SPECIAL EDITION
Thursday, April 4, 2019 | Page 1
The Local is Launched with Volunteer Staf f, Big Ideals by Walter Fox
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he dozen or so folks who came together in a second-floor room of what was then the Chestnut Hill Community Center at 8419 Germantown Ave. in April of 1958 had only one purpose in mind: to put out the first issue of a new local newspaper. It would be called the Chestnut Hill Local – playing off the name of a popular commuter train – and it would appear bi-weekly to keep residents of this community “informed about and interested in its problems and its future,” as its first editorial declared. It was not so much that the community had been without press coverage, but rather that the quality of that coverage had been unsatisfactory. The Chestnut Hill Herald, a local paper owned by a chain of weeklies, covered the area, but its strong
The Local’s first edition was mailed to every household in Chestnut Hill.
connections to the Republican political organization in the 21st Ward rendered it incapable of providing impartial reporting on electoral issues. To address the problem, members of the Chestnut Hill Development Group – a forerunner of the Chestnut Hill Business Association – started a monthly publication called The Cymbal in December of 1955. While it took the form of a tabloid newspaper, The Cymbal consisted primarily of essays on area concerns that could survive the four-week gap of monthly publication. It lasted for 19 issues and shut down in June of 1957, but its nonprofit structure and open editorial policy would serve as a model for its successor. Lloyd Wells, then executive director of both the Chestnut Hill Community Association and the Development Group, felt strongly that if the revitalization of the community was to proceed in a democratic and orderly manner, a forum had to be created that would enable area residents to express their views on key issues and provide them with the information needed for making intelligent decisions. His solution was a genuine community newspaper, and he began talking up the idea to anyone who would listen. Despite considerable opposi(Continued on page 2)
The Cymbal: Community Newspapering is Launched in Chestnut Hill by Lloyd Wells
The following is an edited account of the beginnings of the Cymbal, a predecessor of the Local by founder, Lloyd Wells. Wells argues that the Local’s dedication to an inclusive forum that guarantees participation to all points of view and that seeks controversy despite financial consequences began with the formation of the Cymbal in 1955. Wells died at his home in Ft. Myers, Florida in 2013 t about the time (circa 1953) I learned through the grapevine that Tom Birch had sold the Herald to the Weekly Review Publishing Co., a publishing firm with offices in Conshohocken with its own letter press printing plant that published several small weeklies distributed around Manayunk, Roxborough, Conshohocken and Valley Forge. The Herald became the Chestnut Hill Herald. This was of great concern to me as, by now, I was accustomed to using the media as a means of communicating with the broader
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community and a newspaper with which to compete would have constituted a major blow as the job [of revitalizing Germantown Avenue] was far from finished. It was very clear that as many problems remained unresolved as there had been in the beginning, more in fact as social problems were becoming apparent that had only been vague shadows in the early days when we were concerned only with the physical problems affecting the community. For example, with the instillation of off-street parking, street trees and the removal of neon signs, the problems of shoplifting and credit management began to take center stage. The character and programming necessary to alleviate these problems was vastly different from the process involved in circumstances that one could touch, feel and smell. To add to the complications, another type of problem appeared, a large scale political problem. As the commercial district became increasingly active,
Chestnut Hill Local founder Lloyd Wells.
the residential neighbors living in Evergreen Place and along Ardleigh and Shawnee streets became increasingly alarmed as the activity just beyond their backyards began to increase in their understandable alarm. These people gravitated to the then insignificant Community Association, and a deepening hostility grew between the Devel-
opment Group (the precursor to the Chestnut Hill Business Association) and the Community Association. To further complicate matters, the gigantic Morgan Tract development, which projected a potential doubling of both the residential population and retail of the neighborhood loomed in the summer of 2004.
To cope with all of these new developments and to try to influence them constructively, it was increasingly important to have the facilities of a community newspaper, unencumbered by the hidden agenda of money making. All of these circumstances came to a head in the early months of 1954 when Philadelphia City Councilwoman Constance Dallas, who represented the 22nd Ward (of which Chestnut Hill was a part then) called and expressed her concern that she might well lose the upcoming election because she was a Democrat and the Chestnut Hill Herald, under control of the Republican influenced Weekly Publishing Company (which was in fact the hand maiden of the Republican machine of the 21st Ward in Roxborough). I assured her not to worry as I knew that the businessmen had a cooperative and most profitable relationship with the Chestnut Hill Herald, and I was sure they’d give her a fair shake. (Continued on page 12)
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Chestnut Hill Local | Thursday, April 4, 2019
Eleanor Roosevelt column on Chestnut Hill, 1959 The following column appeared on the front page of the Chestnut Hill Local on Feb. 19, 1959 Exclusive! The Foreign Column of the Chestnut Hill Local sent several letters in December to United States Representatives to the United Nations asking them to show how a sample community could help promote the specialized programs of the United Nations as a “Preventive War” measure. The second of our replies is from Mrs. F. D. Roosevelt also Chairman of the Board of Governors of the American Association for the United Nations. Dear Foreign Editor: Enclosed is a copy of my syndicated newspaper column in which I mentioned the work your paper is trying to do. I hope this will be helpful to you. With best wishes for the work you are trying to accomplish. Very sincerely yours, Eleanor Roosevelt The following appeared in the syndicated column MY DAY in the PHILADELPHIA DAILY NEWS on January 21, 1959.
