Founded December 17,1912    Ceased Publication Thursday February 1, 1951
 
Book 1 Volume 10

 This is a re-formatted version of Volume 10 done with Nvu

 Saturday, January 24, 2004  7:15 AM 10 deg  at LVIA and 9.5 in the bus stop
    Another week of this web page is beginning.  Well, so far I have 6.61 Mb on my web server. No need to worry yet.
Actually, it is now 6:20 PM Somehow, I lost everything I did this morning. Me, who always saves his work. Queen said that at least I am not ranting and raving, no blue smoke out of my ears, which is I am sure a refreshing change for her. I shall have to reconstruct it as best I can. Therefore, I will have to wing it. Geez!!!!!!!!!!!!.
    Well, I have to start somewhere. This morning in the e-mail was a note from Dave Engler concerning this picture that was in last week’s web page.
    His input is very much appreciated and is of great value in the recall of this area’s history. Stuff like that is what makes local history so interesting.


Bob:
     I agree, the picture was taken from the "Devil's Pulpit" side of the gap.  We used to trek across it when hiking the Appalachian Trail.  I believe the "apparent road" to which you refer is the actual L & NE track right-of-way.  I think it used to wrap around the mountain toward Berlinsville and may have connected with the Chestnut Ridge RR in Palmerton, but of that I am not certain.  As an aside, Engler family lore has it that the bridge in your picture was "built" by my father (S.D. Engler)'s step father, Bill Berg, who was a railroad right-of-way and bridge building engineer.  My dad's mother (Ella Berg, Palmerton Hospital Chief Cook in the 1930s and 1940s) seemed to have had a "thing" for "railroad men" as her first husband, John J. Engler, was a railroad freight yard manager.
 Sincerely,     - Dave Engler
    It did indeed connect with the Chestnut Ridge as seen from this picture with a lot of activity in the Chestnut Ridge yards. This picture was I think from Steve Jensen. He has provided me with  a lot of good stuff.
            This morning my blood glucose was 127 and the weight 207.When ever she has a bean-based dish like the chili we had last evening, the blood sugar behaves very well.
    This morning we went to IGA and Rite-Aid where Queen got one of her prescriptions that was getting low.
    Today is my day for the Times News. I like Saturday best of all. Their staff columnists and reporters often have articles on this day. I enjoyed Joel Kern’s trials and tribulations with the smoking habit. I suppose that the price of the habit will eventually force a lot to quit. When I was a kid cigarettes were a few cents a pack. Now, Wow!!
    Bob Urban is still battling the Post Office Department for a postage stamp issued for anthracite miners. Lots of luck!
    Pattie has had a heck of a string of bad luck happen to her. From her vacuum cleaner to her oil burner that her service man hasn’t a clue how to fix, and now to top it all off, her car has mice that are eating away at vital parts of the car with very undesirable results. All this combined with the slings and arrows of her job. She speaks of “Insensitive” phone calls. Geez! , Queen knows all about that. When Queen worked at the Palmerton Telephone Co. as an operator for 20 years, she got a lot of that. Whoever called about a problem after working hours, was MAD as Hell and didn’t hesitate to tell off the first representative of the company they encountered. Well, she was it. She said she learned many words she never knew before; surprisingly some from very “nice “ people who while trying to be anonymous, didn’t realize she recognized their voices. Ha!!  Today, she is very good at recalling voices.
This morning when I went into the bus stop, I saw the bag of frozen sauerkraut that we decided to have for supper.
    Supper is over and we had sauerkraut, pork, mashed potatoes, and lemon pudding for dessert. It was excellent. She will probably hear from me this evening! Ha!!
    This morning, while I was in the bus stop, I saw the two smoked pork butts that have been there for awhile. I brought them in and cooked them up to be turned into ham and bean soup. I cooked the meat most of the afternoon, took it off the bones and it is all setting out there to be de-fatted tomorrow. That also makes an excellent meal.

