Dauphin County 50plus Senior News February 2014

Dan Tepsic seated in the meeting place of the Great Books Discussion Group.

Salute to a Veteran:

Gene George

page 4

How to Guard Against

Wintertime Heart Attacks

page 6

Inside:

By Chelsea Peifer

The moment you finish a great book is the moment you want to tellsomeone about what you read.

Certain books stir questions and create a desire for discussion. But afterhigh school and college, many people lose the groups and resources theypreviously had at their disposal to share about what they are reading.

Book clubs can be a good fit for some readers, but a club tailored to deepdiscussion is something of a treasure these days.

For the last five years, Dan Tepsic has had the privilege of coordinatingthe Great Books Discussion Group at his local library.

“It’s an opportunity to read all of the great thinkers in the past,” explainedTepsic. “You get to read a vast selection, including economics, classicliterature, poetry, politics, and religion.

“You realize after reading all of these things that while the context haschanged, human nature has not,” he said.

The themes in historical literature are the same themes found in storiestold and written in the present time. Group discussions commonly return totimeless themes of reality versus imagination, lust for greed, and so forth.

Discussion Group Coordinator SeesWorld through Great Writers, Travel

Expanding Minds,Broadening

Horizons

please see HORIZONS page 14

Dauphin County Edition February 2014 Vol. 16 No. 2

2 February 2014 50plus SeniorNews www.50plusSeniorNewsPA.com

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Why did FBI Director JohnEdgar Hoover not use his firstname? He went by the name

“J. Edgar Hoover.” Edgar? One explanation is that his

cousin, John E. Hoover, who also lived inWashington, DC, had a bad creditrecord, and J. Edgar did not wish to bemistaken for him. It was not a case of J.Edgar being confused with his father,whose full name was Dickerson NaylorHoover.

Comedienne LilyTomlin referred toHoover as “Jedgar,”a name not likely tocreate confusionwith someone else.Her creativityaccords with thechoice made byJohn Ellis Bush, sonof President George Herbert WalkerBush. J.E. Bush merged his initials and isknown as “Jeb.”

This is a great country. One can editthe first and middle name withoutapplying for official approval by a court orraising the suspicions of the secret police.

Several of our political figures havejettisoned their first names, using onlytheir middle name to be recognized.Would you know, if their middle name ornickname was not indicated, any of thefollowing: President Stephen GroverCleveland, Vice President JamesDanforth (“Dan”) Quayle, PresidentHiram Ulysses (“U.S.”) Grant, GovernorJames Richard (“Rick”) Perry, GovernorWillard Mitt Romney, and PresidentThomas Woodrow Wilson?

There are non-political figures, too,that are more easily identified when theirmiddle names are stated. Among themare publisher William Randolph Hearst,economist John Kenneth Galbraith, civil-rights icon Martin Luther King, historianJohn Hope Franklin, musician James PaulMcCartney, and CNN founder RobertTed Turner.

The first name of James has beenspurned by Perry, Quayle, andMcCartney. Is there an implication herethat the name is a career liability?

Occasionally, celebrities discard boththeir first and middle names, using onlyinitials. Circus impresario Phineas Taylor

(“P.T.”) Barnum and poet e.e. cummings(Edward Estlin Cummings) come tomind.

Cummings, being impoverished,possibly had a typewriter that could notproduce capital letters. Less likely, he hadan overwhelming sense of humility thathe believed was best expressed by usingonly the lower case.

A single name suffices for some whosefame is legend, but not for ordinarypeople. We have the examples of Prince,

Liberace, andMadonna. Elvis didnot need his lastname to berecognized.

Single namesevoke a royal lineage.No one shouldaddress QueenElizabeth II by her

full name, which is Elizabeth AlexandraMary Windsor. If one were to do so, achilling grimace can be expected fromHer Majesty’s entourage.

Europeans did not begin to adopt lastnames until the 11th to 13th centuries. TheIrish were among the first, but they werecenturies behind the Chinese. It was openseason then on the crafting of familynames. The opportunity will not returnon this scale again.

Editing the last names of immigrantspassing through Ellis Island wasunintentionally done by officialsincorrectly transposing names onto entryrecords. As a result, two adult siblingsnamed Smith may have records showingone as Smith and the other as Smyth.Such errors generally became permanentchanges.

Families in our Southern states havethe charming custom of calling theirchildren by somewhat lyrically pairednames. Fans of the television series TheWaltons may recall John Boy and JimBob. Betty Mae, Eddy Joe, Mary Alice,and Lila Sue are further examples.

Names given to infants decades ago arerarely selected today. Understandably,Adolf (or Adolph), which is Teutonic forwolf, is a name most Americans abhor.Wolf Blitzer can be thankful he is not ofTeutonic ancestry. He may not wanteither to be identified by his middlename, Isaac, had he been given the

Editing OurGiven Names

My 22 Cents’ Worth

Walt Sonneville

www.50plusSeniorNewsPA.com 50plus SeniorNews February 2014 3

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Teutonic “Adolf.”There are perfectly good names for

boys not commonly used today. Theyinclude Horace, Floyd, Seymour,Leonard, and Winthrop. Not likely toregain popularity soon are these venerablenames for girls: Dagmar, Fannie, Fifi, and

Gretchen. When these names reemerge aspopular choices, subsequent editing ofthem can be anticipated.

Senior citizens with archaic givennames reveal their age group whencommunicating with strangers. To avoidpotential age discrimination, they may

use an age-neutral nickname, such asSkip, Buck, or Cookie.