J
ust outside of Philadelphia, in the Chestnut Hill area, they publish a little paper which was sent to me the other day with a request that I read an editorial on the individual’s role in the preventive war. This editorial ends with a verse written by the author’s little girl. Because the author is trying to get across to us that through the specialized agencies of the United Nations and their use everyone of us as individuals can become important in preventing war. She thinks this verse may well remind us of the work of the United Nations. Here it is: “The UN can be a place, That is very helpful to the Human race, Famine and disease, Are what the UN tries to ease, When trouble comes to some far off land, Troops are sent to keep peace, While at home debates take the stand, Trying to make the shooting cease.” The child put it very simply, but her mother also told us that David Cushman Coyle has written a book called “The United Nations, and How It Works” which was good reference material, and she proceeded
Eleanor Roosevelt
to show that because “no leader of any one nation dares to assume the responsibility of total annihilation of the human race, in this period of hesitation lies the individual’s opportunity to take the initiative and assume leadership throughout the world, in preventing war. This, the individual can do most effectively through the United Nations.” This is brought home to me on a trip such as the one Mr. Eichelberger, Miss Baillargeon, and I have just been on, because in the organization of new chapters and in talking to people who are really working to
interest more people in the United Nations in the hope of having peace in the world you find any number of creative ideas, coming out of the contacts. Leadership in every community seems to come largely from schools, colleges, and church groups. Sometimes labor and farm groups will show a distinct interest, but the discouraging thing is we get so little interest on the part of the business community. I am hoping that this will change, for the United Nations and peace actually means more to the business of all communities both at home and abroad on a long time scale, than any other work that is being done in the country. It is true that some people may be saying that “in wartime we have grown richer and our stockholders have profited.” Wartime “brings government contracts and even today, preparation for war, keeps government contracts coming into our factories.” But our businessmen had better stop to think, that future wars are going to be very different. The United States will never again come out of a war with a greater productive capacity than it went into it. Under modern conditions of warfare, peace is as important to
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the businessman as to any other group in our community. True, he may have to use his ingenuity to adjust to peacetime conditions, but we have never lacked ingenuity in the United States. We bring products from all over the world to keep up our productivity, for in return they will buy our finished goods. Our businessman is shortsighted if he does not project himself into the future and realize that he can never again live in the past, so he is as interested in the machinery which leads us to peace as anyone else in our community. Someone in Indiana made the very good suggestion that our chapters offer a service to the innumerable people in every locality who become tourists sometime in every year. They are unofficial United States ambassadors. If they were better informed, if they realized they had a real responsibility they might become truly ambassadors of good will, and our chapters may have a real opportunity to help in transforming them to really purposeful citizens representing their country with real intelligence and winning friends wherever they go. Eleanor Roosevelt
The Local is Launched (Continued from page 1)
tion, Wells, in the spring of 1958, was able to get a 3-2 vote of approval from the CHCA executive board to proceed with his plan, but he knew that starting a community newspaper from scratch was no easy task. One of those present at the creation recalled that if the founders could have foreseen the sheer amount of effort that ultimately would be expended, they might have abandoned the project. Since none of the original editorial staff had either formal instruction in journalism or newspaper experience, they would have to learn from their mistakes. Added to that was the complexity of production. It should be noted that 1958 was nearly two decades before the emergence of the personal computer. To publish a newspaper on a limited budget required that newspaper copy be retyped on a machine called a Justowriter to produce “justified” columns of type, that is, columns having an even margin on both sides – a prerequisite for newspaper layout. Even with financial support from both the Community Association and the Development Group, the fledgling publication could not afford to purchase this kind of equipment. Consequently, someone from the paper – usually the editor – would take the copy for each issue to the printer and retype it all on these machines. Once the copy had been typeset, the columns of type would be waxed and attached to page layout boards, which would then be photographed by the printer and turned into offset printing plates. Today, by contrast, those printing plates are created from digital images of newspaper pages that are sent to the printer over a telephone wire from a computer in the Local’s office. To maintain this operation – even with a volunteer staff – required a regular flow of advertising revenue. But here the Local had a distinct advantage: (Continued on page 4)
Chestnut Hill Local | Thursday, April 4, 2019
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Chestnut Hill Local | Thursday, April 4, 2019
New year, new banner that the detail may be seen as accurate representation of 84 distinct landmarks of the area. We decided on the enlargement both to do justice to the artist’s careful work and to engage the community at large in a contest to see how many buildings can be identified. Contest rules and regulations may be found on those pages. Happy birthday to us, happy hunting to you!
For many years this flag topped page 1. An homage remains on our Community page. (See page 7)
From The Chestnut Hill Local — May 11, 1967
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oday we are nine years and a few days old. On May 8, 1958, the first issue of the Local appeared, the materialization of a wild dream that a community association could have its own newspaper. It began with more imagination than experience, courage where capital
should have been. Thanks to the faith and generosity of the community, the Local has grown and thrived. While a ninth anniversary may seem an odd one to mark, we have never been noted for adhering to the orthodox. Perhaps it is a reflection of the new math – chalk it up to base nine! We mark our maturity with the new banner seen above. It was commissioned to Rosalind (Mrs.
Philemon) Sturges who took on the assignment with her usual enthusiasm even though she must have known what she could not reveal to us, that she would be leaving the community on the retirement of her husband from the pulpit of St. Martin- in-theFields. The former Rosalind Howe of Bristol, R.I., Mrs. Sturges is well known for her sketches of Chest-
nut Hill houses, popularized on note paper and ceramic tiles. Her print of the houses of Fairmount Park is a favorite, and a similar composite of Philadelphia houses will soon be published. She is also known for her sketches of Annapolis, Maryland and Providence, R.I. On pages 12 and 13 of this issue, the new banner is enlarged to twice the size of the above so
Congratulations Chestnut Hill Local on 60 years! 10 E. Springfield Ave, South 215-438-8102 www.greentreecommunityhealth.org
The Local is Launched (Continued from page 2)
The Development Group had been purchasing advertising cooperatively for its members in local newspapers and on radio for some time and could provide the paper with a stable of regular advertisers. As a result, in the Local’s first issue on May 8, 1958, paid advertising filled a whopping 68 percent of the space on 12 pages. It would be nice to report that for the next 58 years the paper had a smooth flight, but, like other organizations of its kind, the Local would encounter periods of turbulence. These included financial crises and several attempts by some members of the community to restrict the paper’s editorial independence. In almost every case, the problem was resolved by the support and intervention of readers who had formed strong bonds with the publication. Let’s hope that come 2058, the Local can look back on a second half-century of community service, every bit as productive and rewarding as the first.
Chestnut Hill Local | Thursday, April 4, 2019
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Chestnut Hill Local | Thursday, April 4, 2019
The Local’s 1st editor on the paper’s 1st 15 years by Ellen Wells
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y14 years at the Local — two as a volunteer writer/editor, 12 as full editor, from 1958 to 1972 — covered years of profound change nationally, internationally and in our small, privileged community as well. The radical transformation of the printing business stands as a symbol of those years. When I first started feeling my way as (gasp!) salaried editor in 1960, the Local was printed and published at a small firm in Flourtown. Each line of copy had to be typed twice to create justified margins. I wrote my first stories in two rooms shared with the Chestnut Hill Development Group and the
Chestnut Hill Community Association on the second floor of the Community Center, 8419 Germantown Ave. My IBM Selectric typewriter was the ne plus ultra of machines at the time. The computer had yet to be even a dream. But the vision of the paper’s founder, Lloyd Wells, was also radical: to create, not a newspaper in the classically understood sense, but a modern version of the old Roman forum. The Local was to be a marketplace of ideas. Community members could exchange and battle out, if need be, their aspirations, their disagreements, through the written word, freely exchanged and unfettered within limitations of space and politesse. Local merchants would make it possible with their advertising, but financial success was to be
Ellen Wells, the Local’s 1st editor.