Above is the old firehouse and Chestnut Ridge train station on Delaware avenue
 
Sunday, January 25, 2004 7:56 AM 5 deg. at LVIA and 2.3 deg. in the bus stop
    Burrr!!! It is cold this morning. It is a clear day here so far, but snow is to enter the area later this evening. Apparently, the worst of it is predicted to fall to the south of us.
    This morning my weight was still 206 and the blood glucose122. That sauerkraut meal did not raise it.
    Well, I was out and had my first cup of coffee on the upper park bench. Queen thinks I am nuts, but I was well bundled and quite comfortable. She is starting breakfast and then wants to take her bath. I don’t know, these late hours of hers. She didn’t get to bed until after 12:30 AM. Yes, it was the computer. She wrote several e-mails last night and she likes some of the solitaire games. I taught her how to play Spider Solitaire. It is different and fun. It comes with the XP program.
I just got this from Bob Green:

     Snappy Answer #1
A flight attendant was stationed at the departure gate to check tickets. As a man approached, she extended her hand for the ticket, and he opened  his trench coat and flashed her. Without missing a beat she said, "Sir, I need to see your ticket, not your stub."
 
Snappy Answer #2
A lady was picking through the frozen turkeys at the grocery store, but couldn't find one big enough for her family.  She asked a stock boy, "Do these turkeys get any bigger?"  The stock boy replied, "No ma'am, they're dead."
 
Snappy Answer #3
The cop got out of his car and the kid who was stopped for speeding rolled down his window. "I've been waiting for you all day," the cop said.  The kid replied,  "Yeah, well I got here as fast as I could."  When the cop finally stopped laughing, he sent the kid on his way without a ticket.
 
Snappy Answer #4
A truck driver was driving along on the freeway. A sign comes up that reads "Low Bridge Ahead."  Before he knows it, the bridge is right ahead of him and he gets stuck under the bridge.  Cars are backed up for miles.  Finally,  a police car comes up. The cop gets out of his car and walks around to the truck driver, puts his hands on his hips and says, "Got stuck, huh?" The truck driver says, "No, I was delivering this bridge and ran out of gas."
 
And finally #5 - Snappy Answer of the year:
A college teacher reminds her class of tomorrow's final exam.  "Now class, I won't tolerate any excuses for you not being here tomorrow.  I might consider a nuclear attack or a serious personal injury or illness, or a death in your immediate family but that's it, no other excuses whatsoever!"   A smart-ass guy in the back of the room raised his hand and asks, "What would you say if tomorrow I said I was suffering from complete and utter sexual exhaustion?"  The entire class does its best to stifle their laughter.  When silence is restored, the teacher smiles sympathetically at the student,   shakes her head, and sweetly says, "Well, I guess you'd have to write the exam with  your other hand."  
 
I got this e mail from Bill Danneberg:
“Am I correct in assuming that the house portrayed [in your newsletter]  as "Dr. Leshok's house" was once the residence of Philip Ginder at Fourth and Columbia [Residence Park]?  Do you remember the nearby "circle" on Fourth Street in Residence Park?  That was the scene of many "Circle Bowl" touch football games in the 50's, despite the fact that a big tree stood squarely in center of this fine arena.  Too bad this athletic facility fell victim to the need for enhanced traffic flow in and out of Residence Park.”

    I replied as follows, "Bill, Do you remember when the Ginder house was the Baker house? Do you remember the fountain that was right in front of the house as you enter the driveway? It was fed by a small dam on the park run that was located up in the upper reaches of the property. It was placed so that there was just enough drop to display a really nice fountain. I suppose it drained into the sewer, of that, I am not sure. I remember it very well. I used to play in that creek and catch Hell from Mom when I came home soaking wet. That is a story in itself. I will bet your Dad would have known all the details of the fountain. "
 
“Bob,
“I never knew that fountain was "powered" by gravity. Very interesting.  I recall the place being called the Baker house.  When Phil Ginder moved there, we moved into Ginder's previous house at 436 Columbia Avenue from a rented farmhouse off Route 209 about a mile west of Forrest Inn. [I can't recall the name of the village nearby.]  My Dad dropped me off at Delaware School each morning and my mother picked me up in the afternoon in our yellow Jeep. [Cool!]  Fond memories of a wonderful childhood in and around Palmerton, a life that included building dams in Park Run and catching hell from my Dad on one occasion for re-routing the stream down Third Street from a point about 100 yards south of the swimming pool entrance drive. Fortunately, he discovered our engineering project before the police did.”

