The Mail-Journal, Volume 18, Number 37, Milford, Kosciusko County, 30 September 1981 — Page 4

THE MAIL-JOURNAL —Wed., September 30,1981

Editorials

Fire prevention week Sunday, Oct. 4, is the beginning of Fire Prevention Week and fire departments across the land, including those in the greater Lakeland area, will be holding special observances. It was on October 8,1871, in Chicago — near or in Mrs. O’Leary’s stable — straw caught fire, perhaps from a lantern Mrs. O’Leary was using while milking. (Mrs. O’Leary always denied the cow story.) Whatever the cause, conditions were just right for a fire. It was October dry, and a brisk wind was blowing. The fire burned down 20,000 houses and buildings, left 100,000 people homeless. Though the city was rebuilt, more beautiful than before, the great fire promoted the nation’s insurance companies to ask the president to designate the first week in October as Fire Prevention Week. Fire Prevention Week is a good time for everyone to check their homes for fire hazards. It is also a good time to drill children on what to do in case of a fire. The few minutes it takes could save a life. October, 1981 The fields ore harvested and bare And winter whistles through the Square. October dresses in flame and gold Like a woman afraid of growing old. — Anne Lawler. October ushers in the final quarter of 1981; is one of nature’s more beautiful months. It gets its name fronythe Roman eight, for it was the eighth month in the ancient Roman calendar For Americans it is a month filled with historical dates and birthday anniversaries. The Ist is the birthday of former president Jimmy Carter, the 39th president, who was born in 1924 at Plains. Georgia. The 4th is the birthday anniversary of Rutherford Hayes. 19th president of the United States, who was born at Delaware. Ohio, in 1822. It took the electoral votes (Republican) of three occupied Dixie states to give Hayes a one-vote margin, votes highly dubious because federal troops there propped up infamous Reconstruction administrations (the origin of solid Democratic voting when federal troops were withdrawn). But Hayes was an honorable man. He served only one term, by choice, and his record was a good one. He died in 1893 and the state of Ohio now owns his Fremont estate. The 4th is also Missouri Day as well as a feast day in the Catholic Church in memory of Francis of Assisi, who died on the 3rd in 1236. Chester Arthur, the 21st president, was born at Fairfield, Vermont, on the sth in 1830. the son of a Baptist clergyman from Ireland. He was one of the first great civil rights leaders to espouse the cause of the Negro. The first permanent German settlement in America took place at Germantown. Pennsylvania, on the 6th in 1683. The Chicago fire occurred on the Bth and 9th in 1871. Leif Ericsson is remembered in many areas on the 9th. as the discoverer of America in the year 1000. The 11th is Pulaski Day. in memory of the great Polish-bom patriot. Columbus Day. on the 12th. is now a national holiday; his discoverv opened the New World to trade and colonization. The 14th is the birthday anniversary of Dwight Eisenhower, who was bom in 1890 at Denisori. Texas. ’ The 27th is the birthday anniversary of Theodore Roosevelt, the 26th president, who was born in 1858 at New York City. The 30th is the birthday anniversary of John Adams, 2nd president of the United States, who was bom in 1735 at Braintree < Quincy). Mass. Preserving marriage It is very much in the interest of family life, and the social stability of the nation, that Americans preserve the institution of legalized marriage. Yet the judiciary and lawyers are steadily eroding this concept — in their acceptance of more and more permissiveness. A nationally-syndicated columnist recently charged that the legal profession was threatening the institution of heterosexual marriage by bringing all sorts of cases today which would have been thrown out only ten years ago — in behalf of male homos, lesbians and unmarried couples simply living together. If clever lawyers succeed in establishing “rights" for these clients, many of the advantages of heterosexual marriage will have largely disappeared, the institution having been undermined. Society will have entered into a more chaotic, permissive and confused moral state. Things have gone so far that in New York a federal court has held that banks and other institutions offering mortgages must take into account the salaries of both partners in relations where a couple is unmarried but living together’ But what protection does this leave the loaning institution — since these relations are less permanent and secure than legal marriage relationships? The lawyers of this nation have a major responsibility in developing social trends. William Safire. the brilliant columnist and author, is proud to note that twenty-five per cent of the nation’s lawyers today are fellow Jews. They can do much for their country if they make a major effort to support its heritage and customs and mores — and refuse to support every theoretical, liberal idea, as martyrs and minorities are so often tempted to do. The same is true about homosexual marriage. Liberals, activists and agitators often champion any rights cause, whatever the long-time consequences. In legitimizing homosexuality and cloaking it with “rights’ ’ and responsibility, one is simultaneously undermining heterosexual marriage — on which the future of the nation depends The courts should throw out suits seeking to legitimize sleeping partner relationships, infatuation situations and relationships with no established legal basis. If not. the number of the nation’s illegitimate children will soar, heterosexual marriage will be discouraged, and more and more people will simply begin a family and solemn obligation by doing nothing but starting to live together — not licensed as a family by any civil or religious authority or magistrate — and free to move on like any hound dog. at the urge of passion or a better bed partner. Our judges and lawyers will have produced this ruinous state of social and moral decay with their permissiveness, their refusal to defend our traditional moral values and ethics, as a nation of legally-recognized families.

