Down River: 4/15

By John Lipez

People in the News – a Quiz:
People from far and wide make the news every day and here in The Record, so much of it is generated by Clinton County folks for Clinton County’s paper. And more often than not, that news is generated by Clinton County natives (you know who you are). But every so often immigrants cross the county border and we ultimately (sometimes grudgingly) accept them. And sometimes these interlopers generate legitimate news, quite often something positive to share or, at the very least, something newsworthy for us to contemplate.

Four of these have been in the news this spring, so let’s convert some of these offerings from these intruders into a quiz. See the answers at the bottom of each of Down River’s Better Know Thy (Immigrant) Neighbor quiz:
Central Mountain softball coach Fred Caldwell is having another successful season with the Lady Wildcats. Which of the following is true about Coach Caldwell:

A) Prior to his softball coaching, he was a criminal investigator for the state police.
B) He spent his formative years out on the Coudersport Pike, helping at Springer’s store in the village of Caldwell.
C) He later played the role of El Gallo in the Cameron County High School drama club production of “The Fantasticks.”
D) All of the above

The correct answer is A, the coach a longtime criminal investigator, now retired, with the state police, including a stint in Clinton County. He grew up in Rich Valley, Cameron County.

********
76th district state Rep. Stephanie Borowicz in a little more than two years in office has been something of a lightning rod on counter-culture, divisive issues across her district and the state; some strongly supporting her positions, some not so much. Last week she made the news for co-sponsorship of a measure to keep women’s sports exclusively female.

Not unlike coach Caldwell, she too is a non-native Clinton County-ian; which leads to these possible answers:

A) Rep. Borowicz won first place in the Florida State Farm Show for her butter sculpture of Charlton Heston holding an AR-15.
B) While a senior in high school, she received rave reviews for her self-authored, one-woman theatrical production of “Stephanie, Get Your Gun.”
C) While competing in high school volleyball, she was selected the MVP in a tournament.
D) None of the above.

The correct answer is C, according to information she shared with the public at an event at the Capitol Rotunda in Harrisburg last week. The representative is a Florida native and the first female state House member from Clinton County since the county’s first one in Ruth Donahue in the 1950s.
*******
Clinton County Commissioner Angela Harding is another import to Clinton County, by way of Ohio and Greene County, Pennsylvania. Let’s see what we can learn about her from this quiz:

A) Commissioner Harding won first place in the Ohio State Farm Show for her butter sculpture of Brutus, the Ohio State mascot.
B) She still holds her high school high jump record.
C) She was a power forward for the Waynesburg University Lady Yellow Jackets.
D) Perhaps some of the above.

The correct answers are B and C. Ms. Harding came to Clinton County just over a quarter of a century ago to attend Lock Haven University. She was born and raised on a farm in rural Ohio. She is in her second year as Clinton County’s first female commissioner.
*******
Keystone Central School Board member Elisabeth Lynch is in her first term on that board, representing Mill Hall and Lamar Township. A non-county native, she has made her presence felt in a number of areas. These include her role in saving the old New York Central passenger train station in Mill Hall and getting it relocated to its present home in Lock Haven.

Ms. Lynch raised a few eyebrows at last week’s school board meeting when she:

A) Questioned the level of ferocity on the depiction of Wildcats proposed for the walls at the renovated cafeteria at Central Mountain High School.
B) Questioned the cut of fellow board member Bo Miller’s gib.
C) Did not ask any questions.

The correct answer is A. She had concerns that the artist’s proposed wall renderings for the mascots were too fierce.

For the record, Elisabeth Lynch has done more than her fair share to better the environment in Clinton County. This includes her work as Executive Project Director for Clinton County Cleanscapes and her effort a few years back to spearhead the cleanup of a dump site in West Keating Township which ultimately allowed the expansion of state game lands in that area.