Fort Lauderdale - We Visited Drew While He Attended ARVO Convention

Click on picture to read Drew's story.

My son Drew does research on diabetes and vision at the SUNY Upstate Medical School in Syracuse. Some of his research has been sponsored by Fight for Sight - a foundation that encourages studies on vision problems.

This week Drew was attending the ARVO (Association for Research in Vision and Ophthalmology) Convention in Fort Lauderdale. During the convention - Fight for Sight released their annual report featuring Drew on the inside cover.

Imagine how a man that taught middle school science for 30 years feels when he sees his son's name "up in lights" on a program at a national convention.

Drew's boss is Dr. Robert Barlow. He has been doing science research for 30 years on the same government project. He is world famous - and he offered Drew a job when Robin started her doctoral studies in Syracuse 5 years ago. It must have been funny when rookie scientists were asking him, "Do you work with Dr. Drew Everhart?"

Cinco de Mayo - The Day Jack Took His First Steps

Cinco de Mayo (Spanish for "fifth of May") is a regional holiday in Mexico, primarily celebrated in the state of Puebla, with some limited recognition in other parts of Mexico. The holiday commemorates the Mexican army's unlikely victory over French forces at the Battle of Puebla on May 5, 1862, under the leadership of Mexican General Ignacio Zaragoza Seguín. The outnumbered Mexicans defeated a much better-equipped French army that had not been defeated in almost 50 years.

But for the Everharts - May 5th has new meaning. On that day - Jack took his first few steps. He has been standing alone for quite a while - but indeed - we got to witness his very first stroll. The major event took place in our hotel suite - the above picture is from the day before when he was warming up. We were all sitting around having supper when Jack started walking from Robin to Drew. We were amazed - not sure of what we saw - so Robin tried it again - and poof away he went!

Fort Lauderdale - Deja Vu Lulu the Swimming Mom and Grandmom

Lulu lives to swim. Heaven to her is 12 hours a day at the beach or pool. The more things change -the more they stay the same. In 1977 - Drew was a water baby in his first summer of swimming. Flash forward 32 years - and now Jack loves the water just like his Dad. A lot of water has gone under the bridge in those 32 years - but one of the common threads that has kept this family stitched tightly together is Lulu and her swimming. Whether it is a 4 AM swim at Miami beach Before she catches a plane back to the snow up north or a midnight swim in the middle of an Allentown January with her cousin Ruthann on the eve of her favorite aunt's funeral - water is a way of life for Lulu.

From her roots on the crowded beaches of the Jersey Shore - to the spectacular sandy beaches that surround her home in Florida - she always thought that success was owning a concrete in-ground pool. Lulu was called "Surf" in high school and she is still my "Little Surfer Girl."

Pictures - Lulu and Drew in Wyoming - Lulu and Jack in Fort Laudedale. To her the Circle of Life is a water wheel.

Fort Lauderdale - Happiness is Having All 6 together

Drew is in Fort Lauderdale for an ARVO convention. He is presenting a poster there. Lulu is visiting some of her Project Lead students. What a wonderful chance to get the whole family together on the beach. The weather is perfect - the surf is up to 78 - but the pool temperature is heated to 98 - yes 98.

We are staying at a new hotel called the W. It is very fancy - has a beautiful pool on the roof with windows on the bottom. You can look up from the lobby and see people swimming. There is also a glass staircase going up from the lobby right into the pool through a tunnel. Swimmers can swim around the steps.

Most of our time has spent playing with Jack. He is so big already. He can stand a bit on his own. Not bad for 10 months. He really likes the warm pool water.

Keith has to go back home to work tonight - but we will spend a few more days here. Lulu has a meeting in Orlando on Wednesday - then we come home.

Next time we will all be together is June 20th - when our solstice baby is one year old. The party will be held at their new Providence home - where Robin is doing her doctoral internship at Brown University.

In the picture is the clan - Lulu - Keith Drew - Jack - Robin - and me.

