Research

FORT LITTLETON, PA. chambersburg@herald-mail.com Aside from a bronze plaque and a roadside historical marker, there is no visible evidence that a hillock outside this tiny Fulton County village was a frontline outpost in the war between the empires of France and Great Britain for domination of the North American continent. It is what might lie below the surface that remains to be discovered by archaeologists, who will have the opportunity to explore the site of Fort Littleton now that it has been purchased by the Archaeology Conservancy.

katec@herald-mail.com Mary Ronzo, 85, will be walking at Hagerstown Community College on Sunday, Oct. 17, and she'll have plenty of company with the same purpose in mind. She'll be joined by her son, John Ronzo, and his wife, Carol; her grandson and his wife; two granddaughters and one of their husbands. Mary Ronzo, 85, won't recognize all of her relatives. She has Alzheimer's disease, and that's what they all will be walking to beat - as part of Memory Walk '04 "It's very hard," John Ronzo said.

During this sesquicentennial commemoration of America's Civil War, there will be much said and written about the historically great and not so great from that time. Locally, the Washington County Museum of Fine Arts will conduct an exhibit, “Valley of the Shadow,” from June 16 to July 28.  Several of our local authors either have already, or will soon have, books published that concern the time and people. It is my intent to write several columns on the subject for The Herald-Mail.

by Ric Dugan / staff photographer see the enlargement Author delves into county's immigrant past Anyone curious about their ancestral background in Washington County may want to check out a new book before heading to the courthouse to do hours of research. Hagerstown author Marsha L. Fuller has compiled records of every person - totaling more than 1,700 - to become a naturalized citizen in Washington County up to 1880 and turned it into a book, "Naturalizations of Washington County Maryland prior to 1880.

SHEPHERDSTOWN, W.Va. - If ever there were a person to sell to young people the idea of pursuing math-related research, it would be John F. Nash Jr., a Nobel Prize winner. Many know of Nash through the 2001 film about his life, "A Beautiful Mind. " The film chronicled Nash's bout with mental illness and his groundbreaking research. Russell Crowe played Nash in the film. Nash will be the featured speaker at the East Coast Computer Algebra Day, held Saturday, May 10, at Shepherd University.

OSWEGO, Ill. (AP) -- With twins on the way, Stacey Blackmar and her husband were looking to be prepared first-time parents when they started researching baby products. Instead, they found themselves bewildered with all the choices and information available. "It was overwhelming. I was looking at strollers," said Blackmar, 31, a high school math teacher who lives in the Chicago suburb of Oswego. "Everybody has different opinions. Then you ask your friends and they have different opinions.

It began with piece of junk mail. Because you were busy, you tossed it on a table, and moved on to other, more important things in your life. But the next day, a magazine and a store catalog landed there, plus several birthday cards from friends and a week's worth of newspapers. Every time you passed by, you considered sorting through the items and discarding what you didn't need. Instead, you continued adding to the pile, telling yourself you'd get around to straightening things up as soon as you had some free time.

With a smooth, even stride, Robert McKenzie easily completed a 1 1/2-mile run last week on the track at North Hagerstown High School. But the 44-year-old Hagerstown police officer wasn't running for fun. He was completing part of a physical fitness test that new officers have been required to take since 2006. “It helps if you stay in some kind of shape,” McKenzie, who joined the force three years ago, said after the run. “It helps to know that if I'm (in trouble) up on a third floor, another officer will be able to get to me fairly quickly.” Kevin DeHaven, safety and loss control coordinator for the City of Hagerstown, said the physical training program nets a huge discount for the city in workers' compensation premiums.

It's the kind of telephone call no grandparent wants to receive. There's been an accident. Or an arrest. Or an injury that has resulted in a trip to the emergency room. The grandchild desperately pleads for money. Could you wire it now to post bail or pay for medical treatment? And, by the way, don't tell Mom or Dad. It will only worry them. The rub? There's been no accident. No legal problems. No time spent in a hospital. And it's not a relative who wants the money.

It seems as though a week doesn’t go by that we don’t get a call at the Extension office from new clientele. You would think an organization nearly 100 years old wouldn’t be new to many people. I have had people tell me we are one of the best-kept secrets around. Part of that anonymity is our fault; we get so busy doing our job that we often forget to promote ourselves. Also, people attracted to this type of work are not seekers of the spotlight. It often amazes me that even some of our longtime clientele don’t know fully what we do. So what is it Extension does for the citizens of Washington County?