'quiet Beatle's' Impact Loud, Clear 
George Harrison's Work Influence Many On Personal Level

Beatrice Zavatsky

BERNADINE ELICK Times Leader Correspondent
 Thursday, December 06, 2001 &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Page: 6A 





I know many township residents will remember that it was 60 years ago
tomorrow when the Japanese Navy and Air Force, in a sneak premeditated early
morning attack on Pearl Harbor, killed approximately 3,000 of our military
personnel. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 We also lost eight battleships (including the U.S.S. Arizona) and 13 other
naval vessels that were either sunk or badly damaged, plus the destruction of
200 aircraft. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Even though I was a young girl at the time, I remember how all of my family
gathered around our radio to hear the infamous speech delivered by President
Franklin D. Roosevelt. In his speech to a nation shocked by the tragedy at
Pearl Harbor, Roosevelt spoke that we will all remember it as "a day that will
live in infamy." &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Everyone's life changed at that moment. Everyone did whatever they could to
help the war effort on the homefront. My brother, who was 13 at the time,
collected scrap metal so that he could purchase war savings stamps. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Young men, even those who were only seniors in high school, willingly
signed up to join the fight against our aggressor. Over 290,000 of these men
never returned home to their loved ones as they sacrificed their lives for
their beloved country. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 In Wilkes-Barre Township alone 52 servicemen lost their lives in World War
II. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Their names are carved on the pillars of the arch on the front lawn of the
American Legion Post 815 home on Chestnut Street. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 A memorial in tribute to the 1,177 men who died aboard the Arizona was
built in Honolulu in 1962. The memorial was built directly above the remains
of the sunken battleship. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 As the years go by, we certainly don't want our younger generation to
forget what their grandfathers and great uncles fought for 60 years ago so
that they could all live in a free nation. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Sixty year later, we were taken by surprise on the morning on Sept. 11 by
the sneak attack on the two World Trade Centers in New York City and the
Pentagon by a group of terrorists. We are unfortunately once again at war,
only this time, our younger generation will remember what happened on Sept.
11, 2001. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 In the years to come, they will be able to tell their children and
grandchildren what happened on that day just like our parents, and
grandparents related to us what happened to our country in 1941. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 No input on proposal &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 A public hearing was held last week on Mayor Carl Kuren's proposed budget. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 No township citizens offered input. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 The only comment was from councilman Frank Tarnalicki who requested a
breakdown on the annual salaries of the top police offi cers. For many years
their salaries were lumped into one total instead of being done individually. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 The proposed budget calls for general fund expenditures in the amount of
$2,504,003 with $1,600,345 for the sewer fund. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Total general fund revenues and cash estimated for 2002 is $2,508,619 and
$1,804,407 in the sewer fund, leaving a surplus of $4,616 in the general fund
and $204,062 in the sewer fund, for a total surplus of $208,678 for 2002. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Taxes hold steady &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 The proposed budget calls for many new projects and improvements with no
tax increases. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 One of the benefits township residents enjoy is free weekly garbage
disposal. Larger bulk items are collected weekly at no cost to the resident. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Residents must pick up a bulk sticker at the municipal building in order to
dispose of the bulk item. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 A motion was made by Tarnalicki and seconded by Henry Simoncavage to
approve the second reading of the proposed budget. The second reading passed
4-0. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Kuren announced that the third and final reading for the passage of the
proposal will be held at 7 p.m. Dec. 13. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 The proposed budget is available for public inspection at the municipal
building during normal working hours. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 At the brief work session that followed, Kuren announced he made two
appointments to the planning commission caused by the resignations of John
Stefanski and Simoncavage. Newly appointed to the commission are Joseph
Housenick and Stanley Kaskey, effective immediately. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 The appointment to fill the vacancy on the zoning hearing board as an
alternate will be announced at the December regular meeting schedule. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Councilman Gary Polakoski was unable to attend the meeting due to his work
schedule. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Friars to meet &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Georgetown Friars Club will meet at 1:30 p.m. Sunday at the township fire
hall. Plans were completed for the annual children's Christmas party. All
members are urged to attend. Robert Flynn will preside. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Lions club to meet &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Wilkes-Barre Township Lions Club will host a meeting of the Upper Valley
Eye Bank of Lions District 14-W tonight at 7 at the township fire hall. The
club will hold its monthly business meeting on Tuesday at 7:30 p.m. at the
fire hall. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 A joint Christmas party with the Hunlock Creek Lions Club is scheduled for
Dec. 14. beginning at 6 p.m. at the township fire hall. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Senior club to meet &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Members of the Wilkes-Barre Township Senior Club meet every Wednesday at
12:30 p.m. at the township fire hall for a game of bingo. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 The next business meeting will be held on Wednesday at 12:30 p.m. Secretary
Theresa Yatko reminds seniors that dues will be collected. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 New members are welcome. Refreshments will be served after the meeting.
Mary Sledjeski will preside. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Christmas tree sale &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Members of the Warsaw Sportsmen Club are selling Christmas trees and
wreaths at South Walnut and Metcalf streets. Every tree, regardless of size,
costs $20. Wreaths are $10 apiece. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Hours of operation are Monday through Friday, 5 to 9 p.m., and Saturday and
