| E-Notice |
THIS IS SURRATTS
FOUNDATION E-NOTICE 2012-2 OF FEBRUARY 1, 2012
Hello Hornets:
Here are some items
that might be of interest:
1.
SURRATTSVILLE PROGRAM FEATURED ON WJLA.
On December 28, Surrattsville's very successful College Summit
program was featured on WJLA.com in the following article by Leon
Harris: "Surrattsville
High Teaches Kids What It Takes To Go To College.
Many high school students think going to college is just a
pipe dream, but one Maryland high school is working to change that.
At Surattsville High School in Clinton, a one-period class is
offered every other day to teach students what it takes to get into
college.
The year-long program prepares high school seniors
for life after high school.
"The tools they gain in class on
how to make action plans and how to implement them is something they
can transfer to college or whatever they do at work and whatever
they do with the rest of their lives," said Kirsten Simpkins,
teacher.
The class, called "College Summit," helps students
write personal statements, build resumes, walk them through the
application process and how to pay for school.
Student and peer leader Patience
Amankwa says being in the program has been a life-changing
experience.
"I walk with a sense of pride,"
Amankwa said.
Principal Kristi Holden says Patience isn't alone.
"They realize, 'Oh I am doing
great. I can do this. I've overcome these obstacles. Now I can go to
college,'" Holden said.
About 80 percent of students who
enroll in the class go on to college, Holden said.
The program also helps young men
and women with work readiness skills and even those considering a
career in the military."
Congratulations to the College Summit
program on this very nice press!
2.
SURRATTSVILLE COMMUNITY LOSES
BELOVED EDUCATOR.
Ron Cunningham, who taught Social
Studies at Surrattsville in the 1960s and 1970s and who went on to
have an extraordinarily successful career with the Prince George's
County and Charles County schools, died on December 31, 2011.
Ron was a true inspiration to
hundreds of Surrattsville students – and students at his other
schools – and he will be truly missed.
Additional details about Ron's
illustrious career, and the scholarship fund that has been
established in his name, appear below.
3.
MORE CHOIR MEMORIES.
We received this email from
Patti DeLauder Dean (78):
"Please thank Carol Tisdale Witsell
(64) and Syd Savage Lemieux for the information about and words to
the chorus' 'Prayer' for me.
Funny that Carol sang it in the
60s, Syd and I sang it in the 70s, and I am sure Charlie had them
singing it in the 80s.
I hope they're singing it today.
It just says it all.
And it brings a tear to the eye
because if you never got any part right, you got that part right
because the chords were so pretty.
Everyone loved it.
Thanks. Patti"
4.
PRINCE GEORGE'S COUNTY CHRISTMAS
IN APRIL FUNDRAISER.
Prince George's County's Christmas
in April chapter – whose Executive Director is Achievement Award
recipient Mary Kucharski (76) – is planning a fundraising dance on
March 3, from 6 – 11 p.m. at the Clinton Moose Lodge.
A $15 admission includes a ham
dinner and the classic rock sounds of "Rt. 5 South."
(Love that band name!)
Information is available at
301-868-0937,
cinapg@aol.com,
and
www.christmasinaprilpg.org.
Best of luck to this fine charity
on this upcoming event.
5.
REQUEST FOR ACHIEVEMENT AWARD
NOMINATIONS.
At this time each year, we ask our
readers to consider nominating a worthy member of the Surrattsville
community for one of the Foundation's Achievement Awards.
Bios and photos of the
extraordinarily accomplished past recipients of these Awards may be
viewed by clicking the Achievement Awards button on the Foundation's
web site at
www.surrattsville.org (and they
may be viewed collectively at
http://surrattsville.org/photos/achievement.shtml).
Please send any nominations to
hsmith@smithdowney.com.
6.
REQUEST FOR FOUNDATION BOARD
MEMBERS.
The Foundation is seeking
individuals willing to serve on the Foundation's Board.
If you might be willing to lend
your talents to this very worthy cause, please send an email to
hsmith@smithdowney.com.
7.
CLASS OF 97 PLANS REUNION.
The Class of 97 is busy planning its 15
year reunion for mid-summer 2012.
The Class has a web page at
http://shs1997reunion.blogspot.com/2011/05/shs-class-of-1997-2012-15yr-reunion.html.
