40th Anniversary

On the eve of German unity, the East Berlin Schauspielhaus hosted a special performance of Kurt Masur conducting his Leipzig Gewandhaus Orchestra doing Beethoven's Ninth Symphony.The balcony's row of honor included Helmut Kohl, just minutes before he became first Chancellor of a reunited Germany, Richard von Weisaecker, the President, and Lothar de Maiziere, the outgoing East German Prime Minister.Mr. Kohl's cabinet, along with ministers and party leaders from East Germany's brief, sometimes embarrassing, first try at democracy, were scatterred in the audience.

I went to Garrison Junior High School yesterday, to look for a footnote to the nation's history. The footnote was gone, and so was Garrison Junior High. The new name on the building is Garrison Middle School. The footnote lost inside is racial integration.I went looking for its remnants, which were there when I left Garrison only 34 years ago. I was 15 years old at the time, and moving on to senior high. Public school integration was 6 years old, and already moving toward national footnote status.

The Maryland Humanities Council will announce today a first-of-its-kind grant program to fund forums, seminars and other community events aimed at promoting racial dialogue and timed around next year's 40th anniversary of the assassination of the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. Remembrance and reconciliation are the twin goals of the statewide initiative on race, which is named for the slain civil rights leader, organizers said. The King initiative grants, which will total $500,000, will be used to stimulate community conversations through the arts and humanities, especially before memories of King's life work start to wane, said Peggy Burke, the council's executive director.

Ron Giddings, 25, describes himself as a jack of all trades and a glutton for punishment. This season, he has dedicated considerable time and talent to directing two Annapolis Summer Garden shows: the midseason offering Urinetown and the Broadway Under the Stars 40th Anniversary show opening Sept. 8. The event will raise funds for the restoration and renovation of Summer Garden's building and performance space. "I have had a blast shaping them and pulling new things from all these experienced performers," Giddings said of the cast, embracing the "choreographed chaos that makes a smooth and tight show for the audience and absolute madness for the actors.

After nearly 40 years of coaching experience, Augie Waibel admits he should have known better.But the Poly football and lacrosse coach also admits being a stubborn man, which not only made him a three-sport athlete and an excellent teacher, but also is the main reason it hurts so much lately just to blow his nose.The 59-year-old Carney resident is paying the price for violating one of his most important rules: Always warm up before engaging in any strenuous exercise."We were moving this seven-man blocking sled last Thursday, and you just don't jump into something like that," said Waibel, describing a recent back injury.

WASHINGTON -- "Re-live the best years of your lives," proclaims a whimsical bumper sticker. "Reagan in '96!"That's not possible, of course, but President Clinton is giving those nostalgic for a return of the Gipper a reprieve of sorts. He is borrowing the best scenes from the 1984 Reagan campaign.Four years ago, as a candidate, Clinton denounced the 1980s as the decade of greed. As president he has battled to undo much of Reagan's conservative legacy.Yet as he runs for re-election, Clinton's advisers have hit upon an irresistible truth: The model for successful campaigns is the 1984 Republican re-election effort.

The Candlelight Concert Society has presented so many chamber music groups that it's fitting that it has assembled a diverse roster of performers for its 40th anniversary gala on Saturday, May 18, from 3 to 6 p.m., at Howard Community College's Smith Theatre. "We're very proud of the variety and depth of our programming," says Candlelight artistic director Holly Thomas. She adds that the upcoming gala will be "celebrating what we've been doing to bring exciting and innovative works here.

OAKLAND, Calif. - A week ago, Manny Machado was about to head onto the field from the dugout at Camden Yards when someone yelled out to him, "Hey Manny. " It's not an unusual occurrence these days for the young third baseman, who is increasingly becoming the center of attention for fans and national media. But this one was different. It was Hall of Fame third baseman Brooks Robinson who wanted a few seconds of Machado's time. "He actually called me out, 'Hey Manny,' and he introduced himself," Machado said.

Dr. Bruce L. Rollman was single when he began studying divorce rates among physicians, but married by the time he concluded the research."So I was anxiously following this issue," says Rollman, lead author of "Medical Specialty and the Incidence of Divorce," published in today's issue of the New England Journal of Medicine.He -- and his wife -- can be reassured by the findings: Internists such as Rollman have among the lowest rates of divorce in the profession. Almost as low (the difference is not statistically significant, Rollman quickly notes)

Southwest Airlines is saying happy birthday to you with its 40th Anniversary sale offering fares starting at $40 one-way. For the next 72 hours or so, customers can purchase one-way tickets for $40, $80, or $120 to select destinations, based on length of travel. One-way fares are $40 for travel up to 450 miles; $80 for travel between 451 and 1,250 miles; and $120 for travel more than 1,251 miles, fares are $120 one-way. The fares are good for travel from Aug. 23 to Nov. 16. And it's a twofer for Baltimore travelers since Southwest is offering a parallel sale with its new subsidiary AirTran, with fares starting at $40 one-way.