keynews

K EYNEWS
Vol. 23 - No. 2 / Current News and Comments from the Pennsylvania Cemetery, Cremation and Funeral Association / August 2011
Dear PCCFA Members and Friends,
I hope you have all had a wonderful and safe summer. For me, it feels like summer just
begins and then it is over. As the old adage goes, “Time flies when you’re having fun!”
(Unless of course you’re Kermit the Frog and then it is, “Time is fun when you’re having
flies!”)
As the newly elected PCCFA President, I have had a very busy couple of months. It started
with a highly successful, legislative reception orchestrated by Sam Saxton, Morgan Plant,
and Bob Stewart. At the reception, PCCFA officers, directors, and members met with Senators and Representatives
from their home districts and around the Commonwealth. Attendees also had the opportunity to meet with Katie True,
the newly-appointed Commissioner of the Bureau of Professional and Occupational Affairs. Events like this help our
Association to meet the men and women in Harrisburg who represent us and create the laws under which we work. It
is also a fun event with great networking opportunities.
While in Harrisburg, several members of the Board met with the chairman of the Veterans Affairs Committee to discuss
veterans’ markers, a topic that affects us all. It was a great opportunity for PCCFA’s members to have their concerns
heard.
Our members were also represented at a stakeholder meeting for HB100. Kevin Bean and Ernie Heffner attended the
meeting and gathered additional information on the bill. It should be a comfort to all members that we have so many
diligent directors working hard to stay up to date on legislation that could affect us all.
As many of you have heard in the news, Mt. Moriah Cemetery in Philadelphia has closed its doors. PCCFA immediately
contacted the City of Philadelphia and the Friends of Mt. Moriah to see if we could help. As an association of
experienced industry professionals we have much guidance to offer. Nevin Mann and Guy Saxton deserve special
recognition for doing just that. They have met with stakeholders all over the city to share their advice and expertise.
Nevin also attended a volunteer work day to help clean up the Cemetery.
Over the past several months PCCFA has also provided guidance to many other organizations and consumers. For
example, we received calls from the New York Department of State Division of Cemeteries, CBS’s 60 Minutes, and an
equity company that recently acquired a cemetery.
It is an honor to belong to an organization that willingly shares its knowledge and gives so much back to its members
and consumers.
All the best,
Gary Buss
President
Pennsylvania Cemetery Cremation Funeral Association
Officers
GARY BUSS............................................................................................. President
NEVIN MANN......................................................................................... 1st Vice President
CRAIG SCHWALM................................................................................. 2nd Vice President
FRANK GRABOWSKI............................................................................ Secretary
JOHN YEATMAN………………............................................................ Treasurer
DAVID HEISTERKAMP......................................................................... Executive Committee
Board of Directors ~ Three Year Terms
Class of 2012
NATHAN BITNER
Hetrick Smith Geigle Funeral Homes
and Crem.
3125 Walnut Street
Harrisburg, PA 17109
(717) 545-3774
[email protected]
DAVID HEISTERKAMP
Pre-Need Family Services
1119 E. King Street P.O. Box 10391
Lancaster, PA 17605
(717) 394-2326
[email protected]
GARY BUSS
Arlington Cemetery - Toppitzer Funeral
2900 State Road
Drexel Hill, PA 19026
(610) 259-5800
[email protected]
KEVIN BEAN
Bean Funeral Homes and Crematory
North 16th & Rockland Streets
Reading PA 19604
(610) 376-0985
[email protected]
Class of 2013
Class of 2014
FRANK GRABOWSKI
Schuylkill Memorial Park
75 Memorial Drive
Schuylkill Haven, PA17972
(570) 385-2647
[email protected]
JOHN L. YEATMAN
Forest Lawn Cemetery
1530 Frankstown Road
Johnstown, PA 15901
(814) 535-8258
[email protected]
NEVIN MANN
Johnson-Woodford Company
523 Custis Road
Glenside, PA 19038
(215) 887-4538
[email protected]
CRAIG SCHWALM
Letum, Inc.
2650 North Third Street
Harrisburg, PA 17110
(717) 234-6940
[email protected]
ROBERT C. LOMISON
Letum, Inc.
2650 North Third Street
Harrisburg, PA 17110
(717) 234-6940
[email protected]
ROBERT RAE
Golden Considerations
2773 S. Queen St.
Dallastown, PA 17313
(717) 741-9223
[email protected]
TIMOTHY D. KERNAN
Bedford County Memorial Park
CMS East, P.O. Box 630
Bedford, PA 15522
(814) 623-6715
[email protected]
RUTH F. SEEBECK
Warren County Memorial Park
23290 Penna. Ave. W.
Warren, PA 16365-3617
(814) 723-1540
[email protected]
DAVID J. MICHENER
Allegheny Cemetery – The Homewood Cemetery
4734 Butler Street
Pittsburgh, PA 15201
(412) 682-1624
[email protected]
GUY N. SAXTON
Northampton Memorial Shrine
3051 Green Pond Road
Easton, PA 18045
(610) 253-2000
[email protected]
Committees, Assignments
Cemetery Compliance…………………………….……….Chairman Guy Saxton
Consumer Service Committee….…………………...…… Chairman Harry Neel
Ethics & Inquiry Committee….…...................................... Chairman Harry Neel
Executive Committee…………………………………….. President, 1st VP, 2nd VP, Secretary, Treasurer, Immediate Past President
Finance & Audit Committee……………………………... Chairman John Yeatman, Gary Buss, Dave Heisterkamp
Funeral Director Affairs Committee.…………………….. Chairman Ernie Heffner
Keynews…………………………………………….……. Chairman & Editor Dave Heisterkamp
Legal Defense Fund………………………………….….. .Chairman Nevin Mann
Legislative Committee…………………………………… Chairman Sam Saxton, Vice Chairman Bob Lomison
Membership…………………….…………………………Chairman Tim Kernan (Cemetery), Bob Rae (Funeral Home), Bill Sucharski (Crematory)
Nominating/Polling Committee………………………….. Chairman David Heisterkamp with all Past Presidents
PCCFA Website – www.PCCFA.com.................................Chairman Nevin Mann
2
Past President Representatives
Immediate Past President
Two Year Term
DAVID HEISTERKAMP
Pre-Need Family Services
1119 E. King Street P.O. Box 10391
Lancaster, PA 17605
(717) 394-2326
[email protected]
4 Additional Past Presidents
One Year Term
SAMUEL SAXTON
Cedar Hill Memorial Park
1700 Airport Road
Allentown, PA 18103
(610) 266-1600
[email protected]
HARRY C. NEEL
Jefferson Memorial Park & Funeral Home
401 Curry Hollow Road
Pittsburgh, PA 15236
(412) 655-4500
[email protected]
ERNIE HEFFNER
Heffner Funeral Homes and Crematory
1551 Kenneth Road
York, PA 17404
(717) 767-1551
[email protected]
GREGG STROM
StoneMor Partners, LP.
