American Legion

From the time they started meeting in a Catonsville basement 55 years ago, members of the American Legion Jackson & Johnson Memorial Post No. 263 have wanted to build their own headquarters. The post's members socialize and entertain in an old corner store in the 100 block of Winters Lane, which is the main street in the historically black neighborhood. The building appears on the verge of collapse and has never been big enough for monthly meetings. When all 189 members meet once a month, they must gather at the Banneker Center across the street.

Violet J. Brawner, 85, Edgewood homemakerViolet J. Brawner, a Harford County homemaker, died of a heart attack Wednesday at her home in Edgewood. She was 85.Born in Baltimore, the former Violet Lein sacrificed high school to help her family of nine after her father lost his job. At age 12, she rode a streetcar from Belair Road to the downtown area to work in a sewing factory.When she turned 18, by then a factory supervisor, she attended night school to earn her diploma.Mrs. Brawner was a past president of three Golden Age clubs -- in Joppatowne and Magnolia, and at Trinity Lutheran Church Club in Joppa, where she had been a church member for 45 years.

TODAY is Flag Day, and the American Legion will be celebrating the occasion by burning flags -- old ones, put to death respectfully, of course. Still, it's more than a little ironic that the organization spearheading the movement for a constitutional amendment to prohibit flag burning marks Flag Day with a bonfire.The proposed Flag Protection Amendment is just a few votes shy of the necessary two-thirds majority in the Senate -- the stumbling block in past attempts, not an easy rollover like the House.

AFTER DARK Club, not in our Back Yard," say members of the Brooklyn Heights community.Fearful of the prospect of such an establishment, which would be open at the odd hours of 11 p.m. to 5 a.m., the residents are circulating petitions through the area, hoping to get the attention of the powers that be: County Council members, zoning officials and the Anne Arundel County Liquor Board.The County Council has scheduled a hearing on the matter at 7 p.m. May 3 in its chambers at the Arundel Center in Annapolis.

WITH THE TITLE "The Rock-Knockin' Native Americans," it's no surprise that pupils at Charles Carroll Elementary School were completely mesmerized by a recent school program featuring "Billy B."The "B" stands for Brennan, and Billy B. is a professional performer who demonstrates how Native Americans used natural resources and their ingenuity to survive.Pupils learned how Native Americans used cattails, saplings and bark to build wigwams, flint to make tools, and bent saplings to trap turkeys.

SUMMERTIME can be a great time to rekindle interest in a hobby or craft or maybe even explore a new pastime.Members of the Count Your Stitches cross-stitch club have been using the summer months to share a project that has really sparked interest among club members.A half-dozen members of the group are putting the finishing touches on a stitchery project known as a round robin. Each of the participants stitches a themed design in divided portions of fabric to create a sampler for each person stitching in the round robin.

AUGUST may seem a long way off, but if you're planning a major event for late summer, those five months just fly by.That's why organizers of the third annual Celebrate Taneytown Festival are hard at work getting ready for the Aug. 22 event.Officials are hoping up to 10,000 people will visit the event, which will feature vendors with 19th-century skills, children's activities and plenty of food. Organizers also hope to showcase the city's history and its community spirit.The next planning meeting is at 7 p.m. March 19 at City Hall on East Baltimore Street.

This is the season of soccer camps, outdoor camps, fat camps and computer camps. But at the campus of Western Maryland College in Westminster this week, a group of teen-age boys is having a summer experience unlike any other.They are polite as butlers, addressing a visitor as "Sir."They are the definition of order, marching in flawless rows to meals and class.They will elect a governor and two senators.This is the American Legion's Maryland Boys State, a week-long program that teaches high school boys the values of democracy, citizenship, public service and, yes, good behavior.

They've marched for presidents before, but it's still a thrill for the Original 27 Flags marching unit of Dewey Lowman American Legion Post 109 of Arbutus, which will represent Maryland in the Clinton-Gore Inaugural Parade in Washington on Jan. 20."We think it's an honor. It's tough to get in the parade, but we fit in with the theme," said Johnnie Thompson of Glen Burnie, the post member who handled the application that was quickly accepted by the inaugural committee's parade division.Formed in 1975, with 27 flags borrowed from the Maryland Department of the American Legion, the unit displays each of the U.S. flags used over the years.

American Legion Post 223 in Sykesville has donated more than 100 American flags to Oklahoma Road Middle School."If not for the legion's generosity, we would have had to purchase the flags," said Larry Barnes, principal of the new school, which opened last week."

John W. Sloan, a retired partner in a Baltimore law firm who had also been active in veterans affairs for nearly 50 years, died Sunday of cancer at his home in the Winthrop House condominiums on North Charles Street. He was 84. Mr. Sloan, the son of a lawyer and homemaker, was born and raised in Cumberland. The day after graduating from Allegany High School in 1943, he enlisted in the Marine Corps. He served with Air Warning Squadron No. 1 in the Pacific and participated in the Enewetok Atoll, Marshall Island, Okinawa, Le Shima and Toro Shima campaigns.