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secondary to its function as a place to exchange ideas. As it turned out, the sidewalks outside of Kilian’s Hardware, Streepers Drugstore and the new, popular parking lots became forums in themselves. An amazing vision — still not fully grasped by all Chestnut Hill citizens. In the meantime, this young, untried editor was discovering that the lovely, leafy, historically rich northwest corner of Philadelphia — once known as Sumerhausen — was not a single entity, but made up of several parts neatly divided by the ancient roadway of Germantown Avenue. To the west was the enclave of the wealthy: mostly Protestant, mostly Episcopalian, a creation of the Woodward family complete with St. Martin’s Church, private schools for their children and a social club for golf, tennis and dining — a beautifully planned community. The spur of the Pennsylvania Railroad from the heart of Philadelphia to Chestnut Hill, completed in the 1870s, made possible an easy commute by the movers and shakers of the city. On the east side of the Avenue were, of course, those who built the gray, stone, Wissahickon Schist homes of the wealthy. They were skilled artisans of Italian stock, predominantly Catholic, who eventually created their own upper class society around the Venetian and Bocce Clubs. Irish immigrants, whose center was Our Mother of Consolation Church on East Chestnut Hill Avenue (directly across the street from St. Paul’s Episcopal Church), provided the help for those same mansions. Both those of Italian and Irish ancestry became some of the proprietors of the so-called mom and pop stores along the Avenue and who made possible a very comfortable living style for both sides of the Street. My newfound goal as keeper of the Forum-called-the-Local was to introduce, as it were, the two sides of the community to each other. There was almost no interaction between East and West, although each depended on the other. I felt it imperative for the future of the community that they get to know each other and recognize their interdependence. The Forum seemed to be the
ideal place for such a meeting to transpire. The world outside Chestnut Hill happened to be spinning along toward revolution. In 1963, President John F. Kennedy was assassinated. Chestnut Hill began to feel the tremors of black oppression and revolt as the cities, starting with Philadelphia in 1964, erupted in violence. The Vietnam War was slowly escalating, also shaking the seemingly immutable foundations of our community. Five years after JFK died, the assassinations of Martin Luther King and Robert Kennedy stunned the country. How to bring this to the local level, where the primary concern was planting street trees, music in Pastorius Park, art shows, leaf raking in the fall and the planting of pansies in the spring? Marie Reinhardt Jones of Ardleigh Street first came to my consciousness as a contributor of some unsolicited, charming articles about a threelegged dog named Doodlebug owned by Father John Casey, pastor of OMC. Marie and I had become friends also as members of a group called the Panel of Philadelphians. We were a group of women led by Mt. Airyite Lois Stalvey who, as Catholics, Blacks, Jews and WASPS, went out in groups of five (one as a moderator) to speak to whomever would invite us — church groups, men’s clubs, all over the city — about our personal experiences in whatever category we fit. Marie was Catholic, a mother of four; I was a WASP, a mother of three (One of our members was Jane Cosby, aunt of Bill Cosby!). It was Marie, a brilliant, fearless individual, a top of her class graduate of Chestnut Hill College, who developed into an excellent investigative reporter. It was she who opened new doors for me, and I for her. Marie, of course, became the editor who succeeded me in 1972 and fought many a battle to maintain the vision of the Forum. Along my journey many gifted people appeared to make the Local what it became. Mary Anna Ross-Cowper was aflame with the injustices being done to blacks. She started the “Pipeline� between the Hill and North Philadelphia to connect those with resources on the Hill to those in need, providing lawyers especially to fight the unfair redlining practiced by Philadelphia banks. Mary Anna and I and others used the pages of the Local to start the Where We Stand Committee to open up the Hill’s available real estate to non-white but affluent citizens. So many people! Bill Watts, a walking encyclopedia of everything to do with mass transit who became my professor. He had me out measuring street widths with him. Bill did everything for the Local, including taking the bound copies over to the post office and running the predecessor of an addressograph. We had a dumbwaiter which took the papers from the second floor to the first and into Bill’s family’s truck. Marion Rivinus, humorist, blue blood; Barbara Rex, author; Mary Wickham Bond, part-time volunteer editor in 1959 with me and also a well-known author as well as political activist; Ellie Wolf, world traveler and White House scholar; Mary Lee Cope, who put the Aesthetics Committee front and center with a combination of (Continued on page 7)
Chestnut Hill Local | Thursday, April 4, 2019
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Chestnut Hill buys its own Town Hall by Marie Jones - — April 14, 1983
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hestnut Hill now has its own Town Hall, thanks to a community which has contributed so generously that the Chestnut Hill Community Fund only had to assume a $30,000 mortgage to purchase the building at 8434 Germantown Ave. The settlement was made on April 8 in the Center City law offices of Stradley, Ronon, Stevens & Young at 1 Franklin Plaza with Peter Paul, Rosalind Meyers and Eugene Caffrey representing Chestnut Hill. After signing the papers, the deed to the building, to be known henceforth as the Town Hall, was turned over to Paul, president of the Chestnut Hill Community Fund, which is buying the building from the Chestnut Hill Realty Trust. Home Unity Savings & Loan provided the mortgage at 12.5% interest. “We are grateful to Home Unity and particularly to Don Jacobs, vice president,” said Paul.” Don has been most cooperative in securing the mortgage.” Paul and Meyers, president of the Chestnut Hill Community Association,
explained that the mortgage is an open one, meaning that any part of the principle can be paid off at any time without penalty. “The people of Chestnut Hill have been magnificent and we know they are committed to this effort,” said Meyers. When the Town Hall appeal first began, in mid-December, the Special Appeals Committee, with Alexander Hemphill as its chairman, set as its goal $85,000 ($80,000 as a down payment and $5,000 settlement charges). It anticipated having to assume a $100,000 mortgage on the building. “However, the community has responded to the appeal in such a tremendous way that instead of $100,000 we only had to get a $30,000 mortgage,’ said Paul. Hemphill, at press time, expressed his appreciation to the entire community. “Our aim was for 100% participation,” he said, “and we are still aiming for that. The people have been beautiful in helping with our special appeal. Please thank everyone who is participating.” Since last week another 175 contributors have given $10,000 more to the Special Appeal for the purchase of Town Hall. The con-
