The Pittsburgh Press from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania • Page 2

A2 The Pittsburgh Press Thursday, December 7, 19 STANDING OUT Foster mother to 213 willing to give love LOSING A HUSBAND Comaneci friends wife has questions Press news services By Jerry Sharpe jff 4 I 4 tf A 15 Sk. it It ii 1 Villi The Pittsburgh Press At Family Services of Western Pennsylvania, officials know Mary Romano, 77, is ready to help when children have nowhere else to go. She has been there for 213 foster children over the last 27 years. They are placed in her home through the private, non-profit agency which derives most of its financial support from United Way. "She's in our emergency short-term program, and she's certainly helped a lot of children," Sue Collins, director of Family Services of Western Pennsylvania's foster-care program, said of Mrs.

Romano, who describes her own childhood as brutal. Soon after she married in 1939, she and her husband, Adolph, began opening their home to court-supervised, abused and neglected children. She continued after he died in 1973, and is still going strong. Currently Olivia Hamilton, 14, and a 3-three-month-old boy are the foster children in Mrs. Romano's Upper St.

Clair home. "I was really rotten when I came here four months ago," Olivia said. "I talked back and was really bad at first. I just resented everything." Mrs. Romano said, "She was here twice.

Three years ago, they had to take her back. She didn't respond at all. Now, she's doing just great." Olivia doesn't know what made the change. "I guess it's that I'm a little older. But I do know this time that what made me change was the love and patience she has.

Maybe I just was too young to see it and appreciate it last time." An eighth-grader, Olivia said she likes attending Fort Couch Middle smart, too, she gets mostly As," said Mrs. Romano. "I don't have any magic formula. I use a Randy OlsonThe Pittsburgh Press Mary Romano comforts a three-month-old boy whose mother was addicted to heroin HALLANDALE, Fla. -Former Olympic gymnast Na-dia Comaneci and roofer Constants Panait have told the world about their plans, but Panait's wife still has not figured out her role in the international soap opera.

Maria Panait, 25, of Hallan-dale, a Romanian emigre like Comaneci and her husband, spoke to him on the telephone yesterday, but would not discuss the conversation. She said she did not want to talk about divorce "because I don't know the whole story. "I don't know what is going on, and I don't know what I am going to do," she said. She said she and her four young children had not seen her husband since he left for Romania last month. Mrs.

Panait has hired an attorney but would not divulge why. The 28-year-old Comaneci said she and Panait met at a party in 1987 in Budapest, and she knew he was married. "So what? It didn't matter," said Comaneci, who left behind her three gold medals from the 1976 Olympics, her family and a life of privilege for a chance to "settle down together" with Panait. The relationship may matter to corporations, who routinely insert escape clauses that can void endorsement contracts if athletes engage in compromising behavior. "If anyone has a bad image with public or does something distasteful, it makes it difficult to endorse a product.

The name of the game is selling," said Barbara Bennett of New York's Grey Advertising. "I think there are some problems. No one is going to touch her right now," said Jay Ogden, senior vice president of International Management Group. "She's an intriguing sports figure. But advertisers and companies have to be very careful," Ogden said yesterday.

"There have to be some answers. She's got to avoid the negatives." Comaneci, the first gymnast to score a perfect 10 in the Olympics, was granted refugee status on Nov. 30 after Immigration and Naturalization Service agents concluded she would be persecuted if she returned to her native country. (Knight-News-Tribune and the Associated Press contributed to this report.) When Mrs. Romano's husband was still alive, they adopted two of the foster children, a son, 22, now stationed at Fort Bragg, N.C., with the Army and a daughter, 40, at home.

She said, "But I've loved them all. No matter how long they stay or how short the time is it's never easy to say goodbye to them." lot of love and understanding and play with the kids, sometimes to where I don't bother doing housework that should be done. "But sometimes I think I'm driven to loving kids. I've never forgotten my own childhood and how much I wanted somebody to love me. That's why I take the children and give them the love I never had." Mrs.

