Cross

A 16-year-old girl attempting to cross five lanes of traffic on Liberty Road west of Georgetown Boulevard in Eldersburg Friday evening was hit by a car and died at Carroll County General Hospital, state police said.Kristin Diane Zorn, of the 1800 block of Liberty Road in Eldersburg, entered the first westbound lane of traffic at 8: 48 p.m. and was hit by a 1989 Chevrolet Beretta driven by Lindsay N. Crispino, 16, of Sykesville.No charges were filed, police said.

ONE OF the scariest moments in my life was attending a Klan cross burning in 1968. The memory was rekindled by the recent controversy over the Klan's request to participate in the "Adopt-a-Road" cleanup program in Anne Arundel County.My college roommate found out that the Klan was going to hold a rally at a farm in Northeast in Cecil County. We should go, he said, because it would be "a hoot."I was repelled by the Ku Klux Klan's doctrine of hate and violence, but he convinced me that we shouldn't pass up this opportunity to see some extremists up-close.

GRANTSVILLE -- The formal stone cross stands on a moss-touched pedestal by a rushing stream -- a picture of serenity in the deep woods.It's a picture seen more often this time of year. Spring brings out more hikers. They cross Poplar Lick Run several times on the Poplar Lick Trail, but when they see the cross, the simple beauty often stops them. It recalls Gen. Stonewall Jackson's last words: "Let us cross over the river and rest under the trees."Close up, though, the memorial reveals the unexpected.

OSWIECIM, Poland -- For nearly a decade, a giant cross has towered over the fence at Auschwitz, a monument to thousands of Polish Catholics who died in the Nazi death camps during World War II.But now, local Roman Catholics say the cross is in peril. It could, they say, disappear at any time. Their daily prayer vigils are filled with sidelong glances. Last month, they began to patrol the area after dark."Our ancestors died here. This place is soaked in Polish blood," declares Emilia Wanat, 68, kneeling on the cold sidewalk to say the rosary and sing hymns.

Classic Cat didn't exactly knock them dead in the Preakness yesterday, but finishing in third place was good enough to keep him from returning to the rock-hard tracks in California."

Eugene Grayson Cross, 80, Towson insurance salesmanEugene Grayson Cross, a longtime Towson insurance salesman and World War II veteran, died July 9 of heart failure while in Derwood in Montgomery County. He was 80.A Baltimore native, Mr. Cross graduated from City College in 1936 and attended the Johns Hopkins University. He served in the Army from 1941 to 1945 during World War II.Upon his discharge, Mr. Cross was an instructor in the vocational training and education division at the Baltimore offices of the Veterans Administration.

Under a gray, foreboding Good Friday sky, a group of Christians re-enacting the Way of the Cross walked along downtown streets yesterday afternoon commemorating the passion and death of Jesus and advocating peace and justice.They were joining Christians around the state who paused yesterday to reflect on the crucifixion of Jesus.Many went to churches, where they kept vigil, some for the three hours between noon and 3 p.m. that, according to tradition, was when Jesus hung on the cross.But others took their worship outdoors, such as the approximately 40 who gathered at City Hall for the annual Good Friday Stations of the Cross for Justice sponsored by Pax Christi/Baltimore, a Catholic-based movement for peace and justice.

In the vernacular of the times, David C. Cross Jr. has been there, done that.The trainer cruised into Baltimore in 1983 with the Kentucky Derby winner, Sunny's Halo, only to watch the storm clouds mount. After winning the Derby by two lengths and looming as favorite in the Preakness, Sunny's Halo broke out in a rash.Cross' veterinarian said: "Go ahead and run. You'll get away with it this time."Cross knew that the colt's owners -- he owned 15 percent himself -- wanted to run because a second victory in a Triple Crown race would boost the colt's syndication price at stud.

The Archdiocese of Baltimore has named a former Loyola College administrator as temporary head of six city Roman Catholic schools involved in a restructuring that will give them common management but separate principals.J. Paul Melanson will serve for one year as provost of the corporate board of the Catholic Academy under the Southeast Baltimore Catholic School Project. Melanson, who retired in 1994 after 24 years at Loyola, will oversee finances, fund raising, facilities and marketing.The schools are: Bishop John Neumann, St. Elizabeth, Our Lady of Fatima and Bishop Kolbe elementaries and Our Lady of Pompeii elementary and high school.

In a wooded glen, a portrait of a smiling boy is nailed to a tree. A country lane winds past, and the early spring air is alive with the scent of wild onions and new leaves.Scant feet away a yellow road sign cautions, "Sharp Hillcrest Ahead, 25 mph," but the warning comes too late for the boy who looks so young and full of life."Lee Welch. 1978-1995. We miss you." The words above the picture tell the story. There is more to the story, of course -- there always is -- but the poignancy and the loss are inescapable.

