Thursday, May 29, 2008 • St. Mary’s County

Thursday, May 29, 2008 • St. Mary’s County, Maryland

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By Guy LeonardStaff Writer

A man convicted of multiple counts last week in Circuit Court, in-cluding second-degree assault, first-degree burglary and stalking his for-mer girlfriend, could face more than 50 years in prison if sentenced to the maximum time allowed by law.

Assistant State’s Attorney Dan-iel J. White, who prosecuted the case, said Carrington Raphael Cart-er, 35, of Lexington Park carried out a pattern of abuse against Alice Lynn Wolinski that lasted nearly

Man Convicted Of Assaulting Former Girlfriend


Sean Thomas Gibson, 18, who police believe was responsible for the car crash that killed his longtime friend and Chopticon High School classmate Ethan Chewning will not face manslaughter charges accord-ing to the prosecutor who investi-gated the tragic case.

Assistant State’s Attorney Robyn Riddle said the decision not to prosecute Gibson for any offenses that would result in jail time came after a lengthy investigation, includ-ing talking to Chewning’s surviving family.

“There will be no manslaughter charges,” Riddle told The County Times last week. “They feel [Gibson] is suffering greatly already, because they were best friends.

“They did not prefer that he be charged with any offenses [that car-ried the penalty of incarceration.”

Riddle said the family’s wishes did not decide the outcome of their investigation, but they were in ac-cord with the state’s attorney’s office findings.

“They are an exceptionally com-passionate family,” Riddle said of Chewning’s relatives.

The accident occurred last April when Gibson was driving a 1998 Dodge Neon westbound on Sunny-side Road near the intersection with Colton’s Point Road when he lost control of the vehicle after failing to make a turn.

The car collided head on with a 2000 Pontiac Grand Am after crossing over the center lines of the

Gibson Won’t Face Charges For Friend’s Death In Car Crash


The St. Mary’s County Board of County Commissioners passed a $337 mil-lion operating budget with no increase in the tax rates for fiscal 2009, but an increase in the real property assessments this year means that property owners will still be paying an estimated $14.5 million more in tax revenues, according to county budget figures.

The rise in revenues translates into a 20.5 percent increase in the property

tax collected, from $70.9 million total in 2008 to a projected $85.4 million for fiscal 2009.

Commissioner Lawrence D. Jarboe (R-Golden Beach) said that while the com-missioners had made some efforts at re-ducing the overall tax burden to citizens, the property tax increase did not bode well for homeowners or businesses.

“In the long run the property taxes still bother me,” Jarboe said. “We’re facing some big challenges.

County Approves Budget, Property Tax Revenues To Increase 20 Percent

“It’s an excellent opportunity for the kids.” – Derby Organizer Chris Hayden

11th Annual Soap Box Derby June 7th

Andrea ShiellStaff Writer

The Joseph A. Carter Center Build-ing in Leonardtown was sweltering on Tuesday evening as a small group of people met with the State Highway Administra-tion to discuss handicap accessibility issues facing St. Mary’s County. As some repre-sentatives pondered the air conditioning, others brought in a fan to cool the room as

the group took their seats. “The goal of the meeting is for the SHA to identify deficien-cies that can be corrected with capital im-provements,” said ADA coordinator Chris-tina Bishop, who is hoping that citizens can help to identify crosswalks, intersections, driveways, and sidewalks that may fall short of the Americans with Disabilities Act regulations.

SHA To Update All Pedestrian Facilities


Principal Robert Taylor grinned as he addressed a room packed full of graduat-ing seniors, parents, siblings, teachers, prin-cipals from each of the area’s high schools, and members of the Board of Education at the James A. Forrest Career and Technol-ogy Center on Wednesday. “We have a record breaking crowd this morning,” he exclaimed, nodding to more than 20 people standing along the fringes of the room for lack of seating. “Last year I think we had two empty seats,” said Taylor, adding that the school had even run out of programs for those attending.

This was not a typical high school graduation. There were no gaps or gowns,

no class rings, no brass and woodwind sec-tion playing Pomp and Circumstance, and no valedictorian speeches. Instead, seniors who had completed their programs at the tech center were dressed in a wide variety of outfits, some donning their uniforms for ROTC, others sporting chef’s coats, and still others who had dressed in their Sunday finest for the event. Close to 400 students attended the proceedings, which for them amounted to a second graduation, the first being from their home schools.

Taylor described this year’s gradu-ating class as he would his own children. “They’ll engage you in conversation before you engage them…they’ll explain to you how something was made…they wear Jim-my Hendrix t-shirts and know he will al-

Students Celebrate Second Commencement

See SHA page A-�

See Commencement page A-10

See Budget page A-8

See Carter page A-7

See Charges page A-5

Photo by Andrea Shiell

Athletes and dignitaries crowded onto the Wic-omico Shores Municipal Golf Course on Friday with special guests Tubby Smith, the University of Minne-sota Men’s Head Basketball Coach, and Kevin Hardy, retired NFL Linebacker for the Jacksonville Jaguars. Others present included Sheriff Timothy Cameron, County Commissioners Jack Russell and Daniel Raley, and Maryland Delegates John L. Bohanan and John F. Wood.

First place winners included Bob Richardson, JW Hall, Rick Smith, and Tommy Jameson.

“We had wonderful weather, great prizes, good company, and we should exceed last year’s mark of $17,000,” said Marcey House Representative Larry Harvey, who said that the money raised would go to support existing treatment programs for addicts and alcoholics provided by the facility.

Marcey House Golf Tournament A Success

Employees from the St. Mary’s County Advanced Life Support Unit celebrated “EMS for Children Day” by gathering on the Governmental Center lawn on Wednesday to host educational presentations on fire safety for children, and to provide emergency treat-ment for stuffed animals. They hosted their first “Teddy Bear Clinic,” during which they patched and mended the toys while explaining the importance of proper band-aid usage to the children. Stopping by to give fire safety lessons was Sparky the Dog and the Safety House, where volunteers simulate house fires and kitchen safety for kids.

“It’s a good time to teach injury prevention, right before the summer,” said Beth Campbell of the Ad-vanced Life Support Unit. “For us it’s a mixture of community outreach and recruiting. We really hope it’ll grow.”

EMS for Children Hosts Teddy Bear Clinic

Intersections with pedestrian access like this one on Great Mills Road are part of the State Highway Administration’s new program to retrofit all crosswalks for ADA compliance.

SectionA-� The County Times Thursday,May�9,�008

Funds provided by the State of Maryland Alcohol and Drug Abuse Administration

ByGuyLeonardStaffWriter

According to Sheriff Timothy K. Cam-eron,burglaries involvingmotorvehiclesarea growing concern; so much so that his office willstakeoutspecialvehicleswithitemsthatattractpotentialburglarstohelpcatchthemintheact.

“MyintentionistoputoutbaitcarswithGPS (global positioning systems) and satel-literadiosinthem,”CamerontoldTheCountyTimes.“Thosearethekindsofthingstheyaretaking…they’restealinganythingofvalueleftinthecars.”

Cameron said the rise in car burglaries

was detected using the sheriff’s office’s new computer-basedcrimetrackingsystem.

“It’snotabigrise,butitisatrendwede-tected using compstat (computer statistics),”Cameronsaid.

Cameronwarnedvehicleownersthatbur-glars were simply browsing around lookingto find whatever mark was the easiest to take down.

High-pricedelectronicsseemedtobethefavored targets,Cameronsaid, includingcellphones.

Det.DavidAlexander,theinvestigatorinchargeofcoordinatinganti-thefteffortsinthecounty,saidpreciousmetaltheftswerestillapressingconcern.

These thefts consisted mostly ofcopper piping and wire stolen fromabandoned structures, new and oldhomesaswellasfromvehiclesusedinconstructionandcontractingtrades.

“There are a lot of business ve-hicles out there with precious metalsonboard,”AlexandertoldTheCountyTimes. “They [vehicle owners] should

find a way to secure them.“Theymakeeasytargets.”Thecostsofpreciousmetalsusedforin-

dustrialapplicationsandelsewherehasriseninrecentyearsworldwide,dueinparttobuildingboomsinChina,IndiaandthewarinIraq,andpreciousmetal theftshaveseenasubsequentrise.

“Precious metal prices are the highestthey’vebeeninhistory,”Alexandersaid,add-ingthatthievescouldmakeaquickturnaroundontheirstolenmaterials.“Andit’seasytogetridof.”

Cameronsaidseveralarrestslastyearthat

resultedinthebreakupofanallegedcatalyticconvertertheftringhighlightedtheillegalde-mandforpreciousmetals.

Rhodium, palladium and platinum wereallpreciousmetalsusedincatalyticconvertersinstalledonvehicles,Cameronsaid.

Rhodium has a current value of about$9,800 per troy ounce, while platinum costsabout$2,200perounce.Palladiumhasamar-ketvalueofabout$460perounceaccordingtothepreciousmetalsWebsitewww.kitco.com.

Whilesomescrapmetaldealerskeeptrackofwhosellsthempreciousmetals,somestilldo not, Cameron said, making it more difficult to track down possible suspects in preciousmetalthefts.

AmeasurethatMarylandsheriffslobbiedforinthisyear’slegislativesessioninAnnapo-listhatwouldhaverequiredscrapmetaldeal-ers tokeepdetailed recordsof sales transac-tionsfailed,Cameronsaid.

CarBurglariesHaveSheriffLookingAtSpecialTactics


MarkAndrewPanowicz,the49-year-oldmanwhowasconvictedinFebruary of inappropriately touch-ing a 14-year-old girl in his Me-chanicsvillehomein2006wassen-tencedtoayear-and-a-halfofincar-ceration at the St. Mary’s CountyDetentionCenterlastweek.

Panowicz,whofaceschargesforviolating his probation in a nearlyidentical case in Charles County,may also have to register as a sexoffender if visiting District CourtJudgeStephenClagettsoorders.

Judge Clagett gave Panowicz,whowasauthorizedforworkreleaseandgiventhreeyearsofsupervisedprobationuponhisrelease,alightersentence than prosecutor AssistantState’s Attorney Daniel J. Whitehadrequested.

