U.s. Almost Kept The Clinton Regime In Power With Nov. Election Fiasco

106th Congress Was An Unattractive Cross Between Miss Piggy And Scrooge

By ALAN K. STOUT
alanks@leader.net
 Monday, December 25, 2000 &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Page: 1A 





KINGSTON - One year ago, as gifts were exchanged and holiday meals simmered
on stoves, festive gatherings were abruptly turned into agonizing hours of
fear, destruction and heartache. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 And although it was certainly not a Christmas of the Hallmark variety, it
was a holiday this Kingston neighborhood will never forget. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; On Dec. 25, 1999, at about 1:30 p.m., the home of Max and Maria Hladylowycz
exploded into flames. The blast - which nearly killed the couple and their
daughter, Roxanne - was triggered by a gas leak under the sidewalk in front of
the home at 112 Lathrop St. And although the explosion left the neighborhood
in disarray, it also prompted a series of heroic deeds and random acts of
kindness that serve as a true testament to the Christmas spirit. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Guardian Angels &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 ``I didn't know what happened,'' says Max Hladylowycz, 87, recalling the
events. ``I saw the blast ... and the fire. Everything was burning.'' &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 His daughter, Roxanne, who was visiting for Christmas, says they were in
the kitchen at the time of the explosion. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 ``The front door had collapsed,'' she says. ``The windows burst, and all of
a sudden a fireball came over us from behind. Through my side vision, I could
see the living room burning. The only way out was to go forward. You couldn't
go back, because that's where the flash came from. ... &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 ``I started moving my mother through the dining room, and at that point
beams had already collapsed. When we got to the front door, the door had
already collapsed and the porch had collapsed over it. There was no exit. At
that point, I thought we were going to die.'' &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Just then, says Roxanne, the house split open and she was able to exit
through a hole that had blown through the walls. She pushed her mother through
the opening. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 ``I turned around, and my father was not there. I thought he was right
behind me, but he was nowhere to be found. I started screaming `My father! My
father!' ... At this point, these two men came running over.'' &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 T.J. Rubino and Richard Ward were visiting a nearby home, heard the blast
and rushed to the scene. Roxanne says she frantically told the men her father
was inside; they began shouting his name and peering through the flames. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 ``I was starting to lose consciousness,'' says Max, who became disoriented
by the blast. It was then, he says, that he felt someone pull him from behind. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 The tug came from Rubino, who had entered the home and saved Max's life.
``He pulled him out of the opening,'' says Roxanne, the gratitude still
evident in her tone. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Within seconds, the entire house had collapsed. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Watching the ordeal with great concern was neighbor Suzanne Zoka, host to
Rubino and Ward. ``We were just getting the food out of the oven and on to the
counter when we heard the first explosion,'' she says.``I opened the front
door, and there was a second explosion.'' &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Looking across the street, Zoka saw the Hladylowyczes' home engulfed in
flames. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 ``That's when T.J. went in and pulled him out,'' says Zoka, adding that her
son-in-law's modesty prevents him from discussing his own bravery. Both men
are under consideration for the Carnegie Medal, which is given in recognition
for outstanding acts of selfless heroism. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 ``He doesn't even want to talk about it,'' she says. ``In fact, when they
got the paper for the award, he didn't even want to fill it out. That's just
the way he is. He's a humble person.'' &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Rubino was a new father at the time, which made his act of heroism even
more unnerving to his own family. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 ``My daughter, who had the baby, was hysterical,'' says Zoka. ``Here she is
with the baby in her arms, and her husband is inside a burning building. It
was a state of panic. It seemed like slow-motion, but it happened so quickly. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 ``We're just so thankful no one lost their life.'' &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 `People in need' &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Within minutes, other neighbors had arrived on the scene. And with those
neighbors came more heroes and helpers. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 ``We were having our Christmas dinner, and we heard this gigantic explosion
that just about blew us out of our seats,'' says neighbor Robert Ogren, who
lives a few doors from the Hladylowycz property. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 ``We put on our jackets and walked down, and the house was already engulfed
in flames. It went so fast ... within minutes, the house was demolished and
collapsed on itself. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 ``It was just terrible. They were lucky that they got out alive.'' &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 The Johnsons, who live on nearby Charles Avenue, were also startled by the
boom. ``We had just finished opening Christmas presents,'' says John Johnson.
``The house shook.''' &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Soon after the Hladylowyczes were clear of the fire, they were taken to the
Johnsons' home. There, medics treated the couple and administered first aid.
Roxanne Hladylowycz says the Johnsons went as far as to take a new pair of
bedroom slippers from a gift box and put them on her mother. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 ``Her feet were bare,'' she says. ``Suddenly, they're reaching under the
tree. They were very kind.'' &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 ``We did what we think people should do under those circumstances,'' says
Johnson modestly. ``You try to help and provide some assistance.'' &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Roxanne says other neighbors were extremely helpful. One, she says, brought
her a change of clothes and food to the hospital. Others forced her to accept
money, which she later insisted on returning. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 ``It was just absolutely wonderful, the way they behaved,'' she says.
``This was Christmas Day - a day people want to be with their own families. It
