War Memorial Plaques Retrieved from Demolished St. Catherine's Church

Two area men, who describe themselves as "stubborn agitators" unhappy with the closings of Catholic churches, have rescued a pair of World War II memorial plaques nearly lost in the ongoing demolition of the former St. Catherine's church in Cleveland. The Cleveland Catholic Diocese, which had taken no steps until Monday to save the items, said through a spokesman that one of the plaques will be preserved by the Catholic Cemeteries Association. It was not immediately clear what will happen to the other plaque, which was damaged during demolition.

Stanislav Zadnik and Joe Feckanin, who retrieved the damaged plaque, said they planned to give it to a veterans group. But the diocese later disputed the pair's right to the property. Zadnik, of Parma, went to St. Catherine's on East 93rd Street on Friday with a camera after hearing that the church -- closed by the diocese in December 2007 and recently sold -- was being razed. He snapped several pictures of a crane's giant steel jaws smashing the 96-year-old building, including a shot of the jaws ripping apart the church's pipe organ.


Over the weekend, when the demolition workers were gone, Zadnik and his friend, Feckanin of Seven Hills, returned to the site where they found a number of people rooting through the rubble. As the group pushed away bricks and beams, they found a damaged 4-by-6-foot plaque containing the names of World War II veterans. Dozens of names were missing because pieces were broken off in the demolition. They then noticed another plaque of the same size bolted to a surviving wall inside the gutted church. That one was intact.

"We found them by accident," said Zadnik, who like Feckanin is a member of Code Purple, a group that has been battling the Cleveland diocese over a downsizing that has included the closings of 50 churches during the last two years. Zadnik and Feckanin couldn't get to the plaque inside St. Catherine's, but, they said, the demolition contractor told them Monday that workers would remove the plaque and give it to them.

Zadnik and Feckanin said they were planning to turn the plaques over to a veterans group, but the diocese said later Monday that the undamaged plaque, still fixed to a wall, will be given to the Catholic Cemeteries Association. Diocese spokesman Robert Tayek accused Zadnik of taking the damaged plaque, saying he was in possession of stolen property. Zadnik denied the accusation. "It was given to us by the contractor in front of four policemen," he said. "I have witnesses. If Tayek's calling me a thief, that's slander."

The plaques are made of wood and hand-painted to look like bronze. Each piece contains more than 200 names. Meanwhile, demolition workers Monday discovered a time capsule from 1915 in the cornerstone of the building. Tayek said the time capsule will be given to the Rev. Philip Bernier at Holy Spirit church , which received many of St. Catherine's religious artifacts after it closed.

After closing St. Catherine, the diocese merged the parish with the parishes of St. Timothy and St. Henry. The new parish, Holy Spirit, is at the site of what was St. Timothy's in Garfield Heights. In August, the diocese sold the St. Catherine property, which includes a school building, to a charter school, Imagine Cleveland Academy. The diocese continues to run a food pantry at one of the buildings on the site.

Will and Kate Take On Diana Charity

Prince William and his bride Catherine, the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, are settling in to the main occupation of British royals: cutting ribbons and unveiling official plaques.

The couple's press office at Clarence House announced Monday that on Sept. 29 they will open a new children's cancer center at the Royal Marsden Hospital in London, taking over a charity once held by William's late mother, Princess Diana. As is typical at one of these royal charity appearances, the couple will tour the new cancer center, meet staff and patients, and unveil a plaque to officially open it.

William is the president of the hospital. The duchess, the former Kate Middleton, has spent the last few months studying charities to decide which causes she will take on and how to fit in with William's already established menu of organizations he supports. The Telegraph reported Sunday that, as Diana did, Kate also has made unannounced private visits to some charities to check them out in person.

The couple, both 29, have spent most of their time since returning from a tour of North America in July at their rented house in Wales near William's Royal Air Force base. But, in a bow to tradition, the two recently spent a long weekend at Balmoral visiting the queen during her annual two-month holiday on her Scottish estate, according to The Telegraph.

The paper reported that Will and Kate stayed at Birkhall, the house on the estate that his father, Prince Charles, inherited from his grandmother (Charles and his wife, Camilla, were in London at the memorial service for the British victims of the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks). The couple played host to William's annual "country pursuits" party for several guests during the weekend in the Scottish highlands.