     Well, here are some of Bobby’s water escapades, which often caused me no end of trouble with Mom. I wrote about some of this stuff a couple of years ago, but many never have seen it.
    All of my life I loved the water. In the summertime, I would explore the park run in detail. I worked my way down to Delaware Avenue from Columbia Ave. It started by crawling under the street at the Baker house on Columbia and I worked my way down stream crawling under each avenue until I reached Delaware. Under Lafayette, it was really neat. I would crawl backward into the storm sewer line that came down Lafayette Avenue almost in the center of the street, and lay there watching stuff floating by. Of course, in those days, I didn’t weigh 206 lbs. By the time, I worked my way down to Delaware, I chickened out. Delaware Avenue’s “tunnel was dark as Hell and much longer because it stayed covered until it got past the Palmerton Lighting Co. building, now Bob’s Floral shop. There was no grate, as there is now. It looked like a dark pit to this little kid. I started in but thought better of it when the street noises and claustrophobia closed in on me. Geez!!
Of course, then I had to face Mom and since there was no logical reason to appear home soaking wet, I was in for it. It was fun though. She had me figured out. I never fooled her on very much of anything. She wasn’t a one-room schoolteacher before she married Dad, for nothing. Sometime I shall recount my learning to swim.
 
        
It is hard to believe that on the other side of the street from these pictures was my starting point. See below!!
    This afternoon, I figured that the weather scene for tomorrow was not going to be good, so I went for a walk this afternoon. It is much like walking on a treadmill, but much colder. Without Queen, it was boring as Heck. I took the camera along and got two pictures at the park run at the Berlew [Kupp] place. Now, it is practically frozen over.
    Tonight for supper we had a meal in Queen’s new crock-pot. It is programmable.  We had an excellent chicken vegetable meal. We had some brown and serve rolls and lemon pudding for dessert. It was an excellent meal. I long ago told her that her probationary period was over and I was going to keep her. Usually with that remark, I have to fend off the frying pan. Geez!!!


Monday, January 26, 2004 7:24 AM 8 deg at LVIA and 13.7 in the bus stop
    The blood glucose this morning is 123 and the weight 208. <Ugg> It is white outside this morning. It had started to snow in the middle of the night. I doubt if there is an inch of the stuff but tomorrow is supposed to bring a “big one,” Sheez!!
    I have been going through my e-mail this morning and seeing a lot of interesting stuff. There are communications from lot of folks to whom I want to respond.
Here are some simple games I found on the Kim Komando site. http://ferryhalim.com/orisinal/  
    After breakfast, I went up to the park bench, coffee, broom, and tush cushion in hand and sat there awhile. It wasn’t uncomfortable sitting there. I noted the smoke drifting toward the west from the neighbor’s wood stove and am reassured that it isn’t over yet.
A break from winter from last summer
    Viewing the wood smoke reminded me of my early attempts to “stick it to the Arabs.” I bought my first wood stove and then my second. After two chimney fires, one requiring the assistance of the fire department, I persevered. The oak pallet wood was all dumped on the sidewalk. The wood was put in coke boxes which I carried up into the patio area under a roofed area.
 After a time, my trusty assistant declined putting oak woodcuttings into the coke boxes. She also stated that she did not want to be cremated before her time. Therefore, I decided to switch to coal.
 Ha!! The man put the coal into the wood storage place that I had turned into a coal bin. At one time, the sides of the redwood lattice split open and spewed coal all over the church yard. A bit of poor engineering, was involved in that one. However being a” Fudge Institute” graduate of long standing, I overcame that difficulty with some reverse engineering. Ha!!
 The newer stove was interchangeable with wood or coal.  Well, that eliminated the chimney fire problems but it was a bitch for dirt. The house had a black coating of coal dust over everything. I also had to get up about 5 or 6 AM and turn on the draft and shake the ashes and take them outside, a process taking well over a half an hour.  Geez!! It just wasn’t worth the effort. Therefore, then we put in a gas parlor heater. This was the best idea of all by  far.
Finally, we realized that while the downstairs living area was comfortable, the rest of the house was like living in a barn. The old Crane Sunny Day oil burner that Mom had installed many years ago was certainly not efficient. That is when we had Milt Stemler replace it with a new high efficiency oil burner along with the addition of a programmable thermostat.
 Now, we heat the entire house comfortably for well under 800 dollars a year and we are very comfortable. That isn’t bad for a single dwelling house sitting unprotected by itself. The house is well insulated with rock wool insulation blown in under the stucco and then and  sided with aluminum siding with Celotex underlying it. We had new storm windows installed, it has all paid off. I said to Queen, now is when we need it. I would no longer make a good pioneer! Geez!!
I went to the Iron Works this morning and found that there was no lack of lack of people. I saw Betty and Bob Hartman as well as Betsy Burnhauser. Will Bradbury was there being shown the ropes. It must be his first time at the equipment.
 Then I stopped on the way home at the T.N. office to say a quick hello, just an in and out, on my way to IGA and asked Pattie about her mouse mobile. Ha!!