Whitepushed fora sentenceof10 years incarceration suspendeddowntofiveinprison,whilePano-wicz’sattorneyJamesPapermeistersaid jail timewould takehisclientout of rigorous treatment designedtosuppressurgesthatcausedhimtocommitthecrime.

“Mr. Panowicz targets peoplewhohethinksareweak,”Whitear-guedbeforeJudgeClagett.“Ithinkhe’saviolentpersonwhowillhurtsomeone else if he’s left on thestreets.”

Papermeistersaidhisclienthadsinceadmitted thathewas respon-sible for the crime and had under-gone rigorous testing designed forsexoffenders.

“He’snot apredator, he’snot abadman,”Papermeistersaid.“He’scometotermswiththefactthathehasaproblem.”

Panowics accepted responsibil-ityforhiscrimeduringhissentenc-ing hearing and apologized to hisvictim.

“WhatIdidto[her]waswrong,”Panowiczsaid.

Athis trial,Panowiczwasalsocharged with eight other offenses,consistingofcontributingtothede-linquencyofminorsandfurnishingalcoholtominors.Butthosechargesweredroppedduringthetrial.

AtPanowicz’strialbackinFeb-ruary his accuser testified that hestartedtorubthesmallofherbackwhen shewas asleep in one of therooms of his house. The victim

testified that sheandother teenag-ers,whohadbeen invited therebyPanowicz’sson,hadbeendrinkingheavily and became intoxicated.Thevictimhadtobecarriedtooneof the roomsafter shehadbecomesick.

The victim testified that sheawokeafterfeelingsomeonetouch-ing her and saw Panowicz on thef loornexttothebedwhensheturnedaroundtoseewhowasthere.

At his court trial, Panowiczdenied ever touching the girl in-appropriately, but a recorded 911emergency call from the victim’scell phone after she ran out of hishouse,stunned,distressedandcon-fused, convinced Judge Clagett ofhertruthfulness.

JudgeClagettreiteratedhisbeliefat Panowicz’s sentencing hearing.“I was absolutely convinced thatyou did what that young girl saidyoudid,”JudgeClagettsaid.

Panowiczwasimmediatelytak-en intocustodyby thesheriff’sof-ficetobeginhisincarcerationafterhissentencewashandeddown.

ManWhoTouchedGirlAtPartySentencedTo18MonthsJailTime


TheMarylandDepartment of theEnvironment’s(MDE) water supply branch says that it needs moreinformationontheamountofwaterbeingdrawnfromaquiferstosupplytheLexingtonParkarea,asinyearspasttheamounthas,accordingtothestate,exceededthatallocatedforoneofthemostdevelopedportionsofthecounty.

Thestatemadetheirconcernsknowntothecoun-tygovernmentinaMay21letter.

“MDE’sWaterSupplyProgram (WSP) indicatedthatwateruseinpastyearsintheLexingtonParkwa-tersystemhasexceededthepermittedwaterappropri-ationandthecountyMetCom(MetropolitanCommis-sion)hasappliedtotheWSPtoincreasethepermittedwateruse,”theletterstated.“ThecountymustexplaintotheWSPhowitwasdeterminedthattheLexingtonPark water system had been judged to be adequate,considering past water use and provide to the WSPawatercapacitymanagementplanfortheLexingtonParkwatersystem.”

Denis Canavan, director of the Department ofLandUseandGrowthManagementsaid that the in-formationrequestedbythestatewasneededtoimple-mentthenewplan.

“With that informationwe’llbe inabetterposi-tion to have them [the state] approve the water andsewageplan,”Canavansaid.

RepresentativeswiththeMDEsaidthattheywouldassistthecountyinmakingrevisionstotheplan.

“We’re trying togive thema littlemore time tomakesuretheirwaterandsewerplanmatcheswatercapacity,” Kim Lamphier, MDE spokesperson toldTheCountyTimes.

StevenKing,directorofMetComsaidthatwhilesome portions of the Lexington Park water systemhavegoneovertheirallocationofwaterusage,othershaveremainedbelowandoverallthesystemiswork-ingwellwithinitslimits.

“That’snottrue,”Kingsaidofsomeofthestate-mentsintheMDEletter.“We’venotexceededthetotalappropriationfortheLexingtonParkwatersystem.”

KingsaidthatthetotalallocationfortheLexing-tonParksystemwasabout3.4milliongallonsofwateraday.Thetotalusagein2007cametoabout2.7mil-liongallonsaday.

“The flow rate was a shade under 80 percent,” KingtoldTheCountyTimesTuesday.“That’sthelev-elMDErecommendsfortheircapacityguidelines.”

King said that the notion of putting together awater management plan for systems throughout thecounty had been under consideration for some timenow.

Itmadesense tohave theguidelines,Kingsaid,forthesamereasonsguidelineswereinplacetotrackthelevelofcapacityatsewageandwastewatertreat-mentplants.

“It’s to ensure the county doesn’t approve moreequivalentdwellingunits (the amountofwaterusedbyonedwellingunitaday)thanthewatersupplycanserve.”

TheLexingtonParkwatersystemservestheareafromWildewooddowntoSouthHampton,Kingsaid.

MetComhasbeendealingwithotherissuescon-cerningtheLexingtonParkareaaswellthispastyear,includingwhethertobuildanexpansionfortheMar-lay-Taylor sewage treatment plant or, with the U.S.Navy’s permission and possible donation of land acompletelynewfacility tokeepupwith thedemandforwastewatertreatmentfromincreasinggrowth.

Thefacilityupgradeswouldalsoensure that thecountywas coming into compliancewith the state’smandatetoreducetheamountofnitrogenandphos-phorous being released back in to the ChesapeakeBay.

Kingsaidthatweatherpatternsalsoplayedarolein how much water flowed through the system, includ-ing lastyearsdroughtwhichcaused residents tousemoresystemwaterforthingslikeirrigation.

“Ifitkeepsraininglikeithasthepastfewmonths…I expect to see flow rates decrease,” King said.

StateWantsMoreInformationOnCounty’sWaterAndSewerPlans

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SectionA-� The County Times Thursday,May29,2008

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Dear Editor:

Well, here we are approaching a “de-fining moment” election. The field, a choice between two of the most liberalcandidates, and a guaranteed candidatefromtheRepublicanparty,giveusanop-portunitytoseejusthowmuchwebelievein our electoral system at the Federal level. We St. Mary’s citizens are affected by all levels of governmental control, from ourpost-Tommy McKay county elected, our state “What Was In Your Wallet” return toDemocratutopia,andtheupcomingna-tional promise of “change”. I have some facts thatweregleanedbysomegreat re-searcher regarding the consequences of our recent political dealings. There are three parts to the report. Here’s the first. The second and third will be subjects of follow-on reports. Here goes Part 1: Re-member the election in 2006? 1) Consum-er confidence stood at a 2 1/2 year high; 2)

Regular gasoline sold for $2.19 a gallon; 3) The unemployment rate was 4.5%. Since voting in a Democrat Congress in 2006 we have seen: 1) Consumer confidence plum-met; 2) The cost of regular gasoline soar to over $3.70 a gallon; 3) Unemployment is up to 5% (a 10% increase); 4) Ameri-can households have seen $2.3 trillion in equity value evaporate (stock and mutual fund losses); 5) Americans have seen their home equity drop by $1.2 trillion dollars; 6) 1% of American homes are in foreclo-sure. America voted for change in 2006, and we got it! Remember it’s Congress that makes law not the President. He has to work with what’s handed to him. Is it time forBush-haterstofinallyshifttheiratten-tion to Mz Pelosi and Boss Reid? Next--the tax situation, and then, “Is the Global War On Terror costing us too much?”

Larry LutzLexington Park

JointheFightagainstCancer

Dear Editor:Cancer is the No. 1 killer of Americans

under age 85. In Maryland alone, an esti-mated 10,360 people will die from the disease this year. As someone who has lost several loved ones to cancer, I hope we all find these numbers unacceptable. It is time to recom-mitournationtothewaroncancer--andthatchallenge begins here at home. I’m writing to show that we can make real change through the American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network (ACS CAN), the sister advocacy or-ganization of the American Cancer Society.

Our members are committed to evidence-basedpolicyandlegislationthatboostscancerresearchfundingatalllevels,broadensaccesstocancerpreventionmethods,earlydetectiontools and treatment; and, strengthens tobacco control measures. This summer and fall, the ACS CAN is bringing the cancer fight to our backyards through a nationwide bus tour called the Fight Back Express. The Maryland leg of the Fight Back Express is being dedicated to a beautiful young girl named Talia Marie Pleas-ant; Talia needs a miracle to defeat this horrid disease. Her story is chronicled by her mother at http://www.caringbridge.org/md/taliapleas-ant where she states, “in a way I feel that I have

failed my daughter…” No one should ever feel asthoughtheyhavefailedalovedonebecauseof a disease. We need to use the Fight Back Express to help make eradicating cancer a na-tional priority. Then pain and suffering caused by this disease has to end. The ACS CAN Fight Back Express is making stops in 3 re-gions in Maryland on this 48-state tour, and will come to Southern Maryland at the Prince Frederick Wal-Mart on Friday, June 6 at 9 a.m. It will be on the road through Election Day, November 4; building a grassroots move-ment united in its mission to defeat canceranddeterminedtoputcanceratthetopofthenation’s agenda. Find out more about the ACS

CAN Fight Back Express at www.acscan.org andletyourvoicebeoneofthemillionsheardacrossthecountrythiselectionseasoninsup-port of making cancer a national priority. Too manyofuscontinue to lose lovedoneswhofought valiantly to win their personal warsagainst cancer. It is time to fight back. If one personcanbattlethisdisease,thevoiceana-tion can defeat it. It takes one vote, one voice, our voice to kick cancer to the curb! Please join the fight and visit the Fight Back Express!

Sincerely, Georgette B. Gaskin California, Md

ALetterofThanks

DearEditor

The Board of Directors and Staff of Patux-ent Habitat for Humanity would like to extend our sinceregratitude to the sponsors,donorsand attendees of our recent fundraiser – Have a Taste for Habitat. So many generous busi-nessesand individualscame together tohelpraisefundstobuildmoreaffordablehomesinCalvert and St. Mary’s counties.

