Father S Day

Contestants for this year's Miss Maryland pageant checked in Sunday at Valley Mall, a ceremonial kickoff to the annual competition. Master of ceremonies Thomas B. Riford, president and chief executive officer of the Hagerstown-Washington County Convention and Visitors Bureau, read aloud the name of each contestant, the local pageant she won, what her pageant platform is and what talent she will display. The women stepped up to the makeshift stage at the mall's food court, signed their names on a map of the state and introduced themselves to the crowd.

They both like cars, playing video games and doing anything mechanical. It's typical father and son stuff. But their bond isn't biological. They're connected by love and respect. Jeremy Myers was about 12 years old when David Denn came into his life. Jeremy's mother, Karen, met Denn at their place of employment in Frederick, Md., where she was a production planner and he was a prototype engineer. Karen Denn is also a cousin of Herald-Mail Lifestyle Editor Crystal Schelle.

Most guys celebrating Father's Day at my age get a convertible. I got a baby. For the previous 10 years, my life centered around being a good father to my daughter, Madison. As many of you know, my life was turned upside down when my son, Jackson, arrived two days before my 46th birthday. As even more of you know, babies tend to be a little more work than 11-year-old girls. It's been a whirlwind of diapers, dishes, scanning the Sunday papers for Huggies coupons, 3 a.m. feedings, sleeping on the floor next to the crib, doctor's appointments, medical bills, loud crying and some days being too tired to remember what the dog's name is or what day it was. And this boy is a good baby!

Erik Bergman was a man who loved his family dearly, a man whose presence will be deeply missed this Father's Day. When Erik and Sheri Bergman married - they would have celebrated their 13th wedding anniversary June 13, just days after Erik's death - their blended family included five children. “We've had such a wonderful blended family. We've been blessed by that,” Sheri said. “Our family is so important to us - to him, to me - through the years.” Erik has two daughters and one son, and Sheri a son and a daughter.

Want to win a cake for Father’s Day? Join the Cake Walk at Calvary Temple, 147 S. Conococheague Street, on Friday from 6 to 8 p.m. Price is $1 per walk. Event is sponsored by the Ladies Auxiliary of Calvary Temple and is open to everyone. Leathernecks to sponsor poker run The Leathernecks Nation Motorcycle Club will hold its first annual poker run to benefit the Williamsport Food Bank on Saturday. Registration is from noon to 2 p.m. at the Williamsport American Legion Pavilion.

Some names are synonymous with a particular endeavor. In auto racing, an Earnhardt, Unser or Andretti likely has a ticket to the big time already in his possession. Mention the Bonebrake name in local racing circles and few will need further explanation. When Denny Bonebrake grew up in the 1950s, he learned the facts about life and more than a few cars from his father, Richard Bonebrake, who in his spare time managed to visit Hagerstown Speedway's victory lane often. Richard Bonebrake passed away in 1996, and the Hagerstown Speedway dedicates every Father's Day racing card - the Richard Bonebrake Memorial - to his memory.

Sitting on Dr. Mike McCormack's desk is a paper-clip holder made from popsicle sticks. It was a gift from his oldest son, Michael, when he was 6 years old, and it's Mike's most-treasured Father's Day present. Today, Michael is 25 years old, engaged and studying medicine in New Orleans. Mike's three other children — Emily, 24, Maura, 20, and Kevin, 18 — are also adults, but Father's Day is still a special event. The holiday is a celebration of family, and McCormack's children are his greatest accomplishment, he said.

When Washington County District Judge Dana Moylan Wright was young, she watched as her father, Circuit Judge Daniel W. Moylan, led the courtroom. These days, she is the one on the bench, and her father — now retired — is still offering advice. "He always has good advice. I always take it, requested or not," said Moylan Wright, 45. Her passion for law comes from those early days in the courtroom, watching her father work. She said it was the personal touch he brought to law that inspired her to follow the same path.

We celebrate Father's Day on a Sunday in June each year and I'd like to share a few memories and impressions of my father that have stayed with me for many years. Fathers are a “different breed of cat,” or so Byron Nelson the great golfer might have said. Nelson actually referred to winners as the ultimate different breed of cat and that comparison, between winners and fathers, might well reflect how special fathers can be.  Or is that should be? We hold up winners, in all aspects of life, to be special and obviously some fathers should also be held up. Some fathers stick around, through thick and thin and help raise their children; however, some don't.

Father's Day, contrary to popular misconception, was not established as a holiday conjured by greeting card manufacturers to sell more cards. In fact, when a "father's day" was first proposed there were no Father's Day cards. We all know, of course, Mother's Day was created on Day 1 when God created the earth; and all was good. Mother's Day is more than a celebration. It is an event. Card, candy and flower sales soar while department stores run specials for a sales weekend rivaling Christmas.