What others say — A needed pay gap No one begrudges a retired person a decent retirement income earned through years of faithful service as a worker, in private sector or the public. But a situation in which some federal retirees draw down more than they’d be making if still working seems out of line. Ridiculous, to use a better term. Georgia’s Senator Mattingly has moved to change such situations by introducing legislation to place a cap on the amount of pay a retired federal employee or elected official can receive. The cap he proposes would hold retirees’ pay at the current salary level of the jobs they formerly held. If his bill passes, the savings would run into the millions. The bill should be passed. - SAVANNAH MORNING NEWS (SAVANNAH, GA.)

I i tab _

Syracuse fireman Bill Pipp trys on his jacket as he gets ready for Fire Prevention week. Voice of the people A column on the opinions of the people of the Lakeland area ...

QUESTION: "What is your favorite fall activity?"

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KIM STEWART Syracuse (lathe operator)

‘‘When fall comes around I like to walk in the woods, pick up walnuts and rake leaves.”

SUSIE CHUPP Milford x (EMT) “Hike to just go out and walk in the woods ’’

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DIANA WAYT New Paris (nurse’s aid)

“I kind of like to work in the yard in the fall, also walking and riding my bicycle.’’

Court news

COVN’TY COURT The following residents of the Lakeland area have had fines assessed and have paid those fines in Kosciusko County Cocrt, James Jarrette, judge: Speeding — Steven R Wilson. 22. Leesburg, M 2; Pardee Gunter. 34. Leesburg, $37. Robert WeybnghL 23. Syracuse. SSO Boat speeding — Fred J. Biasing, 41. Syracuse. $35 False regtetrattoa — John Moir, 18, Syracuse. SSO Disregarding automatic signal —John J Hill. 21, Leesburg Driver distracted truck goes in ditch As Connie J. Borders, r 1 Milford, wps driving north on CR 100E at 6:45 p.m last Friday the vehicle dropped off the road and entered the ditch. The Borders woman told Milford Town Marshal David Hobbs and officer Rich Sehmeders she was changing the dial on the ratio when the vehicle dropped off the road. There is no berm along the road in that area. Damage to the 1976 Chevy pickup, owned by Don F. and Betty S. Reeder of r 1 Milford, was listed at $1,500 CARVAJAL BOOKED Juan J. Carvajal. 23, 110 Emeiine St, Milford, was booked at the Kosciusko County Jail following a charge in county court for failure to appear. He was released on $2,000 bond.

VANCE MOOTS r 2 Syracuse (retired) “Fishing ”

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MELISSA CORTE Milford (homemaker)

“Horseback riding ” MILDRED CRAIG Syracuse (nurse and borticultfiralist) “I like everything I do, I garden, plant, chain saw and dig.”

GLORIA BERTRAM Cromwell (housewife)

“Enjoying the beautiful color. ”

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JANET TRAMMEL Pierceton (bookkeeper)

•• Mainly camping and canoeing that’s what we do in the fall, along with walking through woods and looking for deer.” THt MAIL JOURNAL (U S P S PvtetsM Ov The Mad Journal every Wednesday and entered as Second Class matter at the Post OHice at Syracuse tndsaaa Second ciass postaqe paid at l«J E Main Street. Syracuse. Indiana aawt and at addrtinml entry eHtces Macrtottdd: Ml P* r v—r in Kosciusko County. »>4 outside county POSTMASTERS Send change et add ress terms to The Mail Journal. P.O.