Romano is paid $300 monthly for each child. She also receives another $425 in monthly Social Security payments. "I'm surely not rich in money, but I'm rich in happiness and love." However, not all has been as tranquil as it might appear on the surface. For instance, some of the children were so wild that they tore up rugs, curtains and mattresses, broke dishes and destroyed furniture. SHOWING UP HONORING AWAY Bachman pretzels he expects to win Saturday with a victory by Upper St.

Clair High School for the state's Quad A football championship. "Those pretzels will sure taste good, and I'll make sure to share them with fellow (Upper St. Clair) Panther fans," Fisher said. At the same time, state Sen. Chip Bright-bill, R-Lebanon, is confident that a victory by his team, Wilson High School in Berks County, will bring him a year's supply of Heinz ketchup.

In a spirit of competitive friendliness, Fisher and Brightbill this week wagered hometown products for the championship game in Hershey. Heinz products are made in Pittsburgh, while Bachman pretzels are made in Berks County. Award to Chinese Wu'er Kaixi and Li Lu, exiled Chinese student leaders, accepted a $30,000 human rights award but lamented that two of their allies in the spring uprising at Tiananmen Square are still in China. Singer Sting former leader of the reggae-rock band The Police presented the 1989 Reebok Human Rights Award to China's crushed student democracy movement, represented by Wu'er and Li, during a ceremony this week. "It is very frightening to me that I live and my children live in a world where governments routinely discard basic human decency and violate human rights," Sting said at the presentation.

Wu'er sent a message to friends still in China, saying, "Take care of yourselves when the cold of midnight hits A videotape interview with another student leader, Chai Ling, was flashed on a screen. "She was my best friend in Tiananmen Square," Li said. "Chai Ling was the heart of the democracy movement." Organizers placed two empty chairs on the stage for Chai, whose name is on a wanted list and Wang Dan, a student leader now in jail. The 50th Pittsburgh Men Women of the Year dinner, celebrating "Fifty Years of Achievements," will be held Jan. 27 at the Pittsburgh Hilton.

Other recipients are Vincent A. Sarni, chairman and chief executive officer of PPG Industries for the Richard S. Caliguiri Memorial award; Joseph Berwanger, vice president and station manager of KDKA-TV, for the David L. Lawrence Memorial award. William T.

Gardner, producing director, Pittsburgh Public Theater, arts and music; Eugene J. Barone, president and chief executive officer, Blue Cross of Western Pennsylvania, business and labor, Margot B. Woodwell, vice president and station manager, WQED-TV, communications; Mel Blount, president, Mel Blount Youth Home, community service. William E. Strickland executive director, Bidwell Training Center education; Alan S.

Fellheimer, chairman and chief executive officer, Equimark finance. State Rep. Thomas Murphy, D-North Side, law and government; the Most Rev. William J. Winter, auxiliary bishop, Roman Catholic Diocese of Pittsburgh, religion.

Peter J. Jannetta, chairman, Department of Neurological Surgery, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, the sciences; and Roger Kingdom, Olympic champion, sports. TAMPA, Fla. (AP) Industrialist Armand Hammer is receiving an honorary degree today from the University of South Florida, which has sent a delegation thousands of miles to hand him the award. The group went to Moscow to award Hammer a doctorate of humane letters.

This is the first time an American citizen has received a degree from an American university in the Soviet Union. University of South Florida President Francis Borkowski said the award recognizes Hammer's humanitarian, cultural and philanthropic acts. "Armand Hammer has been perhaps the single most influential American in the Soviet Union," Borkowski said. "He has contributed to glasnost and perestroika. That's why we are giving him the degree in the Soviet Union." Hammer, the 91-year-old chairman of Occidental Petroleum has been an unofficial business envoy to the Soviet Union since 1921.

He used his influence to allow U.S. doctors and rescue teams into the Soviet Union to aid in the Chernobyl nuclear accident and the Armenian earthquake. Campaign for blood What better gift for the holidays than the gift of blood. The Central Blood Bank, which experiences a yearly strain on blood supplies in the area, is sponsoring a "Light Up a Life" campaign for blood donors. In appreciation, the Blood Bank will give a flashlight key chain to each donor who gives on Sunday, Dec.