Tuesday, January 27, 2004 7:28 AM 16deg at LVIA and 14.4 in the bus stop
    It is a nasty looking day out there this morning. Butternut was out but I have not ventured out yet. They want a royal mess later today and into tomorrow with the possibly up to 8 to 10 inches of snow. I bet Howard Cyr and Barbara Shepherd are laughing themselves silly over us poor frozen northerners. Ha!!
    This morning the weight was 206 but the blood glucose was 149. Why oyster stew should do that I haven’t a clue. I didn’t even have any dessert. Geez!!
    Now at 8:20 AM, I am back inside from my trip out to the park bench. I guess one really would consider me as neighbor Mike calls them, a “nut case”.
    I just received this from Bob Green. I find it very interesting:
       
Zip code 18071 - Palmerton, PA
 
  Page 1 of 2       |       Go to Page 2       |       Enter new zip code       |       Where's the Nearest?   
 
Demographics    zip 18071    Regional Avg.    National Avg.
Neighborhood type    Suburban         
Population    11,384    635,064    285,658,441
Pop. density    362.5    1,336.9    1,161.6
Percent male    48.4%    49.0%    49.6%
Percent female    51.6%    51.0%    50.1%
Median age    39.5    38.4    36.5
People per household    2.4    2.5    2.6
Median household income    $33,382    $45,569    $38,353
Average income per capita    $16,900    $21,468    $17,970
               
Crime    zip 18071    Regional Avg.    National Avg.
Violent crime risk index    3.0    2.1    3.0
Property crime risk index    3.0    2.4    3.2
               
Housing    zip 18071    Regional Avg.    National Avg.
Median home value    $89,100    $128,976    $126,047
Median age of homes    44.2    32.3    27.8
Home appreciation    7.2%    7.3%    7.7%
Homes - owned    74.2%    73.0%    63.4%
Homes - rented    20.8%    18.7%    21.7%
Homes - vacant    5.0%    8.3%    14.8%
Commuting by bus    0.9%    1.0%    2.0%
Commuting by carpool    17.5%    12.8%    14.6%
Commuting by auto    72.2%    78.6%    71.6%
Working at home     2.6%    2.8%    5.6%
               
Family Facts    zip 18071    Regional Avg.    National Avg.
Currently married    58.4%    58.8%    58.3%
Never married    22.7%    23.9%    23.8%
Divorced    6.6%    6.6%    7.7%
Widowed    9.2%    7.8%    7.4%
Separated    3.1%    2.9%    2.8%
Married - w/ children    26.2%    27.2%    28.5%
Married - no children    33.1%    34.2%    31.3%
Single - w/ children    8.0%    7.5%    9.3%
Single - no children    32.7%    31.1%    30.7%
   Continue to Page 2
Zip code 18071 - Palmerton, PA
 
  Page 2 of 2       |       Back to Page 1       |       Enter new zip code       |       Where's the Nearest?   
 
