Vol. 7 No.8 August 1980

Hawthorne's Own Historic SpotsThe dream of one man in 1969, who

invisioned an ideal adult retirement community,has developed to a point where that dream,Hawthorne at Leesburg, already has its ownhistoric spots.

Through the cooperation of the leaders ofthe AARP, NRTA and the wholehearted supportof Colonial Penn Communities, a 300 acre tractsouth of Leesburg has become nationally known.The area of swamp, underbrush, woods andorange groves underwent a miraculous change.Here in a $12,000,000 complex the idealretirement community has emerged.

The first resident moved into Hawthorne inOctober, 1973. By the time our nationcelebrated its Bicentennial in 1976, we werehonored to be chosen as a Bicentennialcommunity. So it was with a great deal of pridethat many of the over 1,000 residents gatheredaround the base of an 8S-year old oak on July4, 1976, to designate it as our Bicentennial tree.The tree is located back of 107 Avocado Covenear the banks of the Palatlakaha River. Astainless steel marker has been placed at the baseof the tree. It is surrounded by a small flower bedand includes two rustic benches.

Dr. James Corwin, chairman of ourBicentennial committee, promoted the idea of aTime Capsule which might provide morepermanent records of Hawthorne's developmentand growth. A stainless steel capsule wasprepared which contains such memorabilia asour own 1976 telephone directory, pictures ofthe community, local and national publications,etc.

The capsule was buried at the base of theflag pole in front of the Club Hawthorne in1977. An engraved marker indicates thelocation. It is to be opened 50 years from now.

Our latest historic spot is located just east ofthe bridge at the entrance. This spot is a beautifulcascade-type Memorial Fountain. It honorsindividuals who were residents of the communityat the time of their death.

With nearly 2,000 residents now enjoyingour security and tranquility, it is hoped thatHawthorne will be remembered not so much forits historical spots, but because we who now livehere proved to be worthy ancestors.

- Roland Mernitz

by Bernice Martin, Program Director

Grandchildren visit Hawthorne almostevery time of the year but during the summeroccassionally we see a grandchild visiting withouthis/her parents. How very nice for thegrandparents to enjoy theyouhger generationwithout the interference of the child's parents.

It's always a delight for me to meet thesechildren and this summer has brought a coupleof them directly in contact with me.

Suzanne Martin from Clarksville, Georgia,(no relation of mine), 8lj2 year oldgranddaughter of Eleanore Pierce, spent hervacation at Hawthorne. How pleasant to see thetwo of them doing so much together, swimmingin the pool, walking together; wherever Eleanorewent, little Suzanne joined her. Eleanore hasbeen an active participant in my Yoga class andSuzanne was a regular member during the timeshe was here. She progressed from not knowingwhat Yoga was, to an active class participant.Age does not have to be a barrier, she simplydid everything all the grandmothers did andseemed to enjoy every minute.

Another grandchild who made himselfknown to many of us was Tom Froelich, 16 yearold grandson from Chicago, of Otto and SophieFroelich . Tom has been affectionately referred toas "Otto's Motto:" Motto being his stage name.We all enjoyed Motto's performance as clown,magician, mime and singer, entertaining us atour July 4th celebration. Motto, or Tom, wasseen playing ping-pong with Ellie Crossley,baseball with the softball team and volleyball withthat group. He seemed to thoroughly enjoyparticipating in activities at Hawthorne with ourresidents, and everyone enjoyed the interactionwith him. This is clearly a case of older personsand the young engaged in the same activitiesand enjoying each other. The war of generationsdoesn't seem to exist here, not even a gap.

Young people's youthful exhuberance canat times be unsettling when they are not a part ofour daily routine. I must confess that myencounter with these two, and on a more limitedscale with other young visitors, has been apleasurable experience. As importantly, childrenvisiting Hawthorne can gain much from theinterchange with mature adults.

Hawthorne artists exhibiting at the. CancerBenefit Art Show included Roy Nelson, JerryWilson, Mrs. Cherus Ullery and Bill Lacy.

