LATOYA M. WHITE, HEALTH LEADS D.C. - States News Service

PRINCETON, NJ -- The following information was released by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation:

LaToya White is the executive director for Health Leads Washington, DC. She joined the organization in 2007 with a public health background in HIV, community and minority health, social justice, and health disparities.

While earning her master's in Public Health from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Ms. White focused her work on the sexual health of African American college students, researching the social and environmental factors that contribute to attitudes, beliefs, and behaviors concerning sex. She also chaired UNC's annual Minority Health Conference in 2007, 'AIDS at 25: It's Time to Deliver.' The conference brought together top researchers, community leaders, and advocates to discuss the effects of HIV/AIDS among minority communities in the United States.

PROJECT ASSESSING 'GRAND-AIDES' HEALTH CARE INITIATIVE IN INNER MONGOLIA WINS TOP JPC PRIZE. - States News Service

Charlottesville, VA -- The following information was released by the University of Virginia:

The prize for the best Jefferson Public Citizen presentation has gone to a group of University of Virginia students whose project focused on improving health care in Inner Mongolia with the help of grand-aides, senior community members who receive medical training.

This year's Jefferson Public Citizen Scholars -- 81 undergraduates who received awards for the current academic year to assist them in conducting group public service projects -- presented their work April 13 to a panel of University of Virginia faculty in a year-end competition.

The Jefferson Public Citizens program is a comprehensive academic public service program that integrates students' service and research experiences throughout their time at the University.

The students' projects ranged from 'Women in Livestock Development' in Gulu, Uganda, to 'Strings and Things,' a pilot project at Venable Elementary School in Charlottesville that will examine how musical instruction for elementary school children affects youth's academic and social emotional skills.

All 20 groups did an 'excellent job' on their presentations, said Megan Raymond, director of academic community engagement in the Office of the Executive Vice President and Provost.

The 'Grand-Aides Program in Inner Mongolia' project was the work of a half-dozen third-year students: Christiana White, who has an interdisciplinary major in science, public policy, economics and ethics; Lily Bowles, a political and social thought major; Gordon Carver, majoring in economics and commerce (with concentrations in finance and accounting); Forrest Compton majoring in finance; Alex Eschenroeder, a political and social thought major; and Mary Van Meter, majoring in biology and economics. 1/4In their presentation, they discussed their travel to Hohhot, Inner Mongolia last summer, where they worked for three weeks alongside doctors and patients at the Inner Mongolia Medical College to develop a methodology for assessing a new grand-aides health care initiative.

Similar grand-aides pilot programs are under way in rural Virginia, Houston and rural Shanghai.

Findings so far show that 'in Virginia, 25 percent of adult and pediatric emergency department visits and 17 percent of family physician clinic visits could be cared for by a grand-aide, with significant cost savings calculated to be approximately $150,000 net per grand-aide per year,' according to the Grand-Aides Foundation website.

The results are even more striking in Inner Mongolia: 49 percent of emergency department visits and 63 percent of community visits could be handled by a grand-aide with supervision.

The foundation website notes the need for new models for providing health care stems from an inadequate workforce worldwide, short at least 2.3 million physicians, nurses and midwives.

The Grand-Aides Foundation is headed by Dr. Arthur Garson Jr., U.Va.'s executive vice president and provost, who served as the faculty adviser for the Jefferson Public Citizens group that went to Inner Mongolia. The group's graduate mentor was Michael Marquardt, who is pursuing a master's in public health from the School of Medicine and a master's in business administration from the Darden School of Business.

In their presentation materials, the students noted that their goal was 'to gather baseline health care data that will be used to determine whether or not the current health care system in Hohhot will be significantly improved by the Grand-Aides program.'

For their winning project, a $500 award will be given to their community partner, the Inner Mongolia Medical College, to continue its work with the grand-aides program, Raymond said.

Another Jefferson Public Citizens group received an honorable mention for its project, 'The Healing Power of Adapted Creative Movement,' which studied ways to help children with incurable neurological disorders improve physically, cognitively, socially and psychologically through creative movement and dance.

The students -- Emily Lee, a fourth-year biology major and dance minor; Amy Copeland, a fourth-year biology major and dance minor; Casey Brown, a fourth-year double major in cognitive science and psychology; and Latasha Nadasdi, a fourth-year majoring in psychology and minoring in sociology -- worked with a recreational therapist at the Kluge Children's Rehabilitation Center and recorded changes in the patients' range of motion, psychological state and overall musicality.

Their faculty adviser was Rose Beauchamp of the drama department in the College of Arts and Sciences; graduate mentors were Matthew Lerner and Allison Jack; and the community partner was the U.Va. Children's Hospital.

The committee that judged the groups' presentations included cell biology professor Barry Hinton of the School of Medicine; Emily Nelson, a Fifth-Year Anspaugh Fellow in studio art in the College and Graduate School of Arts and Sciences; community representative Jean Norum, a part-time systems analyst in the Office of Institutional Assessment and Studies; and Marcia Pentz, a lecturer in the McIntire School of Commerce.

In addition to the 81 undergraduates, 19 faculty advisers and 15 graduate mentors participated in the Jefferson Public Citizen program this year.

The 2010-11 Jefferson Public Citizens award recipients and their projects are listed here.

'The projects were quite impressive,' said Raymond, noting that the program, now in its second year, was identified as a University priority by the Commission on the Future of the University and approved by the Board of Visitors in October 2008. The students have 'set the bar quite high for next year's JPC teams.'

Following a calling - New Haven Register (New Haven, CT)

By Angela Carter Register Staff acarter@nhregister.com

NEW HAVEN -- When the Rev. Bonita Grubbs began working asexecutive director of Christian Community Action nearly 22 yearsago, her plan was to work there for five years.

But it was an opportunity that linked several pursuits for her:figuring out what it means for people to be healthy and live in ahealthy environment, examining maximum quality of health from aphilosophical and spiritual perspective and the connections betweena healthy mind, body and spirit.

Grubbs has an undergraduate degree from Smith College, a master'sin public health from the Yale School of Medicine, Department ofEpidemiology and Public Health, and a Master of Arts in religionfrom Yale Divinity School.

'Health ministry became my sense of calling and it needed to finda place to be worked on or worked at,' she said.

CCA is a nonprofit, faith-based organization, but not connectedto a specific congregation. It provides emergency shelter andtransitional housing, a food pantry and an advocacy and educationproject that involves supporting public policies to help its low-and moderate-income clients.

'What we've learned is that individuals will not be able toachieve their highest quality of life without employment, withoutincome,' Grubbs said. 'The goal is that you leave people better thanyou found them in the service that you provide. It's really aboutimprovement.'

These are challenging times to run a nonprofit organization, asthe most recent recession left individual and corporate donorstightening their belts.

'A reduction in contributions and grants, along with heightenedcompetition among nonprofits for the decreasing dollar, makesfundraising and friend-raising a challenge,' she said.

While nonprofits face operating expenses and health care costsjust as corporations do, they do not have a commercialized productor service that drives revenue.

Yet, the work of agencies such as CCA can transform people'slives and society as a whole.

'It's not a job, it's a calling,' she said. Professionalsinterested in nonprofit careers need to have a sense of vision andability to manage both people and resources, she said.

'Know the direction in which you are going,' she said. 'Along theway, there are these unexpected things that come up, changes thatoccur. Things don't always happen in a linear fashion. There may bethe need to give it more time.'

Work at a vision until it is realized, Grubbs said, understandingthat the road may get bumpy at times, progress might not unfoldperfectly. 'The work has to be done as humanely, as professionally,as competently as possible,' she said.

CCA was formed in 1967, when an ecumenical group of Catholics andProtestants came to the aid of a family left homeless when a firedestroyed their Congress Avenue home. The idea was that theorganization would try to prevent individuals or families fromfalling through the cracks in a time of short-term emergency orcrisis and its mission has grown to help clients achieve self-sufficiency.

First-ever study on tobacco habits of Indian Americans - India Abroad

Nanda, Tanmaya Kumar
India Abroad
07-09-2004
The first-ever study of tobacco habits among Indian Americans is now
underway in California, as part of a survey undertaken by the University of
California, Los Angeles in tandem with the Santa Clara county public health
department and the South Asian Network, a community organization based in
the Bay Area.

The state health department funds the research project out of a $5 million
payment it received as part of a tobacco settlement.

'Our research itself is to the tune of about $800,000,' said Dipa Shah,
project director for the California Asian Indian Tobacco Survey.

The principal investigator for the survey is Dr William McCarthy, adjunct
associate professor at the UCLA School of Public Health.

'Initially, we wanted to include the South Asian community since the
cultures are so similar, but the state health department wanted us to focus
on the Asian Indian population in the state,' Shah told India Abroad.
'Maybe they don't understand that fully.'

As it happened, the county public health department had a similar proposal
lined up. 'Instead of competing with each other, we thought it would better
to pool our resources,' Shah said.

The Indian-American community in the state, at about 315,000 according to
the 2000 Census, is the highest in the country. The telephone survey,
however, will be conducted among only 60,000 households, and will focus on
tobacco habits among the respondents, both users and non-users, as well as
attitudes to tobacco use.

'The selection of respondents is completely random,' Shah said. The names
of households to be called have been taken from a directory based on Indian
American-sounding surnames.

The data collection is expected to continue until the end of July, and the
final report will be sent to the state department of health in August.

The results of the survey will be broken down into sub-sections by income
or regional Indian ethnicity for the state to target them more effectively.

'It is of particular importance to the community,' Shah pointed out, 'since
Indian-Americans have been shown to be at five times higher risk of heart
disease than Americans.'

The survey also goes beyond the traditional use of tobacco in that it
includes consumption of not cigarettes alone but paan, bidis, gutka and
paan masala.

Shah, who has a master's in public health from UCLA and has worked on heart
disease in Asian Americans, points out that Indians (on the subcontinent)
have the highest incidence of oral cancer anywhere in the world, thanks
largely to widespread addiction to paan and other variants of chewable
tobacco.

That addiction could in some limited form be part of the community's
make-up here as well. Shah said it is possible to buy gutka and paan masala
in some Indian grocery stores in California, while bidis are sold at liquor
stores.

Shah hopes the study will prompt other states that have large Asian Indian
populations, such as Texas or New Jersey, to undertake similar exercises,
since they have different demographics and likely different tobacco
consumption patterns.

Article copyright India Abroad Publications, Inc.
V.XXX

Obituaries: ; Obit - Charleston Daily Mail

Today's Obituaries Arbogast, Jane E. Bennett, Danny R. Burgess,Susan M. Carte, Lowell D. Cochran, Lane M. Dolin, Patricia A.Elliott, Hugh M. Fitzwater, Allen Gerencir, Ursula K. Hager, Mary R.Haley-Wilder, Lamarr R. Harrison, Emogene D. Higgs, Donna P. Jones,R. E. Levo, Jean A. Lewis, Nancy W. Lowe, James D. McCune, Ruie S.Miller, Robert F. Moles, Bobby L. Mulligan, June M. Murray, MichaelD. Myers, Helen J. Panzera, Joseph M. IV Parathyras, Vera Roberts,Donald L. Shearer, Georgia M. Smith, Junior M. Smith, LouellaTackett, Yvonne C. Truman, Brenda J. Truman, Scott Walker, Betty S.Webb, Louise M. Wilcox, Lillian A. Williams, James F. Young, StephenG.

Danny R. Bennett

Danny R. Bennett, 60, of Green Sulphur Springs died June 10,2010. Service will be 1 p.m. Saturday, June 19, at Lick CreekBaptist Church, Green Sulphur Springs. Friends may call from 6 to 8p.m. Friday at Smathers Funeral Chapel, Rainelle, and one hour priorto service at the church.

Susan Mecum Burgess

Susan Mecum Burgess was born on March 3, 1946, in Charleston,W.Va., and died on June 16, 2010, in Charlotte, N.C.

