Indiana Gazette from Indiana, Pennsylvania • 12

Page 12 Tuesday, April 22, conjunction with the county's bicentennial. Ken, along with his brothers John and Tink, toured the country singing Gospel music and called themselves the "Watchmen Quartet." The other member of the group was Loren Greene. They started in a studio in Clymer, next to the Abraham Hotel, a business his parents operated. Ken was ambitious and loved to write. His first book was "Nothing Special, Just a Christian!" and was copyrighted in 1976 by Watch Music Clymner, Pa.

It was printed by Shick Printing in Indiana. His father, "Hub" was posthumously inducted into the Indiana County Hall of Fame in 1998 and was wellknown for his contributions to sports in Clymer and at Penns Manor High School. "Hub" was the organizer of the Clymer Little League and kept the organization intact for many years. Ken's mother, Minnie, was the pianist for the Watchmen in their early days. In fact, at one of the groups' first appearances the three singers and Minnie were introduced as the Watchmen Quartet.

Minnie still resides in Clymer and has been an employee at Wal-Mart for the past six years. Ken, meanwhile, wrote the No. 1 New York Times bestseller "Let's Roll." He worked with Lisa Beamer, widow of United Flight 93 hero Todd Beamer, in telling her story. While speaking briefly with Ken this morning from his home in Franklin, he said he is looking forward to coming home to Indiana County and Sunday's event. Carl Kologie Ken coming home While the war news is winding down in Iraq, the bicentennial events are heating up in Indiana This weekend there are a couple of events scheduled that are related to the county's birthday celebration, just in case you are looking for something to do and they are both being held on the Indiana University of Pennsylvania campus.

There is a classy affair scheduled Saturday evening in the Blue Room of John Sutton Hall and a community-worship service Sunday at Fisher Auditorium that features a Clymer native who is a New York Times best-selling author. The Indiana Arts Council is still selling tickets (724- 357-ARTS) for "An Evening on the 20th Century." This is a unique event that promises to take you back in time. The Blue Room will be transformed into Grand Central Station during the time when rail transportation was the only way to go. It is a black-tie optional event, and the invitations stressed that "flappers" are welcome. The IUP Jazz Ensemble is the featured entertainment and will play swing and bebop for an evening of dancing.

Also on tap for the evening. are several other events including a private showing of. the Leon- Litton Collection Exhibit, an auction of unique items and several guest performers. This marks the first big venture put together by new Indiana Arts Council Director Sara Steelman, the former state representative from Indiana. Ken Abraham, whose first brush with fame came as a singer, will be the featured speaker Sunday afternoon at 2:30 p.m.

at Fisher Auditorium where a faith-based nondenominational worship service, "One County Under God," will be held in conjunction with the county's Carl Kologie is Gazette managing editor. His column appears on Tuesdays. He can be reached at gazette.net. 2003 ReGION clinging Parents Continued from page 1 nine days to be delivered," Bill said. "It was a short letter, and he took parts of three days to write it, so apparently they were busy.

He just said he was in Kuwait and wanted to get to Baghdad, get it over with and get back to Creekside." Still, that is the latest news of Bucky of which they are absolutely sure. By following news accounts of the war, Bill said, he learned that Bucky's unit, the 1st Marines, 3rd Battalion had gone to Nasiriyah on the second or third day of the Families Continued from page 1 cell phone to call home. "A 20-minute call cost me about $50 but it was worth it to hear from him," Virginia said. Virginia Gutierrez and the couple's three children are staying with her parents, Mr. and Mrs.

Byron Kelsey of Indiana RD 2, until John returns home. His parents are Jose and Janet Gutierrez of Brush Valley. John is based at Fort Campbell Kentucky and Virginia i is a memnber of the Kentucky National Guard. Marine Lance Cpl. Joe Allen's family kept an anxious eye on the instant-message-service icon on their computer desktops to alert them when Allen logged on.

One time, he connected with his mother, Joy Mroczka of Armagh, in real-time sound and pictures from a computer in Bahrain equipped with a webcam. "We kept the connection for maybe a minute," Mroczka said. "So we didn't try it again." E-mail messages came about three times a week and instantmessage chats went on for minutes at a time. But all that was before the war started; since then, Mroczka said, Allen has sent weekly e- mail messages to reassure everyone that he was OK. Army.Pvt.

Ian Lawson phoned home the day President Bush served 48 hours notice that Saddam Hussein's regime would be under attack. "I have not heard anything from him since the war said his mother, Debra Lawson, Aide fights suspension Continued from page 1 cross necklace remained visible then, she would have to be suspended. According to the ARIN handbook, employees are to be suspended without pay for one year for wearing religious symbols on jewelry or clothing. The supervisor came back the day he said he would. "I did have my necklace on that: day," Nichol said.

got suspend; ed cross April 8, 2003, and not for wearing will- a to work being ing to either remove it or tuck it According to the ARIN handbook, employees may wear a cross or other religious jewelry as long as it cannot be seen by others. Since her suspension, Nichol has spent time weighing her options about the future. She contacted the ACLJ, which was founded in 1990 by religious leader Pat Robertson, on the suggestions of concerned friends. "The good Lord brought it to my attention through different people. A lot of this has been brought about through blessings from God." Her motivation for turning to the law center was her strong disagreement with the state code provisions that prohibit the wearing of religious insignia or jewelry.