Sunday, 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 St. John's news &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 St. Nicholas will make a canonical visit to St. John's following the 9 a.m.
divine liturgy Sunday to distribute gifts to children and adults of the
parish. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 St. John's Church and Greek Catholic Union Lodge 443 are sponsoring a
Christmas raffle. The five prizes, variations of St. Nicholas, will be raffled
off on Dec. 16 after the 9 a.m. Divine Liturgy. To obtain raffle tickets,
contact George Daru at 825-4416. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Volunteers are needed for St. John's Christmas baking project on Monday,
Tuesday and Wednesday from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. each day. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 If you would like to have a poinsettia on St. John's Christmas poinsettia
tree in memory of a deceased loved one or for any other special intention,
please place your name and your intention in an envelope in the Sunday
collection basket. Donation is $10 per plant. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 St. Joseph's News &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Santa will be coming to St. Joseph's on Saturday, from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m.,
for those children of the parish who made their reservations to have lunch
with Santa in Father Arnold Hall. Lunch will consist of pizza, veggies and
dip, juice and dessert. All children must be accompanied by an adult. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Parishioners who have picked up a tag from the Giving Tree are asked to
wrap their gift for the boy or girl according to his or her size and place the
gift under the blessed mother statue by Dec. 16. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 The members of the Altar and Rosary Society are putting together a cookbook
containing recipes from parishioners. If you have a favorite recipe for soup,
main course, side dish or dessert, type or print it and drop it off at the
parish office. For those who have a computer, recipes can be e-mailed to:
teapotnannie@cs. The cookbook will be ready for sale in time for Mother's Day. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Non-perishable food items, such as canned vegetables, cranberry sauce,
instant potatoes, canned or instant gravy, stuffing, noodles, pasta, pasta
sauce, dry cereal, Jell-O, canned fruit, canned or instant soups and cookies
are being collected until Sunday. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Donated items may be dropped off in the back of the church. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 The Altar and Rosary Society will have a dinner at Allanti's Restaurant in
Kingston on Sunday. Members will car pool from the church parking lot at 4:45
p.m. Members are asked to bring along a small toy for Toys for Tots. All
members are urged to attend the 10:30 a.m. Mass Sunday as a group. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 New club to start &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Membership in the $30,000 club at St. Joseph's Friary will start on Jan. 1
and end Dec. 31, 2002. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Membership entitles members a chance to win the following: $75 every
weekday, except Fridays; $100 every Friday, except for the last Friday of the
month; $250 on the last Friday of each month except Dec. 27; also a chance to
win $1,000 on July 5, Dec. 20 and Dec. 27, 2002. The cost of a membership is
$5 a month. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 If memberships are paid in full ($60 for the year) by April 1, members will
be eligible for a separate drawing of $1,000 on April 6. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Memberships may be paid on a monthly basis. Payment must be made before the
first of each month to be an eligible for prizes. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Memberships may be purchased during parish office hours on Monday through
Friday, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., Saturday, 3 to 5:30 p.m. and Sunday, 9 to 11:30 a.m. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Youth meeting scheduled &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 At a meeting held recently, Father James Badeaux of St. John's Byzantine
Catholic Church and Father Frank McHugh of St. Joseph's Friary, got together
to try a long-range joint venture from both churches. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 The priests are attempting a cooperative venture for the youth of the
township. The goal is to get people from various faiths, ages, etc. together
for social, athletic, or recreational activities. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 A third youth meeting is scheduled in Father Arnold Hall on Sunday at 2
p.m. All ages are welcome, including youths and their parents. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 The group will discuss activities that might appeal to the children.
Eventually, plans will be made for groups for other ages. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 St. Joseph's Church bells haven't been tolling for several months and are
in need of replacement with a new digital system. Anyone wishing to help out
with a monetary donation toward the purchase of the new system is asked to get
in touch with Father Frank as soon as possible. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Birthday greetings &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Birthday greetings this week go out to Dotty Ann Sobieski who will
celebrate her 23rd birthday on Sunday. Best wishes are being sent from your
family, friends and co-workers at Sallie Mae. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Bernie's helpful hints &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Many people like to purchase a fresh cut Christmas tree to have the
wonderful scent of pine in their home. If you are one of them, in order to
preserve your tree, saw the butt off at a slight angle, set in a tight
receptacle holding at least one quart, and support the tree firmly. Fill the
receptacle with the following solution: to one gallon of water, add one cup
light corn syrup (Karo), four teaspoons of Clorox and four tablespoons of
plant food. Replenish as needed. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Fresh cut trees usually take from two pints to a gallon of water daily, so
check on the water level daily. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 If you want to fireproof your tree, use the following solution: To one
gallon of water, add eight ounces alum and eight ounces baking soda. Spray the
tree with the solution and keep outdoors for at least 24 hours to dry. Make a
fresh, one-inch cut on the butt and place in receptacle with the Karo
solution. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 To get the evergreen sap off your hands, rub the sticky areas with baby oil
or cooking oil. The sap will soften and can be easily washed away with soap
and warm water. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 To have a meeting notice, news item or greeting published, call or fax
Bernadine Elick at 823-7540, mail notices to her at 59 S. Walnut St.,
Wilkes-Barre Township, 18702, or send e-mail to: Berne59@msn.com. Deadline is
Monday at noon. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;

52 Township Residents Lost Lives In Wwii