Lulu Informed She has been Elected the President of the American Association of School Librarians - That Makes Me the Trailing First Man

This week Lulu has been visiting several of her library students in their classrooms in Central Florida. It is part of her job that she enjoys very much because it keeps her in touch with her roots. For years - she was a practicing school librarian before she became a library professor at Saint Johns University and Florida State.

Now she is the director of the school library media program at FSU. US News and World Report has named her program as the third best in the nation.

Today - while walking around downtown Lakeland - taking a break in the gardens and sitting at the train station - her telephone rang. Like magic - strains of "Hail to the Chief" came from the heavens. Lulu is president-elect.

Imagine that - the little girl from Tamaqua - who served as a library aid in the high school - commuted to college at Kutztown from home - got her masters and doctors degrees in Florida while tending two small kids - has now been elected by her peers from all over the country to be their leader.

There could not be a better poster child for the profession. And I helped...

While Lulu Works - I Shop the Outlets

While Lulu is visiting her Project LEAD students - I am left to the leisure of a retired trailing spouse. Orlando is famous for the number of outlet stores along I-4. Back North - Lulu and I would go to Reading, Pennsylvania to shop at an outlet called Vanity Fair. They always had a nice selection and great prices.

While visiting Vanity Fair here in Orlando - I found a nice pair of Wrangler jeans in my size. Just when I was feeling sorry for myself for needing pants in size 36 x 32 - I ran into this pair. Check out the tag - size 66 x 30 - yes a 66 inch waist!

I used to have a fellow school board member back in Tamaqua that would probably fit in these jeans. I pity the horse that this cowboy rode in these "boot cut" jeans.

My next stop was getting a chocolate ice cream cone with very little guilt.

Polk County - Lulu Visits Her Project LEAD Students

Doubletree Disney Hotel - Lulu is journeying through Polk County visiting some of her Project LEAD students. I always thought Project LEAD meant something like, "Library Educators Assisting Discovery." Boy was I wrong. It is a project to recruit 30 exemplary teachers and turn them into "LEADers" as school library media specialists.

Lulu was awarded a $1,000,000 grant by the federal government and FSU to fund 30 scholarships to build a model program of creating school library media specialists that are also school leaders. There is a strong need for certified school library media specialists. This August - the chosen teachers will graduate from Florida State University with a masters degree in library and information studies and the state teaching certificate as a media specialist in the field.

Each candidate took a prescribed list of courses (45 credits) offered by the FSU School of Library and Information Science. All of the courses were offered over the Internet online - with tuition and fees covered by the grant.

The project candidates were already successful teachers in Broward - Polk - Leon - Pinellas, Santa Rosa and Gadsden Counties. Already several of participants have been recruited to be school library media specialists.

A second grant has been awarded to follow the progress of the "Project LEADers" to see what effect the program has on the their success.

Next week - we visit the Broward County participants. The "we" means I carry Lulu's bags.

The pictures show Lulu and the almost successful candidates from Polk County.

Pennsylvania - Lulu's Cousin is Top Senior Athlete at Bucknell Univeristy

Kerry Boyle Receives Senior Athletic Award at Bucknell
Bison Men's Track and Field Star Receives Bison Club Award at Annual Senior Athletic Awards Banquet

April 28, 2009

LEWISBURG, Pa. – Bucknell senior Kerry Boyle (Conyngham, Pa./Hazleton), one of the best sprinters in Bucknell’s history, received a special award at the University’s annual Senior Athletic Awards Banquet, sponsored by the Bison Club and held in Terrace Room on Tuesday, April 28.

Boyle won the Bison Club Award, presented to the senior athletes “who best exemplify the winning spirit of the University’s athletic program.” Boyle shared the award with Jennifer Dervarics of the women’s soccer team, who was the female selection.

No stranger to exemplifying the winning sprit, Boyle has won four times at the Patiot League Championships, including a 200-400-meter double at the 2007 Patriot League Indoor Track and Field Championships. Boyle owns school records in the 300 and 400 distances indoors as well as the 4x400 and sprint medley relays. Outdoors, Boyle owns the 200 record as well. Overall, Boyle is present on Bucknell’s indoor and outdoor all-time lists a total of 17 times.