Please contact Monica Crown at
monicacrown@gmail.com if you
would like information on the event or if you have any contact info
for members of the Class of 97 or their families.
8.
CLASS OF 71 PLANS REUNION.
The Class of 71 is holding a reunion event
near Annapolis on Saturday June 23, 2012.
For information, please visit the
"Surrattsville 1971" Group on Facebook, or contact Darlene Monaco
(71) at
darmonaco@gmail.com, cell:
443-831-1643 or home: 410-544-1471.
9.
CLASS OF 62 PLANS 50 YEAR
REUNION.
The Class of
62 is planning its 50 Year Reunion.
Here are the details from the
Reunion Committee: "Crystal City Marriott, Crystal City, VA, June
22, 23 and 24, 2012, Dinner on Saturday Night June 23.
Party like you're 18 again!
Party like it's 1962!
Reunion Committee: Terry Buckley
Osman (terryosman@yahoo.com)
410-320-2668 or 410-586-3911, Kathy Dorsey Larrabee (kklarrabee@verizon.net)
410-353-3432 or 410-897-0332, Jerry Spence (jnsspence@comcast.net)
240-216-0189 or 240-419-2661, Len Owens (lowens15@nc.rr.com)
443-206-2567.
Please join us on Facebook if you are a
member.
10.
CORRECTION CONCERNING BOOK TITLE.
Several of our eagle-eyed readers
noted that, in the last edition of the e-Notice, your editor
included a typo in the title of one of the books by Dave Crawley
(65).
The book's correct title is "Dog
Poems," not "Doug Poems."
Sorry, Dave!
11.
NEW PHOTOS ON WEB SITE.
Thanks to our readers, there are a
number of new historical, and recent, photos on the "Photos" page
on the web site at
www.surrattsville.org that
might be of interest to many of our readers.
If you have any photos that you
think might be of interest to our readers and web site visitors
please send them to me at
hsmith@smithdowney.com.
12.
UPDATED HISTORICAL COUNTY PHOTOS.
We received this nice internet tip
from Mike Johnson (77), and this related email from Susan Loweth
Melton (63):
"I received this link from
Bill Richards (72)
to a site with historical photos throughout Prince George's County
and beyond.
It might be the same web site you
mentioned in a prior e-Notice, but it appears to have some new
photos.
http://www.1959bhsmustangs.com/VintagePhotos_PGcounty.htm.
Susan"
13.
… AND SPEAKING OF HISTORY.
We have been provided with some
additional historical information about Surrattsville and Clinton,
and we'll feature it in this year's e-Alerts.
The first is from the Surratt
Society Newsletter from June 1979, and was contributed by the
Surratt House and Museum Executive Director, Laurie Verge:
"Why Clinton?
Many inquiries have been made to
our docents as to why and when the post office changed the name from
Surrattsville to Clinton.
An early practice was to name the
post office after the postmaster.
Accordingly, Surrattsville was born
in 1854 when John H. Surratt became the postmaster.
After his death in August of 1862,
his youngest son, John H., Jr., became the postmaster on September
1, 1862.
He held the position until November
17, 1863 when he was removed by the federal department – probably
because his reputation as an enemy courier began to catch up with
him.
Surratt was followed by Andrew V.
Robey who maintained the mails at the tavern until May 3, 1865 when
the location was moved down Piscataway Road and re-named Robeystown.
It remained such until October 18,
1878 when the name was changed to Clinton.
The origin of that name is unknown;
but one "educated guess" has been that a relative of DeWitt Clinton,
governor of New York, was Postmaster General at that time and
decided to "honor" DeWitt.
In 1906, the second high school in
the county was built and named Surrattsville, a name which still
stands.
It is interesting to speculate on
why the Board of Education preferred the original name.
An elementary school and junior
high school also bear the name Surrattsville as do many businesses
in the area.
History is hard to change."
14.
SEARCH THE WEB AND SUPPORT THE
FOUNDATION.
Some of our readers use the
goodsearch.com web search function to do their web searching, and by
doing so generate automatic contributions by goodsearch.com to the
Foundation.