We celebrate Father's Day on a Sunday in June each year and I'd like to share a few memories and impressions of my father that have stayed with me for many years. Fathers are a “different breed of cat,” or so Byron Nelson the great golfer might have said. Nelson actually referred to winners as the ultimate different breed of cat and that comparison, between winners and fathers, might well reflect how special fathers can be.  Or is that should be? We hold up winners, in all aspects of life, to be special and obviously some fathers should also be held up. Some fathers stick around, through thick and thin and help raise their children; however, some don't.

Contestants for this year's Miss Maryland pageant checked in Sunday at Valley Mall, a ceremonial kickoff to the annual competition. Master of ceremonies Thomas B. Riford, president and chief executive officer of the Hagerstown-Washington County Convention and Visitors Bureau, read aloud the name of each contestant, the local pageant she won, what her pageant platform is and what talent she will display. The women stepped up to the makeshift stage at the mall's food court, signed their names on a map of the state and introduced themselves to the crowd.

Most guys celebrating Father's Day at my age get a convertible. I got a baby. For the previous 10 years, my life centered around being a good father to my daughter, Madison. As many of you know, my life was turned upside down when my son, Jackson, arrived two days before my 46th birthday. As even more of you know, babies tend to be a little more work than 11-year-old girls. It's been a whirlwind of diapers, dishes, scanning the Sunday papers for Huggies coupons, 3 a.m. feedings, sleeping on the floor next to the crib, doctor's appointments, medical bills, loud crying and some days being too tired to remember what the dog's name is or what day it was. And this boy is a good baby!

Erik Bergman was a man who loved his family dearly, a man whose presence will be deeply missed this Father's Day. When Erik and Sheri Bergman married - they would have celebrated their 13th wedding anniversary June 13, just days after Erik's death - their blended family included five children. “We've had such a wonderful blended family. We've been blessed by that,” Sheri said. “Our family is so important to us - to him, to me - through the years.” Erik has two daughters and one son, and Sheri a son and a daughter.

Washington County Commissioner Jeff Cline sees his father every day, but that doesn't make Father's Day any less special. For Cline, the holiday is another chance to honor his biggest hero. "My father lived the American dream of providing a better life for his children," Cline said. "I couldn't be prouder of him. " Harry "Buck" Cline, 88, served in World War II in the 475th Infantry Division in the Pacific Theater in India, Burma and China. After returning home, he worked two jobs to support his wife and four sons.

For the Kercheval family, the crack of a baseball bat is filled with meaning. "There are a lot of life lessons you can pass on through sports. Lessons tend to stick better in that format," said James Kercheval, for whom the sport is a family tradition. Kercheval's father, Bill, played baseball in high school and college, then coached the sport at North Hagerstown High School. Kercheval, 46, has continued the tradition with his three sons. He has coached teams for Jacob, 12, and Garret, 9, and hopes to do the same for Luke, 5.   "We're very close.

For 14 years, John Hershey and his father, John R. "Jack" Hershey, worked side by side. Jack has retired as an investment banker, and John is now senior vice president of a financial management group, but the two are as connected as ever. "We're very close. Couldn't be closer," Jack Hershey said. "A closely knit family is a strong family, especially in this day and age. " John Hershey, 47, said his two children — London, 6, and Holden, 14 — have lots to learn from their grandfather, and he intends to pass along all he can. "Children are the most wonderful things to have, but I didn't realize what it took to be a good parent to raise a child," John Hershey said.

Sitting on Dr. Mike McCormack's desk is a paper-clip holder made from popsicle sticks. It was a gift from his oldest son, Michael, when he was 6 years old, and it's Mike's most-treasured Father's Day present. Today, Michael is 25 years old, engaged and studying medicine in New Orleans. Mike's three other children — Emily, 24, Maura, 20, and Kevin, 18 — are also adults, but Father's Day is still a special event. The holiday is a celebration of family, and McCormack's children are his greatest accomplishment, he said.

When Washington County District Judge Dana Moylan Wright was young, she watched as her father, Circuit Judge Daniel W. Moylan, led the courtroom. These days, she is the one on the bench, and her father — now retired — is still offering advice. "He always has good advice. I always take it, requested or not," said Moylan Wright, 45. Her passion for law comes from those early days in the courtroom, watching her father work. She said it was the personal touch he brought to law that inspired her to follow the same path.

They both like cars, playing video games and doing anything mechanical. It's typical father and son stuff. But their bond isn't biological. They're connected by love and respect. Jeremy Myers was about 12 years old when David Denn came into his life. Jeremy's mother, Karen, met Denn at their place of employment in Frederick, Md., where she was a production planner and he was a prototype engineer. Karen Denn is also a cousin of Herald-Mail Lifestyle Editor Crystal Schelle.