Teens who dislike their given namessoon edit them. Timing is critical. Ifseniors wait until they enter their goldenyears, others may regard name editing asa sure sign of dementia.

Walt Sonneville, a retired market-researchanalyst, is the author of My 22 Cents’ Worth:The Higher-Valued Opinion of a SeniorCitizen and A Musing Moment: MeditativeEssays on Life and Learning, books ofpersonal-opinion essays, free of partisan andsectarian viewpoints. Contact him [email protected].

Some Facts about GroundhogsIn honor of Groundhog Day on Feb.

2, here are a few fun facts aboutgroundhogs gleaned from the officialsite of the Punxsutawney GroundhogClub (www.groundhog.org), whichcelebrates the world’s most famousgroundhog, Punxsutawney Phil:

• The average groundhog is 20 incheslong and normally weighs from 12 to15 pounds. (Punxsutawney Phil weighsabout 20 pounds and is 22 inches long.)

• Groundhogs are covered with coarsegrayish hairs (fur) tipped with brown orsometimes dull red. They have shortears, a short tail, short legs, and aresurprisingly quick. Their jaws areexceptionally strong.

• A groundhog’s diet consists of lots ofgreens, fruits, and vegetables and verylittle water. Most of their liquids comefrom dew on leaves.

• A groundhog can whistle when it is

alarmed. Groundhogs also whistle in thespring when they begin courting.

• Insects do not bother groundhogs, andgerms pretty much leave them alone.They are resistant to the plagues thatperiodically wipe out large numbers ofwild animals. One reason for this istheir cleanliness.

• Groundhogs are one of the fewanimals that really hibernate.

Hibernation is not just a deep sleep. It isactually a deep coma, where the bodytemperature drops to a few degreesabove freezing, the heart barely beats,the blood scarcely flows, and breathingnearly stops.

• Young groundhogs are usually born inmid-April or May, and by July they areable to go out on their own. The size ofthe litter is four to nine. A babygroundhog is called a kit or a cub.


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When Gene George was inhigh school inWatertown, Mass., in the

early 1940s, nobody had ever heardof a nuclear bomb. The fact that wewere secretly working to develop onewas perhaps the best-kept secret ofWorld War II.

But for George, those werecarefree days, with thegreatest challenge being toplay the saxophone in hishigh school’s marching bandand playing in a small combothat performed weekends at aChinese restaurant.

When he graduated fromWatertown High School in1942, however, the draft wasin full swing. And inSeptember 1942, he wasdrafted.

A friend had told him ofthe wonders of service in the CoastGuard, so he thought he’d give thata try. But problems with his teethcaused the Coast Guard to turn himdown.

The best they could offer himwas to suggest he try the Navy.When he did, he found that theNavy was glad to have him.

Soon he was on his way toSampson Naval Training Base inNew York state, a huge, 2,500-acrebase where more than 400,000 menwere to train during the war. Georgewas part of a company that wasassigned to KP (kitchen police).

Remarkably, the Navy chief whowas assigning men to specific jobswas Bob Daughters, who had playedsecond base for the Boston Red Sox.More importantly, he had been oneof the men to whom George hadsold newspapers as a high schooler.

So they were old friends, and thatled to George’s being assigned to acushy job in the “broom closet,” asthe guy who passed out the broomsand mops rather then the guy whohad to wield them.

After basic, he trained at theNaval Medical Corps School inPortsmouth, Va., where he studiedanatomy and first aid, learning togive shots and bandage wounds.

And that led to an assignment at thenaval hospital in Portsmouth, wherehe served in the orthopedic ward.

“I made a lot of lifelong friendsthere,” he says. “The head corpsmanthere was my best man when Imarried.”

His next assignment was to theUSS Sanctuary, a brand-newhospital ship that was headed for thePacific. He says he was in theBrooklyn Navy Yard, helping to loadsupplies for the ship, when alieutenant asked him if he couldform a band to perform on the ship.

How did he even know thatGeorge was a musician?

“I don’t know,” George says. “Isuppose he spotted my saxophone

that I carried with me. In any case, Irounded up a talented 17-membergroup, some of whom had playedwith the big bands. The drummer,for example, had played with GlennMiller and was a good friend ofGlenn’s.”

The Sanctuary passedthrough the Panama Canaland arrived in Hawaii fourdays before the surrenderof the Japanese on Sept. 2,1945.

“We then sailed toNagasaki, Japan,” he says.“Our band played everynight on the promenadedeck before the movieswere shown. In Nagasaki, Iremember that we playedat an afternoon tea at theConsulate.

“I looked out thewindows of the Consulate and saweverything simply flattened, fromthe Mitsubishi Aircraft Factory tothe rest of Nagasaki. Everything wasjust a wasteland. The blast wentnorth and south and, for somereason, not so much east and westwhere the camps holding AmericanPOWs were.

“We picked up sick, injured, andambulatory cases to bring themhome. I remember that the captainwho was our chief medical officertold our skipper that we had roomfor 1,100. The skipper, who wasonly a commander, said flatly, ‘We’retaking them until they quit coming.’And we left for San Francisco with1,176 aboard from six differentPOW camps.

“On the way, we were hit with atyphoon, and I have to say that Iwould never want to do that again.We had two destroyer escorts, andthey tucked in close behind us so wecould break the mountainous wavesand prevent their taking water downtheir stacks and sending them to thebottom.

