridge Avenue in Roxborough market Square. Our office also offers exercise therapy and nutritional counseling. Each patient receives a customized treatment place to meet their needs in a friendly, positive atmosphere. The office is open most evenings until 7:15pm. I will offer a free consultation to anyone who is interested in finding out if this technique can help them-just mention this article,” answered Dr. Cute.
Optimum Health Chiropractic • 8945 Ridge Avenue, Philadelphia, PA • 215.508.3291
VOLUNTEERS SOUGHT: The Terrace at Chestnut Hill, 495 E. Abington Ave., is looking for volunteers to spend time with their residents doing activities like calling bingo, singing, gardening, etc. More details at 215-247-5307 or atch.rec@meridiansenior.com
Chestnut Hill Local | Thursday, June 6, 2019
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Humble activist priest, 94, cared for society’s outcasts by Sabina Clarke
(Ed. Note: Sabina Clarke is a longtime Chestnut Hill freelance writer who has written for years about “The Troubles” in Ireland and other Irishoriented issues.) uthor and peace activist Jim Forest has given us a glorious gift with his compelling portrait of Daniel Berrigan, “At Play in the Lion’s Den…A Biography and Memoir of Daniel Berrigan” (Orbis Books, 2017, $28). I could not put this book down. (Rev. Daniel Joseph Berrigan was an American Jesuit priest, anti-war activist, Christian pacifist, playwright, poet, and author. He died on April 30, 2016, nine days short of what would have been his 95th birthday.) In his intimate, candid telling Forest captures the amazing grace of Berrigan’s remarkable life as priest, poet, humanitarian, educator, antiwar activist and modern day prophet. We learn that Berrigan was the silent doer of daily works of mercy in his care of the homeless, the dying and those suffering from AIDS when the epidemic first surfaced in 1980 and when most AIDS victims were shunned by society and blamed for their illness. Berrigan embraced them all. These selfless deeds were hidden from even Berrigan’s closest confidants. Forest was a trusted friend of Berrigan as a young man and kept in touch with him over the years before he moved to the Netherlands for work and where Dan visited him and his family. Theirs was a close bond. Consequently, his knowledge is firsthand. He succeeds in capturing the essence of Berrigan — his amazing intellect, his humor, his compassion, his constant love for his community of Jesuits and his profound sense of humanity. Daniel Berrigan did not progress easily from acts of civil disobedience to acts of violence against military or government property. He was torn between his brother Philip, who argued that petitionary non-violence and civil acts of disobedience in protesting the Vietnam War were not working, and his close friend, the Trappist monk Thomas Merton, who argued against militant non-violence. Dan came to agree with Philip, and together they began burning draft files and pouring their own blood on the files and sometimes drawing lengthy prison sentences. Dorothy Day, the founder of the Catholic Worker and co-founder with Peter Maurin of the Catholic Worker Movement, was also a powerful influence and mentor. In the March, 1965, issue of Catholic Worker, she published Dan Berrigan’s first anti-war speech on the front page of her paper. Berrigan paid a high price for his activism. He was often scorned and ostracized by his own community and on one occasion locked out of his community’s residence and his belongings left outside on the steps. Finally, he was exiled by the Jesuits to South America and allowed back only because of the huge public outcry, agreeing to return on the condition that he be allowed to continue his peace work. In all of his various university teaching positions, Dan Berrigan encouraged student activism. In 1967, after being arrested on the steps of the Pentagon with about 100 of his Cornell University students for protesting the Vietnam War, he said, “For the first time, I put on the prison blue jeans and denim shirt, clerical attire I highly
A
recommend for the new church.” He also posed provocative questions to the university, “How did Cornell treat the migrant workers the university employed in its orchards?” and “What about its investment portfolios — segments of which connected Cornell to the military industrial complex and the war in Vietnam.” In 1975, Berrigan led a retreat on peace and reconciliation in Ireland and met with members of the Irish Republican Army (IRA) and was later criticized for being sympathetic to them. Even though he did not believe in the taking of even one life, he listened to them and developed a rapport with their leader. When hunger striker Bobby Sands was on his deathbed, his dying wish was to meet Father Berrigan. With U.S. Attorney Ramsey Clark, Berrigan flew to Belfast, only to learn a few hours within their arrival that Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher ruled that neither Dan nor Clark was allowed entrance. So, they stood outside the prison holding vigil as Bobby Sands died. Berrigan got a copy of a transcript of a conversation in the Nixon Oval Office between former President Richard Nixon and his Chief
The Rev. Daniel Berrigan was an extraordinary human being who gave a lifetime of service to humanity, although he was arrested more than 250 times.
