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The Pittsburgh Press from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania • Page 1

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READERS RATE MAZ'S MOMENT NO. 1 See Sports TTft iirre SCR1PPS HOWARD Vol. 105, No. 183 One Dollar In Pittsburgh and ttie Counties ot Allegheny, Armstrong, Beaver, Butler, Cambria, Favette, Greene, Indiana, Lawrence, Somerset, Washington and Westmoreland Elsewhere S1.2S SUISDAY, DECEMBER 25, 1988 Sunday Edition 12-25-66 A mirac Family believes saint rescued son from death's door Reflections on year past Some stories were grand, some were tragic and some were just plain goofy. Now 1988 is nearly history, and The Pittsburgh Press takes a look back at a year that saw Koppers Co.

on the block and Ashland oil in the river. It was the year Dick Cali-guiri and Art Rooney died, the United States returned to space and Volkswagen's New Stanton plant became empty space. It gave us a summer of drought and heat not seen here for a century, and an autumn of mysterious deaths among the city's junkies. Finance takes a look back in Section while the news staff reviews '88 in Perspective, beginning on Page Bl. a safety pin, placing the St.

John Neumann medal in the center; then she pinned the medals to the pillowcase next to Chucky's head. A few days later her cousin came to visit, and from his wallet, he pulled a piece of cloth. It was from a robe once worn by Bishop Neumann. The saint was going to become an important person in Nancy's life. She just didn't know it yet.

"This relic means a lot to me," he said to Nancy. "I was in a terrible accident once, and I believe it saved my life." "You'll get it back," Nancy said. "In fact, Chucky will give it back himself." If only her belief could be as strong as her words. She pinned her cousin's relic to the Please see Miracle, A 12 vanced, his chance of survival was small. Even if he lived, his brain might be damaged so badly he never would be able to take care of himself again.

"What are his chances of coming out of this?" Chuck McGivern asked. "Slim," the doctor said. "But there is a chance?" The doctor said yes, and that's all Chuck McGivern wanted to know. He is a quiet man, a believer, but not even now a traveling salesman for God. His faith is his own, and it's strong.

In December 1982 it was enough for him to know that his son had a chance to live, even if it was a 10 percent chance. Nancy McGivern is different. She wanted a miracle, but she knew Mrs. Dole named labor secretary services syndrome, a rare disease of the nervous system, brain and liver almost unique, and often fatal, to children. Nancy and Chuck McGivern waited while the doctors did what they could, which wasn't much, to stop its advance.

Don't be afraid when you see him, the McGiverns were told. But they were. Chucky was white and cold, his body hard. A tube in one leg went to his liver, another to his kidneys; there were tubes in his nose, another down his throat; a machine monitored his heartbeat. The worst was the large bolt in his skull inserted to relieve pressure on his brain, the doctors said.

Chucky looked dead. The Reye's syndrome was so ad 1 -L-. J.U miracles happen for the chosen and she didn't feel chosen. What the doctor told her she accepted. The only way to attack the problem now was with prayer, and in this the McGiverns had strong allies.

Three relatives had given her religious medals, and one was of St. John Neumann, the fourth bishop of Philadelphia. Nancy knew St. John Neumann. When she was a child, her aunt took her to novenas at the Shrine of John Neumann at Fifth and Girard.

She hadn't been there in years because, at this point in her life, Nancy had not been attending church much. Still, the sight of the medal brought back gentle memories and comforted her greatly. She threaded the three medals on Marlene KarasThe day-a-year commitment. And while it is often viewed primarily as a social service agency, it is first and foremost an evangelical church. The Salvation Army was founded in 1865 by an English Methodist minister, William Booth, and his wife, Catherine.

The Booths believed that churches were neglecting social outcasts. Determined to take the gospel to the street, the Booths also took the concept of spiritual warfare literally. In their church, a congregation is called a corps; confirmed members are called soldiers; a minister is an President-elect George Bush of his Cabinet yesterday by naming Secretary Elizabeth H. Dole, the bitter political rival, to become labor. is married to Senate Republican Leader Kansas, joins Special Trade Representative-designate Carla A.