“We were doing 21 knots, andthe waves were coming at 22, so wewere barely holding our own. Ibelieve I might have been the onlyone on our ship who wasn’t sick

He Saw Up Close the Havoc from the

A-bombs on Nagasaki and Bikini Atoll

Robert D. Wilcox

Salute to a Veteran

The band put together by Charles E. (Gene) George(second from right, first row).

Gene George in 2003 while servingin a local honor guard.


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during that blow.”George later was assigned to the troop

transport ship, the USS Wharton, whenit sailed in the spring of 1946 to takeobservers to the Bikini Atoll for the firstnuclear bomb tests since Nagasaki.

The Navy needed to investigate theeffect of nuclear weapons on naval ships.One bomb named Abel was detonated at

500 feet above the atoll, and anothernamed Baker was detonated 90 feetunder water. Each was the equivalent of23 kilotons of TNT, and the radiationcontaminated all the target ships.

Wasn’t George concerned about theeffects of the radiation?

“Not then,” he says. “It was a questionof ‘ignorance is bliss.’ None of us knew

anything about what radiation could do.” And did he have any effect from it? “Well,” he answers with a shrug, “I’m

anemic, and that might have hadsomething to do with that.”

George retired from the Navy in July1963 as a chief hospital corpsman. Incivilian life, he worked as safety officer atthe Naval Supply Depot in

Mechanicsburg and is proud of havinglong served in his local honor guard,which honors our fallen heroes.

He now lives in an area retirementcommunity—and still fits in his WorldWar II uniform.

Colonel Wilcox flew a B-17 bomber inEurope in World War II.

Our cat, Dennis, opens drawers.We put a hook-and-eye lock onthe bathroom cabinet, which he

quickly unhooked. He pulled on theknob, opened the door, and ripped thetoilet paper to shreds.

Dennis swings from lampshades. Hechucks objects off tables—at 3 a.m.

Last night, he knocked over my guitar.I heard screeching noises and found himbouncing around on the strings—

trampoline style.My guitar is now inthe attic.

Yet every night,Dennis sleeps on hisback between myhusband’s knees,purring while Bobrubs the happy cat’sbelly.

“Sweet Dennis,”

Bob says, “you havean amazing joy forliving. I couldn’t loveyou more, my littlefriend.”

Murphy is ourorange cat. He’s notsmart. This catwould just keepwalking off a ledgewithout looking

down. When we have plastic bags in thehouse, I grab them or he’ll scarf downthe plastic. He’s endearingly simple. He’llwalk straight into a closed door, turnaround, and do it again.

Yet when Murphy wants attention, hesits in front of the computer screen. Bobnever pushes him away. Instead he givesMurphy the attention he wants.

Such is Life

Saralee Perel

Our Wacky House of Cats

Murphy needs attention. please see CATS page 11


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Dear Savvy Senior,When I had a mild heart attack about

six months ago, my doctor told me I neededto be extra careful during the winter whenrecurring heart attacks are more common. Isthis true? How can the seasons affect yourheart? – Leery Senior

Dear Leery,Everyone knows winter is cold and flu

season, but most people don’t know thatit’s also the prime season for heart attackstoo, especially if you already have heartdisease or have suffered a previous heart

attack. Here’s

what youshould know,along withsome tips tohelp youprotectyourself.

Heart AttackSeason

In theU.S., the risk

of having aheart attackduring thewinter monthsis twice as highas it is duringthe summer-time. Why?

There are anumber offactors, andthey’re not alllinked to coldweather. Even

people who live in warm climates have anincreased risk. Here are the areas youneed to pay extra attention to this winter.

• Cold temperatures: When a persongets cold, the body responds byconstricting the blood vessels to help thebody maintain heat. This causes bloodpressure to go up and makes the heartwork harder.

Cold temperatures can also increaselevels of certain proteins that can thickenthe blood and increase the risk for bloodclots.

How to Guard Against Wintertime Heart Attacks

Savvy Senior

Jim Miller

February isAmerican Heart

Month


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

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So stay warm this winter, and whenyou do have to go outside, make sureyou bundle up in layers with gloves anda hat, and place a scarf over your mouthand nose to warm up the air before youbreathe it in.

• Snow shoveling: Studies have shownthat heart-attack rates jump dramaticallyin the first few days after a majorsnowstorm, usually a result of snowshoveling.

Shoveling snow is a very strenuousactivity that raises blood pressure andstresses the heart. Combine those factorswith the cold temperatures, and the riskfor heart attack surges.

If your sidewalk or driveway needsshoveling this winter, hire a kid from theneighborhood to do it for you or use asnow blower.

Or, if you must shovel, push ratherthan lift the snow as much as possible,

stay warm, and take frequent breaks.

• New Year’sresolutions: EveryJan. 1, millions ofpeople join gyms orstart exerciseprograms as part oftheir New Year’sresolution to get inshape, and manyoverexertthemselves toosoon.

If you’re startinga new exerciseprogram thiswinter, take the time to talk to yourdoctor about what types and how muchexercise may be appropriate for you.

• Winter weight gain: People tend to eatand drink more and gain more weight

during the holiday season and wintermonths, all of which are hard on the

heart and risky forsomeone withheart disease.

So keep awatchful eye onyour diet thiswinter and avoidbinging on fattyfoods and alcohol.

• Shorter days:Less daylight in thewinter months cancause many peopleto develop seasonal

affective disorder or SAD, a wintertimedepression that can stress the heart.