She was married to her high school sweetheart, Patrick Burgess,Ph.D., M.D., for 43 years. She is also survived by their fourchildren, Geoffrey Burgess and his wife, Kristin Breuss, and theirchildren, Noah, Asa and Anna Claire, of London, U.K., Dr. JasonBurgess and his wife, Elizabeth Donaghy Burgess, and their children,Chandler, Kylie and Shade, of Charlotte, Gillian Burgess and herhusband, Grant Mandsager, and their baby daughter, due to be born inOctober, of Arlington, Va., and Colin Burgess.

She was predeceased by her granddaughter, Sandra Susan Burgess.

She is also survived by her parents, Shade Morris Mecum Jr. andRachel Browder Mecum of Charlotte, formerly of St. Albans, W.Va.;and siblings, Shade Morris Mecum III and his wife, Suzanne Mecum, ofCharlotte, Anne Nelson and her husband, Dr. Jim, of Columbus, Ohio,and Bob Mecum and his wife, Mary Kay Mecum, of Cincinnati, Ohio.

Mrs. Burgess was a graduate of St. Albans High School, attendedWest Liberty University, both in West Virginia, received a B.S. inhealth science from Florida International University with highesthonors, and earned a master's in public health from University ofAlabama-Birmingham.

Her passions were her family, public service and social justice.She was elected to the Charlotte Mecklenburg Board of Education in1990 and served through 1997, the last two years as chairwoman. In1999, she was elected as an at-large member of the Charlotte CityCouncil and served nine years, seven as mayor pro-tem. She served aschairwoman the North Carolina Teaching Fellows Commission for fiveyears.

She served as president of the North Carolina League ofMunicipalities, on the board of directors of the National League ofCities (NLC), and as president of Women in Municipal Government, agroup of NLC. She was the former chairwoman of the NationalConference of Democratic Municipal Officials, and in this capacityserved on the Executive Committee of the Democratic NationalCommittee (DNC). Following this service, she was elected acommitteewoman from North Carolina to the DNC.

Mrs. Burgess was an elder at Covenant Presbyterian Church, wherethe memorial service will be held at noon Saturday, June 19. Theservice will be followed by a party in the Fellowship Hall.

In lieu of flowers, Mrs. Burgess requested that donations be madeto the Susan M. Burgess Fellowship in Public Administration at UNCCharlotte, through the UNC Charlotte Foundation or to CrisisAssistance Ministry in Charlotte, N.C.

Online condolences may be sent at www.carolinafuneral.com.

Lowell D. Carte

Lowell D. Carte, 75, of Cottageville died June 16, 2010. RoushFuneral Home, Ravens-wood, is in charge of arrangements.

Lane M. Cochran

Lane M. Cochran, 69, of Sun died May 29, 2010. Memorial servicewill be 11 a.m. Sunday, June 20, at Gatewood Baptist Church,Fayetteville. A reception will follow at the church. Tyree FuneralHome, Oak Hill, is in charge of arrangements.

Patricia A. Dolin

Patricia A. Dolin of Newhall, Calif., died June 12, 2010. Servicewill be 11 a.m. Saturday, June 19, at Handley Funeral Home,Danville. Friends may call from 6 to 8 p.m. Friday. Burial will bein Memory Gardens, Madison.

Hugh M. Elliott

Hugh M. Elliott, 87, of Sutton died June 16, 2010, in HospiceCare Home, Elkins, after a long illness.

Hugh was born on December 25, 1922, in Peoria, Ill., and was ason of the late William and Aurelia Whitfield Elliott.

Hugh, along with his late wife Rena H. Elliott, was co-owner ofElliott's Cut-Rate Drug Store in Sutton for 33 years. He was amember of Christ Church United Methodist in Sutton and a Mason.

Hugh was preceded in death by his parents; his loving wife, Rena;son, Matthew Hugh Elliott; and a brother, William Elliott.

He is survived by his grandchildren; Matthew Hugh Elliott II andwife, Valerie, of Greenbelt, Md., Karen Elizabeth Rathbun andhusband, Tad, of South Haven, Mich.; great-grandchildren, Matthew,Christina, Justin and April Rathbun and Alan Elliott. Also survivingare his daughter-in law, Flora E. Elliott of Weston, whom Hughconsidered his own daughter; a sister, Aurelia Fiorita of Georgia;and several nieces and nephews.

Funeral Service will be held at 11 a.m. Saturday, May 19, atChrist Church United Methodist, Sutton, with the Rev. Doug Smailesofficiating. Private family burial will be in Sutton Cemetery.

In lieu of flowers, the family suggests donations to Hospice CareCorp., P. O. Box 323, Burnsville, WV 26335, or Christ Church UnitedMethodist, 188 Main St., Sutton, WV 26601.

Online condolences may be sent at greene-robertsonfuneralhome.com.

Funeral arrangements are by Greene-Robertson Funeral Home,Sutton.

Allen 'Lacy' Fitzwater

Allen 'Lacy' Fitzwater, 65, of Maysel went home to be with hisLord and Savior on June 17, 2010, after a battle with brain cancer.

Born on June 16, 1945, he was the son of the late Howard 'Buzzy'and Lola Thomas Fitzwater. In addition to his parents, he waspreceded in death by his sisters, Orlene Myers and O. TressieFitzwater; and brothers, Harold and Basil.

He served in the United States Army and retired from Cabot Oiland Gas. After his retirement, Lacy enjoyed spending his daysfarming and riding his Honda Goldwing Trike. Lacy loved cheering forthe West Virginia Mountaineers!

Survivors include his loving and caring wife, Joyce; daughter andson-in-law, Trish and Roger Triplett; son, Dustin, and the apple ofhis eye, his granddaughter, Tara Triplett, and her boyfriend, AllenTanner; sisters and their husbands, Laura Pittman of Goldtown, Fayeand Howard Butcher of Oviedo, Fla., Lucille and Dennis Legg ofNewton, Anna and Aris Sams of Laurel, Ind., Caroline Townsend ofCarthage, Miss., and Linda and Al Baysinger of Mechanicsville, Va.;sister-in-law, Dena Fitzwater of Dixie; and brothers, Kenneth ofMurfeesboro, Tenn., and Lloyd of Hartsville, S.C.; along with manyother family members who loved him very much.

Lacy also had a very special extended family: the Mildred Tracyfamily, Dick, Bill, Francis Mink, Mary Lou Asbury and AliceRandolph. Special friends include Phil Morris, Gary King and BuckDavis.

The family would like to thank Pat Elswick, Debbie Wagoner andall the Hospice nurses, along with Sandy Bailes, who came and tooksuch great care of Lacy.

Friends may call from 6 to 9 p.m. Saturday, June 19, at Wilson-Shamblin-Smith Funeral Home, Clay. Burial will be in the Fitzwaterfamily cemetery at a later date.

In lieu of flowers, the family suggests donations be made inmemory of Lacy Fitzwater to Hospice Care, 1606 Kanawha Blvd. W.,Charleston, WV 25312-2536.

Online condolences may be sent to the family atwww.carlwilsonfuneralhome.com.

Wilson-Shamblin-Smith Funeral Home is honored to be serving theFitzwater family.

Ursula K. Gerencir

Mrs. Ursula Katherine Gerencir, 83, of Charleston passed awaypeacefully, surrounded by her loving family, at Heartland ofCharleston on Monday June 14, 2010.

She was a member of St. Agnes Catholic Church, where she wasactive in the garden club. She was a renowned floral designer in theKanawha Valley for over 50 years. She had taken care of the flowerdesign for many gubernatorial inaugurations.

She was preceded in death by her husband, Tom Gerencir; and threebrothers, Lawrence Lefevre, Norman Lefevre and Medard Lefevre.

Ursula is survived by her daughter, Lora Surface Jarrell andcompanion, Jon Bentley, of Charleston; one son, Thomas E. Gerencirand wife, Lisa, of Poca; one sister, Helen Young of Charleston;three grandchildren, Lisa McNeely, Nathan Gerencir, and JasonJarrell; and five great-grandchildren.

A Funeral Mass will be held at 11 a.m. Saturday, June 19, at St.Agnes Catholic Church with Father John McDonough officiating.Interment will follow in Tyler Mountain Memory Gardens, Cross Lanes.

The family will receive friends from 6 to 8 p.m. Friday atHarding Funerals & Cremations.

Condolences may be sent to the family by visitingwww.hardingfamilygroup.com.

Harding Funerals & Cremations, 514 50th St. SE, Kanawha City, isserving the Gerencir family.

Mary Rebecca Hager

Mary Rebecca 'Becky' Hager, 55, of Alkol went home to be with theLord on June 16, 2010, at Boone Memorial Hospital.

She was born January 31, 1955, and was a daughter of the lateNora Smith Huffman and Harold 'Jimbo' Huffman. She is also precededin death by many aunts, uncles, cousins, and brothers and sisters-in-law.

She was a member of Bulger Community Church on Dogbone, where shetaught Sunday school and was also the secretary and treasurer formany years.

She is survived by her husband, Golden 'Lee' Hager; one son,Richard Lee Hager; one daughter Ashley Nicole McCoy; one daughter-in-law, Tammy Hager; one son-in-law Arnold McCoy; four grandkids,Jason and Jimmy McFarland, Martin 'Marty' McCoy and Megan Hager, allof Alkol; two brothers, Kenneth Huffman of Alkol and Gary Huffman ofSod; and several brothers and sisters-in-law, Gene and Lottie Hager,Junior and Norine Hager, Glenna Hager, all of Alkol, Sherry Huffmanof Sod and Della Hager of Prenter.

Funeral service will be 2 p.m. Saturday, June 19, at HandleyFuneral Home, Danville, with Eddie Johnson officiating. Burial willfollow in Hager Cemetery, Dog Bone, Alkol.

Friends may call one hour prior to service on Saturday.

Lamarr R. Haley-Wilder

Lamarr Raphael Haley-Wilder was born on May 29, 1991, to CanDidoWilder and April M. Haley in Charleston. His life was tragicallytaken on June 13, 2010, in Parkersburg.

He attended elementary and middle school in Kanawha County andgraduated from Federal Hocking High School, Stewart, Ohio, on May30, 2010. Lamarr was a very sweet and kind young man to all who knewhim.

He leaves to mourn his death: his father, CanDido Wilder ofAthens, Ohio; mother, April Haley of Nitro; one brother, LaikwanWilder; and one sister, Latina Wilder, all of Athens, Ohio; uncle,George M. Haley of Charleston; grandmother, Lucy A. Mance ofColorado Springs, Colorado; and a host of other uncles, aunts,cousins, family and friends.

Service will be held at noon Saturday, June 19, at Grace BibleChurch, 600 Kanawha Blvd. W., Charleston, with chief apostle, BishopRobert L. Haley III of the Apostolic Free Church of God, St. Albans,officiating.

Visitation will be one hour prior to the service Saturday at thechurch.

In lieu of flowers, an account has been established for donationsto the family at BB&T under the title Apostolic Free Church of GodMemorial Fund. Please write Lamarr Wilder in the memo section ofyour check.

Walton & Breckenridge Chapel of Faith Funeral Home, Charleston,is humbly assisting the family.

Donna P. Higgs

Donna P. Higgs, 87, of Summersville died June 17, 2010. Servicewill be 11 a.m. Saturday, June 19, at Waters Funeral Chapel,Summersville. Friends may call from 6 to 8 p.m. Friday. Burial willbe in Mountain View Cemetery, Marlinton.

R. Ermal Jones

R. Ermal Jones, 82, of Whittington Road, Charleston, departedthis life on June 16, 2010, to join her Lord and Savior, JesusChrist. After a short illness, Ermal passed away peacefully atHubbard Hospice House, with family by her side.

Ermal was born on September 14, 1927, in Island Branch, KanawhaCounty, to Mayford and Susie Jones, both deceased. She was alsopredeceased by a brother, Delmar Jones; three sisters, Opal Harding,Anna Wilkinson and Macel M. Jones; brothers-in-law, Jim Wilkinsonand Lawson Harding; and sister-in-law, Betty Jones.

She attended school at Straight Creek and at Walton High School,Roane County.