Although the duchess had been to Balmoral when she was dating William, this was their first visit as a married couple to the estate they will one day take over as king and queen.

West China Hospital of Sichuan University, China Wins Two Golds

Recently, the Hospital Management Asia 2011 Conference kicked off a grand opening in Singapore Resorts World Conference Center. Two projects of West China Hospital of Sichuan University from China won the Gold Awards. The Executive Vice President Mr. Zhang Wei received the trophies on behalf of the hospital.

It was the 10th Hospital Management Asia Conference and the corporate awards were mainly presented to the management reform and innovation projects carried out in the Asian hospitals from 2010 to the first half of 2011 in the following 9 categories:
(1) Corporate Social Responsibility Projects ; (2) Cost-Cutting Projects; (3) Human Resources Development Projects; (4) Internal Customer Service Improvement Projects ; (5) Marketing, Public Relations or Promotion Projects; (6) Patients Safety Management Projects; (7) Clinical Services Improvement Projects; (8) Customer Service Projects; (9) Biomedical Equipment/Facilities Upgrading Projects.

One Winning Prize (Gold Award) and 2-4 Excellence Prize (Silver Award) were set up for each item. This year, 315 projects of 84 medical institutions from 11 Asia-Pacific countries were presented for evaluation and 35 of them stood out as winners.

This year, West China Hospital submitted 6 projects for the Awards assessment. Among them, "The Project of Epilepsy Prevention and Control in Tibet" led by the Department of Neurology and "The Project of Platform Construction for New Medical Services Model and The Treatment Technology for Hemorrhagic Stroke" led by the integrated nerve ward / neurosurgery, won the Gold Awards in the field of Corporate Social Responsibility and Clinical Services Improvement after fierce competition, making it the only medical institution that won two Gold Awards this year.

Nominate Your Favorite Teacher

Every year The Washington Post recognizes great teachers and principals. It is one of the most prestigious awards that an educator can win. McLean brims with outstanding teachers and principals so we urge you to send your nominations to the Post. The nominations are for the annual Distinguished Educational Leadership Awards and The Agnes Meyer Outstanding Teacher Awards, which honor teachers and principals who go above and beyond their day-to-day demands.

Each year for more than two decades, The Washington Post presents these crystal awards to recognize creative and quality instruction and contribute to the improvement of education in the Washington metropolitan area.

The Distinguished Educational Leadership Awards were established to spotlight principals who create exceptional educational environments for their students. The Agnes Meyer Outstanding Teacher Awards acknowledge teachers who work hard to ensure children receive a high-quality education. 

A teacher and principal will be awarded to represent one of the area's private schools, one of the District of Columbia Public Charter Schools, and each of the 19 local public school systems. Winners will be announced the week of March 19th and an ad later will run in The Washington Post with all the awardees' photos. The Agnes Meyer Awards Ceremony recipients receive $3000 and a Tiffany & Co. crystal apple.

Distinguished Educational Leadership Awards Ceremony crystal awards winners receive a Tipperary crystal bell and participate in the 2012 Distinguished Educational Leadership Awards Seminar--a professional development seminar that includes media and crisis communications training.

Ghana Picks Up Two More Medals

Ghana's standings on the medal table has been boosted with two more medals from the Paralympic team in the Men’s 1500 meter race at the Zimpeto National Stadium on Monday.

Patrick Obeng and Felix Acheampong won silver and bronze medals respectively in their races.
On their way to the finals, Obeng won the heats, whilst Acheampong placed fourth with Botyso Nkegbe placing third.

Ghana's best bet Botyso Nkegbe, however, failed in his attempt to win the gold medal and improve on his Africa record of 3 minutes and 24 seconds as he failed in the tracks after the second round.

Ghana's total medal haul now stands at seven, but the disabled athletes have vowed to win more laurels in the 400 meters events to make a case for themselves.

