Work Ethic

Eight years ago, Merceydes Bowser needed somewhere to go after school, so her parents took her to the Boys & Girls Club of Washington County. A somewhat shy girl, she said her first thought was, "Oh gosh! I don't know anybody. " In her years in the club, Merceydes learned to be a leader, how to earn and give respect and live a life of character, she said. On Thursday, the 17-year-old senior at Washington County Technical High School was honored as the club's 2011 Youth of the Year.

WILLIAMSPORT - Mary Myers was raised with a strong work ethic, so when it came time to retire, she never saw it as a time to slow down. Instead, it was a time to give back. Myers, 89, moved to Parkview Knoll in Williamsport 10 years ago, about two years after retiring. Not one to be idle, Myers began volunteering at the Williamsport Senior Center five days a week, from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. She said her work ethic came out of necessity when her father was hit by a car and died when she was about 9 years old. Her mother had to take a job outside the home to support her seven children, who ranged in age from 3 to 13. The children were expected to work in the house and tend the garden.

janeth@herald-mail.com CLEAR SPRING - Peggy Baker doesn't believe in sick days. For more than 35 years, she worked at the Sunrise Handi-Mart in Clear Spring without missing a day of work. "Peggy has a work ethic I've never seen before and probably never will," said Dan Fleming, who has owned the Sunrise Handi-Mart with his wife, Maxine, since 1967. "She came to work with more than the sniffles. One time she came to work with the flu and Maxine sent her home. " Even icy roads and heavy snowfalls didn't keep Baker, 58, from her job, since she walked to work.

Six Hawk women commit to schools By JACK HILL III / Staff Correspondent Six athletes from the women's basketball and volleyball programs at Hagerstown Community College are making the move to four-year colleges this fall. Five basketball players who helped HCC to the Maryland JuCo tournament and Region XX tournament titles as freshmen and second place in those tournaments as sophomores will head south to continue their collegiate careers. Guard Ebony Rector has gone from a torn ACL in her freshman year to a full ride at Division I University of Richmond of the Colonial Athletic Association.

andrear@herald-mail.com Family businesses can test the limits of love - and strengthen bonds between family members who work together. "Family businesses have unique problems of their own because everyone thinks they're the boss. And there are strong emotions involved with a family business," says Rudy Krumpe, who runs his family's Hagerstown doughnut shop with his brother, Fred, and son, Max. "You have to learn to work together to get by that. There's a lot of give and take.

Floyd=Fast. That's what the hat I found and purchased on the Internet last summer reads. It's a rather unique hat. Floyd Landis is a rather unique professional athlete. As much as I'm pulling for Lance Armstrong to win his seventh straight Tour de France, I probably am rooting even harder for Landis, who begins today's 12th stage in 11th place, 4 minutes, 16 seconds behind Armstrong, the overall leader. Everyone in this area should be pulling for the 29-year-old Landis, who grew up not far from here in Lancaster County, Pa. Blazing through the French countryside in the green-and-yellow colors of Phonak, Landis, the first-year leader of the Swiss-based team, certainly has traveled a long way from his upbringing.

karenh@herald-mail.com HAGERSTOWN - Companies large and small vied for top honors Wednesday in seven categories at the Washington County Business Awards Banquet. "We believe that Washington County is a great place to live, to work and to play," John F. Barr, chairman of Hagerstown-Washington County Economic Development Commission, said before the ceremony. For Jamison Door Co., which produces custom doors, employing county workers has been a tradition for 100 years, chairman and CEO John Williams said.

marlob@herald-mail.com Always active in the county where he was born and raised, Stephen C. Palmer said he finally decided to seek public office because of the "lack of direction and leadership in this community. " Palmer, 53, is a Republican candidate for Washington County Commissioner who said he plans an aggressive campaign. "I'm going to be out beating on doors," Palmer said. Although Keedysville has always been home, Palmer and his wife, Celia, recently bought a farm along Spielman Road east of Williamsport.

marlob@herald-mail.com Always active in the county where he was born and raised, Stephen Palmer said he finally decided to seek public office because of the "lack of direction and leadership in this community. " Palmer, 53, is a Republican candidate for Washington County Commissioner who said he plans an aggressive campaign. "I'm going to be out beating on doors," Palmer said. Although Keedysville has always been home, Palmer and his wife, Celia, recently bought a farm along Spielman Road east of Williamsport.

dank@herald-mail.com CLEAR SPRING - During Elrod Hendricks' eight years in the minor leagues, he was cut twice. But he never gave up on his dream of playing major league baseball. Through hard work and determination, Hendricks was rewarded with a long career as a player and coach. Hendricks, a catcher, played in the majors from 1968 to 1979, most of that time with the Baltimore Orioles. He has been the Orioles' bullpen coach since 1977. During the first two years he was a player-coach.