24, and Thursday, Dec. 28 at the Jewish Community Center in Squirrel Hill. On Dec. 24, the hours are from 6 a.m. to 3 p.m., and on Dec.

28, the hours are from noon to 6 p.m. Phone 456-1980 for more information. From local and wire reports The Pittsburgh Press (USPS 434-300) A Scnpps Howard Newspaper General offices at 34 Boulevard of the Allies, Pittsburgh, P. 15222. Dally and Sunday second-class postage paid In Pittsburgh, Pa.

Postmaster Send address changes to The Pittsburgh 5 Press, 34 Boulevard of the evfKikj Allies, Pittsburgh, Pa. 15222. "-Si3 Wall rates (all zones): Dally 12 months, 100; 6 months, S52; 3 months, $30. Sunday 12 months, M0; 6 months, J42; 3 months, $25. Vail service Is not available within i 75-mlle radius of Pittsburgh.

Vector awards Fred Rogers of public television's Mister Rogers' Neighborhood has been named the 1989 Man of the Year by the Battle for pretzels State Sen. Mike Fisher, R-Upper St. Clair, has promised to share the year's supply of The weather front today Extended forecast Saturday, Dec. 9 Monday, Dec. 11 Western Pennsylvania Chance of snow flurries Saturday.

Lows 5 to 15 and highs 15 to 25. Chance of rain or snow Sunday and Monday. Lows 12 to 25 and highs in the upper 20s to upper 30s. National forecast Snow and snow flurries are expected today from the Texas panhandle, north to Montana. Ice storms are predicted for north Texas.

Snow flurries are forecast along the Great Lakes from Ohio to New York. Rain is expected from central Texas to the Carollnas. Local forecast Cold with flurries and partly sunny today. High near 30. Tonight, partly cloudy.

Low in the mid-teens. Tomorrow, cloudy with a 60 percent chance of snow. High in the upper 20s. Sunset today at 4:53 p.m. Sunrise tomorrow at 7:30 a.m.

Temperatures in Pittsburgh for 24-hour period ending early today. Highest 45. Lowest 23. Mean 34. High, low, precip.

a year ago. 51, 33, trace. Highest temperature this date since 1674. 70 in 1962. Lowest temperature this data since 1874, 4 In 1662.

Latest barometer reading 30.25, rising. Latest humidity reading 71 percent. Latest river stage 16.4 pool. Airport precipitation data for yesterday Pitted 1 Lmi, Tota, precip. since Dec.

1 03, fQh A00na Normal precip since Dec. 1 0 48 J'Otf Sn fl Aenfnu 7 Deficiency in precip since Dec. 1 0 17 Snow "-'Orii Total precip smce Jan. 1 40.43 sL' Normal precip. since Jan.

1 34 21 22f Excess in precip. since Jan. 1 6.22 no 72jfSur Airport temperature data for yesterday Normal temperature lor the day 34 Excess in temp for the day 4 Deficiency in temp since Dec. 1 35 Excess in temp, since Jan. 1 366 River conditions Rivers in the area wilt change little over the next 24 hours.

Nation high low The highest temperature reported yesterday, excluding Alaska and Hawaii, was 87 degrees at Borrego Springs, Calif. The low was 9 degrees below zero at International Falls, Minn. International weather '9fon Jck 43 rw'. '0 'anw (Jfiom. Ts' 0 In rZGPl clrife- 249 Jr 'Won UQ Sky Amsterdam 43 39 cldy Athens 61 52 clear Bangkok 88 64 clear Betting 41 27 clear Beirut 55 46 clear Benin 43 36 rain Bermuda 71 60 clear Brussels 41 32 cldy Budapest 35 24 cldy Buenos Airea 77 64 rein Cairo 64 48 clear Copenhagen 41 30 cldy Dublin 48 45 cldy Frankfurt 36 21 cldy Geneva 34 30 cldy Harare 84 61 rain Hong Kong 72 63 clear Istanbul 43 34 cldy Jerusalem 46 34 cldy Johannesburg 68 55 clear Lisbon 63 55 rain London 50 45 cldy Madrid 52 43 rain Manila 84 68 clear Mexico City 69 48 cldy Montreal 10 0 cldy New Delhi 74 44 clear Oslo 30 21 cldy Pans 39 32 cldy RlO 86 73 cldy Rome 48 32 rain Seoul 45 30 clear Singapore 66 75 cldy Tel Aviv 57 43 clear Tokyo 64 48 clear Toronto 34 16snow Vienna 37 26 cldy Warsaw 36 27 cldy Villi fs Z3 VT-Tf'-- "11 J- 133 CAir pollution Tomorrow's highs, lows Air quality in Allegheny County is good to moderate, no unhealthful areas.