311 Veterans Hwy, Ste. B
Levittown, PA 19056
(215) 826-2805
[email protected]
Other Stockholders
Supplier Representative
JIM MANSMANN
Matthews International Corporation
1315 W. Liberty Avenue
Pittsburgh, PA 15236
(724) 294-9126
[email protected]
Association Manager
ROBERT F. STEWART
100 S. 21st Street
Harrisburg, PA 17104
(717) 236-9970
(F) 238-2799
[email protected]
Lobbyist
MORGAN PLANT
Morgan Plant & Associates
322 S. West Street
Carlisle, PA 17013
(717) 245-0902
[email protected]
Real Estate Commissioner
JACK SOMMER
Prospect Hill Cemetery
700 N. George Street
York, PA 17404
(717) 843-8006
[email protected]
PCCFA Lends Expertise, Muscle
When Horatio Jones, III, was still alive, he would patrol the cemetery grounds with
a leashed guard dog in one hand and a loaded revolver in the other. As the last
living board member of the Mt. Moriah Cemetery Association, Philadelphia, Horatio
fought hard to maintain the historic 380 acre cemetery. Established in 1855, the
last several decades found the cemetery plagued by a decline in the surrounding
neighborhoods, increasing vandalism, dumping, theft, threats to personal safety
and a lack of financial resources. In fact, Mt. Moriah was placed on Preservation
Pennsylvania’s Most Endangered Historic Properties List in 2004 and on The
Preservation Alliance of Greater Philadelphia’s Endangered Properties List in 2005.
To find an abandoned automobile on the property was commonplace. One summer,
Horatio spent three months getting a 22 acre section of the cemetery totally back to
its glory day only to have 90% of the tombstones toppled within two weeks. Police
helicopters would spot marijuana crops flourishing in areas of the cemetery that staff
feared to tread. Horatio would hire ten grounds people, provide them with ten fully
gassed weed-whackers and send them out. At the end of the day, three people with three weed-whackers would come back. Horatio died nearly
a decade ago and his wife, Lydia Jones, continued treading water, trying to keep the cemetery afloat. But time finally caught up with Mt. Moriah
Cemetery. Most recently, the City of Philadelphia turned off the cemetery’s water due to a lack of payment. The lack of water disenabled the
furnace so the office received no water or heat. In March, aging and ailing like the cemetery she dedicated herself to, Lydia Jones announced
the cemetery would be closing.
Although not a member of Association, PCCFA has jumped in to help. Since the closing, PCCFA has lent its expertise to numerous
organizations who want to assist in the continuation of the cemetery. The Friends of Mt. Moriah, the Global Citizen group, the City of
Philadelphia, as well as the Mayor’s office have become very familiar with PCCFA President Gary Buss as well as 1st Vice President Nevin
Mann and Cemetery Compliance Chair Guy Saxton. President Buss has fielded cell phone calls ranging from topics including cemetery law
and real estate compliance to what type of flowers can be planted which look nice but can survive this summer’s heat. A statement released by
PCCFA said, “While Mt. Moriah is not a member of PCCFA and we bear no responsibility for the current situation, our association, the only
statewide organization representing all segments of the death care industry, is committed to helping local communities solve problems related
to old, abandoned cemeteries. The situation with Mt. Moriah is unique in our association’s 77 years of experience.”
PCCFA has also lent muscle. On Saturday, July 16th, PCCFA officers and members joined Mayor Michael Nutter and a group of about 100
volunteers to begin the long process of cleaning up one of Philadelphia’s oldest and largest cemeteries, the resting place for over 150,000 souls.
The city already had a 12-man crew there for a previous week’s clean up and President Buss reported that the difference was amazing. “Besides
mowing, they have been using a backhoe and large truck to clear roads and remove illegally dumped debris. However, more than 3/4th of the
roads are impassable and only 1/7th of the cemetery was actually mowed,” said Buss. For the Saturday clean-up, volunteers were asked to bring
gloves and rakes if they have them. For liability reasons, all were asked to sign waivers. At this point, along with a concern for the heat, the
biggest danger is ticks. One volunteer removed 6 from his pants after the five-long-hour event. For the Saturday event, because of a concern
about the potential of a brush fire, the volunteers scoured the cemetery picking up trash and debris and raking dead grass. More clean-up events
are schedule for August, September and October of this year. In related news, Representative Waters, 191st Legislative District, has made an
announcement that he plans to hold hearings on “rules governing cemeteries.”
We Hardly Knew Ya Fred
Fred works hard at the office but spends two nights each week bowling and plays golf every Saturday. His wife thinks he's pushing himself too
hard, so for his birthday she thinks she’ll do something wild for him and takes him to a local strip club. The doorman at the club greets them
and says, “Hey Fred!” His wife is puzzled and asks if he's been to this club before. “Oh no,” says Fred. “He's in my bowling league.” When
they are seated, a waitress asks Fred if he'd like his usual and brings over a Budweiser. His wife is becoming increasingly uncomfortable and
says, “How did she know you drink Budweiser?” “She's the waitress from the golf club. I always have a Bud after the front nine, honey,”
explains Fred. A stripper comes to their table, throws her arms around Fred, starts to rub herself all over him and says, “Hi Freddie. Want your
usual table dance, big boy?” Fred's wife, now furious, grabs her purse and storms out of the club. Fred follows and spots her getting into a cab.
Before she can slam the door, he jumps in beside her. Fred tries desperately to explain how the stripper must have mistaken him for someone
else, but his wife is having none of it . She's screaming at him, calling him every 4-letter word in the book. The cabby turns around and says,
“Geeez Fred, you picked up a real doosey this time.” Fred's funeral is Saturday.