In particular we would like to recognize thebusinesseswhocontributed timeand tal-ents to create such a pleasurable event: Blue Wind Gourmet; Vincenzo’s Mediterranean Grille; The Tides Restaurant; CD Café; Port of Call Liquors; Solomons Island Winery; and Dee Peters – wine educator.

Additionally, our event would not have beenpossiblewithoutourgenerouscorporate

sponsors: ALM American Construction, Inc. W. M. Davis, Inc.; Lott Enterprises of Mary-land; Computer Sciences Corporation; Wyle Laboratories; Century 21 New Millennium; Robin Finnacom; and Cecil’s Country Store.

Damon’s Grill, Giant Foods First Colony and Walmart Superstore at Miramar also con-tributed to our event with special donations.

Finally,totheZeillerfamily,whoopenedtheirheartsandhomeforaspectacularafter-noon event.

Patuxent Habitat for Humanity looks for-ward to working with these individuals and businesses in the future to make a difference for working families in need of affordable housing.

Gary WilliamsPresidentPatuxent Habitat for Humanity

To The Editor:

Approximately once ayearorsoanotherletterfromState Senator Roy Dyson will appear in a local newspaperwhere he questions the safety of the Thomas Johnson Bridge connecting St. Mary’s and Calvert Counties.

Recently,Dysondiditagain,withalettertotheeditorof a Southern Maryland news-paper, which was publishedMay 18th.

Dyson evokes the collapse of the Interstate 35W bridge in Minneapolis whereliveswerelostandprofoundlyimplies that he is concernedthesamewillhappenwiththeThomas Johnson Bridge, at

which he tells the public hisreactionwouldbe “I told you so”.

Is Dyson telling hisconstituentsnottotraversethebridgeorishesimplyadvisinghis constituents not to be onthe bridgewhen it collapses?What are we to make of our State Senator for the past 14 years saying: “ I don’t think the bridge is safe”?

In2006,afterDysonclaimed to see concrete fall-ing off the bridge, then Presi-dent of the St. Mary’s County Commissioners, Thomas McKay and Calvert County Commissioner President, Da-vid Hale asked then Maryland

Secretary of Transportation RobertFlanaganforameetingatthesiteofthebridgetoin-cludeexpertsfromthebridgeengineering and inspectionsdivisions.

At that meeting, which Delegate Anthony O’Donnell attended but Roy Dyson didnot, the experts from Mary-land Department of Transpor-tation reviewed the processand frequency for inspecting the Thomas Johnson Bridge. They also reviewed the results of most recent inspections. They assured the Commis-sioners and their constituentsthatnoconcretehadfallenoffand the bridge was structur-

ally sound andsafe.

After much dis-cussion as tothesafetyof thebridgestructure,the concerns

among the group turned toproblems of congestion andsafetyonthebridge,concernsthat are legitimate. It was then that Secretary Flanagan agreed to ask Governor Ehrlich to in-cludemoneyinthetransporta-tionbudgettobeginthestudyprocess for a new bridge.

Here we go again, this time it’s not concrete fall-ing off, it’s a bridge held up with “Band-Aid’s” and rotten pillars.

Even if Dyson be-lieves the bridge is unsafe,howdolettersof this type tothenewspaperserveasprob-lem solving? Wouldn’t it make more sense for Dyson to

work with the Maryland De-partment of Transportation to carefullyreviewtheir inspec-tions and analysis? Then, if Dyson still is not satisfied he could submit legislation tohaveanindependentstructur-al analysis performed. Maybe eventwoindependentinspec-tions just to be sure. Instead, Dyson for 14 years has chosen tosimplyscarethepublicintobelieving he knows what is best for them.

Thousands of jobs and a large part of the Southern Maryland’s economy are de-pendent upon that bridge. What is achieved with these scare tactics? Without any evidence to thecontrary,Dy-sonignoresthefactsandcon-stantly seeks to promote his politicalpopularitybyplayingon people’s emotions.

The current Secretary of Transportation, John Porcari is in his second tour of duty

having served as Transporta-tion Secretary for Governor Glendening and now for Gov-ernor O’Malley. Porcari ap-peared outraged that Dysonwould write such a letter. He respondedwithhisownlettersaying: “Let me be direct and say to the people of Southern Maryland that the Thomas Johnson Bridge is safe”

DoesDysonreallybelievehecanbetterservehisdistrictby alienating every Governor elected in Maryland? If itstransportation dollars neededin Dyson’s district for things like new bridges, he would betterservehisconstituentsbyworking together with other’s tobringsolutionstorealprob-lems to the table. In the mean-time, as Secretary Porcari said: “it serves no useful pur-pose for Sen. Dyson to raise unnecessary alarm regarding the condition of a bridge that is structurally sound”.

PublicSafetyShouldNotBeUsedForPoliticalExpediency


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It’s when the simple things go wrong that life gets really frustrating. It’s the ordinary, every day things that you come

to depend upon. You expect them to work every day and they do and so you take them for granted. But when one of the workhorses goes down, it throws your life into a tizzy!

And of course, these things always happen at the most inopportune time! You’re in a hurry; you’re late, someone is waiting on you; you prom-ised someone something at a

certain time – that’s when the breakdown will occur.

The toilet never clogs when you get home from work and have the entire evening free, no, it clogs in the morn-ing when you’re getting ready for work. You can’t leave it but you don’t have time to mess with it, either. You curse the toilet. It does not respond. The internet goes down when you have a deadline to meet. The internet never goes down when you’re just surfing around for fun. It only goes down when your timesheet is due in the next ten minutes and you can’t get into the web-site! Arrggh! It does this on purpose, it knows you’re un-der pressure and it wants to mess with you. It enjoys it. The light bulb in the entry way burns out just before guests are due to arrive and you don’t have a replacement. You might have twenty light bulbs in the closet but none are the right wattage or the right size for that darn entry way light. Then you go and buy several

and for years, you’re confi-dent because you have plenty of spares for that fixture. But you lull yourself into a false sense of security because ev-ery time you pull out a bulb, you think how smart you were to stock up. Eventually, that stock is depleted and you’re flabbergasted – what hap-pened to all those light bulbs I bought?!

There’s a direct propor-tion, too, regarding your frus-tration level and the urgency with which something needs to happen. You start getting angry at inanimate objects, talking to them, asking them why they’re letting you down. You know you’ve done it, we’ve all done it. Then you tell yourself not to get all cra-zy, you’re an intelligent adult, you can figure this out. Except you can’t. You feel you should be able to solve this problem, but you just can’t. So you get more frustrated which makes you more stupid and less able to solve the problem. By now you’re so frustrated, you’re

ready to pop. One of three things then happens – the problem just fixes itself or you get an epiphany, a ‘viola’ mo-ment and all is fixed and good and right with world. You feel ten feet tall and bullet-proof. You’re the man, you’re the woman – you came, you saw, you conquered. Or the problem is totally and com-pletely beyond your ability and you have to call for repair or customer service and that’s a whole other column.

If you were able to over-come the problem, never fear, some little something is go-ing to happen soon to bring you right back down to Hum-bleville. You’ll try to be pa-tient and earnest and convince yourself that this is a small stumbling block, not a major hurdle and you can overcome it. The next thing you know, you’re talking to that darn light bulb again like it’s going to understand you….

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

roadway.Chewning, 16, of Chap-

tico died on the scene. Amber Russell, then 20, of Clements, who drove the Grand Am, was injured and treated at Suburban Hospital in Bethes-da. Gibson, who was also in-capacitated after the accident, according to police reports, received care for his injuries at the same hospital.

The passenger in the back seat of Gibson’s vehicle, Na-thaniel Fitch, then 16, of Cle-ments, received life-threat-ening injuries and had to be flown out by Maryland State Police helicopter to Prince George’s Hospital Center’s trauma unit.

The death of Chewn-ing, who was popular among his classmates, rocked the Chaptico and Clements communities.

Tearful memorials and candlelight vigils soon fol-lowed, and Chewning’s class-mates memorialized him with messages at school that could be seen from the roadway.

Chewning was affection-ately known as “ninja” for his affinity for the martial arts and was recognized for turn-ing around lagging grades in his sophomore year at Chopti-con High School.

Gibson made a tearful apology to Chewning’s family last year at a memorial service to the young man for the acci-dent, which was accepted.

Gibson is set to appear in St. Mary’s County District Court in June on nine separate

charges stemming from the April 4, 2007 accident.

Those charges include speeding, negligent driving and failing to control a motor vehicle to avoid a collision.

Virginia Quade, Chewn-ing’s grandmother, said the family is still dealing with the loss of their young loved one.

“We know that charg-ing Sean is not going to bring Ethan back,” Quade told The County Times. “We believe he [Gibson] was responsible.

“It’s still hard but we want this boy to have a life.”

Quade said she and the family believed Gibson would never have intentionally caused his friend any harm.

“These two boys were very good friends,” she said. “[Gibson] has to miss his friend.”

ChargesContinued from page A-�


Karen Rose sat at her desk in the Leonardtown High School career center and beamed at several young men as they sat down to discuss their recent acceptance to military academies across the country. “I’ve been do-ing this for 12 years, and we’ve never had more than two accepted,” she said, nodding to the 11 seniors in the room. These students comprise a record number of seniors who have been ac-cepted into military academies from Leonar-dtown High School, where in previous years, two or three service-bound students would have tipped the scales.

School counselor Michael S. Loughran nodded proudly, saying, “I’ve been doing this over 30 years and I’ve never seen anything like this.” For an admission system that first requires a nomination from a congressman, a senator, or the vice president, it might even appear as a kind of fluke that so many young people from one school had secured their nom-inations and been accepted. “We’re all friends and we were all freaking out at the same time as were applying,” said Sean Buckley, who has been accepted into the Naval Academy, along with his friends Robert Nelson, Greg Eastburg, and Cameron Paul.

