Thursday, July 31, 2008 • St. Mary’s County

Thursday, July 31, 2008 • St. Mary’s County, Maryland

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County TimesThe

By Guy LeonardStaff Writer

Detectives with the St. Mary’s County Bureau of Criminal Investi-gations and officials with State’s At-torney Richard Fritz’s office are con-tinuing their investigation of the case of a 2-year-old boy who drowned in a backyard swimming pool at a bab-ysitter’s residence in Golden Beach.

Fritz said that so far the investi-gation did not reveal any fault on the part of the babysitter.

“It doesn’t appear that charges are warranted,” Fritz told The Coun-ty Times, but added that the investi-gation had yet to be concluded.

According to information from investigators police responded to Dockser Drive in Golden Beach at about 5:30 p.m. July 24 because the child was not breathing. Information from the criminal investigation divi-sion stated that the child was left un-attended at the babysitter’s home.

Emergency responders adminis-tered CPR (cardiopulmonary resus-

Death Of 2-Year-Old By Drowning Under Investigation


The St. Mary’s County Board of County Commissioners had their first meeting in the new Chesapeake Building Tues-day, leaving the old county administration building behind.

Their new home is a two-story building that cost just about $3.2 million to construct according to George Er-ichsen, director of the Department of Public Works and Transportation.

Commissioners Take Up New Residence

Andrea ShiellStaff Writer

The halls of Lexington Park Elementary School are quiet during the summer months, but certainly not dead quiet.

The voices of children working in classrooms in the distance can be heard, as can teachers of-

fering instructions and the hum of the printer from the school office.

Many rooms are vacant, but the ones occu-pied buzz with enthusiastic activity, from kin-dergarteners building block structures to fifth graders studying earthworms.

This is part of the 11 Month Program, oper-

11 Month Program Keeping Students On Track


The private memorial to Confederate soldiers who died in captivity at the Point Lookout prisoner of war camp dur-ing the war between the states now puts a face to the rebel veterans who suffered there almost a century-and-a-half ago — a face cast in bronze.

The statue, which is at the center of the monument built by private donations to the Point Lookout Prisoners of War organization, stands some 17 feet high from its platform; the male figure sports a floppy hat, tattered clothes, a bearded countenance with long hair and is barefoot.

Confederate Memorial Gets It’s Centerpiece

See Drowning page A-�

See New Residence page A-�

See 11 Month page A-�

See Confederate Monument page A-�

Swim Meet A Tri-County Success Anything you can do to foster and encourage these swimmers, it’s great.” -SMSL President Dave Gilman “

IT’S CARNIVAL TIME!

Local Soldier Has Building Named After Him

Story page A-6

St. Mary’s County Public Libraries Keep Up With Demand For Technology

• Library Awarded Two Grants Totaling $�0,000

• W.M. Davis Inc. Dona-tion Kicks Off Phase Two Of Gates Foundation Grant

Stories page B-7

Photo by Andrea Shiell


Photo by Guy Leonard


This weekend, hundreds of residents gathered for games, rides, and food at the Hollywood Volunteer Fire Department Carnival. This was the 50th year for the event.

Students at Lexington Park Elementary School participate in writing exercises as part of the 11 Month Program, which provides summer classes in St. Mary’s County.

Christine Wray, St. Mary’s Hospital CEO, left, Holly Meyer, hospital spokeswoman and James Delligatti, chairman of the board of the hospital present their plans to expand the hospital to the county commissioners.

The St. Mary’s County Board of County Commissioners meets in their new meeting room at the Chesapeake Building in Leonardtown Tuesday.


The leadership at St. Mary’s Hospital wants the help of the commissioners in borrowing money for two expansion projects; one will add a three-floor annex to the site of about 22,740 square feet and the other, a three-story tower like addi-tion that will include an expansion of 117,�30 square feet.

Commissioners Give Preliminary Nod To Hospital Expansion Projects

See Hospital Expansion page A-�

SectionA-� The County Times Thursday,July31,�008

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Thursday, July 31, 2008 The County Times Section A - 3


Tonya Glass bounced excitedly across her living room and beamed proudly at her son, 14 year-old William, as she spoke.

“His dad and I were the last couple in America to get cell phones,” she said, laughing, adding that her son had come to her repeatedly asking for one, but they had not given in to his request until this past Christmas.

For William, who has only been sending text messages since December, this was an opportunity to not only keep in touch with his friends, whom he had envied for their phones for some time, but to win some notoriety, and a rather large chunk of change, in LG’s second annual texting championship, which was held this year at the Roseland Ballroom in New York City.

“I saw a commercial on TV…so I went online,” said William, who had pulled out his phone to demonstrate his abilities earlier in the interview, sending two complete, perfectly punctuated sentences in less than 20 seconds.

William qualified online June 18, compet-ing with 15,000 other contestants, some of whom sent an average of as many as 10,000 text mes-sages a month. After sending four phrases to a designated number, William received a phone call the next day telling him he was invited to New York City to compete as one of hundreds of contestants for bragging rights and a grand prize of $50,000.

Tonya admitted she was skeptical, “with scams being what they are,” but her apprehen-sion cooled once William received a new phone in the mail, as well as travel arrangements to New York and reservations at the Hilton in Times Square.

This year’s event was strewn with celebri-ties and cell phone enthusiasts, and it involved a

series of elimination rounds. “There was a closed round between all the

online winners,” William said, “and there was no audience yet, and I got eliminated.”

Though he had lost that particular round, he was given a chance to redeem himself by com-peting with the contestants from New York. In this round, cheered on by family members and strangers, William won the competition and proceeded on to the finals to compete against 11 other contestants. Among the 12 finalists, he was the youngest.

“For the New York round there was a ref-eree for each table,” he said, adding that a com-puter graded the finalist rounds.

William competed admirably, but was ulti-mately eliminated, as was the 2007 champion, in the last round of texting.

For this sophomore at Leonardtown High School, an honors student whose favorite sub-

ject is Spanish, not information technology, the experience of going to the city and competing in such a large, public arena was the most reward-ing part.

“I still can’t believe I won a trip to New York…I had never been there before.”

Footage of William at the competition is available on the LG website, at www.lgtexter.com.

William plans to qualify for next year’s competition, though he still only sends about 750 text messages a month, as compared to the thousands sent by others in this year’s compe-tition. Until then, he plans to keep his fingers moving.

Tonya said she had initially been worried when her family got cell phones.

“We were holding out…we’d go every-where and people would all be on their cell phones, so we said we weren’t going to be those people…but we gave in, now we don’t think we can live without them.”

Local Texting Champ Takes on New York CityLeonardtown High School Student Reaches Finals in National Competition


Two suspects, one charged with bank rob-bery and first-degree assault and one charged in an attempted murder case last year have both been ordered by the courts to have more evaluations on their mental condition to stand trial.

Cornelius Chase, suspected of commit-ting a 2004 bank robbery in Leonardtown, ap-peared Monday in Circuit Court before Judge C. Clarke Raley for a competency hearing, but was remanded back to the custody of the De-partment of Corrections.

A letter from the state Office of Forensic Services, T. Jeffrey Neal, a psychologist, stated Chase should receive further evaluation.

Chase’s attorney, Public Defender John Getz, said his client has been evaluated “sev-eral times” by the state in relation to the 2004 bank robbery.

While Chase has been serving a prison term for other robberies for which he was pre-viously convicted, he has also filed a civil suit against two St. Mary’s sheriff’s detectives and the prosecutor involved in his case.

In his civil case, he claims the detectives and Assistant State’s Attorney Daniel White illegally took money and other property from his room at a Charles County motel while in-vestigating him for the robbery of the Cedar Point Federal Credit Union back in 2004.

The detectives and White suspected that the money, more than $47,000, was some of the cash Chase allegedly stole during the robbery. Chase claimed that the government is holding his property against the law.

The status of the civil case apparently was one of the main focuses of Chase’s testimony at his competency hearing July 28.

“He said the criminal case should be dis-missed because he has a civil case against the state,” Getz said. “I cannot communicate with him at this time.”

In a declaration in county Circuit Court filed in opposition to Chase’s civil case, White called Chase’s action a “cockamamie civil complaint.”

The case may be dismissed, according to Circuit Court papers.

The suspect in the attempted murder case, which took place last year, William J. Trainor, was also ordered to have further psychological tests done by the state.

Getz, who also represents Trainor, filed for a continuance of his client’s competency hear-ing last week because, although his client was competent to stand trial, a professional opinion might state that there is “a likelihood he may not be criminally responsible.”

Deputy State’s Attorney Ted Weiner did not oppose the motion.

“The motion is well founded,” Weiner said. “This is a legitimate avenue for the defense.”

Trainor was arrested Aug. 13 of last year for allegedly trying to kill his wife.

According to police reports that day, Train-or, 70, called emergency operations personnel and told them he had strangled his wife.

Emergency responders found his wife, who was also 70, incapacitated but alive at Trainor’s home and had her taken to a trauma center for treatment.

Detectives stated they believed Trainor’s plan was to first kill his wife and then himself.

Suspects In Bank Robbery, Attempted Murder Cases Get More Mental Evaluation Time


Parents, students, teachers, principals, and dignitaries crowded into the James A. Forrest Career and Technology Center on Tuesday for the official start of Superintendent Michael Mar-tirano’s Young Drivers Safety Initiative. The

press conference boasted Maryland’s Secretary of Transportation, John Porcari, local state del-egates, County Commissioners, Board of Edu-cation members, law enforcement officials, and a host of community leaders and residents.