The Conyngham, Pa., native is a mathematics major and has been named to the Patriot League Academic Honor Roll. Boyle is a three-time recipient of All-Patriot League honors indoors and outdoors.

Boyle is the Patriot League Indoor Track and Field Championships record holder in the 400, when he clocked 48.36 in 2007.

Bucknell is a highly-selective, privately endowed liberal arts institution with an enrollment of 3,583 undergraduate students. Bucknell competes in NCAA Division I as a member of the Patriot League and has full membership along with American, Army, Colgate, Holy Cross, Lafayette, Lehigh and Navy. Bucknell has won the Presidents' Cup, signifying the Patriot League's all-sports champion, in 14 of 18 years, including 10 of the last 11.

Tallahassee - The Trailing Spouse's Jury Finds Tallahassee Memorial Hospital Not Guilty

With Tallahassee having a fantastic week of temperatures in the 80s and humidity in the 20s - The Trailing Spouse spent 6 days at the county court house in rooms without windows.

I was selected for a jury to hear a civil case against the Tallahassee Memorial Hospital and 2 emergency room doctors. It was my first time on a jury and I was very curious about the details.

It started last Friday when 30 jurors in the pool were whittled down to 8. The questioning of the 30 people took all day. Finally - the "lucky ones" were selected and told to return Monday for a 5 day trial.

From Monday to Thursday - we heard witnesses from each side. Each witness was pampered by one lawyer and grilled by the other. Each side had two lawyers - one lady and one man. First off - I hope I never have to sit either as a plaintiff or defendant. I viewed a lot of nervous witnesses and some brilliant people. Sometimes - the witness appeared like a different person depending on which side was questioning him. The lawyers like to ask long drawn out questions and then insist on "yes or no" answers. I was surprised that witnesses could present via video of testimony prepared earlier. In one case - one of the lawyers took the stand and read from a script of deposition while the other lawyer asked questions from another script - sort of like a soap opera.

We were shown plenty of posters of office records - over and over again. Many doctors testified about the records from both sides. I was truly amazed at how many doctors disagreed with each other. One doctor would say doing a spinal tap was as simple as drawing blood and painless - and the next doctor would make it seem like open heart surgery. I wouldn't want to pay the witness bills - because they ranged from $300 to $1000 an hour - and that included travel time and study time.

The judge was a referee deciding what each lawyer could say and not say. He liked telling us not to discuss the case with anyone - and we didn't. The bailiff led us back and forth to the jury room - which reminded me so much of the faculty room back at school - except there were no teachers in their whining about how bad the kids are.

The case very simply was - an 8 year older went into the TMH on New Years Day with a stiff neck and fever. They kept the child 4 hours and when the fever went down with Motrin - they sent the youngster home. TMH said it was a viral infection.

7 days later the child returned with a very bad disease called ADEM - an infection of the brain and spinal chord. About 4 people per 1,000,000 develop this disease. It causes permanent brain damage that may cause urinary problems.

The plaintiff claimed that TMH did not diagnose the problem on the first visit because they did not do a spinal tap. The defense claimed that the ADEM often follows a virus by a week and that the child did not have the disease on the first visit.

The plaintiff was asking for up to $2,000,000.

The judge cut our 8 member jury team down to 6. We went to the jury room - and had to come back with a unanimous 6-0 decision.

In the jury room - the other 5 picked me to be the foreman. I asked each of the people to state their opinions. Finally - each of us had the chance to discuss the case. Each person took about 5 minutes to say what they thought. Without any dispute - each juror said the hospital and doctors were without fault. The doctors followed all the right procedures. One doctor was a 40 year veteran - the other one was a rookie fresh out of medical school. The young doctor kept meticulous notes that were very neat - you could tell he was not a doctor long and did not develop the terrible handwriting many doctors have.