"I could not follow that code in my heart. I could not deny Christ." Coad said the state law, and the ARIN handbook, is in place to protect the sensibilities of everyone in the area. He said that although wearing a cross is accepted by many in society, wearing other religious jewelry or insignia may not be. For example, witchcraft is considered by some people as a religion. Suppose a school employee wore a pin representing that.

"How would the people of our community deal with people wearing such things in the public school classroom?" Coad asked. McCarthy, counsel at the ACLJ, has worked on church vs. state cases since 1990. The ACLJ agrees to take about one out of every 10 possible cases that come its way, he said. Whether the center agrees to take on a new client is based on the merits of the case, whether a decision will have an impact on a large group and whether it is based on a constitutional principal.

The ACLJ does not charge for its advocacy on a case, McCarthy said. He also said he could not think of any case that the center has handled that concerned a person's right to wear religious jewelry in the public schools. "I can't think of one (case) like it that goes so far into the First Amendment," McCarthy said. Besides support from the ACLJ, Nichol is being represented by her union at work, the ARIN Education Support Personnel. Karla Cogley, union president, refused to talk about any specifics of Nichol's situation.

She did confirm that her union, which represents ARIN support workers such as instructional aides, had filed a grievance on Nichol's behalf. The Indiana (Gazette to renew conflict. Before Bucky's unit arrived in Kuwait, he was able to send e- mail messages from a Navy ship. The e-mail ended when he reached Kuwait, and there had been no other word since his letter in late March until Pritchard leafed through the Times during a break at work at the Homer City electric power plant and discovered Bothell in a news photo. "It looked like him immediately," Pritchard said.

"They didn't list any names in the caption, but it definitely looked like Bucky." Diane Meier of Blairsville. Her son, Ensign Russell Meier, was sent to the Persian Gulf as the communications officer on the USS Carr, part of the USS Theodore Roosevelt battle group. "He's called a couple of times but basically, it's e-mail," Diane said. "As far as snail mail, nothing." None of Russell's friends or family had to wait long for his MEIER MEIER request, written March 18, the day after President Bush started the 48-hour countdown to war: "Everyone, "Just a quick the shooting starts, we'll still be able to receive e-mail, mostly like not HAPPENING: SEE GROWN SECTION, e-mails, letters of Indiana. She received a couple of letters that Ian wrote from Kuwait, and sometimes she gets e-mail from a communications person at fan's base.

"We parents also appreciate the embedded reporters who are traveling with the units," Lawson said. "A reporter from the St. Petersburg (Fla.) Times is with Ian's group, the 327th unit of the 101st Airborne, and that has been very helpful." Debra Lawson logs on daily to the Times' Web site to read detailed reports that aren't carried on television or by wire services. "That gives me an idea of where he is and what they are doing." Lawson said. "It makes you feel better to have an idea of what's going on." Being a shipboard officer certainly has its perks, according to BE HIP TO WHAT'S the adjutant of the United Veterhope ans mail "It of would Indiana to take County.

months especially for the if to get you, Prichard's children were class- you were moving around," Holmates with Bothell at Marion land said. Center. Christmas packages arrived Bothell joined the Marines around Easter. after graduation and spent 22 To contact folks back home, months in Italy, according to his soldiers contacted amateur radio father. operators close to their homeHe was deployed last June to towns.

Holland said some of the the Middle East and came home hams could patch their radios in December for a 20-day Christ- into the telephone and relay solmas break. "But he was recalled diers' calls directly to their after about 10 days," his father homes. said. "Some would make a long-disBill said he doesn't know when tance call to your home and pay his son will make it home again, for it themselves, or they'd call Iraqi hospitality notwithstand- collect from their house to your ing. house," Holland explained.

"That was a blessing for those of us who were close to a radio." send it. However, I ask that you Getting mail was a boost for not e-mail me right away when morale. you see something on CNN. We "It's nice to get something, will be very busy doing whatev- even if you get it from someone er tasking is ordered of us and you don't know, like these kids in the high volume of message that the schools. It's nice to know will be moving will just slow someone remembered you." everything The day after the bombing Generations of families have began, March 21, Russell wrote: saved and treasured the letters "Hello, that their loved ones sent from "How are things at home.

We the front lines of war. are just fine That's about The letters yellow and fray with all I can say. Trust me I'll have time; they take on the unmistaklots of stories to tell when we get able smell of cedar and folks wouldn't give them up for the And on April 4, just a few days world. before coalition forces reached Electronic messages home Baghdad, Meier wrote that his from the Iraqi war will end up ship had left the Persian Gulf for being pristinely preserved for the the Mediterranean Sea. ages, burned onto CD-ROM.

Any less romantic? The talk of long-delayed letters "Absolutely not!" Virginia and packages is familiar to Viet- Gutierrez said. "I'm glad to hear nam War veteran Pat Holland, from him any way he can." THE CALENDAR PAGE, INCLUDING HOME EVERY THURSDAY. HIGH-SPEED ED WIRELESS INTERNET SERVICE Internet at the speed of Wireless Internet Service with From Indiana's Premier Internet Provider, whom you've trusted since 1997 As month As Low $2995 Navi. Service not available in all areas shown is for residential use. Business rates' are higher.

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