“In this day and age we realize that in order to teach a child well we have to do everything we can to make sure they are safe,” said Marti-rano, who went on to name off familiar statistics revealing that Maryland’s teenagers are among the worst on the road. According to 2006 sta-tistics, motor vehicle crashes are the number one cause of teenage deaths, and from 1996 to 2007, one tenth of Maryland teen drivers were in a collision. Teenagers account for 14 percent of St. Mary’s County drivers who are involved in fatal crashes, and 15 percent of personal in-jury collisions. “We have lost young lives due to traffic accidents and we never want that to happen again,” he said.

The program started in the late fall of 2007, when Commissioner Thomas Mattingly and Martirano initiated discussions regard-ing their increasing concerns over the number of young drivers having accidents on the road. “This is another step, another level in the at-tempt to prevent tragedy,” said Mattingly, who added that he has witnessed the heartbreak of these accidents every year at graduations where he says they are always honoring one student who was lost of the road.

By December of 2007, several small focus groups convened to discuss the issue, and the result was Martirano’s five-point plan, which will be implemented by St. Mary’s County Pub-lic Schools at the beginning of the 2008-2009 school year.

First, students requesting a permit for school parking will be required to view a school based audio/visual presentation addressing high-risk driving behaviors. “In our high schools, one of the most important tickets a student can pos-sess, the golden ticket, is their parking permit,” said Martirano, adding that students will also be required to sign a safe driving contract with

their parents and school administrators.

In addition, students requesting a permit for school parking will be en-couraged to register their vehicle with the St. Mary’s County Sheriff’s Office “S.T.O.P.P.E.D. Program,” Sheriff’s Telling Our Par-ents & Promoting Educat-ed Drivers. “The Sheriff and I have a very positive working relationship,” said Martirano, adding that any time a student enrolled in the program is pulled over or involved in an accident, not only will that student’s parents be

informed of the incident, but Martirano will.All secondary students, including middle

school students, will also attend a one-hour student assembly on young drivers involved in traffic fatalities. Martirano said that the pro-gram will be supported by a vigorous media campaign.

In addition to graduated licensing and par-ticipation in the S.T.O.P.P.E.D. Program, Dr. Eliz-abeth Baker from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration stressed the importance of fair enforcement. She praised Martirano’s plan as it related to student parking permits. “Education and awareness programs without an enforcement component do not work,” she said, adding that parental involvement would also be a key component in the program’s success.

Sen. Roy Dyson encouraged parents to “yank the keys away” if their teens exhibited unsafe driving habits.

Meanwhile, there were several students in the audience who kept cheerful as the dignitar-ies spoke, even as Dyson exclaimed that they were “the worst drivers on the road.” After Martirano and others signed the official pledge to kick off the program, several students went to the stage with their parents to sign the first of what the administration hopes will by many safe driving contracts.

Board of Education member William Mat-tingly addressed the students directly in his remarks. “It is not your constitutional right to drive in the state of Maryland…it is a privi-lege,” he said. “You may call this tough love, and that’s what it is.”

Martirano Kicks Off New Young Driver Safety Initiative


William Glass competed in a national texting championship in New York City this past month.Photo Courtesy of Tonya Glass

Elizabeth Klug and her son Peter sign the Young Driver Safety Contract with Su-perintendent Michael Martirano and GMHS Principal Tracy Heibel at Tuesday’s press conference.

SectionA-� The County Times Thursday,July31,2008

Someone should telltheSt.Mary’sCountyCommis-sionersthecommunitytheyrep-resentissufferingfromthesameeconomic conditions that existthroughout our nation. Maybethey are not aware of the difficult times almost every family andbusiness in our community arefacing.

Most people wouldhave thought they were astuteenoughtogetitduringthisyearsbudgetprocesswhentheyshouldhaveseen the fact thatcitizens’earnings aredropping and thusthefalloffinincometaxrevenueand the ability of ordinary citi-zenstopaytheirbills.

Compound that withthe fact that the County Com-missionerswereseeingawind-fall in new revenue comingfrom those same citizens whowerebeingasked topaya21%

increaseinpropertytaxes.Hugetaxincreases,lessincomeshouldhavewoketheseguysup.

Since taking office in December of 2006, this Boardof County Commissioners hasused record levels of increasedtaxrevenuewindfallstosteadilyexpandgovernmentservicesandfacilities.Allthewhile,thefolksbackhome footing thebillsaregoing deeper and deeper intofinancial misery. It’s just what weneedineconomictimeslikethese, more government, gov-ernment collecting and spend-ingmoreandmoreofourhardearneddollars.

This Board immedi-ately reversed the consolidationofgovernmentservicesandper-sonnel enacted by the previousBoardbyaddingnewseniorlev-elpositionssuchasChiefofStaffandDirectorofHumanServices

aswellasanentirenewserviceagency.

ThisweektheBoardofCounty Commissioners cut theribbon on their brand new of-fices. A large two-story building thatquicklybecomesthesymbolof12yearsof spendingpolicesof Commissioners Raley andMattingly.Tobefair,therehasbeen no objection by Jarboe, De-mentorRussell.

Jarboe states that future Boardswillbeforcedtocutback,suretheywill,afterthespendingspreehe’sbeenpartyto.

In 2006, with nearly $45 milliontaxpayers’dollars inre-serves,CommissionerPresidentThomasMcKayaskedhisfellowCommissionerstogivesomeofthatmoneybacktothecitizens.McKay was recommending atleast $10 million be refunded. Commissioners Jarboe, Dement,

Raley,andMattinglyallopposedthe idea, believing they couldspendthemoneybetterthanthepeople.

TheideaofnewCom-missioner offices has been the dreamofCommissionersRaleyand Mattingly since first coming into office nearly 12 years ago. This week their dream finally cametrue.

The idea for the newCommissioners offices started outasaone-storybuilding thatwould house the County Com-missioners,theirstaff,theCoun-ty Administrator and his staff,anda largenewmeetingroom.The expected cost of the newbuilding was approximately $1.9 milliondollars toconstructandfurnish,includingmoneytoren-ovate theexistingCommission-ers offices for other staff use.

Two contractors sub-

mittedbidstoconstructthenewbuilding. After receiving thetwo bids, the Commissionerstookthelowbidder,BlazerCon-struction Company, a frequentfinancial contributor to political campaigns,anddrewupentirelynewplans.

Thenewplansincludedasecondstorythatwouldprovidefor “future expansion” needs.The new plan would now costin excess of $4 million dollars toconstructandfurnish,whichthe Commissioners awarded toBlazerConstructionwithoutgo-ingthroughare-biddingprocess.Commissioner Russell statedthattheCountywouldbeforeverindebtedtoBlazerConstructionCompany.

Thesecondstoryofthenew building, which was builtto allow for government futuregrowth has already been filled

withtherelocationoftheCountyAttorney’s Offices and the Coun-ty’s Finance Offices, making moreroomintheolderCommis-sioners Office building for the ever increasing staff and agen-ciesofCountyGovernment.

Commissioner Russellshouldaddtimeontheagendaofthe next Commissioners meet-ingtodiscusswhatthisgroupof5 believe the role of local govern-mentshouldbeinaddressingtheneedsoftaxpayersduringtimesofeconomicslowdown.

Tomakemattersworse,atatimewheneveryoneisdoingwhattheycantocutbackonen-ergyconsumption,theCommis-sioner’s new office building has no “green features”. As Com-missioner Jarboe said, the only thinggreenaboutthebuildingisituseselectricityratherthanoil.

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The County Times

UnderstandingOne’sPriorities

Onceortwiceinalifetime,ifwearelucky,we are graced with the fortune of meetingsomeonewhoisdestinedforgreatness.Great-ness can be difficult to define sometimes, but somehowweallknowitwhenweseeit.

I first met Collins Bailey nine months agowhilewewerebothworkingonthecam-paign for one of the original Presidentialcandidates. I was immediately struck by the incredible knowledge of Collins, who istheRepublican nominee forUSCongress inMaryland’s 5th Congressional District. His knowledgeofourpoliticalsystem,ournation’shistory,andourConstitutionwasmorecom-plete than anyone I had ever met.

As time passed, I began to realize that, moreimportantthanknowledge,Collinspos-sessed a certain wisdom that is all too rarenowadays. The ability tousehisknowledgewisely, to have positive influence on nearly ev-eryonehemet,or toofferadvicethatalmostalwaysprovedfruitful,weregiftsthatonlyararefewofuspossess.

Still later I learned the source of his re-markable wisdom – an uncompromising de-votion tohisChristianfaith. Hiswasnotanoverbearingandselfrighteousfaithhowever,as is thecasewithsome. Contrarily,CollinsBailey was refreshingly humble, but at thesame time confident in all his actions due to a

quietselfassurednessthattheCreatorguideshiseveryfootstep.

This letter,however, isnotaboutCollinsBailey’sknowledgeorwisdomorfaithorpolit-ical philosophy. It isn’t about Collins’ 14 years ontheCharlesCountySchoolBoard,hissuc-cessful smallbusiness,norevenhisdecisiontospendnearlyeverySundaymorningforthelast 27 years offering Bible study to juveniles atadetentioncenterinPrinceGeorge’sCoun-ty,whichhedoeswithoutfanfareandwithoutcompensation. No, this letter isaboutamanwholearnedlongagowhat’sreallyimportantinlife–afactthatcanbestbedemonstratedbythefollowingincident.