She was a member, trustee and faithful worker at Old Faith BibleChurch, formerly Old Faith Gospel Tabernacle, on Whittington Road,Charleston. Ermal was a Christian since 1943, when she was saved atMount Moriah Baptist Church, Roane County, and was baptized by theRev. Clark Moore. Ermal also attended church for several years atParsons Chapel on the West Side of Charleston.

Ermal retired from Charleston National Bank on December 31, 2003,where she was known for dedication to her job. One of her gifts wasthe ability to work with people from all walks of life, and when sheretired from the bank, coworkers, bank executives, lawyers,accountants and other tenants came to congratulate her.

Prior to working at the bank, Ermal had worked for the Clyde andBeulah Jarvis family of Elkview and for the Jim and Betty Caldwellfamily of Charleston.

She is survived by a brother, Rex Jones, also of Charleston; herbrother-in-law, Charles K. Jones of Charleston; and nephews andnieces, Curtis Jones and his wife, Sue, of Mentor, Ohio, Sara Riley,of Milford, Ohio, Keith Jones and his wife, Pam, of Charleston, PaulJones and his wife, Angela, of Mentor, Ohio, Linda Madden ofCharleston, Lois Geiger and her husband, Joe, of Huntington, EricJones and his wife, Anita, of Olmsted Falls, Ohio, and JenniferJones, of Mentor, Ohio. She is also survived by many loving great-nieces and -nephews; and by a multitude of friends and brothers andsisters in Christ.

Friends and family may call from 6 to 8 p.m. Friday, June 18, atLong & Fisher Funeral Home, Sissonville.

Funeral services will be held at the funeral home beginning at 1p.m. Saturday with the Rev. Donald Young presiding. Burial willfollow in John Beane Cemetery, Sissonville.

Ermal's family wishes to extend their heartfelt appreciation toErmal's especially close friends, Helen Moss and Ruth Ann Knoke, fortheir long and sisterly friendships with Ermal and their devotion toher during her time of need. Thanks are also extended to the manydedicated caregivers at Cedar Ridge and to the many members ofErmal's church family who frequently visited with her at the nursinghome.

As a final thought about Ermal, although she had no children ofher own, she loved her many nephews and nieces with a mother's heartand will always be lovingly remembered.

Condolences may be sent by visitingwww.longfisherfuneralhome.com.

Jean Ann Levo

Jean Ann 'Jeannie' Levo, 55, a resident of Jacksonville, Fla.,for 24 years, formerly of Handley, passed away on June 15, 2010.

She was employed by Blue Cross-Blue Shield, a member of theAmerican Legion, was active in the Breast Cancer Society and was anavid West Virginia Mountaineers fan.

She was preceded in death by her son, David E. Brown, in 2009.

Survivors include her husband of 21 years, Alan Levo; her sons,Daniel J. Brown and Joshua Alan Levo; her daughter, Kaylie JeanLevo; brother, Vincent Cannizzaro; sisters, Laurie Erikson and LouAnn Fauver; and grandchildren, Caleb, Justis, Kyler, Alexis andCameron.

Funeral services will be held at 10 a.m. Saturday, June 19, atWestside Baptist Church, Jacksonville, with the Rev. Ray Mayfieldofficiating. Interment will follow in Gethsemane Memorial Gardens.

The family will receive friends from 5 to 8 p.m. Friday at FraserFuneral Home, 8168 Normandy Blvd., Jacksonville, (904) 781-4314.

The family suggests that expressions of kindness be made to TheDonna Foundation, 1015 Atlantic Blvd., Suite 144, Atlantic Beach, FL32233, (904) 242-0034.

Information was provided by O'Dell Funeral Home, Montgomery.

Nancy Wood 'Pat' Lewis

Nancy Wood 'Pat' Lewis, 74, of St. Albans passed away Wednesday,June 16, 2010, at CAMC Memo-rial Hospital, Charleston.

She was preceded in death by her husband, Donald Lewis.

She was a retired schoolteacher with the Kanawha County Board ofEducation. She had taught at Lincoln Junior High and StonewallJunior High Schools. She was also a member of St. Mark's EpiscopalChurch, St. Albans.

She is survived by her daughter and son-in-law, Ann L. and TomOsborne of St. Albans; sons and daughters-in-law, Charles L. andElizabeth Lewis of Charlotte, N.C., and Timothy E. and Gail Lewis ofColumbus, Ohio; sister, Elizabeth Hall of Charleston; andgrandchildren, Jessica, Margaret, Thomas, David, Donald, Sarah andChristopher.

Funeral service will be held at 1 p.m. Saturday, June 19, atBartlett-Chapman Funeral Home, St. Albans, with Father Bill Barfieldofficiating. Burial will be in Cunningham Memorial Park, St. Albans.

Friends may visit with the family from 6 to 8 p.m. Friday at thefuneral home.

In lieu of flowers, the family suggests that donations be made toArthritis Foundation, P.O. Box 96280, Washington, DC 20077 or ChristKitchen, 405 B St., St. Albans, WV 25177.

You may visit www.bartlett-chapmanfuneralhome.com to sharememories or condolences.

Bartlett-Chapman Funeral Home, 409 Sixth Ave., St. Albans, is incharge of arrangements.

James Dean Lowe

James Dean 'Jimmy' Lowe, 53, of Spencer died Thursday, June 17,2010, in CAMC Memorial Hospital, Charleston.

He was born December 17, 1956, in Elizabeth, a son of Darol P.and Delores J. 'Dee' Jarvis Lowe of Spencer.

Jimmy was a 1975 graduate of Spencer High School. He worked withhis father in the family business, Spencer BSA Inc. He entertainedmany people while playing drums for several different rock bandsover his lifetime. He loved his family and all God's creatures andhe enjoyed spending time fishing and restoring antique furniture.

In addition to his parents, he is survived by his wife of 35years, Patricia L. Hammack Lowe; daughter and son-in-law, Rachel andJason Bennett of Spencer; three grandchildren, Kiersten, Cameron,and Kaci; two brothers, Randy P. Lowe of Spencer and John D. Lowe ofRipley; and one sister, Julie A. Garrett of Spencer.

A funeral service will be held at 2 p.m. Saturday, June 19, 2010,at the John H. Taylor Funeral Home, Spencer, with the Rev. ShellyMace officiating. Burial will be in Round Knob Cemetery, Speed.

Friends may call two hours prior to the service at the funeralhome.

Condolences may be expressed online atwww.taylorfuneralhomeinc.com.

Ruie Syble McCune

Ruie Syble McCune, 77, of Pigeon died Tuesday, June 15, 2010, athome after a short illness.

She was a homemaker and secretary of Sunny Hill Baptist Church.

She was preceded in death by her husband of 53 years, the Rev.John McCune; parents, William Samuel and Lula Florence (Adkins)Runion; son, Johnny Lee McCune; and two brothers.

Survivors include her son, Donald; daughters, Patricia, Sherlene,Denise, Reba, Maxine and Melissa; sisters, Georgi Faye Jett and RadaEllen Walker; 13 grandchildren; 15 great-grandchildren; and bestfriend, Hattie May Hall.

The funeral service will be noon Saturday, June 19, at MaticsFuneral Home, Clendenin, with the Rev. Billy Meadows officiating.Burial will be in the McCune family cemetery, Amma.

The family will receive friends from 6 to 8 p.m. Friday at thefuneral home.

Condolences may be expressed online at www.maticsfuneralhome.com.

Robert F. Miller

Robert F. 'Bob' Miller of Charleston died June 15, 2010, atHubbard Hospice House, Charleston, after a brief but courageous boutwith cancer.

He had enjoyed a successful career in West Virginia as ajournalist, government official and labor historian.

Born the son of Lula and William Miller, deceased, on December30, 1935, in Beckley, he was a graduate of Woodrow Wilson HighSchool and a veteran of the United States Army, having served inmilitary intelligence in Germany in the early 1950s. Upon his returnto the States, he married Brenda Gale Davis of Beckley on June 25,1961. He was news director of radio station WWNR in Beckley forseveral years, during which time he helped established acooperative, sharing news operation for Associated Press radiostations across West Virginia.

After leaving Beckley, he became press assistant and head of theOffice of Public Information for Governor Hulett C. Smith from 1965to 1969. In all, he served in various governmental capacities in theadministrations of Governors Smith, Arch A. Moore Jr., GastonCaperton and Cecil H. Underwood. He was a key campaign strategist inthe gubernatorial political campaigns of Jay Rockefeller, Caperton,Warren McGraw and Lyle Sattes. He headed two U.S. Senate campaignsfor former U.S. Senator Jennings Randolph. A passionate Democrat, healso headed 'advance teams' over a period spanning 40 years in thecampaigns of Democratic presidential candidates from Hubert Humphreyto Barack Obama. He served as deputy labor commissioner during theadministrations of Governors Caperton and Underwood. He also was anexpert on West Virginia labor history, especially in the miningindustry, and a frequent guest contributor to The CharlestonGazette. He was author of several papers about West Virginiahistory.

He entered the public relations business in 1973 as a partner inCanfield-Miller & Associates, later to become Robert F. Miller &Associates, and served as executive director of the West VirginiaIndependent Bankers Association. He also served as a member of theWest Virginia Manufactured Housing Construction and Safety StandardsBoard.

An avid gardener in retirement, he won awards for gardening inCharleston's historic East End, and was a passionate fan ofclassical music. He also was a citizen lobbyist who consistentlyopposed capital punishment and was equally fervent about improvingcivil rights in America.

He is survived by his wife of 49 years, Brenda Davis Miller ofCharleston.

He was predeceased by his son, Michael, in 2001; by brothers,John and Howard; and sisters, Margaret Cornett, Gail Henrich, EvelynEstep and Mary Helen Nelson.

He is also survived by two granddaughters, Sidney Miller andBrittney Thomas and their mother, Darla Blackmon, of Charleston;sister, Ann Ahlband of Columbus, Ind.; brother-in-law, Jim Davis ofJacksonville, Fla., and wife Monica; sister-in-law, Kay Davis ofVenice, Fla.; cousin, Judy Davis and her husband, Lee Sumpter, ofWise, Va.; cousins, Vic and Nelda Keathley of Cross Lanes; specialniece, Kim Miller Ramsey of Charlotte, N.C.; lifelong friends, Jackand June Canfield of Charleston; and many good neighbors inCharleston's East End.

At his request, there will be no funeral.

A gathering of family and friends will be held from 1 to 3 p.m.Sunday, June 20, at 28 Bradford Street, Charleston. All friends ofBob's are invited.

In lieu of flowers, the family suggests contributions to HubbardHospice House, 1001 Kennawa Drive, Charleston, WV 25311, and/or St.Paul Lutheran Church, 1423 Lee St. E., Charleston, WV 25301.

Online condolences may be made at www.barlowbonsall.com.

Barlow-Bonsall Funeral Home has been entrusted to handle thearrangements.

Bobby Lee Moles

Bobby Lee Moles, 80, of Leon went to be with his Lord and Savior,Jesus Christ, on June 16, 2010. He spent his final days at home,surrounded by the love of his family and dear friends.

He was born June 7, 1930, in Dunbar and was a son of the lateAustin James and Mary Alice (Wills) Moles. He was also preceded indeath by his brother, William Moles; stepmother, Myrtle Hill Moles;and three great-grandchildren.

Bobby graduated from Dunbar High School in 1949, where helettered in football and basketball. He began his career in theUnited States Air Force in 1950 and served during the Korean War. Hefell in love with Dorothy Michaelson and they married in 1951. Theytraveled the world and raised their family together. He retired as achief master sergeant in 1973 to his farm in Leon. In later years,Bob and Dot wintered in Floral City, Fla.

Bobby was a member of Creston Church where, for many years, hesang in the choir, taught Sunday school and Bible study, and enjoyedthe fellowship of his church family. He also attended the FloralCity United Methodist Church in Florida.