We blew it up!” says Rosalind Meyers, CHCA president, as she points to the Town Hall thermometer, which topped its $85,000 on Monday evening by $675. Meyers was so elated that she stopped by the office on her way home from her own downtown office to see the thermometer spilling over the top. The Special Appeals Committee is now embarking on its second goal — to reduce the amount of mortgage it will have to take in order to buy the building and to involve every member of the community in the effort so that each can own a share of the Town Hall. — February 24, 1983
tributors include seven organizations, 15 businesses and three people who have given in memory of loved ones. And the total includes $2,200 raised by The Depot and Rich Allman’s guessing contest. “Congratulations to you and everyone who has made possible the acquisition of the Town Hall, wrote Katherine H. King on behalf of the Chestnut Hill Hospital Auxiliary. “The purpose of the Chestnut Hill Hospital Auxiliary is to give support and raise funds for the benefit of the Hospital. As this is our aim, it is most unusual for us to donate to other causes. However, in order to express our gratitude and appreciation to the Community Association, the Development Group, the Chestnut Hill Local and the entire community for their generosity, enthusiasm and support, the Board of the Chestnut Hill Hospital Auxiliary would like to make this contribution to the Town Hall Fund.” “The enclosed check is a donation from the African Violet Society of Philadelphia for the Town Hall project,” wrote Sam W. Rolph, Jr., treasurer of the society. (Continued on page 8)
1st editor (Continued from page 6)
charm, energy and know-how (She had no problem bridging East and West!); Barbara Russell, contributing editor, later to come to fame as the owner of her longlived Needlepoint Shop; Shirley Hanson, investigative reporter and writer, and many more who wrote with talent and no remuneration. I especially remember the famous portraitist Marc Schoettle who frequently came into my office with photographs, which became part of the series “Where is this in Chestnut Hill?” One such picture was of the third floor of the VFW building, 8218 Germantown Ave., which its owners planned to remove. The resulting controversy had far-reaching consequences: The building remained intact and the Chestnut Hill Historical Society was born! Lloyd Wells, with Anne Spaeth and Nancy Hubby, young mothers themselves, galvanized their friends, invigorated the nerve cells of the many in the community who love historic architecture and reached far afield to the National Trust for Historic Preservation to come up with the needed funds. So the community of Chestnut Hill grew and blossomed along with the Local, with hundreds of volunteers flocking to a myriad of committees, not out of a sense of duty but for the joy of it. What I most remember, however, is that I and others felt energized by what was happening locally and nationally, feeling that somehow we were making a difference. We lost that zeal as the 60s decade slumped into the 70s and the war dragged on. The Community Association, however, was at its highest pitch of creativity, and I, as the editor of the Local at this most amazing time, cherish and recall it with pride and love. It was a mutual, growing experience for me, the Chestnut Hill Local and the community it serves.
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Chestnut Hill Local | Thursday, April 4, 2019
Marie Jones named Editor by Ruth Russell—July 5, 1979
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arie Jones was unanimously named editor-in-chief of the Chestnut Hill Local by the board of the Chestnut Hill Community Association last Thursday evening, June 28. Approval came after a motion by Liz (Mrs. B. Mower) Lewis asking “that Marie Jones be named editorin-chief and be given a year to do the job and then reviewed” was defeated because some board members objected to the idea of a oneyear term. A subsequent motion by William Bullitt that “the board confirm Marie Jones in the sole editorship of the Local, subject to the normal review procedures of the executive committee” was
vote be made unanimous. The appointment of Mrs. Jones, coeditor of the Local for the last seven years, climaxed two months of meetings by a controversial Local Editor Selection Committee. During that time, rumors spread through the community, causing dissension in the neighborhood and a morale slump at the Local. Last Thursday’s board meeting — the last one until fall — attracted 38 CHCA directors, an excellent attendance for late June. Also drawn to the meeting were nearly 70 community members, who cheered, clapped, stomped, and occasionally booed, during the disMarie Jones. cussion on the Local’s editor. Jones would serve as Local Editor unitl 1999. passed 24 to four with one abstention. Emily Starr asked that the
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Friends give vestments in memor y of Charles Buckley From The Chestnut Hill Local — January 23, 1969
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hose who attended one of Our Mother of Consolation’s Masses last Sunday noted the priest was wearing a new set of green vestments. Those vestments, worn for the first time, were one of three sets given in memory of Pfc. Charles J. Buckley, U.S.M.C. by the scores of boys and girls in Chestnut Hill who were his friends. The young Marine, son of Mr. And Mrs. Charles Buckley, Sr. of 219 E. Willow Grove Ave., was killed December 21 by VietCong rocket fire in Quang Tin Province. Accompanying his body home to Chestnut Hill was L/Cpl. Joseph McClafferty, son of Mr. And Mrs. Dennis McClafferty of 6 W. Hartwell Lane, Chestnut Hill. The two boys had been friends since grammar school and although each knew the other was in Vietnam they had not met over there. McClafferty was notified by the Marines that he was to accompa-
Charles Buckley, namesake of Buckley Park.
ny his friend’s body home. He also assisted at the funeral exercises held at Our Mother of Consolation Church, Jan. 2. “Charles Buckley was a fine boy and a wonderful athlete,” said Father Walter J. Quinn, O.S.A., former CYO moderator at Our Mother of Consolation. “He was well liked by all his friends. It was a sad loss for all of us who knew him.” Father said that to his knowledge Buckley is the first boy from Chestnut Hill who gave his life in Vietnam. Mrs. Rose McClafferty, mother of Joseph, recalled the many hours Buckley had spent in their home before enlisting in the Marines in January of 1966. “He had the nicest disposition you could ever imagine,” she said, “He always had a smile on his face.” Besides his parents, Pfc. Buckley is survived by a brother, Vincent 17, and a sister, 9.