Studies have also looked at heart-attack patients and found they usuallyhave lower levels of vitamin D (whichcomes from sunlight) than people with

healthy hearts. To boost your vitamin Dthis winter, consider taking a supplementthat contains between 1,000 and 2,000international units (IU) per day.

And to find treatments for SAD, visitthe Center for EnvironmentalTherapeutics website at www.cet.org.

• Flu season: Studies show that peoplewho get flu shots have a lower heart-attack risk. It’s known that theinflammatory reaction set off by a fluinfection can increase blood clotting,which can lead to heart attacks invulnerable people.

So, if you haven’t already done so, geta flu shot for protection. Seewww.flushot.healthmap.org to find anearby vaccination site.

Jim Miller is a regular contributor to theNBC Today show and author of The SavvySenior Book. www.savvysenior.org

“ In the U.S., the risk

of having a heart

attack during the

winter months is

twice as high as it is

during the

summertime.

“


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Traveltizers Travel Appetizers: Stories thatWhet the Appetite for Travel

By Andrea Gross

I’m standing on the deck of a 24-passenger catamaran, watching thesun rise over the Pacific. Yes, that’s

right. The sun is rising over the Pacific.Here, in the

CentralAmericancountry ofPanama, whichis positionedbetween twocontinents andtwo oceans, Ican see a bit ofthe Pacific thatjuts to the east,poking into aportion of theAtlantic. Sowhen the sunrises in the east,it appears overPacific waters.

I find thisintriguing butat the sametime unsettling.But then, manythings inPanama forceme to rearrangemy mind.

The hot-pink hibiscus,the bright-beakedtoucans, theswirling skirtsof the dancers… EverywhereI look, thecountrypulsates withthe psychedeliccolors thatinspired PaulGauguin, andI’m on sensory overload for the first partof my trip.

Then, bingo, I board the MSDiscovery for my cruise through thePanama Canal. The bright colorsdisappear as I enter a more orderedworld, one that’s muted, mechanical, andoften confined by the gray, cement

bricks of the locks. The right side of mybrain wars with the left.

My husband and I are in Panama withGrand Circle Travel, precisely becausetheir tour offers country culture as wellas canal cruising. After all, there’s no

doubt that thefamed waterwayhas made thecountry a placeto be reckonedwith.

One hundredyears ago thisyear, on Aug.15, 1914, theSS Ancon madethe first officialcanal passagebetween theAtlantic andPacific. Byeliminating thelong triparound CapeHorn, theocean-to-oceanjourney wasshortened bymore than8,000 miles.

It was a featthattransformedboth globalcommerce andthe country ofPanama.

In 2015,after a $5.2billionexpansion iscompleted, thecanal will beable to handlelarger ships,thus furtherfueling thecountry’s

economy and increasing its importance.We begin our tour in the capital of

Panama, Panama City, which hasmorphed from a 15th-century settlement(now evident in the ruins of Panama LaViejo) to a 17th-century Spanish colonialtown (quickly becoming the go-toneighborhood for after-hours fun) to a

Panama: the Country, theCanal, and a 100th Anniversary

High-school students perform traditionalPanamanian dances.

The canal is largely responsible for makingPanama City a hub for international

business.

Women of the Embera indigenouscommunity make baskets from

the fibers of plants that grow neartheir village.

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21st-century metropolis that is both aninternational business center and apopular tourist destination.

The city’s history is fascinating, theatmosphere electric, but still, I’m gladwhen we head out to the rural areas.

In line with our travel company’sphilosophy that meeting local people isas important as seeing historic sites, westop at an agricultural cooperative wherefarmers work together to bring theirproduce to market, a sugar cane farmwhere a husband and wife have a smallcandy-making business, a school whereyoungsters perform traditional dancesand their mothers serve us a homemadelunch, and a private home where theowner teaches us to make one of hisgrandmother’s favorite dishes.

At each place our hosts talk freely,giving us insight into their daily lives. Iemerge from these visits well fed andwell informed.

We learn about yet anotherPanamanian lifestyle when we meet theEmbera people, members of one ofPanama’s seven indigenous tribes. I stepout of our dugout canoe to find a villageof thatched huts perched on stilts, anopen-air schoolhouse, a soccer field, ameeting hall, a woman weaving baskets,and an entire community of people intraditional attire.

The tribal spokesman explains thatopening their village to outsiders allowsthe Emberas to earn a living whilecontinuing to live according to the ways

of their ancestors. It’s a Margaret Meadexperience, and I love every minute.

In between people visits, we take minitreks through the rainforest. Unlike the

men who built the canal, we’re slatheredwith sunscreen, protected with insectrepellent, and our only goals are to see amonkey, spot a toucan, and track acapybara.

We aren’t charged with digging a paththrough a thick jungle where thetemperature is often above 80 degreesand the humidity above 90 percent. Ofthe 80,000 men who worked on thecanal, more than a third died of yellowfever or malaria.

A normal trip through the canal takes10 hours, but we have arrangements fora full daylight passage. Therefore, weenter on the Pacific, head northwestthrough two sets of locks that raise theDiscovery 85 feet above sea level, crossthe Continental Divide, and spend thenight on Gatun Lake.

The next morning we go ashore tovisit the Gatun Dam and take our finalrainforest trek, which reminds us of thetravails that went into building thecanal. Then we re-board our ship, gothrough the final set of locks, anddescend to sea level in another ocean.

