50th Anniversary

Choral society seeks new members for 50th anniversary The Harford Choral Society, under the direction of T. Herbert Dimmock, is seeking new members for the 50th anniversary celebration, which will begin with a performance of Handel's Messiah. The chorus is composed of men and women interested in singing classical music. Rehearsals are held at 7 p.m. every Tuesday at the Churchville Presbyterian Church. The first rehearsal date is Sept. 7. Call 410-836-2773 or 410-452-5974. HCC needs volunteers to help literacy classes The Literacy Education Department of Harford Community College is seeking classroom volunteers to assist instructors in English as a Second Language classes and Adult Basic Education in reading, writing and math classes this fall at various times and locations throughout Harford County.

JOHNNIE CARR, 97 Civil rights activist Johnnie Carr, who joined childhood friend Rosa Parks in the historic Montgomery bus boycott and became a prominent civil rights activist over the past half-century, died Friday in Montgomery, Ala. She had suffered a stroke Feb. 11, said Baptist Health hospital spokeswoman Melody Ragland. Ms. Carr succeeded the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. as president of the Montgomery Improvement Association in 1967, a post she held at her death. It was the newly formed association that led the boycott of city buses in the Alabama capital in 1955 after Ms. Parks, a black seamstress, was arrested for refusing to give up her seat to whites on a crowded bus. A year later, the Supreme Court struck down racial segregation on public transportation.

SIX MONTHS before the 50th anniversary of the Supreme Court's Brown vs. Board of Education decision, observances commemorating the event are under way. Baltimore had two in as many days. Wednesday marked the 25th anniversary of the Black Jewish Forum of Baltimore -- better known as the BLEWS. The BLEWS put on a gala celebration dinner that honored former City Councilwoman Victorine Q. Adams. Also on the program was Baltimore attorney Larry Gibson giving a retrospective on how black and Jewish lawyers helped bring about changes in civil rights.

FIFTY YEARS have passed since the end of World War II, and many people still talk as though Japan is still the worst enemy.Growing up in Japan, the history of World War II hurt me deeply. I felt sad for my countrymen knowing many were killed and the nation was destroyed. At the same time, I felt guilty about the way the Japanese treated others. Even though Japanese textbooks didn't cover these issues, I learned early what really happened during those years.Coming to the United States in 1987 at age 23 and meeting the non-Japanese people who were also victims was an affirmation of the tragedy of the war. And it was real.

Jimsey Marcoux can't swim a stroke, but she didn't need any convincing when her husband suggested celebrating their 50th anniversary at sea with their entire family."

HAVANA -- Ailing Cuban leader Fidel Castro spoke by telephone Friday to a gathering of government officials in what experts say is a likely effort to counter speculation that he is near death. The Communist Party newspaper Granma reported yesterday that Castro called in, was briefed about the meeting's progress and then sent greetings to provincial legislative leaders attending the event at a convention center in Havana. Castro's greeting provoked "happiness and enthusiastic applause" from the participants, Granma said.

By the time Rex Barney signed off with his trademark "thank you" before last night's game at Camden Yards, he had spoken volumes about the man the Orioles, and all of baseball, were honoring.Barney, the Orioles' public-address announcer, was on the field as part of the ceremonies that commemorated the 50th anniversary of Jackie Robinson breaking major-league baseball's color barrier. Also present were Vincent Lee, the last surviving member of the 1931 Baltimore Black Sox, and Ernest Burke and Bert Simmons of the 1949 Baltimore Elite Giants.

THE men of Normandy," said Ronald Reagan in 1984, speaking at Pointe du Hoc on the 40th anniversary of D-Day, "had faith that what they were doing was right, faith that they fought for all humanity, faith that a just God would grant them mercy on this beachhead -- or the next. . . . They knew that some things are worth dying for, that one's country is worth dying for and that democracy is worth dying for . . ."It was a terribly moving moment -- Mr. Reagan's dignity and presence combined perfectly with Peggy Noonan's words to dramatize the meaning of the day.The 50th anniversary that we commemorate this week is different.

WASHINGTON -- In spite of deepening strains between Washington and Moscow, President Clinton has decided to go to Russia in May to mark the 50th anniversary of the Allies' World War II victory in Europe and to meet with Russian President Boris N. Yeltsin, the White House announced yesterday.In deciding to go, Mr. Clinton bowed to the argument of key advisers that his absence from Moscow's celebration would be viewed as an insult to the Russian people, who lost up to 27 million of their countrymen in the war against Nazi Germany.