As Veterans Day fast approaches -- it's this Sunday, Nov. 11 -- it's appropriate to remember that service to our country is a cherished tradition in Carroll County.
And so it was that in May 1968, Jerry F. Barnes joined the U.S. Army.
Today, we know Mr. Barnes as CarrollCountyState's Attorney....[Read full story]
It was 40 years ago, the late summer of 1967 that we first learned from "Mama" that the nice young preacher, Brother Taylor "said he saw a girl that looked a lot like you up on Choctaw Ridge. And she and Billy Joe was throwing somethin' off the TallahatchieBridge."
I had the pleasure of attending the "rededication" of the Ruby Field sign under the scoreboard at the WestminsterHigh School football field right before the Westminster v. Francis Scott Key football game on Friday evening, Sept. 7.
A gathering of friends and family of the late Coach Herb Ruby was...[Read full story]
The Smithsonian Channel is airing a special block of programming ‘America’s War Stories’ (on Direct TV) featuring both ‘The Men Who Brought Dawn’ and a new documentary ‘Remembering Vietnam – The Wall at 25’ that Jan Scrugg (Vietnam Veterans Memorial Fund founder and president) calls “the best documentary about the wall I’ve ever seen”. After reading your post I thought you might like to check it out.
Remembering Vietnam will be streamed live on the Smithsonian Channel website (www.smithsonianchannel.com) concurrent with its High Definition premiere on Veterans Day, Sunday, Nov. 11 at 9pm EST / 6pm PST. You can get all the information about it here.”
A big thank you to Paull Young, the Smithsonian Channel Community Administrator, for being in touch.
Please note that unfortunately this link is not a permalink.A permalink will be assigned to the article after the piece is placed in archives.So if you are reading this post several weeks after it is published, please go to The Westminster Eagle, and look for the article in archives.
For more information on Lance Cpl. Muriel Stanley Groomes, a Carroll Countian who was killed in Vietnam on Nov. 2, 1968, please read my column in The Sunday Carroll Eagle, this Sunday, November 11, 2007.
And my Westminster Eagle column for Wednesday November 7th, 2007 is Jerry Barnes: county state's attorney and veteran : “As Veterans Day fast approaches -- it's this Sunday, Nov. 11 -- it's appropriate to remember that service to our country is a cherished tradition in Carroll County.And so it was that in May 1968, Jerry F. Barnes joined the U.S. Army.Today, we know Mr. Barnes as CarrollCountyState's Attorney....”[Read full story] [Again - - Please note that unfortunately this link is not a permalink.A permalink will be assigned to the article after the piece is placed in archives.So if you are reading this post several weeks after it is published, please go to The Westminster Eagle, and look for the article in archives.]
Finally, my column in this Sunday’s The Tentacle will also be on CarrollCountyState’s Attorney Jerry Barnes and the Remembering Vietnam: “The Wall at 25” by the Smithsonian Channel:
“Remembering Vietnam - The Wall at 25,” is the subject of a stunning original Smithsonian Channel Documentary.The program will be simultaneously web-streamed on the Smithsonian Channel Website - www.smithsonianchannel.com with its on-air broadcast to DirecTV subscribers on Channel 267 this evening at 8 p.m. and 11 p.m.
My colleague at The Westminster Eagle, Heidi Schroeder and I were provided an advance copy of the documentary.We had been contacted for research information by Lynn Kessler-Hiltajczuk last summer.
Ms. Kessler-Hiltajczuk is a writer-producer for Alexandria-based LK Productions and served as an independent producer for the program.She was looking for additional information on Lance Cpl. Muriel Stanley Groomes, a Carroll Countian who was killed in Vietnam on Nov. 2, 1968.
Ms. Schroeder writes that in “addition to a history of The Wall's construction and interviews with veterans, the documentary provides a sneak peek into the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Collection, which features over 100,000 items that have been left at The Wall.”
Vietnam Veterans Memorial Fund founder and president Jan Scruggs calls the program "the best documentary film about the wall I've ever seen."After reviewing it several times, I could not agree more.
A stirring, surprising and emotional history of a national shrine devoted to remembrance and reflection. The famous “Wall” celebrates its 25th anniversary this year.