I go to the upper deck and look tothe west. Yes, the sun is setting over theAtlantic.

www.gct.com/pmaPhotos © Irv Green unless otherwise noted;story by Andrea Gross (www.andreagross.com).

Keel-billed toucans that live in thePanamanian rainforest often make forays

into villages.

There are several species of spidermonkeys in Panama, and it is special, but

not unusual, to see troops of 20 or 30swinging from tree to tree.

The gates open to allow theMS Discovery to enter theGatun Locks.

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Older But Not Wiser

My mother is 91, blind, and hasdiabetes, arthritis, Parkinson’s,mild dementia, and heart

problems, but besides that, she’s inperfect health.

I visit her three times a week at herassisted living facility. Sometimes I onlystay for a few minutes, but I still count itas a visit because I want to think ofmyself as a good son.

And when I bring her the Dependsand the caregivers say, “Oh, you got thegood kind,” I feel like I am almost asaint. I know, I’m anidiot trying to build uppoints for myself, butthat’s who I am.

I’m worried that thedementia is gettingworse. My mom tries tohide it, but shesometimes gets confusedabout what’s going onaround her.

To help keep hermind sharp, I always tryto have a conversationwith her to jog hermemory. I don’t minddoing it. Like I said, I’malmost a saint.

We usually talk aboutBrooklyn. That’s where my mom wasborn and I grew up.

“Do you remember what we did therefor fun?” I ask.

My mother nods but doesn’t answer.“We went to the movies,” I tell her.

“In those days, there was double featureand a cartoon, and I remember I got infor a quarter.”

“Movies are $2 now,” she says. Ofcourse I don’t correct her. Like I said, I’malmost a saint.

“We also saw Broadway plays,” I tellher.

“Yes, we went to plays.” I could tell she was just repeating

what I said, so I asked, “Do youremember what kind of plays?”

She was thinking but didn’t come upwith an answer.

“Musicals,” I said.“Musicals,” she repeated.“Yes,” I said, “we went to musicals like

Oklahoma! and South Pacific.” I thenstarted to sing “OOOklahoma…”

“You’ve got a terrible voice,” she saidand laughed. My mother had a bitingsense of humor, and I’m glad that shestill has it. And she’s right; I do have aterrible voice.

“Do you remember the name of thetuxedo store that you and Dad owned?” Iasked.

She shook her head no, so I said, “AceFormal Wear.”

“Ace Formal Wear,” she repeated “Why’d you name it Ace?” I asked.“So, uh, it would be first in the, uh,

phonebook.”“Right! And

everybody who camewas happy because theywere renting a tux for awedding,” I added.

“Yes, it was only laterthat they got miserable,”she said while laughing.As I said, my mom hasa wicked sense ofhumor.

As she talked shebecame more and moreengaged andremembered a bunch ofstuff. I was feelingpretty good aboutmyself. I was almost a

saint. Unfortunately, as I was leaving, she

told me that Sy came yesterday.Uh oh. “I’m Sy,” I replied. I hated that

she got mixed up and didn’t realize thatall this time she was talking to me, herson.

“You’re Sy?” she asked.“Yes, Mom, I’m your son Sy.”And I could see by my mom’s face

that she knew she blundered. That hersometimes jumbled mind had betrayedher. I should have stayed longer, but it’shard seeing my mom like this, so I said Ihad work to do, kissed her on theforehead, and left.

On the way out, I was stopped by anelderly man.

“Are you Flora’s son?” he asked.I nodded, trying to get out of there as

quickly as possible, but he kept talking. “She’s a very nice lady. I spoke to her

yesterday. By the way, my name is Sy too.”I may be almost a saint, but I’m a

complete idiot.

Sy Rosen

Almost a Saint


Please send us your press releases so we can let our readers know about free events occurring in Dauphin County!Email preferred to: [email protected]

(717) 770-0140Let help you get the word out!

What’s Happening? Give Us the Scoop!

Dauphin County

Calendar of EventsDauphin County Department of Parks and Recreation

Feb. 1 to 28, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. – Seventh Annual Used Nature Book Sale, Wildwood ParkFeb. 11, 7 to 8:30 p.m. – Wildwood Winter Lecture Series: “Life in and around a Vernal Pool,” Wildwood

ParkFeb. 25, 7 to 8:30 p.m. – Wildwood Winter Lecture Series: “Pennsylvania Elk – A Reintroduction Success

Story,” Wildwood Park

Programs and Support Groups

Dauphin County Library Programs

East Shore Area Library, 4501 Ethel St., Harrisburg,(717) 652-9380Feb. 25, 9:30 p.m. – Friends of the East Shore Area

Library Meeting

William H. & Marion C. Alexander Family Library,200 W. Second St., Hummelstown, (717) 566-0949Feb. 4, 6:30 p.m. – Novel Thoughts Book ClubFeb. 6 and Feb. 20, 6 p.m. – Friends of the Alexander

Family Library KnittingGroup

Feb. 18, 1 p.m. – Novel Thoughts, Too! Book Club

Free and open to the public.