A couple of weeks ago, I convinced Col-lins to come to my neighborhood to meetpeople face to face. Collins was reluctant,not wanting to bother people on their week-ends with their families. Still, I was insistent, knowing how great he was in face to facemeetings. Throughout the day, after leavingthe homes of each of my neighbors, Collinswouldremarkhownicethepeoplewere,andhowgladhewastobeabletomeetthem.Sev-eral times during the day, however, Collinswouldofferasubtleremarkonhowhemissedbeinghomespendingthedaywithhiswifeandfamily.

I never replied to his remarks, but I remem-ber feeling frustrated with him at the time. I was convinced that spending every possiblemomentmeetingpeoplewastherecipeforpo-liticalsuccess.

Weeks later, and upon much reflection, I

TaxpayersFundFiscalInsanityatSMC

MuchattentionhascometoSt.Mary’sCol-lege for building their “yacht club” and boat-house not 25 feet off the St. Mary’s River on wetlands, fill dirt, and on top of what Mr. Miller (historian) said was likely point of first landing atSt.Mary’sCity.However,therealscandalisthe hundreds of millions of dollars (yes, I said millions)fornewconstructionunderPresidentO’Brien’s tenure. The spending reminds meofadrunkensailoronliberty.Onlydifferenceisthesailorhastowaitforhisnextpaycheck.Thecollegeseemstohaveaneverendingsup-plyoffederalandstatetaxpayers’dollars.Theytreat thesegrants,earmarks,etc. like theyareMonopolymoney.No,thedollarsarenotfree.They are tax payers’ dollars and go to fund“gold plated” and grandiose projects when the economyisinadownturnandgovernmentsarerunning deficits. Sadly, many of the dollars for new construction projects at SMC would have been better used to build new schools in ourcommunityandupdateouraginganddeterio-ratingpublicschoolfacilities.

Best estimates are St. Mary’s Collegehas been given roughly $200 to $300 Million for new construction since President O’Brientookover.ThisislikelymoredollarsthanalltheFederalandMarylandtaxdollarsspentonschoolconstructioninallofSt.Mary’sCoun-ty school system (maybe even the tri-countyschool systems). The latest “gold plated” proj-ectatSMCisthenewadministrationbuilding- $25,399,100. Have you heard it is a bureau-cratsbuildingwithnoclassrooms?Thecostisabout $5 million more than the new Evergreen Elementary School in Wildewood that is being built to support 700 students, teachers, class-rooms,adminandathleticfacilities.TheSMCAdmin Building costs 4 to 5 times more than theKingsChristianAcademybuiltinCallawayafewyearsago.

SMC is not subject to overview and spend-ingoftheMarylandBoardofRegentslikeallotherMarylandStateschools (otherexceptionisMorganState).TheexemptionforoversightandcontrolwasgrantedbyGovernorMandelwhen SMC was struggling to gain accredita-tion.St.Mary’sCollegehasthehighesttuitionofanyMarylandStateschool.Agroupofelit-istwealthyandpoliticallyconnectedBoardofTrustees control spending and do not answertotheGovernor.RumorhasittheBoardgavePresident O’Brien a $35,000 pay increase over her base line $400,000 salary that doesn’t in-clude her $100,000 in perks for housing, per-sonal driver and travel expenses. Maybe theTrustees consider her pay raise just a well de-served cost of living adjustment.

MorganStateinBaltimoreistheonlycol-

legeinMarylandgrantedexemptionlikeSMC.RecentlytheBaltimoreSunbrokeabigstoryonascandalinvolvingconstructionfunds.Thein-vestigationintothematterwaschairedbylocaldelegateBohanan.Nothingseemedtocomeofthat investigation. Wonder if they were worry-ingaboutanotherinvestigation???

It is my opinion, (I hear a lot of parents who can’tgettheirchildrenintoSMConafulltimebasis)thatthecollegeisrapidlybecominganin-stitutionforthewealthy,inandoutofstate,andmany who want to major in water sports. My guessistheoutofstate/instateratioofstudentsisrapidlygoingupastheycatertothewealthyandhighSAT’s.AlotofstudentsaredrawntoSMCbecauseoftheSatellitecampusesinCostaRica, Africa, Oxford and Italy. The cost of these satellitecampusesarebornby the taxpayers.St.Mary’sCollegePresidentO’Brien has be-cometheQueenofPork(aka,earmarks/grants).They provide the bacon for stealth projects like the $3 million Bridge over Route 5 built to sat-isfyO’Brien’sdreamliketheoneshesawatanIvy League school. It has been sold as a safety measure for the 4thgraderstouringHistoricSt.Mary’sCityand thecollege. Strangeallpar-ents I’ve talked to say they have ridden the bus fromHistoricSt.Mary’sCityover to thecol-lege. Better yet, all field trips have chaperones sowhynotuseschoolcrossingguardslikeotherschoolsanduse thecolorful tennispaddles tostop the traffic. No, Maggie wants a $3 million dollar overpass (over 30 feet high at the base of thebridge)thatwillfurtherdesecratethebeautyofSt.Mary’sCity.FromonewhogoestotheSt. Mary’s City Post Office daily, I can tell you 50% of the students do not use the crosswalks in existencenowandthelocationoftheboathousehasmadethesituationworse.

Soooo,howmanymorehundredsofmil-lionsofdollarsaregoingtobespentatSt.Mary’sCollegeattheexpenseofouraginganddeterio-ratingSt.Mary’sCountyPublicSchools.Timefor a tax payers “Boston Tea Party”. We need totellourpoliticiansatalllevels(startingwithStenyHoyer,whositsontheSt.Mary’sCollegeBoardofTrusteesanddecideshow the fundsare to be dispensed) Enough is enough! We don’twantourtaxdollarsgoingtofund“goldplated”, frivolous, grandiose and unnecessarybuildingsatSt.Mary’sCollege. Putourhardearnedtaxpayers’dollarstobuild,remodelandupgradeouragingPublicschoolsystemsherein Southern Maryland. It is the right thing to do in an area we all love so much!

DonaldBeckSt.Mary’sCityResidentSt.Mary’sCounty,MD

now understand what Collins knew instinc-tively. Every man, regardless of his lot in life,mustalwaysremainfocusedonhislife’spriorities. Our Congress is full of men andwomenwithambitionsandschemestorunourlives, yet fail time and again to successfullyruntheirown.

CollinsBailey’sdevotiontohisfaith,andtohiswife,andtohisfamily,isnotonlyashin-ingexampleofwhatissorelyneededfromourCongressmen;itissomethingthatmanyofus

couldlearnfromaswell.I am tormented, however, with thinking

that because ofCollins insistence on puttinghis faith and family first, not enough people of thisgreatdistrictwilleverlearnofthisgreatman. If only there was a way to get the word out about him. If only ...

GaryRumseyLeonardtown, MD

NewArtFromOldTreasures

Since the dawn of civilization, mankindhas plucked from the environment mate-rialneededtosurvive.

The sky brought water and air,the earth brought shelter, the animalsbrought food, animal bones broughttools and weapons, lightening broughtfire and fire brought warmth and light.Themoreatribecouldcreatetheseadap-tations,themorepoweritpossessed.

At one point history, man took hisutilitarian creations and decorated them,painting pictures on his cave dwellingwalls and his crude pottery vessels…andARTbegan.

OurNativeAmericanancestorsunder-stood the sacred qualities inherent in allthingssurrounding.

Theymadeuseofeveryspeckofeveryanimal,mineralorvegetable,ortheyleftituntouchedorsustainable.

We are planning an event to celebrate the ARTIST as Conservationist, the ART-IST as Transformer, the ARTIST and Engi-neer. The ARTIST who sees the inherent qualityindiscardedmaterials…whetheritbefunctionalordecorative(Anemptycokecan f loats? Why not make it a boat?). We are planning a “sustainable” event-to be-comeanannualeventandweareplanningthis event to be a fundraiser for our Per-formingArtistsfriendsattheThreeNotchTheater. Thetirelesseffortsof themem-

bers of the Newtowne Players have beenadmirableover thepast fouryears result-ing in a valuable cultural addition to ourcommunity.Andwhatgroupknowsmoreaboutrecyclingthanthesethespians?

Although the “uniqueness factor”may be a main component in the pricingofART,therecyclingartisthastheoptionofkeepingthepricesaffordableonone-of-a-kindpiecesbecausethecostofsuppliesandmaterialisnominal.

In some cases, the most intricate sec-tionsof theworkhas, inessence,alreadybeen made. It is a matter of de-construc-tionandre-construction.

Oureventwillbeheldatanarchitec-turally award winning home Hollywood,Maryland on Saturday and Sunday, Sep-tember27thand28th from11:00AMuntil6:00PM.

TheNewtownePlayerswillgreetyouin costume. There will be refreshmentsandlivebackgroundmusicsuitabletotheserenewoodedsettingofthehome.Doorprizes will be liberally offered consist-ingofartworkandcomplimentarytheatertickets.

Somarkyourcalendarsandbringyourshoppingbags.

AlthoughConservationisaveryseri-ous subject, this event intends to be a joy-ous,delightfulbanquetoftheheart,mindand soul!