Host Cancer BenefitA letter to Amos Henley, president of

Colonial Penn Communities, Inc., from JerrySmith, chairman of the Special EventsCommittee of the Lake County unit of theAmerican Cancer Society, expresses gratitude toHawthorne administration, staff and residents fortheir assistance in the Good 01' SummertimeArts and Crafts Show held recently atHawthorne.

According to Mr. Smith, the benefitexhibition was a great success in several ways.Approximately $2,000 was raised to help thelocal unit in its efforts against cancer. The affairalso gave an opportunity for cancer unit memberto disseminate "life-saving" informationconcerning cancer's early warning signs tohundreds of visitors attending the show. The unitwas also able to recruit a number of Hawthorneresidents as volunteers to work on futureprojects.

Mr. Smith's letter concludes: "Thanks fromall of us for helping us with our fight againstcancer in Lake County. We are mostappreciative of the warm hospitality and activesupport of our many friends at Hawthorne."

Penn Notes StaffEditor Elnora BolanAssociate Editor Bernice MartinPhotographers John Tienken,

Don ComunaleStaff Margaret Albro,

Mary Elizabeth Caldwell, Joe Feol,Anna K. Merlino, Roland Mernitz,Marie Richardson, Edith Schipper

New Transportation ServiceAlways seeking to improve and expand the

services and facilities that make Hawthorne sodesirable a place to live, our Program Directorhas been coordinating with the Mental HealthDepartment to include Hawthorne in atransportation service recently initiated by them.

John Hargrove, director of administrativeservices of the Mental Health Center ofLeesburg, announced that a grant from theDepartment of Transportation is making possiblea transportation service with 10 vehiclesincluding vans for handicapped persons andstation wagons for regular passengers.

The program started on July 7th andaccording to Hargrove, will expand as fundsbecome available to meet increasing needs.Initially Hawthorne will have two days eachmonth in the program which will supplement thework of the Hawthorne Helpers. Appointmentsmust be made in advance.

Moderate fees will be charged fortransportation to the Orlando and Gainesvillehospitals, calculated on a mileage basis well

Johnny Can't ReadThe Burnsville, Minn., schools see some

correlation between excuses received fromparents and children's inability to read. Theunderlying theme seems to be that the wholefamily (parents and children) spend hours at atime watching TV. Reading has gone out of stylein a great many homes. The tube has replacedthe book!

Here are some of the excuses they havecollected from their own and nearby schools.Former educators compare notes.

1. Chris have an acre in his side.2. Please excuse Gloria. She has been sick

and under the doctor.3. Mary could not come to school because

she was bothered by vary close veins.4. Please excuse Blanche from P.E. a few

days. She fell out of a tree andmisplaced her hip.

5. Please excuse Joey Friday. He had loosevowels.

6. My daughter was absent yesterdaybecause she was tired. She spend theweekend with the marines.

-Chet Wood

below the commercial rate. There is also limitedservice to hospitals and the Mental HealthCenter and other points in Leesburg and Eustis.Medicare will pay for eligible people and amodest fee will be charged others.

Bernice Martin has been very active aschairman of the advisory committee surveyingLake and Sumter Counties to formulate aprogram most effective for all. She said, "Ourgoal is to have an independent agent take overthe transportation facilities."

Remember, reservations must be made 24-hours in advance, and more information aboutthe program may be obtained at the Center bycalling 787-9178. -Anna K. Merlino

Organ Jargon"When the Organ Played at Twilight." Just

a memory? It doesn't have to be. We wouldn'tlike to be classed as "Peeping Toms," but whilestrolling around Hawthorne we spotted many anorgan sitting in the corner just waiting forsomeone to come to tickle its keys and light upits life.

Our Organ Club is now two and a half yearsold and we still adhere to our original purpose ofpromoting entertainment, technique andinspiration in the field of organ music.