I checked off "no" three times on the report - one for each doctor and one for TMH. I dated the report and signed it. Then we made one more trip back to the court room - one never gets used to the entire crowd rising every time you enter the room - sort of like President Obama or Britney Spears. The judge asked for my report. The clerk read the results - and we all went home.

I think we get paid $15 a day - or something like that. They will send the check - I guess they can't look us in the eye while giving us such a low amount for 6 days of our lives. But - I was rewarded more than money. I worked with a team of 8 very professional people - and saw our system of justice work - and was amazed at its design.

Now - what about OJ Simpson?

FIVE MONTHS LATER - Still not paid :-)

Beatles Return Favor and Visit the Trailing Spouse on Seminole Drive

Last summer Lulu and I visited Liverpool and the land of The Beatles. It was almost a religious experience seeing the sights and sounds of their boyhood homes where John was raised by his Aunt Mimi and Paul was brought up without his Mother Mary in a project home. Forty years later - many people still have not forgiven John Lennon exclaiming that the Beatles were more popular than Jesus. But for millions of fans their music still lives on all around the world.

Last night - for just a couple of hours - the "Beatles" returned the favor and came to Seminole Drive to play Lulu and I the tunes that sound-tracked our early romance. Just down our beloved Seminole Drive about a half mile- The Fab Four - a world famous tribute band did a concert at The Moon. During the Beatles era this building at the corner of Seminole and Lafayette Street was an A & P Food Store. Today - it is a thriving night club. But last night instead of sitting somewhere in the produce section - we were in box seats to listen to Beatles tunes. After a few drinks - this sellout crowd of aging hippies were soaring to the tunes of their youth - maybe with a little help from their friends.

The Fab Four tour the world recreating the Beatles mannerisms and music. They do all the singing and playing of instruments - no recordings or orchestra behind the curtains. You can see part of the show at www.thefabfour.com - and also follow their success.

For a couple of hours Lulu was my teenie bopper girl friend and the feelings of our youth returned looking through a glass onion. Then I walked my best girl home.

Videos and Pictures - Early Beatles - Sgt Pepper Beatles - Paul McCartney's Project Home - In John Lennon's bedroom "looking through a glass onion."

Lunch break from Jury Duty - Florida State Capitol

Greetings from the Jury Room Bathroom

Hurry up and wait. We just saw video testimony from NYC.

Expect to be done on Friday.

Happy Earth Day - The New 2010 Honda Hybrid is in Tallahassee

I just got home from a Sunday afternoon ride around town. To my surprise - when I rode by our Honda dealer I saw 5 new Honda Insights in the front lot.

At first glance - people will mistake it for a Toyota Prius because of its swept aerodynamic shape. But on closer inspection you will see that they are distinctly different cars. The Honda looks more like a normal car - as a matter of fact many people will think it is just another compact car.

Underneath the hood is where all the excitement is. This engine is actually two power plants in one. Inside the gasoline engine is the armature of an electric booster motor. Under normal driving conditions - it gets 43 miles per gallon. What has all the car reviewers gushing is a gauge that teaches you how to drive economically. Some writers are reporting getting over 70 miles per gallon - after a short learning period. One writer remarked that there should be separate his/her gauges to see who is the better driver at milking distance out of a gallon of gasoline.

I saw three states of trim - LX - EX - and EX Navi. The LX had a sticker of $20,400. The EX was $21,900 - and the Ex Navi version was $23,400. The Navi simply has this giant built-in GPS with a large 9 inch screen. The major difference between the LX and EX was that the cheaper one had hubcaps and the more expensive one had alloy wheels. At those prices - they are the least expensive hybrids on the American market.

I couldn't drive one or get inside because the dealer had closed at 4PM and I was there at 5 - but a salesman emailed to assure me that they are for sale right now - just bring a check book.

I preferred the dark red one because it looked like FSU garnet color - but the ones in white - gray - silver were just fine with me too.

The negatives for me - I did not see one with a sunroof. I doubt that Lulu would settle for a car without at least a sunroof in Florida. Second - I do not think you can operate the car in a completely electric mode. The engine valves do close to effectively "turn off" the gasoline engine - but the pistons go up and down all the time. Of course - whenever you stop at a stop sign - the engine shuts off.