Chestnut Hill buys its own Town Hall (Continued from page 7)
“Our monthly meetings for many years have been held at the Water Tower Recreation Center. Our members come from all over Philadelphia and surrounding areas, including New Jersey. We felt that we, too, should be a part of the Town Hall project. We wish you success in your efforts for a mortgagefree Town Hall.” The Chestnut Hill Fathers’ Club sent a donation to the Town Hall, which according to Frank Hendrie, Chief Delegate, was a result of a unanimous decision by the Board of Delegates. “The Chestnut Hill Community Association has been very generous to the Fathers’ Club over the years, and this is to be considered a small token of our appreciation. We wish you success in your continued fund raising efforts,” wrote Hendrie. The Water Tower Advisory Board also made a contribution. Ellen Fisher, executive director of The Academy of Children’s Music, Ft. Washington, sent a donation to the Town Hall. “Many of our most dedicated Academy families live in Chestnut Hill, a community that my own family has come to cherish, and I will always be convinced that the support given my programs by the Local has been a major factor in their growth and development. Accordingly, I hasten to send along this small token (for the Town Hall) of my very great affection for Chestnut Hill and for its outstanding newspaper, the Local.”
Chestnut Hill Local | Thursday, April 4, 2019
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Critic fails to restrict editorial comment by Jack Smyth – December 15, 1983
A
critic of The Chestnut Hill Local failed in his attempts to restrict editorial comment last week despite a charge that the community newspaper does not reflect the views of conservatives. Grant O. Hansen’s request for creation of a special committee to formulate editorial policy for the Local died for lack of support from the Chestnut Hill Community Association’s Executive Committee. The committee’s refusal to act left standing the policy of permitting editors to express their views in signed articles in the paper’s editorial column. Hansen, a member of the Board of Directors of CHCA, has charged that as a consequence of this policy, the CHCA “abandoned responsibility” for putting out a paper that mirrors community viewpoints. At a meeting held in Town Hall, 8434 Germantown Ave., Hansen argued that the paper should be “informative and educational,” and not “persuasive” or “propagative.” But a man who declined to identify himself went Hansen one better when he charged that “there are conservatives in the community who are poorly served,” by the Local. “All I’m asking is that you take an even-handed approach to social and economic factors,” he said. “Why don’t you open your doors to all groups?” Marie R. Jones, editor of the Local, said she was concerned about the lack of conservative comment and had tried to persuade persons representing that spectrum of opinion to write for the paper. “I’ve called three or four and I begged one person,” said Jones. “But for some reason or other conservatives don’t want to write their opinions.” Jones urged the man to write his views and send them in. But he said, “I’m simply not interested in being an editorial writer.” The man also declined a suggestion from Ann Spaeth that “the Forum On The Hill” column would accept his signed comments. “It doesn’t have the weight of an editorial,” he said. “I enjoy the Local, but I’m very disappointed in not seeing my point of view.” Approached by a reporter after the meeting, the man refused to give his name. “I’m not a contentious person,” he said. Hansen said his criticism was not directed at the editors. “My problem is that the editors don’t have any guidance on what they’re supposed to do.” Editors, Hansen said, should be concerned with the news. “They’re not entitled to persuade or indoctrinate.” Leaving editorial policy is in the hands of editors, Hansen said, “is like hiring the fox to guard the henhouse.” Disagreeing, CHCA president Rosalind R. Meyers pointed out that there is a yearly evaluation of editors’ performance. “I think, Grant, that your position to involve the community in the formulation of the Local’s policies is not correct,” Meyers said. Accurately presenting all facets of community thought is difficult, Meyers said because “there are as many opinions as there are people in the community.” Executive committee member William Shepherd said he was pleased with the results the paper has
The Chestnut Hill Local’s editors were honored by the Chestnut Hill Historical Society at its annual dinner meeting on March 15. Robert Hubby (right) presents editor Marie Jones with a citation acknowledging the role of the Local’s editors during the past 16 years in historic restoration. Local associate editors (from left) are: Katie Worrall, Mary Jane Shelly and Ruth Russell. Also in the photo is Richard Tyler, historian for The Philadelphia Historical Commission, who was the main speaker at the dinner. Included in the CHHS honor were Ellen Wells, Local editor from 1962 to 1972, for her dedication to preservation, and Mel Ehrlich, Local co-editor from 1972 to 1978.— March 24, 1983
achieved with its existing policy. If that’s the thing that triggered such nice results, I don’t think we should change it,” said Shepherd. “I firmly believe that no muzzle should be put on the editors
regardless,” said R. McAllister Borie, another committee member. “And we don[‘t need any more committees unless we have a problem.” Hansen’s proposal would be
harmful, Borie indicated. “If we implement what I’ve heard let’s forget about talent. You won’t be able to get it,” he said. Marilyn Peterson, another
committee member, said circulation does not show any community disapproval of the Local. “If you are unhappy with the editorial content the easy way is to cancel your subscription. I don’t see any moves in that regard,” said Peterson. “Where is all the opposition?” Editor Jones asked Hansen. “Where is your support? No letters have been coming in.” Jones made her feelings about attempts to control her right to express herself clear. “If you don’t like what I’m doing, fire me,” she said. “But don’t take away my First Amendment rights.” One woman commented wryly on characterization of the Local as” liberal.” “It may come as a surprise, but there are people who consider it to be a very stuffy, conservative paper,” said Jan Harrison. On the question of conservatives accepting the paper’s invitation to submit articles, Hansen said putting his name on them was a problem. “The only reason I don’t want to put my name on them was my wife said I was a publicity hound,” Hansen replied to a question from Jones.
Page 10
Chestnut Hill Local | Thursday, April 4, 2019
Board af firms freedom of its press at packed meeting
Dan Weiss, of the Chestnut Hill Cheese Shop, signs a petition presented to him by Carol Cope of the Committee to Preserve a Free Press for Chestnut Hill. Weiss served coffee and cookies to the committee members who were soliciting support for the continuation of the Local’s present editorial policy. – October 27, 1988
" !