For these students, not even the sky seems to be the limit, and flight is the first goal for many of these seniors. Andrew Svecz will be attending Valley Forge Military Academy and College and has already logged 39 hours in pur-suit of his private pilot’s license. When asked which craft he would most like to man, he said, “I honestly don’t care…I just like flying.”

Robert Wilhelm and Daniel Brand are both hoping to fly the F-22 when they complete their training at the Air Force Academy. Join-ing the ROTC Navy program at Old Dominion University is senior Andrew Wright.

“Either F-18s or the F-35,” said Buck-ley, who said that he was partly prompted when he heard his grandfather and great-grandfather tell stories of their time at Pearl Harbor.

Many of those entering the Naval Academy came from military backgrounds. “My dad went to the Naval Academy,” said se-nior Ryan Dishman, who will be attending the Peddie School in Hightstown, New Jersey. He told about being five years old and spending his birthday eating McDonald’s and watching airplanes take off. “I’d like to fly the new F-35…hopefully by the time I graduate they’ll be in full operation.”

“My dad went to the naval academy too…I’ve always looked up to my dad so I think that really influenced me,” said Buckley.

The Sky Is Not The LimitSeniors Looking Forward to Careers in the Service

“With the doors that opens up for you, it’s really a great future.”

“It’s always been there, it’s always been an option,” said East-burg. Along with his cohorts, he said he was never pushed into the service, but rather encouraged by

his own family’s involvement. He described the application process as a daunting one, hav-ing sent out four applications for nomination along with four different entrance essays. “It’s a great reward to go through the application process,” he said.

With some groups boycotting mili-tary recruitment centers and encouraging others to do the same in the wake of the Iraq war, these students instead embraced the idea. “Compared to people not in a time of war…we know what we’re getting ourselves into,” said Adam Moran, who will be joining the Army ROTC program at Elon University. “My ulti-

mate goal is to not have any slack…to get all my men home safely.”

“I’m just hoping to go in there and make a career out of it,” said Eastburg.

“I want to do as many deployments as possible,” said Robert Nelson, also bound for the Naval Academy. “I’m looking to do what I was trained to do.”

Still others are just hoping to pick a path via the service. “I can basically do what-ever I want going into the merchant marines,” said Jeffery Smith. “So I’m really conflicted right now between going into the Navy or the merchant mariners.”

All in the room seemed hopeful, con-fident, and proud, as did their principal, David O’Neill, who attributed part of the high accep-tance rate to the county’s close partnerships with the Patuxent River Naval Air Station. “These guys are deserving…they’re great kids and it’s a privilege to be here with them.”


St. Mary’s CitySt. Mary's City

DATE LOW HIGH LOW HIGH

Fri. May 30 10:08 p.m. 4:21 a.m. 11:08 p.m. 5:06 p.m.

Sat. May 31 10:48 p.m. 4:58 a.m. 11:43 a.m. 5:43 p.m.

Sun. June 1 11:31 p.m. 5:39 a.m. 12:20 p.m. 6:24 p.m.

Mon. June 2 12:19 a.m. 6:26 a.m. 1:00 p.m. 7:11 p.m.

Tue. June 3 1:12 a.m. 7:19 a.m. 1:43 p.m. 8:03 p.m.

Wed. June 4 2:11 a.m. 8:17 a.m. 2:31 p.m. 8:58 p.m.

Thu. June 5 3:18 a.m. 9:19 a.m. 3:21 p.m. 9:54 p.m.

LOCATION HIGH LOW

Breton Bay "+31 min." "+29 min."

Bushwood Wharf "+45 min." "+45 min."

Colton's Point "+50 min." "+24 min."

Point Lookout "-21 min." "-31 min."

Piney Point "+9 min." "-8 min."

Wicomico Beach "+58 min." "+63 min."

Solomons Island "+25 min." "+13 min."

From the left: Andrew Wright, Cameron Paul, Greg Eastburg, Andrew Svecz, Sean Buckley, Principal David O’Neill, Robert Wilhelm, Adam Moran, Ryan Dishman, Jeffrey Smith, Robert Nelson, and Daniel Brand.

SectionA-� The County Times Thursday,May29,2008

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The Air Combat Electron-ics (ACE) program office (PMA-209) was part of a team that wonthe Department of Defense’sValue Engineering Award for2007 in the Special category. ACE’sAvionicsComponentImprove-ment Program team worked with NavalSurfaceWarfareCenterCraneDivision’s Airborne Electronic At-tack Division to develop a new mod-

ularsolidstateBand4transmitterontheALQ-99TacticalJammingSys-tem.TheALQ-99ispresentlyusedon the EA-6B Prowler and also slated foruseonthenewEA-18GGrowler. “I’m very proud of our AvCIP team and their role in keeping the Prowler onthecuttingedgeofelectronicat-tack,” said Capt. Silvernagel, Air Combat Electronics Program Man-ager. “This is an example of the

kind of teamwork we need across the Navy/Services to get the warf-ighters what they need, when they need it, at the lowest cost possible.” The current component had a highfailure rate and was difficult and very costly to repair in a timelyfashion. When this componentdid fail, it prevented the Prowler from providing the offensive jam-ming mission role needed to pro-

tect other aircraft carrying outstrike or close air support missions. The Crane Team, using Value En-gineering Methodology, identified the problem; analyzed potentialalternatives used on other similartechnologysystemsanddevelopedaplanforbuyingthenewcomponent. After receiving a contract proposalfrom industry for the new compo-nent, the proposal was submitted and

selected by the AvCIP team for fund-ing in July 2007. The AvCIP funding wascombinedwithadditionalfund-ing from the EA-6B Prowler Program Office (PMA-234) and a contract was awarded in September 2007. This new component is more reli-able and repairable and will savethe Navy more than $41 mil-lion in total life cycle costs (fewerspare parts, increased reliability). The fiscal 2007 Department of De-fense Value Engineering Achieve-ment awards will be presented inJunetorecognizetherecipients’out-standing achievements through theapplicationofvalueengineering.

AirCombatElectronicsWinDoDAwardNaval Air Systems Command Press Release

Capt. Ralph I. Portnoy has assumed command as Program Manager, Air Combat Electron-ics Program Office (PMA-209). In May 2006, Portnoy reported to PERS-43 Aviation Engineer-ing Duty Officer Head Detailerand the Director, AIR-7.3, NA-VAIR Total Force Strategy Man-agement Department. In September 2004, Portnoy was assigned as PMA-259’s Air-to-Air Missile Systems Program Office, Advanced Development Team Lead. In 2001, he joined the F/A-18 Program Office, PMA-265, initially as the head of F/A-18 System Safety and then Hor-net Weapon Systems IntegrationIntegrated Product Team Lead. He returned to the Naval Strike Aircraft Test Squadron in Patux-ent River, Md. as Head of the Carrier Suitability and LandingSystems Division and was thenselected to be the Lead Navy F/

A-18E/F Super Hornet Test Pilot during its Follow-On Test andEvaluation Program. While serv-ing at Strike, Portnoy was also selectedfortheAeronauticalEn-gineeringDutyOfficerprogram. In 1994, Portnoy was selected to transition to the EA-6B Prowler and completed his Fleet depart-mentheadtourasSquadronOper-ations Officer, Tactical Electronic Warfare Squadron 138 (VAQ-138) making Western Pacific and Ara-bian Gulf deployments aboardUSSNimitz(CVN-68)insupportof Operation Southern Watch. Whileondeploymentand f lyingin support of Operation DesertShield, he was selected to at-tend the U.S. Naval Test Pilot School and following gradua-tion served as an A-6/EA-6B/A-7 test pilot/project officer at theNaval Strike Aircraft Test Di-rectorate, Patuxent River, Md. Portnoy is a native of Potomac,

Md. and a 1985 graduate of the United States Naval Academy.Designated a Naval Aviator inMay 1987 and assigned to f ly the A-6E Intruder, Portnoy served in Attack Squadron 196 (VA-196) andmade two deploymentsto the Western Pacific aboard USS Constellation (CV-64) andUSS Independence (CV-62). Portnoy has a Masters Degree in Computer Systems Management from the University of Mary-land, University College Gradu-ate School. His awards includethe Defense Meritorious Ser-vice Medal, Meritorious Service Medal, Air Medal, three Navy Commendationmedalsandothervarious awards.He and hiswifeJanice have two children Jake and Elena. The Portnoy family resides in California, Md.

PortnoyAssumesCommandOfAirCombatElectronicsNaval Air Systems Command Press Release

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In the last two years, the State High-way Administration has taken on an extensive retrofitting program, surveying sidewalks and roadways in all 23 counties in Mary-land, and transposing the data on aerial

photography tocreateasystemofmapsshowingwhichareasarecompliantwithADA standards. “We had a whole check-list of items that are required for com-pliance,” said ADA Title 2 Coordinator Linda Singer, who works for the State Highway Administration. “We did awhole laundry list,” she said, adding that in St. Mary’s County, they have found 31 percent of roadways, sidewalks and crosswalks to be noncompliant, which includes inclines on curb cuts, ramps, and driveways. With over 1,000 miles of state road under the microscope, Singer described SHA’s plan as twofold, first involving their surveying system, andtheninvolvingresidentsthemselves.Tuesday evening’s turnout was low, but thosewhoshowedupseemedverycon-cerned about rout 235 and Great Mills Road, and those two streets became the focusofthemeeting.

Retrofitting projects include anambitious program to add Accessible Pe-destrian Signals (APS) to all crosswalks andintersectionswherepedestrianacti-vation is appropriate, which would pro-vide the cross-section of streets in brail, andtellpedestrianswhentocross.“By2016, every pedestrian signal will be updated,” said Singer. “It’s really neat technology and we’ve gotten a lot ofpositive reviews.”

Someintheroomseemedparticular-ly enthusiastic about this idea, including Angela Cummings, who has been blind herwholelifeanddescribedtheprojectas longoverdue. “Sometimes if Imissthe bus I have to cross Great Mills Road tocatchthebusontheothersideofthestreet,” she said, adding that unless there are other pedestrians present, she finds itdifficulttonavigatetheintersections.“That light only stays green probablyonly for ten seconds,” she said. Cum-mings was also pleased to learn thattruncated domes lining the crosswalks willbeaddedtoassistpeoplewithcanesincrossingthestreet.

