Characters

Some people have been laughing at my main man Jerry Falwell for his contention that one of the Teletubbies is gay. Just like they did his statements that Clinton is a murderer and the Antichrist is a Jew. Well, just remember, they laughed at Ross Perot, too. Just like the Incredible Expanding Jerry Falwell, I have suspected something's weird about the Teletubbies for a long time now. Now the reverend has crystallized if for me: Purple-faced, purse-carrying,...

By GUY FLETCHER / Staff Writer Even when he was a teenager cruising Hagerstown's Dual Highway in the 1960s, Tom Croft considered himself more of an observer in life than someone eagerly stepping into the action. "I'm not one of the guys in the front lines leading the crowd. I'm one of the guys watching the people," Croft said. During his 50 years, he has seen enough of people to give him ample material for his relatively new venture as a book author. His first published novel, "Ocean City M.D.," is a mystery that draws characters from people in Croft's life, with some twists along the way. "You want to write about what you know and characters you know," said Croft, who lives in Middletown, Md., and works in desktop publishing in Rockville, Md. Croft has also written two other novels, including an unpublished book about three childhood friends in Hagerstown who grow up and become drug dealers in the city during the 1970s.

waynesboro@herald-mail.com WAYNESBORO, PA. - Before she died in 2000 at the age of 92, Margaret Oliver Dull talked to her son about growing up, living and raising a family in Waynesboro. "She talked about the family and the things that she knew about Waynesboro," said Carl H. Dull, 71, of Red Bluff in northern California. Dull came back to Waynesboro to take care of his mother in her final three months. It was those conversations, her reminisces about her family and Waynesboro, that formed the basis of a novel that Dull felt inspired to write.

HAGERSTOWN - Jim Hawbaker watched the movie "To Kill a Mockingbird" about 10 years ago. Little did he know that a decade later, he would be cast as Atticus Finch. Hawbaker's take on the lawyer and a main character in Harper Lee's novel was one of many photographs on display Sunday at Valley Mall. The portraits, taken by Washington County Technical High School students, were part of the finale of The Big Read in Washington County. "They read the book and identified people in the community and in their lives who would fit the characters of the book," said Kristy Smith, program assistant for the Community Foundation of Washington County Inc., which coordinated The Big Read locally with the Washington County Free Library and the Washington County Board of Education.

SHIPPENSBURG, Pa. -They're cute both in looks and action. Their intentions are well meaning. And they are serious-minded. Seven-year-old Ruby and her little brother, mischief-making, 3-year-old Max, are popular characters created by children's author Rosemary Wells. They also appear in their own TV shows on Nick Jr. and Noggin. If Max and Ruby sound familiar to parents with young children, it might be because the bunny brother and sister remind parents of their own children.

The characters in "Despicable Me" eat nothing but junk food. Its three orphan girl characters go door to door selling cookies, which characters order in mass quantities. The character who adopts them fills a doggie bowl with candy and tells them it's dinner. Cotton candy and other sweets are consumed at an amusement park. It is appropriate that the characters in "Despicable Me" follow this disgusting diet because the film is cinematic junk food. The main character of the story is Gru (Steve Carell, armed with a painful Eastern European accent)

Highland View Academy seniors are bringing the 1960s television family with a cement pond and a Granny who loves opossum stew, hunting and hootenannies to their school stage this weekend. The school will present "Beverly Hillbillies" at 8 p.m. Saturday, March 16, in the school gymnasium.  First, though, some of them had to figure out who "The Beverly Hillbillies" even were. "We've got lots of students who hadn't seen the show," said Julie Recker, registrar at the private high school in Hagerstown.

The next time you watch Pixar's Golden Globe-winning animated film “Brave,” you might want to pay close attention to the scenes with hundreds of characters in the background. Hagerstown native Hemagiri “Hemu” Arumugam might have had a hand in putting them in there. Arumugam, a 2006 graduate of North Hagerstown High School, estimates there are about 60 scenes in “Brave” in which he dropped animated characters into the background. He even had his favorite. “There was short, stout, kind-of-fat guy. I always tried to put him in as much as I could because I really liked him,” Arumugam, 24, said during a telephone interview from Pixar Studios in Emeryville, Calif.

Pangborn Elementary School is hosting Just Keep Reading, a literature festival for all Pangborn students and their families, from 6:30 to 8 p.m. today at the school. Characters in costume will greet those attending, and literature-based activities are to be held throughout the school.

