Hap

New Loyola College President Harold "Hap" Ridley Jr. does not want to talk about filling shoes. He does not want always to be looking back at Loyola's recent past under "Father Joe."In three decades as president, the late Rev. Joseph Sellinger succeeded in his driving ambition: turning a commuter school known little beyond greater Baltimore into a regional liberal arts college.So the question becomes: What becomes the replacement of a legend most?For Father Ridley, a soft-spoken scholar who until last fall spent almost his entire career at Le Moyne College in Syracuse, N.Y., the answer will always be academic.

Robert A. "Hap" Wells, a retired educator and World War II veteran, died Sept. 7 of complications from Alzheimer's disease at Forest Hill Health and Rehabilitation in Forest Hill. He was 86. Mr. Wells was born and raised in Overlea. He was a graduate of Polytechnic Institute. During World War II, he enlisted in the Army, where he was a radar specialist in the Pacific and attained the rank of tech 5. He earned an associate's degree in 1949 from the old Baltimore Junior College and a bachelor's degree in education in 1954 from the University of Maryland, College Park.

Clair D. "Hap" Baker, who devoted the last nine years of his life to lobbying against gun-control laws, died of a stroke and lung cancer Thursday at Gettysburg Lutheran Retirement Village in Gettysburg, Pa. The Hampstead resident was 71.Mr. Baker stepped down a week ago as president of the Carroll County Sportsmen's Association. A member of the National Rifle Association and an NRA hunter education instructor, he became a familiar figure in Annapolis speaking out against gun laws."He spoke the truth, he spoke what was on his mind and he spoke for the people," said his daughter Donna Schwenk of Rockport, Mass.

SYRACUSE, N.Y. -- For 20 years, the Rev. Harold Edward Ridley has shown every sign of actually enjoying the company of college students.He's one of the few professors at Le Moyne College here to live in the dorms, and year after year he's volunteered to counsel dozens of freshmen. Smoking a cigar, he's been a fixture at Le Moyne sporting events, even practices, sometimes traveling hundreds of miles for important games. And countless times, when Le Moyne recruiters needed a Jesuit representative to go sell the college to a group of high school students, they turned to Father Ridley.

He had been away from the races since disappointing in the Breeders' Cup Mile last November, but the layoff was no impediment to Hap in the Grade III, $200,000 Dixie Handicap yesterday at Pimlico Race Course. The Bill Mott trainee took on a formidable field and prevailed by 1 1/4 lengths over long shot Make No Mistake to score his seventh win in 12 starts and increase his lifetime earnings to nearly $500,000. "It was a case of history repeating itself," Mott said. "This horse has always run well fresh.

Good morning, readers. Today, we're coming to you live from the newsroom here at The Sun. That's right, I said live. Live! Through the miracle of technology, you're reading this story as I tuhype.Oops. Hit some extra keys. Well, that happens sometimes, and because we're live, I don't get to back up and delete that little typoi. I mean, typo. See how exciting it is to witness daily journalism as it happens? And you thought "ER" going live this week was something.I can't promise you that our little experiment will be pretty.

The Maryland state fire marshal's office has determined that a fire at the Hap Baker Firearms Facility in Westminster was an accident. The blaze started shortly before noon Friday when hot ammunition ignited materials on the rifle range, according to the fire marshal's office. Fanned by brisk winds, the fire spread to the roof of the rifle range, then to an office trailer and a shed. No one was injured.

Longtime Maryland horse trainer Hap Ravich died at Sinai Hospital on Monday afternoon after a long battle with heart disease and related problems.Ravich, 80, trained state-bred champion Jameela as well as stakes winners Endless Surprise, Sarah Percy and Hush Hush Flash."

Hunters and gun enthusiasts who practice their firearms skills at Carroll County's increasingly popular gun range will soon see improvements to the rough outpost deep inside the county's Northern Landfill.In a unanimous decision, county commissioners voted yesterday spend $36,000 to run power lines to the Hap Baker Firearms Facility off Route 140 just outside Westminster.The electricity will be used to power lighting and ventilation systems needed to improve safety and comfort, said Richard J. Soisson, director of the Department of Recreation and Parks.

On Friday, October 15, 2004, JOSEPH VINCENT; beloved son of the late Christine L. Di Francis and John Joseph Bianca; devoted brother and brother-in-law of Rose Marie C. and Charles A. Yost, Lucille M. and Hap Jones and the late Jean Marie Bianca; uncle of four nieces and four nephews. A Mass of Christian Burial will be held on Wednesday at 10 A.M. at St. John Catholic Church, 43 Monroe Street, Westminster, with Father Brian Nolan as celebrant. Interment will be private. The family will receive friends at Pritts Funeral Home & Chapel, 412 Washington Road, Westminster, on Monday and Tuesday from 2 to 4 and 6 to 8 P.M. Memorial contributions may be made in his name to the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society, Office of Donor Services, Maryland Chapter, 8600 La Salle Road, The Chester Building, Suite 314, Towson, MD 21286.