Over 16 miles of state roads linedwith sidewalks will be scrutinized, since many of those sidewalks are not wide enough to accommodate wheelchairs, or have utility poles blocking passage. “I have to be very quick witted about

negotiating such obstacles,” said Cum-mings. In addition to fixing sidewalks and crosswalks, curb ramps, curb cuts, median crossings, and ramps will be addressed.

Some remarked that there were many stretches of road without sidewalks, such as Chancellor’s Run Road. Julie Randall, former President of the Board of County Commissioners, described the roadway asadeathtrapforpedestrians. Shede-scribed Great Mills Road and Chancel-lor’sRunRoadastwoofthelargestveinsin the county, providing access to shop-ping, parks, senior centers and residen-tialdevelopments.“Someoftheseroadsand some of these sidewalks have been issues for 20 years,” said Randall.

“We’d like to do everything all at once, right away,” said Singer, “but that won’thappen…thehigherpriorityneedswill come first.” Singer explained that feedback from residents about the most frequentedareaswouldhelp theadmin-istrationestablishpriorities.“It’sahardcall. If this is your road then it’s a toppriority,” said Singer. “The idea is to make things consistent.”

“Thiswasareallyneatthingtobea part of,” said Margaret Anne Stewart after the meeting, adding that her biggest concernwastheheightofthebuttonsonthe poles and the lack of sidewalks along onesideofthestreetnearherneighbor-hood off of Great Mills Road. “They tru-ly act like they want to help,” she said.

Singersaidthatthedatabasesys-tem that the SHA devised to keep track of roadways and ADA compliance wasthe first of its kind, and that she hopes that priorities can be established soon.ThoseinterestedincommentingonareaswherehandicapaccessibilityisaproblemcancontactADACoordinatorChristinaBishop at 301-475-4200, extension 1802.

So far, the SHA’s timeline for com-pletion is eightyears. “I amconcernedabout where St. Mary’s County will fall on the list of priorities,” said Randall, who reflected that the ADA transitionplan had been on the books for many years.“ButI’mconfidentthatoncethisadministrationgoesthroughthisprocessof transition then St. Mary’s County will get their fair share.”

SHAContinued from page A-�

“Capt. Ralph Portnoy, Program Manager, Air Combat Electronics Program Office, PMA-209.”


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three months.“We had three separate jury trials and

he was convicted in every one,” White said. “There were two different incidents as the bookends to the case and there was some vio-lence in between.”

The first incident occurred June 13 of last year, according to charging documents against Carter, when he beat Wolinski; causing her two black eyes, a bloody nose and bruising on her upper arms and chest.

Deputies who responded to Wolinski’s residence June 18 of last year for another dis-turbance between she and Carter learned of the assault five days earlier after interviewing Wolinski.

According to a court transcript of Carter’s testimony about the incident that night, he tes-tified he hit Wolinski once, in the face, after she had first lunged at him.

Carter denied causing the other bruis-ing that had been documented in police photographs.

Carter was charged with second-degree assault stemming from that incident, accord-ing to charging documents.

Just a few days later, on June 22, Carter was again charged by sheriff’s deputies with violating an ex-parte order filed against him by Wolinski. The order had been granted June 20, charging documents stated.

Court papers state that Carter had engaged in “continued harassment via telephone” by calling Wolinski on his cell phone against the conditions of the ex-parte order.

Charging documents revealed that Wolin-ski also believed Carter had called her about 31 times from a private phone number in a short period of time.

Carter would be charged with violating a judge’s protective order three more times dur-ing the span of the case with Wolinski, White

said, and would also be con-victed on each one of those counts.

The last serious incident of vio-lence against Wolinski, court papers state, occurred Aug. 14 of last year when Carter attempted to force his way into Wolinski’s residence.

According to court documents, that evening Carter again attempted to call Wolinski and then went to her home and began to shake the doorknobs of the front and back doors of the home.

When he could not find his way in through usual means, court papers state, Carter began to unclip the air conditioning unit from the outside of Wolinski’s home nearest her front door.

Wolinski attempted to push back on the air conditioning unit but Carter, who weighed 250 pounds, pushed the air conditioning through the window slot, shattering glass.

Wolinski suffered cuts to her lip, chin and arms, charging documents state, from trying to thwart Carter’s entry.

In all, Carter was convicted of first-degree burglary, attempted first-degree burglary, second-degree assault, three violations of a judge’s protective order and stalking, White said.

The burglary convictions carry a maxi-mum of 20 years in prison each, while the assault charge carries 10 years. The stalk-ing charge could net Carter five years incarceration.

White said that if Carter had not been con-victed, the outcome of the string of incidents could have been much worse.

“He was on probation at the time for as-sault on another person,” White told The County Times. “This could’ve gotten as bad as it gets; this had all the elements of becom-ing a fatal incident.”

Carter’s sentencing is scheduled to take place in June.

CarterContinued from page A-�

People for the Ethical Treatment of Everything

A provision in Switzerland’s con-stitution recognizes the “dignity” of “ani-mals, plants and other organisms,” and a federal Ethics Committee on Non-Human Gene Technology declared in an April re-port that vegetation has “inherent worth” and that humans cannot exercise “absolute ownership” over it but must treat it moral-ly, measured case-by-case. For example, the committee said a farmer’s mowing his field is acceptable, but not the arbi-trary severing of a wildflower’s bloom. The committee would permit genetic en-gineering of plants, since they would still retain the “autonomy” to reproduce on their own.

My Mullah!

In what may be the most progressive move imaginable for a society that pros-ecutes drug addicts as criminals rather than people who need help, the Iranian government agreed in April to install vending machines offering inexpensive syringes (at about 5 cents each) in five city welfare shelters in order to keep ad-dicts from sharing needles and spreading AIDS and hepatitis. Iran blames its fester-ing drug problem on its common border with opium-producing Afghanistan.

She’s Not Loving It

In April, according to police in Fort Pierce, Florida, 24 year-old Amity Joy Doss was so dissatisfied with her service at McDonald’s that she grabbed a young employee by her shirt and demanded to the manager that she be fired. As a call was made to police, Doss wandered out-side, climbed a tree, hung upside down by bended knee for several minutes, then de-scended and lay down on the hood of her car before re-entering the restaurant and asking if the girl had been fired yet. She was arrested on several charges.

This Week’s Incompetent Criminals

Three men were arrested in New Or-leans in February and charged with pos-session of almost two pounds of mari-juana after police were called to a car on fire, which they said started when the men stashed their dope under the hood, and it overheated.

19 year-old Justin MacGilfrey was arrested for the attempted robbery of a Circle K convenience store in Daytona Beach, Florida. The clerk had chased him from the store when he realized that Mac-Gilfrey’s only “weapon” was a pretend gun he made using his finger and thumb.

Macy’s Pirate

A man who was carrying a rusted pi-

rate-style sword through Macy’s flagship store in Manhattan is facing charges of criminal possession of a weapon. Police say 29-year-old Lawrence Jackson was brandishing the curved sword while visit-ing Macy’s Herald Square store Sunday with his girlfriend. He insisted that he was carrying the sword because he is a member of a kickball team whose players often wear pirate-themed costumes. He maintains he was on his way to a game when he was arrested.

German couple Try to Sell Their Baby on eBay

Authorities in Southern Germany have taken custody of a seven month-old boy after his parents posted an ad offer-ing to sell him for the equivalent of $1.57. The ad said, “offering my nearly new baby for sale, as it has gotten too loud.” The unidentified parents will now face an investigation into possible child traffick-ing. No offers were made for the child, and police were alerted by several people who had seen the ad, which was later de-leted by eBay after they gave authorities assistance in tracking down the parents.

Liquor Store Owner Takes Shoplifters’ Shoes

A Durango, Colorado Liquor Store Owner was tired of losing what he says was about $1,000 worth of merchandise a month in thefts, so he started telling shop-lifters he caught that they had two choic-es: Give him one of their shoes or he’d call the police.

“I would suggest that he find a differ-ent option that doesn’t involve giving up property,” said police Capt. Micki Brown-ing of owner Gabe Fidanque’s practice. “What’s the difference between him say-ing, ‘Give me $20 and I won’t call the po-lice’ or ‘Give me your shoe?”’

Fidanque was ordered to return the shoes to their owners - if he can find them, and he reluctantly agreed. But he stands by his work, which he said he started be-cause people he turned in to police would return hours after being arrested.

SectionA-� The County Times Thursday,May29,200�

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“We’ll see things getsteadily worse in the private

sector.”Jarboe was the sole

opponent of the budgetand cast a “no” vote atTuesday’smeeting.Onemeasureinthebud-

get that passed was the re-ductionoftheenergytaxrateproffered by CommissionerDaniel H. Raley (D-GreatMills). His proposal cut theenergy tax rate in half, andtherebytheprojectedrevenueto be collected from $3 mil-lionto$1.5million.

“It’s with great pleasurewe’re putting $1.5 millionback in the pockets of citi-zens,”Raleysaid.

Raleyhassaid that insti-tuting what is known as theconstant yield property taxmeasure, which ensures thatproperty tax rates go downif assessmentsgoup tokeepproperty owners paying thesame amount of tax moneywould have hobbled countygovernment in key projectsand services like the expan-sion of the county jail andprovidingassistancewith thenewwellnesscenterslatedforconstruction at the Leonard-town campus of the CollegeofSouthernMaryland.

Raley estimated that themeasure could have cost thecounty nearly $7 million inmuchneededrevenue.

Implementing the con-stant yield rate on propertytaxeswouldlikelymeanhav-ingtoraisetaxratesnextyearRaleysaid.

“And that’s something I

donotwant,”Raleycontinued.“This budget reflects a true sense of fiscal conservatism.”

Commissioner ThomasA. Mattingly (D-Leonard-town) said that the constantyield could have eventuallyreturned county governmentto deficit spending, much like itwasbackwhenhetookof-fice nearly a decade ago.

“The constant yield iswhat got us into a deficit,” Mattinglysaid.“Idon’twantus to get back into a deficit situation.”