Senior Center Activities

Feb. 11, 6 to 7 p.m.Alzheimer’s Caregivers Support GroupGraysonview Personal Care Community150 Kempton Ave., Harrisburg(717) 561-8010

Feb. 19, 1:30 p.m.Parkinson’s Support Group on East ShoreJewish Home of Harrisburg4004 Linglestown Road, Harrisburg(717) 441-8627

Feb. 20, 12:30 p.m.Hershey Area AARP MeetingSpring Creek Church of the Brethren335 E. Areba Ave., Hershey(717) 832-3282

Feb. 25, 6 p.m.Susquehanna Rovers Volksmarch Walking Club Gander Mountain5005 Jonestown Road, Harrisburg(717) 991-5232

Feb. 26, 7 p.m.Piecemakers Quilt Guild of MiddletownSt. Peter’s Evangelical Lutheran ChurchSpring and Union streets, Middletown(717) [email protected]

If you have an event you would like toinclude, please email information to

[email protected] for consideration.

Mohler Senior Center – (717) 533-2002,www.hersheyseniorcenter.comFeb. 3 – Free Income Tax Assistance Begins by

AppointmentFeb. 3, 1 p.m., or Feb. 6, 2:30 p.m. – iPad Training

Rutherford House – (717) 564-5682,www.rutherfordhouse.orgWednesdays, 10 a.m. – AerobicsThursdays, 10 a.m. – Healthy Steps in MotionFridays, noon – Chair Yoga

Please contact your local center for scheduled activities.

CATS from page 5

“Goofy Murphy,” he says, “I will keepyou from harm’s way. I love you just theway you are.”

While I was reading on the couch,Jordy, our kitten, trotted in with Bob’sunderpants in his mouth. He flung themin the air and then settled down toteethe on the waistband. Instead ofbuying cat toys, we should just strewBob’s drawers everywhere.

That night, while we were watchingTV in bed, Jordy was wiggling under thecovers. When his little head popped out,his binky (Bob’s underpants) was in hismouth.

“Can’t he keep them, Bob?”

“No. They’re mine.”And so ensued the most ridiculous-

looking tug of war one could everenvision.

Yet Jordy looks up at Bob with theinnocence of a newborn.

“Jordy,” Bob says, “you are more funthan Disneyland. You teach me that toysare not something we buy in a store.They’re whatever we imagine them to be,my silly, lovable kitten. Your tendernessmelts my heart.”

We once had a cat named Eddie whoset off two fires, causing the police andfire trucks to arrive—sirens blaring. Hisfirst case of arson was to turn on a gas

burner. The second involved a flaminglampshade.

One time, he pushed our burglaralarm, sending police to our house again.My claim, “The cat did it,” was wearingpretty darn thin.

Yet Eddie will always be a part of me.I still see a hole—a space that movesaround the house where his form used tobe.

As heart-wrenching as endings are,they’re only so painful because the lovewas so grand. But love never goes away.

And so, I asked Bob why we keepwinding up with wacky creatures.

“Because we’re lucky,” he said.

“But they’re unpredictably insane.” “I married you, didn’t I?”Why do Bob and I adore these little

beings of mischief and chaos, who worryus with their exploits, who break things,who need extra care? Why do we lovethem so much?

Because everyone who has a four-footed family does.

Saralee Perel is an award-winning, nationallysyndicated columnist. Her new book isCracked Nuts & Sentimental Journeys: StoriesFrom a Life Out of Balance. To find outmore, visit www.saraleeperel.com or [email protected].

On New Year’s Eve 1913, a 12-year-old boy celebrated thenight by firing his mother’s .38

caliber pistol. He was arrested and sentto the Negro Waifs Home for 18months.

What could have been a devastatingexperiencing for a young boy proved tobe an auspicious, life-changing time. Thejuvenile home had a band master whotook an interest in the boy, giving him abugle and teaching him to play.

Louis Armstrong fell in love with theinstrument, learned to read music, and,before a year ended, was playing thecornet while leading the home’s brassband.

Though the introduction to musicwas important, perhaps as vital was thesense of discipline he picked up andcarried with him for the rest of his life.

When Armstrong was released from

the Negro Waifs Home in 1915, hewasn’t old enough to work with a band,so he earned money from a variety ofsources:deliveringcoal and beer,sellingbananas,peddlingnewspapers,deliveringmilk, andforaging ingarbage cansfor food tobring homeor sell torestaurants.

Saving asmany penniesas he could, Armstrong began to taketrumpet lessons from Joe “King” Oliver,

the outstanding exponent of jazz in theNew Orleans area.

By age 16, Armstrong and his hornwereinseparable,and he wasplayingnightly. Withinfive years, heglided throughthe tiers ofmusicalestablishments,movingthroughnightclubs andriverboats tobecome one ofthe top brassmusicians in

the area. Then, in 1922, his teacher and

mentor, Oliver, invited Armstrong tojoin his Creole Jazz Band in Chicago.Though he spent less than two years withOliver, the time was a huge boost toArmstrong’s morale and provided himwith greater experiences in publicperformance. During this time heswitched from the cornet to the trumpet.

Additionally, while playing withOliver, Armstrong met and married hissecond wife, Lil Hardin, who convincedhim to form his own band and to startmaking phonograph records.

In 1925, Armstrong learned thatChicago’s Okeh Records wanted toassemble a small combo of New Orleanstransplants to record jazz, and Armstronginvited a few friends to join him incutting some records.

That group—called the Hot Five andlater the Hot Seven—revolutionized jazz.Armstrong and his group developed the

The Man Who Taught

the World to Sing and Swing

Fragments of History

Victor Parachin

African-American History Month

February is


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melodic, rhythmic style that all the bigbands of the 1930s and 1940s wouldadopt.

