The Baltimore Sun from Baltimore, Maryland • Page 63

THE SUN SECTION MONDAY, MAY 31, 1993 sura Holiday weekend fills area waterways Study urges Hepatitis vaccination Recommendation targets collegians Bridge becomes veterans memorial By Douglas Birch Staff Writer Every college student In the United States should be vaccinated against hepatitis B. a potentially deadly disease that Infects 300,000 Americans each year, a study published yesterday said. The American College Health Association, meeting in Baltimore, Issued a report calling for colleges and universities to recommend vaccination for all students. Hepatitis often Is transmitted through sexual activity. Young adults are vulnerable to Infection, the report said, because sexually transmitted diseases are common on college campuses, and many students have more than one sexual partner.

Only 1 percent of the 28 million young Americans at risk have been vaccinated, according to the association. The report said that vaccinations are particularly important for high-risk students: those who have had sex with more than one partner in the past six months, who engage in unprotected sex or who have another sexually transmitted disease, such as herpes. But universal vaccination is the only way to stop the spread of the disease, which has Increased 77 percent among young adults in the past decade. "In order to stop the spread of this serious virus. It Is crucial that college health care providers urge vaccination for all their students," said Dr.

Maijeanne Collins, chairman of the association's Vaccine Preventable Diseases Task Force. "It Is not enough to vaccinate only those at high risk, since more than one-third of those Infected have no known risk factors." Hepatitis Is 100 times more contagious than the virus that causes AIDS and, like AIDS, It Is spread through sexual activity and by contact with blood and other fluids. The virus can trigger a flu-like illness, nausea and vomiting. In severe cases, it can become life-threatening, leading to cirrhosis of the liver and liver cancer. GAHOlAtNSTAfF PHOTO Dustin Talbot, 4 (left), and David Kline, 5, are all smiles at Ocean City amusement park.

Crowds got Ocean City's season off to busy start. Summer nights were for sitting on the front porch nv i. JACQUES KELLY Porch-sitting began in earnest after dinner, after the last of the Iced tea had been scooped out of a blue crockery bowl and stowed away In the Ice box, after the Oriole gas range had cooled, and after the last dinner dish had been washed. On a hot night, this retreat was shady and Inviting. a i I v.

pillow. Being the eldest of the six in the Junior generation, I got the run of the porch and generally seized a spot on the concrete coping that ran around the perimeter. A metal glider, which drank household oil yet persistently squeaked, was another favorite resting spot. Its cushions also doubled as superb components for building a play house. In those days, air conditioning was reserved for the Boulevard movie theater.

The lack of air conditioners in homes assured a healthy turnout each evening on the rockers and lawn chairs on the neighborhood's porches. There was conversation and newspaper reading as both of the city's afternoon dallies were passed back and forth, section by section, from my grandfather to his wife, on See Kelly, 3B By Audrey Haar and Scott Shane Staff Writers As three Huey helicopters flew over the Just-renamed Vietnam Veterans Memorial Bridge over the Pa-tapsco River yesterday. Bill Tolson said, "I could almost smell the napalm." Mr. Tolson, who served as an Army scout in Vietnam from 1966 to 1968, was in the color guard as the Hanover Street Bridge was dedicated on Memorial Day weekend to a war whose veterans have often felt Ignored or unappreciated. "It's a good feeling," said Mr.

Tolson, who was born 47 years ago in a house three blocks from the South Baltimore bridge and now crosses it almost dally. "It was a long time coming. But I don't take it as an IOU, exactly. I take it as something the people of Baltimore are giving to us and to the fellows who died over there." More than 600 people attended the dedication, where Mayor Kurt L. Schmoke and City Council President Mary Pat Clarke spoke.

A fire-boat shot a plume of water into the air. And memorial plaques, paid for with $6,000 raised by local veterans, were placed at both ends of the 76-year-old bridge. On a spectacular day weather-wise, the Pride of Baltimore II departed the Inner Harbor for a four-month tour of the Great Lakes. Barbecue smoke rose from many a backyard grill. And thousands of Marylanders basked on the beach, enjoying the unofficial opening weekend of summer.

In Ocean City yesterday, Mayor Roland "Fish" Powell surveyed the shortage of parking spaces around his house with satisfaction. Enough holiday weekend visitors had arrived to get the season off to a busy and lucrative start. "When all the spots are full on St. Louis Avenue, where I live, that's a good indicator that they're here," Mr. Powell said.

The talk of the town at Reho-both Beach, north of Ocean City, was the surprise visit of Vice President Al Gore, his wife, Tipper, and See WEEKEND, 3B BY BHAN SANDSH that consumed four vehicles. down the street. We made sure everyone got out of their homes. It was very scary." "You could see smoke everywhere," said her son, Michael, 8. Mr.

Sandlsh, who snapped several pictures of the fire, said residents seemed in shock as the blaze roared and crowds lured by the smoke stood at a safe distance watching. "People were Just standing around watching," he said. "Cars were lined up all along the road. You could see the smoke and fire from far away, I'm sure." Leicester Court was roped off yesterday, but the charred cars, bicycles, grill and other paraphernalia spewed in the Newman drive-See GRILL, 3B Father seriously burned in barbecue accident f-i 4 'i' Ku -i a i i It was also a very public spot. Perched there, you could watch the whole neighborhood under the cover of a big striped canvas awning.

