James Buchanan

Thirteen firefighters of the Bel Air Volunteer Fire Company recentlycompleted more than 100 hours of fire essentials training with the Maryland Fire and Rescue Institute.Those completing the training were Rick Woodward, Joe Rutherford, Missy Orsburn, Chris Zimmerman, Richard Gardiner, Ed Miller, Steve Bittner, Eric Britton, Scott Panowicz, Matt Hill, John Eid, Darren Williams and Dave Gent. They were instructed by John Petrovic and Jon Gift.JOPPATOWNE ELECTIONThe Joppatowne Civic Association elected officers for 1992 at itsNov.

PRESIDENT BUCHANAN. Has a natural ring to it, doesn't it? It should. There was one, as Pat Buchanan knows. In fact, a holiday trip connected to that fact -- one you can take, too -- may have inspired Pat to ponder running against George Bush.The president I'm talking about is James Buchanan, the first Democrat ever to run against a Republican candidate for president.That was in 1856. Buchanan was a Pennsylvanian who had been secretary of state and ambassador to Great Britain. In 1856, Democrats nominated him to run against the new Republican Party's nominee, John C. Fremont, an explorer of the West and California's first senator -- and an opponent of slavery.

They've got platforms. They've got handlers. They've got backers. They've got guts.So what's missing from this picture?They've got no wives.Not since a divorced Adlai Stevenson ran against Dwight Eisenhower in 1952 has a single man been a major contender for the White House. But now, as the 1992 election nears, the Democratic Party is beginning to look more and more like a stag party.When divorced Nebraska Sen. Bob Kerrey threw his hat into the presidential ring earlier this week, with his teen-age son and daughter and his ex-wife seated behind him, he became the second of three bachelor Democrats to launch solo races for the country's top office this time around.

Comparing the 40 individuals who have reached the presidency,one is struck less by what they have in common than by their differences.Consider education. George Washington, Zachary Taylor, Andrew Jackson, Millard Fillmore, Abraham Lincoln and Andrew Johnson had no formal schooling, while Harry Truman had only a public-school education. This is hardly surprising considering the few centers of higher education in the earlier days of the republic.On the other hand, two-thirds of our presidents were college graduates or had some college education.

Most of us know Lincoln, Washington, Kennedy, Truman, the Roosevelts, Woodrow Wilson. But James Buchanan?Yes, indeed. He is not one of the best-known or most respected presidents, but he was the 15th person to hold the office, from 1857-1861, just before Abraham Lincoln. He was totally a Pennsylvanian -- born in Franklin County, graduated from Dickinson College in Carlisle, studied law in Lancaster. Then he went into politics.Everything that has been written about him indicates a man of integrity, but perhaps one who should not have been president.

Many house and garden enthusiasts will flock toward Virginia this week, where the Garden Club of Virginia will host its 58th Historic Garden Week, called the oldest and largest house and garden tour in the country. This year's tour visits more than 200 private houses and gardens in 33 areas of the state from Saturday through April 28. Block tickets range in price from $5 to $15 per tour.Homes in Old Town Alexandria will be featured during one of the tours on opening day. Five privately owned homes, three gardens, a residence adapted to a business and five museums can be seen from 10 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Tea will be served at the Athenaeum.