3
Funeral Broadcasting On-line
In an age of commemorating birthdays, weddings and anniversaries on Facebook and Twitter, it was perhaps inevitable that live
Web-streaming funerals for friends and loved ones would be next, according to the New York Times. It is no surprise that the deaths
of celebrities, like Michael Jackson, or honored political figures, like the United States diplomat Richard Holbrooke, are promoted as
international Web events. So, too, was the memorial service for the six people killed Jan. 8 in Tucson, which had thousands of viewers
on the Web. But now the once-private funerals and memorials of less-noted citizens are also going online. Several software companies
have created easy-to-use programs to help funeral homes cater to bereaved families. FuneralOne a one-stop shop for online memorials
that is based in St. Clair, Mich., has seen the number of funeral homes offering Webcasts increase to 1,053 in 2010, from 126 in 2008
(it also sells digital tribute DVDs). During that same period, Event by Wire, a competitor in Half Moon Bay, Calif., watched the
number of funeral homes live-streaming services jump to 300 from 80. And this month, the Service Corporation International in
Houston, which owns 2,000 funeral homes and cemeteries, including the venerable Frank E. Campbell funeral chapel on the Upper East
Side of Manhattan, said it was conducting a pilot Webcasting program at 16 of its funeral homes. Traveling to funerals was once an
important family rite, but with greater secularity and a mobile population increasingly disconnected from original hometowns, watching
a funeral online can seem better than not going to a funeral at all. Social media, too, have redrawn the communal barriers of what is
acceptable when relating to parents, siblings, friends and acquaintances. “We are in a YouTube society now,” said H. Joseph Joachim
IV, founder of FuneralOne. “People are living more than ever online, and this reflects that.”
Some of the Web-streamed funerals reflect the large followings gathered by individuals. On Jan. 11, more than 7,000 people watched
the Santa Ana, Calif., funeral of Debbie Friedman, an iconic singer whose music combined Jewish text with folk rhythm. It was seen
on Ustream, a Web video service, with more than 20,000 viewing it on-demand in the days that followed. “We intended to watch a few
minutes, but ended up watching almost the whole thing,” said Noa Kushner, a rabbi in San Anselmo, Calif., and a fan of Ms. Friedman’s
music, who watched the service with a friend at his office. “I was so moved.” After Stefanie Spielman, a breast cancer activist and the
wife of the popular National Football League player Chris Spielman, died in 2009, the Spielmans wanted a private ceremony attended by
900 friends and family members, said Lajos Szabo, the chief strategy officer at Schoedinger Funeral and Cremation Service in Columbus, Ohio, which arranged the funeral. But they also hoped to accommodate members of the public, who wanted to support the family
in its grief. Streamed live and posted online, Ms. Spielman’s funeral has been viewed 4,663 times by 2,989 visitors since November
2009, according to FuneralOne. Other Webcasts are more obscure, but no less appreciated. Two weeks ago, a friend of Ronald Rich, a
volunteer firefighter in Wallace, N.C., died unexpectedly. When Mr. Rich called the mother of his friend to say he could not make the
eight-hour drive to the funeral because a snowstorm threatened to close roads, he said the mother offered to send an e-mail invitation
so he could watch the service online. Mr. Rich said he watched the funeral: first by himself and a second time with his girlfriend. “It
was comforting to me,” he said, adding that he planned to watch it again with fellow firefighters. The technology to put funerals online
has been around for a decade but was slow to catch on with an industry understandably sensitive to questions of etiquette. Some funeral
directors eschew streaming funerals live because they do not want to replace a communal human experience with a solitary digital one,
said John Reed, a past president of the National Funeral Directors Association. Other funeral directors worry that if the quality of the
video is poor, it will reflect badly on the funeral home. And the conversation about whether to stream a funeral online can be awkward,
particularly if a grief-stricken family is wary of technology. Funeral directors are conservative, Mr. Reed said; privacy, even for the
Facebook generation, is paramount. “We don’t jump on the first thing that comes along,” he said.
Still, some funeral directors offer the service for free (Mr. Reed is one of them) while others charge $100 to $300. If a family wants to
keep the online service private, those invited get a password that allows access. (Mr. Joachim said 94 percent of the funerals his company
Webcast were not password-protected.) Not all real-life funeral attendees want their images captured online. Irene Dahl, an owner of
Dahl Funeral Chapel in Bozeman, Mont., said a young man went to a funeral last year dressed as a woman and asked not to be filmed.
“He did not want his mother to know,” Ms. Dahl said. “So we did not face the camera in his direction.” Ms. Dahl said that nearly
one-third of the ceremonies arranged by her funeral home last year — about 60 — were streamed live, at no extra charge. She became
interested in this option after Dan Grumley, the chief executive of Event by Wire, visited her in 2008 and showed her how it worked.
“Being a funeral director is about helping people with their grief,” she said. Russell Witek, the 14-year-old son of Karen Witek of
Geneva, Ill., died of a brain tumor in 2009. The Conley Funeral Home in Elburn, Ill., offered to stream the funeral live to friends and
family members. “We said, ‘Why not?’ ” Ms. Witek said. Her brother-in-law was working in the Middle East and could not attend.
Russell’s home health nurse was out of town. “It was spring break,” Ms. Witek said. She had met a number of friends on social media
sites, including a patient-care support group and another for parents who home-schooled their children, and they could not attend, either.
“I wanted them to experience it,” Ms. Witek said. According to Conley Funeral Home, 186 people watched the funeral live on April 3,
2009, with an additional 511 watching it on-demand through Jan. 15. Ms. Witek said her husband had watched the funeral more than
once, “because he wanted to hear what was said that day,” but said she couldn’t bring herself to view it, except in parts. “After a child
dies, you go into a fog.” But for William Uzenski, the father of Nicholas Uzenski, a Marine serving in Afghanistan who was killed on
Jan. 11, 2010, live Web-streaming has provided much comfort. Mr. Uzenski’s body was transported to his home, Bozeman, 10 days later.
William Uzenski, himself a former Marine, said he wanted Nicholas’s military colleagues in Afghanistan to be able to watch the funeral.