Education    zip 18071    Regional Avg.    National Avg.
High school graduates    74.2%    79.2%    76.5%
College degree - 2 year    5.9%    8.0%    8.2%
College degree - 4 year    8.0%    13.9%    14.9%
Graduate degree    4.1%    7.2%    7.0%
Expenditures per student    $5,894    $6,292    $5,896
Students per teacher    18.6    18.5    16.0
Students per librarian    660    518    934
Students per guidance counselor    396    519    560
            
Economy    zip 18071    Regional Avg.    National Avg.
Unemployment rate    5.3%    4.9%    4.6%
Recent job growth    1.4%    2.0%    0.9%
Future job growth    7.6%    7.0%    11.4%
Sales tax    6.00%    6.00%    5.63%
Income tax    3.80%    3.83%    5.02%
Cost of living index    93.8    105.8    100.0
               
Health    zip 18071    Regional Avg.    National Avg.
Air quality    74    39    48
Watershed quality    47    46    54
Physicians per capita    91.7    250.5    168.5
Health cost index    97.8    102.0    100.0
Superfund site index    20    15    71
UV index    3.8    3.8    4.3
               
Climate    zip 18071    Regional Avg.    National Avg.
Altitude    410    580    1,058
Rainfall (inches annually)    44.0    47.9    38.8
Snowfall (inches annually)    19.1    26.6    24.4
January avg. low temp    19.2    18.1    21.6
July avg. high temp    86.1    84.1    86.4
Days of precipitation annually    125    126    112
Days mostly sunny annually    204    202    205
Comfort index (during hot weather)    47    49    44
  I find the above very interesting and subject to many interpretations.
 Aside from my visit to the park bench, I haven’t been outside today and I am getting cabin fever.
<Later> I did go out and push Queen’s new bright yellow wide shovel all the way up to and including Mike’s place. Bernice Kleintop already had hers done. That is it. At least, it got me outside and got the blood moving a bit. Bernice opened her front door admonishing me to stop it. Hey, I feel fine. If it begins to feel like too much, I stop.
Queen has been busy doing the thankless job all afternoon  of going through excess papers, mail, and just assorted piles of stuff we have accumulated in the kitchen, and throwing out the unneeded stuff.
This just in from the National Weather Service,
BERKS PA-CARBON PA-LEHIGH PA-MONROE PA-MORRIS NJ-NORTHAMPTON PA-
SUSSEX NJ-WARREN NJ-
 
WINTER STORM WARNING IN EFFECT TONIGHT.
 
LOW PRESSURE OFF THE CAROLINAS WILL INTENSIFY AS IT MOVES NORTHEAST
TONIGHT ALLOWING SNOW FALL HEAVY AT TIMES TONIGHT. THE SNOW WILL
TAPER OFF TO FLURRIES BY MORNING. SNOW ACCUMULATIONS OF 4 TO 7
INCHES ARE FORECAST WITH THE PERIOD OF HEAVIEST SNOW BETWEEN 7 PM
AND MIDNIGHT WHEN AN INCH OR TWO COULD FALL PER HOUR.
At 8:00 PM tonight here it comes  Bah Humbug!!
 
        
    Tonight for supper Queen had the rest of the rest of crock-pot meal left over from the other day. She had it in the oven with a fresh salad, cottage cheese, and some cranberries. It was first class.


Wednesday, January 28, 2004 7:33 AM 25 deg at LVIA and 19.6 in the bus stop
    My weight this morning was 205 but the blood glucose was back to126. That is better.
    It has stopped snowing but we must have 8 or 10 inches of the stuff outside. I will wait a bit before going out to work on it.