Survivors include his wife and help-mate of 59 years, DorothyGrace (Michaelson) Moles; children and their spouses, Barbra andRandy Grinstead of Point Pleasant, Vickey and Jerry Casto ofBuckhannon, Patty and Eddie Stoffel of Leon, Cindy and Andy Newhouseof Pinch and Robert and Betty Moles of Poca; grandchildren, Chad andhis wife, Jessie Casto, of Woodbridge, Va., Trent and his wife,Emily Casto, of Naples, Fla., Nichole and husband, Brandon Cerullo,Britany and husband, Chris Esquer, and Brianna Casto, all ofBuckhannon, Mike Stoffel of Leon, Mitch Stoffel of Fort Benning,Ga., Kristen Grinstead of Lexington, Ky., Evan Grinstead of PointPleasant, Jarred and Michelle Newhouse of Pinch and Kayla and KereeMoles of Poca; 11 great-grandchildren; brothers, Jim and his wife,Jean Moles, of Dunbar and Gary and his wife, Linda Moles, of BoulderCity, Nev.; sister-in-law, Wanda Moles of Dunbar; and several niecesand nephews.

Service will be 1 p.m. Saturday, June 19, at Creston Church,Evans, with his grandson, the Rev. Trent Casto, and the Rev. GeraldSayre officiating. Burial will follow in Creston Cemetery, Evans.

Visitation will be from 6 until 8 p.m. Friday at Casto FuneralHome, Evans.

Online condolences may be sent to CastoFH@gmail.com.

June Marie Mulligan

June Marie Mulligan, 84, of Smithers died June 17, 2010, inHubbard Hospice House.

She was born August 8, 1925, and was the daughter of the lateLawrence Henry and Cecilia Smith Hawkes.

Surviving: her husband of 65 years, Arvis F. Mulligan; sister,Cathy Fox and her husband, Sheldon, of Smithers; and brother DavidHawkes and his wife, Jeannie, of Middleburg, Florida.

There will be no visitation or funeral and a memorial servicewill be announced at a later date.

O'Dell Funeral Home, Montgomery, is in charge of arrangements.

In lieu of flowers, memorials may be sent to Hubbard HospiceHouse, 1001 Kennawa Drive, Charleston, WV 25311.

Expressions may be sent at www.odellfuneralhome.com.

Michael D. Murray

Michael D. Murray, 20, of Oak Hill died June 17, 2010. Servicewill be 11 a.m. Saturday, June 19, at Tyree Funeral Home, Oak Hill.Friends may call one hour prior to service. Burial will be in theIOOF Cemetery, Oak Hill.

Helen Jean Myers

Helen Jean Myers, 80, a resident of Cincinnati, Ohio, for thepast 11 years and formerly of Belle, died June 16, 2010, at JudsonVillage Health Center in Cincinnati following a short illness.

She was a retired insurance rater for Acordia of West Virginiaand attended Judson Baptist Church in Belle.

Preceding her in death were her parents, Fred Sr. and BerthaSmith Holmes; and a brother, Fred Holmes Jr.

Surviving are her sons, Barry Myers of Daytona Beach, Fla.,Timothy Myers of Cincinnati, Ohio, and Gregory Myers of Belle;daughter, Kimberly Trout of Cross Plains, Ind.; grandchildren, AmyBrunner, Ryan Trout and Shawn, Katie, Stephen, and Danny Myers; andgreat-grandchildren, Charlie Brunner and Roland Trout.

Funeral services will be held at noon Saturday, June 19, atFidler & Frame Funeral Home, Belle, with Pastor Charles Bolenofficiating. Burial will follow in Tyler Mountain Memory Gardens,Cross Lanes.

Visitation will be one hour prior to service time on Saturday atthe funeral home.

Joseph M. Panzera IV

Joseph Michael Panzera IV, 19, of Kanawha City passed awayunexpectedly at CAMC General Hospital Monday, June 14, 2010.

Born April 16, 1991, he was the loving son of Joe and LeahPanzera.

Joseph was a graduate of Capital High School with the class of'09. He also attended Marshall University.

Joseph was preceded in death by his father and 'best buddy', JoePanzera III; his 'NaNa', Lena Panzera; and grandfather, Troy E.Dolin.

Joseph loved spending time with his family and friends, whom hecherished deeply, including his best friend, Emilee Murad. You neversaw Joseph without a smile on his face and he never met a stranger.

Those left to cherish his memories include his mother, LeahPanzera; his loving sister, Lenne Panzera; grandmother, Peggy Dolin;his 'NoNo', Joe Panzera; and, especially, his favorite aunt, 'Rowie'Rose. Joseph also leaves behind his aunt and her husband, Mary AnnWalsh and Dave of Huntington; uncles, Phil Panzera of Charleston andBill Dolin of Kanawha City; and many more aunts, uncles, andcousins.

Pallbearers will be Dave Walsh, Calvin Sutphin, David Joe Walsh,Phil Panzera, Bruce Brown, and Brett Borst.

Funeral service will be 11 a.m. Friday, June 18, at St. AgnesCatholic Church, 4807 Staunton Ave. SE, Charleston, with Father JohnMcDonough officiating. Entombment will follow in Sunset MemorialPark Mausoleum, Charleston.

Visitation will be held from 6 to 8 p.m. Thursday at Barlow-Bonsall Funeral Home, Charleston.

The family wishes to thank all family, friends and neighbors foreverything they have said and done in our time of sorrow.

You may send condolences to the family at www.barlowbonsall.com.

Arrangements have been entrusted to Barlow-Bonsall Funeral Home,Charleston.

Vera Parathyras

Vera Parathyras, 82, of Peterstown died June 12, 2010. Servicewill be 3 p.m. Saturday, June 19, at Broyles-Shrewsbury FuneralHome, Peterstown. Friends may call two hours prior to service.Burial will be in Birchlawn Burial Park, Pearisburg, Va.

Donald L. Roberts

Donald L. Roberts, 74, of Hamlin died June 16, 2010. Service willbe noon Monday, June 21, at Koontz Funeral Home, Hamlin. Friends maycall one hour prior to service. Burial will be in Harvey's CreekCemetery, Hamlin.

Georgia Margaret Shearer

Georgia Margaret Shearer, 89, of Fredericktown, Ohio, formerly ofCharleston, passed away Wednesday, June 16, 2010, at MontgomeryGeneral Hospital, Montgomery, after a long illness.

Surviving: brother, Edward Greenleaf of Charleston; two lifelongchosen sisters, Arla Tucker and Ruby Goutiere of Fredericktown,Ohio; and a host of friends.

Services will be noon Saturday, June 19, at Fredericktown Churchof the Nazarene, 4th and Chestnut Streets, Fredericktown, Ohio, withPastor Kenneth Miller officiating. Burial will follow the servicesin Forest Cemetery, Fredericktown.

Friends may call two hours prior to the service Saturday atFredericktown Church of the Nazarene.

Condolences may be sent to the family viawww.cookefuneralhome.com.

Cooke Funeral Home, Cedar Grove, is in charge of arrangements.

Junior M. Smith

Junior M. Smith, 83, of Griffithsville died June 16, 2010.Service will be 11 a.m. Saturday, June 19, at Koontz Funeral Home,Hamlin. Friends may call from 6 to 8 p.m. Friday. Burial will be inMiller Cemetery, Sweetland.

Louella Smith

Louella Smith, 71, of Richwood died June 15, 2010. Service willbe 2 p.m. Friday, June 18, at Simons-Coleman Funeral Home, Richwood.Friends may call two hours prior to service. Burial will be inMountain View Memorial Park, Richwood.

Brenda Joyce Truman

Brenda Joyce Truman, 59, of Charleston passed away June 16, 2010,at Hubbard Hospice House.

She was born in Charleston, a daughter of James and Joy Fiber.

Brenda was a dietary clerk for CAMC General Hospital and a memberof the Southeast Church of the Nazarene. She graduated fromCharleston High School.

Survivors include her husband, Mark; sister, Sharon King ofCharleston; and brother, Nathan Nutter of Washington, D.C.

Funeral services will be held at 1 p.m. Saturday, June 19, atWilson Funeral Home, Charleston, with the Rev. Ollie ParsonsOfficiating. Entombment will follow in Graceland Memorial Park,South Charleston.

Friends will be received at the funeral home one hour prior toservices.

In lieu of flowers, the family requests that donations be made toHubbard Hospice House, 1001 Kennawa Drive, Charleston, WV 25311.

Online condolences may be sent atwww.wilsonfuneralandcremations.com.

Scott Truman

Scott Truman, 45, of Charleston died June 16, 2010. Burial willbe in Floral Hills Garden of Memories, Sissonville. Long & FisherFuneral Home, Sissonville, is in charge of arrangements.

Betty Spence Walker

Betty Spence Walker, 90, of White Sulphur Springs died of canceron Wednesday, June 16, 2010, at her daughter's home in Lewisburg.

She was born on March 22, 1920, and was the daughter of the lateAlbert George and Olive Elliott Spence. In addition to her parents,she was preceded in death by her husband, Weymouth D. Walker.

Mrs. Walker was a homemaker and also worked as a nurse's aide atGreenbrier Valley Medical Center from 1974 to 1983. She was alifelong member of St. Thomas Episcopal Church, White SulphurSprings, where she served as a lay reader and as a member of theVestry and the Episcopal Church Women for many years. Mrs. Walkerwas a member of the Woman's Club of White Sulphur Springs.

Survivors include her son, Weymouth D. Walker Jr. and wife,Marsha, of Cumming, Ga.; her daughter, the Rev. Elizabeth A. Walkerand partner, Pat, of Lewisburg; two grandsons, Weymouth Walker IIIand wife, Mary Ann, of Roswell, Ga., and Darren Walker ofAlpharetta, Ga.; and two great-grandchildren, Emma Walker andWeymouth 'Drew' Walker IV of Roswell, Ga. She is also survived byextended family members, Michael and Lynne Pate Galligan ofFayetteville, N.C.; and several nieces and nephews throughout thecountry.

The Burial Office and service of Holy Communion will be held at11 a.m. Saturday, June 19, at St. Thomas Episcopal Church, WhiteSulphur Springs, with the Rev. Cheryl A. Winter officiating.Interment will be in the church columbarium after the service with areception following.

Memorial donations may be made to St. Thomas Episcopal Church,P.O. Box 148, White Sulphur Springs, WV 24986, or Greenbrier ValleyHospice Inc., 223 Maplewood Ave., Lewisburg, WV 24901.

Arrangements are by Lobban Funeral Home, Alderson.

Louise M. Webb

Louise M. Webb, 59, of Charleston died June 16, 2007. Walton &Breckenridge Chapel of Faith Funeral Home, Charleston, is in chargeof arrangements.

Lillian Anne Wilcox

Lillian Anne Wilcox of Annapolis, Md., passed away Monday, June14, 2010, at Hospice of Dayton, Dayton, Ohio, after a courageousfive-year journey battling multiple myeloma.

She was born June 13, 1959, in Richwood, W.Va., to Jose 'Joe' T.and Marlene (Cutlip) Sandoval. She was preceded in death by herfather, Jose T. Sandoval; children, Misty Dawn Smith and Sean AmaroWilcox; maternal grandparents, Lillian and Raymond Cutlip of Cowen,W.Va.; and paternal grandmother, Angela Esparza of Dodge City, Kan.

Anne worked as a customer service representative for Stanford andRis Paper companies. She also worked as travel agent and law phonecustomer service representative for Encore Marketing Company. Shehad a passion for animals, especially cats and dolphins, andvolunteered at and supported SISCA, the Society for the Improvementof Conditions for Stray Animals. She was a member of the EvangelicalPresbyterian Church of Annapolis. Anne's greatest gifts to her sonswere to love them unconditionally; teach them to love the Lord withall their hearts, to daily live and rest in His amazing grace, andthe importance of both church and earthly families.

Anne was a warm, compassionate and fun-loving woman who gavegenerously of herself to others. She loved her family, the ocean,collecting sea shells, laughing and time with her friends, playingScrabble, putting jigsaw puzzles together, and eating lobster, snowcrabs, and anything chocolate. She enjoyed writing poetry and hadseveral poems published.