So Ms. Dahl arranged it through a military liaison who was assisting the family. Ms. Dahl said that, unlike many streamed funerals,
Nicholas Uzenski’s had three separate Webcasts and was invitation-only. The Webcasts included the arrival of his coffin at a local airport,
the funeral and a graveside ceremony that his family said included a 21-gun salute. Ms. Dahl tracked virtual attendees. The funeral
and the graveside ceremony were watched by 124 and 39 people, respectively, with the funeral viewed in 80 cities and 4 countries,
including Afghanistan. “Some e-mailed me,” Mr. Uzenski said. “Friends thanked us for sharing it with them. I do watch it again
sometimes. I don’t know why, but I guess it’s healing.”
4
Bronze Thefts Continue
In recent years, theft of copper and bronze has increased to epidemic proportions in the United States and abroad. This is primarily
due to the rising demand of developing nations such as China and India for semi-precious metals. Historically, copper has never been
more valuable or stolen more often. According to trading records, from April, 2003 to June, 2011 the spot price of copper increased
over 500%, from $0.80/lb to $4.40/lb. This phenomenon has attracted thieves around the globe to steal the metal in any way they can
to a point of risking their lives and others. It's basic economics: Demand for metal is long and supply is short, making semiprecious
metals precious and a target for theft. Thieves pull down live power lines and remove grounding wires from electrical substations, rail
lines, and wind farms. They steel bronze plaques and statues from parks, schools and other public facilities. They snatch copper wire,
plumbing and equipment parts from vacant, idle or unattended sites. Moreover, they steal bronze vases and plaques from cemeteries.
Often the damage left behind in terms of property damage and interruption to operations is much more than the value of the metal
stolen. In Lancaster, after spending 22 years in the U.S. Air Force, Dora Catherson’s father was buried with military honors and she
would visit his grave on military and veteran’s holidays, along with the anniversary of his death. When she was at her father's grave at
Lancaster's Riverview Cemetery over the Fourth of July weekend, however, she noticed that the copper vases had been stolen from two
of her family's three adjoining burial plots. Catherson is still livid. Her father, Conestoga native Theodore Sterneman, has been buried
in the veterans' section of the sprawling South Duke Street cemetery since his death in 1975. The vases stolen are among a rash of recent
pillaging at Riverview. Riverview officials have told her thefts of copper, and other graveside thefts, are a growing problem in their
cemetery and elsewhere throughout Pennsylvania and throughout the country. Countless Pennsylvania cemeteries have experienced
recent thefts problems: New Jerusalem Cemetery, Hellertown; Edgewood Cemetery, Delaware County; Highland Memorial Park,
Pottstown; Forest Lawn Gardens Cemetery, Pittsburgh; Laurel Hill Cemetery, Cathedral Cemetery, Elmhurst Cemetery, Sunset
Memorial Park and Hillcrest Memorial Park. The list goes on and on. A spokeswomen for CMS East, Inc. reports that their company
has experienced the theft of over 1,000 vases over the past few years. "Copper theft is a persistent problem. ... If there's copper out there,
somebody's going to try and steal it, unfortunately," Lancaster city police Lt. Todd Umstead said. In Chicago, one cemetery experienced
the loss of over half a million dollars worth of brass ornaments. "It's a crisis of the times," said an official with an organization that
monitors cemeteries for theft and vandalism. As far as Dora Catherson and the vases stolen from her family’s plots, she hasn't left a
note, but she does want to say to whoever took the copper vase, "This is going to be on your conscience, if you have any... It's between
you and God."
Not In My Backyard
From an editorial in the Pocono Record: Plenty of people willingly opt for cremation rather than a more costly funeral. But that doesn't
stop them from feeling queasy about having a crematorium in their neighborhood. Twice recently, proposals for crematoria have stirred
controversy in the Poconos. Four years ago local funeral home owner Joseph Pula applied to Mount Pocono borough for permission to
build a crematorium at his Pula and Bensing Funeral Home on Sterling Street within the borough. The site is close to the busy Five Points
intersection, within easy distance from residences, child care centers, restaurants and other businesses. Mount Pocono had no ordinance
regarding such operations, so the borough granted a conditional approval, but a court battle ensued. One of the issues is emissions. Pula
has since modified his application, including raising the height of the chimney, but many neighbors still oppose it. Now neighbors in
Milford Township, Pike County, are astir over the plan for a crematorium for both human and pet remains. Stroyan Funeral Home owner
Kevin Stroyan, who's also Pike County Coroner, wants to build the facility on the north side of Route 6 across from a motel. Like Pula's,
the proposed crematorium is near residences and businesses. Milford Township's ordinance permits "undertaking operations" within the
municipality. That allowed township supervisors to approve the plan without conditions; neighbors weren't informed and there were no
public meetings. Now opponents are up in arms, saying the "undertaking operations" language is vague and wouldn't necessarily include
cremation. Like residents near the proposed Mount Pocono crematorium, nearby Pike residents remain concerned about emissions from
the chimney. Not many crematoria exist. There's just one in Monroe County, in Stroudsburg in the Stroudsburg Cemetery on Dreher
Ave. There's nary a one in Pike. The nearest to the north is in Newburgh, N.Y. Monroe and Pike counties' population grew substantially
during the 1990s and early 2000s. Residents seek many services, including cremation, and it's no surprise that funeral home operators
may consider adding this service to their traditional funeral offerings. Municipalities that have not addressed this proposed use would be
wise to include specific language in their zoning ordinances.
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5
Disposition Option Gaining Supporters
It sounds like the stuff of horror movies - placing a body in a steel tube and then covering it with a mixture of water and acid until
most of the remains are liquefied. But it's actually a scientific process called alkaline hydrolysis that is on track toward becoming an
alternative to burial and cremation in California. Lawmakers are unanimously supporting a bill that would legalize the procedure. Last
year Florida passed a similar law, but no business has a license to perform the procedure. Ohio recently told a local provider that the
process was illegal while New York state is considering the process. New Hampshire banned the process while other states, such as
Colorado, Kansas, Maryland, Maine, Minnesota and Oregon have already approved the process. California Assemblyman Jeff Miller
sponsored the bill when he learned that it was an eco-friendly alternative to cremation. "California is famous for going green, not only
just as a way of life but as a way of taking care of loved ones in end of life," said a Miller spokesman. The decomposition process
occurs with water and potassium hydroxide, which is then heated for at least three hours. Tissue and organs are dissolved into the liquid,
while the bone is left behind as an ashy mixture similar to a cremation. The leftover water is treated and then disposed down a drain. The
process is pollution free because it releases no greenhouse gases into the air. America Online readers to a story of alkaline hydrolysis
made the following comments:
Faster69: PaulP:
GoRedSkins:
XxJennixX:
Bluen: Euskalduna: TSpiegel: DoinIt54: Forest1: MommaBoy:
DHHaines: SKNIGRL: LobstrMan49:
Janet5cents:
SORPUS: KatieDM:
JBPLBT:
ZenVudo:
Seems creepy.