Commissioner PresidentFrancis Jack Russell (D-St.George’sIsland)saidthatthecommissioners had debatedother ways to reduce taxes,includingthepropertytax,butdecided to keep the revenueunchanged because of futurefiscal challenges.

“Thiswasthebestwaytokeep the county fiscally sound andstaveoffraisingtaxesan-othertime,”Russellsaid.

The projected revenuefromcountyincometaxesfellby about $1.5 million in thebudget,to$63.7million.Rev-enuesourcesfromotherlocaltaxes and highway user feesalsofeelbybetween2percentand2.8percent,accordingtothe latest budget figures.

The Office of the Sheriff gota$3.37millionincreaseinthebudgetforatotalof$30.4million, with an increase indetention center staff by 10correctional officers to be hired by the first of October.

The county also started

up the new Office of Human Servicesatacostof$5.4mil-lion, butmost of thatmoneyisscheduledtocomethroughgrants.

ThecountyBoardofEd-ucation also received a $4.1millionincreaseinitscountyallocated funds for a total of$80.1million.

While some consideredthebudgetagoodone,othersincountygovernmentthoughtitwasanythingbutthat.

State’s Attorney RichardD.Fritz,inaletterwrittentothe county commissionersdatedMay15, lambasted thelawmakers for not approv-ingpayraisesforeightofhisprosecutors, whom he statedhadreceivednopay increaseinthepastthreeyears.

“Therecanbelittleques-tion as to why in the lastthree years I have lost fourattorneys,” Fritz wrote. “Toconsider a total request of$26,621.23 too great of anexpense toshoulder foreightattorneys who have now notreceived a pay raise in threebudgets,butyetwhostandfortheprotectionofourcitizens24hoursaday,sevendaysaweekisaninsult.”

Both Raley and Com-missioner Kenneth R. De-ment (R-Tall Timbers) saidthat overtures to Fritz’s office were necessary to work outtheissue.

“It’sinmotionnowaswespeak,”saidRussell.

BudgetContinued from page A-�

AccordingtotheAmericanLungAssociation (ALA), particle pol-lution is the most dangerous anddeadly of widespread outdoor airpollutants.Formerlyknownassoot,particle pollution itself is not vis-ible,thoughthehazeitcreateswhenthe sunlight hits it is visible. Someof themain sources of particle pol-lution are ash, diesel exhaust (com-monlyfrombuses,trucksandheavyequipment), chemicals, metals, andaerosols. The ALA reports the citymostpollutedbyshort-termparticlepollution in theUnitedSates isLosAngeles, including the surroundingareasofLongBeachandRiverside.ThegreaterLosAngelesareaisfol-lowed by Pittsburgh-New Castle

andFresno,andBakers-field, California, as thecities most polluted byshort-term particle pol-

lution.Whilelargerparticlescanbecoughedorsneezedoutthankstothebody’snaturaldefensesystem,small-er particles can be very dangerous.That’s because they can get lodgeddeep in the lungs, remaining thereandresulting in sickness or disease.Thecleanestareaforshort-termpar-ticlepollutionintheU.S.isBaldwinCounty,Alabama,which is situatedinsouthernAlabamaalongtheGulfCoastandincludes431squaremilesofwater.Of the remainingcountiesin the top 10 cleanest areas to live,fourareinArizona,includingCoch-iseandPimaCounties, the latterofwhichincludesthecityofTucson.

DidYouKnow?

AndreaShiellStaffWriter

National Volunteer Week may haveendedinApril,butthatdidnotstoptheBoardofEducation from recognizing the county’smost helpful citizens last week. Hundredsof volunteers for St. Mary’s County PublicSchools were honored with a reception andcertificates of appreciation by the Board of EducationonThursdaynight. After a longdayofeitherworkingorvolunteering,recipi-entssatbackandenjoyeddinnerandseveralsessionsofpicturesandroundsofhandshakesfortheirhardwork.

Wealltalkaboutallchildren,”saidSu-perintendentMichaelMartiranoattheawards

ceremony.“Whatevertheirlevelofneed,wetrytotouchthelivesofallchildren.”

AsofJanuary2008,St.Mary’sCoun-ty Public Schools counted a total of 1,638adult volunteers, who contributed close to22,000hoursofservice,and469studentvol-unteers,whocontributedalmost2,000hours.Academic Support Director Theo Cramersaidthathehadheardestimatesofthevalueofavolunteerhourhoveringbetween$16and$17,andcitedthatover2millionMaryland-ershadcontributedover$2.3billionworthofworkhoursforthebettermentschoolsystemsacrossthestate.

“Canyouimagineifwetriedtoputthatin theschoolbudget?”exclaimedMartiranoashewarmlygreetedthegroupofvolunteers

whohadcometotheevent.Cramer reflected on the different types

ofvolunteerswhohadbeenhonoredthateve-ning,aswellasthehundredswhowerenot.“There are more people that volunteer thatwedon’tevenknowof,”hesaid.“Therearepeople who bake, that go on field trips, that tu-tor…somearegivingmorehours,butinsomecasesthereareliterallyhundredsofvolunteersateachschool,andtheirworkisessential.”

SinceJanuary,ParentInvolvementCoor-dinatorMaryBradfordsaysthatthenumberof volunteers has grown, but it would be diffi-culttoestimatehowmuchuntiltheendoftheschoolyear.“Wethankthemforthesupporttheygiveforacademicprograms…mostpeo-pledon’t thinkof themas instructionalvol-

unteers,”shesaid,addingthatcloseto80percentofadultandstudentvolunteersinthecoun-tywereactingastutors.

Those who had contrib-utedthemosthourswerepresentthatnight,including parents and local children’s advo-cates,andCaptainAndrewMacyko,whore-centlytookthehelmasPatuxentRiverNavalAir Station’s newest Commanding Officer. He smiled as he accepted two awards fromtwodifferentschools.

MartiranoandmembersoftheBoardofEducationkepttheproceedingsshortastheyhanded out certificates and shook hands. “I cannotthankyouenoughforallthatyoudo,”said Martirano shortly before leaving thestage to conclude the evening, letting thosewhoworkwithnopay take therestof theirnightoff.

BoardOfEducationHonorsVolunteers

Photo by Andrea ShiellVolunteers were honored by the Board of Education for their hard work in the area’s schools Thursday evening.

Thursday, May 29, 2008 The County Times Section A - 9

ObituariesMatthew C. “MC” Aud,

85

M a t -thew C. “ M C ” Aud, 85, of Great Mills died May 23 in his residence.

B o r n June 13, 1922 in Great Mills, he was the son of the late Clarence Matthew and Estelle Coombs Aud.

He grew up and lived all his life in Great Mills. He at-tended Little Flower School and Holy Face Church. He was a well-known lifelong farmer and trucker. He also owned and operated a sawmill on his farm. He enjoyed building tobacco barns and his family home. For many years, he hauled grocer-ies for Cecil’s General Store in Great Mills and Mattingly’s IGA in Leonardtown.

He is survived by his children; Mary Jane Carl of Harrisburg, Pa. and Charles E. Aud Sr. of Great Mills, seven grandchildren: Charles E. Aud, Jr., of Mount Airy, Md., George M. Aud of Baltimore, Md., Lisa Marie Aud of Leon-ardtown, Amy M. Aud of Great Mills, William M. Carl of Har-risburg, Pa., Brian D. Carl of Houston, Texas, and Carrie A. Morgan of Pensacola, Fla.; seven great-grandchildren: Ryan Aud of Lexington Park, Emily Aud of Leonardtown, Madison and Hanna Aud of Mount Airy, Md., Molly and Elisabeth Carl of Harrisburg, Va., James Morgan of Pensac-ola, Fla. and one great-great grandchild Aliyah Aud.

He is also survived by ten siblings: Dorothy Schindler of Hollywood, Myrtle Abell of California, Teresa Trossbach of Hollywood, Mary Schindler of Flagler Beach, Fla., Ma-rie Trossbach of Hollywood, Frances Trossbach of Leon-ardtown, Joseph Combs of Great Mills, Edna Trossbach of Browns Mills, N.J. Bernice Aud of Great Mills, and John Aud of Park Hall. He was pre-ceded in death by his brothers Tommy and Junior Aud.

His wife, Dorothy Schindler Aud, preceded him in death Sept. 12, 2002. His son Francis M. Aud was killed in the Viet Nam conflict in January 1970.

The family received friends May 26 from 5 – 8 p.m. in the Brinsfield Funeral Home, P.A., Leonardtown. Prayers were recited at 7 p.m. A Mass of Christian Burial was celebrated Tuesday, May 27 at Holy Face Church, Great Mills. Reverend Joseph R. Sileo was the celebrant. Inter-ment followed in the church cemetery.

Serving, as pallbear-ers were Charles E. Aud, Jr., George M. Aud, Ryan Aud, William Carl, Brian Carl and Charles Wise.

Memorial contributions may be made to Hospice of St. Mary’s, Inc., P.O. Box 625, Leonardtown, MD 20650.

Condolences to the family may be made at www.brins-fieldfuneral.com.

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

Susan “Susie” S. Byler, 83

Susan “Susie” S. Byler, 83 of Mechanicsville died May 20 in her residence.

Born Dec. 14, 1924 in Up-per Leacock Township, Pa., she was the daughter of the late John and Hannah Stoltzfus. She was the loving wife of the late Chris Z. Byler who preced-ed her in death Nov. 18, 2007 and whom she married Dec. 2, 1947 in Mechanicsville.

She is survived by her children: Hannah, wife of Isra-el Fisher, Rachael, wife of An-drew Swarey, Rebecca, wife of Chris T. Swarey, of Cisne, Ill., and Benjamin Byler and his wife Lydia, Barbara Byler and Katie Byler, all of Mechanic-sville; Mary Byler and Lydia, wife of Ivan Miller, all of Quar-ryville, Pa. and John Byler and

his wife Susie of Herndon, Ky., Samuel K. Byler of Cadiz, Ky., Henry Z. Byler and his wife Orpha of Pembroke, Ky. and Amos Byler and his wife Ada of Oakgrove, Ky. She is also survived by 60 grandchildren and 25 great-grandchildren as well as her siblings: Rachel, wife of Amos Stoltzfus of Bird in Hand, Pa., Levi Stoltzfus and his wife Mary, Amos Stoltzfus and his wife Rebecca, all of Mechanicsville, John Stoltzfus and his wife Fannie, the late Samuel Stoltzfus and his wife Lydia, all of Spring Run, Pa., the late Benvel Stoltzfus and his wife Fannie, Rebecca, the late wife of Christian Lapp, all of Danville, Pa. and Mary, the late wife of the late Mose Hostetler.