CandyCummingsLocal artist and event coordinator

GovernmentTakesAnotherBiteOutOfYourWallet

Thursday, July 31, 2008 The County Times Section A - �

Ramblings of a Country Girl

More Stray and Random Thoughts

Terri Bartz Bowles

Once again, I had some stray and random thoughts I wanted to share, so today’s column is a sampling of things that have been running through my mind.

I read something disturb-ing in a major metropolitan

newspaper the other day. You may say that any time you pick up a newspaper you’re going to read something disturbing and I would agree with you. But this disturbance didn’t involve the subject of the ar-ticle. The author chose to use this phrase – “and thank god he didn’t” instead of “thank

God he didn’t”. What? When did we stop capitalizing God’s name? Who was the author referring to? My theory is the writer doesn’t believe in God; his manner of writing supports my theory, I think. So if he doesn’t believe in God, why would he even use “thank God” in a sentence?

Or was he trying to make a statement? I don’t know. I do know it bothered me and I fail to see the purpose of his us-age. Maybe I’m behind the times and that’s how large, progressive newspapers now advocate the usage of God’s name. If that’s the case, God help us, indeed.

I read something else disturbing in a major maga-zine. Apparently the Audu-bon Society estimates that approximately seven million wild birds are killed each year due to pesticides used by homeowners for aesthetic reasons. Now, if this is true, does your green grass really mean so much that it’s worth killing song birds? Most avid gardeners resort to chemicals and pesticides at some point; I’ll plead guilty to that myself. But that statistic scared me, so I think maybe it’s time to make more of an effort to go natural and organic. It’s kind of silly, in a way. We use chemicals and pesticides to get pret-tier flowers or whatever but in the process we kill birds and good insects. That’s messed up! I hate aphids, too, but I know there are healthier ways

to control them than spray-ing nasty stuff. Sounds like it’s time to do conduct some research so we can figure out safer options and stop killing the birds unintentionally.

I guess everybody likes to complain to a certain de-gree and Americans are no different than anybody else. We like to complain big and we want big sweeping solu-tions to those complaints. Right now, we’re all com-plaining about the price of gas and diesel fuel, as well we should be. And we want solu-tions and want them now. But it’s a big problem and it’s not going to get solved or change dramatically overnight. In the meantime, there are some things we can all do. Little things, I’ll grant you, but I’m one of those people who be-lieve small actions accumu-late into a large result. If we all did something, it would make a change. If we all did several things, it would make a dramatic change. You don’t notice a change overnight; again, it’s an accumulation kind of thing. So here are a few things that you might give a try. First, make sure

your tires are properly inflat-ed and check them regularly. Second, don’t accelerate like a bat out of you know where. Easy and consistent pres-sure on the accelerator will get you there just as well as stomping on the thing. Next, think about where you need to go and the stops you need to make. If you’re running er-rands, do them in a logical or-der instead of bouncing back and forth and up and down. Also, combine trips and do as much stuff in one trip as you can. Run errands on your way home from work; you’re probably traveling right past the grocery store anyway, so don’t go home and then make a special trip back out. I don’t think any of these are painful to do or will dramatically re-duce anybody’s quality of life. They’re pretty simple, basic and easy. Give it a try and let’s see if we can’t make a bit of a difference, both in our wallets and in our environment.

You can email the Coun-try Girl at [email protected]

In the July 24 publication of the County Times, in an article entitled “Governor’s Meeting With Local Farmers Highlights Agritourism,” Tina Bowles was misquoted as commenting on the tobacco buyout program. The person who offered their comments on the program in the second half of the article was Mary Wood, from the Forrest Hall Farm in Mechanicsville. We apologize for any confusion this may have caused.

Correction to Previous Article

Did you ever wonder what it would’ve been like to grow up with a different family?

If you were an Only, you might have dreamed about the fun you’d have with a houseful of kids to play with. Maybe you even gravitated toward friends with siblings, a little covetous of their raucous households.

If you had siblings, you might’ve wishfully thought about never having to share toys, the bathroom, or Mom. Though you loved them, there were times, perhaps, when you would have happily shipped your brother or sister to another planet, no questions asked.

Undoubtedly, Christopher Ciccone felt like that, especially when his sister was hot-and-cold with him over the years. In the new book “Life with My Sister Madonna” (writ-ten with Wendy Leigh), you’ll read about a star’s peccadilloes, her rise to fame, her demands, and the brother who loves her, always.

Born two years after his big sister, Ciccone says that he and Madonna weren’t close as chil-dren. Motherless at three, he says he has few memories of his early childhood. He does recall, though, that Madonna was their father’s favorite; even after their Dad re-married and there were more additions to the family, Madonna was singled out and treated specially.

Mythology says that Ma-donna went to New York for the first time with $35 in her pocket. True or not, it didn’t take her long to hone in on what she wanted, or to get it. Ciccone says she invited him along for the fame-ride, repeatedly yank-ing away the invitation and then extending it again. Still, he went running when Madonna called, partly because he was awed by her but mostly because he loved her.

Just before her first tour, she asked him to be her dresser.

Later, he decorated her homes, her sets, her clothes, and he pro-tected her, both physically and mentally.

In this book, which takes readers from the beginning through to Madonna’s latest tour, Ciccone has everything to say about his famous sister: her loves (thumbs down to Penn, thumbs up to Beatty, thumbs down to Ritchie) and her friends, both male and female; her passions, ego, tantrums, and embarrassments; the things she really did, that which she only pretended to do, and the truth behind the rumors and their spat.

I was a bit taken back at this book. I was expecting another blah-blah-blah praise-filled star bio. Instead, what’s inside “Life with My Sister Madonna” is a

thoughtful, warts-and-every-thing, not-quite-tell-all from a brother who alternates between adoration, gleeful tattling, out-raged pain, snarkyness, and pouting. While this is definitely a book about Madonna, artist/designer and author Christopher Ciccone also seamlessly in-cludes his own story of life as a gay man living in the shadow of the famous, beloved sister who infuriates him sometimes.

If you have a sibling, you may occasionally find yourself in this book (minus the billion$, of course), but even if you don’t, you’ll enjoy this gossipy, star-studded, behind-and-in-the-scenes book. Not for the whole family, “Life with My Sister Madonna” is still high-living fun to read.

“Life With My Sister Madonna” by Christopher Ciccone (with Wendy Leigh)c.2008, Simon & Schuster $26,00 / $28.99 Canada 343 pages


Sheriff Timothy K. Cam-eron said that, after a recent meeting with the Superinten-dent of Maryland State Police Col. Terrence Sheridan, the agreement between the two agencies that allows the Bu-reau of Criminal Investigations to investigate homicides in St. Mary’s County will likely be

renewed.Cameron said that the 2003

memorandum of understand-ing signed by former Sheriff David Zylak and Superinten-dent Timothy Hutchins that created BCI was not yet signed off on by the new leaders of the respective agencies, which in one local media report put the mission of BCI, particularly when it came to jurisdiction over homicides, in question.

Cameron said that a draft document from the the Mary-land State Police that would have returned homicide in-vestigations to the state police homicide unit if a trooper were the first on the scene was prob-ably not under review by Sher-idan or his staff.

“That draft was written by the Southern Region com-mander,” Cameron said. “I don’t believe that it ever made

Cameron: Agreement Concerning BCI Coming To Resolution

it to [Sheridan] for a review.”Cameron said that in the

interim time that, since the 2003 BCI memorandum had not been refreshed by Sheri-dan’s signature as well as his and that of State’s Attorney Richard Fritz, Fritz asked that sheriff’s deputies be assigned to investigate any homicides.

Cameron said that refresh-ing the agreement between state police and the county over BCI and who has jurisdic-tion over homicide case was a top priority with his adminis-tration and was now likely also a top priority with Sheridan’s command.

“We’ll see what the fi-nal outcome is; I’m confident things will be resolved,” Cam-eron said, who added that BCI, with it’s high success rate de-spite a growing workload, was too valuable to let fade away.

“I wouldn’t let that hap-pen,” Cameron said. “The proof is in the pudding, look at the cases they’re closing.”

Cameron said that in his conversations with Sheridan over the agreement that the state police commander would be more amenable to having state police investigators look into homicides in which a state trooper fired his or her weapon

in the line of duty.“I think he felt better about

them investigating their own shootings,” Cameron said. “If that agency wants to investi-gate their own shootings I have no issue with that.”

Greg Shipley, spokesman for Sheridan, said that the state police superintendent is look-ing at the agreement that sus-tains BCI now.

“That memorandum of understanding is under re-view by the colonel and his command staff,” Shipley said. “They have received it and it’s being reviewed.”

SectionA-� The County Times Thursday,July31,2008

citation)tothechildafterthechildwasfoundfacedowninthebackyardpool.

The child was flown to Children’s Hospital

intheDistrictforfurthertreatmentbutwasde-clareddeadatabout6:57p.m.

Det.WilliamRaddatz,asupervisoryde-tectiveworkingonthecase,saidthatquestionsstillremainaboutthecircumstancessurround-ing the child’s death.

Detectivesstilldonotknowwhythechildwas left in the backyard unattended by thebabysitterorhowmuchtimeelapsedbetween

thechildentering thepoolandwhenhewasfound.

Raddatz said the inflatable pool was about fourfeet tallwithabout three-and-a-halffeetofwater inside; itwasalsouncoveredwithaladderattached.