Soylent Green
So let me get this right , instead of drinking a toast to dear departed Grandmother we will be drinking every dear
departed Grandma, Granddad, father, mother, sister, brother, cousin, uncle, aunt, neighbor, local politician...
After they pour my liquefied remains down the drain how long of a ride is it until I get to the ocean? I am a little
nervous, I never traveled by pipe before.
Great something else to drink in the city water "I drink dead people"
I have had the priviledge of scattering ashes of friends and relatives in places they had found to be beautiful and
peaceful. I would prefer cremation rather than liquefaction or being stuck in a box for delayed decomposition. Many
cultures use pyres to celebrate the life of the dead. It is nothing horrific about it unless you are in the steel drum business.
Will I be able to get my liquefied remains put into one of those snow globe thingies?
Why don't they just take a corpse out to some out of the way place that's outside and let it rot naturally. Scavenger
animals should also be allowed to feast on the corpse. You cannot get any greener than that in handling human remains.
The secret's in the sauce.
Liquifaction... Gives new meaning to the old mafia saying " he was liquidated." Har har har!
Utterly ghoulish. Let's go green all the way and convert dead bodies into soylent green.
From the Earth you came, to the Earth, via the Drain, you shall return.
Burning a body and collecting the ashes is in no way inhumane. Especially if the ashes are then interred, put in an urn,
or spread by the wishes of the deceased. Liquifying remains and pouring them down the drain is an abomination.
Leave it to the far left California fruit salads to come up with another unholy practice.
So O.J. Simpson can really be turned into Juice?
If your last name is Waterman and they liquefy you, you are still Waterman!
Your choice, on the rocks or straight up
After all I've heard, I think I'm just going to go out to the woods , die there and decompose naturally.
Mommy, why does this water taste funny?
www.pccfa.com
You may refer your customers to www.pccfa.com for
important consumer information including industry
terminology, consumer guides and commonly asked
questions.
Recent editions of Keynews are available and, for
PCCFA members, find membership listings, supplier
information, ads for employment, equipment for sale,
bold listings, automatic linkages on important topics
and more. (For the member’s section, please contact
Bob Stewart at PCCFA for the password.) Watch for
on-going information updates!
Any ideas, suggestions and recommendations are
welcomed. Please submit your input to Nevin Mann:
[email protected]
6
"My daughter said she thought
it was ironic that phonetic was
spelled with a "ph."
I told her she was phunny."
Visitors to your cemetery expect it to be a clean, well cared for place of remembrance and quiet
reflection. Rarely do they give any thought to who maintains your cemetery’s pristine appearance.
They just expect it to be that way. And they should.
Weather conditions, staffing challenges and competing priorities make it harder and harder to keep
up with visitors increasing high expectations. That’s why there’s Merendino Cemetery Care — your
complete cemetery care solution. Our customized cemetery care service ensures your cemetery will
always look like the place of reverence and respect it was meant to be.
www.merendino-cc.com
800.568.3688
7
Veteran Memorial Trees
As a way of contributing to the industry, I accepted a position as Chairman of the
Finance Committee of the Sandyvale Memorial Gardens and Conservancy Board of
Directors earlier this year. The Sandyvale Cemetery was one of the first two cemeteries
in the City of Johnstown. Due to devastating floods, the cemetery that housed many
veterans from the War of 1812, the Civil War and World War I floundered and
financially failed. Following the 1936 Flood, a Flood Control project, by the Army
Corps of Engineers, disinterred large blocks of the cemetery, and the remains were
moved to Grandview Cemetery. While everyday interments ended in 1956, the final
interment took place in 1977. In 1990, The Cambria County’s Orphans Court decreed
that a citizens group be formed to oversee the bankrupt cemetery. The space languished
until, William Horner, was elected Board President four years ago. President Horner
felt drawn to this project as the cemetery is located in the Hornerstown section of
Johnstown. President Horner has attracted a strong board with interesting visions for use of the community green space and
improvements are underway. In my capacity of serving the industry, I have heard PCCFA members expressing an interest in marketing
their cemeteries. I thought it would be good to share some of the current projects underway with PCCFA.
The first project commemorates the veterans interned at the cemetery. The project is a semi-circle of trees planted to enhance the
Veterans Circle feature. Thanks to a local Johnstown design group, Natural Biodiversity, we learned there is a specific tree designated as
a symbol for each war. Below is the list of “war trees” compiled by Natural Biodiversity as part of the master plan for the reuse of this
space. PCCFA members may wish to incorporate this information in tree selection, feature use, or commentary if any of these trees are
currently on your cemetery grounds.
Revolutionary War: The Kentucky (Coffeetree) - During the revolutionary war, the Kentucky Coffeetree seeds were used as a
replacement when in short supply of traditional coffee beans.
Civil War: Honey Locust (thorn-less) - Thorns of the Honey Locust were used to pin together the tattered uniforms of the civil war
soldiers.
World War I: Red Oak - Regarded as the mightiest of trees, the oak symbolizes strength and courage. The red oak grows throughout
most of Europe, standing alongside a number of the American soldiers during the war.
World War II: Green Ash - The green ash is the official tree of the National WWII Memorial, and is planted in community and veteran
memorials around the country.
Korean War: American Linden - The Korean War Veterans Memorial in Washington, DC contains a pool of remembrance which is
surrounded by 28 linden trees.
Vietnam War: Black Cherry - The cherry tree walk in Washington, DC represents those remembered on the Vietnam War Memorial.
Operation Desert Storm (The Gulf War): Shagbark Hickory - The strength and durability represents the rugged, hardiness of the
American soldiers during the strain of desert warfare.