Try to imagine life without fiction and the people who make up that world. It's really hard, because fictional characters play an integral role in every person's life. For every stage of life - contented child, sullen teenager or stressed adult - there are fictional people who influence behaviors or attitudes. These characters make their audiences laugh and cry. Oftentimes, they represent an ideal to strive for or repulse people with ugly attitudes or conduct. Brooklyn Needy believes that, historically, fictional characters were created to inspire us. Needy, a sophomore at North Hagers-town High School, says fictional characters "help people work through problems.

Alex Moore said some of his friends joked with him that he was already like Professor Callahan because Moore can be evil. But the Barbara Ingram School for the Arts student doesn't see himself that way, and Moore said he had to work at perfecting the character of the pompous professor in “Legally Blonde - The Musical.” Will Bureau is a young, confident-looking student at the arts school, but he said it was tough being the condescending boyfriend...

Potomac Heights Elementary School recently honored 12 students for exemplifying the character traits of a respectful student. The students ate lunch at the Golden Table, highlighted by ice cream sundaes, with counselor Jacklyn Kinzer. The students honored were Sean Donley, Katie McNulty, Nora Lewis, Andrew Neisser, Lucy Clemente, Airyana Phoebus, Nicholas Bofenkamp, Anastasia Gracie Wallace, Peyton Carroll, Grant Anderson, Madalen Morton and Tiffani Turner.

Highland View Academy seniors are bringing the 1960s television family with a cement pond and a Granny who loves opossum stew, hunting and hootenannies to their school stage this weekend. The school will present "Beverly Hillbillies" at 8 p.m. Saturday, March 16, in the school gymnasium.  First, though, some of them had to figure out who "The Beverly Hillbillies" even were. "We've got lots of students who hadn't seen the show," said Julie Recker, registrar at the private high school in Hagerstown.

The next time you watch Pixar's Golden Globe-winning animated film “Brave,” you might want to pay close attention to the scenes with hundreds of characters in the background. Hagerstown native Hemagiri “Hemu” Arumugam might have had a hand in putting them in there. Arumugam, a 2006 graduate of North Hagerstown High School, estimates there are about 60 scenes in “Brave” in which he dropped animated characters into the background. He even had his favorite. “There was short, stout, kind-of-fat guy. I always tried to put him in as much as I could because I really liked him,” Arumugam, 24, said during a telephone interview from Pixar Studios in Emeryville, Calif.

Potomac Heights Elementary School saluted 12 students in December for exemplifying the character traits of caring students. The students were rewarded with lunch, including ice cream sundaes, at the “Golden Table” with counselor Jacklyn Kinzer. Honored students included Chloe McArthur, Owen McChesney, Thomas Hudak, Hayden Winnings-Hall, Ava Hainline, Anna Boyer, Brooke Keller, Katie Getz, Hunter Keller, Lexi Cabrera, Annie Goble and Alyssa Hines.

During October, students were recognized for the character trait of responsibility at Hickory Elementary School. Students and families were invited to school for a "pinning ceremony," which included certificates, pencils and erasers, followed by ice cream sundaes and family bingo.

Students at Hickory Elementary School were awarded Character Counts! certificates for displaying the trait of gratitude during the month of November. Each month, one student from each classroom is designated as Character Counts! Good Citizen of the Month. Students are nominated by classroom teachers for demonstrating one of the six pillars of character. The following is a list of the students selected to receive the award for the month of November: Kelli Price, Lumisa Bista, Natalie Kitchen, Autumn Thrift, Glen Creary, Logan Adkins, Elsie James, Ian Lane, Corry Nelson, Destiny Woodlon, Nicholas Minnick, Megen Shartzer, Ticcara Sumlin, Shaun Haws and Harley Warrenfeltz.

Editor's note: Lisa Prejean is on vacation. This column originally was published in 2008. The weekend after Thanksgiving I take my artificial Christmas tree out of the basement and cart it to school. There's a certain sentimental quality that this tree possesses. It has moved with me from classroom to classroom over the years. Not that the tree is anything spectacular. Far from it. The branches are bent, the stem stands a little crooked and it's about half the size of a normal Christmas tree.

The following Old Forge Elementary School students exhibited the Character Counts! pillar of respect for September: John Coyle, David Swank, Brooklynne Smith, Zachary Smith, Alyiah Wygant, Rosanna Stevens, Norah Keller, Miranda Ramsburg, Sam Caesar, Dillon Smith, Kyle West, Emma Wilkinson,  Sydney Schlotterbeck, Ashley Davis, Danielle Matthews, Jacob Reiter, Nick Notabartolo, Jakob Keller, Chase Baker, Caleb Boward and Thomas McNeil.