She is survived by her husband, DeWitt Wilcox; two sons,Alexander 'Alex' Robinson of Annapolis, Md., and Christopher 'Chris'Robinson of Fort Drum, N.Y.; mother and stepfather, Marlene and JimBorgstrom of Centerville, Ohio; stepbrother, Tom (Ana) Borgstrom andtheir daughter, Celia; stepsister Barb (Zach) Taylor and theirdaughters, Mia and Sadie; stepsister, Karen (Bill) Parker; severalvery special cousins; and best friend, Dorothy Brannan.

A graveside service will be held at 10:30 a.m. Saturday, June 26,in the Odd Fellows Cemetery, Cowen, W.Va., with the Rev James 'Oz'Gray officiating.

A memorial service will be held at 1:30 p.m., July 10, atEvangelical Presbyterian Church in Annapolis, Md., with Pastor BobBorger officiating. A reception will be held at the churchimmediately after the service.

The family wishes to thank: Anne's home church in Annapolis,Emmanuel Lutheran Church in Dayton, Ohio, Hospice of the Chesapeake,Hospice of Dayton, the many volunteers who visited and cared forher, the ladies who read to her when she could no longer read, andall the other churches, family and friends for their constantprayers, concern and loving care.

Memorial contributions may be made in Anne Wilcox's name to theHospice of the Chesapeake, the Hospice of Dayton, the MultipleMyeloma Society, or SICSA.

To send a special online message to the family, please visitwww.NewcomerDayton.com.

James F. Williams

James F. Williams, 84, of Packs Branch died June 16, 2010.Service will be 2 p.m. Tuesday, June 22, at Tyree Funeral Home,Mount Hope. Friends may call from 6 to 8 p.m. Monday. Burial will bein Williams-Argabright Cemetery, Packs Branch.

Stephen G. Young

Stephen G. Young of Pittsburgh, Pa., died June 15, 2010, after abrief Illness. He was 74.

He is survived by his wife, the former Maureen Dailey; children,Michael, Jane, Stephen, Alice, Patrick, Mara and Maggie;grandchildren Jennifer, Danielle, Michael, Elena, Lillian and Lucas;and a sister, Nancy Tussing.

Young headed government affairs for CONSOL Energy, Inc. for 33years and was a past president of the West Virginia CoalAssociation. He served for 30 years combined active and retiredservice in the U.S. Navy, including duty with the Navy SEALs andUnderwater Demolition Team 21. He retired as a captain in 1988.

Young was elected to the West Virginia Coal Hall of Fame in 2005.In 2006, CONSOL named a river towboat, the 'MV Steve Young,' in hishonor. He was a 1958 graduate of Duke University and earned his lawdegree from the West Virginia University College of Law in 1964.

Funeral arrangements are by Beinhauers, (724) 941-3211.

Friends are welcome at 2828 Washington Road, McMurray, Pa., from2 to 4 and 7 to 9 p.m. Friday, June 18.

The family has asked that, in lieu of flowers, donations be madeto the Pancreatic Cancer Action Network, www.pancan.org.

Please add or view tributes at www.beinhauer.com.

Education said to slow spread of HIV among African Women - The New York Beacon

New York Beacon, The
03-17-2004
The international community increasingly recognizes that one vital strategy
for stemming the spread of AIDS worldwide is to reduce women's economic
dependence. Further spotlighting the issue, 'Women and HIV/AIDS' is the
theme for the 2004 International Women's Day, March 8, 2004. Organizations
that have long worked to elevate the status of women are pleased to see the
relationship between women's vulnerability and the deadly AIDS epidemic
finally becoming an international focal point.

One such organization, the Africa-America Institute has long approached
HIV/AIDS prevention through education. The 51-year-old multiracial,
multiethnic nonprofit group brings American and other resources to bear in
order to build the African human capital necessary to eliminate poverty and
other conditions that lead to poor health. AAI maintains that with greater
access to education, women and girls in Africa will be better equipped to
safeguard their health and that of their children, with the result that
HIV/AIDS infections will decline or even cease.

'Education provides women the knowledge and earning potential to make
better choices and become economically and socially empowered,' said Mora
McLean, AAI President and CEO. 'Those are the keys to reducing the
disproportionately high toll that HIV/AIDS has had on economically
vulnerable women and their children.'

To achieve its goal of assisting in the fight against HIV/AIDS by educating
African women, AAI has established partnerships with 200 U.S. universities
in 49 states, where thousands of African women have pursued under-graduate
and graduate degrees, as well as short-term technical training. Progress is
ongoing, thanks to the AAI Education Partnership Campaign, which over the
next five years is projected to raise $25 million in private and public
sector support to educate and train 50,000 more Africans. And it's not just
the women themselves who benefit from their expanded horizons, said McLean:
The AAI Education Partnership Campaign will yield powerful benefits to
individuals, businesses, governments and entire countries.

Dr. Ibouratou Olga M. Ogoussan, a Master's in Public Health candidate
through AAI's ATLAS program, agrees. 'As an M.D., my studies in public
health in the U.S. have taught me to think more globally about improving
public health--to see it not as just a matter of treating individuals who
are sick, but of changing the way institutions work, changing laws,
changing attitudes and behaviors, so people learn how to safeguard their
health.'

Article copyright Smith Haj Group.
V.11;

Massabesic alum earns doctorate from Dartmouth - Portland Press Herald (Portland, ME)

Portland Press Herald (Maine)
11-06-2003
Massabesic alum earns doctorate from Dartmouth
Edition: York
Section: Your Neighbors
Column: News Briefs

LIMERICK --

Nicole V. Soucy, daughter of Lloyd and Mary Jo Burcham of Limerick, has completed her doctorate of philosophy in pharmacology and toxicology at Dartmouth College.

Soucy is a 1993 graduate of Massabesic High School in Waterboro. She has a bachelor of science degree from the University of New England and a master's in public health from the Graduate School of Public Health at San Diego State University.
Soucy recently was nominated for the Karen E. Wetterhan Memorial Award from the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences for academic excellence and outstanding community service. She will continue training as a post-doctoral fellow at the CIIT Centers for Health Sciences in Durham, N.C.

Soucy lives in Warsaw, N.C., with her husband, Staff Sgt. Michael R. Soucy, son of Rejean and Lorraine Soucy of Lyman. The couple recently celebrated their 10th wedding anniversary with the arrival of their newborn son, Mason Rejean Soucy.

Copyright 2003 Blethen Maine Newspapers Inc.

Plaut, Thomas F(ranz) A(lfred) 1925-2004 - Contemporary Authors

PLAUT, Thomas F(ranz) A(lfred) 1925-2004

OBITUARY NOTICE—

See index for CA sketch: Born December 29, 1925, in New York, NY; died of renal failure, August 20, 2004, in Princeton Junction, NJ. Psychologist, educator, and author. Plaut, a longtime psychologist with the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH), was best known for his research on alcohol abuse. After serving in the U.S. Army during World War II, he earned his bachelor's from Swarthmore College in 1949, followed by a doctorate in psychology in 1956 and a master's in public health in 1957, both from Harvard University. For the next five years, he was an instructor at Harvard's School of Public Health, while also teaching at Simmons College from 1959 to 1962 and directing the alcoholism program for the Massachusetts Department of Public Health from 1961 to 1962. During the mid-1960s, Plaut was a research associate at Stanford University before joining NIMH in 1967 as assistant chief for the National Center for Prevention and Control of Alcoholism. He remained at NIMH in various positions until 1995, including as deputy director from 1974 to 1979, director of prevention from 1979 to 1980, associate division director of biometry from 1987 to 1992, and public health advisor from 1993 to 1995. After retiring, he remained active as a consultant based in Bethesda, Maryland, and he also taught at Johns Hopkins University. Plaut's publications include coauthoring The Treatment of Alcoholism: A Study of Programs and Problems (1967) and writing Alcohol Problems: A Report to the Nation by the Cooperative Commission on the Study of Alcoholism (1968).

OBITUARIES AND OTHER SOURCES:

PERIODICALS

Washington Post, August 26, 2004, p. B6.

Caring for public health managers reaps dividends.(Editor's Choice)(Brief article) - South African Medical Journal

Social work, psychology and the 'softer' sciences may take a bashing at the hands of those who kneel at the altar of hard data, but in the Eastern Cape--emerging from a morass of historical intrigue and corruption--they're proving effective.

Take a cohort of stressed district health managers in resource-poor settings whose demotivation and burn-out contribute directly to poor patient health outcomes. Add an intensive listening skills and team building workshop hosted by a social worker with her Master's in Public Health. (1)

RAUL RUIZ TO RECEIVE ER PHYSICIANS' HUMANITARIAN AWARD. - States News Service

Riverside, CA -- The following information was released by the University of California - Riverside:

Emergency physician Raul Ruiz doesn't sleep much. He's too busy balancing his work at the Eisenhower Medical Center and the UCR School of Medicine with his passion for community service-providing free medical care in the poorest neighborhoods of the Coachella Valley, answering medical questions on Spanish language television, shepherding organizations to improve health care access in the Coachella Valley and mentoring local students who are interested in medicine.

With a focus like that, it wasn't hard for the California chapter of the American College of Emergency Physicians (ACEP) to chose Ruiz as this year's recipient of its annual Humanitarian Award, to be presented Friday, June 24, at noon at the organization's 40th annual Scientific Assembly in Newport Beach.

The award recognizes members who work on humanitarian causes in their communities, outside of their normal medical practice, according to Deputy Executive Director Ryan Adame.

In addition to his job as UCR School of Medicine's senior associate dean for community engagement and partnerships, Ruiz is also an emergency physician at Eisenhower Medical Center in Rancho Mirage. But this son of farmworkers who was raised in the Coachella Valley strongly believes in community service, especially when it comes to improving access to medical care.

'My social life has taken a beating, but I love what I do. I love the people of the Coachella Valley and the Inland Empire and it's a joy to help them find solutions to the real problems we face in our communities,' said Ruiz. 'It's always an honor to be recognized by our professional society, and I am very proud to be representing the Inland Empire with this award; especially the Coachella Valley, because we're sort of isolated here. When you think of emergency physicians from big cities like LA, San Diego and the Bay area, having the Humanitarian Award going to someone from the Coachella Valley is pretty significant to me.'

Ruiz earned his bachelor's degree at UCLA and his medical degree and a master's in public health at Harvard University, where he also did a fellowship with the Harvard Humanitarian Initiative in International Emergency Medicine and Disaster Aid.

He was the founding medical director of the Jenkins-Penn Haitian Relief Organization following the 2010 earthquake in Haiti and received a Commanders Award for Public Service from the 82nd Airborne of the U.S. Army. But Adame said many of ACEP's members helped in Haiti and other disaster areas. The organization chose to recognize Ruiz because of the many ways he is serving the Coachella Valley.

'It's most impressive to see how he's involved very closely with the Latino community, reaching out to them and addressing their needs,' said President Elect Andrew Fenton, an emergency physician in Napa, Calif., who nominated Ruiz for the award. 'Emergency physicians know a lot about dealing with out-of-control medical problems that could have been avoided if they had been addressed earlier. Raul wants to do something more than just curing an illness; he wants to prevent it and he's actually making a difference by educating the community about how it can care for itself. That's something we all need to do as emergency physicians.'

Ruiz agrees. 'Emergency physicians are really at the front lines of the social ills we have in America; whether it's a surge in gang violence or lack of health care insurance because of joblessness or a public safety or public health issue, we feel it and see the effects in the emergency department. So I believe if there's a problem, (emergency physicians) have to step up to the plate and help create the change that's needed.'

SOUTHERN ILLINOIS UNIVERSITY SCHOOL OF MEDICINE SCHOOL TO STUDY EXERCISE IN CANCER SURVIVORS - US Fed News Service, Including US State News

The Southern Illinois University School of Medicine issued the following news release:

A physician at Southern Illinois University School of Medicine in Springfield has been awarded a two-year grant from the American Cancer Society Illinois Division for the study of exercise behavior and attitudes among breast cancer survivors in rural Illinois. The total budget for the grant is $230,972.