“Webelievethechildclimbedtheladdertoenter the pool,” Raddatz said. “The babysitter’s husbandsawthebabyandIbelieveaneighbor

called911.”The husband of the babysitter initiated

CPR, Raddatz said, while emergency respond-erscontinuedtheprocedure.

Raddatzsaidthatinvestigatorsarenotre-leasingthenameofthebabysitterandthatthefullinvestigationshouldbecompletedwithinaweek.

DrowningContinued from page A-�

Theprojectwasinitiallyjustaone-storyprojectthatdou-

bledinsize;despitethesizeincreasetheprojectactuallycameinunderbudget,hesaid.

“When we added the second story it didn’t double the cost,” Erichsen told The County Times.

Thecommissionersnewmeeting room ismore spaciousthanthelastone,with103chairscurrentlyinstalledtherefor

citizenstoattendmeetings,Erichsensaid.Multipletelevisionscreens line the walls for easier viewing of the proceedingswhiletwolargeviewscreensrolldownfromtheceilingthatcanbeusedforpresentationstothecommissioners.

Thewallsareotherwisebarefornow,Erichsensaid,butthatwilllikelychange.

“We’ll start rotating art on the walls from local artists,” Er-ichsen said, adding that other,moreminor amenities for thecommissionersexistherethattheydidnothaveintheoldmeet-ingroom.

“We thought, hey the commissioners don’t have a clock, so weboughtthemone,”Erichsensaid,pointingtothedigitalwallclock that was newly installed. “It’s little things like that.”

Gonealsoareanyoperablewindowsinthebuilding,Er-ichsensaid,whichwereaproblemintheoldmeetingbuildingbecausewindowswouldbeopenedwiththermostatssetlow;andemployeeswouldstillbesweating.

Theairconditioninginthenewbuildingisbrisk.Commissioner President Francis “Jack” Russell praised

Blazer Custom Construction of Great Mills for their work.“They used local labor and local supplies to build this

building,”Russellsaid.“Ithinkthisbuildingwillservecitizensofthecountyverywell.”

Commissioner Lawrence D. Jarboe (R-Golden Beach) said the building would help solve the county government’s space needsforthefuture.

“Now this building is probably large enough to fulfill the needs of county government for the next 10 years,” Jarboe said. “Nowthenextchallengewillbenotforthelawabidingcitizensbutthecrooks;andthatwillbebuildingthenewjail.

“Butthestatewillhelpoutwiththat.”Thespacethecommissionersleftbehindwillbetakenup

by the newly formed Office of Human Services, which was re-centlyapprovedbythecommissioners.

The building will also serve as home for the office of the county administrator and county attorney government offices.

Themoveintothenewsitecome30yearsafterthecountymoved into the older building which sits next to the Chesapeake Building.

NewResidenceContinued from page A-�

Capt Spike Long, Aviation Training Systems Program Man-ager (PMA205), has won the 2008 President’s Council on Physical Fit-ness and Sports Community Lead-ership Award. This award is given out annually to no more than fifty individuals who improve the livesof individuals within his/her com-munity by providing or enhancingopportunities to engage in sports,physical activities, or fitness-related programs. The word “community”may refer to a State, organization, sportsleagueorteam,business,city,orcommunity-basedgroup.

“Capt Long really cares about his people and their wellbeing,’ said Sunny Even, Aviation Training Sys-tems Deputy Program Manager. “He lets everyone in the program office know that their health and welfareare important to him. He does not just talk about fitness; his actions demonstratehiscommitmenttotheirhealth,andthisawardacknowledgesthat.”

“We have two fitness periods eachweek,usuallylastingaboutonehour on Friday morning and Monday afternoon,” said Cdr. Mike Prevost, who manages PMA205’s Health

Promotion Program. “We have vol-unteercoachestohelpsetupgroupsthatwanttorun,swim,ridebikesorlift weights. This fitness time is open to everyone in the program office, military, government civilians andcontractors (as permitted by their companies).

“After they finish their chosen activity, theycleanupandcome towork,” added Prevost. “This fitness programisasuccessbecauseithelpswhen the boss says it’s OK to take timeforyourself.”

PMA205’s Health Promotion Program sponsors awareness, edu-cation and motivational activitiesto maintain or improve employeehealth. Subjects range across nutri-tion,injuryprevention,tobaccouse,and exercise physiology. Program policy is derived from guidance inOPNAVINST 6110.1H and the Civil-ian Human Resources Manual, Sub-chapter 792.4, which allow duty time forparticipationincommand-spon-sored health promotion activities. “We have healthy food snack sta-tions around the office where we can get organic fruits and vegetables,granola bars and other items,” saidPrevost. “A fitness library is set up to

encouragedpeople tobringin theirarticles, magazines, books, etc., toshare with the rest of the office. The ideaistogetpeopletothinkpositive-lyabouttheirhealthonadailybasis.Manyhavefoundoncetheycommitto twice a week, they’re motivated to find time to get out there three and fourandmoretimesaweek.”

This program has hada number of success storiesand here are a few of them: “I can’t tell you how many times I’d receivedanarticle,tip,orhintfromCdr. Prevost that I was able to work intomyownexerciseroutinetoim-prove my health and fitness,” said Ross Wilhelm, now with Command-er, Naval Air Forces. “He gave me somegreattipswhiletrainingformysecondmarathonwhichallowedmeto finish the race feeling much better -andalmost15minutesfaster-thanmy first marathon (which I’d run ten yearsearlier!)”

“The most fun event I partici-pated in during my time at NAVAIR was a race called the “Cutthroat Classic.” The race follows the Pacific Crest Trail for 11 miles across the Cutthroat Pass in the Washington Cascades,” added Wilhelm. “It fea-

tures a climb of 1,970 feet (from ap-proximately5,000feetto7,000feet)over the first five miles of the race. I gotsomehighaltitudeandhilltrain-ing ideas that made the race a loteasierforme.”

“Thisprogramcamealongattheright time. One of my friend’s goals inlifewastoswimtheBayBridgecrossing, that long 4.4 mile expanse thatpeoplefeardrivingovertogettothebeach.ThelasttimeIdidthiswasnineyearsagoandIrememberhowawful it was,” said Mindy Johnson, Deputy Program Manager, Mari-time and Unmanned Systems Train-ing Systems. “So with the benefit of the Captain’s exercise program and some self motivation (fear), I began trainingfortheswimanditworked.I completed the swim on June 8. It wasstillawfulbutIdohavethebrag-gingrightstosaythatIcompleteditintwohours13minutesandIplaced230th out of 640 swimmers.”

“Over the past few years inPMA205, healthy living was not an option.Ihavebeenavegetarianforyears but I also chose eating carbsto get that quick fill while on the go. Their was always action items,deadlines, travel, reviews, reports

and then you leave your 11hour work day, commute foran hour, try to spend qualitytimewithfamilythatincludeda quick dinner, homework,bath,storytimeandthenbed.IknewIwasatthepointinmylife where due to my size, itwas time to change. I had allthe excuses not to exercise,”said Hilton Thom, lead systems

engineerforbombsnowworkinginPrecision Strike Weapons, PMA201. “When Capt. Long introduced and championed a healthier lifestyleprogram within the office and en-couraged exercise every Friday and ahealthysnackstation,Ihadnoex-cusetobuttogetonthebandwag-on. A healthy lifestyle in the office coupled with a healthy life style athomewastheturningpoint,”addedThom. “Thanks to Cdr. Prevost for hiswealthofexerciseadvice,thingshavechangedforme.Iadoptedanewphilosophyof“eattolive”not“livetoeat”.Withtheadoptionofthislife-style,mywifelost137poundsandIhave lost 140 pounds. We both ran two 5K races and plan to run two morebeforeNovember.Igivethanksto all my co-workers in PMA205 for their support and encouragement.” “Mostofusarejusthappytobeoutwalking and running and bikingagain after too many years ignor-ing our health,” said Even. “I’m not going to be running any races thisweek,butIcanhandledistancesandelevations I couldn’t a year ago. The bestpartisknowingthisisjustthestart.”

Capt.SpikeLongWins2008PresidentialCommunityLeadershipAwardNaval Air Systems Command Press Release

AndreaShiellStaffWriter

Talking with Linda Faul-stich,itiseasytorecognizethegriefin her voice. Though her son, Army Specialist Raymond Joseph Faul-stich,waskilled inIraqfouryearsago (he was the first from St. Mary’s County to die in the Iraq War), the losshasneverreallysunkinforher.“You try to deal with it, but youneverreallygetusedtoit,”shesaid,smilingsadly.

Last month the Faulstich familyhadachancetomemorializetheir son’s contributions by attend-ing the dedication ceremony for abuildingnamedafterhim.Thebar-

racks and administration buildingat Fort Eustis in Virginia, which has been refurbished to the tune of $2.8 million, will house about 20 injured veterans and offices for those as-signedtohelp thesoldiersrecover.Itwasreopenedduringaspecialrib-bon-cuttingceremonylastmonth.

Faulstich Hall will house sol-diers from the Fort Eustis’ Warrior Transition Unit, which was acti-vated in December 2007 as part of the Army Medical Action Plan, af-terproblemswith theWalterReedArmy Medical Center made nation-alheadlines.

“He was 22, almost 23 when he went into the service,” said Linda. “I don’t even think he knew about

thewar…hewantedtojointheser-vice to improve his life, but I don’t think he’d even thought about the war.”