Remembering Vietnam: The Wall at 25 goes back in time to tell the story of the memorial through the eyes of those who conceived it, those who were instrumental in pushing it through bureaucratic and political resistance, those intimately involved with its 25-year history, and those it honors. Above all, the documentary tells the story of a place that is more than a memorial – it is a place where old wounds are healed.
'Remembering Vietnam - The Wall at 25,' Original Smithsonian Channel(TM) Documentary, to be Streamed on Smithsonian Channel Website on Veterans Day (Sunday, Nov. 11)
Wednesday October 31, 11:00 am ET
NEW YORK, Oct. 31 /PRNewswire/ -- "Remembering Vietnam - The Wall at 25" - - an original documentary about the history of the famous monument in Washington, D.C. -- will be streamed on www.smithsonianchannel.com, the Smithsonian Channel website, concurrent with its premiere on Veterans Day, Sunday, Nov. 11 at 8 pm and 11 pm ET/PT.
Vietnam Veterans Memorial Fund founder and president Jan Scruggs calls it "the best documentary film about the wall I've ever seen."
"We felt this documentary was so powerful that we wanted to make it possible for this moving and important program to be seen by all Americans as we honor the soldiers who have fought for our country this Veterans Day," said Tom Hayden, General Manager, Smithsonian Networks.
The one-hour documentary is produced by filmmaker Lynn Kessler, and is part of a package of original programs to be shown in honor of Veterans Day beginning Friday, November 9 and continuing through Sunday, November 11.
Smithsonian Channel is currently available on DIRECTV's Channel 267.
ABOUT SMITHSONIAN NETWORKS:
Smithsonian Networks (SN) is a joint venture between Showtime Networks Inc. and the Smithsonian Institution. It was formed to create new channels that will showcase scientific, cultural and historical programming largely inspired by the assets of the Smithsonian Institution, the world's largest museum complex. The networks will feature original documentaries, short- subject explorations and innovative and groundbreaking programs highlighting America's historical, cultural and scientific heritage. Visit them on the internet at www.smithsonianchannel.com
My Sunday Carroll Eagle column for November 4th, 2007 column is on grits.I’ve already received some fun feedback.I’ll post it on Soundtrack, when I find a spare moment.
Today Billy Joe MacAllister jumped off the TallahatchieBridge
November 1, 2007
My October 31, 2007 – Wednesday Westminster Eagle column is up on the Westminster Eagle web site and it pertains to one of my favorite forms of literature, Southern Gothic storytelling and one of my favorite songs from my teenage years, “Ode to Billie Joe” by Bobbie Gentry.
I lost most the following paragraphs to my word limit…
Ms. Gentry was born Roberta Streeter in nearby Chickasaw County, Mississippi, on July 27, 1944, where she grew up in severe poverty on her grandparents’ farm.Her grandmother facilitated her exploration of writing and music when she traded a family cow for a piano.At the age of seven, Ms. Streeter – Gentry wrote her first song, “My Dog Sergeant Is a Good Dog.”
When Ms. Gentry first released the song, it was the “B” side of a debut “forty-five” which featured a song, “Mississippi Delta.”Disk jockeys became more intrigued with “Ode to Billy Joe” and started giving it considerable airtime – and it crossed over from country music stations to “Top 40.”It topped the charts for four weeks in August 1967, sold three million copies, and won her three Grammy awards.
The narrator of the story is not identified in Ms. Gentry’s haunting and mysterious tale of a young man who commits suicide.The song comes to mind as Halloween is upon us and thoughts wonder to trick or treating or the community Halloween Parade - and ghost stories.CarrollCounty is awash in ghost stories for your enjoyment.That is of course, if you believe in ghosts.Do you believe in ghosts?
The column started out as an “evergreen,” an obligatory column for a particular seasonal event in the year.
Many of my colleagues who write for newspapers abhor “evergreens,” however I have always seen them as a challenge to come up with a different angle on a perennial topic, in this case, a piece on Halloween.
The piece started out very differently as when I neared deadline I jettisoned the customary tome on ghost stories in CarrollCounty with the standard fare on the origins of Halloween.