The awning's privacy was Illusory. The rest of the neighborhood watched you, too. I well recall the assortment of porch furniture In those days, the era when the dried out, old green wicker chairs were trying to hold their own against the newer metal models. Lily Rose and her sister, great Aunt Cora, were all enthusiastic seamstresses. Each wicker chair had its own pillow covered In a summery cotton.

Occasionally, the pillows were made of the same print as in the dresses they were wearing. Their billowy dresses and plumped pillows made for quite a sight. Each adult member of the family had an assigned space, chair and Flames erupt at an Owings Mills suffered first- and second-degree burns over 20 percent of his body, firefighters said. Mr. Newman's wife, Sandy, and their daughters, liana.

8, and Sheryl, escaped unharmed. None of the guests was Injured, firefighters said. The family moved into the two-story colonial home on the cul-de-sac four months ago, Sheryl said. She said several couples were at their home for the cookout when the fire occurred about 5:30 p.m. "We always cook out on Memorial Day," said Sheryl, who, along with her sister, played and roller-bladed along Leicester Court yesterday, occasionally stopping to describe the blaze to the curious.

"We grill all the time." Firefighters said they believe the 'It'll mmrm J1 mw iiumi- ill By tradition, Memorial Day means that summer has arrived in Baltimore. In years past in the Monaghan-Kelly household, the arrival of the holiday meant that iced tea could be served every night. The screen door could now slam. Every window In the house could be hung with a navy blue roll-up blind. When Decoration Day arrived, as my grandmother Lily Rose referred to the holiday, her porch became the center of the house.

The nightly routine never changed much at the corner of 29th Street and Guilford Avenue, where all the rowhouses came with grass terraces and contiguous front porches. Until Labor Day, or maybe a week or two later, if you weren't out evenings on your porch on lazy summer evenings, you were presumed dead. stadlum. If the day is bright and sunny and the local boys are ahead, Mr. Lupton performs Mr.

Rogers' "It's a Beautiful Day in the Neigh V- borhood." And after a 20-to-4 home team disaster early in the season, he played a funeral dirge. As the Baysox play their hearts out in hopes of impressing Oriole honchos downtown at Camden Yards, Mr. Lupton sits in the press box above the field with major league dreams of his own. He yeams to Join the ranks of musicians jke Nancy Faust, organist at See ORGANIST, 2B rOV 4 vehicles, garage destroyed in blast ByGregTasker Staff Writer Neighbors remained shaken yesterday by a fire at an Ill-fated barbecue that seriously burned an Owings Mills man and fueled a fiery explosion that consumed his garage and four vehicles during a holiday weekend cookout. "It's pretty incredible when you think of all that could have happened," said Bryan Soronson.

looking at his neighbor's burned-out garage and charred house. "It could have been a lot worse. We're glad that things weren't worse." Jerry Newman was cooking on a propane grill Saturday evening in the driveway of his family's Leicester Court home when "wind blew fire all over the place." said his daughter, Sheryl. 12. When Mr.

Newman moved the grill to the lawn, the barbecue tipped and Ignited a van parked In the driveway, she said. "He was trying to get it away from the cars and the garage," Sheryl said. The van exploded, Igniting another car parked In the driveway and two others parked In the family's garage, neighbors and Baltimore County firefighters said. Two of the cars belonged to visitors. "It was chaos," said Brian San-dish of Columbia, who was visiting neighbors across the street from the Newmans.

"People were screaming and running all over the place, trying to pull their cars away from there as things were exploding." A series of explosions created an Inferno that sent smoke billowing through neighborhoods of town-houses and detached homes off Owings Mills Boulevard. Mr. Newman, 43, a vocational counselor, was flown by helicopter to the Francis Scott Key Medical Center, where he was listed In satisfactory condition yesterday. He KARL M. FEHRONSTAFF PHOTO Gregory Lupton's hands dance across the keyboard on his instrument at Memorial Stadium, creating music for Bowie Baysox fans.

Like Baysox, organist has big league dreams ii 1- home after a barbecue started a fire fire was caused by a broken line in the grill or because the grill was not hooked up correctly. The mishap remained under Investigation. No damage estimates were available. Although the garage was destroyed, the Newmans' attached brick home was not seriously damaged. But friends said the family was staying with neighbors and relatives anyway.

"The house Is Just a little dirty," said 7-year-old Rachel Soronson. Neighbor Roz Navlasky recalled hearing a "huge explosion" and running Into the street. Unsure of what had happened, she and others began alerting other neighbors, thinking they might have to flee. "We didn't know what was going on," Mrs. Navlasky said.

"We heard someone screaming fire This Is the third In an occasional series of stories about the return of baseball to Memorial Stadium. By Rafael Alvarez Staff Writer Greg Lupton's father was a piano-playing songwriter In the style of Tin Pan Alley, and Babe Ruth was a distant cousin. It Is a perfect double-play pedigree for his current Job on 33rd Street. "Here I am." says Mr. Lupton, "playing the organ at baseball games." Greg Lupton Is team organist for the Bowie Baysox, a gang of minor leaguers chasing big league dreams this summer at Memorial Stadium.

When the Baysox are out of it late in a game, the hopeful note of "Tomorrow" from Broadway's "Annie" float through the horseshoe-shaped.