Hills as the only women Bush has Cabinet. Bush has chosen 13 men and has posts still to fill: energy secretary and for labor secretary, a lawyer from and a former Democrat, was a consumer in the Johnson administration, was a Federal Trade Commission in the 1970s, Reagan's White House staff in his became his transportation secretary in Cabinet in 1987 to work on her husband's the GOP presidential nomination. Dole would succeed Ann D. McLaughlin, woman in Reagan's Cabinet. conference yesterday, both Bush and Dole Labor Department post to concentrate of women in the workplace, helping the and find work, guaranteeing workplace safety and protecting the rights of political support among women is weaker cited the "dramatic" changes occurring the influx of women into the work force.

chose Dole as "someone who understands help us as a nation manage it well." of her top priorities would be to help the good jobs and to help Bush fulfill his "a kinder, gentler nation." was further evidence of Bush's determination out to as many political constituencies as his administration off Jan. 20 with a choices also include a black and two views of the entire group are broad least some support across the political conservative Republicans to liberal Please see Doie, A 18 By Frank Rossi Press News Services PHILADELPHIA Six years ago, three weeks before Christmas, in a home in northeast Philadelphia, a 7-year-old boy named Chucky McGivern came in from school with chicken pox. His mom, Nancy, put him to bed straightaway on that Thursday, but instead of getting better, Chucky got worse. On Friday he was bad. On Saturday, when Chucky lost consciousness, Nancy McGivern knew he had something worse than chicken pox.

She called the doctor again. Chucky was admitted to Rolling Hill Hospital and later to Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, where doctors diagnosed his problem: Reye's Relatives joining Scotland search By Steve Twedt The Pittsburgh Press On this Christmas Day, Glenn and Carole Johnson of Hempf ield Township, Westmoreland County, are taking an early overseas flight to Scotland to search for some sign, some small reminder, of their daughter Beth amid the wreckage of Pan Am Flight 103. "We feel we have to go over," Johnson said yesterday, shortly after An editorial, "Christmas peace and terror," Page B2. Pan Am agreed to provide him and his wife with tickets to London, where they will spend the day before journeying to the crash site. He said they plan to stay in Scotland at least three days.

"Our first goal is to see if we can locate our daughter. Our second goal is to see if we can locate any belongings," Johnson said. The Johnsons will be joining the 30 or so relatives who already have visited Lockerbie, Scotland, since Wednesaay's crash. Tom McMenamay, the local director of social work, told The Asso-Please see Crash, A16 No Press tomorrow The Pittsburgh Press will not publish tomorrow in observance of Christmas. Regular publication will resume Tuesday.

Have a safe and joyous holiday. Salvation By Acn Rodgers-Melnick The Pittsburgh Press Christmas spirit was nearing fever pitch at the McKeesport corps of the Salvation Army. In the gym one morning last week, volunteers were piling tables high with donated toys for poor families. Downstairs in the Sunday school, pictures of Jesus smiled down on more volunteers who were packing 600 shopping bags with Christmas food. The social worker's office was Index Sports True grit Major Harris, who will lead WVU against Notre Dame in the Fiesta Bowl, began playing football in the Hill District streets, where helmets and rules were optional.

Page Dl. Ask The Press Gfi BooksBridge F6 Crossword MagazineU Dear Abhy G2 Death notices B14 Editorials B2 Entertainment Fl-7 Today, mostly Press news Jt '-i Pittsburgh Press all year officer, and clergy are commissioned rather than ordained. Instead of black shirts and white collars, Salvationist clergy wear blue uniforms with red epaulets. About 25,000 officers serve in 90 nations. Of 3 million members, 434,000 are in the United States.

Nationally, this has been a difficult year. While needs in major urban areas have increased by as much as 20 percent, giving is up less than 10 percent. And in Allegheny County, giving is actually 18 percent Please see Army, A 16 WASHINGTON neared completion former Transportation wife of his most secretary of Dole, 52, who Robert Dole of named to his two Cabinet-level a drug "czar." The new nominee North Carolina affairs assistant member of the served on President first term and 1983. She left the campaign for In her new job, the only At a news pledged to use the on the problems jobless get training health and workers. Bush, whose than among men, because of He said he change and can Dole said one unemployed find pledge to produce Her selection to reach possible to start broad consensus.