The Honda Insight Hybrid reminds me a bit of the Mercedes A100 that is sold in Europe. It is a small 4 door sedan that is abruptly cut off in the back. According to the engineers - that is the car shape of the future because it provides the most room inside with the least air resistance. The Insight and Prius are almost tied as the most aerodynamic car sold in America.

Honda plans to sell 100,000 in America during the first year. I think it is very optimistic in light of the depression and the price of gasoline at $2.00 a gallon not $4.00 a gallon like 2007.

If it had the sunroof - we could probably replace both our Honda Van and Miata with one neat little car. That way my Toyota Tacoma would not have to clutter up the driveway - we could keep it inside.

To a purist this not a true electric car because you are never running on just electricity. The gasoline engine is always turning - except when you stop. But when you press the gas pedal the engine starts right up and away you go. One last frugal feature is the CVT (continuously variable transmission). The transmission does not "shift" it varies its gear ratio infinitely. This is the same transmission found on my belt driven Vespa scooter. At the start you are in the lowest ratio and it slowly varies to a higher ratio.

Back in 1972 - Lulu and I owned a 2 cylinder Honda car. It would average about 45mpg - but sometimes on a long trip we would nurse it to 60mpg. We drove from Tamaqua to Miami once on $8 of gas. People call me tight - cheap - thrifty - frugal - or all of the above. When driving to Disneyworld it would be fun watching the "econo" gauge to see how many miles I could squeeze from one gallon of gasoline.

My New Monitor to Work with MacBook

I like to buy things from Buy.com. It is a company that offers special prices over the Internet - usually with free shipping and no sales tax.

This Samsung monitor is offered for the sensational price of $219. It comes with a DVI cable and an RGB cable which means it can be run with a Mac or a PC. It tilts and swivels and supposed to be low power consumption. It can be used in a mirror mode or both at one time - having windows open on each screen.

It was delivered in 3 days - and I was using it in less than 10 minutes - no drivers to load - just plug and play.

Guess Who Got Jury Duty?

After 40 years of voting faithfully - my name was finally picked for jury duty. On Friday - I was selected to a jury.

I cannot talk about the case now - but after the trial I plan to give a blow by blow narrative about how things went.

One funny moment was when the judge and attorneys where grilling the perspective jurors. The judge got to me - and I explained that I was a retired teacher that moved to Florida. In front of the large court room crowd he exclaimed, "Aren't you the trailing spouse?" The entire room gasped and I blushed. He said he read my stuff all the time. Even a judge is not immune to my silliness. There's my 15 seconds of fame.

After sitting all day in a crowded courtroom - it is a humbling moment when 300 jurors are whittled down to 8 people sitting in the jury box. It has been 6 years since I sat through "working 9 to 5" - some would say 40 years. It is solemn moment when the entire court room - even the judge - rises to watch 8 common every day folk leave the room.

The Leon County Court House is directly across the street from the Florida State Capitol - about one mile from my home. I was able to ride my Vespa scooter to work - saving the taxpayers from paying my parking fees. Since I am unemployed I can keep the $23 a day salary - about $3 an hour. Do I have to claim that on my income tax?

My case starts on Monday from 9 to 5 unless the case is settled over the weekend and I am out of a job again.

Crooks Caught in the Neighborhood

This is a blurb that was just posted on our neighborhood crime watch. Enjoy.