The study will look at the factors that influence exercise behavior and the preferences for exercise programming among breast cancer survivors in rural counties in Illinois. Results of the study may be used to design and test programs that increase exercise participation of cancer survivors in rural areas because rural residents exercise less than those in urban areas, so they are at a greater need for such programs.

Dr. Laura Q. Rogers, associate professor of internal medicine is the project's principal investigator. Steve Verhulst, Ph.D., associate professor of medical education, is a collaborating investigator. Two other experts in the field, Edward McAuley, Ph.D., professor of kinesiology and psychology at the University of Illinois in Urbana, and Kerry Courneya, Ph.D., professor and cancer research chair in physical activity and cancer at the University of Alberta in Edmonton, are involved in the project as consultants.

A researcher since 1989, Rogers' previous research has also focused on healthy lifestyles related to high cholesterol management, osteoporosis and osteoarthritis.

Rogers joined the SIU faculty in 2000. She completed a fellowship in faculty development in general internal medicine at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill (1990) and her internal medicine residency at the Medical College of Georgia in Augusta (1987). She earned her medical degree at the University of South Florida School of Medicine in Tampa (1984), master's in public health at the University of South Carolina in Columbia (2000), and bachelor's at Erskine College in Due West, S.C. (1980).

SOUTHERN ILLINOIS UNIVERSITY MED SCHOOL TO STUDY EXERCISE IN CANCER SURVIVORS - US Fed News Service, Including US State News

The Southern Illinois University School of Medicine issued the following news release:

A physician at Southern Illinois University School of Medicine in Springfield has been awarded a two-year grant from the American Cancer Society Illinois Division for the study of exercise behavior and attitudes among breast cancer survivors in rural Illinois. The total budget for the grant is $230,972.

The study will look at the factors that influence exercise behavior and the preferences for exercise programming among breast cancer survivors in rural counties in Illinois. Results of the study may be used to design and test programs that increase exercise participation of cancer survivors in rural areas because rural residents exercise less than those in urban areas, so they are at a greater need for such programs.

Dr. Laura Q. Rogers, associate professor of internal medicine is the project's principal investigator. Steve Verhulst, Ph.D., associate professor of medical education, is a collaborating investigator. Two other experts in the field, Edward McAuley, Ph.D., professor of kinesiology and psychology at the University of Illinois in Urbana, and Kerry Courneya, Ph.D., professor and cancer research chair in physical activity and cancer at the University of Alberta in Edmonton, are involved in the project as consultants.

A researcher since 1989, Rogers' previous research has also focused on healthy lifestyles related to high cholesterol management, osteoporosis and osteoarthritis.

Rogers joined the SIU faculty in 2000. She completed a fellowship in faculty development in general internal medicine at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill (1990) and her internal medicine residency at the Medical College of Georgia in Augusta (1987). She earned her medical degree at the University of South Florida School of Medicine in Tampa (1984), master's in public health at the University of South Carolina in Columbia (2000), and bachelor's at Erskine College in Due West, S.C. (1980).

Wheels to Meals; A Crescent City chef's evacuation plan returns him to the White Dog. - Philadelphia Weekly

'I'm doing a little bit of everything,' Paul Chell says of his new job at the White Dog Cafe. 'I work the line a few days a week and prep most of the other times. I clean up things.'

White Dog executive chef Andy Brown, sitting behind Chell, interrupts him.

'Like a good refugee,' Brown says.

Chell laughs and repeats the phrase: 'Like a good refugee.'

Chell worked at the White Dog from late 1999 to early 2001, when he left to work for star chef Susan Spicer at Cobalt, a restaurant she was opening at the Hotel Monaco New Orleans. About five months ago he went to work at Spicer's Bayona, a highly acclaimed Mediterranean, Asian and Indian restaurant in the French Quarter.

Chell said that as Hurricane Katrina approached, it seemed just like all the other ones he'd lived through since moving to the Big Easy: not all that bad.

'I heard about it,' he says. 'I saw the spiral on television. At first they were saying it was just going to hit Florida. But then it hit the Gulf, and after being down there five years, you learn that it's kinda bad.

'Everybody was calling each other: 'Are you staying? Are you leaving?' It's kind of a big thing every hurricane. Most people were like, 'Oh, we're going to stay.' The past five years the hurricanes we'd been through were not bad at all.'

But Chell heeded the warnings that Hurricane Katrina wasn't like any other hurricane New Orleans had faced in his lifetime. He kept listening to news reports and watching the weather coverage. Then he made a decision.

'I think we'd better go,' he told his fiancee Rachel Witwer, and he spent the next two days trying to convince his friends that they should go too. He made a few converts, and headed out of New Orleans at 5:15 a.m. on Sun., Aug. 28, a day before Katrina hit, heading toward Baton Rouge on gridlocked highways. After some trekking around Louisiana, he knew he wouldn't be returning to his job for a while, even though his restaurant is preparing to reopen in the next few weeks.

Chell, who's from York, Pa., was a line cook at the White Dog before moving to New Orleans. He still had friends in Philadelphia, including Brown, who was a line cook with Chell before becoming executive chef.

'I called Andy up and I asked if there was any way I could work here,' Chell says. 'And he said, Absolutely.''

White Dog Cafe owner Judy Wicks immediately approved the hire.

'I wanted to rehire him right away,' Wicks says. 'I was just hoping he'd stay longer.'

Chell thinks he'll return to New Orleans and Bayona sometime in December.

On Thurs., Oct. 13, the White Dog will host a five-course meal of New Orleans cuisine, with all the proceeds benefiting a drop-in center for homeless people run by Chell's fiancee Witwer.

Chell and Brown will be cooking all of the food at the $55 dinner, which will also feature live New Orleans music. That night the waitstaff will work for free, and they'll even donate their tips.

The White Dog will also match all monetary contributions people make to the restaurant (beyond the cost of their meals) dollar for dollar, with $1,000 already going to Community Labor United, a coalition of grassroots groups working in some of the hardest-hit areas.

Brown conceived the benefit, and the staff coordinated it. Wicks says she'll be 'just a guest' at the dinner.

'I love New Orleans,' Brown says. 'I love the cuisine. After talking to Paul and feeling so bad about what's happening, we wanted to do something. And I didn't want to mourn New Orleans, because New Orleans funerals are nothing like that. We wanted to celebrate what it is. We wanted to have as much fun as we could.'

For now, Chell is sleeping at a friend's house on 50th Street in West Philly, keeping in touch with his fiancee--who is finishing up her master's in public health from Tulane at George Washington University--and hoping New Orleans will be rebuilt to its former glory.

'New Orleans really catered to the tourist market, but there was a real New Orleans that was really, really cool,' Chell says. 'If, when they rebuild it, it's all touristy, it's not going to be the same. And I probably wouldn't want to stay. But I have a good feeling about it. I hope it will be restored to its former glory.'

Daniel McQuade (dmcquade@philadelphiaweekly.com) last wrote about street artists Frost and Bob Will Reign.

Article copyright Philadelphia Weekly.

South Florida mourns loss of longtime community activist Cora Eaves Braynon - Westside Gazette

Cora Eaves Braynon, a native of Louisville, Ky., passed away on Friday, Sept. 16, following a brief illness. Cora Braynon, a resident of Broward County, since 1955, spent her entire career in public heath - as a nurse, educator, and administrator and as a North Broward Hospital District (NBHD) commissioner. Mrs. Braynon received a bachelor's degree in nursing from Tuskegee Institute in Alabama and a master's in public health from the University of Michigan.

Mrs. Braynon was appointed by Gov. Jeb Bush to the North Broward Hospital District board in 1999 and reappointed in 2003. Her last role was that of vice chair. Mrs. Braynon also served on numerous District committees including the Executive Committee, Joint Conference Committee, Minority Business Enterprise Committee, and the Quality Assessment/Oversight Committee.

'Mrs. Braynon's entire career was dedicated to the profession of nursing and health administration. She was a life-long crusader for better healthcare for the residents of Broward County,' said Wil Trower, president/CEO, NBHD. 'It was an absolute honor to have her as a board member and work with her over the years. Her passing is a tremendous loss personally, and to the entire District family.'

The NBHD, providing service for more than 50 years, is a community health system offering a full spectrum of healthcare services. The District encompasses more than 30 healthcare facilities, including Broward General Medical Center, North Broward Medical Center, Imperial Point Medical Center, Coral Springs Medical Center and Chris Evert Children's Hospital.

Prior to receiving the appointment as commissioner of the NBHD, Mrs. Braynon was the first Black registered nurse employed by the Broward County Health Department. She served as Senior Executive Nursing Director for 18 years and retired in 1994. Mrs. Braynon was also an instructor at Broward Community College, Florida Atlantic University and an adjunct faculty member of Barry University Adult and Community Education Program. She also served on the Advisory Council on Nurse Education, Division of Nursing for the Public Health Services, Department of Health and Human Services.

Aside from her commitment to public health, Cora Braynon served 52 years as a life member of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc., a public service sorority. She was a pioneer in developing programs for teenage mothers and healthy babies and moms. Her interests were reflected in her sorority work where she implemented the Reaching Adolescent Parents Program. She was also devoted to the Delteen youth program, where she mentored many young women on their role and commitment to finer womanhood. Mrs. Braynon, the immediate past president of the Broward County Alumnae Chapter, served three terms as president. Additionally, she served on regional and national committees of the sorority.

Cora Eaves Braynon leaves to mourn her beloved husband, Ronald W. Braynon, Jr.; three children: Oscar J. Braynon (Patricia), of Miami, Fla.; two daughters: Andrea A. Braynon, of Ft. Lauderdale, Fla. and Terri Braynon Glasford (Jason), of Miramar, Fla.; one sister, Carrie Eaves Evans (Willis), of Louisville, Ky.; one brother, Frank Eaves (Ella) of Prospect, Ky.; one brother-in-law, Roger Forbes of Fenton, Mich.; sisters-in-law: Betty Sharpe of Lauderdale Lakes, Fla. and Rosemary Braynon of North Miami, Fla.; grandchildren: Oscar Braynon, II, Jina Braynon and Marina Braynon-Moore, a host of nieces, nephews and other family members and friends.

Funeral arrangements for Commissioner Braynon are as follows: The wake is scheduled for Friday, Sept. 23, from 6 to 9 p.m., at St. Mark's Episcopal Church Multi-Purpose Center, 1750 East Oakland Park Blvd., Fort Lauderdale. The funeral service will be held on Saturday, Sept. 24, 11 a.m., at St. Mark's Episcopal Church. In lieu of flowers, the family requests that donations be made to the Delta Education & Life Development Foundation, Inc., P.O. Box 9504, Fort Lauderdale, FL 33310, earmarked for the Cora Eaves Braynon Scholarship to benefit students pursuing a bachelor's degree in nursing.

Article copyright BI-ADs, Inc.

Mom 'horrified' at cop's suspension Son's accidental slaying at Red Line stop warrants manslaughter, she says - Chicago Sun-Times

The mother of a man accidentally killed by a Chicago Policeofficer last year is 'shocked and horrified' at the officer'spunishment: a 30-day suspension and some additional training.

'I think he should have been charged with manslaughter,' saidPamela Pleasance, whose 23-year-old son, Michael, was shot themorning of March 8, 2003, by Officer Alvin Weems at the CTA's 95thStreet Red Line station.

Michael Pleasance and two acquaintances were involved in a fightwith two other men when Weems broke up the altercation. With his gundrawn and his finger on the trigger, Weems was trying to subduePatrick Anderson at the same time he turned to face Pleasance, who,the officer said, was threatening him. Then Weems' gun, a .38-caliber snub-nosed revolver, accidentally went off.

Michael Pleasance 'died of a near-contact gunshot wound to thehead,' according to a Cook County medical examiner's report.

His mother, who has filed a wrongful death suit against Weems, thecity and the CTA, says she was 'blindsided' by Friday's announcementby Police Supt. Philip Cline that Weems will be suspended without payfor 30 days for 'failure to adhere to his training' by keeping hisfinger on the gun's trigger during the incident.