One of our members, Jessie Brown, hasconducted chording clinics over a period ofseveral months which helped many of us tosharpen our skills. Memory chords, magicfingers, rhythm masters, etc. are really beingbantered about as organ jargon takes over.

Our ultimate goal is to provide Hawthornewith its very own instrument. Many Hawthorneactivities require this type of musicalaccommodation, such as fashion shows,memorials, holidays, concerts and many more.We should like to have an expression from othergroups which would also be interested insupporting and persuing this project.

Till then, we will continue with our "roundrobins," visiting different homes, experiencingdifferent makes of organs, and enjoying a greatdeal of learning and camaraderie.

We will resume our concerts in the fall forthe enjoyment of all residents and we hope youwill come and join us and add another facet tothe wonderful opportunities which we have herein our little corner of the world.

-Gwen Black

Carl Curtis - Our Uncle Sam

Fourth FrolicBox lunches were served in the

auditorium to a crowd of over 400 on the4th of July. Roz Braddock was chairmanof the food committee. Trudy and FredAdams conducted the ticket sales.

The assembly was entertained byTom Froelich dressed as a clownperforming a juggling act. He kept upa patter of jokes, and ended by thankingthe "academy" for his Oscar. Hank Parksacted as Master of Ceremonies; CharlotteFowler was at the piano with LouisePaquette at the xylophone, playing thefanfare for the clown.

Our Own Uncle SamUncle Sam, himself, appeared at our July 4 festivities.

Carl Curtis was resplendent in a blue moire swallowtailedcoat, striped trousers and a stove pipe hat banded in bluewith white stars. (Martha Curtis made the costume.)

Carl added a great deal of color to the boat paradewhich took place after the opening ceremonies.

He was the center of attraction too, at the celebration inthe Clubhouse. Children followed in his wake all dayclamoring to be photographed with Uncle Sam.

Our guest clown -- Tom Froelich.

The Spelling Bee Winners!

The Spelling BeeThe Fourth of July Spelling Bee attracted an

audience of about 200 people.Nona McKinney served as chairman with

George Donaghy and Camillo Merlino as judges.They also helped to prepare the word list. Thecontestants sat on the stage while Nona firedaway with words which were mostly familiar, buttricky. She used a mike so that everyone wasable to hear.

The contestants used another mike, firstpronouncing the words then spelling them. Theywere each allowed to miss only one word.

Some of the tricky words were,competitively, Gnostic, eccentric, coolly andmiscellaneous.

The winner was Maud Goodman, with JimScullin and Betty Torrence, following closely.The prizes were peanuts and boxes of cheesecrackers which were shared with some of themany children in the audience.

Didn't We

Love Bug Race Official Color Bearers

Egg Toss was Gooey Mess

Water Volleyball was Cool Fun

Have Fun!

Ahead of the Sack Pack

Cruisin' Down the River on a 4th of JulyAfternoon.

Hat's Off to the Flag -- the Barbershopperslook Dapper.

Summer Sports RoundupA number of our cultural, spiritual and

educational programs are in hiatus for thesummer, but hardy Hawthorne residents are nowengaged in physical activities that help to fill thevoid. Two new activities in progress are pingpong and basketball. Approximately 35 personshave signed up for these sports.

At present both of these are under thechairmanship of Jack Csinicsek. A new pingpong table has been set up in the Marinabuildlnq. The game is played here everyTuesday, Thursday and Friday at 7 p.m. PhoneJack (728-0925) if you're interested.

Jack reports basketball activity is being heldto a minimum during this hot weather, butresidents use the basketball set up in the coolmornings and evenings. The basket and reboundbackboard are in back of the Sales Office.Anyone who'd like to shoot a few baskets needbut stop at the Security gate and ask for abasketball.

Ladies Day Pool on Thursdays in theBilliard Room usually has two tables going asplayers seek to work out combination plays.There is room for more women in Ladies DayPool. Call Mary Robbins at 728-3082 if you'reinterested.