Well, here  is how it looks this morning.
    I am back inside. As I was finishing breakfast, we saw neighbor, Garry, going by with his snow blower. When Queen stepped out to thank him on his last pass up the walks, he stopped to ask about her. He said he hadn’t seen her in awhile and was concerned about her well being. His Mom has a similar problem.
    I got our blower out and cleaned off out back area including my park bench spot. Then I went up to neighbor Mikes place and did his east sidewalk way. Of course, a few spots for Butternut as poop stops were done.  When I went and looked, Mike’s plowman had opened the whole garage area. I tell you we certainly do have wonderful neighbors.
    I used the snow shovel to clean the steps down to the street and opened three spots for us to gain access to the parked car when this place fills up. I will have to open the area next to the garage. I plan to do that when I get the car out when I to go to the “Iron Works” this morning.
    I have been down and back. I used the treadmill and walked a half a mile, then the regular specialized machines for the various muscle groups. My back feels like a rusty hinge this afternoon. I didn’t overdo, but I came damn close. With the addition of the shoveling I did before I went, it was plenty. A nap felt damn good this afternoon. Stuff like this never seemed to bother me 20 years ago. Golden years my foot!! However, it beats looking up from 6 feet under, at the snow on the ground overhead. Ha!!
    Tonight for supper, we are dining in God’s restaurant. Spaghetti!!!!!! She makes the best in the world. It isn’t Italian by any means but it is without peer. After her spaghetti meal, all is right with the world. Spaghetti is the king of “comfort food”. Even more than Mac and cheese, which is also right up near the top of the list. Ah!!!

 
Thursday, January 29, 2004 7:19 AM 21 deg at LVIA and 17.1 in the bus stop
    This morning my blood glucose was 139 and my weight 206. It is a cold, clear, day this morning. Butternut has been out but not I. Soon I shall have to take the garbage to the alley and get out the car. Today, we plan to do our shopping.
    Most of the soreness from yesterday has disappeared this morning and I certainly feel much better. I was bone tired last evening and must have needed the rest.
    Dummy was sitting on the park bench when he heard a truck coming. So, I had to go like Hell to get the stuff up there. They have been coming unusually early these days. Well, I made it but just barely. He had to wait for me. Sheez!!
    We did our shopping this morning and that was uneventful. The stores were crowded and busy. We saw Marie Dieter in Aldi and  Ida Snyder leaving IGA this morning.
 I guess everyone wanted to just get out while the weather was nice. We were back a bit after noon.
This morning in my emergency e mail messages is the following from  U. S. Department of Homeland Security:

US Computer Emergency Response Tm.
Issues Cyber Security Alert for the MyDoom.B
 
Click  for details
 
http://www.emergencyemail.org/cyber1.asp
 
Refer others for sign up to...
THE EMERGENCY EMAIL & WIRELESS NETWORK
http://www.emergencyemail.org/
Also from ProLog:
 Dear Valued Customer,
Please carefully review this critical announcement that outlines a new e-mail virus which has begun circulating on the Internet. This virus, commonly known as W32/Mydoom, arrives as an attachment to an e-mail message. Running the attachment allows the virus to infect your PC.
As a result of this announcement, PenTeleData strongly urges all customers to do the following:
1) Please use extreme caution when opening e-mail attachments from both known and unknown sources.
2) Please ensure that the virus definitions for your anti-virus software are up to date and run the anti-virus software on your computer to detect and clear any infections.  
For any problems or additional questions please call our technical support at 1.800.804.5783.
Thank you for your business and continued support.
PenTeleData
    My advice is be careful even known friendly e-mails from folks with previously clean machines may now be infected.  BE SURE YOUR ANTI VIRUS IS UP TO DATE! In addition, be sure it is set to scan your incoming e mail.  A properly configured e-mail scanner can catch it. Check your virus scanner for updates regularly.
    I was sitting here today wondering about the political scene. Everyone is spinning and slinging mud at each other. I thought for a time how can it get any worse? Each week more and worse stuff keeps coming out.
At this point, I decided to have Google run a search on the subject of past political campaigns. Moreover, I thought they are becoming worse and worse, well, I was in for a surprise. Today’s stuff is mild compared with the past. It is an interesting subject that gets bigger and bigger, as one delves intro it.
”These Are the Good Old Days:
"Dirty Campaigning" Was Once Much Worse”
By Dan Sanders
    "Presidential campaigns are a lot nicer today than they used to be. What respectable person today would think of calling one of the candidates for the highest office in the land a carbuncled-faced old drunkard? Or a howling atheist? Or a pickpocket, thief, traitor, lecher, syphilitic, gorilla, crook, anarchist, murderer? Yet such charges were regular features of American presidential contests in the 19th century." http://216.132.160.230/lp_goodolddays.htm
I have concluded that human nature is pretty much the same. What has changed tremendously is the ability to communicate all the insults and drivel instantly all over the world. The Pope sneezes and immediately someone in San Francisco says “God Bless” you! Before candidates had to read it in the paper to know they had been maligned. It was a lot easier on the rest of us in those days, though.