To use goodsearch.com as your
search engine and to designate the Foundation as the beneficiary of
donations by goodsearch.com, simply by going to goodsearch.com and,
at the "Choose Your Cause" button enter "Surrattsville Foundation"
(and that will take you to a page that says "Surrattsville High
School Foundation (Baltimore – MD)" (the mailing address for the
Foundation.
Thanks for considering
this painless, and free, way to support the Foundation every time
you search the web!
15.
REQUEST FOR PRINCIPALS' PHOTOS FOR LEGACY
WALL.
As noted in the last e-Notice, the
Foundation is seeking photos of all of Surrattsville's Principals
(since 1907!) to include on the new, Foundation-sponsored "Legacy
Hall" at the School.
If you have any paper copies of
photos of Principals that you would be willing to snail mail to us
for scanning and a prompt return to you, please mail them to Henry
Smith, 1 W. Pennsylvania Avenue, Suite 950, Towson, MD 21204.
If you have the ability to scan a
digital copy of a Principal's photo – perhaps from your yearbook –
please send me an email at
hsmith@smithdowney.com so I can
tell you if we already have that particular photo.
If we don't, and you could kindly
scan the photo and email it to us that would be great.
(Especially if the scan is "high
resolution," which is better for enlarging to 8 x 10 size for
framing.)
Thanks in advance for any assistance you can provide with this
latest Foundation project.
16.
COLLECTED SCHOLARSHIP AND
ACHIEVEMENT AWARD PHOTOS NOW ON WEB SITE.
As previously reported, we're
delighted to note that the collected photos of all of the
Foundation's Scholarship recipients and Achievement Award recipients
(since 2000) are now accessible on one page on the web site by
clicking the "Photos" button on the home page (at
www.surrattsville.org).
Larger photos, and full bios, of
those outstanding members of the Surrattsville community may be
found by clicking the Scholarship and Achievement Award buttons on
the web site.
17.
FOUNDATION FACEBOOK PRESENCE
CONTINUES TO GROW.
The Foundation's Facebook Group – called
"Surrattsville Alumni" – continues to grow, and is now approaching
1300 members.
This is a great, and free, way for
folks to stay in touch.
Similarly, the Class-specific
Facebook Groups – that have names like "Surrattsville 1971" and the
like -- continue to grow.
Please consider joining the
Surrattsville Alumni Group, and your own Class-specific Group, to
get the latest news on alumni events.
18.
BOOMERANGS AVAILABLE.
The Foundation has a limited supply of
yearbooks from 1991, 1999, 2002, 2003, 2004 and 2006.
If you'd like one of these
yearbooks (which are available for $15 including shipping and
handling), please send an email to
hsmith@smithdowney.com.
19.
ALL CLASSES/FACULTY/STAFF
DIRECTORIES AVAILABLE.
Thanks to the herculean work of Pat Becker
Oles (71), the Foundation's 2000 Alumni/Faculty/Staff Directory has
been updated for 2010, and now includes fascinating "what I'm up to"
paragraphs from those who submitted directory information.
If you would like a copy of the
Directory, send a $20 check payable to the Foundation to:
Henry Smith, One W. Pennsylvania
Avenue, Suite 950, Towson, MD 21204.
20.
"SURRATTSVILLE ALUMNI" WINDOW
STICKERS AVAILABLE.
Pat
Becker Oles (71) also kindly handles the Foundation's "Surrattsville
Alumni" window stickers project.
Pat notes that the stickers are not
the "static cling type," that stick to the inside of a window.
Instead, they are the "stick to the outside type," that can stick on
a window or bumper, and use "repositional adhesive" (meaning no
sticky residue).
Information about purchasing the
stickers can be found on the web site at surrattsville.org.
Here's hoping the first month of your new
year was a wonderful one!
Henry Smith (71)
In Memoriam
RON CUNNINGHAM (former
faculty) died on December 31, 2011.
Ronald George
Cunningham of La Plata, Maryland, died on Saturday, December 31,
2011 at Tufts Medical Center in Boston, Massachusetts.
He was 69 years old.
Cunningham, who was a former
teacher, principal and regional administrator, served as Charles
County Public Schools associate and deputy superintendent for the
past 14 years.
Born on March 27, 1942 in White Township,
Pennsylvania, he was the son of the late Dorothy Viola and the late
Clarence Blair Cunningham.
