Oklahoma City

About 80 members of the Montgomery County (Md.) Urban Search and Rescue Team participated in tactical training Thursday in Hagerstown, said John Bentley, a member of the team and a local emergency services worker.The training took place at Fairgrounds Park and on Antietam Creek off Security Road, said Bentley, who is the captain of the Washington County Special Operations team, which handles rescues and hazardous materials. The session Thursday morning at the fairgrounds was to train for preparedness against weapons of mass destruction, Bentley said.

WILLIAMSPORT - Carney Harrell's son lost his Moore, Okla., house to a tornado on Monday, but most important, his son's family is all right. "We're blessed," Harrell said Tuesday evening in a telephone interview from his home at 14601 Falling Waters Road. Harrell's daughter called him Monday from Cumberland, Md., to let him know about the tornadoes whipping through the Oklahoma City suburbs where his son, Michael Eugene Harrell, and daughter, Naomi Hailey, have lived for about 15 years.

1919-JUNE 17, 2009 WESTFIELD, Mass. -- Jesse T. Gray, 90, of Westfield, died June 17, 2009, after a brief illness. He was born in Hagerstown, Md., to Mary (Mouse) and Samuel W. Gray. He owned and operated Jesse T. Gray Mobile Home Supply and Repair for many years. A U.S. Army veteran of World War II, he was an active member of Chapter 55 Disabled American Veterans. He leaves his wife of 53 years, Ann Gray; his daughters, Gayle Gray of Westfield, and Sharon Pankowski and her husband, William, of Springfield, Mass.

SEPT. 10, 1919-DEC. 11, 2008 CHAMBERSBURG, Pa. - Harold B. Gipe, 89, of Falling Spring Nursing Center, died Thursday, Dec. 11, 2008, at Chambersburg Hospital. Born Sept. 10, 1919, in Chambersburg, he was the son of the late William G. Gipe and Nellie Bard Gipe. He was a 1938 graduate of Chambersburg High School. He served in the U.S. Army during World War II. He was a member of American Legion Post 46, Charles Nitterhouse Post 1599 VFW and the International Order of Fire Fighters.

MARCH 26, 1947-MARCH 20, 2009 Dana Fay Weller, 61, formerly of Martinsburg, W.Va., died Friday, March 20, 2009, at Virginia Hospital Center in Arlington, Va. She lived in Falls Church and Horner's Beach in the Northern Neck of Virginia. Born March 26, 1947, she was the daughter of the late John William Weller and Flo Elizabeth Nesmith Weller. She was a 1965 graduate of Martinsburg High School, and received her bachelor's and master's degrees from West Virginia University, where she was a member of the Delta Gamma Sorority.

JUNE 2, 1958-DEC. 11, 2009 Robert "Bob" A. Styers Sr., 51, of Shaffer Road in Sharpsburg, Md., died peacefully at his home on Friday, Dec. 11, 2009. Born on June 2, 1958, in Riverdale, Md., he was the son of Doris L. (Leishear) Styers of Sykesville, Md., and the late Ralph L. Styers Sr. Bob attended Scaggsville Elementary, Clarksville Middle and Atholton High schools in Howard County, Md. Mr. Styers had been an employee at the Washington Sanitary Suburban Commission in Laurel, Md., since 1978.

Gloria Cecillia (Huber) Gill, 89, of Hagerstown, passed away Friday, Sept. 7, 2012, at her home. Born May 19, 1923, in Passaic, N.J., she was the daughter of the late Camillo and Teresina (Lombardi) Carmilani. She was a member of St. Ann Catholic Church in Hagerstown. Gloria worked as a buyer for Bloomingdales for many years. She also owned a children's clothing store and was the commerce coordinator for the city of Clifton, N.J. She enjoyed mahjong, knitting, crocheting and antiquing.

John David Downing, 21, of Knoxville, Md., passed from this life Tuesday, March 29, 2011, at The Johns Hopkins Hospital in Baltimore. Born Feb. 10, 1990, in Berryville, Ark., John was the son of James F. Downing II and Joanna Lynne (Johnson) Downing of Knoxville. John attended Pleasant Valley Elementary School, as well as Boonsboro Middle and High schools. He was known for his love of music and times spent driving in the car with his family. John was the spark for various legislative initiatives and was fortunate to have had the opportunity to meet many congressional members, as well as former United States presidents.

HAGERSTOWN A national architecture organization this week began scouting several blocks near Hagerstown's City Park as part of an effort to improve the neighborhood. Hagerstown is one of eight places in the nation selected for the program, which aims to "create communities that will continue to be good places to live for generations," said Erin Simmons of The American Institute of Architects in Washington, D.C. The AIA's Center for Communities by Design is assembling a team to look at the neighborhood bounded by Summit Avenue to the west, Memorial Boulevard to the south, South Potomac Street to the east and Baltimore Street to the north.

As I write this article, I am sitting in what you might call the "Buckle of the Bible Belt" - Oklahoma City. I am here on a family vacation, but felt I would share my observations, since I was encouraged by readers after last week's column on others' perspectives. As you can imagine, in Oklahoma, in the southern Great Plains, agriculture is a big deal, as they would say. They grow wheat here, and I mean a lot of wheat. This is the end of their harvest time, but all you see is either wheat being harvested, straw being baled or stubble ground being chisel plowed.