"CRUZIN AROUND 'CUSE"

(EDITORS NOTE John Wysong is th* new Wowosee High School bosketboll cooch The team is tla tod to begin practice for the forthcoming season on October I He is a native of the New Paris area, graduated from Fairfiold High School and returned to his alma mater to coach for several years His father, Don Wysong, is o junior high principal in the Goshen school system The community has high hopes for Wysong in his first year at Wowosee High School) By JOHN WYSONG THIS COLUMN is in response to a request by Arch Baumgartner to introduce myself to. the Lakeland Community School Corporation. It was requested by Mr. Baumgartner that I elaborate on my basketball philosophy to better acquaint Mail-Journal readers to Wawasee basketball. My philosophy is a collection of ideas from the many coaches whom I have had contact with. The bulk of my basketball philosophy comes from the coach I played college basketball under: Mark Peterman. Mark had an intense will that his players had to play basketball his way. and he simply insisted that we do it. He firmly believed in fundamental breakdown and drill, superior conditioning. teamwork, and mental toughness. These four ingredients make up the basis of my philosophy, and it is a philosophy that I will try to instill in Wawasee basketball to the best of my ability. John Wooden brought out an interesting point that coaches will often fall into one of two categories. Either a coach will develop delusions of grandeur if his team is successful or he will develop a persecution complex in times of shortcomings. He claims this is due to coaches receiving too much credit when winning and too much blame when losing. I pray that I will have the common sense to keep the right perspective whatever the outcome will be. I do know, however, that coaches win with good players and that players (either natural, developed, or both) are so very, very necessary to be successful. Therefore, a coach should make sure that the players get the credit that they deserve. What basketball success is will, of course, be different things to different people. I do not solely measure a team's success in the won-loss record. If a team properly executes fundamentals, has good basketball knowledge, is in good physical shape, and plays unselfishly, it will be a successful team. Bob Knight made a profound remark in saying that the “will to win" is the most overrated contributor to succeeding. He emphasized that the true key to success is the “will to prepare to win.” 1 believe this is a very important concept that our players must grasp. I have heard so many fans say after a loss that the team just didn’t want it. I don’t believe this. When tip-off tine comes. I feel both teams will want to win If talent is relatively even, then the team with individuals who have best prepared for the game have the best chance of success I guarantee that our greatest opponent will be our own human nature This is true of every basketball team It is not natural to play basketball This is why a tremendous amount of.time must be spent with a basketball. Long hours of proper practice habits are needed. It is not human nature to fake before shooting, to block out on every opponent's shot, to get down low and play good defense. But the player who has the selfdiscipline to practice on his own with goals and sub-goals will probably become a very good player in time. The team with better players has the better opportunity to win.

Exit Drills In The Home (EDITH) Residential blazes are the number one cause of fire fatalities tn the United States During 1980. home fires were responsible for 70% erf all hre related injuries These facts underline the importance of families learning how to escape a hre and regularly conducting a home exit dnii The National Fire Protection Association is the nanon's leading independent, nonprofit technical and educational organization dedicated to protecting lives and property from hre The NFPA recommends that children and adults learn the eight fire safety behaviors explained below before hre strikes The hrst seven are the steps of EDITH As part of the observance of Fire Prevention Week. households are being encouraged to practice EDITH on Wednesday even mg. October 7. 1981

INSTALL SMOKE DETECTORS Make sure there are smoke detectors outside each sleeping area and on each , level at story of your home, including

the tsasement Test your smoke detectors periodically A smoke detector senses the presence of smoke in the air and sends off a warning signal so that you can get out of the house before you are harmed > As a backup to your smoke detectors, keep a whistle near your bed Use the whistle to wake the rest of the household

PLAN YOUR ESCAPE Diagram escape routes from every room in your house, particularly the bedrooms since many fires start at night when people are sleeping Know two ways out of every room In an apart ment building, locate the enclosed exit stairs Since small children and disabled

family members may need assistance during a fire, choose family members to help them escape TEST THE DOOR FOR FIRE

Always sleep with the bedroom door shut A closed door holds back smoke heat, and flames from a fire and gives you time to use an alternate route Before trying to escape through your bedroom door, first test the door for a fire outside Heat rises, so feel the door

as high as you can reach If the door is warm. use your alternate escape route If not. brace your shoulder against the door and open it slowly Be ready to slam the door shut again if smoke or heat rush in If you cannot use your alternate route, stuff cloth in cracks and vents to keep smoke out If there is-a phone m the room, call the fire department with your exact location Signal from the window that you are inside Wait for the firefighters to rescue you