Pleasance said she was expecting that Weems, an 18-year veteran onthe force, would get a far stiffer penalty.

But a Cook County state's attorney's investigation concludedWeems' conduct was not criminal, and police officials said thesuspension is in line with department standards.

'The officer failed to follow his training and the rules at greatperil to his own safety,' Cline said Friday. 'This is an officer whoran toward the danger in order to save the victims. He encounteredhostile and dangerous offenders who, despite the officer repeatedlyannouncing his office, ignored the officer's orders.'

Pleasance takes issue with the characterization of her son ashostile and dangerous. 'I know better than that,' she said. 'I knowmy child better than that. Now, if you say he tried to run, maybe . .. but he wouldn't threaten [a police officer].'

Pleasance said she had often spoken with her son about what to doif he was ever stopped by the police.

Pleasance, 56, had spent much of her life steering Mike, theyounger of her two sons, out of trouble. When he was a teenager, shemoved with him to Springfield, where she completed a master's inpublic health as he finished high school.

A registered nurse, she managed her work schedule around droppinghim off and picking him up at different places, so she'd always havean idea of where he was.

'He was a real quiet kid,' she said. 'You wouldn't hardly know hewas even around.'

Pleasance's case was one of 41 in which Chicago Police officersshot someone in 2003, police spokesman Dave Bayless said. The Weemscase is one of three in which the Office of Professional Standardsfound rules violations, but it is the only one in which disciplinehas been formally handed down so far.

Weems has remained on active duty since the incident and hasreceived no additional use-of-force training, beyond standard in-service training, Bayless said.

He will undergo further training after he completes the 30-daysuspension.

Pick the best health chief - whether he's an M.D. or not - Chicago Sun-Times

Kudos on your excellent editorial Nov. 29 regarding therequirements for city health commissioner.

We agree that the M.D. requirement does not ensure the bestpossible person for the commissioner position. It limits the field.

A master's in public health (M.P.H.) or the equivalent providesthe tools necessary to assess public health needs and manage publichealth programs. These skills are more relevant to the commissionerposition than those provided by the M.D. requirement.

Chicago's Board of Health is doing an excellent job in searchingfor the best possible person for the commissioner position. Theyhave narrowed the field and will interview top candidates this month.

Acting commissioner Richard Krieg, who is not an M.D. but has aPh.D. in health policy and management, should be encouraged tocompete for the permanent appointment, along with other candidates(with or without M.D. degrees) from across the nation.

The U.S. Conference of Local Health Officers has gone on recordas supporting the change from M.D. or Ph.D. requirements for publichealth officials.

Nationally, the trend for local health agencies is away from theM.D. requirement: Michigan, Washington, Wisconsin, the city ofMinneapolis, Massachusetts, Oregon, and South Carolina have recentlyamended their laws. Chicago should follow this trend. Clark Burrus, chairman, Health Care Task Force, Deborah Stone, director, Health Care, Metropolitan Planning Council Remedies for DUI

In response to Larry Thompson's Dec. 3 article 'The drinkingdilemma: illness or willfulness?' jail and driver's licenserevocation appear to be remedies for the illness or willfulness ofthose who drive under the influence.

I greatly resent Mr. Thompson's statement that 'Skepticism ofthe medical model abounds; blaming the victim is in.'

The victims of this abuse are the 24,000 people killed inalcohol-related crashes each year in this country.

Larry Mahoney drove drunk and killed 27 people. JosephHazelwood ran the Exxon Valdez aground spilling 11 million gallons ofcrude oil.

It is of no concern to me whether these two were plain drunks orsuffered from a disease. Neither should have been in the driver'sseat. Driving under the influence is a crime, not a disease. Louise E. Kilborn, Loop Wrong speed

Are we getting lax on boater safety? Does ESPN (sports cableTV) condone drinking and boating?

During last Sunday night's broadcast of the Bears-Viking game,ESPN aired a commercial in which a man seated on a sailboat showed asix-pack of beer and said, 'This is my speed.'

Since I do not have cable at home, I usually do not watch ESPN.Now I feel hesitant to order cable TV. What else will I besubjecting my children or myself to?

The commercial might have just as well put the actor, with beerin hand, in the front seat of an automobile saying, 'This is myspeed.' Dale Jordan Sr., East Side Henry offends

It is inexcusable for Ald. William C. Henry (24th), who has aproblem with grocers of Arab and Korean ancestry, to make a statementagainst the Mexican community.

His statement 'You have to know more than Mexican' isirresponsible and demonstrates insensitivity and ignorance of otherpeople's cultures in this city.

There is no such language as Mexican. It is called Spanish andhas been spoken in many parts of this country even before the UnitedStates was founded.

Ald. Henry should know that an attack on the Spanish languageoffends the Mexican community as much as an attack on the color of aperson offends the black community. Just as ignorance of the law isno excuse, so should ignorance of cultures be no excuse. Hector Gamboa, South Lawndale Something foul

I find it interesting to watch politicians when they cry'outrage.' Usually it is done because they need to point a publicfinger at another politician - who is doing the same thing they do,only for a cause they stand against.

So it is with state Rep. T. J. McCracken Jr. (R-Downers Grove)in his Dec. 4 letter 'Not surprised.' He yells 'foul' over theattorney general's decision to attempt to settle the Ragsdale case.

He says the attorney general is 'usurping constitutionalauthority'.

The Illinois Constitution has an article that prohibits theLegislature from enacting a pay raise 'mid-term.' Earlier this year,with Rep. McCracken's hearty approval, the Legislature voted certainof their members a quick $6,000 increase.

Of course, in their enlightened, progressive thinking, it wasnot a pay raise - it was a 'stipend.'

Amazing how Rep. McCracken finds no problem running around theConstitution and bending its intent to line his wallet, but on issueswhere he can possibly pick up some quick votes by calling 'foul' he'sa 'Tommy-on-the-Spot' to point out possible misuse. StanleyModrzyk, Archer Heights Newsy nukes

I was very pleased with Jim Ritter's article on Nov. 26 aboutnuclear waste ('Hot rods,' first of three parts.)

I never knew how many million pounds of radioactive fuel rodswere stored in northern Illinois. It was very surprising to me andmy friends.

How the fuel rods are stored in underground pools of water hadalso interested me.

I was wondering how nuclear waste would affect residents nearthe power plants. Any news stories with information about nuclearwaste as a health hazard would be greatly appreciated. Kwang Kong, Orland Park Sterile stand

Charles Krauthammer is the perfect apologist for ourgovernment's position when he says we are saving El Salvador fromcommunism and therefore right to help fund its current government(column, Dec. 2).

He says in effect this government's anti-communism is all thatmatters. This is our going ideology, anti-communism. We call on itto justify anything.

But it's a simplistic view, and one that our government wants usto buy. We have been patsies for anti-communists, no matter theirwillingness to suppress peaceful political opposition.

'We were knighted in Liberia' - The Charleston Gazette (Charleston, WV)

Lady Bartlett? That's right. She's an honest-to-goodness knight, atitle bestowed by the Liberian government.

Johnnee Bartlett, 90, lives quietly in a modest apartment in SouthCharleston. Age has softened her deep voice and stooped her statelyframe. No one would guess the adventurous, whirlwind life thatpreceded her move to West Virginia.

She grew up in British Columbia, flew her own plane at 18 andworked later as a public health nurse, flying into Alaskan villagesto treat the natives.

She married Pan American executive Stanley Bartlett and lived allover the world. 'I stopped counting the countries,' she said.

Charles Lindbergh was a close friend.

In the early 1970s, oil lured her retired husband to Spencer, thento Kellys Creek.

Oh, yes. She had her first heart attack at 36, a minor detail inher eventful 90-year biography.

'I was born in Vancouver, British Columbia. My father was apoliceman from Scotland. I did the highland fling, the sword dance,all the Scottish dances.

'My mother was Irish, a Murphy. She was deaf. Most people didn'trealize it, because she lip-read perfectly. My mother had theheartiest laugh. It was contagious.

'I got my adventuresomeness from my father. I had two sisters. Iwas my father's boy. I was 5 foot 8. He taught me how to wrestle andbox. Anything a boy could do, I could do, practically. He took memany places with him. If he'd had a son, it would have been a sonhe'd taken.

'Amelia Earhart disappeared during the time I was first startingto fly. I learned when I was 18. My father saw that I got lessons. Iliked doing things everyone else didn't do. Women pilots were anoddity.

'I wore pants to fly, and there weren't many women wearing pantsin those days. I was flying in pretty rugged country. I realized thatif anything happened and I had to land out some place, I should bedressed suitably.

'I went to St. Anne's Academy in Vancouver, then to the Universityof British Columbia, then to Columbia in New York for my master's inpublic health and psychiatry.

'I went to Alaska as a public health nurse, flew to the villagesand delivered babies and looked after people. The Eskimos were verygrateful for every little thing you did for them. In Gnome, we had anawful time with measles. If I remember rightly, we lost 10 people tomeasles. That was before the vaccine. They had a great deal ofsickness because of poor food and poor living conditions. There wasonly so much the Bureau of Indian Affairs could do.

'I was there when they started allowing Eskimos to have liquor.That was their ruination. They couldn't tolerate it. One drink andthey were drunk, and of course, they didn't stop at one drink. So wehad quite a bit of trouble with them getting intoxicated.

'One time, this Eskimo man came and said everyone in his villagewas sick and I had to come. I discovered that he wanted a ride homein an airplane and there wasn't a lot of sickness there at all. AfterI took off, I found this little boy crouched down in the plane, astowaway. I had to circle around and get him out of there.

'I got married in Gnome. My husband managed airports for PanAmerican World Airways. He used to say that when there was a hole inthe dike, he put his finger in it.

'My daughter was born in Seattle. I had her out of the hospitaltwo hours when I got on the plane headed for Gnome. My son was bornfour years earlier in Fairbanks.

'We went down to southeastern Alaska on Annette Island and fromthere to California. After California, we went to the Pacific. Wewent west in the Pacific until it became the East.

'We were among the first 100 people in Tokyo after the war. Myhusband set up a Pan American station there. Pan American flew infood for us. Food supplies were quite limited. It was really quitegrim. We had a housekeeper who had been a high school teacher beforethe war. A lot of people who were doing ordinary work had beeneducated people.

'We lived on Wake Island. It was very isolated, but we had a veryactive social life. There were two airlines there beside PanAmerican, and Pan American ran the island.

'When we were on Wake Island, Charles Lindbergh spent a week withus. He was with Pan American. When we went back to Annette for 10days, doing relief work, Charles visited us again. And he visited uswhen we were in Africa.

'He could ask more questions. He asked about where I flew and whyI flew and how. He was very interested in everything, especially mychildren. He would sit with them and ask one question after another,and they were delighted with him.

'He was very quiet. He didn't want people to know he was on theisland, didn't ever want any kind of fuss. He consented to us havinga party with Pan American employees, and we had several of the topisland people in. He was very gracious, but you could see that wasn'this forte.

'He was going up to Juneau one time when we were living onAnnette. The planes used to stop at Annette and offload passengers.Someone on Annette found out he was coming through, so photographerscame over. My husband went on board and told Charles there werenewspaper people there, and he stayed on board.

'He was such a humble person in so many ways. He did his ownlaundry. At night, he would wash his underpants and undershirt andhang them in the bathroom.

'From Wake Island, we went to Guam. Later, I was in China. Then wecame back this way and lived in West Africa for seven years. We livedin Liberia. You see it quite often in the news these days. When wewere there, it was a very peaceful, very wonderful country. It wassettled by the freed U.S. Negroes who went back there.

'Children used to sell vegetables in front of the store where weshopped. At Christmas, they would say, 'Where's my tip?' Except thisone boy came over and said, 'Here, Missy, here's your Christmas.' Itwas bananas. He used to come to our house and bring vegetables andthings, and he would always say he wanted to go to school. He wasabout 9 or 10 then.