Mr. Cunningham earned his
bachelor's degree from Indiana State College in Pennsylvania and his
master's degree from Georgetown University. Additionally, he earned
his administrative certification in education from George Washington
University in Washington, D.C.
He began his career in education in
1964 as a social studies teacher at Crossland High School in Prince
George's County. He also taught at Surrattsville High School before
moving into administrative positions. From 1979 to 1994, he served
in various administrative positions in Prince George's County Public
Schools, including 10 years as a high school principal. He served as
principal at Bladensburg High School from 1984-1988 and at High
Point High School in Beltsville from 1988-1994.
Mr. Cunningham started his career with
Charles County Public Schools in 1994 as a regional administrator.
In 1997, he was appointed associate superintendent of schools and in
2005 was named as deputy superintendent.
Recently, Mr. Cunningham was
honored as the 2011 Maryland School Counselor Association (MSCA)
Advocate of the Year for his support for counselors and their work.
"Mr.
Cunningham was my colleague and personal friend. He was the person
who handled the day-to-day operations of the school system and
supervised the principals. Most of all, he was student-centered. He
loved children and made sure that the best interest of children was
at the core of each decision. Mr. Cunningham was well respected, and
we are saddened by his death. This is a tremendous loss for the
students and staff of Charles County Public Schools and for Charles
County,' Superintendent James E. Richmond said.
Throughout his life, Mr. Cunningham was a member of the Kiwanis,
the Elks, the Rotary Club and the United Way.
He is survived by his wife of 43 years,
Mary Anne Cunningham; his son Douglas B. Cunningham; sister Joann C.
Hughes of Verona, PA; grandchildren Christopher R. Cunningham and
Caitlin B. Cunningham; brothers-in-law Stephen A. Farrell of
Chicago, IL, Thomas M. Farrell and his wife Susan of Coons Rapid,
MN, James E. and his wife Martha of Martinsville, VA.
A celebration of life took place on
Saturday, January 14, 2012 at North Point High School in Waldorf.
Memorial contributions may be made to Charles County Scholarship Foundation, Ronald G. Cunningham Scholarship, P. O. Box 2770 La Plata, Maryland 20646.
JAMES "JAY"
WALLACE SPRADLING (Surrattsville parent) passed away on
Saturday, January 14th in San Antonio, Texas, while surrounded by
family.
Jay was born the oldest of two sons
to Ethel and Luther Spradling in Bixby, Oklahoma, on October 30,
1929.
He graduated from Bixby High School
in 1947, and attended college at Oklahoma A&M University where he
obtained a degree in Dairy Science.
Shortly after graduation, he
entered the United States Air Force for a tour of duty, then settled
in Tulsa where he worked until 1961.
In 1961 Jay returned to the US Air
Force and served continuously until 1980, retiring as a Lieutenant
Colonel in 1980.
While on active duty, he was
assigned to locations in several states, Japan, Germany, and
Vietnam, earning a Bronze Star for his service in Vietnam.
After retirement from the Air
Force, Jay settled in San Antonio, Texas.
He retained his Bixby roots
throughout his life, joining the Bixby Historical Society and
returning often to visit friends and relatives and to attend high
school reunions.
Jay was the beloved husband of the
late Beverly Mae (Karnes) Spradling of Beaver, Oklahoma, the late
Dorothea Augusta (“Gus”) (Scheuch) Spradling of Universal City,
Texas, and Doris (Uecker) Spradling, of San Antonio, Texas.
The dear father of James Wallace
Spradling II (Surrattsville 1971) (Natalie), Kevin Karnes Spradling
(Rebecca), and Shelly Jane Foreman (Keith), Jay was also the
cherished “Papa” to 12 grandchildren and 11 great-grandchildren.
A great friend to many, Jay brought
joy and humor to the world, and he will be sorely missed.
Services were held at the Colonial
Funeral Home in Universal City, Texas, at 12:00 p.m. on Wednesday,
January 25th, followed by interment at Ft Sam Houston National
Cemetery. In lieu of flowers, Jay asked that any donations be made
to the Fisher House for military families, at 3623 George C. Beach
Rd, Ft Sam Houston, TX 78234. Please sign the guestbook at HYPERLINK
"http://www.colonialuniversal.com"
www.colonialuniversal.com.
