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.

Don’t get me wrong on this one; I like school teachers. But I also like plumbers, electricians, carpenters, news reporters, laborers, farmers, landscapers, accountants, florists, switchboard operators, truck drivers, mechanics, gas station attendants, bartenders, preachers, salespeople, fruit pickers and banjo players. Heck, I even like a few politicians. What do school teachers, politicians and those other people have in common? They all would like to have a decent wage and a retirement plan.

I'd run breathlessly up the stairs of the little brick church, careful not to catch my heels on the narrow wooden slats. The service started at 9:30 a.m., but usually I'd stood in front of the mirror a couple moments too long spraying my bangs up high. I'd arrive with seconds to spare, or worse, late. Other bosses might not have been so forgiving. But my "boss" was a small, notably gracious congregation. They were happy just to have someone there playing the piano. Even though that someone was a flustered 13-year-old, fumbling with the hymnal and pounding out painfully nervous, sour chords.

Editor's note: In February, we asked readers to tell us about some of our oldest residents of the Tri-State area. We received about a dozen nominations and have profiled six of the centenarians. The stories began Sunday and continue through Wednesday. FAYETTEVILLE, PA. -- "Mom, I got a second job," a young Cliff Springer told his mother. "Two? That's it? Only two?" was her reply. As one who peddled vegetables and newspapersas agirl, supported five brothers as a young woman, and later juggled three or more jobs at a time even as she raised her son, Mary Louise Correal Springer was not all that impressed.

DEC. 4, 1908-JULY 30, 2009 George Maynard Summers, 100, died Thursday, July 30, 2009, at Northampton Manor Care Home. He was the husband of 69 years to Mary Elizabeth "Sweets" Summers Life story: Mr. George Maynard Summers of Frederick, Md., was born into this life Dec. 4, 1908, in Mount Pleasant, Md. He was the son of the late George Samuel and Lillie Bell (Castle) Summers. Maynard, as he was affectionately called, grew up on the family farm learning to work hard and establish a good work ethic.

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.

"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.

South Hagerstown High School scored a first-quarter touchdown on a first-and-goal from the 40-yard line, then proceeded to overwhelm Clear Spring, 47-2, on Friday night. Clear Spring (2-3) received the opening kickoff, but went three-and-out before South Hagerstown (3-2) went to work. The Rebels started from their own 44-yard line and eventually moved to the Clear Spring 1-yard line. An illegal procedure call, a bad snap from center to the quarterback and an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty found South Hagerstown on the 40-yard line.

Winter 2008 All-County Teams St. Maria Goretti senior Kevin Breslin - like the rest of his teammates - was swept up by Gaels coach Cokey Robertson's farewell tour. "It was great," Breslin said. "Going to the games at Middletown, at Williamsport and our last home game, there were ceremonies for all of those and it was special. Most of us who grew up around the program, we respected Coach and we knew it was bigger than all of us. " As Robertson put the cap on his remarkable 34-year career at Goretti, Breslin put the cap on his own outstanding prep career.

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.