A funeral service was held Friday, May 23 at 10 a.m. in the home of Benjamin Byler, Mechanicsville. Interment fol-lowed in Woodburn Hill Cem-etery, Mechanicsville.

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

Marian Joyce Clark Da-vis, 68

Marian Joyce Clark Davis, 68 of Hol-l y w o o d , Md. died peacefully a m o n g s t f a m i l y m e mb e r s May 24 in her home.

Born Sept. 26, 1939 in Welch, W.V. she was the daugh-ter of the late Roland Glen and Edna Pauline Clark.

She was raised in the coal mining area of War, W.V., and attended Big Creek High School with the “Rocket Boys.” Joyce then attended Concord College where she earned a BA degree in Home Econom-ics and Library Science and was a member of the Alpha Sigma Alpha sorority.

She moved to Maryland in 1961 to be the librarian at the Leonardtown School, which included grades K-12. In 1963, she became a stay at home mom until her children started school. Joyce loved be-ing around and teaching chil-dren, and during the late six-ties she volunteered, and was later selected as the librarian at Greenview Knolls Elemen-tary School, where she served as both the librarian and acting principal in the principal’s ab-sence. She also attended The George Washington Univer-sity earning her MS in Library Science. She retired in1999.

She loved people. She trav-eled extensively throughout the United States and Canada, driving across North America six times, including three driv-ing trips to Alaska. She loved to knit and crochet, making scores of baby blankets and af-ghans. Her cross-stitching won several first place awards. She also enjoyed gardening.

She is survived by her husband, Robert Brian Cham-berlain Davis; her daughter Joni Maria Davis Cummins, her husband David Alan and daughter Shannon Nicole of Hollywood; son Scott Roland Davis, his wife Ruth Marie, their twin daughters Sarah Joyce and Jenny Marie, and step daughter Mary Parent of Hollywood; her brothers Norman Glen Clark of War, W.V.; Charles Roland Clark of Kemper, Texas; James Melvin Clark, his wife Jamie Rappa-port Clark and son Carson of Leesburg, Va.; and sister Helen Clark Hickman, her husband Daryl, son Joshua and daugh-ter Clark of Centerville, Va. She is also survived by nu-merous friends and relatives in Maryland, West Virginia, Maine, Virginia, North Caroli-na, and throughout the U.S.A. and Canada.

Joyce, who had Myelodys-plasia, foremost wished to pub-licly thank the Red Cross and its caring army of “blood do-nors” who gave over 700 units of blood she has needed this past 10 years. Furthermore,

she wished to publicly thank the excellent and caring staff of doctors and nurses includ-ing: Dr Kioumarce Yazdani and the Infusion Center of Cal-vert Hospital; Dr B. Douglas Smith, Nurse Practitioner Val-erie Ironside and Mary Beth Collins, Ericka, Diane and the other 5A nurses of Johns Hop-kins; St. Mary’s Hospital, and numerous other supporting friends.

Relatives and friends are invited to Joyce’s Life Cel-ebration at the Brinsfield Fu-neral Home, 22955 Hollywood Road, Leonardtown Thursday May 29 from 5 – 8 p.m. Prayers will be recited at 7 p.m. A Fu-neral service will be conducted at the War Methodist Church in War, W.V. Sunday June 1 where the family will receive friends from 11 a.m. until time of service at 1 p.m. Interment will follow at the Grandview Memory Gardens in Bluefield, Va.

Memorial contributions may be made to the American Red Cross St. Mary’s County Chapter P.O. Box 387, Leonar-dtown, Maryland 20650.


Arrangements by the Brinsfield Funeral Home, P.A.

Delbert Leon Ebeling, 88

Delbert Leon Ebeling, 88, of Sandgates, formerly of Circle Drive, Sykesville, Md., died Wednesday May 21.

He was born Nov. 13, 1919 in Indiana, the son of the late Elizabeth (Powder) and Rus-sell Ebeling. In addition to his parents, he was preceded in death by a daughter, Joyce Cox and her husband Laudie Cox, his brother Herman Ebeling and Sister-in-law Angeline, brother-in-laws Paul, Gene, and Leon Holt, and a nephew David Ebeling. Surviving is his wife of 66 Years (April 11 1942), Margaret (Holt); two daughters, JoAnn Bryant of Mechanicsville and Jean Ebeling at home, and a son, James (Norma) of Tonapah, Nev.; 13 grandchildren, Den-nis (Ann) Bryant of Smyrna, Tenn., James (Donna) Bryant of Clarksville, Tenn., Stephen (Julie) Bryant of Mechanics-ville, Toni (Rob) Vargo of Me-chanicsville, Jake (Heather) Kitzmiller of Purdon, Texas, Dusty (Lorene) Kitzmiller of Va., James (Errika) Cox of Lansdale, Pa., Kelly (Brian) LaHair of Randallstown, Md., Kim Ross of Jacksonville, Fla., Andrew Cox of Christians-burg, Va., Daniel (Michelle) Ebeling of Citrus Heights, Ca-lif., Barry (Corrie) of Tonopah, Nev., and James (Christine) Ebeling of Fernley, Nev.; and 21 great-grandchildren, and one great, great grandchild.

He served in the Army Air Corps during World War II (enlisting Nov. 29, 1941 and separating as a Technical Sergeant Oct. 22 1945) as an Airplane Mechanic, mostly on B-24 Liberators. He was a member of the 356th Bomb Squadron of the 302 Bomb Group, the 537th Bomb Squad-ron of the 382nd Bomb Group, and the 405th Bomb Squad-ron, 38th Bomb Group, 5th Air Force. He served in the Pacific Theater (Dutch New Guinea, Philippines, and Okinawa) earning a Pre-Pearl Harbor Ribbon, Good Conduct medal with Clasp, Ribbon for the Lib-eration of Philippines, Ameri-can Defense Service Medal, Asiatic Service Medal, one Silver and one Bronze Star.

He was a carpenter in Washington DC, in Carroll County, at the Springfield State Hospital, and at the South-ern Maryland Pre-Release Unit. Along with their pres-ent house and other homes, he helped build the Haight Funeral Home in Sykesville, Md. He is a past member of the Sykesville Volunteer Fire Department.

Friends will be received to pay tribute to Delbert and to celebrate his life at the Haight Funeral Home Sykesville, Md., Saturday, May 31 from 3-7 p.m., Sunday 3-7 p.m. and

Monday at 10 a.m. Burial will follow in the Springfield Cem-etery, Spout Hill Road, Sykes-ville, Md.

Memorial Donations can be made to the Hollywood Volunteer Rescue Squad, Inc. P.O. Box 79, Hollywood, MD 20636 or Hospice of St. Mary’s, P.O. Box 625, Leon-ardtown, Maryland 20650

Robert Francis Farrell, 75

R o b -ert Francis Farrell, 75, of Bush-wood died Tu e s d ay, May 20 in St. Mary’s Hospit al , Leonard-town.

Born Feb. 14, 1933, in Bushwood he was the son of the late William J. Farrell and Martha L. (Graves) Farrell.

Bobby, as he was known to family and friends, served his country in the U.S. Army from 1953-1954. When his tour of duty ended, he returned to St. Mary’s County where he worked for many years as a waterman. In recent years, he worked as a driver for a local florist. He enjoyed watching all sports events, especially foot-ball and car races. He enjoyed gardening and discussing cur-rent events, but mostly, he en-joyed spending time with his children and grandchildren.

Bobby is survived by his five children, Belinda Phillips and husband Brad of Holly-wood, Md., Robert Allan Far-rell and wife Wendy of Prince Frederick, Md., Faye Wheeler of Clements, Jane Cusic and husband Ken of Compton, and Christopher Farrell and wife Brenda of Bushwood; five grandchildren, Ryan Wheel-er, Heather and Kyle Cusic, Christopher and D’Anna Far-rell, two brothers, Joseph Far-rell and wife Betty of Hol-lywood, Thomas Farrell and wife Millie of Leonardtown, four sisters, Ann Cullison and husband Joe of Fairfax Sta-tion, Va., Jean Bean and hus-band Stephen of Leonardtown, Donna Farrell of Bushwood, and Susan Muth and husband Craig of Manassas, Va., and sister in law, Adele Farrell of Bushwood.

He was preceded in death by his brother James E. Farrell, and his sister, Louise Farrell.

Relatives and friends were received for Mr. Farrell’s Life Celebration Thursday, May 22, from 5 – 8 p.m. in the Brinsfield Funeral Home, P.A., Leonard-town. Prayers were recited at 7 p.m. A Mass of Christian Buri-al was celebrated Friday, May 23 at 11 a.m. in Sacred Heart Catholic Church, Bushwood. Father Keith Woods was the celebrant. Interment followed in the church cemetery.

Serving, as pallbearers were James Farrell, Bill Far-rell, David Farrell, Donovan Farrell, Brad Phillips, and Ken Cusic.

Memorial contributions may be made to Hospice House c/o Hospice of St. Mary’s, Inc., P.O. Box 625, Leonardtown, MD 20650.



James Leon Jones, 69

James Leon Jones, 69 of Wal-dorf died May 24 in St. Mary’s Hospital.

B o r n Dec. 28, 1939 in California, he was the son of the late John Hillary Jones and Mazie E. Pilkerton Jones.

He is survived by his loving wife Sandra Virginia (Valdenar) Jones whom he married May 9, 1962 in Va.

He is also survived by his sons James Thomas Jones of Waldorf and Johnny Thomas Houston of Port Republic, Md.; as well as his siblings: Anne E. Poe, John W. Jones, Jean F. Ashley and Catherine Lee, two grandchildren and three great-grandchildren. He was preceded in death by his sister Mary Lou O’Dell.