MANY THANKS TO THESE
VERY EARLY DONORS TO THE 2012 CAMPAIGN!
Patricia Becker Oles
(71)
Steve Profilet (71)
Nancy Miller (67)
Bob Marr (71)
Debbie Cox Marr (72)
Elizabeth Lee
Gleisberg May (78), In memory of loving parents Ray and Dorothy
Gleisberg
Sandra Smith Simmons
(70)
Donna Rae Sturtevant
Smith (70), In memory of Lt. Col. Benjamin Norcia (USAF, Ret),
long-time Surrattsville substitute teacher, and Mary A. Norcia
Henry Smith (71), In
memory of Lt. Col. Benjamin Norcia (USAF, Ret), long-time
Surrattsville substitute teacher, and Mary A. Norcia
AND MANY THANKS TO
THESE GENEROUS DONORS TO THE 2011 CAMPAIGN!
Patricia Becker Oles
(71)
Steve Profilet (71)
Bob Marr (71)
Debbie Cox Marr (72)
Thomas V. Mike Miller
(60)
Vicky Simontacchi
Young (57)
Valerie Parker Allard
(73)
Bob Freitas (70)
Linda Dorsey Blum (66)
Coach Lew Jenkins
Helen Bovbjerg Niedung
(54)
Melissa Gilcrest (69)
Henry Smith (71)
Donna Rae Sturtevant
Smith (70)
Susan Loweth Melton
(63)
Judy Gordon Mentlik
(65), In memory of Gloria Grady (65), Linda Soper (65) and my 65
"brother," Richard Gordon (65)
Patti Williams
Makielski (74), In memory of Kathy Williams Sheppard (76)
Judy Crawley Gibson
(71), In memory of Debbie Bastek (71), "a tough cookie who is gone
too soon"
Duke Coleman (53)
Carmen Gines
Frotton (65),
In memory of Richard Gordon (65)
Paul Rickett (69)
Gloria Blandford
Rickett (71)
Tom and Sally Travis
(72)
Lawrence Romjue (57),
In memory of Lois Marie Osgood (57), "26 miles – Santa Catalina"
Richard Grace (81),
In memory of
Rhonda Nairn (81)
Mike Blair (71)
Suzan Martz Holmquist
(62)
Patrick McMenamin (71)
Vicky Simontacchi
Young (57)
Lee Hessberg (68)
Lois Barrett Hessberg
(70)
Carol Fite Mothershead
(65)
Larry Mothershead (65)
Mike Boyle (69)
Jim Casswell
Bonnie Harris
Scott Sonntag (71)
John Shultz (80)
Kelly Shultz (83)
Paul Monaghan (59)
Vicki Forsht
Williams (65, and former faculty), In memory of Eugene Colgan and
Marie Grouby
Marie O'Clair, In
memory of Marie Grouby
Jean White Monroe (71)
Vera Twigg
Anne Noyes (former
faculty)
Pamela Buckingham (68)
Leslie St. Clair (70)
Judy Miller (70)
Donna Mitroff
(57), In memory of
Nancy Drevenak Dickinson (59)
David Kraus (65)
Debra Villari
Lee Pascasio
Nancy Lapin LoBianco (65), In memory of Sarah (Sally Lang) Knight
(66)
Richard Duke (47), In memory of James Paul Duke, Jr. (40)
Dan Bayne (71)
Ron Cunningham, former
faculty
David Miller (73)
Mike Miller (70)
Denise Hope (72), In
memory of Robin Danielson (72)
Shawn Craw Blau (71)
Sandra Smith Simmons
(70)
Sandra Hardesty Taylor
(71)
Betty O'Clair (73), In memory of Francis R. O'Clair
Glenda Gillan
Schornick (70)
Mara Seaforest (65)
David Crawley (65), To
the Class of 65
Janet Goddard Sullivan
(54), In memory of Glenn Evans (54)
David Coffield (65)
Brenda Karnes (former
faculty), In memory of Dixie Vineiguerra, Vicki MacCoy, and Goldie
Smith-Watson
Ellen Talbert-Miller
(61, former faculty and administrator), In memory of Goldie
Smith-Watson