of Staff Bob Haldeman, Haldeman wonders aloud where the Berrigans get the money for their legal defense, Nixon responds, “They’re loaded; they’ve got millions.” Berrigan pasted it on his bathroom wall. When Dan Berrigan died on April 30, 2016, a public wake filled the church at St. Francis Xavier in the West Village the next day. The
funeral took place the next morning and was preceded by a peace march that started hours earlier across town. At his concelebrated Mass of the Resurrection, more than 1,000 people attended. The homily was given by his friend and fellow Jesuit, Stephen Kelly, who had spent eight years in prison for his anti-war protests. Father Kelly opened with a greeting to the FBI, which drew a roar of laughter from the crowd, “We may let members of the FBI assigned here today know that it is Daniel Berrigan’s Funeral Mass of the Resurrection, so they can complete and perhaps close their files.” Once on the FBI’s Most Wanted List, Dan Berrigan was arrested more than 250 times. For four months, he led the FBI on a wild goose chase evading them until he was captured at a friend’s house on Block Island. In one particular daring escape, he was giving a talk at Cornell University with agents from the FBI in attendance. When the lights dimmed, he slipped into a costume with the Bread and Puppet Theater, a burlap sacking with a papiermache head, and was whisked out into a waiting van and sped away.
Dan Berrigan in an interview with this writer in his apartment in New York in 2008 said he entered the Jesuits at the age of 18 because of its Spartan, no-frills appeal when other orders were sending him literature featuring tennis courts and swimming pools and a more luxurious life. He stayed this way all his life. The money he made from his books — he published a book every year since 1957 —and from his speaking engagements — he gave away to the poor and others in need. As his niece, Frida Berrigan, told a New York Times reporter on his death, “Dan owned nothing. He carried nothing. Whenever I traveled with him, he’d bring the little backpack of nothing. I’d pick him up and ask, ‘Is that all you have?’ He’d say, ‘Yes, that’s it. Let’s go.’” The final incantation of Father Kelly’s homily on Daniel Berrigan concluded with this … that in his opinion … “Dan belonged among the Doctors of the Church.” (Ed. Note: There will be a celebration of the life of Daniel Berrigan on Sunday, June 9, 2 to 4 p.m., in the Driscoll Auditorium, Villanova University. The event is free, and the public is invited.)
The
June 20th in the Chestnut Hill Local. Additional distribution throughout the remainder of the season. Reach fans of Philadelphia’s new women’s professional basketball team and show your business is a supporter of women’s athletics with an ad in the inaugural season’s fan guide.
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Deadline: Wed., June 12 Call: 215.248.8800
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Chestnut Hill Local | Thursday, June 6, 2019
Word Mavens reveal 'Stuf f Ever y Grandmother Should Know' by Len Lear
J
oyce Eisenberg, 65, and Ellen Scolnic, 56, aka “The Word Mavens,” are area residents who have written three books, including one that was released Feb. 12 of this year, “Stuff Every Grandmother Should Know” (Quirk Press). They have also written many gently humorous, non-political essays about domestic slice-of-life events, sort of like the late syndicated columnist, Erma Bombeck. For example, in one essay about motherhood, they wrote in part: “When we recall our childhood dinners, we remember salmon croquettes, Creamettes and frozen green beans. In those days, there was only one option for dinner. No one was allowed to be vegan, lactose intolerant or allergic to
peanuts. Moms fell into different camps: 'If you don’t like it, don’t eat it.' 'I’m not cooking three different dinners tonight.' 'You can’t leave the table until you clean your plate.' “When we became moms, we vowed never to make our kids stay at the table until they cleaned their plates. That was such wrong, oldfashioned parenting! We’d even serve extra sides so each child had 'something' they liked: a bowl of plain mashed potatoes — no chives, no pepper, no strange flecks on top — and a separate bowl of Tater Tots for the child who hated mushy things. “But like our moms, we would forget which kid liked what. When Michael came home from college, we’d proudly serve up a heaping bowl of creamed spinach only to be reminded: 'I hate creamed spinach.
