Retirement

Franklin County shocked by Shuster retirement By STACEY DANZUSO / Staff Writer, Chambersburg CHAMBERSBURG, Pa. - Franklin County officials were reeling from the shock that powerful U.S. Rep. Bud Shuster, R-Pa., who has funneled millions of dollars into the region for road and infrastructure projects over the last two decades, announced Thursday he is retiring. continued "The reaction is shock," said Allen Twigg, chairman of the Franklin County Republican Party.

BOONSBORO - When Shirley Hovermale bought her first miniature horse, Star Over Texas, about 10 years ago, she wanted a show animal and a friendly companion. A few years later, when a friend at a retirement home suggested that she could bring her outgoing little horse to visit and brighten the day of the residents, the idea made perfect sense. Hovermale and her husband, Don, both senior citizens, have kept active in their retirement by training, showing and visiting with their herd of four miniature horses.

CHAMBERSBURG, Pa. -- A few bare spots are beginning to show up on the chamber walls, although there still are plenty of hunting trophies, antiques and pieces of wildlife art festooning the office of Judge John R. Walker. On Friday, he took down a painting of a wild turkey hen tending her chicks as he moved a day closer to his Jan. 2 retirement. It also was the day he submitted his retirement letter to Gov. Ed Rendell. Like Johnny Cash building a Cadillac, Walker is dismantling his office one piece at a time, one day at a time.

janeth@herald-mail.com When Ken Schlotterbeck, 67, offered to end his wife's search for a country dining table by making one himself, he had no idea what was in store. More than 30 pieces of one-of-a-kind country furniture later, the couple have discovered a shared passion in retirement that has brought an even closer bond to their already solid marriage of 46 years. Both are Washington County natives and grew up in Hagerstown's West End. They have chosen to embrace retirement and be open to new opportunities, instead of wondering what to do with their time.

HAGERSTOWN - When Sonja Shearer started as a cashier at the new McDonald's on Northern Avenue in 1970, she made $1.25 an hour and sold hamburgers and french fries for 38 cents. After taking five years off to care for her son, Shearer returned because McDonald's worked around her schedule as a mother, she said. She will retire Friday with more than 30 years of continuous employment at the same McDonald's. "The hours were very good for somebody who's got children," she said.

Ginger, Ravenwood Lutheran Village's canine companion, is celebrating her 10th birthday this week. Ginger spends each weekday at Ravenwood Lutheran Village's Nursing Care Center providing vital furry friendship as well as smile therapy. Her duties include greeting visitors, making daily rounds, lending a floppy ear as needed and giving lots of love. She enjoys eating whatever food people will give her, taking naps and a really good belly scratch. Ginger is a vital part of the Ravenwood Lutheran Village family.

Some questions have been answered about a retirement program for fire and rescue volunteers but some remain unresolved. Although the program has been discussed for almost five years, County Administrator Rodney Shoop at a Dec. 21 meeting told the County Commissioners that the former board of commissioners did not vote on the program. But Washington County Volunteer Fire and Rescue Association leaders thought the program had been adopted, however. Since then, Shoop was shown a newspaper story that said the program, which provides up to $350 monthly for retired volunteers with more than 25 years experience, was informally adopted at a budget workshop in March 1998.

CHAMBERSBURG, PA. - After 40 years in education, 18 of them at the helm of the Chambersburg Area School District, Superintendent Edwin H. Sponseller retired last week. "I've truly been blessed by the district and the board of directors, who have treated me very kindly over the years," Sponseller said. "I don't regret anything. Every day has been fun, and I enjoyed myself. " "I had a great supporting cast," he said of his administration colleagues, faculty and staff. Sponseller, 62, has spent all but two years of his career in Chambersburg schools, starting as a ninth-grade civics teacher and basketball coach at Faust Junior High School.

GREENCASTLE, Pa. - After 34 years of service to education in Greencastle, Jack Appleby is saying goodbye to school. At the first meeting of the Greencastle-Antrim School Board in 2007, Appleby officially tendered his resignation, effective at the end of the school year. "A piece of me is afraid," he admitted. "I can't say I'm not at times scared of the unknown. " Since graduating from what is now Shippensburg (Pa.) University, Appleby has known pretty much the same routine.

WAYNESBORO, Pa. -- The Waynesboro Area School Board congratulated retiring Superintendent Barry L. Dallara and named an interim superintendent on Tuesday. Gloria A. Walker, the district's assistant superintendent, will step into the role until a replacement is named. She has been assistant superintendent with the district since the start of the decade. "If in my efforts over the past 35 years, if I have helped even one child, I will consider my career a success," Dallara told the school board.