Work Ethic

Although it was a brief period in her life and many years ago, Vesta Wisner Secrest's memories of her days working as a laborer for the B&O Railroad in her native Morgan County, W.Va., remained clear. "She told us she and her sister, Beatrice, carried crossties and hauled stone for the railroad," said Shielda Shank, Vesta's stepdaughter. While not sure of the exact years, it was during World War II, when there weren't many men around to do those jobs. Recalling that experience, Shielda said Vesta - who died April 14 at the age of 93 - often would comment on bumpy railroad crossings when out riding with her nephew, Neil Bechtol.

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.

Editor's note: Each Sunday, The Herald-Mail publishes "A Life Remembered. " This continuing series takes a look back - through the eyes of family, friends, co-workers and others - at a member of the community who died recently. Today's "A Life Remembered" is about Siebert C. "Sy" Shifler, who died Nov. 7 at the age of 80. His obituary appeared in the Nov. 8 editions of The Morning Herald and The Daily Mail. Among those encouraged to go into the trades in Washington County by Siebert C. "Sy" Shifler was his son-in-law, Kirk Anderson.

SANTA ANA, Calif. - In a nation where more and more emphasis is placed on productivity at work, only three in 10 employees are highly committed, industrious and passionate about what they do. Those figures astounded Terry Bacon, who read the Gallup semi-annual employee engagement index in 2005 and realized that means seven out of 10 workers are most likely sleepwalking through their work. Even worse, they could be malcontents and cynics who poison other workers around them.

The year was 1974. It was a spring day in College Park, Md., when the young woman walked through the door of a University of Maryland journalism classroom. The room had been commandeered by a distinguished middle-aged, dark-haired newspaper man with a crooked smile. He had been using this classroom to interview candidates for summer interns. It was quite clear from the stack of rsums lying on the professor's desk that he had already interviewed quite a few students interested in spending the summer working on his daily newspaper.

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.

A determination to marry combined with a promise made - and kept - to a pastor is the reason Corsi's Grocery has not been open on Sundays for more than 37 years. The small corner grocery store and sub shop at the intersection of West Washington Street and Madison Avenue in Hagerstown has been owned by the Corsi family for 60 years. The shop is now owned by Frank Corsi Jr. and his wife, Sandy. They met when she worked there years ago. "She was 16. She worked for me as a soda fountain girl.

"If you put the federal government in charge of the Sahara Desert, in five years there'd be a shortage of sand," remarked Milton Friedman some years ago. Who is Milton Friedman, you might ask? Well, he won the Nobel Prize for Economics in 1976 and had an opinion on what works and does not work from an economic viewpoint. As I intently listen to the daily economic news and plans of government to put us on the right course, I have a few obvious concerns. Some see the need of government intervention while others disagree.

Editor's note: This is one in a series of profiles of area residents who share the stories of their lives and experiences. A profile will be published on the last Thursday of each month on the Young At Heart pages. If there's one thing Margaret Myers knows, it's hard work. Born and raised on a Washington County farm, the Williamsport resident has tried her hand at a lot of things, from shocking wheat to grinding lenses for microscopes. In addition to holding down a job most of her adult life, she has kept house and raised a family.

Editor's note: Each Sunday, The Herald-Mail publishes "A Life Remembered. " This continuing series takes a look back - through the eyes of family, friends, co-workers and others - at a member of the community who died recently. Today's "A Life Remembered" is about Berman Lee Hixon, who died Jan. 21 at the age of 85. His obituary was published in The Herald-Mail on Jan. 23. When Lee Hixon left his job in the cabinet shop at the Smithsonian Institution in Washington, his colleagues tricked him into making his own going away present.