He brought swing dancing to theworld, and the world loved him inreturn. Armstrong became the first blackcrossover musician, whose musicappealed widely to black and whiteaudiences.

He also brought scat singing intoexistence. Armstrong created scat duringa recording session for the Okeh. Afterdropping his sheet music by accident, hehad to improvise vocally until therecording director returned the sheets tohim. As a result, Armstrong’s rasping,gravelly voice would eventually becomeas famous as the luxurious sound of histrumpet.

In 1932 Armstrong made his firstEuropean tour; it was wildly successful,with Europeans gladly embracing hisebullient personality, talent, and naturalpublic charm.

It was during that European tour thathe acquired the nickname “Satchmo”because a London music writer named P.Mathison Brooks inadvertently garbledhis original nickname of“Satchelmouth,” which was given to himbecause of the size of his lips and teethand the huge bellows his cheeks madewhen he played.

As Armstrong became better andbetter known, an illustration of his lipsand teeth on a billboard were enough toannounce one of his comingperformances.

As his musical fame and reputationexpanded, so did his opportunities.Armstrong began appearing in moviesand Broadway shows and made guestappearances on various television showsduring the 1960s.

In 1964 his recording of “Hello,Dolly” became a huge hit, selling2,000,000 copies and displacing TheBeatles from the top of the hit list ofbestselling records.

Though Armstrong was not on thefrontlines of the civil rights movement,in his own way he tried to make acontribution.

“There has always been amisunderstanding of Armstrong and hisunbelievable courage,” says filmmakerKen Burns. “Here he was, refusing to go

on a goodwill tour at the height of theCold War, and people like Sammy DavisJr. and Adam Clayton Powell denouncedhim.

“You have this guy considered athrowback showing courage few African-American entertainers were willing to doat the time.”

Louis Armstrong died of heart failureJuly 6, 1971, at his home in Corona,N.Y. The house is now maintained byQueens College as the Louis ArmstrongArchives.

Very few people have ever risen as farin life as did Louis Armstrong.Beginning at the very bottom ofAmerican society, he emerged to becomeone of the most famous entertainers inthe world.

Saint Valentine, whose day wecelebrate on Feb. 14, was a martyr.

Although his story is well known,some say the real reason we associate himwith the spirit of love comes fromabove—specifically, birds.

Medieval Christians observed thatmany birds mated at the time of the

Saint Valentine’sfeast. From that rosea belief that all birdschose their mates onFeb. 14.

From that belief,many peopleassumed a

connection to humanbeings, believing thateveryone shouldchoose a mate onthat day—or at leastcelebrate the ritualsassociated withmating.

The belief about birds mating on Feb.14 has some basis in reality because manyspecies of birds do begin to mate by thisdate.

The birds’ behavior has little to do withromance, though, and everything to dowith biology. But that may be at the heartof our behavior on Valentine’s Day, too.

Valentine’s Day: It’s for the Birds

The group meets twice a month attheir local library, and there are usuallyanywhere from six to 14 people inattendance.

Each reading selection is between 20and 40 pages, so the amount of readingrequired to be a part of the group is notoverly intensive, said Tepsic.

The Great Books Foundation inChicago sponsors the discussion groups.The foundation began as a nonprofitorganization in 1947 to promote criticalthinking and to encourage thedevelopment of well-rounded individuals.

Today the foundation continues tosponsor programs throughout the entirecountry, including some at high schoolsand colleges.

Tepsic’s group is mostly retiredindividuals, but people of all ages arewelcome to join the biweekly discussions.Variety makes the discussions moreinteresting, so people with all differentbackgrounds and personalities areencouraged to attend.

“You can contribute as much as youwant, or nothing,” said Tepsic.

The group includes professionalsranging from a dietician to an accountantto lawyers, professors, and governmentmanagers.

“Everybody brings their own expertiseto the discussion,” Tepsic said. “It’sinteresting how different people interpretthings.”

One person is assigned to lead theconversation at each meeting. Theyprovide some background on thatparticular selection or author and steerthe discussion when need be.

The foundation sends out a catalogwith different genres for local groups tochoose from. Tepsic’s group’s recentreadings have included works from JohnLocke, Friedrich Nietzsche, Mark Twain,and F. Scott Fitzgerald.

Tepsic himself is just the sort of “well-rounded individual” the foundation islooking to cultivate. Now 71, he retiredat age 62 after working as the humanresources coordinator for theDepartment of Corrections.

He and his wife have two childrenand two grandchildren. They havealways enjoyed traveling, but retirementhas afforded them the time to take moretrips than ever before. When it comes toworld traveling, it can be hard to narrowit down to just one favorite, as eachdestination presents new experiences tosavor.

But if he had to choose, Tepsic said

that New Zealand would be one of theirfavorite places to visit.

They have traveled to about 20nations so far, including Great Britain,Scotland, Ireland, France, Switzerland,Italy, Germany, Croatia, Honduras,Nicaragua, and Mexico. Still high ontheir wish list of places to visit areTurkey and Greece.

“I enjoy travel within the UnitedStates as well,” he said. “Out West issome of the most beautiful country in theworld, such as Yosemite National Parkand the Grand Canyon.”

A lot of their travels are coordinatedthrough the Harrisburg Area FriendshipForce, an organization founded by formerUnited States President Jimmy Carter topromote personal relationships betweendifferent cultures and nations. It is adivision of the People to PeopleAmbassador Programs.