Many of the disabled athletes have expressed worry over the little attention given them by authorities and have vowed to make an impact in the competition as a way of justifying their demand for much attention and recognition to participate in future events.
GNA

MTSU Debate Tradition Continues

MTSU has a new debate team coach this fall, bringing back a program, after a year's absence, that has otherwise been on campus dating back to the Normal School days in Murfreesboro. "The Claxton Literary Society started in 1911," said Pat Richey, a new instructor at MTSU who is also the Blue Raiders' debate team coach. "The following year (1912), the Henry W. Grady Literary Society was formed. They competed against each other. Later they competed against the East and West Tennessee normal schools (now East Tennessee State University and The University of Memphis)."

One of the early sponsors of the literary societies was Andrew Todd, who paid for medallions for a tournament in the early 1920s. "One debate was whether women should have equal rights to vote," Richey said. Todd was also on the selection committee that chose Murfreesboro for the site of the Middle Tennessee Normal School.

Richey spoke from his office in the Keathley University Center. Behind him were stacks of plaques and shelves of trophies from tournaments MTSU debate students have won. Richey was assistant debate coach for four years at Stephen F. Austin State University in Texas. "I debated in high school in Kansas City, Mo., and also while in college at Louisiana College," Richey said.

He earned his bachelor of arts degree in history, with minors in communication and secondary education at the Louisiana college and a master's degree from Stephen F. Austin. He is working on his dissertation to complete a Ph.D. in communication from Southern Mississippi. Richey hopes more debate trophies and plaques will be added to those in his office as the MTSU debate team competes in state, regional and national tourneys.

"My mandate is to get the team up and going, but the plaques and trophies are a good sign it is up and going," he said. In a little over a month on campus, Richey has contacted around 35 students who are "fairly serious" about participating in the debate team this year.

PGT(R) Receives Crystal Achievement Award

PGT Industries, the nation's leading supplier of residential-impact resistant windows and doors was presented with Window & Door's 2011 Crystal Achievement Award for Most Innovative Door. It's the second consecutive year that PGT has received crystal awards in the category.

The vinyl PremierVue(TM) SGD 2770 / 2870 and the WinGuard(R) 570 feature up to eight panels on four tracks offering up to 32 foot panoramic views. Whether two, three or four tracks are selected, the frame is completely vinyl therefore providing an Energy Star(R) qualified sliding door in any state. Also unique to a vinyl door system is its availability in heights up to ten feet tall. Design pressure performance starts at +/-60 and goes as high as +80/-100 and the doors are Miami-Dade NOA certified as impact-resistant.

PGT Vice President of Sales and Marketing, Debbie LaPinska says, "PGT is committed to enhancing industry technology while continuing to develop products that are advanced and unique. To be honored by Window & Door for these efforts is gratifying to the entire establishment."

The Crystal Achievement Award winners are selected by a diverse panel of judges who represent all areas of the window and door industry. The crystal awards recognize significant innovations and achievements in window and door technology, manufacturing and marketing. "Wide-opening door systems are gaining popularity as people look to remove barriers between indoor and outdoor spaces," says John G. Swanson, Window & Door editor/associate publisher. "Our Crystal Achievement Award judges were clearly impressed by PGT's efforts to develop a vinyl door system that addresses this demand."

Ben Webster & Patsy C. Rapone Honored

The members of the Upstate New York Chapter of the United States Harness Writers Association are proud to announce that Ben Webster and Patsy C. Rapone will be installed in the Upstate New York Harness Racing Hall of Fame as part of the class of 2011 representing Batavia Downs. Webster and the family of Rapone will be presented their Empire Pinnacle Crystal Awards to mark the occasion, trackside on Saturday, September 10th at Batavia Downs Casino.

Ben Webster is a home grown Western New York racing legend. He lived in Hilton, NY and got his first driving win at the age of 16 at the Hemlock Fair; both a mere 25 miles from Batavia Downs. But that incipient stage of his development would later see a 47 year career unfold on the biggest stages of the sport as Webster would go on to win the Hambletonian, the Little Brown Jug and the Kentucky Futurity.

Webster, AKA “The Master of the Half-Mile” and “Benny the Whip”, would win his first pari-mutuel race at Buffalo Raceway in 1958. He competed on the Western New York circuit until 1965 when he decided to relocate at Yonkers and Roosevelt Raceway. Webster joined what many believe was the greatest driver colony ever, competing against legends like Billy Haughton, Carmine Abbatiello, Buddy Gilmour, Del Insko and John Chapman.