The news had traveled fast.  My husband and I had separated. The parking lot behind the elementary school was filled with minivans waiting for the dismissal bell. Several of the carpool-driving moms came to me with kind words and hugs. One of them, an immigrant from another country, said something I didn't quite understand in her halting English. I heard, "Four bedrooms," and I think she might have been offering a place to stay. Her next words were clear, and in the more than 20 years since she spoke, I've not forgotten them.

Gloria Cecillia (Huber) Gill, 89, of Hagerstown, passed away Friday, Sept. 7, 2012, at her home. Born May 19, 1923, in Passaic, N.J., she was the daughter of the late Camillo and Teresina (Lombardi) Carmilani. She was a member of St. Ann Catholic Church in Hagerstown. Gloria worked as a buyer for Bloomingdales for many years. She also owned a children's clothing store and was the commerce coordinator for the city of Clifton, N.J. She enjoyed mahjong, knitting, crocheting and antiquing.

John David Downing, 21, of Knoxville, Md., passed from this life Tuesday, March 29, 2011, at The Johns Hopkins Hospital in Baltimore. Born Feb. 10, 1990, in Berryville, Ark., John was the son of James F. Downing II and Joanna Lynne (Johnson) Downing of Knoxville. John attended Pleasant Valley Elementary School, as well as Boonsboro Middle and High schools. He was known for his love of music and times spent driving in the car with his family. John was the spark for various legislative initiatives and was fortunate to have had the opportunity to meet many congressional members, as well as former United States presidents.

JUNE 2, 1958-DEC. 11, 2009 Robert "Bob" A. Styers Sr., 51, of Shaffer Road in Sharpsburg, Md., died peacefully at his home on Friday, Dec. 11, 2009. Born on June 2, 1958, in Riverdale, Md., he was the son of Doris L. (Leishear) Styers of Sykesville, Md., and the late Ralph L. Styers Sr. Bob attended Scaggsville Elementary, Clarksville Middle and Atholton High schools in Howard County, Md. Mr. Styers had been an employee at the Washington Sanitary Suburban Commission in Laurel, Md., since 1978.

As I write this article, I am sitting in what you might call the "Buckle of the Bible Belt" - Oklahoma City. I am here on a family vacation, but felt I would share my observations, since I was encouraged by readers after last week's column on others' perspectives. As you can imagine, in Oklahoma, in the southern Great Plains, agriculture is a big deal, as they would say. They grow wheat here, and I mean a lot of wheat. This is the end of their harvest time, but all you see is either wheat being harvested, straw being baled or stubble ground being chisel plowed.

1919-JUNE 17, 2009 WESTFIELD, Mass. -- Jesse T. Gray, 90, of Westfield, died June 17, 2009, after a brief illness. He was born in Hagerstown, Md., to Mary (Mouse) and Samuel W. Gray. He owned and operated Jesse T. Gray Mobile Home Supply and Repair for many years. A U.S. Army veteran of World War II, he was an active member of Chapter 55 Disabled American Veterans. He leaves his wife of 53 years, Ann Gray; his daughters, Gayle Gray of Westfield, and Sharon Pankowski and her husband, William, of Springfield, Mass.

MARCH 26, 1947-MARCH 20, 2009 Dana Fay Weller, 61, formerly of Martinsburg, W.Va., died Friday, March 20, 2009, at Virginia Hospital Center in Arlington, Va. She lived in Falls Church and Horner's Beach in the Northern Neck of Virginia. Born March 26, 1947, she was the daughter of the late John William Weller and Flo Elizabeth Nesmith Weller. She was a 1965 graduate of Martinsburg High School, and received her bachelor's and master's degrees from West Virginia University, where she was a member of the Delta Gamma Sorority.

Not long ago, Kelly Harris' hectic life revolved around juggling children and her home office in Edmond, Okla. She made time for everyone and everything except herself. Married with two children, Harris said she was concerned she was spending too much time sitting in front of her computer. She said she dearly loves her family and enjoys her work as a medical transcriptionist, yet she yearned to do some things to nurture herself. Today, the energetic mom still works from home, but she now shares her enthusiasm for life with women who take her aerobics classes.

SEPT. 10, 1919-DEC. 11, 2008 CHAMBERSBURG, Pa. - Harold B. Gipe, 89, of Falling Spring Nursing Center, died Thursday, Dec. 11, 2008, at Chambersburg Hospital. Born Sept. 10, 1919, in Chambersburg, he was the son of the late William G. Gipe and Nellie Bard Gipe. He was a 1938 graduate of Chambersburg High School. He served in the U.S. Army during World War II. He was a member of American Legion Post 46, Charles Nitterhouse Post 1599 VFW and the International Order of Fire Fighters.

HAGERSTOWN A national architecture organization this week began scouting several blocks near Hagerstown's City Park as part of an effort to improve the neighborhood. Hagerstown is one of eight places in the nation selected for the program, which aims to "create communities that will continue to be good places to live for generations," said Erin Simmons of The American Institute of Architects in Washington, D.C. The AIA's Center for Communities by Design is assembling a team to look at the neighborhood bounded by Summit Avenue to the west, Memorial Boulevard to the south, South Potomac Street to the east and Baltimore Street to the north.