His Cabinet Hispanics. The enough to find at spectrum from Democrats. Starring role Michael Topak, 4, of Scott, awaited his Our Lady of Grace Catholic Church, cue to shine as the Star of Bethlehem in Bower Hill Road. Parishioners played the Christmas Eve children's mass at roles that told the Christmas story. Army marches for troubled souls kUlfhss By noon, Shaffstall knew that the young man was not deaf and did understand English.

He had given him a check to purchase a bus ticket for Albuquerque after the young man spent the morning stacking boxes of donated dented cans in the food pantry. Creating order out of other people's chaos is the calling of Shaffstall, 31, and his wife, Capt. Karen Shaffstall, 37. Though the Salvation Army is most visible at Christmas, with its bell ringers, brass bands and toy drives, an officer's work is a 365- Entertainment Change of pace New Year's Eve doesn't bring out the party animal in everyone, so we've come up with some suggestions for other ways to spend the last night of 1988. Page Fl.

Outdoors D12 Press phones A 4 Real estate F8-11 Sports DM6 Style Gl-6 Travel G7-8 Want Ads C8-30 Judges face questions over replacing Hafer Pedophilia case records ruled open By Lawrence Walsh The Pittsburgh Press SOMERSET A local judge has denied a request by the Altoona-Johnstown Catholic Diocese that he seal all pretrial records in a civil lawsuit accusing a priest of sexually molesting a teenage boy. The decision was handed down over the weekend by Common Pleas Judge Eugene Fike of Somerset County in a case involving The Rev. Francis E. Luddy. The suit accuses Luddy, 46, of sexually abusing the boy over a six-year period, beginning when the youth was 9 or 10 years old.

Luddy served as pastor of St. Mary's Church in the Somerset County borough of Windber. Luddy also faces criminal charges of corruption of a minor and indecent exposure based on complaints by the youth. In a decision that required the judge to balance the issues of a fair trial and a free press, Fike indicated that the diocese could seek "protective orders" to prevent the filing of some sensitive civil case documents until the criminal charges against Luddy are resolved. Please see Lawsuit, A 17 crammed so full of gaily wrapped packages for the adopt-a-family program that it could not be used as a place to quietly talk to people who came for help.

One of those who walked in seeking aid was a young man with a long brown ponytail and a large backpack. His verbal skills seemed limited to grunts and a few distorted words. The initial assessment given to Capt. Richard Shaffstall was that the young man was deaf but understood Spanish and was trying to get to New Mexico. TV Magazine Parallels Roy Campanella II, whose famous faiher was paralyzed in a car accident, directs a CBS movie about a real-life coach crippled by Lou Gehrig's disease.

TV Magazine. Finance Cl-7 Food El-8 Fool bowl contest D15 Horoscope C17 Lottery numbers B7 Movies F2-4 Obituaries DM ny Dennis B. Roddy The Pittsburgh Press For the 41 Common Pleas judges who must select a new Allegheny County commissioner next month, the problems are complex and run from how best to choose to whether they really should be choosing at all. "Do we make our choice based on who we think the voters might want? Do we decide based on who we think would be best for the county?" asked Judge Judith Friedman, who added still more puzzlers: "Do we appoint someone who will have some sympathy for the court's dilemma? Do we elect a woman because Barbara Hafer was a woman? Do we try to fill the gap that's been existir" and appoint a minority?" So far, the contest to replace departing Republican Commissioner Hafer has more closely resembled a series of job interviews than a political campaign. Candidates have submitted resumes ranging from a few pages to 20 and interviewed with individual judges on a catch-as-catch-can basis.

"I'm embarrassed by the procedure," said Judge Eugene B. Strass-burger, who wanted a more organized way of having candidates meet the judges. "You're making these people who have responsible positions go and visit 40 (other) judges individually. To me that doesn't make any sense." Please see Judges, A16 cloudy and brickPage A2.

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