'I finally said to my husband, 'Let's find out about this boy.' Sowe went to the village to see the chief. He said, 'If there's any boywho will do well with an education, it's this one.' His mother wasvery elderly. His father was dead. His older sister said it would befine if we would send him to school. So we sent him to boardingschool, and when school was out, he would stay with us. Even after weleft there, we continued his education and brought him to the States.He's an American citizen. So we have an adopted son, a wonderful man.He lives in Baltimore.

'We were knighted by the Liberian government, both my husband andI. I started three orphanages while we were in Liberia. We were bothvery active in doing things for the people of the country. It wasalmost too much of a social life though. It was nothing to go outfive or six nights a week to social things.

'My husband retired after we left Africa, in 1971. We came back tothe States, bought an Airstream and became trailerists. We came toWest Virginia for a matter of days. My husband became interested inoil mining, so we bought into that, and stayed in West Virginia.

'We came first to Spencer. People in Spencer are among thefriendliest in the world. We came there as absolute strangers, and ina matter of weeks, we were part of the community. Then we moved toKellys Creek, where he had oil wells.

'I had my first heart attack in Gnome when I was 36, and I've hadseveral since. I didn't let anything hold me back. I still don't.Here I am, at age 90. Four years ago, I got a pacemaker. I live withmy nitroglycerin.

'I have no regrets about anything. I was married to a wonderfulman. We had two terrific children. I've had a very interesting life.'

THERE - Filipinas

THERE.

Dom Martin de Jesus: Chants Encounter

He used to be the darling of Manila's fashion glitterati. Now Eduardo 'Gang' Gomez would rather spend his days in contemplation. Gomez, who now goes by the moniker Dom Martin de Jesus, joined the Monastery of the Transfiguration in Bukidnon several years ago to fill a void in his life. These days, Dom Martin attends Matins at three a.m. -- around the time his former self would just be getting into bed.

Gomez, 47, is currently in a period of 'deepening,' where his contact with the outside world is gradually diminishing. He has two more years to go before he has to decide whether or not he wants to take the vow of 'poverty, obedience, celibacy and stability.' For the son of one of the biggest land-owning families in Pampanga, it would mean relinquishing his considerable wealth in order to become a full-fledged monk.

Florence Tadiar: Lady's Choice

Dr. Florence Tadiar's allies call her a lady. But her foes call her an abortionist. Either way, Tadiar doesn't waver in her fight for women's reproductive rights. Simply put, she believes in a woman's right to control her own body. Of particular interest to her is the right of women to choose.

Tadiar took up medicine to help her mother, who was La Union's first woman doctor. In 1966 the United Council of Churches in the Philippines sent her to Singapore to train in family planning. The UCCP also sent her to Haiti to study family planning programs there. Tadiar, who also has a master's in public health from Harvard, eventually set up -- together with her husband -- the La Union chapter of the Family Planning Organization of the Philippines.

'I am not pro-abortion; it's just that I respect the choice,' Tadiar explains. 'Sino ba sila na magsasabi, `Enjoy ka ba sa pag-abort (Who has the right to ask whether you enjoyed going through an abortion)?''

Tadiar knows that the issues she espouses are controversial, and that her stand leaves her vulnerable to religious backlash. But she has no regrets.

'Basta 'yung kailangan, 'yun ang pupuntahan (I go where I am needed),' she says.

Albert Gamos: Tell-Tale Works

If a picture paints a thousand words, then Albert Gamos's illustrations never stop speaking to the hearts of children. As the illustrator of such children's books as Pandaguan: Bakit Namamatay and Tao and the retelling of The Love of Lam-Ang, Gamos has helped transform children's book illustrations from mere space-fillers to unique art forms that tell the story almost as well as the text.

After a stint in film production, Gamos came to children's illustrations via the publishing firm Adarna House in 1980. His ability to make his drawings work with the text has met with acclaim, earning him an honorable mention in the 1983 Biennale of Illustration in Bratislava, Slovakia and the runner-up award in picture-book illustration in the 1992 Noma Concours in Tokyo, Japan.

Gloria Tan Climaco: Plaudits for Audits

Gloria Tan Climaco has always blazed trails in her life. During her stint as chairperson and managing partner of SGV, the biggest auditing firm in the Philippines, she led the company in new directions, expanding into such ventures as revolving trade facility arrangements, capital structuring and debt-to-equity swaps. Recently, she left SGV to blaze another trail by forming her own firm.

Climaco graduated magna cum laude from the Ateneo de Zamboanga with a degree in business administration and went on to graduate work as an SGV scholar at the J.L. Kellogg Graduate School of Management in Northwestern University. Education is still important to her, judging from her involvement with student groups and the activities of the Department of Education, Culture and Sports.

Climaco's drive and expertise has not gone unnoticed. She was one of 100 young leaders worldwide selected to participate in the 1994 World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland. She was also a 1995 recipient of The Outstanding Women in the Nation's Service (TOWNS) Award in the field of business management.

Proposal to increase nuclear medicine residency program for 2 to 3 years - The Journal of Nuclear Medicine

Nuclear medicine is an evolving field of medicine that has undergone major changes in the last few years. Specific new areas that residents must now master include PET, sentinel node mapping, radioimmunotherapy, and correlative image interpretation with coregistered CT or MRI images. All these aspects of nuclear medicine have been in existence for several years but have only recently become part of the standard clinical repertoire that every nuclear medicine physician must be able to do well. Nuclear medicine physicians act as advisors to other physicians who provide direct care for the patient. As advisors it is essential that they are well trained and able to effectively optimize patient care.

When they finish training, most nuclear medicine residents currently have a broad experience in the field but are not fully capable of stepping into the role of physician advisor. Many take an additional fellowship year in PET. The others continue to learn on the job and gradually mature into capable physicians.

The major goal in extending the nuclear medicine residency program is to give the residents more experience, particularly in the new areas identified previously, as well as in nuclear cardiology. This will ensure that they will be adequately trained to confidently advise their fellow physicians when they finish training and begin their post-training careers.

Background

When originally founded in 1971, the American Board of Nuclear Medicine (ABNM) was a joint board with representation from internal medicine, pathology, and radiology. It became an independent entity in 1976. The requirement for entry into a nuclear medicine residency position was initially 2 years of postgraduate residency training. In 1990, the ABNM voted to decrease the entry requirement to 1 year of postgraduate training, usually an internal medicine or rotating internship. Since the beginning, the nuclear medicine portion of the training has been for 2 years. The only exceptions are for individuals who have completed training in radiology. These physicians can train for 1 year in a nuclear medicine program to become board eligible for ABNM.

Nuclear medicine and preventive medicine are the only secondary specialties in medicine with such short training programs. Preventive medicine is very different, with a requirement for a year of nonclinical academic training, which usually extends longer to a master's in public health degree. Internal medicine, family medicine, pediatrics, and emergency medicine all are 3-year programs.

Nuclear medicine training in other countries is considerably longer than that in the United States. In Canada, the requirement is 1 year of internship followed by 4 years. Three of those years must be in nuclear medicine. In the United Kingdom, the requirement is 2 years of general clinical experience followed by 4 years of nuclear medicine. In Australia, 3 years of clinical experience are followed by 2 years of nuclear medicine. After this training, the residents are strongly encouraged to spend an additional year of training outside the country.

Throughout the world, training in nuclear medicine is more rigorous than in the United States. This is definitely having an impact on US. productivity in the field. The relative numbers of publications by U.S. nuclear medicine physicians versus those from other countries is dropping. Many U.S. academic nuclear medicine physicians have been trained outside the United States, and their numbers are increasing.

Other Specialties Involved with Nuclear Medicine

Radiology. Radiology residents are required to train for 6 months in nuclear medicine, although this is rarely achieved. More typically, they spend 4-5 months in nuclear medicine rotations and receive credit for lectures and on-call experience for the remaining time. Once they have completed their training in radiology, they are allowed to practice nuclear medicine as well as radiology. Those who are interested in gaining more expertise can take a fellowship year in nuclear radiology. They are then eligible to take a certifying examination and receive a CAQ certificate in nuclear radiology. Alternatively, they can take a residency year in nuclear medicine to become eligible to take the ABNM examination and become board qualified.

Cardiology. Cardiology fellows who wish to practice nuclear cardiology (myocardial perfusion imaging and first-pass and gated blood pool imaging) are required to obtain 200 hours of training in basic concepts in nuclear medicine, including 50 hours of radiation safety training. They must also document involvement with 300 myocardial perfusion studies. Many of these fellows take a certifying examination given by the American Society of Nuclear Cardiology (ASNC). A small number take the 2-- year nuclear medicine residency program and become board certified by the ABNM.

Endocrinology. The major interest of endocrinologists in nuclear medicine has been in thyroid disease, particularly Grave's disease and thyroid cancer. Nuclear medicine studies are used in diagnosis of these diseases, and high-dose radioiodine is used for therapy. Other areas of interest include octreotide imaging of carcinoid and other neuroendocrine tumors, adrenal imaging, and parathyroid imaging. A small number of endocrinologists are licensed to treat patients with high-dose radioiodine. Training requirements to do this are determined by the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) and are currently 200 hours of study in basic concepts and radiation safety, along with participation in 30 thyroid treatments.

Radiation oncology. Radiation oncologists treat patients with external beam radiotherapy or with encapsulated sources placed within the body. Nuclear medicine physicians treat patients with unencapsulated radioactive agents. In some areas, this differentiation is becoming blurred. In many rural areas, most of the radioiodine therapy is done by radiation oncologists. They also often direct therapy with ^sup 82^Sr or ^sup 153^Sm for skeletal metastatic pain and are likely to be involved in therapy with radiolabeled antibodies as they become available. The training they receive as part of the radiation oncology residency program qualifies them in the eyes of the NRC to perform these therapies.

Mechanism for Making the Transition

Additional program requirements must be carefully defined. These should include experience in PET, lymphatic mapping, radic,immunotherapy, and correlative imaging. Specific numbers of studies required should be defined. Arrangements should be made for residents to spend at least 4 months in a radiology CT-MRI rotation to become competent in correlative imaging.

Once agreement has been reached and a start date for the 3-year program has been fixed, all residents entering a nuclear medicine residency program after that date would be required to be trained for 3 years to be board eligible. Residents who entered a program before that date would continue to be board eligible after 2 years but would be encouraged to continue for a third year.

The board examination would be modified to test applicants in the new areas beginning 3 years after the start date.

In recognition of the complex nature of our relationship with radiology, we probably have to allow radiologists, who have completed 4 years of training in an American Counsel of Graduate Medical Education-- approved program and are American Board of Radiology board eligible to train for 1 year in a nuclear medicine program to be ABNM board eligible. In anticipation of changes in the radiology training requirements, a resident who has trained for 1 clinical year and 2 years in radiology would be required to train for 2 years in nuclear medicine. Anyone else would need 1 clinical year and 3 years in nuclear medicine.

Impact and Implications

The major impact would be to improve the training of nuclear medicine physicians. This would result in more optimal use of nuclear medicine in both diagnosis and therapy. U.S. nuclear medicine physicians would be trained to a level similar to that in the rest of the world, which is certainly not the case currently. It is likely this improved training would attract more high-quality residents into nuclear medicine. Together with the better training, this would ensure continuation of innovation in the field.

The major impact would be seen in the specialty of radiology. The current arrangement whereby radiologists practice nuclear medicine after minimal training of 4-5 months is not optimal. Although some radiologists have taken the effort to obtain additional training, many have not. This results in low-quality nuclear medicine, decreased referrals for studies, and inappropriate underutilization. It is part of a much larger issue: how much training in nuclear medicine should a radiologist have to be able to competently supervise and interpret nuclear medicine studies? This issue will be resolved only by joint discussion between the ABNM and ABR and with the RRCs of radiology and nuclear medicine.

The impact in other specialties should be minimal. The NRC defines how much basic physics and radiation safety training is necessary to handle radionuclides and administer them to humans. Training requirements in nuclear cardiology are largely defined by ASNC, although ABNM could propose an explicit 2-year program for cardiologists.