Operation Iraqi Freedom: Swamp White Oak - The swamp white oak was the first tree
planted at the memorial at Ground Zero.
In another Keynews, I’d like to present another article about Sandyvale Cemetery
featuring our terrific public response to a dog park on a section of the park. Thinking
of doing a pet cemetery? I think this will be a very interesting article to you.
Ernie Petersen is the Chief Administrative
Officer of AmeriServ Trust and Financial
Services Company®, an affiliate of Ameri
Serv Bank®, and he manages the division
that provides trust and investment services
to many PCCFA members.
Cemeteries Lose Non-Profit Status
Over 180 cemeteries across Pennsylvania recently had their non-profit status revoked as a result of noncompliance with a 2006 federal
law - the Pension Protection Act - that requires all non-profits, rather than just those that made more than $25,000 in revenue, to file
annually. Non-profits were to begin filing compliance with their 2010 tax returns. The New York Times reported 275,000 nonprofits
across the U.S. had their statuses revoked as a result of noncompliance with the Act. Lois Lerner, director of the division of the IRS
that oversees tax-exempt groups, told the Times she believes most of the organizations on the list of 275,000 are defunct, as there was
a large outreach last summer after the IRS realized about a quarter of the nonprofit groups stood to lose their status. The total number
of nonprofit groups is now down about 17 percent. It is understood that most of the PA cemeteries who lost their status have little or no
internment activity and likely were not aware of the law change.
8
Editorial by The Rev. Dr. Marilyn Sewell
Once again, as I glance down the obituary column, wondering if any familiar names are there, I see a statement that occurs more and
more often: "In keeping with Virginia's wishes, there will be no funeral service."
I am deeply disturbed by this trend. Ritual is the way cultures in all times and places have marked significant events in their community.
Religious holidays like Christmas and Hanukkah carry traditions that have been around for generations. Babies are often christened or
dedicated. We gather to celebrate the marriage of friends. Birthdays call for a cake and candles. Why would we allow the death of a
loved one to pass without ceremony?
Rituals are not optional to a healthy culture: they tell us where we've been, they bind us together, they give us courage for the journey.
The ritual of the funeral or the memorial service has several purposes. First of all, it helps mourners recognize the loss as real. Sometimes a body is present at the service, often not, but always we know that we are there to acknowledge that someone has died, and to
acknowledge the death not just in fact, but in feeling. We come together to grieve in the presence of a caring community, and for the time
of the service we have permission to give ourselves to the experience of loss.
We also gather to celebrate the life that is now gone from us, to recollect and to remember, as in "to make whole again." The service is a
way of paying respect to the person who has died, one who has lived perhaps not a perfect life, but like the rest of us, a life full of hope
and possibility and struggle. If it is done well, the service will bring at least a partial sense of closure to the void that one feels at these
times. The purpose of all ritual is transformation: We come to the service in one state, we leave in another.
The service, then, exists for the living, not for the deceased. Virginia is really not the person to decide whether or not she should have
a memorial service -- that is for those of us who remain, those who have loved her and lost her. What did she mean to our lives? What
part of her legacy lives on with us? How do we wish to remember her? How does her life and death inform our own existence, as we
pass through this darkling plain? As we think upon the life of the deceased -- its beginning, its course and its ending -- we are each led
to think of our own lives, and to contemplate questions of mortality and meaning.
But what if Virginia was a difficult person? What if she was a narcissist, who didn't really pay much attention to her children? Or what
if she was a raging alcoholic? Do we really want to remember her, to celebrate her life? Yes, we do, just as she was, in all of the various
colors of her life. In my experience, problematic persons are the most difficult for the survivors to release in death. These are the
mourners who must now give up hope that the loved one will ever change; these are the broken-hearted ones who need to grasp a larger
picture of the deceased in order to forgive and move on. A service can sometimes help them move in the direction of healing.
I have asked myself why so many people are now opting out of a funeral or a memorial service. One reason surely must be the
embarrassingly bad services we've all been subjected to. Too often the minister takes the service as an opportunity to preach to the
numbers of unconverted he suspects may be attending. Or he may not know the deceased, and that lack of knowledge becomes evident
in his remarks. Or the minister may attempt to console mourners by telling them that their loved one "is in a better place." This statement
sounds hollow to people who are missing the one who died, and certainly is meaningless to those in the congregation who do not believe
in an afterlife. It is understandable that many would decide not to have a service rather than risk the emptiness and disrespect they have
experienced at other services they have attended.
Some people may decide against a service because they are not particularly religious and do not have anyone they can ask to
officiate. But a ritual to mark the end of a life need not be traditionally religious at all. It can be a simple gathering in a space large enough
to accommodate those who might wish to be present, whether a public hall or a rented chapel or a home. If an officiant is not known,
sometimes friends can suggest one, or the family may decide to structure a simple service themselves. If expense is an issue, or if the
attendance is expected to be light, the family might opt to invite only relatives and close friends to a service in a home.
At a service, those attending will experience a "time apart": there may be soft lighting, candles, sage burning, flowers. Music is often
an important part of the service, because it offers a ready avenue to the feelings. The same is true of poetry. Some will want to include
scripture and prayer. Silence, so rare in our society, allows space for thoughts and feelings to emerge. And stories should be told, for
narrative is how we remember and how we are able to continue. Humor always arises, as it is the flip side of grief. We laugh and we cry.
We acknowledge that we are a part of the stream of life, and we assert our common humanity. We carry on.
The Rev. Dr. Marilyn Sewell an accomplished Unitarian Univeralist minister, writer, activist and spiritual leader. She retired from parish
ministry in 2009, after serving 17 years as the Senior Minister of the First Unitarian Church of Portland, Ore., and was named Minister
Emerita. Marilyn is the subject of a full-length documentary film, (trailer: youtube.com/watch?v=J9-eKbbm-Gw) which recently opened
in N.Y. to critical acclaim.
Just a Tap
A passenger in a taxi leaned over to ask the driver a question and gently tapped him on the shoulder to get his attention. The driver
screamed, lost control of the cab, nearly hit a bus, drove up over the curb and stopped just inches from a large plate glass window. For
a few moments everything was silent in the cab. Then, the still shaking driver said, "Are you OK? I'm so sorry, but you scared the
daylights out of me." The badly shaken passenger apologized to the driver and said he didn't realize that a mere tap on the shoulder
would startle the driver so badly. The driver replied, "No, no, I'm the one who is sorry, it's entirely my fault. Today is my very first day
driving a cab. I've been driving a hearse for 25 years."