by Marie Chesny — November 3, 1988
B
y a vote of 33 to 14, with 3 abstentions, the Chestnut Hill Community Association board of directors passed a motion at its October 27 meeting to reaffirm the policy statement that appears on page 4 of the Chestnut Hill Local (sometimes referred to as the Lentz policy) and to ratify it as the official CHCA policy for the Local. The motion also stipulated clearly that “the president, executive committee and Local management committee take no further action with regard to this matter.� Hundreds of Chestnut Hill residents showed up at the meeting to lend their voices and their strong opinions to squelch this latest attempt — the most organized and vigorous in 20 years — to take control of the editorial policy of the Chestnut Hill Local. About 400 people packed into the Water Tower’s auditorium, occupying every available chair in the building, lining the walls, and even sitting cross-legged on the stage. Many of those attending wore “Don’t Mess With Our Paper� buttons, handed out to them in the lobby by Hank O’Donnell. During the meeting, in a manner much like a lively political convention, people held up signs proclaiming their support for the Local and its editor, Marie Jones,
and its condemnation of those who they said would undermine the community’s constitutional right to a free press. The first sign, attesting that 86 percent of its readers “love the Local,� was held up while Bob Bauer, CHCA treasurer gave his report at the beginning of the meeting. Bauer was in the forefront of the often bitter attack against the paper and, specifically, against Jones. Throughout the meeting CHCA president Willard Detweiler adopted a conciliatory tone, in sharp contrast to his behavior at the September board meeting when he lashed out at Jones in a personal attack and called her editorials “divisive� and “insulting.� Detweiler had his hands full at this meeting, attending to the board’s regular business first and keeping the crowd in check until they reached the last item on the agenda, the Local. As soon as they did, and before Detweiler could even announce it, board member Jean Hemphill made the motion that was eventually voted upon, assuring editorial independence for the Local and directing the president, the executive committee and the Local management committee to keep out of the paper’s editorial affairs. Hemphill handed Detweiler petitions containing the names of over 1400 members of the Chestnut Hill community who were “in support of this existing policy of editorial independence and its unaltered retention.� The board took up the discussion first. Some board members — notably Grant Hansen and Dottie Sheffield, who also serve on the executive committee, and Bob Brey and Herb Olivieri, who also serve on the Local management committee — voiced their opposition and concerns. Hemphill found herself again and again having to explain to opponents of the motion that passing it would not mean that the CHCA board abdicates any responsibility it has toward the Local. It would simply mean CHCA committees and individual members would not be allowed to meddle with the day-to-day editorial 0decisions that fall within the rightful purview of the editor of any publication, Hemphill said. “We have hired a professional journalist to be our editor,� Hemphill said, “and we should let her do her job.� When the discussion was finally opened to the floor and Jones rose to speak, at about 10 p.m., emotions broke loose. She received (Continued on page 14)
Chestnut Hill Local | Thursday, April 4, 2019
Page 11
Rizzo: ‘I’m Proud of What We Accomplished’ crime is reported? “I’m sure there are crimes not reported by the rank Rizzo fights for public. But the police do not falyou,” the campaign slo- sify records.” gan boasts. An apt turn of phrase for an administration Projects for ’76 The Rizzo administration’s often accused of being belligerent and pugnacious? Frank Rizzo likes 1976 capital budget package the slogan–as a matter of fat, he includes new public facilities devised it. “That’s how I got (libraries, health centers, recreinvolved—fighting for the peo- ation centers, pools), plus 40 ple. After eight months in office, major public instruction projects it was constant fighting,” he said totaling $610 million in new conon April 28 in his huge, curiously struction and a payroll of $1.2 bilquiet City Hall office, as he lion, the Mayor said. Among the upcoming projects: reflected on Philadelphia’s past and on his plans for its future dur- a $175 million airport improvement program, resulting in 2,000 ing a Local interview. “Fifteen, 20 years ago, running jobs; a $275 million tunnel conthe city was a cakewalk—no race necting the Reading and Penn riots, no wild west. But not one Central Railroads underground, human being died through all yielding 10,000 jobs; a $60 milthose crucial years.” How no lion high-speed line to the airbloodshed? He holds himself, as port, opening up about 3,000 former police chief, responsible. jobs; a $6 million Chestnut St. “There was a 20-year exodus of transitway; a $1.2 million Mumpeople out of the city,” the Mayor mers Museum; an $8.5 million recalled. “We’ve turned it around. Living History Museum; a $2.5 Talk to Thacher Longstreth, a guy million Black History Museum; who knows something about this and new $1.2 million Fire Departtown.” The Rizzo recommenda- ment headquarters. Also, a new tion for holding the city together garment center at Broad and is “keeping its communities Lehigh will yield 2,000 more jobs, together. Once the black and according to the Mayor. His budget for the year starting white communities get together, ‘we got it made.’” He cited his administration’s accomplishments as further factors that have moved Philadelphia forward. Since he was elected Mayor, seven new hotels, totaling $150 million in costs, have pumped $30 million a year into the city’s economy. “There are no major labor problems in our city,” he pointed out. “There’s a good labor relationship between the business community and the labor unions. Last summer, we hired 15,000 young people for temporary jobs. The Penn’s Landing restoration cost $30 million; highway and port development, $500 million. Philadelphia’s port is number one in international commerce. We accomplished all this despite the energy shortage and the building business falling out, and I’m proud of what we accomplished.”
relieving the taxpayer and freezing the job,” he explained. What happens when Washington’s well runs dry? “Federal funds won’t stop,” Rizzo replied reassuringly. “We’ve had them for five years. Detroit, Newark, Cleveland, and Jersey City are not going to make it.” Philadelphia will, according to the Mayor, thanks to $750 million in government funds. Why is Philadelphia federally favored? “I have a good relationship with Washington,” the Mayor answered.
by Mel Ehrlich - May 8, 1975
“F
Proud of Police He’s also proud of the Philadelphia Police Department’s record. “Gang killings and gang incidents are down, thanks to police, social workers, and gang control people,” he said. Without them, “the toll would be ten times higher. Los Angeles, New York, Chicago, and San Francisco have more gang killings than we have. If it weren’t for the work of this administration, the toll from gang killings would be higher. There’s nothing we’ve worked harder at,” he claimed. Despite what he described as “25 years of neglect by all the great mayors before me,” he said that his administration’s record in the fight against crime makes the city’s crime rate “the lowest of the nation’s ten largest cities. And our apprehension rate is the highest of the ten.” The Mayor insisted, however, that “they’ve removed punishment from the criminal justice system. Forty-seven percent of all crime is committed by the criminal repeater. Less than four percent go to prison. The violent criminal doesn’t deserve any compassion.” With proper punitive proceedings, “we could drop crime in half overnight. The answer to policing today is an informed public and mobile units that respond.” Does the Mayor believe that all
Former Mayor and Hill resident, Frank Rizzo.