I got off on a tangent with a variation on the old “CrybabyBridge” standard and quickly left quite a bit of work on the cutting room floor.To wit, most of the following, along with an additional 400 words were killed off:
As with many of our customs, observances and holidays, Halloween evolved over many centuries as a combination of several non-Christian ancient harvest celebrations and rituals combined with religious celebrations.The roots of Halloween go back as far as the 5th century BC in Celtic Ireland, when October 31 was celebrated as “Samhain,” the Celtic New Year.
For the economic historian, it is widely accepted that Halloween came to America along with the significant Irish wave of immigrants as a result of the economic hardships brought on by the Irish potato famine from 1845 to 1851.
Halloween is upon and thoughts wonder to trick or treating or the community Halloween Parade.
And ghost stories.CarrollCounty is awash in ghost stories for your enjoyment.That is of course, if you believe in ghosts.
Do you believe in ghosts?
Among some of the old favorites in Carroll County are the Ghost of Furnace Hills; the Civil War soldier that roams around in Cockey’s Tavern; the ghost of the old Rebecca at the old jail, which now houses Junction, a drug abuse treatment center; and the headless apparition of Marshall Buell at the old Odd Fellows Hall in Westminster.
It was forty years ago in the late summer of 1967 that we first learned from “Mama” that the nice young preacher, Brother Taylor “said he saw a girl that looked a lot like you up on Choctaw Ridge.And she and Billy Joe was throwing somethin' off the TallahatchieBridge.”
I first heard the song, “Ode to Billy Joe,” by Bobbie Gentry that summer on WCAO on the AM dial of the car radio.It was also in this time period that I became firmly hooked on the existential - “Southern Gothic” genre of storytelling.
Other examples of authors of the Southern gothic genre of writing include William Faulkner, Carson McCullers, Eudora Welty, Truman Capote, and Harper Lee.Tennessee Williams once described the genre as stories that reflect “an intuition of an underlying dreadfulness in modern experience.”
Who can forget: It was the third of June, another sleepy, dusty Delta day…And mama hollered at the back door "y'all remember to wipe your feet."And then she said she got some news this mornin' from Choctaw Ridge.Today Billy Joe MacAllister jumped off the TallahatchieBridge.”
Of course another intriguing feature of the story is that it takes place in CarrollCounty: “And brother said he recollected when he and Tom and Billy Joe put a frog down my back at the CarrollCounty picture show.”
Ms. Gentry has to this day remained circumspect about the haunting and mysterious tale of Mr. MacAllister, but one thing we do know is that the “CarrollCounty” she is referring to in the song is “Carroll County Mississippi.”Come to find out, there are approximately 13 places in the United States called “CarrollCounty.”
The song comes to mind as Halloween is upon us and thoughts wonder to ghost stories.CarrollCounty is awash in ghost stories for your enjoyment.
Halloween ghost stories are fascinating as often they involve aspects of unexplained historical events, enigmatic dialogue, and inexplicable characters.However, over the years, I have become much more enamored with Southern gothic storytelling, which is frequently more creative – and often more disturbing in the manner it which it peels away the layers of a community or society; yet does not tell a reader ‘what to think,’ but nevertheless causes the reader ‘to think.’
Just like Halloween stories, the song’s plot makes known several themes.The first of which is obvious in that just like many popular Carroll County Halloween stories, it reveals a snapshot of life in a particular period in history.
But it is the other prominent theme that is particularly disturbing as it peels away the layers of indifference that contemporary society shows towards our fellow human beings – or in the case of “Ode to Billy Joe,” the loss of life.
In present day CarrollCounty, every other public hearing is “Halloween” as this theme often manifests itself in the cavalier manner in which folks will often engage in character assassination in the pursuit of a particular agenda.
In the song the family of the narrator nonchalantly mentions the gentleman’s death: “Billy Joe never had a lick of sense/ pass the biscuits, please.”Of course the narrator of the story cares: “Mama said to me "Child, what's happened to your appetite?I've been cookin' all morning and you haven't touched a single bite.”Other than that, they may as well been having a dinner conversation about the weather.