When Martin Geben steps onto the basketball floor, the fans will not see any razzle and dazzle. What one will see, however, is a young man who brings a lunch pail - also known as workmanlike effort - to the gym. Geben, a 6-foot-9 junior who hails from Vilnius, Lithuania, is the prize catch of St. Maria Goretti and, sometime soon, will be the same for a fortunate NCAA Division I college. Geben was instrumental in leading Goretti to a 21-13 record this season, the first time since 2004-05 that the Gaels exceeded 20 wins in a season.

Editor's note: This is part of an occasional series of profiles of local restaurant chefs. As executive chef for Nick's Airport Inn - one of Washington County's top dining establishments - Francis Verdier is responsible for maintaining high culinary standards. You might think Verdier's job would be simple: Make the favorite dishes of frequent patrons over and over and over. You would be wrong. "We have people who are looking for new things all the time," Verdier said.

Margaret Louise Myers, a loving and devoted mother, passed from this life on Dec. 10, 2012. Born Sept. 12, 1921, in Boonsboro, Md., she was the youngest daughter of Roger and Eleanora (Easterday) Sinnisen. She was preceded in death by her brother, Richard R. Sinnisen; and her sister, Elizabeth J. Sinnisen Kendle. Margaret started school at age 4, graduated from Boonsboro High School at age 16, and was an avid reader and crossword puzzle enthusiast. A caring and kind person, Margaret aspired to help those in need, and was always there for her family.

I recently wrote a column about getting along, but it will have to wait until next week. The theme of that column has to do with political factions getting along for the betterment of people as a whole.  But after our esteemed president, his administration and his staff spent time in “la la land,” I just don't have getting along in my heart for today's column. Two weeks ago the Obama administration gutted the Welfare Reform Act of 1996 (President Bill Clinton signed the law) by abolishing reasonable standards that define work.

Kathleen Smith didn't know how to cook when she married Richard “Dick” Newcomer in November 1938, but after living with her in-laws in the Newcomer farmstead for several months, she learned from her mother-in-law. Since those early cooking lessons, Kathleen became known for her generous hospitality and the pleasure she derived from feeding a crowd. “She always had oodles and oodles of food,” said oldest niece Catherine “Cate” Smith of Hagerstown. “When she told you she'd have a little bite, she had enough for an army.” She has another fond memory from the 1950s.

Zane Cook was a hard worker who valued family and friends and had a passion for hunting, fishing, motorcycles and working on cars. In his 27 years, he made an impression on people from all walks of life. “He touched a lot of people,” mother Darlene Cook of Waynesboro said of Zane, the second of John and Darlene Cook's three children.  “He's always been so kind and willing to befriend people, even if they weren't the most popular,” said sister Tabitha Ulrich of Waynesboro.

The "American Dream" is alive and well in Hagerstown - in the person of Tuyen Tran. Some of you might know her as "Melissa," the skilled and gentle nail technician at Nail Palace & Spa in Hagerstown's North End. This spring, Melissa's husband, Dung "Danny" Hoang, mentioned to me that Melissa had thought about asking me for help with the speech she had been asked to give at her May 19 graduation. I knew Melissa was studying something in the pharmacology field at The George Washington University.

Richard "Rich" Gaver has lived in Funkstown his entire life. Many in the community know him for the work he does on the Funkstown Town Council and for his involvement with the town's Olde Tyme Christmas and Day in the Park. He admits he likes to keep busy and isn't one to sit around. That's why Gaver likes his work as an inspector for Washington County. “It's different every day because every job is different,” Gaver said. Gaver, 51, has worked in the electrical field since he was 16. Before taking a job with Washington County 15 years ago, he worked as a master electrician, getting his start in the field from the former Washington County Vo-Tech, graduating in 1978.

Family is the operative word when it comes to Family Recreation Park east of Hagerstown on National Pike.   The business was started in 1988 by Jack and Evelyn Barr, as one the family could run together while providing a wholesome entertainment venue for families. Evelyn Barr said they had visited a family-oriented park in Pennsylvania and thought the idea would work in the Tri-State area. “My dad wanted a family business, something all family members could enjoy - good, clean fun,” said Jayne Angle, one of Jack and Evelyn Barr's eight children, who helps run the park with sister Jeanine Horst.

After his excellent junior season, Ryne Willard set his sights on being the best as a senior for the Smithsburg baseball team. Willard gained Herald-Mail All-County First Team honors last year, then set out to become better with offseason work. While Smithsburg’s team had a season that fell below its overall expectations, Willard remained a constant throughout the year for the Leopards. He ended his senior season with a .508 batting average and led the Leopards in hits (31)