9
Cemeteries Explore Alternative Revenue Streams
The dinner was first-class, with butlers serving hors d’oeuvres and the strains of “Blue Danube” tastefully muffling the festive din. This
nine-course re-creation of the last supper aboard an ill-fated ocean liner was the culmination of Titanic Day at Philadelphia’s Laurel Hill
Cemetery, one of a growing number of historic cemeteries to rebrand themselves as destination necropolises for weekend tourists. Across
the country, historic cemeteries, desperate for money to pay for badly needed restorations, are reaching out to the public in ever more unusual
ways, with dog parades, bird-watching lectures, Sunday jazz concerts, brunches with star chefs, Halloween parties in the crematory and even a
nudie calendar. Laurel Hill, the resting place of six Titanic victims, promotes itself as an “underground museum.” The sold-out Titanic dinner,
including a tour of mausoleums, joined the “Dead White Republicans” tour (“the city’s power brokers, in all their glory and in all their shame”),
the “Birding Among the Buried” tour, and “Sinners, Scandals and Suicides,” including a visit to the grave of “a South Philly gangster who
got whacked when he tried to infiltrate the Schuylkill County numbers racket.” As Americans choose cremation in record numbers, Victorian
cemeteries like Laurel Hill and Green-Wood in Brooklyn are repositioning themselves for the afterlife: their own. Repositories of architectural
and sculptural treasures, like Tiffany windows and weeping marble maidens atop tombs, the cemeteries face dwindling endowments, years of
vandalism and neglect, shrinking space for new arrivals and a society that, until recently, collectively distanced itself from their meandering
byways.
Although their individual circumstances vary - Green-Wood in Brooklyn, a newly crowned National Historic Landmark, has space for two
more years of in-ground burial, while Laurel Hill is virtually full - what they share is a daunting number of tombs in need of repair. Woodlawn,
in the Bronx, the final home of Whitneys, a Woolworth, Jay Gould and jazz greats like Duke Ellington and Lionel Hampton, has 95,000 grave
sites. The new cemetery tourism — a subterranean version of the History Channel — is also a means of developing brand loyalty in the wake
of what Joseph Dispenza, president of the historic Forest Lawn in Buffalo, calls a “diminishing customer base.” Chapel of the Chimes in
Oakland, Calif., a columbarium designed by Julia Morgan, architect of San Simeon, recently started “Jazz at the Chimes” concerts to reach
culture enthusiasts who might be potential customers. Some cemeteries are betting on infotainment. At Heritage Day last weekend at the
200-year-old Congressional Cemetery in Washington, a 70-piece marching band serenaded the grave of John Philip Sousa, and dog owners
held a parade for dogs dressed as historical cemetery personages, including a Union soldier. A decade ago, prostitutes and packs of wild dogs
populated the city’s oldest burial ground, which has monuments designed by Benjamin Henry Latrobe, designer of the Capitol. Then the
preservation association began courting dog owners. Today, the 33-acre cemetery serves as a historical dog park where dogs run in Elysian
fields, free to commune with the headstones. Owners pay $125 a year for the privilege, plus $40 a dog — bringing in $80,000 so far. In many
ways, it is a throwback to the days of old, when then-rural cemeteries like Green-Wood and Mount Auburn in Cambridge, Mass. (1831),
rivaled Niagara Falls as romantic tourist destinations. These “gardens of graves” were settings for Sunday picnics and a precursor to Central
Park and other great public spaces. Like many vintage cemeteries, Laurel Hill languished for years in a struggling urban neighborhood, as
potential customers drifted to the suburbs. Though the cemetery has a $17 million endowment, most of that is earmarked for specific family
tombs and falls woefully short of what is needed for maintenance. “After 170 years, people lose track” of their loved ones, said Ross L.
Mitchell, the executive director. And with only 1 percent of its 78 acres available for new burial, cemetery officials are trying to think of
creative ways to mine its distinctive personality. The Titanic tour was the brainchild of J. Joseph Edgette, a professor at nearby Widener
University who is tracking the graves of Titanic victims and plans to document all 1,500. “We’re rebranding ourselves as a heritage tourism
destination,” Mr. Mitchell said. At a daffodil brunch in April at the Oakwood Cemetery in Troy, N.Y., omelet chefs whisked eggs amid Siena
marble walls and soaring Tiffany windows, in the Gardner Earl Memorial Chapel and Crematorium. The 1848 cemetery has burial space for
the next 200 years and an annual operating deficit of more than $100,000, according to Theresa Page, president of the board of trustees. Its
preservation issues are dire: volunteers have been clearing brush that made about 10,000 graves invisible. The grave site of Samuel Wilson, the
man behind “Uncle Sam,” America’s national symbol, has been inaccessible for years, since 125-year-old water pipes burst beneath the roads.
The cemetery has asked Congress for $1.7 million for reconstruction. To raise its profile and money, Oakwood will stage a Renaissance fair
this summer, with jousting matches among knights in shining armor. It was inspired by a medieval-style wedding there, for which the groom
made his own armor. “We want them to think, ‘Wow, I think I’d like to spend my eternity here,’” Ms. Page said of efforts to lure visitors.
“It’s a way of saying, ‘We would love you to stay with us permanently.’” Of course, some think that cemeteries are sacred spaces, and that
Halloween flashlight tours and historical re-enactors jumping out from behind tombs crosses the line in taste. A 2005 fund-raising calendar
for Oakwood Cemetery in Troy - inspired by the movie “Calendar Girls” and featuring socialites who appeared to be naked - was a tad too
risqué to repeat, some thought. After objections, Green-Wood scuttled plans to show horror films. Preservationists say desperate times require
desperate measures. And “Birding Among the Buried” brings people in, if only for a look.
“The people who built Laurel Hill wanted these monuments to be seen,” said Mr. Mitchell of Laurel Hill. “If we do nothing, isn’t that the
ultimate disrespect?”