Happy Halloween.By all means, please enjoy some of the old favorites in Carroll County like the Ghost of Furnace Hills; the Civil War soldier that roams around in Cockey’s Tavern; the ghost of the old Rebecca at the old jail, and the headless apparition of Marshall Buell at the old Odd Fellows Hall in Westminster.
Better yet, the next chance you get, go to the Carroll County Public Library and re-read Harper Lee’s “To Kill a Mockingbird” or Truman Capote’s “In Cold Blood.”
Or, of course, you can attend a good ole’ CarrollCounty public hearing and really see a modern day horror story unfold in real time - “and watch she and Billy Bob throwing public officials off the Rt. 140 Bridge.”
News Briefs: Parade, trick-or-treating set in Westminster and other local events from the Westminster Eagle
10/25/07
Parade, trick-or-treating set in Westminster
The annual Halloween Parade in Westminster, hosted by American Legion Post 31, will be held Tuesday, Oct. 30, along Main Street.
The parade begins at 6 p.m. at DuttererFamilyPark on Monroe Street, continues to Pennsylvania Avenue and then down Main Street to Longwell Avenue.
For more details, call Junior Fisher at 410-848-1180.
Meanwhile, the Mayor and Common Council have designated the evening of Wednesday, Oct. 31 to be Halloween trick-or-treating night.
Trick-or-treating should be conducted between the hours of dusk and 8 p.m. and restricted to children age 12 and under. Children should be accompanied by parents or adult guardians.
Residents who wish to participate should turn on their outside lights. Children should wear light-colored clothing so as to be more visible, and only visit houses in their neighborhood that have outside lights on.
Motorists are asked to pay special care on the evening of Oct. 31.
Note: I write for the Westminster and Eldersburg Eagle…
baltimoresun.com: October 21, 2007
Beginning with next Sunday's editions, our Carroll County readers will be getting a new publication with expanded coverage of the news, people and events in one of Maryland's fastest-growing counties.
This new tabloid publication will be called the Sunday Carroll Eagle. It will be delivered with your Sunday Sun, and it also will be included in editions purchased at retail locations throughout CarrollCounty.
The Sunday Carroll Eagle will provide our readers with new and deeper local coverage than is currently contained in The Sun's Carroll section. It will be produced by Patuxent Publishing, part of The Baltimore Sun Media Group, which already publishes the weekly Westminster Eagle and Eldersburg Eagle newspapers.
With the arrival of this new publication, we will no longer publish the current Carroll section in the Sunday Sun.
Of course, our readers can continue to follow news about CarrollCounty in the pages of The Sun and on baltimoresun.com. We value your readership of The Sun, and we hope you enjoy this new publication.
The Finksburg Freeze 14-under baseball travel team will host tryouts for the 2008 season on Saturdays, Sept. 22 and 29; and Sundays, Sept. 23 and 30. Tryouts are 9-11 a.m. each day.
Tryouts will be held at Sandymount Elementary on the lower field...
The undefeated Panthers will try to go to 3-0 against the Cavaliers, who need a win to stay in the hunt for the county title.
North Carroll owns victories over Joppatowne and Francis Scott Key, while South Carroll lost a 13-12 heartbreaker to Westminster after rolling over Williamsport in its opener.
The Panthers won last year's matchup by a 27-7 score in Winfield, and the current North Carroll team is better than the 2006 edition.
The Cavaliers have also improved, and are expected to compete for a Class 1A playoff berth after going 3-7 last fall.
When North Carroll's senior running back Jeremy E. Ritz went down with a broken shinbone in the Panthers' season-opening victory against Joppatowne, head coach Jeff Oeming and his staff turned to two new faces to keep the ground game going.
Part 1 of Herb Ruby and Ruby Field - Resetting a local gem to mark Ruby Field
September 20th, 2007
Friday night football is one of my fondest childhood memories.For entertainment and getting together outside in the fresh air with your family, friends and neighbors there is hardly anything better.As a community builder, sports teams and sporting events are a great democratizer.It’s folks from all walks in life and fellow community members that you wouldn’t meet if it weren’t for sports
It’s hot dogs and French fires, family and good friends and you can get in touch with your feelings and scream to your heart’s content.Call it family primal scream therapy.