Source: Allegheny Co. Air Pollution Control Bureau. If vou have a pollution problem In your area, call 578-8111. Weekend recreation area forecast Sky Albany 22 0 clear Albuquerque 51 22cieer Ameriilo 49 21 clear Anchorage 27 18 cldy Atlanta 42 40 rain Atlantic City 29 25 snow Baltimore 27 21 enow Billings 45 22 clear Birmingham 43 43 rain Bismarck 23 1 cldy Boise 47 31 rain Boston 25 14 cldy Buffalo 21 7 cldy Charl'ton. C- 52 46 rain Charlotte.

C. 38 33 rain Chicago 24 10 clear Cincinnati 28 15snow Cleveland 27 10 cldy Columbus 27 13 snow Dallas 44 35 cldy Denver 58 21 cldy Norfolk 32 30 snow Oklahoma City 43 23 cldy Omaha 31 9 clear Orlando 79 65 cldy Phoenix 74 47 clear Portland, Me. 22 0 clear Portland, Ore. 52 43 rain Providence 25 12 cldy Rapid City 40 12 cldy Richmond 26 27 snow St. Louis 32 19 cldy St Petersburg 79 65 cldy Salt Lake City 44 27 cldy San Diego 74 49 clear San Francisco 58 47 cldy Seattle 49 43 ram Spokane 41 33 rain Syracuse 21 4 cldy Topeka 38 16 clear Tulsa 41 23 cldy Washington 30 28 snow Wichita 41 20 clear Dee Moinea 28 8 clear Detroit 27 9 cldy Duluth 11 -7 cldy El Peso 58 24 clear Helena 38 18 cldy Honolulu 85 68 clear Houston 50 39 cldy Indianapolis 28 15 cldy Jackson, Miss.

44 42 rain Jacksonville 70 55 cldy Kansas City 31 16 clear Lee Vegaa 65 36 eleer Little Rock 39 29 cldy Los Angelee 80 51 clear Louisville 30 23 snow Memphis 36 31 cldy Miami Beach 82 71 cldy Milwaukee 21 7 clear Minneapolis 18 3 cldy Nashville 33 27 snow New Orleans 52 50 cldy New York City 30 21 cldy SUNDAY SATURDAY FRIDAY LoHI Sky LOHI Sky LoHI Area Ohiopyla Seven Springs Deep Creek Lake Lioonier Sky Pt. Sunny Pt. Sunny Pt. Sunny Pt. Sunny Pt.

Sunny 1424 1322 1525 1224 621 Snow Snow Snow Snow M. Cloudy 1228 Inc. Clouds 1930 1227 Pt. Sunny 1627 1427 Pt. Sunny 2030 1228 Inc.

Clouds 1729 725 Inc. Clouds 1427 1026 Inc. Clouds 1528 Alghny Nil Forest Moraine State Park M. Cloudy 1022 Pt. Sunny Pt.

Sunny Pocono Mountains Inc. Clouds 922 627 Pt. Sunny 1127 Pt. Cloudy 1225 Var. Cloudy 1328 M.

Cloudy 2030 Presque Isle RAIN tHOHOER SHOWERS SNOW TORNADO MUHRICANE TROPICAL EAR1MOUAKE STORMS STORMS.