In June 2004, Raymond de-ployed from For Eustis to Iraq with the 89th Transportation Company, 6th Transportation Battalion, 7thSustainment Brigade. He had been serving as a Humvee Gunner, as wellastrainingtobeadriver.

In August 2004, during his first drivingstint,Raymondwaspartofa 12-truck convoy, delivering medi-calsuppliesneartheholycityofNa-jaf. He was struck by small arms fire and shrapnel, but he managed to drivehispassengerstosafetybeforehe died, earning the Purple Heart

and the Bronze Star Medal for val-or. Among the family members left behind was his young wife, Crystal Dawn Falustich, who Linda said he waslookingforwardtoseeingdur-inghisscheduledleave,whichwasonlytwoweeksaway.

Linda says that the building in Virginia is a fitting honor for her son,butshewouldhavelikedtoseehim recognized closer to home. She expresseddisappointmentthatmili-taryservicemenandwomenwerenot considered when the Board ofEducation solicited names for thecounty’s newest elementary school in 2005. “They solicited nomina-tions, but I don’t think they had any intentionsofnaming it afterahuman being,” she said. “And my son’s just one of many who has died forhiscountry…justthefactthatifyou’re in the military you can’t even be nominated, that’s what I think is wrong.”

At the time Evergreen Elemen-tary School was named, the com-mittee, which was co-chaired byKim Howe and Jennifer Johnson,

saidthat thefactorsthecommitteeconsideredweretheabilitytointe-gratethenamewiththeschoolcur-riculum,aswellasitsrelevancetoenvironmentally friendly buildingdesigns.

Four years after Raymond’s death, Linda says that she has noth-ing special planned for the anni-versary,butshehasjoinedagroupcalled the American Gold Star Mothers,anorganizationformoth-ers who have lost children in thisor any previous war that providesmembers with emotional support.Members also send care packagesandletterstomenandwomenserv-ing in Iraq and Afghanistan.

As for August 5th, theanniver-sary of Raymond’s death, Linda saysthatsheandherfamilymem-bers will lay low. “I’m just prob-ably going to spend the day beingdepressed…it’s really hard for us, we’ll just put flowers on the grave…people think you’re supposed to be over it, but you don’t ever get over it, youjustlearntolivewithit.”

LocalSoldierHasBuildingNamedAfterHiminVirginiaFamily Member Reflects on Loss Four Years Later

Thursday, July 31, 2008 The County Times Section A - �

ObituariesSylvester F. “Sonny”

Adams

Sylves-ter F. “Son-ny” Adams, of Palm Bay, Fla., formerly of Mechanics-ville, final-ly lost his long battle with diabetes and was called to God’s loving domain July 23.

He was born Oct. 23, 1928 in Baltimore, Md. and then continued his life’s journey in Maryland and Florida.

He graduated from Mar-garet Brent High School and attended the University of Maryland and Catholic University of America. He served in the U.S. Military and Naval Aviation as a flight engineer in World War II and the Korean War, and then joined IBM as a cus-tomer engineer, from which he retired as a manager after 31 years of service.

He managed IBM high security service operations in and around Washington, D.C. as well as in Bermuda, Panama, Okinawa, South Korea and South Vietnam. He also owned and operated AEI Locksmith, Inc. for 30 years, which installed and serviced alarms, locks and safes in the Maryland, Vir-ginia and Washington, D.C. area.

He was also a member of the Mechanicsville Vol-unteer Fire Department and was instrumental in starting the cadet program, a member and officer of the Margaret Brent High School Alumni Association and also set up the Margaret Brent Alumni Association Scholarship program and was a board member for the Hope Swann Teacher of the Year Award.

He was also a member of the American Legion, V.F.W., Moose, Navy League, Lock-smith Association of the Dis-trict of Columbia; two Bar-bershop Chapters, Southern Maryland Sound and Harbor City Harmonizers and Capi-tal Area Bluegrass Old Time Music Association (CABO-MA) and was editor of their newspaper.

He was a member of the Catholic Church and was involved with many church ministries, including fund-raisers, CYO activities, etc.

He also played the gui-tar, banjo and mandolin and played with many pickup groups and bands. His love of music encouraged his danc-ing prowess and enabled him and his wife to win awards in the Swing and Cha-Cha categories.

He enjoyed the water and his three and four day cruises and fishing trips on his yacht. Sonny is survived by his wife of 57 years, Al-ice Ann (Swann) Adams of Palm Bay, Fla., formerly of Maddox, Md., a daughter, Donna Adams Thurman of Crestview, Fla., a grand-son, Bryan P. Thurman of Crestview, Fla., a sister and brother-in-law, Mary Evelyn and Eddie Wood of Mechan-icsville, and a sister-in-law, Catherine “Kitty” Swann of Bushwood. He was preced-ed in death by his parents, Sylvester and Julia Adams, one younger brother, James “Jimmie” Adams and a son-in-law, Paul Thurman.

The family received friends Wednesday, July 30 from 5 – 8 p.m. in the Mat-tingley-Gardiner Funeral Home, Leonardtown, where prayers were said at 7 p.m. A Mass of Christian Burial will be celebrated Thursday, July 31 at 10 a.m. in Sacred Heart Catholic Church, Bushwood, with Fr. Francis Early offici-ating. Interment will follow in the church cemetery. Pall-bearers will be Bryan Thur-man, Jodie Wood, Buddy Adams, Taylor Wood, Mark Adams and Wesley Pav-

licek. Honorary pallbearers will be Elmer Wolfrey, Bud Tillman, Eddie Wood, Bo Bailey, Billy Buckley and Frankie McCauley.

Contributions may be made to VITAS Innova-tive Hospice Care of Bre-vard County, 4450 West Eau Gallie Boulevard, Ste. 280, Melbourne, FL 32934 and/or Mechanicsville Volun-teer Fire Department, P.O. Box 37, Mechanicsville, MD 20659.

Arrangements provided by Mattingley-Gardiner Fu-neral Home, P.A.

Erma Sophia Denton, 81

E r m a S o p h i a Denton, 81, of Dameron died July 21 in her residence.

B o r n Nov. 21, 1926 in Co-play, Pa., she was the daughter of the late Charles Devetz and Vik-toria (Barczy) Devetz.

Erma is survived by her husband, William Hope Den-ton; children, Carole Jeanne Denton of Falls Church, Va. and David Scott Denton of Tempe, Ariz., grandson, Ja-cob William Denton, and sister Henen Gulka of Phila-delphia, Pa.

Family received friends for Erma’s Life Celebration Monday, July 28 from 5 – 6 p.m. in the Brinsfield Funeral Home, Leonardtown. A Fu-neral Service was conducted at 7 p.m. with Pastor Rod-ney E. Spade of the SAYSF Bible Church conducting the service. Interment will be Friday, Aug. 1 at 11 a.m. in the Maryland Veterans Cem-etery, Cheltenham, Md.

Memorial Contribu-tions may be made to the St. Mary’s Animal Welfare League, P.O. Box 1232, Leonardtown, MD 20650.

Condolences to the fam-ily may be made at www.brinsfieldfuneral.com.

Arrangements by the Brinsfield Funeral Home, P.A., Leonardtown.

Meredith Wood “Reb” Fowkes, 68

M e r -edith Wood “ R e b ” Fowkes, 68, of Dameron died July 20 in Washing-ton Hospi-tal Center, Wa s h i n g -ton, D.C.

Born March 3, 1940 in Pittsburgh, Pa., he was the son of the late Merle Fowkes and Magie (Olah) Fowkes.

Reb is survived by his sons; Daniel H. Fowkes of Lexington Park, David M. Fowkes of Naples, Fla., and Daryl Fowkes of Dameron; his former spouse Mary Ellen (Seddon) Fowkes of Lexington Park and four grandchildren.

In addition to his parents, he was preceded in death by his brother, Merle Fowkes.

Reb graduated from South Hills High School in Pittsburgh, Pa. in 1957. He served in the U.S. Navy from 1957 until 1981. He served 24 years as an Avia-tion Electronics Technician and In-flight Communicator/Technician. After his service in the U.S. Navy, he was em-ployed by Dynalectron from 1981 until 1982, and Tracor Applied Sciences, Inc. from 1982 until 1992, where he was assigned to the Naval Communications Direc-torate, Life Cycle Support Department, as a Logistics Branch Manager. He was also employed by Quality Automotive as an automo-tive technician/mechanic.

Relatives and friends at-tended Reb’s Life Celebra-tion in the Brinsfield Funeral Home, Leonardtown, Thurs-

day, July 24 from 5 – 8 p.m. A graveside service with military honors was held Saturday, July 26 at 11 a.m. in Mt. Lebanon Cemetery, Pittsburgh, Pa.

Memorial contributions may be made to the Ameri-can Diabetes Association, Washington DC-MD Off-fice, 1025 Connecticut Ave. NW, Suite 1005, Washing-ton, DC 20036-4104.



James Thomas “Cheese-burger” Jones, 3�

J a m e s T h o m a s “ C h e e s e -b u r g e r ” Jones, 37, of Waldorf, Md. died July 24, 2008 in his residence.

B o r n June 22, 1971 in Cheverly, Md. he was the son of San-dra V. Jones of Waldorf, Md. and the late James L. Jones.

He is also survived by his brother Tommy Houston of Port Republic, Md.