Summer Fun Bowling is in full swing with20 teams in action (80 persons) at the LeesburgBowl every Monday at 1:30 p.m. The teams are

What's My Line?You could readily find contestants for the

popular TV show "What's My Line" among theoccupational names of residents here.

They are: Baker, Bailiff, Bishop, Butler,Carpenter, Chandler, Cook, Farmer, Gardner,Goldsmith, Hunter, Mason, Miller, Parson,Porter, Shepherd, Singer, Taylor and Usher.

Names of some of the Presidents of theUnited States are represented here also.Included are Adams, Harding, Pierce, Johnson,McKinley, Grant, Wilson, Taylor, Kennedy,Harrison and Carter.

- Margaret Albro

organized but there is a need for substitutes.Anyone wishing to join as a substitute can callWan ita Watterson, 728-1090; or AI Nagel, 728-5880.

So many residents are out walking or bikingduring the cool hours of morning or evening thatthese times are becoming "social" hours. One isbound to meet a friend or a neighbor or justsomeone to say hello to, and saying "hello" tofellow residents is standard practice.

-Joe Feol

The Frustrated FanYou once could tell each season,By the sport that's taking place;In this way you made your plans,And no problems did you face.But what has happened recently,Certainly does not make good sense;It seems that sports in general,Want to keep the fan in suspense.There is major league baseball,With a schedule much too long;The World Series is in the cold.Where it sure does not belong.Right when football has started,And sometimes on the same day;They're mixing pigskin and cowhide,And just trying to make hay.I guess the owners need the green,That's available through T.V.,But if all us fans stayed at home,Where would these hungry moguls be?

- George C. Maloof

'Western Open'The title brings to mind the very well known

tournament of that name which is one of thestops on the PGA Tour. While this is not aboutthat tournament it is about golf, a game many ofus play.

It started on the western side of Hawthorne,thus the name. Given facetiously, with a tongue-in-cheek manner, it was accepted and has stuck!

A few people got together, and althoughthey wanted to play, felt that their game was nottoo good and that it would hold up the game ofothers. In the ensuing discussion they settled ona time and place.

Eight enthusiastic, if not proficient people,sallied forth and proceeded to tear up thecountryside with their golf clubs. An executivecourse was played whose length enabled eventhe puniest to walk the whole "18" and gethome for lunch! Finding that being together andbeing out-of-doors was such a pleasantexperience it has since become weekly.

We take our golf seriously, realizing that ourgame is not a threat to anyone. We have anenjoyable time together even though our playingproduces no income and as a living would beimpossible.

We kept track of our scores at first so thatevenly matched players could play together. It isinteresting to note that our averages over thefour months reflect our first scores.

Then a handicap system was employed.The lowest score is Scratch. The differencebetween your score and Scratch is yourHandicap.

So today, while still almost the same golferswe were, we have gained much. We made goodfriends, spent many hours in the open andimproved our mental and physical well-being.

-Dick Clark

1Dinner Theatre

It's a warm, sunny morning at Hawthornewith just the hint of a breeze rippling the flags onthe tall pole at the Marina. Colorfully dressedpassengers are boarding the two air-conditionedbuses parked alongside the Clubhouse.

Members of the Dinner- Theatre Club aredeparting for the Showboat in St. Petersburgwhere, after a relaxing ride, they will partake of adelicious buffet luncheon before watching thematinee performance of "The Pleasure of HisCompany," starring Joan Caulfield.

These deluxe affairs are held once a monthand always looked forward to with pleasantanticipation. Often it's to celebrate a specialoccasion as a birthday or wedding anniversary.This day it was Mr. and Mrs. Pankratz' 54thwedding anniversary, so the theatremanagement provided a cake in their honor,and also congratulated them over the loudspeaker.

Due to circumstances beyond thecommittee's control the July trip had to becancelled. However, in August the club plans toattend another matinee performance held atBartke's in Tampa. The play will be a situationcomedy.