On May 22, 2009, Glenn C. "Mac" annis The family will receive visitors at the family owned Kirkley-Ruddick Funeral Home, 421 Crain Highway S.E., Glen Burnie, on Wednesday from 3 to 5 and 7 to 9 P.M. Funeral services will be held on Thursday at 10 A.M. at the funeral home. Interment Maryland Veterans Cemetery in Crownsville. In lieu of flowers donations may be made to the Boys State Program, American Legion, PO Box 1055, Indianapolis, IN 46206. Please visit www.kirkleyruddickfuneralhome.

On March 9, 2009, RICHARD WALTER- HEFRIGHT, age 86, beloved husband of the late Betty Jane Hefright (nee Jepson), devoted father of Mary Sue Lowery and her husband Danny, Deborah Lee Becicka and her husband Leonard, Richard Kelly Hefright and his wife Nancy, and Theodore Dennis Hefright and his wife Patsy, dear brother of Mildred "Skippy" Miller, loving grandfather of Jessica Lehr, James Matusky, Matthew Matusky, Rebecca Becicka, Katie Hefright and Patrick...

Arthur J. Brett, a retired Social Security Administration official who was active in veterans affairs, died Thursday of cirrhosis at his Mount Airy home. He was 76. Mr. Brett was born and raised in Milwaukee, where he earned a bachelor's degree in business administration from Marquette University in 1953. He served in the Army during the Korean War and remained an active reservist, attaining the rank of lieutenant. He went to work for the SSA in 1958 and was transferred to headquarters at Woodlawn in 1964.

Howard County Fire Capt. Stephen M. Hardesty remembers his parents telling him as a young child that the first words he spoke were "fire engine." For Lt. Joseph R. Ross, becoming an emergency medical services provider was following a family tradition of serving as career firefighters. After years of service, Hardesty and Ross will be recognized as Career Firefighter and Career EMS Provider of the Year, respectively, by the American Legion - Department of Maryland. They are to receive their awards at the organization's annual convention tomorrow in Ocean City.

On July 1, 2008, CLETUS J. EWALS, 75, Born in New Rockford, ND, He was an Air Force Veteran and a member of the VFW and the American Legion. He was employed by the Government Printing Office in Washington, DC for 38 years. He is survived by his loving wife Elaine, son; Michael, daughters; Marcie, Michelle and Jeri, step-children; Lisa, Jamie, William and Thomas, brothers; William, Herbert and Martin, sisters; Bernice and Terry, 14 grandchildren and four great-grandchildren. Prevatt Funeral Home, Hudson, Florida.

Philip M. Prestianni, a retired optical lens crafter who designed a prescription face-mask shield worn during games by Baltimore Colts receiver Raymond Berry, died Wednesday at his home in Gardenville. He was 90. Mr. Prestianni was the third of eight children born to Signorino and Basilia Prestianni in their Camden Street home. He graduated in 1937 from City College, where, family members said, his interest in the vision industry began. A year later, Mr. Prestianni started working at New City Optical.

MARK FACTOR passed away Wednesday March 19, 2008 at the University of Maryland Medical Center in Baltimore, MD. He was born in Philadelphia, PA on Nov. 27, 1919, the son of the late George and Ida Goldberg Factor. He grew up in Philadelphia and attended the Mastbaum Vocational School. He enlisted in the Navy in 1938 and was aboard the USS St. Louis at Pearl Harbor during the attack on Dec. 7, 1941. He was a veteran of numerous naval battles of the Pacific including Leyte Gulf, Guadalcanal, Okinawa and Kolombangara.

On February 4, 2008, STANLEY W.; beloved husband of the late Shirley J. king (nee Wilt); beloved father of Anne K. Whaples; brother of Doris Gentile and Lois King; grandfather of Matthew W. King; step-grandfather of Graham Whaples; uncle of Tony and Robert Gentile, Dr. George Baumgardner and Carolyn Breitbach and Lori Burkland. Services at Trinity Lutheran Church, 38 W. Baltimore St., Taneytown, MD on Saturday, at 11 a.m. Interment in Trinity Lutheran Cemetery. The family will receive friends Friday, 2 to 4 and 7 to 9 p.m. Friday at Myers-Durboraw Funeral Home.

John P. "Big John" Matthews, a retired and decorated Baltimore City police officer who was an accomplished horseman, died of renal failure Dec. 28 at his Harford County home. He was 88. Born in Baltimore and raised on North Montford Avenue, he attended Baltimore public schools. During World War II, Mr. Matthews served in the Army's Signal Corps in Saipan. He left the military as a sergeant and remained active in the Veterans of Foreign Wars and American Legion. In 1950, he joined the old Baltimore City Park Police.