FUNDS FOR HOSPICE: KeystoneCare recently launched a GoFundMe campaign to raise funds for an immediate renovation of Keystone House, the home of Keystone Hospice in Wyndmoor, which was established as a model for providing holistic care in a home-like environment. Keystone has never turned anyone away because of their inability to pay. www.gofundme.com/project-keystonehouse is the website for donations. Also at www.keystonecare.com.
Andy’s the one who likes it!'” When I asked Joyce and Ellen what was their “local angle” for the Local since they both live on the lower Main Line, they replied,” One of us lived in Roxborough when she was first married, which is only two miles from Lafayette Hill. Our favorite place to eat breakfast is Cake in Chestnut Hill. One daughter took years of ballet lessons at Wissahickon Dance Academy in Germantown. One dog can claim residence in Ambler because she often spends weekends there with one brother-in-law. One sister lives in Plymouth Meeting, and we’re good friends with one of your favorite columnists, Elise Seyfried.” Who would not want to write an article about such local authors? Regarding their latest book, the one about grandmothering, what's interesting is that neither Joyce nor Ellen is a grandmother. “Between us,” said Joyce, “we have five adult children in their prime baby-making years, but we’re both still waiting for admission to the Beloved 'Bubbes' (Yiddish for 'grandmothers') Club. “But not being actual grandmothers didn’t stop us. When we authored our first book, the bestselling Dictionary of Jewish Words, we had to define more than 1,500 words in Yiddish and Hebrew — and we don’t speak either language … We made lists of words, we read other books, we interviewed experts, and we looked 'stuff' up. Gathering intel on grandmothers would be way more fun.” Here are a few of the things they learned in their research: • “The times have been a’changing. Your grandchild may have a single parent, two mommies or two
Ellen Scolnic (left) and Joyce Eisenberg, authors of "Stuff Every Grandmother Should Know," are seen here at a book signing for one of their earlier books.
daddies. And while many couples have gender reveal parties to let you in on their secret, many others choose gender neutral names, like Riley, Blake and Skyler to keep you guessing. • “Many rules have changed, too, since we last changed a diaper ... Still, we successfully raised five children to adulthood — and they drank water from the garden hose and rode bikes without helmets. We just try not to brag about it. • “Hope that the parents are the type who are just grateful that you brought the kid back alive and not the type who restrict sugar intake and your delicious homemade chocolate chip cookies.” One thing the co-authors learned in their research is the superstitions that still persist in some other countries to allegedly help grandparents to protect their grandchildren: • From China: Don't dress your baby in clothes with monkey prints.
It could give the baby the monkey's negative traits like stubbornness, impatience and fussiness. • From Greece: Don't let a new baby look at him/herself in a mirror, or his/her soul will be stolen. • Many cultures have a belief about safeguarding against the evil eye by not praising the baby. For example, in Bulgaria parents pretend to spit and insult the baby by saying things like “May the chickens poop on you.” “Stuff Every Grandmother Should Know” is available in hardcover and e-Book formats in gift shops, Barnes & Noble Books and Amazon.com. Joyce Eisenberg and Ellen Scolnic, The Word Mavens, are also the authors of “The Whole Spiel: Funny essays about digital nudniks, seder selfies and chicken soup memories.” Connect with them at www.thewordmavens.com. This article first appeared in the Local on Feb. 14 of this year.
Chestnut Hill Local | Thursday, June 6, 2019
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Fears not realized for G'town music educators in China by Paul Nolan
H
ave you ever thought about going to Beijing, China? To my wife, Stephanie, and me it seemed daunting. We had mixed feelings about not just dealing with the travel, the 13-hour time difference and staying there for 10 days but also about the idea of teaching creativity and early childhood musical development in China. (Ed. Note: Paul, 66, and Stephanie, 70, are Germantown residents.) We met and spoke with those who had visited as tourists, but we only knew two friends who had taught in China. Visiting as a protected tourist seemed far easier and safer. We had scary fantasies of being met with suspicion and indifference, bordering on hostility. Stephanie was convinced that she would end up in a bamboo cage as a result of her “big mouth” in a society where free speech can get a foreigner into trouble. Backing up, Stephanie and I have given creativity trainings and workshops to health care professionals and students, educators and artists for about 15 years, mostly on the east coast but also in Oregon and Buenos Aires. We are both performing musicians. My background as a music therapist, university educator and administrator in a creative arts therapies department plus her experience as an early childhood music teacher and collage artist have made creativity a part of our everyday lives. I developed a course, Theories of Creativity, for the University of the Arts and Rutgers/Camden. The subsequent immersion into the psychological and arts literature on creativity and through interactions with students and artists taught me that there are numerous myths about creativity and that people have blocks in accessing everyday creativity. We were pleased with how well our early trainings and workshops at area colleges, creative arts therapies and other professional conferences and educational institutes have been received. Fast forward to the fall of 2018 when we were requested by a former graduate student of mine to present this material and workshops on early childhood music education in Beijing in early spring, 2019. Our “approach/avoidance conflict” about this decision lasted for months. Not only were “bamboo
Paul and Stephanie (“Stevie”) Nolan, of Germantown, are seen during the workshops they conducted on early childhood music education in Beijing in early spring of this year.