Sports for young adults are a great equalizer.If your child is willing to work hard, stay disciplined, have a goal, and stay off of drugs and alcohol, everybody benefits and everyone can learn to understand the positives that come from achieving.It is inspiring to witness these young adults come together, play their hearts out and learn the value of teamwork. See:
Friends and family gathered at the rededication of the “Ruby Field” sign at the WestminsterHigh School football field on September 7.From Left to Right Adults: Jim Head, Dr. "Chuck" Ecker, Rani Ruby, Mike Ruby, Mark Ruby, Dr. Sandra Ruby, Heather Ruby, Brad Ruby, Shelley Ruby, Dr. Herbert E. Ruby III, Sally Ruby, Dr. Douglas E. Ruby, Terry Malloy, and John Seaman.From Left to Right - children: Cole Ruby, Max Ruby, Carter Ruby, Blake Ruby, and Anna Ruby.Photo courtesy of Tom Welliver.
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My September 19th, 2007 Westminster Eagle column is the “rededication” of the “Ruby Field” sign under the scoreboard at the Westminster High School football field right before the Westminster – Francis Scott Key football game on Friday, Sept. 7.
I had the pleasure to attend the “rededication” of the “Ruby Field” sign under the scoreboard at the WestminsterHigh School football field right before the Westminster – Francis Scott Key football game on Friday, Sept. 7.
A gathering of friends and family of the late Coach Herb Ruby were in attendance.In the tradition of Coach Ruby it appears the sign rededication was the result of many folks working together as a team.
It got downright humorous as everyone interviewed gave the credit for the effort to someone else.This is only fitting as Coach Ruby was well known for putting the athletes, the team, and the community above himself and abhorred having attention drawn to him individually.
It wasn’t a big splashy affair.It was small group of folks who gathered to pay their respects.A few stories were traded back and forth – in somewhat hushed tones.A picture was taken and everyone went about their business.
Coach Ruby would’ve approved.
Over the roar of the pre-game excitement from the large crowd, the football team warming-up, the cheerleaders and the band practicing, my conversation with Carroll County Schools Superintendent Dr. Chuck Ecker and (my high school football coach,) Jim Head turned to the sign and the history of “Ruby Field.”
When the “new” Westminster High School (WHS) opened in the fall of 1971, the sign did not accompany the football field moving from its former location on Longwell Avenue on the grounds of the “old” WestminsterHigh School facility located there from 1936 to 1971.
No one interviewed for this column seems to know why.It just didn’t happen.Besides, many of us in the community called the “new” field at the “new” high school “Ruby Field” anyway.It’s an honor and tribute to a great Carrollinian that remains in our hearts; a community covenant that certainly was not broken for the lack of a physical sign.
Dr. Ecker explained that in the spring of 1964, the Board of Education decided to name the football field at the old WHS, (where I graduated in 1971 and played football from 1968 – 1970,) Samuel M. Jenness field.Mr. Jenness was, at the time, the superintendent of CarrollCounty schools.
However a movement in the community quickly developed, which was supported by Mr. Jenness that the field ought to be named “Ruby Field.”It was “renamed” Ruby Field in the fall of 1964.
1957 Westminster High graduate Coach Head, former schools superintendent Ed Shilling, a 1958 WHS grad, and 1949 WHS grad Coach Earl Hersh had a series of 4 meetings with Dr. Ecker (WHS class of 1945) in recent months about moving the sign.Dr. Ecker subsequently looked into the minutes and found that the name of the field didn’t specify a particular address, just the WestminsterHigh School…
Dr. Ecker and Coach Head said there “were happy to see it moved… a fitting memorial.”The sign “should’ve been moved when the field moved was moved” years ago, remarked Dr. Ecker.
Later, as I watched the game, a spectator come over and asked, “Who is Ruby?”
I’ll bet many readers are wondering the same thing.Moreover, it is only fitting and appropriate that the question was posed in the present tense.Coach Herb Ruby passed away in April 1990 and yet his legacy is alive in our community now - more than ever.
And this is where we’ll pick up the story of Coach Herb Ruby next week, after the halftime show.For now let’s enjoy the marching band.