July 1 is a $1.12 billion proposal with a gaping $65.3 million deficit. “We’ll make that up,” he said confidently, citing the state and the federal government as revenue sources. The federal government has created city service jobs—in the streets department, for example—and pays salaries “so we don’t have to hire people or take money from our tax dollars. Unskilled labor—that’s where unemployment is—is placed in city departments,
School Budget A $70 million deficit is projected in 1975-76 for the city’s school system. The state now picks up 51.1 percent of the School District’s tab. Will more money come from the city? “The city has thrown in sufficient funds,” Mayor Rizzo said, adding that his administration is now spending about $1,800 per public school pupil. “This administration gave the school board $12 million plus four mills of real estate taxes from operating money, for a total of $72 million. People won’t handle a $70 million deficit or a tax increase. When I took office, the previous administration had left a
$100 million deficit. I’m for educating children,” the Mayor pointed out, “but there has to be some semblance of order in the fiscal area. More fiscal responsibility is needed for the schools. They’re going to have to cut the fat,” he continued. “We pointed out that, several years ago, special federal funds poured in to aid certain city schools designated as “povertypocket” schools under a Title I program. The Jenks School, in Chestnut Hill, did not quality for those funds, but since the program was instituted, youngsters from “poverty-pocket” areas have been bussed to Jenks. Why can’t those federal funds follow the youngsters to Jenks, and are those specially designated schools re-evaluated periodically to see if they still quality for government funds? “Government red tape” would prevent transfer of the funds, the Mayor explained. He said that he would help if he had the authority, then suggested that we talk to School Board President Arthur Thomas about getting those funds for Jenks. Rizzo would remain Mayor of Philadelphia until 1980.
Page 12
Chestnut Hill Local | Thursday, April 4, 2019
The Cymbal (Continued from page 1)
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Again I was proven naïve as Dallas lost by only a few votes, which easily could have been the influence of, or the lack of coverage by, the Herald. I had no particular interest in Dallas’ campaign, being at the time a staunch Republican and not being interested in or otherwise involved with city politics. But I was, nonetheless, deeply offended by the obvious prejudicial control potential of a newspaper, which obviously could, and eventually was used against me and the reform program that so critically affected the entire community. Being as I was indignant, angry and inexperienced, it seemed an easy and worthwhile project to start our own newspaper. The Chestnut Hill Cymbal first appeared on the newsstands in December of 1955 as the workings of the Development Group committee called the Publication Board comprised of Frederick G. Berger, John W. Bodine, Logan M. Bullitt, III, Mrs. Albert M. Greenfield, W. Thatcher Longstreth, J. Pennington Strauss and myself. The Cymbal was very much like the Local. Even its name, The Chestnut Hill Cymbal clearly reflected our purpose, our policy and our objectives as well as our mood at the time. The current day policies of the Local stem from the experiences and values gained during these years. In view of the ongoing debate on this subject it is important to an understanding of the Local to recognize and consider the many implications of this first policy statement as it clearly predicts the future structuring and policy of
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the Local. Accordingly the original policy statement first printed in December of 1955 is reproduced below. The Chestnut Hill Cymbal is published as a non-profit enterprise the purpose of which is to generate understanding and create public interest in the problems facing our community today. The Cymbal was designed as a vehicle through which men of good will engaged in all phases of religious, educational and civic enterprise may approach the public consciousness. The Cymbal will in so far as practical publish all points of view. Controversy will not be avoided but rather sought in the belief that constructive argument is a vital factor in achieving broader comprehension. The principle of this publication is that sound human progress can only be achieved through general public appreciation. The Cymbal in itself will take no position, however, individual members of the publication board may from time to time express their personal views. All views published should be construed only as the opinions of the authors and not as indicating approval or disapproval by the publication board. The structuring of the Cymbal as a nonprofit enterprise was done in recognition of and in opposition to the traditional influence exerted on American media reflecting private financial and/or political objectives. A nonprofit paper operating under the charter of a civic association places ultimate authority as well as responsibility in the hands of the Association’s membership.
Chestnut Hill Local | Thursday, April 4, 2019
Page 13
The man behind The Cat by Peter Mazzaccaro
O
ne constant at the Local for more than 30 years has been cartoonist and illustrator Richard Anderson who began illustrating for the paper in 1986. Anderson graduated from the Philadelphia College of Art (now University of the Arts) with a BFA in Illustration in May, 1985. The next year, he answered an ad in the Local seeking a cartoonist, a space on page 4 that had been used for cartoons intermittently since Justin Baxter created R.W. Cat, III in the early ‘70s. “I submitted a sample and got a call from her right away,” Anderson said. “She [MArie Jones] asked me to create an animallike-being that wouldn’t offend anyone. I came up with a rather primitive version of the current Arnie.” During Anderson’s early career at the Local, Editor Marie Jones submitted his work to award competitions. In October of 1989, The National Newspaper Association gave the Local a Certificate of
Richard Anderson.
Honorable Mention for best original cartoon. The cartoon was one about the Local’s “free press” battle in 1989. On April 9, 1992, the city honored the Local and Arnie cartoons with a “Shining Example Award” from Phil-A-Pride.
Anderson said his history with the Local and Marie Jones goes way back. “Marie’s daughter, Kathy, and I attended Morris Arboretum’s summer camp called ‘Grow-It’ for a few years in the 1970s,” he said. “Before that, I entered a poster contest called ‘It’s My Community — How Do I keep It Clean?’ The Local sponsored it in the Spring 1972. I won first prize for the second and third grade group. My poster was of Wawa on Highland Avenue surrounded by recycle cans.” “The Local has been a big part of my life,” Anderson said. “I was thrilled when Marie gave me the opportunity to join the paper.” Anderson said many local organizations and businesses have supported and encouraged him in his years as Arnie’s artist. “I’d really like to thank Bowman Properties, The Chestnut Hill Historical Society, The Chestnut Hill Business Association, The Chestnut Hill Community Association, Teenagers Incorporated, Chestnut Hill shops, and especially everyone at the Chestnut Hill Local,” he said.