I am sure you know by now, but there was another attempt at a breakin. Three black boys came running down W Indianhead around 8:30 this morning. A man was running after them yelling for them to stop. Bless his heart, he was running in bare feet, and going as fast as he could. My husband called 911, and gave the kids description, just as one of the kids stopped and the man stayed with him until the authorities arrived.
A state trooper drove by after the other two. I heard dogs that kept barking over near Jim Lee, so I got in my car to drive down Jim Lee just in case I could see them. When I got to Lola, here the 2 kids came. They were sweating and slowing down, when I drove by them they realized they had been spotted and took off again. The trooper was just around the corner I stopped him and told him I'd just seen them and he took off, but he didn't find them.
I drove down Orange Avenue looking but didn't see them again. I figured since they would still be in the same clothes it'd be easier to spot them. One of the boys looked 14-15 yrs. old, 5'9",light skinned, tight haircut and wore a long white T-shirt with light colored blue jeans, the kind that look like they have been bleached out. The other boy looked about 13, maybe 5', very dark skinned, short hair with maybe an inch grow out, wearing a white T-shirt and long black shorts. If anyone saw them, maybe we could get a better idea where they went, or were heading. The third boy got taken in thankfully. (He was in dark blue basketball shorts with white markings and a black t-shirt).
We owe a big thank you to the man who ran and caught that boy, and the men who came out to support him(they were working on a house in the neighborhood and heard the man yelling and came running also). Actually, many neighbors came out. We are a tight neighborhood, and I feel certain as we continue to stand together against crimes in our neighborhood, we will prevail.

Outta Here! Harry Kalas Died

Harry Kalas' death is personal loss

Phillies voice linked fathers and sons

By Pat Lester

Of The Morning Call

April 14, 2009


I lost a piece of my childhood Monday.

It was 1:55 p.m. when I heard the numbing news that permanently changed summertime and the sport I love.

Inexplicably, Harry was gone.

The death of Harry Kalas, the lovable, cigar-puffing voice of the Phillies, represented more than just the loss of a warm, poetic, grandfather figure. This wasn't about ''outta here'' or ''struck 'im out.'' It wasn't about Michael Jack Schmidt home run calls or off-key renditions of ''High Hopes.''

This was about a young kid in the backyard on a sun-drenched June afternoon, daydreaming, swatting away flies and tossing around a baseball with his dad.

It was the loss of a link between a son and his father.

The sound of Harry's voice has always evoked images of my old man digging around in the back yard, cutting the grass or fooling around with us kids.

We didn't have a whole lot of money back then. So we did what any other die-hard Phillies fans did on the weekend. We clicked on my dad's beat-up old radio, spent five or 10 minutes twisting the tuner, waited and prayed that we'd have some sort of reception.

Our ears were trained for that sudden build-up in Harry's voice.

''Swing and a long drive, watch this baby...''

We'd run from our chores and toward the static-filled sound, shooting smiles at each other.

''Home run, Von Hayes. And the Phillies lead it 1-0.''

We'd clap our hands, pump our fists or give a ''yeah,'' and then get back to work.

At an awkward time when young boys and dads often don't have a lot to say to each other, baseball means a lot to a father-son relationship.

And it meant even more when Harry was serving as the middle man between a strict and stubborn 40-year-old and a self-centered adolescent. I'm not sure why. I guess you can say his voice was like your favorite blanket on a cold fall evening -- warm and reliable.

I can still remember my dad kneeling down in the garden with the radio playing as background noise and giving a sudden chuckle when Whitey -- Harry's former partner Richie Ashburn -- would make an off-handed comment.

When you think about it, Harry really was a family member. With few exceptions, he'd be in our house 162 times a year, far more than any other relative. When he came, he was always welcomed. When he left, he always did it with care and love, win or lose, and we loved him for it.

To this day, March has held a significance to me that most others couldn't comprehend.

It marks the Phils return to spring training and inevitably Harry's return to the dial.

Every February, when I begin my countdown to Harry, my wife lovingly rolls her eyes. I don't think she fully understood what it meant.

So when I heard the news Monday, I was crushed. Fighting back my emotion and trying to collect myself, my thoughts immediately went to my father and those warm summer days in the Poconos.

Although I couldn't reach him Monday afternoon, I did leave a message: ''Dad, I don't know if you heard,'' I said, choking up, ''but Harry Kalas died today.''

And then it hit me.

I'll never get to experience with my 2 1/2-year-old son what I had with my father and Harry.

The sport that I love has changed forever.

And it hurts.

Pat Lester is a Morning Call reporter.