Master Of Ceremonies

Julius "Trucky" Halpren, who for years was the popular master of ceremonies of Monday Amateur Night at the Pimlico Hotel and later restaurant, died Sunday of cardiac arrest at Levindale Hebrew Geriatric Center and Hospital in Baltimore. He was 78. For years, Mr. Halpren's venue was the smoky and boisterous Cavalier Lounge of the now-demolished Pimlico Hotel in the 5300 block of Park Heights Ave. On Monday evenings, he would welcome a regiment of amateur musicians, singers, comedians and magicians.

DURBAN, South Africa — Joachim Loew could have said what everyone expected. Germany's boyish coach could have made excuses. He could have blamed his players or his ill-conceived game plan for his team's loss. Instead he simply said what everyone already knew. "Spain was just better than us tonight," Loew confessed. "Over the past two or three years Spain has been the most skilled team of all. They are masters of the game." Spain made history Wednesday with a 1-0 victory over Germany, advancing to its first World Cup final.

When you're 40-something, if someone shaves two years off your age -- it is a compliment. But when you're a teen-ager, a two-year mistake in age can seem quite the opposite.Sincere apologies to Melvin Szymanski, who is 15 years old -- not 13 -- as mentioned in last week's column. Melvin is a member of Mount Airy's Civil Air Patrol Squadron 18091 of the Maryland Wing. He served as master of ceremonies for the Squadron's Charter Ceremony that was held Sunday at Mount Airy Fall Festival.@

R. Gordon Beard, a retired Associated Press sportswriter and well-known master of ceremonies who was also an author and expert on Baltimorese, died Saturday of Parkinson's disease at Perring Parkway Center. The longtime Gardenville resident was 82. Mr. Beard - who was known to generations of readers by the byline Gordon Beard - as born and raised in South Baltimore. While a student at Southern High School, he played basketball and baseball and enrolled in a public speaking class. He also found out he had a talent for making people laugh - as was shown when a physics teacher asked the class one day, "What happens when a body is immersed in water?"

Howard County MADD to launch Red Ribbon '95The Howard County chapter of Mothers Against Drunk Driving will begin its Red Ribbon '95 campaign at 9 a.m. tomorrow at Mount Hebron High School, 9440 Route 99, Ellicott City.Red ribbons, intended to remind motorists to drive sober, will be distributed.State Sen. Christopher J. McCabe, a Republican representing Howard and Montgomery counties, will be master of ceremonies, and County Executive Charles I. Ecker is one of the scheduled speakers.Information: 465-5757.

50 Years Ago* Today, the United States Naval Academy marked its 97th anniversary in a wartime setting. Its first superintendent, Cmdr. Franklin Buchanan, had formally opened the Naval School, as it was originally named, on Oct. 10, 1845, with about 40 midshipmen. The Sun, Oct. 9, 1942.* NBC broadcast a coast-to-coast Charlie McCarthy radio performance last night from the Naval Academy in Annapolis. Don Ameche was master of ceremonies. Ann Arrundell Historical Society files, Oct. 11, 1942.

Entertainment, exhibits and awards celebrating the African-American heritage will form the program for the 14th annual Black History Celebration tomorrow at The Mall in Columbia -- Howard County's unofficial indoor town common.The event is presented by the Howard County Coalition for Black History and The Mall in Columbia.The eight-member nonprofit coalition, established in 1981, is a group of county residents set up "to discuss the promotion of an awareness of black contributions to our county and our country," said Roberta M. Briscoe, the coalition's chairwoman for the past six years.

EARNING THE rank of an Eagle Scout is an important step in leadership for every Boy Scout.Last month, the ceremonies for two Eagle Scouts of Troop 75 were made even more memorable by the presence of both Scouts' former Scoutmaster, Joel Meredith, who traveled from Wisconsin to participate in the ceremonies for each at Columbia Presbyterian Church and at Christ Memorial Presbyterian Church.The Scouts' Eagle Projects symbolized their interest in their community. Jonathan Barnes, son of Linda and Dick Barnes, developed and built mechanical switches, which enable physically challenged children to develop motor skills, for Cedar Lane School in Harper's Choice,Stan Ward, son of Dan and Pam Ward, led his crew of Scouts at the Howard County Historical Society's library, where they took inventory of, cataloged and rehoused several hundred surveys from the J.R. Curtis collection.

Stanley B. Hornstein, a retired insurance broker, died Wednesday of a stroke at Northwest Hospital Center. The Northwest Baltimore resident was 82. Born in Baltimore and raised on Anoka Avenue, he was a 1938 City College graduate, where, as president of the Debate Club, he was known as the "Silver-Tongued Orator." As a teen-ager, he played the bugle for the Sons of the American Legion Drum and Bugle Club. He remained active in City College alumni affairs. Mr. Hornstein, who earned a Certified Life Underwriter certificate through the Johns Hopkins University, was an agent for Massachusetts Mutual Life Insurance Co. and later started his own firm, Insurance Originators, on Park Heights Avenue.

Cards on the tableIt's time once again for baseball fans to put their coats, caps and gloves on and head to the next show. The 7th Annual National Sports Cards, Racing, Comic and Memorabilia Show will be held from 10 a.m to 5 p.m. Saturday and 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Sunday at the Pikesville Armory, 610 Reisterstown Road. Free parking.Scheduled to appear Saturday are: Rocky Coppinger from 10 a.m. to noon; Rick Krivda, 10 a.m. to noon; Joe Morgan, 11:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. and Johnny Bench, 2:30 p.m. to 5 p.m. On Sunday, Ozzie Smith will be there from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. and Lou Brock, 1:30 p.m. to 4 p.m.Admission is $3.50 per day, children under seven admitted free.