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Page 14
Chestnut Hill Local | Thursday, April 4, 2019
Traveling 3+ decades with the Chestnut Hill Local by Ruth Russell
S
oon after our arrival in Chestnut Hill, we were invited to a holiday party given by Mr. and Mrs. J. Pennington Straus. We were a young couple with small children and we appreciated their kindness. At that time my husband, Ed, was executive secretary of the Committee of Seventy and Mr. Straus was a member of its board as well as a community leader in Chestnut Hill. Mr. Straus paused to chat with us during the evening and, knowing that I had a journalism background, said rather proudly, “You know we have our own newspaper now.� In the 1960s the Germantown Courier was THE major neighborhood paper in Northwest Philadelphia. “They are working very hard down there and could probably use some help. Perhaps you might stop in some time,� he added.� I did stop in, the following year when the first of our four children was enrolled at the John Story Jenks School. With support from the Home & School Association and the principal (Elsa Jaeger), I arrived with the first of many releases telling good news about the school, which we all felt
Ruth Russell
was being overlooked by our community paper. The Chestnut Hill Local was then located at 8419 Germantown Ave., on the second floor of the Chestnut Hill Women’s Exchange building. Ellen Newbold (later Wells) was the editor and she had a small office. Advertising manager Ben Butler was housed, with his desk, shelves for back issues of the Local and much enthusiasm, in the
hallway. The rest of the staff worked together in one large room adjacent to the rear sun porch. On deadline day, Monday, the noise was deafening as typewriters chattered and clanged as their carriages returned, telephones rang, some people talked loudly and others came in to discuss and turn in stories. Ellen was very gracious and seemed to be impressed with my newspaper background and journalism degree from Temple University. She was most interested in education generally as well as in public education. Soon I was covering meetings and various kinds of school news on a free lance basis. When her editorial assistant, Jane Tarin, left for a public relations job after eight years at the Local, Ellen asked me if I would be interested in working there part time. Naturally I said “yes� and the rest of the story, as the old saying goes, is history. As newcomer I got to sort and
open the mail, write the See/Saw column, obits, birth announcements, engagements, weddings etc. I remember saying that I covered people from the cradle to the grave. In addition, as my husband had left the Committee of Seventy and was then in the practice of law and was involved in city politics, she often had me cover some of the political stories of the day. After Ellen divorced, and married Lloyd Wells, she left the Local in 1972. Mel Ehrlich and Marie Jones became co-editors and I was named associate editor. I continued covering education and politics and taking people “from the cradle to the grave� until the end of the decade. I also became a regular at the composition shop and gradually became involved in page design, a personal love. Then in 1979 Mel left the paper when his wife, Eleanor, received a job offer that simply couldn’t be refused and they went to California. (Later they returned to the East Coast but that’s another story.) Marie became editor. During his time at the Local, Mel developed a small section which he called ‘Local Leisure’ to cover art, theater and film. A restaurant column, starting with 15 for Dinner and continuing with others, had long been a staple of the paper. When he departed, I found myself receiving calls and letters from local arts groups. Apparently Mel had suggested they contact me, and I soon found myself organizing the section. The Chestnut Hill Local was growing during the 1980s (it had already moved to its own building at 8434 Germantown Ave.) and soon became two sections, the front or main and the back or arts. At that time I felt that the section name needed to be changed so it
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could expand its coverage. LocaLife was agreed upon and soon it included on a regular basis FrameUp, Noteworthy, ShowStop, FilmFocus and a kids’ corner plus a restaurant column, Table hopping, by Len Lear (now LocaLife editor) and features that related to the mini departments. During the 1980s, the paper added a number of talented freelance arts writers. Local artist Rita Beyer came to cover art, drama lover Clark Groome theatre, musician Michael Caruso music, film enthusiast Gary Kramer movies and multi-skilled Charles Hart local history & business. I started ‘Things to do, Places to go,’ a family activity column. Sports soon came into my purview, as it settled into the back of the paper, growing from a mini department to a section with its own front page. Tom Utescher, a versatile writer who came to the Local in the ‘70s, covered sports at local (private) schools. Tom Amodie wrote about sports at Water Tower Recreation Center. Meanwhile, Katie Worrall, who had joined the Local during the ‘70s took over the See/Saw and “cradle to grave� coverage. She also wrote articles, developed a weekly calendar and tended the paper’s archives. When Marie became editor she brought on board Mary Jane Shelly, an experienced writer who had done freelance work for the Local and also for the Evening Bulletin. She was soon covering news, education and politics. When I left the Local in 2000, I felt I had done my best as LocaLife editor, sports editor and special section editor. I like to think I had developed LocaLife into a section that featured arts and sports but also gave a front page to non Chestnut Hill Community Association groups such as the Chestnut Hill Historical Society and the Chestnut Hill Library and provided news of cultural organizations in the community and those who led them.
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thunderous applause and a standing ovation. It was a lengthy speech and she hit back hard at the members of the executive committee and the Local management committee, who, Jones said, have been leveling unsubstantiated accusations at her and the paper for “partialâ€? and “slantedâ€? articles for at least seven months. She identified what she saw as the crux of the problem. “In every microcosm there are people who want power, and I propose to you that the struggle right now over the Chestnut Hill Local is about power and — sadly — politics.â€? Calling the movement an “antiintellectualâ€? one, Jones said Bauer and the others have tried to accuse the Local of creating divisiveness in Chestnut Hill. “That blame-placing is all part of a very carefully prepared agenda that Mr. Bauer and others have to take control of the Local. ... Gaining control of the Local’s editorial policy is tops on their agenda,â€? she said. “I will promise you, the owners of this paper, that I will continue to do my best to preserve the freedom of the Chestnut Hill Local guaranteed by the First Amendment — the right to print what we find without prior restraint ‌â€?
Page 15
Chestnut Hill Local | Thursday, April 4, 2019
Through the Years
I
t’s difficult to tell the story of the Local’s 60 years in 16 pages. What I found most striking is the paper’s own history and how it is you now hold a local paper that has survived and thrived through decades of challenging times. The local has had a robust 60 years of publishing the news in Chestnut Hill and the rest of Northwest Philadelphia and its nearby suburbs. It’s remarkable to review these stories of the paper’s past, how leaders in Chestnut Hill struggled to find the right balance for the neighborhood newspaper and yet managed to publish a publication that is without many peers. In a time when many papers are wither shutting down for good or are being stripped of their assets by investment bankers, a community
owned weekly in one of the And, if fostered properly, it should nation’s biggest cities is a real rarity. be around for another 60 years. The paper has been here for many of the moments in every living resThanks for reading ident’s memories at this point. -Pete Mazzaccaro, Editor
A preview of the 2008 Presidential election
How the Local covered Sept. 11th 2001
A celebration of the Phillies ‘08 World Series win.
Arnie illustrates the start of the Iraq War in 2003.
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Chestnut Hill Local | Thursday, April 4, 2019
To all of our readers, advertisers, contributors and employees who have supported us over the past 60 years ...
Thank you!
To all our future readers, advertisers, contributors and employees who will take us to amazing heights in our next 60 years ...
Let’s go!
We never know how high we are ‘til we are asked to rise .... -Emily Dickenson.