On Wednesday, Loyola junior Matt Jablonski was doing his thing on the soccer field, playing center midfield for the Dons in their Maryland Interscholastic Athletic Association A Conference semifinal against McDonogh. Center midfield is one of the most demanding positions in soccer, requiring endless energy with the need to get forward and back. Today, Jablonski turns in his soccer cleats for running shoes as a standout on the Dons' cross country team, which will compete in the MIAA championships.

Christmas is probably unconstitutional. I'm no lawyer, but the logic seems unassailable to me. Consider: Santa Claus aside, Christmas is an explicitly Christian holiday and the only holiday of any religion to be observed by the federal government. Which would seem to violate the First Amendment edict that Congress "shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion." Yet to the best of my admittedly limited knowledge, no one has ever sued Christmas before the Supreme Court. Not that I'm trying to give any ideas.

Moore, Kutcher and array of celebrities commit themselves to service Before a crowd of hundreds of activists, educators and politicos at a Washington high school Monday, Demi Moore and Ashton Kutcher unveiled a Web video directed by Moore called The Presidential Pledge, in which an array of celebrities make service commitments ranging from using fewer plastic bottles to, as Kutcher stated, "always representing my country with pride and dignity."...

Dennis Barnes in Abingdon knew Halloween recalled Samhain, the Celtic "cross-quarter day," halfway between the fall equinox and the winter solstice. Groundhog Day and May Day also evolved from cross-quarter days. But "why is there not a similar observance during the summer around the first of August?" he asks. There was, but Lughnasadh, celebrating the harvest's first fruits, has withered away.

CBS sent along Randy Cross' thoughts at approximately the halfway point of the NFL season. Here's what he had to say about the Ravens: "If this defense can hold up for another 10 games, the Ravens stay in the hunt, but a couple of injuries and 2008 could get real long, real quick." (Either they asked him before the Ravens played their seventh game or he has them going to at least one playoff game.) (For more, go to baltimoresun.com/mediumwell)

On July 12, 2008, HURLEY J.; beloved son of Hurley Cross and Deborah Winslow; also survived by children, Malik, Ariel and Sasha; brother, Donnell; sister, Shamira and a host of other relatives and friends. Friends may call at Parker Funeral Home, P.A., 3512 Frederick Avenue on Thursday from 2 to 8 P.M. Family will receive friends at 270 S. Fred Hilton Pass on Friday from 10 to 10:30 A.M., with funeral service to follow. Interment Mt. Zion Cemetery.

Mr. and Mrs. Harvey Cross are pleased to announce the coming marriage of their daughter Kellie Anne Cross to Michael Patrick McLellen, son of the Reverends Mr. and Mrs. Daniel McLellen. The ceremony will be held on Saturday, July 5, 2008 at the Corkran Memorial United Methodist Church. The grooms father Rev. Daniel McLellen will perform the ceremony. The groom is a Science Teacher at the Patuxent Valley Middle School. The bride is a Child Therapist for the Bayview Medical Center Head Start Program.

Peter Irving Cross Jr., former Baltimore parking lot owner and World War II veteran, died of renal failure Tuesday at Genesis Eldercare in Severna Park. He was 85. Mr. Cross was born and raised in Baltimore and was a 1940 graduate of Polytechnic Institute. During World War II, he enlisted in the Army and served with an infantry unit at the Battle of Saipan in the Pacific. Mr. Cross succeeded his father in operating P. Irving Cross & Son Parking in downtown Baltimore. Founded in 1920, the business owned and operated a parking lot just south of the Pennsylvania Railroad's old Calvert Station.

On May 13, 2008, PETER IRVING CROSS, JR., of Severna Park, MD; beloved husband of the late Angela S. Cross; dear brother of Sarah Cross Douglas. Also survived by Paul Holmes Douglas, Patricia Rutemiller, Clementine Lezon. Also survived by 11 nieces and nephews. Chapel service will be held on Wednesday 11:30 a.m. at the MD Veterans Cemetery, Crownsville, MD. For more information please visit www.barrancofuneralhome.com

Few things in everyday life are as intimidating as first-time home buying can be. There's so much to consider, and you don't know what you don't know. So here's a rough to-do list - the steps buyers typically go through from start to finish. Keith L. Cross, a Realtor with Century 21 Downtown in Baltimore, suggests that Step One - long before you get your heart set on a particular price range - is to get pre-qualified for a mortgage. Next, identify your wants and needs. Where do you see yourself living?