Friday, January 30, 2004 7:26 AM 14 deg at LVIA and 10.4 in the bus stop
      This morning my Blood glucose was 127 and the weight 206. It is very cold outdoors this morning. I haven’t been out yet even though Butternut did his thing.             
  Queen just told me that John Parsons died. He was 78 years old. The Historical Society will miss him.  This from the paper:
 
John W. Parsons            
 
John W. Parsons, 78, of Palmerton, died Jan. 29 in his home. He was married to Jeanette (Serfass) Parsons for 52 years last June. He was a science teacher for Palmerton Area School District Middle School before retiring and also taught physics and science for Northern Lehigh School District and physics for the Upper Perkiomen School District, was the owner and operator of Towamensing Tree Nursery, and was a land surveyor for 20 major subdivisions in Towamensing and Lower Towamensing Townships, Carbon County. He earned a bachelor's degree in forestry from the University of the South, Sewanee, Tenn., and a master's degree in general science from Temple University, Philadelphia. Born in Aquashicola, he was a son of the late Walter and Florence (Greene) Parsons. He was a member of St. John's Towamensing Lutheran Church, Palmerton. Previously, he was a member of St. John's United Church of Christ, Palmerton, and a Sunday school teacher and 25-year consistory member there. In 1998, he and his brother William co-authored ''The Towamensing Union Church,'' for the 200th anniversary of the church, which originally included both St. John's congregations. He was an Army Air Corps veteran of World War II, serving as a B-17 radio operator and gunner and attaining the rank of sergeant. He was a past conductor of the Parryville Band, a member and librarian of the Palmerton Band, and a cornet soloist for both bands. He was a member of the Lehigh Brigade, Civil War Roundtable of Eastern Pennsylvania, and one of the original members of the Lehigh Gap Historical Society. He authored ''The Lehigh Gap,'' a book published by the society, and ''A Ramble Through the Lehigh Water Gap.'' Survivors: Wife; son, John of Palmerton; daughters, Jan Steigerwalt of East Stroudsburg, Jeanne Green of Owings, Md.; five grandchildren. He was predeceased by a daughter, Judy. Services: memorial, 7 p.m. Monday in St. John's Towamensing Lutheran Church. Call 6-7 p.m. Monday in the church. Arrangements, T.K. Thomas Funeral Home, Palmerton. Contributions: Judy Parsons memorial scholarship funds of the Palmerton Area School District and Bucknell University, Lewisburg, Union County. Published in the Morning Call on 1/30/2004.

    I intend to go to the “Iron Works” this morning. There is no point in going early. The place is full of geezers who often go there very early.                             
    Gee, whiz!! We just got a phone call from son in-law, Fritz. He is just home from the hospital having had three stents put into his arteries. He had a stress test, they found an abnormality in the readings, and he had this procedure at that time. He is well and feeling fine and expects to resume a more normal life. However, he intends to modify his lifestyle to take into account this new condition. He said the doctor spoke of the genetic connection that he and his sibling’s share. It probably played a large part in his condition. He speaks of the possibility of moving into a town where Belva will have better access to stores and people as well as the great function and livability of a small town. We wish them well.                                                         
I went down to the Iron Works and got back about ¾ hour later.  After my return, I took some banking down to Keystone. Then I stopped in at my favorite conclave of TN reporters. When I told them that I had just paid the Telephone bill that just arrived to reassure them that the company would have sufficient funds to pay all three of them. Ha!! From there, it was back home. I drove by the Lafayette Ave Elliston’s house and saw that the sidewalk was cleared.
Please love one another Mom and Bob, [Queen and Bobby]

Let us be thankful for the fools. But for them the rest of us could not succeed.
Mark Twain (1835-1910)    
     It is better to deserve honors and not have them than to have them and not deserve them.  Mark Twain (1835-1910)    
     If you pick up a starving dog and make him prosperous, he will not bite you. This is the principal difference between a dog and a man.  Mark Twain (1835-1910)


Document made with Nvu