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Rain doesn’t stop Legion Riders of American Legion Post 350

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Luzerne County Notebook: Council contenders to present views

<p>The popularity of genealogy, or the tracing of family history, has skyrocketed in recent years. In fact, it has become one of America&#8217;s top hobbies, as people become more and more interested in connecting to their ancestral roots.</p><p>Clark Switzer, a history teacher at Wyoming Seminary for more than 40 years, isn&#8217;t surprised.</p><p>&#8220;Our history tells the story of who we are and how we lived &#8211; it connects us not just to facts, but to the people who came before us and to each other,&#8221; says Switzer, who passionately believes that it is critical to communicate this history to our youth.</p><p>&#8220;Our collective story, like that of our individual family&#8217;s, provides a foundation of character for young people,&#8221; he added. &#8220;They will one day be the caretakers of what we value. It is important for them to understand the passion and resiliency of those who came before us &#8211; many of whom suffered, yet persevered through fires, floods, mining disasters and wars.&#8221;</p><p>Switzer believes there is so much local history to be celebrated.</p><p>&#8220;Our story is not only about mining and coal &#8212; it is about the traditions of natives who once called this place home, the stories of pioneers and immigrants and those who spoke out against slavery,&#8221; he says. &#8220;There were plenty of national and international leaders who were born in Wyoming Valley &#8212; it was home to the Kirbys, the Stegmaiers, the Butlers and where Planters Peanuts got its start.&#8221;</p><p>On school trips to the Forty Fort cemetery, Switzer asks the students to consider the &#8220;dash&#8221; between the years of birth and death on the headstones. For it is in the hyphen, where the stories of those who have gone before us lie.</p><p>Ann Smith, local psychotherapist by day and personal historian by night, meets people in their dash. Founder and owner of Life Stories Remembered, she works to preserve individual and family stories through video interviews. Smith believes that everyone has a story and every story needs to be told. Her services have become popular gifts for older family members, but Ann feels that preserving firsthand accounts of a person&#8217;s life story is also a gift to future generations.</p><p>&#8220;Genealogy is an important part of the process, but without the story, it is just a name and dates,&#8221; she said. &#8220;When life stories are captured it also provides an opportunity for the people interviewed to pass along legacies of what is important them &#8211; values they live by and lessons they have learned &#8211; personal words of wisdom for their children and grandchildren.&#8221;</p><p>In other words, how they lived their dash.</p><p>As director and curator of the Wilkes-Barre Preservation Society and city councilman, Tony Brooks believes that experiencing the history of where we live gives us &#8220;pride of place.&#8221; Brooks&#8217; architectural walking tours of the River Street Historic District are extremely popular.</p><p>&#8220;Historic preservation is important &#8211; and relates to economic development because it creates opportunities for tourism,&#8221; he said. &#8220;In the downtown alone, we have the Stegmaier mansions, the Hillard House, and ongoing restoration projects for the Zebulon Butler House and Irem Temple &#8211; all cultural gems for our region.&#8221;</p><p>His last walking tour of the year will take place at the Hollenback Cemetery this Saturday and is open to the public. Visitors will hear stories of the lives and military service of Revolutionary War veterans laid to rest many years ago, many of whom helped build the city of Wilkes-Barre.</p><p>When my grandmother passed away in her 90s, she still had &#8220;pickers&#8221; in her hands from the bushes she had trimmed years before. They were a historical marker, of sorts, representing the work ethic, perseverance and strength of my Italian immigrant ancestors. Hands to be proud of and values which are being passed to the next generations.</p><p>We are a strong community and because of our ancestors, we have a rich history to stand on. A respectful thank you to those who came before us, for your hard work and sacrifice. Your fighting spirit remains within us today. You will not be forgotten. </p><style>
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<div class="neCaption">Magnotta </div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo0>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/10/web1_Susan-Magnotta.cmyk_-1.jpg</photo0><caption0>Magnotta </caption0><photoCredit0></photoCredit0></div></div>
<div class="metaInfo"><bylineMeta><p>By Susan Magnotta</p><p>Institute Insights</p></bylineMeta></div><div class="metaInfo"><shirttailMeta><p>Susan Magnotta is Director of Community Outreach at The Institute. Her column appears every other Monday. </p></shirttailMeta></div>

Institute Insights: Remembering, honoring those who came before