The program sets you up with a familyto stay with when you are in anothercountry, instead of sleeping in a hotel orhostel. The people who host you are ableto show you much more of the area thanyou would get to see without thefriendship of locals, said Tepsic.

He and his wife have made friendsaround the world through theHarrisburg Area Friendship Force. Theyhave seen their friends from NewZealand several times since they stayedwith them there, when they bothhappen to be visiting other countriesand when the couple comes to stay withthe Tepsics on their trips to the UnitedStates.

The Tepsics love hosting others attheir home and taking them to localsites like the state capitol building andGettysburg.

“You really get to learn about peopleand their cultures and food,” he said.

Food is a portion of the Tepsics’retirement as well—not because they aresuddenly indulging, but because theyspend time each week delivering it toothers through Meals on Wheels. Patriciais a coordinator and Dan is a driver.

A natural outflow of their service hasyet again been friendships. For some ofthe people Tepsic delivers to, that smallinteraction might, unfortunately, be themost social part of their week.

“We wanted to give something back,and it’s just our way of contributing tothe community,” Tepsic said.

Playing tennis is another great joy inTepsic’s life, and he has continuedcompeting on several local teams evenafter having open heart surgery in 2004and hip replacements in 2006 and 2008.

He picked up the sport after serving inthe Army for two years after college andhas been competing in doubles ever since.Last year the team he is part of throughthe Harrisburg Academy went to theEastern Regional Finals in Princeton.

Having major surgeries has not slowedhim down at all in tennis or in life.

“I’ve been given a new lease,” Tepsicsaid.

To find a Great Books DiscussionGroup in your area, visit www.greatbooks.org or call toll-free (800) 222-5870.

HORIZONS from page 1


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Quality may be priceless, but it’ssometimes quite expensive. Take a lookat some of the mostcostly luxury itemsavailable these days:

Cars. The world’smost expensiveautomobile is theLamborghiniAventador LP 700-4, made with goldand jewels. Pricetag: 4.6 million British pounds (about$7.4 million). No word on the gasmileage.

Cocktails. The Winston, named forWinston Churchill, is made with GrandMarnier Quintessence, Angostura bitters,and a shot of 1858 Croizet cognac($157,000 a bottle). The Australian

bartender who mixed it up charged$12,916.

Home offices. Your typicaltelecommuter probablycouldn’t afford this: TheLehman Mansion, a five-story commercialtownhouse in New YorkCity, sold for $40 millionlast fall, a price of $2,410per square foot.

Sporting events. Tickets to Game Six ofthe World Series, in which the BostonRed Sox faced the St. Louis Cardinals inBoston with the prospect of winning theWorld Series at home, cost anywherefrom $900 for standing-room-only to$10,000 for actual seats close to theplate, making them the most expensivebaseball tickets in sports history.


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22. My present work status is:

Full-Time Part-Time Retired VolunteeringMy spouse’s current work status is:

Full-Time Part-Time Retired Volunteering23. Our/my household net worth is (includes home, pensions, investments, etc.):

Under $50,000 $50,000-$99,999 $100,000-$249,999 $250,000-$349,999$350,000-$499,999 $500,000-$999,999 $1 million or more

24. My sources of income are (check all that apply): Salary PensionSocial Security Stocks/Bonds Savings Annuity Income Property

25. Our/my housing status (check all that apply): Own Rent Condo Single-Family House Apartment Retirement Community Nursing Home

26. In the next two years, might you consider moving to any of the following?

Smaller House Apartment Condo Retirement Community27. How many times do you dine out each month?

14 or more 10-13 times 6-9 times Fewer than 5 times28. How many times a month do you attend cultural events, plays,

concerts, movies, etc.? 1-4 5-8 9-11 12 or more times29. How many times a year do you travel?

1-4 times 5-8 times 9-11 times 12 or more times30. Have you visited a casino in the past year? Yes No

If yes, how many times? 1-2 3-4 5-9 10 or more31. What professional services have you employed in the past year?

Elder Law Attorney Insurance Broker Stock Broker Travel AgentCPA Financial Planner Real Estate Agent Other ______________

32. Check which purchases you plan to make in the next 12 months:

New Car Make? ___________________ Used Car Motor Home or RV Computer Furniture Television Major Appliance Eyeglasses Heater/Air Conditioner Real Estate Financial Advice Hearing AidHome Improvements Airline Tickets/Travel Tax AdviceHealth/Long-Term Care Insurance Other__________________________

33. Do you have a computer? Yes No34. Do you use email? Yes No35. Do you use the Internet? Yes No For what? ____________________

36. Do you have a regular exercise program? Yes No If yes, how manytimes per week do you exercise? 1-3 4-6 7 or more

37. How would you rate your overall health? Excellent Good Fair Poor38. How much do you spend on prescription drugs annually?

$100 or less $101-$300 $301-$500 $501-$999 more than $1,00039. Have you taken out a policy for long-term care insurance? Yes No40. Have you or has someone you know taken out a reverse mortgage? Yes No

The following questions are asked for statistical purposes ONLY.

Replies will be held in strict confidence. Please check all appropriate boxes.

We’d Like to Know More About You

Your name will be entered in a drawing.

Thank You For Your Participation In Our Survey.

PrizesAre:

Winners will be notified

• A $25 gift card to Isaac’s Famous Grilled Sandwiches• (5) one-year subscriptions to 50plus Senior News

Dauphin County 50plus Senior News February 2014

Documents

Transcript of Dauphin County 50plus Senior News February 2014