was just beautiful.'' &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Neighbor Phil Boyle was visiting family at the time of explosion and
returned home amid the chaos. Boyle offered food, clothing and a place to stay
to neighbors. When contractors came to repair damage in the following days, he
left his door open for workers to come inside, warm up and use his kitchen. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 ``You forget about everything else, and you see that there's people in
need,'' says Boyle. ``As a human being, you realize that the roles could very
easily be reversed.'' &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Close Call &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Although Max and his daughter escaped the explosion with minor injuries,
his wife Maria, 80, was badly burned on her hands and was airlifted to Lehigh
Valley Hospital in Allentown. Her treatment, according to her husband, lasted
for several months. The family dog, Dusty - who was also burned - was found a
few blocks away near the Susquehanna River. The dog, says Max, had jumped into
to the river to cool itself from the burns. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Gas service for about 35 area homes was shut off while PG Energy crews
tried to find the source of the leak. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 The adjacent home of the Kaufer family was severely damaged by the blast.
Charlotte Kaufer says she was preparing dinner when she noticed a strong smell
of gas. Thinking the problem was in her own home, she immediately called PG
Energy, which had inspectors at the site in about 15 minutes. As the area was
being examined, the explosion occurred. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 ``We thought it was our home,'' says Kaufer. ``The windows blew in on us.
It was so intense, it was like a bomb went off. My feet hurt from the
vibration and the noise and my ears were hurting. ... I went into shock.'' &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Kaufer says the next 30 minutes are a blur. Her home was covered with glass
and the left side of the residence caught fire. Initially, she says she was
terrified that her son, Scott, had been injured or even killed. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 The Kaufers' home was so badly damaged that it wasn't until June that
repairs were completed and they were able to return. (The house of Jean
Gallagher, on the other side of the Hladylowycz home, was also severely
damaged. She has since remodeled and returned.) &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 The event remains difficult for Kaufer to talk about. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 ``I'm still very emotional about all of this,'' she says, her voice
cracking. ``I don't know how they weren't killed.'' &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 She too, however, was amazed at the way the neighborhood pulled together. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 ``It was quite overwhelming,'' she says. ``There were neighbors from Vaughn
Street, Rutter Ave., Charles Ave. ... people that we didn't even know. They
were so wonderful. It kind of eased the pain.'' &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Moving on &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Today, the Hladylowyczes are building a new home on the same site and are
trying to put the experience behind them. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 For Max, it won't be the first time he's been forced to dust himself off
and leave a part of his life behind. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Born and raised in Ukraine, he was a member of the underground movement
against the expansion of Russian communism. He was eventually forced to flee
to Slovakia, and later to Austria. While there, he again faced Russian
oppression and sought refuge in Switzerland, but was apprehended while
attempting to escape. He spent two months in prison and was released after
World War II. He later learned that his father, who was still in Ukraine, had
been killed by Russian soldiers. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Max Hladylowycz worked as a lawyer in Ukraine, then moved to Argentina,
where he lived for 10 years. He came to the United States in 1958, and has
lived in Kingston for about 20 years. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 ``My life has been very interesting,'' says Max, who speaks seven
languages. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 He says that although some of the items lost in the explosion can be easily
replaced, others can not. Among the most painful losses were prized photos of
his world travels and a lifelong stamp collection. He's also been involved in
a sour battle with his insurance company, which is threatening to stop
payments on the furniture he is renting even though his policy states he
should be covered until his new home is completed. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 ``He's been traumatized, and he's had a difficult time,'' says Roxanne.
``It's disheartening to have these continued problems.'' &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Roxanne, 42, who lives outside the area, has been trying to help her
parents through the ordeal. Max and Maria have been renting a house nearby and
hope their new home will be completed in May. In addition to help from
neighbors and friends, the family has received tremendous support from the
local chapter of the American Red Cross. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Throughout the summer, Max maintained his treasured garden, which sits in
the yard behind a huge hole where his home once stood. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 ``My neighbors are very good,'' he says. ``I like Lathrop Street. It's
calm, it's close to the bus ... and I love to work in my garden there. I'm 87,
but still, I like to work.'' &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Today on Lathrop Street, gifts will again be exchanged, friends and
relatives will be ringing phones and holiday meals will again be on the
stoves. The neighborhood, they say, is moving forward. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 ``It's such a beautiful holiday,'' says Charlotte Kaufer. ``We want to
celebrate and go on. It's a religious holiday, it's magical for kids ... it's
everything. When we think of last Christmas, it's very difficult. It feels
like there's a little black cloud, and we don't want it to be like that. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 ``We have each other, and our lives. That's the most important thing. We're
glad we're here to celebrate another Christmas.'' &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;

Neighborhood Of Heroes Provides Year Of Unity To Explosion Victims 
"you Forget About Everything Else, And You See That There's People In Need".     
     
When The Hladylowycz Family Home Was Destroyed By A Gas Explosion Last
Christmas, Lathrop Street Came To Its Aid.

Neighborhood Of Heroes Provides Year Of Unity To Explosion Victims "you Forget About Everything Else, And You See That There's People In Need". When The Hladylowycz Family Home Was Destroyed By A Gas Explosion Last Christmas, Lathrop Street Came To Its Aid.