James was employed with the U.S. Government for 31 years as a superintendent of the Architect of the Capitol.

Friends were received Wednesday, May 28 from 5 – 8 p.m. in the Brinsfield Funeral Home, P.A., 22955 Hollywood Road, Leonardtown, MD where prayers were recited at 7 p.m. A funeral service will be held Thursday, May 29 at 11 a.m. at the Brinsfield Funeral Home with Rev. Paul Good-win officiating. Interment will follow in Charles Memorial Gardens, Leonardtown.

Memorial Contributions may be made to Hospice of St. Mary’s, P.O. Box 625, Leonar-dtown, MD 20650.

Serving, as pallbearers will be Joe Mosher, Charlie Shelton, Larry Hills, Dons Ward, Ed Fielders and Winks Pilkerton.



Esther Elizabeth Kestenis, 69

Esther Elizabeth Kesten is , 69 of Lex-ington Park died May 23 in Solo-mons Nurs-ing Center.

Born June 20, 1938 in Val-ley Lee she was the daughter of the late John B. Redman and Eva Gertrude (Evans) Redman.

Esther loved to do puzzles, make quilts, write spiritual songs and tend to her rose and flower gardens.

She is survived by her children Kevin Kestenis of Lexington Park and Kathy Burke of Lake City, Fla.; two grandchildren: Amber Burton of Lake City, Fla. and Eliza-beth Kestenis of Gainesville, Fla.; one great grandchild Sar-ah Jean Burton; and her sister Rose Vinson of Leonardtown.

Esther was preceded in death by her husband Stanley Jack Kestenis, Jr. and eight brothers and sisters: George Wm. Redman, Leon J. Red-man, Bernard A. Redman, Helen Genevieve Bean, Mary Wallace, Margaret Unkle, John C. Redman, and Theresa A. Norris.



James Edward “Jimmy” Meridith, Jr., 41

James E d w a r d “J i m m y ” Mer idith, Jr., 41, of Potterville, Mich. for-merly of Mechanic-sville, died May 17 in St. Joseph Mercy Hospital, Ann Arbor, Mich.

Born March 12, 1967 in Leonardtown, he was the son of James Edward and Anita Marie Battenfield Meridith, Sr. He is survived by his fiancée Linda Gill of Potterville, Mich. and his sisters Rachele Marie and Crystal Lea Meridith both of Mechanicsville.

Jimmy graduated from Chopticon High School, Class of 1985. He was a lifelong St. Mary’s County resident, until 2003 when he moved to Pot-terville, Mich. He was an avid drummer and played with var-ious bands such as “The Wan-derers,” “Timberline,” “Ca-

sino,” “Murphy’s Law” and many others. He loved country and rock ‘n roll music, animals and fishing. He enjoyed telling stories and being a comedian.

The family received friends Friday, May 23 from 5 – 8 p.m. in the Mattingley-Gar-diner Funeral Home, where prayers were said at 7 p.m. A Funeral Service was held Sat-urday, May 24 at 10 a.m. in the Mattingley-Gardiner Funeral Home Chapel with Fr. Keith Woods officiating. Interment followed in Sacred Heart Cem-etery, Bushwood.

Pallbearers were Charles Burch, Donald Nice, George Bowles, Sr., Tony Adams, Tom Kendall, Timmy Wood, William Ridgell and James Harvey Morgan, Jr. Honorary Pallbearers were Loren Nel-son, Bobby Murphy, Randy Johnson, Jerry Burch, Jr., Da-vid Gatton, Pat Gatton and Mike Gatton.


Michael Aloysius “Mike” Pilkerton, 74

M i -chael Aloy-sius “Mike” Pilkerton, 74 of Me-c h a n i c s -ville died May 22 in St. Mary’s Hospit a l . Born Aug. 15, 1933 in Charlotte Hall he was the son of the late Alfred Raymond and Catherine Estelle Adams Pilkerton. He was the devoted husband of Doris Virginia Pilkerton, whom he married July 10, 1954 in Benedict, Md.

He was the loving father of Kathy Harris and her hus-band Jimmy, Mary Pilkerton, Dianne Pilkerton and Joyce Wilkerson and her husband Willie, all of Mechanicsville, and Carolyn Stewart and her husband Louis of Great Mills. He is also survived by his eight grandchildren: Jennifer Groat and her husband Jeff, Jeremy Harris and his wife Wendy, Ja-son Harris and his wife Law-ren, Heather Stewart, Amber Stewart and her husband Mike, Brian Bosse, Dennis Pilkerton and Adam Pilkerton; six great grandchildren: Emily Harris, Seth Bosse, Brittany Groat, Alex Stewart, Hunter Groat and Madison Gerritz. He also leaves behind many nieces, nephews and friends.

He was preceded in death by his sisters: Amanda Hand-ley, Helen Higgs, Ethel Wheat-ley and Cecelia Smith and his brothers: Joe, Morgan, Archie, Richard, Jesse and Wilson Pilkerton.

Mr. Pilkerton was a life-long St. Mary’s County resi-dent and graduate of Marga-ret Brent High School, Class of 1952; He was the owner and operator of Mabel’s Sep-tic Tank Service for 40 years, retiring April 2003. He was also a member of the South-ern Maryland Coon Hunters Association and the Southern Maryland Antique Power As-sociation. He enjoyed NAS-CAR and blue grass music and loved spending time with his children and grandchildren.

The family will receive friends in the Mattingley-Gar-diner Funeral Home from 9 - 10 a.m. Saturday, May 31 with a memorial service following at 10 a.m. with Deacon Bill Nickerson officiating. Inter-ment will be private.

Memorial Contributions may be made to the Mechanic-sville Volunteer Rescue Squad, P.O. Box 15, Mechanicsville, MD 20659 and/or Hughes-ville Volunteer Rescue Squad, 15245 Prince Frederick Road, Hughesville, Maryland 20634.


SectionA-10 The County Times Thursday,May29,2008

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SchoolSuperintendentMichaelMar-tiranodescribedmeetingwithsomeofthese-niorsinthemasonryprogramatthetechcen-ter.“Theysaidtheyhadagiftforme,andIkeptpicturingabrickorsomething.Ihadnoideawhatthatgiftcouldbe.”Insteadofasin-glebrick,thestudentshadinsteadcraftedthesuperintendenta20-footbrickwall,laidwiththewords“Workhardandbenice,”whichisMartirano’smotto.“Iwassomoved,”heex-claimedashenoddedtotherestoftheseniorspresent. “Every student that participates inthisprogramtrulydoesworkhardeveryday.”

ThebulkofWednesday’scommence-ment was taken up by the presentation of awidevarietyofscholarships.“Oneoutofev-

erythreestudentsinthisroomhasbeenawardedascholarship,”saidguidancecounselorDianaKraft,who said thatthetotalamountofscholarshipawardsequaled$989,597thisyear.

All of this may have at onetimeseemedunattainabletosomeofthestu-dentsthere,manyofwhichhadbeendraftedintoprogramsat the techcenterafterhavingbeen identified as “high risk” students earlier in their academic career. “A lot of students

havesaidifweweren’there,theycouldhavedroppedout,”saidKenSmith,supervisorforcareerandtechnologyeducationforSt.Mary’sCounty.

Thestudentsthemselveshadcometotheceremonyin themiddleof theirday,andmany of them were rushing from one com-mencementexercise toanotherat theirhomeschools. But some were able to stay and reflect ontheirexperiencesatthetechcenter.“Theclassesareinteresting,”saidBrianBaden,whohadstudiedaviationtechnologyatthecenterinadditiontohisregularcurriculumatLeonard-townHighSchool.“I’veenjoyedgoinghere.”

Nathan Slade clutched a certificate of excellenceandspokeofhisplans to join the

Navy,wherehewillcontinuetostudyculinaryarts. About his extra graduation, he smiledandsaid“it’sexcellentbecauseyougettoex-periencethesamethingtwice.”

“Thesestudentsgetit,”saidTaylor.“Andyouknowthattheygetitwhenyouaskthemwhy theycamehere,what they’vedone,andwhatthey’lldowhentheyleavehere.”

Onestudentdidaddresshisfellowgradu-ates at the ceremony, and that was speakerDeanAustin. Duringhis addresshequotedThomasEdison,saying“’ifwedidthethingswe were capable of, we would astound our-selves,’andformethat’swhatthetechcenterisallabout.”

CommencementContinued from page A-�

As graduation approaches, it’s in-teresting to engage in an educationretrospectiveandanswer thequestion,“What’s been going on with studentsthesedays?”Checkoutthesestats.

• 90 percent of high school seniorsexpecttoattendcollege(NationalCen-terforEducationStatistics,2002)

•75percentofhighschoolgraduatesgo on to secondary education withintwoyears of receiving their diplomas.(TheEducationTrust-West,2002;TheHighSchoolDiploma:MakingItMoreThananEmptyPromise)

•Agrowingnumberofcollegestu-dentsareovertheageof25

•Womenoutnumbermenoncollegecampuses,andmorewomenobtaincol-legedegreesthanmen

• Demographic projections showthatnextyearortheyearafter,thean-nual number of high school graduatesintheUnitedStateswillpeakatabout2.9 million after a 15-year climb, sayreports published in The New YorkTimes

•Thenumber ofwhite high schoolgraduates will go down nationally inthefuture,andthenumberofAfrican-American graduates will remain rela-tively steady. But the number of His-panic and Asian-American graduateswillincreasesharply,accordingtopro-jectionsbytheWesternInterstateCom-missionforHigherEducation.

StudentsBytheNumbers:



Photo by Andrea ShiellStudents from the James A. Forrest Career and Technology Center crafted this wall, which includes the motto of St. Mary’s County School Superintendent Michael Martirano.

Graduating seniors line up for their commencement ceremony at the James A. Forrest Career and Technology Center.

One senior receives her certificate of completion from Principal Robert Taylor during the Tech Center’s commence-ment ceremony.

Thursday, May 29, 2008 • St. Mary’s County

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