Originally theatre trips were in the evening,but when many members said they preferred togo in the day, matinees are now included.

There is an original charge of $5 enablingthe committee to purchase tickets well inadvance to secure good seats. The charge foreach trip usually is about $20 per person whichincludes transportation, luncheon or dinner, anda ticket to the play or musical. Sometimes seatsor buses are limited, so when tickets go on saleat the Clubhouse, it's a good idea to get thereearly so you won't be disappointed. Thecommittee tries hard to make each event aspleasant as possible.

- Margaret Albro

Riddles for Little Grandchildren1. Why does Superman wear a cape?2. When it is 9 p.m. in Florida, what time is it in

North Carolina?3. When does a school never have any children?4. When the light is out it is dark, when the sun

is out what is it?5. After summer comes a fall, after a fall comes

what?

6. A mirror tells you what?7. Which is the best day to prepare Southern

Chicken?8. When you say you will ask mother a question,

which U.S. state is it?

(answers on page 8)

Metri-Gnomes·"The Metrics are here!" This announcement

seems akin to warning of an invasion of Martianmonsters. It strikes fear and indignation into thehearts of those accustomed to our presentarchaic system of weights and measures.

If you will leave emotion aside, you will findthat the metric system is very easy to learn andvastly more convenient to use in everyday life.The reason is that the metric system is truly asystem, not a hodgepodge of conversion factors.

Why 12 inches to the foot, 3 feet to a yard,16.5 feet to the rod, 5280 feet to the mile? Or16 ounces to a pint, 32 ounces to a quart, 4quarts to a gallon, 32 quarts to a bushel?

What's so holy about a foot, anyway?Allegedly, it was the length of some ancientEnglish king's pedal extremity. Too bad thisabsurd unit of measure wasn't buried with him.

How much simpler it is to remember that akilogram is 1,000 grams, a kilometer is 1,000meters, and a liter is 1,000 cubic centimeters.Know this and you've already mastered theessentials of the metric system. Every thing isrelated merely by moving the decimal point justas we do with our monetary system. Acentimeter is 1/100 of a meter, a millimeter is1/1000 of a meter.

It's really quite simple.- Nick Nickerson

Penn PalsDear Bunny,

Your article in Penn Notes inspired me towrite the enclosed.

- Min Goodman

My IdentityI am not five feet fiveNor do I weigh one-twenty-fourI am a bit shorterAnd weigh a little moreSo-how do I identify myself?My hair is also silverBut I am short and fatI have freckles on my faceAnd that remains that!I have always been andAm now a registered nurseWho loves to swim and readAnd express herself in verse.

Ed's First LoveEd Smith is known here for his activity with

Hawthorne Helpers, and as one of our Tax-Aideassistors. He recently received a 40- YearHonorary Membership Award from theAmerican Institute of Certified PublicAccountants.

But his first love at Hawthorne is the MahJong game, an activity he has chaired or co-chaired for the past three years. Industriously hepromotes the game seeking new peopleinterested in learning it.

Mah Jong comprises a small, enthusiasticgroup always happy to welcome and teach newplayers this captivating game.

Ed explains that this game of many namesoriginated during the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644)in China. As a gambling game it is still playedthroughout the world by the Japanese and theChinese who consider it a link to their culturalheritage. It was introduced to the States in the'20's.

The game itself is played with 144interestingly and beautifully designed tiles. Theyare collected into sets (somewhat like Rummy).The object is to complete a hand. Four personsplay individually, and point scores are settledafter each hand using Chinese style chips.

The game is so simple that children asyoung as seven can learn it. However, thescience of the game must be studied by eachplayer.

Playing develops one's thinking power,mental ability and skill. Success will dependupon an alert mind and ability to manipulate thetiles to form winning hands.

-Staff

Answers1. To make him CAPABLE2. Bedtime3. When it is a school of fish.4. Light5. A bump on the head.6. Nothing, mirrors can't talk.7. Fry-Day8. Ah'laska

- Henry Drane