Organizers of the third annual Carroll County Seniors on the Go Expo are hoping for a record turnout at Wednesday's event that offers a sampling of numerous services, products and activities for older adults. The event, to be held inside the Shipley Arena at the Carroll County Agriculture Center off Smith Avenue in Westminster, will run from 9 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. Opening ceremonies will be held at 9:45 a.m. with Bureau of Aging Director Richard Steinberg and the three county commissioners.

Stanley B. Hornstein, a retired insurance broker, died Wednesday of a stroke at Northwest Hospital Center. The Northwest Baltimore resident was 82. Born in Baltimore and raised on Anoka Avenue, he was a 1938 City College graduate, where, as president of the Debate Club, he was known as the "Silver-Tongued Orator." As a teen-ager, he played the bugle for the Sons of the American Legion Drum and Bugle Club. He remained active in City College alumni affairs. Mr. Hornstein, who earned a Certified Life Underwriter certificate through the Johns Hopkins University, was an agent for Massachusetts Mutual Life Insurance Co. and later started his own firm, Insurance Originators, on Park Heights Avenue.

Julius "Trucky" Halpren, who for years was the popular master of ceremonies of Monday Amateur Night at the Pimlico Hotel and later restaurant, died Sunday of cardiac arrest at Levindale Hebrew Geriatric Center and Hospital in Baltimore. He was 78. For years, Mr. Halpren's venue was the smoky and boisterous Cavalier Lounge of the now-demolished Pimlico Hotel in the 5300 block of Park Heights Ave. On Monday evenings, he would welcome a regiment of amateur musicians, singers, comedians and magicians.

A man clowning it up as a woman has always raised a laugh. That's the idea behind "Pageant," the musical playing at Rep Stage in Columbia. The actors in the cast, though, give much better performances than the amateur efforts you sometimes see at parties. And the laughs are there - plenty of them. The show is a spoof of that great American institution, the beauty pageant - in fact, it's structured like one, with an oily, fawning master of ceremonies, a parade of contestants representing different parts of the country and a full range of competitions - evening gown, talent, swimsuit and physical fitness.

EARNING THE rank of an Eagle Scout is an important step in leadership for every Boy Scout.Last month, the ceremonies for two Eagle Scouts of Troop 75 were made even more memorable by the presence of both Scouts' former Scoutmaster, Joel Meredith, who traveled from Wisconsin to participate in the ceremonies for each at Columbia Presbyterian Church and at Christ Memorial Presbyterian Church.The Scouts' Eagle Projects symbolized their interest in their community. Jonathan Barnes, son of Linda and Dick Barnes, developed and built mechanical switches, which enable physically challenged children to develop motor skills, for Cedar Lane School in Harper's Choice,Stan Ward, son of Dan and Pam Ward, led his crew of Scouts at the Howard County Historical Society's library, where they took inventory of, cataloged and rehoused several hundred surveys from the J.R. Curtis collection.

Cards on the tableIt's time once again for baseball fans to put their coats, caps and gloves on and head to the next show. The 7th Annual National Sports Cards, Racing, Comic and Memorabilia Show will be held from 10 a.m to 5 p.m. Saturday and 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Sunday at the Pikesville Armory, 610 Reisterstown Road. Free parking.Scheduled to appear Saturday are: Rocky Coppinger from 10 a.m. to noon; Rick Krivda, 10 a.m. to noon; Joe Morgan, 11:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. and Johnny Bench, 2:30 p.m. to 5 p.m. On Sunday, Ozzie Smith will be there from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. and Lou Brock, 1:30 p.m. to 4 p.m.Admission is $3.50 per day, children under seven admitted free.

When Paul Randazzo first sees his son's name in big letters carved in stone on the war memorial, he purses his lips and shakes his head. He stands with his wife and family under blazing sun in Glen Burnie Sunday afternoon as the block of red granite is unveiled at a dedication ceremony.Randazzo places his left arm on his wife, Leona's, shoulder, looks around through red eyes and holds it all in.The master of ceremonies reads the inscription carved onto the polished Missouri red granite. The politicians have spoken, the dignitaries have all been introduced.

STARS from the worlds of opera, theater, film, music and dance have converged in Washington, D.C., for what has become a tradition the last 13 years: the bestowing of the Kennedy Center honors.The five artists honored last night at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts for their cultural contributions to the nation are the trumpeter Dizzy Gillespie, the actress Katharine Hepburn, the mezzo-soprano Rise Stevens, the composer Jule Styne and the film director and writer Billy Wilder.

Howard County MADD to launch Red Ribbon '95The Howard County chapter of Mothers Against Drunk Driving will begin its Red Ribbon '95 campaign at 9 a.m. tomorrow at Mount Hebron High School, 9440 Route 99, Ellicott City.Red ribbons, intended to remind motorists to drive sober, will be distributed.State Sen. Christopher J. McCabe, a Republican representing Howard and Montgomery counties, will be master of ceremonies, and County Executive Charles I. Ecker is one of the scheduled speakers.Information: 465-5757.