The Lakeland school community must try to develop the opportunity for players to develop to their maximum potential. I believe it is important that Milford. North Webster, and Syracuse all have a good outdoor basketball facility. I hope by the end of this school year this can be realized. I know money is seemingly tight in nearly all areas and that cuts in spending seem to be the rule rather than the exception. However, we must have the common sense and foresight to distinguish between an expense and an investment. A good investment will yield a higher return. Basketball has a great revenue capacity, and helping players develop into quality products will help us realize this revenue potential. Our outdoor courts need repair and consistent maintenance. To have a top-notch basketball program players will need to progress through a program based on sound fundamentals. This is particularly difficult to instill for many coaches because it is so tempting to by-pass fundamentals and run exploitative zone traps and presses. These will produce wins because of the opponent’s ineffectiveness rather than our effectiveness. After talking to junior high coaches at our three schools. I have been impressed with their knowledge of basketball and their willingness to provide a sound program for our future players. I've met many quality people who have done a fine job with their players. Another vital necessity for a good basketball team is its leadership. A team with strong character will be a team with strong leaders. If Wawasee has leaders who are loyal and hardworking, we will be an exciting team. I hope our coaching staff can help develop these characteristics in our players. A team will play only as well as their leaders. This aspect is crucial to our success • Background 1 played high school basketball under Terry Rickard at Fairfield. 1 was Co-Most Valuable Player at Fairfield and we won 38 games and lost nine during my two years of varsity basketball. I then played one year of freshman basketball at Ball State University under Carl Meditch. I got to start every game and gained valuable experience. After my freshman year. I transferred to Tri-State University. I played basketball for three years and was/assistant coach for one year while I finished my’degree. My senior year our team won 25 games and lost seven. I was selected captain and Most Valuable Player. We were TriState Holiday Tournament Champions, MidCentral Conference Champions, and NAIA District 21 Champions. This team was very cohesive and it was a great privilege to play with such unselfish and dedicated players. I was also fortunate to play on a disciplined and very well-coached college team * After graduating from Tri-State. I spent two years as a varsity assistant at Angola High School. Our record was 12-9 my first year and 19-6 my second year. I was then named head basketball coach at Fairfield High School My first year we had a 9-13 record, the secona year we were 16-6. and last year we were 20-4 I was blessed with good players and good leaders This year I’ve been encouraged with what I’ve seen of. our players and I feel we will truly have players worth watching. This will hopefully be an exciting year for WaWasee basketball. I hope you will come to watch us play. My wife. Dawn, teaches business and conducts an office lab for Bremen High School We have been married for three years. She has been a great coach's wife

PRACTICE ESCAPING Practice escaping from the bedroom through both routes After testing the door i above). proceed outside through your primary route Then practice your alternate plan Open the window, des cend a ladder or lower yourself to the ground Side out of a window on your stomach feet first hang on with both hands, bend knees when landing Children should go out first and adults follow CRAWL LOW IN SMOKE Smoke can be highly poisonous It can damage the eyes and make breath mg very difficult When you encounter smoke in a fire, crawl on your hands and

knees below the smoke line Remember that the cleaner and fresher air is close to the floor

MEET OUTSIDE THE HOUSE Once you are outside the never go back into £ fire Choose a meeting spot safely away from the house Go there immediately and conduct a roll call to make sure everyone is

out Wait for the fire department to rescue anyone who is trapped

CALL THE FIRE DEPARTMENT Locate the nearest telephone or fire alarm box so that you can report the fire from outside your house Make sure that everyone in your family knows how to report a fire correctly Memorize the fire department s telephone number Prac

tice saying the number, family name, street address and town into the telephone STOP, DROP AND ROLL TO PUT OUT FLAMES If V our clothes catch on fire stop drop quickly to the ground, cover your face with .your hands, and roll over and over to smother the flames if a rug or blanket is close to you. wrap yourself in it and roll Do not run Running will make tfie fire worse < FOR MORE INFORMATION A bibliography of books and articles on many aspects of fire safety plus lists of teaching aids are available from the National Fire Protection Association The NFPA has prepared an extensive curriculum on fire safety Called “Learn Not To Bum. " the curriculum is designed for grades K • 8 and is structured around 25 key fire safety behaviors which teach children to (1) prevent fires. (2) protect themselves, their families and friends from fire. and (3) persuade others to be mindful of fire safety For more informa non on this curriculum, write National Fire Protection Association. Battery march Park. Quincy Mass 02289