Mr. Jones graduated from McDonough High School, “Class of 1989” and was an avid drag racer and bowler.

The family received friends in the Mattingley-Gardiner Funeral Home Monday, July 28, from 5 – 8 p.m. with prayers said at 7p.m. A funeral service was held in the funeral home chapel Tuesday, July 29 at 10 a.m. with Rev. Paul Good-win officiating. Interment followed in Charles Memo-rial Gardens, Leonardtown. Pallbearers were Chris Hall, Joseph Wood, Jr., Jesse Pritchett, Joseph Pritchett, John Semiklose, Donny Ur-ban, Steve Witherow, Matt Kerzic and George Jenifer. Honorary Pallbearers were Chris Wilkinson, Robby Parlett, Jake Milstead, Wes-ley Washington, James Wit-ter and Vernon Witter.

Arrangements provided by the Mattingley-Gardiner Funeral Home, P.A.

Michael Craig Lacey, Jr., 2

M i -chael Craig Lacey, Jr., 2 of Abell, MD died July 24 in the Chil-dren’s Hos-pital Cen-ter, Wash-ington, D.C.

Born April 5, 2006 in Baltimore, Md., he was the son of Michael Craig Lacey, Sr. and Brittany Jean Shelton of Abell.

Michael was a vibrant and energetic child who was full of life and love. Some of his favorite things were monster trucks, playing with anything that had wheels, and of course causing mis-chief with his brother. His smile and laughter would light up a room and every-one in it. He will truly be missed.

In addition to his par-ents, Michael is survived by his twin brother, Keith Devin, grandparents, Leroy and Laura Lacey of Abell, Sherri Renfro of Ocoee, Fla., great grandparents, Da-vid and Phyllis Watters of Mechanicsville, Betty Burch of Hollywood, Robert and Dickie Lacey of Abell, many aunts and uncles including Leroy and Mindy Lacey, Michael Gardner II, Sammy and Brandy Wathen, Nicole Lacey, Timmy Kendrick, Ronald and Jolene Ridgell, Scott and Angela Dorsey, William and Jennah Wat-ters, and many more family members and friends.

Family received friends for Michael’s Life Celebra-tion Tuesday, July 29 from 5 – 8 p.m. in the Brinsfield Funeral Home, Leonard-town. Prayers were recited at 7 p.m. A Funeral Service was conducted Wednesday, July 30 at 10 a.m. in the funeral home chapel with Reverend John S. Mattingly, pastor of St. Francis Xavier Catholic Church, officiating. Interment followed in the Charles Memorial Gardens, Leonardtown.

Memorial contributions may be made to the Michael C. Lacey, Jr. Memorial Fund, c/o Cedar Point Federal Credit Union, 22745 Maple Road, Lexington Park, MD 20653 or the Michael C. Lacey, Jr. Memorial Fund, PNC Bank, 37650 Oak Sta-tion Road, Charlotte Hall, MD 20622.



Mary Helene Las-chalt,�4

M a r y Helene Las-chalt, 74, of Kings Mountain, N.C., for-merly of Loveville, died in S h e l b y , N.C. in the Wendover Hospice Center Sunday, July 27, following a courageous battle with Al-zheimers and Cancer.

She was born Jan. 22, 1934, in Hollywood, to the late Aubrey and Mary Fran-ces Alvey Graves. She was united in marriage to the late Bernard Laschalt in Loveville, Oct. 14, 1950.

Mrs. Laschalt was a kind person that always took care of others. Even when she was sick, she was worried about everyone else. Before her illness, she was a member of the St. Joseph’s Catholic Church. She loved to dance, sing, play bingo, read, and play with her grandkids.

Helene is survived by her two sisters, Audrey Higgs, and Marie Readmond of Hollywood; a grandson, Craig Scott of Loveville; two granddaughters, Lisa and husband Roger Simms of Loveville and Frances and husband Ray Owenbey, Jr. of Kings Mountain, N.C.; three great grandchildren Jacob, Juliet, and Jonathon Owen-bey. She was loved dearly by nieces, nephews, other rela-tives and many friends.

In addition to her par-ents and husband, she was preceded in death by two sons, Charles Bernard Las-chalt and James Francis Las-chalt and a sister Margaret Goldsborough.

Family and friends were received for Mary’s Life Cel-ebration Wednesday, July 30 from 5 – 8 p.m. with prayers offered at 7 p.m. in the Brins-field Funeral Home, Leonar-dtown. A Mass of Christian Burial will be offered Thurs-day, July 31 at 10 a.m. in St. Joseph’s Catholic Church, 29119 Point Lookout Road, Morganza. Reverend Keith Woods, pastor of the church, will be the celebrant. In-terment will follow in the church cemetery.

Pallbearers will be Timmy Readmond, Georgie Hall, Wesley Hall, Stevie Hill and Ray Owenbey.



Paul Curtis Leibe, 60

Paul Curtis Leibe, 60, of Lexington Park, and former-ly of Greenbelt, Md., died July 23 in his residence.

He was born Aug. 4,

1947 in Washington, D.C. to the late Heinz and Margaret Liebe.

He was the loving hus-band of Susan Liebe, whom he married Sept. 16, 1989 in St. Andres Episcopal Church in Lexington Park.

He is survived by his sisters Lisa Gemmill of Mechanicsville, Va., Lynne Hopkins of Nixa, Mo. as well as his nieces and nephews, Jessie Reynolds of Ft. Drum, N.Y., Brandy Reynolds of St. Louis, Mo. and Ashley Reynolds and Tyler Kuhns, both of Nixa, Mo.

He was a graduate of High Point High School “Class of 1965” and was a resident of St Mary’s County for 25 years.

Paul served in the U.S. Navy from 1964-1970. Dur-ing that time, he served on two aircraft carriers, USS America and USS Lake Champlain. He served as Interior Communications Technician. He attained the rank of Second Class Pet-ty Officer, was aboard the America for the USS Liberty attack during the Six Days War and also earned the Na-tional Defense Ribbon.

He was employed as a photojournalist with The Enterprise Newspaper and a radio D.J. for the Oldies Sta-tion, WNAV & XTRA 104.

He belonged to the USS America Association, All American Harley Owners Group (H.O.G.) and was an associate member of the Hollywood Volunteer Fire Department and a former member of the Greenbelt Fire Department.

Paul was skilled with many woodworking tools and had his own lathe and turning tools. He enjoyed camping with his wife and friends and rode his mo-torcycle whenever he had a chance. He never met a stranger; when Paul walked into a room, he was your friend. He loved his job as a photojournalist for the En-terprise Newspaper, as pho-tography was his passion. As a small boy, he would accompany his grandfather to the Kodak film center and learned to cut and process film.

The family will receive friends Saturday, Aug. 2 from 9 – 10 a.m. in the Mat-tingley-Gardiner Funeral Home, Leonardtown, where a Memorial Service will be held at 10 a.m. with Fr. Joe Dobson and Rev. Lisa Gem-mill officiating.

Interment will be private.

Contributions may be made to Lexington Park Vol-unteer Rescue Squad, P.O. Box 339, Lexington Park, MD 20653.


Edna Marie McConnell, 86

Edna Marie McConnell, 86, of Leonardtown died July 20 in Bayside Nursing Center, Lexington Park.

Born Aug. 4, 1921 in Reynoldsville, Pa., she was the daughter of the late Hen-ry Ray Corbin and Ida Alice (McDowell) Corbin.

Edna is survived by her children, Henry A. McCon-nell of Lexington Park, Gary W. McConnell of Florence, S.C., Mary M. Smith of Kingston, Mich., Ida B. Mill-er of Rustburg, Va., Frank E. McConnell of Piney Point, and Carolyn S. Williams of Lexington Park; 11 grand-children, 20 great-grandchil-dren, and brother, Stanley Corbin of Hershey, Pa.

In addition to her par-ents, Edna was preceded in death by her husband, Charles Arthur McConnell whom she married Aug. 9, 1940.

A Memorial Service was held Wednesday, July 23 at 5 p.m. in the Callaway Congre-gation of Jehovah Witness.



James Scott “Jim” Van Patten, �8

J a m e s Scott “Jim” Van Pat-ten, 78, of Lexington Park, and formerly of California, died July 19, in George-town Uni-versity Hospital.

He was born April 12, 1930 in Grafton, Neb. to the late Charles Gilbert and Nel-lie Irene Foltz Van Patten.

He was the loving hus-band of the late Cassie Nell Sellers, who preceded him in death July 16, 1989.

He is survived by his children, Bertie Irene Davis of Great Mills, David S. Van Patten of Winston Salem, N.C. and Connie L. Van Pat-ten of Lexington Park; sis-ters Nellie May Graber of Los Alamitos, Calif., Betty Jean Clark of Geneva, Neb. and brothers William Rob-ert Van Patten of Rancho Palos Verdes, Calif. and John Blaine Van Patten of York, Neb.; as well as five grandchildren and seven great-grandchildren.

James served in the U.S. Navy for 20 years.

All services are private. Arrangements provided

by the Mattingley-Gardiner Funeral Home, P.A.

Mary Rose “Rose Ann” Pinkney, �1

M a r y Rose “Rose A n n ” P i n k n e y , 71, of Me-c h a n i c s -ville passed away Sat-urday, July 26 in Wash-ington Hos-pital Center.

Born May 11, 1937 in Bushwood, she was the daughter of the late, Robert Scriber and Rose Thomas Young.