cage “ images persistent but State Department warnings about visiting China were scary. The press issued recent stories of westerners having their exits from China blocked, plus tariff wars, reports about cyber spying and the western reports on civil rights terrors and internment of Muslim minorities did nothing to reduce our concerns. Interactions with Chinese consulate office were confusing, not consumer friendly and only further fueled our stereotyping of the barriers to positive relations. Reports from friends and colleagues who visited China who told us that “we had nothing to worry about” occasionally smoothed some of this biased edge, but we also were pessimistic that the Chinese government would welcome creativity training. One comment from Germantown potter Jim Clark, who taught in China, helped a little. He said “they will hospitality you to death.” We met with Ling Liu, a visiting instructor from China, at the Confucius Institute at Temple University to learn simple phrases in Mandarin. We just couldn’t get past “hello” (Ni hao). Other phrases lingered in our minds for a day or so, but despite the apps, books and a large poster of simple phrases on our kitchen wall, Mandarin phrases just would not stick for more than a day. She was very reassuring that the Chinese would value our teaching and treat us with kindness. Simply greeting people with “Ni hao” will show that we are attempting participation into their society.
According to the Nolans, “These pre-school musical celebrations and creativity workshops show that universally, what we all have in common is that we all want the same positive and joyful experiences for our children.”
They will return this gesture warmly. She and Jim Clark were both right. With out teaching visas we flew to Beijing on March 25. We met my former graduate student, Wenjun, at the airport and were delivered to our first hotel. After a day of acclimating to the day/night flip in the time change, we began with a presentation on early childhood development and musical development in the Aiyuhua Hospital for Women and Children, an affiliate of Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia. Our teaching and workshop was
met with exuberant and joyful responses by grandparents, parents and children to Stephanie’s interactive pre-school music experiences, which she describes as “controlled chaos” (followed by an incredible luncheon)! Later that afternoon we traveled to the Yew Wah International School and worked with parents and children in two shorter workshops with identical results. The early elementary children were free to engage in the music and movement/play activities with each other and with their parents on the floor of a large multipurpose room. Staff members from the school were eager to pick Stephanie’s brain afterward about her unconventional approach that produced such a robust interactive response from parents and their children. This was followed by three days of creativity training and workshops at an older but very comfortable hotel/conference center. This was sponsored by the Beijing An Ding Hospital Capital Medical Center, who had some of their staff in attendance. We introduced creativity enhancement techniques demonstrated through a wide range of imaginative musical play activities, musical improvisation, etc. We were met with enthusiastic, even loving responses from the educators, artists, health care professionals, administrators and parents. We had expected some
resistance to what we thought was a western, outgoing, action-oriented approach. Quite the contrary! We encountered warmth, excitement and eagerness to participate throughout our professional and pedestrian encounters. We were treated by Wenjun and her friends like family. The last night in Beijing, we had a party with these young women and their families and young children, where we played children’s music, danced and were even taught how to make dumplings! Our simple Mandarin was hardly necessary due to our caring and capable translators. All of our prior fantasies about being met with suspicion and hostility were untrue. We were invited to go back to China next year to teach again. Clearly, these pre-school musical celebrations and creativity workshops show that universally, what we all have in common is that we all want the same positive and joyful experiences for our children. As one participant stated, “We have so much to offer each other, if only our leaders would stay out of it.” Paul and Stephanie Nolan play in the band “Stevie and the Bluescasters,” which performs often at Northwest Philadelphia locations (www.stevieandthebluescasters.com). Their creativity training website is www.creativityrenewandevolve.com. Paul has lived in the area for 37 years, Stevie for 34 years.
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Chestnut Hill Local | Thursday, June 6, 2019