Mrs. Pinkney was a life-long resident of St. Mary’s County. She had been em-ployed at St. Mary’s Hospital and retired from St. Mary’s Nursing Home after many years of service. She was preceded in death in1986 by her husband, Joseph C. Pinkney whom she married July 22, 1978.

She is survived by her daughters, Patricia Thomas of Forestville, Md., Rita Thomas of Upper Marlboro, Md., Mary Thomas of Dis-trict Heights, M. and Agnes Thomas of Dover, Del., one brother, William “Billy” Young of Budds Creek, and one son-in-law Robert Thomas. She is also survived by two grandsons, Virgil Benn and Christopher Cobb, one great-granddaughter, Kimani Benn, a host of niec-es, nephews, other relatives and friends.

In addition to her par-ents, Mrs. Pinkney was preceded in death by her sister, Elizabeth Johnson and brothers, James Young, John Young, George Young, Joseph Young and Francis Thomas.

The family will receive friends Friday, Aug. 1 from 9 – 10 a.m. in St. Joseph’s Catholic Church, Morganza, where a Mass of Christian Burial will be celebrated at 10 a.m. with Fr. Keith Woods officiating. Interment will follow in Charles Memorial Gardens, Leonardtown.


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atingfromJuly14toAug.8,whereinchildrenfromTitleOneSchoolsinSt.Mary’sCountyparticipateinwhatamountstoanothermonthofregularclasses.

“We follow a regular school day sched-ule,” saidLeadTeacherBetsyGay,whohasbeen part of the program since it was first implemented five years ago. “It’s to transition thekidsfromthesummerbreaktotheregularschoolyear.”

StudentsatLexingtonPark,GreenHolly,and George Washington Carver Elementary Schools attend learning blocks of languagearts, math, science, and enrichment activi-tiesfrom8a.m.–2:45p.m.MondaythroughFriday, and are provided with breakfast and lunch.

Gaysaidthecriteriausedtoselectstudentsfor the program varies, but students are chosen byteachersandguidancecounselors.

“Children are invited, but they don’t have

tocome,”Gaysaid,explainingthateachschoolaims at having 100 students participate each summer,andmanygoontotheirnextyearofregular classes better prepared. “I think we’re reallyhelpingthem.”

Each school has a staff of 10 teachers, two per grade level, teaching classes containing no more than 10 students, and other regulars like a school nurse and a program overseer.

“The students are very happy to come here,” Gay said. “They receive individual at-tention and lots of hands-on activities…we’re actuallypreparingthemforthenextgrade.”

Gaysaidattendanceisaprimaryfocusoftheprogram.

“We emphasize attendance, because thatisthekeytoacademicsuccess,”shesaid,add-ing that studentswithperfect attendance aregiven rewards at the end of the program.

Asthedaywindsdown,theteacherscloseuptheirnotebooks,thechildrenpackuptheirmaterials,andforafewminutes,thehallsbuzzwith a flurry of backpacks and pattering feet

In many other schools, the halls are quiet thistimeofyear,butasGayhaspointedout,thesehallsarestillbuzzing.

HeadStartContinued from page A-�

He stares towards home, towards theSouth.

Membersofthegroupthatcommissionedthestatue,aswellasputinlonghourstobuildtheparksurroundingitwithsomecontractorhelp,sayit’sbeenalongtimeincoming.

“We feel like it’s giving them their due,” saidJimDunbar,ofLaPlata,amemberofthePointLookoutPrisonersofWarorganizationthathadthemonumentbuilt.

“It’s sort of like a crowning touch; it’ll be quite impressive.”

ThestatuewasfashionedbyGaryCasteelofLexington,Va.whohasbeencommissionedto build similar statues to commemorate Civil War battles including one of General JamesLongstreet at Gettysburg National MilitaryPark.

“I love the history [of the Civil War] and puttingtogetherastatuethattellsastory,andthisoneatPointLookoutcertainlytellsasto-ry,”Casteelsaid.

ThewholeconceptofwhathascometobeknownastheConfederateMemorialParkwasborn out of a conflict with the federal govern-ment, which barred the flying of the Confeder-ate battle flag in 1998 at the mass grave where prisoners who died at the prison camp wereburied.

Thememorial park sits right next to thefederal site; only a small patch of woods sepa-ratesthemonPointLookoutRoad.

Whilethemonumentpark’sbirthwasfol-lowed with some controversy, Dunbar said, the monument was designed to help educate visi-torsabout theConfederacyand toalsohigh-light thecontributionsofAfricanAmericanswhofoughtfortheSouthandwereimprisonedatthecamp.

“We’re trying to give a part of history that’s been overlooked of black contributions to the Civil War,” Dunbar said.

One such black veteran was Joe Yerby, a cookwhodiedattheprisoncamp.

There are three other black veterans hon-oredatthememorialaswell,Dunbarsaidin-

cludingRichard“Dick”Poplarwhowascap-tured while fighting as a member of the 13thVirginia Cavalry.

John Stober, a local defense contractoremployeeandmemberoftheSonsofConfed-erateVeterans,saidhisfamilyconnectionstotheprisoncampandthosewhodiedtherearedeep.

“I’ve got at least five ancestors there and one of them died,” Stober told The CountyTimes.

Theonewhodied,Stober said,wasRu-fusBowden,asoldierwithCo.“G”ofthe47thNorth Carolina Infantry Regiment.

“He could have gotten pardoned by sign-ing an oath of allegiance [to the Union] but he didn’t,”Stobersaidofhisdecendentwhore-portedly died from chronic dysentery. “Thattakes a lot of conviction.”

The Point Lookout Prisoners of War or-ganization disputes the federal government’s numberof justhowmanypeoplediedat theprisoncamp.

The government claims about 3,500 to 4,000 died there, while the organization claims the number was closer to 14,000.

Stobersaidthathestoodinaweofwhathisdistant relatives endured at the prison camp, disease, foul weather, little food and poormedicalcare.

“Everything was taken from them,” Sto-ber said. “It kind of makes me feel insignifi-cant versus what they endured.”

Visitors to the monument will even be able to view it at night time as the statue of the loneConfederatestatuewillbeilluminatedbyground lights.Flags representingeachof thestatesthatfoughtfortheConfederacywillalsofly surrounding the monument.

“To have the presence of a Confederate flag, that’s all people are asking for,” Stober said. “Nobody’s shoving it in people’s faces, but being remembered by a descendent you’ve never met, that says something.”

ConfederateMonumentContinued from page A-�

Jim Dunbar, of the Point Lookout Prisoners of War association, sculptor Gary Casteel and Robert Long, com-mander of the local Sons of Confederate Veterans camp adjust a bronze statue of a Confederate prisoner onto its new resting place located at Confederate Memorial Park in Point Lookout.


The first project willis estimated to cost $16million and the commis-sioners gave their approv-altothehospital’splantoborrow thatamount fromthe Maryland Health andHigher Educational Fa-cilitiesAuthority.

For the second proj-ect, which is estimatedtocostabout$75million,the board gave “concep-tual approval” to proceed with a bond issuance tocover the tower project.

County officials saidthat, once the commis-sioners approve the full proposal, some or all ofthecommissionerswouldgo to Wall Street earlynext year to borrow themoneyusingthecounty’sAAbondrating.

ChristineWray,presi-dent and CEO of the hos-pital said that the towerprojectbondswouldbefora 30-year period, which would serve to reduce the debt service the hospital would have to pay each yearonthebonds.

The expansion proj-ects, which should becompleted by 2012 in time for the hospital’s centen-nial celebration, Wraysaid, were necessary tokeep up with increasesin population and patient

needs.According to hospital

projections there will beabout 73,000 emergency visits a year to the hos-pital in 2016, currently there are about 46,000 projectedforthisyear.

Inpatient and newborn admissions are expectedto grow from about 8,800 this year to 14,096 a year by 2016.

“Admissions to thehospital for those five years [2000 to 2005] have grown 30 percent and in seven years they’ve grown just under 60 percent,” Wray told thecommissioners.

The increase in debtto the hospital will beconsiderable, accordingto hospital presentationfigures, but Wray saidthat the debt would bemanageable.

Withtheannexprojectbuild out by 2009 the debt would increase to $39.1 million from its currentamountof$26million.

In 2010, with the tow-er project underway, thedebt would increase to$112.3 million descend-ing gradually out to 2016 at $91.4 million.

C o m m i s s i o n e r sagreed unanimously tosupportbothprojects,de-

spitethecost.“Regardless of how

the economy there areservices that have to be there,” saidCommission-er Lawrence D. Jarboe(R-Golden Beach). “Thehospital is a long termgood investment.”

John Savich, county administrator, said thatmoving quickly on the projectswouldmeancon-trollingconstructioncostssooner.

“It would not be less expensive if we wait or do it piecemeal,” Savich said.

Other expansion andrenovation projects con-tinue at the hospitalwithtwonewoperatingroomsin the works. One is setto go online next week,Wraysaid.

Another project un-derway is a third f loorbuild-out that will addanother 15 beds to thehospital.

There are a total of125 beds at the hospitalcurrently, but the admin-istration there hopes toexpand that number to159 to meet needs project-edby thestate.Also thehospitalwantstoincreasethenumberoftheiremer-gency bays from 30 to 53.

HospitalExpansionContinued from page A-�

Thursday, July 31, 2008 • St. Mary’s County

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