10
11
Headstones Can Determine Climate, Pollution
Megan Kawamoto is spending her summer not on the beach or by the pool, but in a Pennsylvania cemetery. The sophomore engineering
major has teamed up with Associate Professor of Earth Sciences, Laura Guertin, to study marble gravestones to uncover hundreds of
years’ worth of pollution and climate information. Their results will help unearth just how much more pollution is in the air today. The
data is being collected from 57 tombstones at Cumberland Cemetery in Lima, PA, for the EarthTrek Gravestone Project, which aims
to map the location of graveyards around the globe and then use marble gravestones in those graveyards to measure the weathering
rate of marble at that location. Once Guertin and Kawamoto finish analyzing their data, they will send it to the global database. “The
weathering rates of gravestones are an indication of changes in the acidity of rainfall between locations and over time,” Guertin said.
“The acidity is affected by air pollution and other factors, and could be used as a measure of changes in climate and pollution levels.”
Every time it rains, the raindrops contain more than just water, she explained. As well as the small particles of dust that the water drops
form around, the water can contain chemicals found in the atmosphere. Often the rain will end up being slightly acidic. This “acid” rain
can then chemically affect (weather) materials with which it comes in contact. The amount of weathering that occurs from place to place
differs and may be changing over time. Marble is a common stone used to make gravestones and is mostly made up of the mineral
calcite. Calcite is a carbonate mineral, and so it reacts with any acid, including the weak rainfall acids, and dissolves. This means that
over time, marble headstones are slowly weathering away.
Visit www.goearthtrek.com/Gravestones/Gravestones.html to learn more about the EarthTrek Gravestone Project.
Life Is But A Dream
Most people, at one point of their lives, have a dream about death. According to a psychotherapist and author Jeffrey Sumber, dreams
about death often indicate "the symbolic ending of something, whether that's a phase, a job or a relationship." He suggests a dream about
death can also indicate attempts to resolve anxiety or anger directed toward the self. These dreams don't suggest a person will actually
die, he explains. After having a death dream, Sumber suggests a person ask himself if he is anxious about something, or angry at
himself or someone else. "I can potentially learn that part of me is not at peace with the notion of my own death or the ending of
something big in my life," Sumber says. "I have the opportunity to look within, take stock of myself and make adjustments as needed."
Although potentially disquieting, there are no tricks when it comes to avoiding dreams about death or any other subject, Sumber says.
"We dream in order to learn about ourselves and develop undeveloped elements of our personality. The only way to avoid anything from
the unconscious is to do our inner work and make peace with it." People who have dreams about death tend to be those who are entering
or exiting an uncertain phase or period in their life, Sumber explains. It could be a potentially life-changing event that creates anxiety
and fear of the unknown.
Chewing Outside the Box
An intensive care patient at Parkridge Medical Center, Tennessee, lost his dentures when a
hospital employee mistakenly gave them to the family of a dead man who had occupied the same
room. Kenneth Ray Manis, 76, died June 12 at Parkridge. His personal belongings - along with
the dentures that weren’t his - were placed in a box inside his casket at Chattanooga National
Cemetery. Now Manis’ body will be exhumed after his family learned of the dentures and
requested “that the personal belongings that don’t belong to the
deceased be extracted from the casket,” according to a hospital spokeswoman. The hospital has apologized to both families involved and will
be paying for new dentures as well as reburial costs and attorney’s fees
up to $1,250. The dentures are the only misplaced object inside Manis’
casket. It was not reported how the hospital learned of the error.
Two Roads In The Woods…
“Never follow anyone else’s path, unless you’re in the
woods and you’re lost and you see a path; then, by all
means, you should follow that path.”
Ellen DeGeneres
12
GAO Studies Consumer Protection
The U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO), the bipartisan investigative arm of Congress, has been researching two funeral and
cemetery-related reports. The first study reviews the management practices of private sector cemeteries for purposes of comparing them
to the management policies that existed at Arlington National Cemetery. The second study updates a 2003 GAO report that reviewed
state cemetery and funeral laws to determine the level of consumer protection afforded by the various states and, presumably, whether
federal regulation is necessary. The results from both reports are expected to be published at some point this fall.
Wanted: Young and Hungry
Union Cemetery, Beaver County, is looking for a candidate to run, manage and maintain the cemetery.
The cemetery was acquired through a mortgage default. If interested, or know somebody who might be,
contact Brad Emmer, EquityMax, Inc. Ft. Lauderdale, Florida.
Office: 954-267-9103
Cell: 954-655-4608
email: [email protected]
$25 Million NJ Grave Mix-up
According to Reuters, Evelyn and Hortense Edwards spent two decades visiting what they thought was their mother's grave in a New
Jersey cemetery only to discover it contained the remains of a stranger. Now, the sisters are suing, seeking $25 million in damages
from Rosehill Cemetery in Linden, New Jersey, for emotional distress caused when they learned that their mother, Beatrice Williams,
had been buried in the wrong plot. "It was devastating for them," Mark Crawford, the sisters' attorney, said in a telephone interview.
He said they only recently discovered the mix-up after complaining to the cemetery that what they thought was their mother's grave,
which they visit regularly, was falling into disrepair. An employee looked up the plot in question. "She said, 'There's a man buried there,'
and they said, 'What do you mean there's a man buried there?'" Crawford said. The complaint, filed in Brooklyn Federal Court, says
the cemetery has acknowledged that the plot location in the sisters' paperwork -- Section 52, Row 20, Grave 103 -- was incorrect. That
error caused the sisters to have "visited the wrong gravesite, sought comfort from the wrong grave, laid flowers on the wrong grave,
(and) prayed and had confidential conversations at the wrong grave," it said. In a letter sent to the sisters, the cemetery said it believed
their mother was in fact buried in Section 52, Row 20, Grave 132, the complaint said. Crawford said the sisters believe that if the
cemetery management could be mistaken once, it could be mistaken again, and are not convinced that the cemetery has not misplaced
their mother's remains. They want the cemetery to disinter the remains at the second grave to confirm the remains there are of their
mother. The cemetery management has said it will only do so if the sisters take responsibility should the cemetery still be mistaken
and, for example, the relatives of whoever is buried at Grave 132 discover their loved one's remains were unnecessarily disinterred and
decide to sue, Crawford said. "They're not willing to take the risk of correcting their own mistake," he said. The sisters, who live in the
New York borough of Queens, had bought three plots at their mother's death in the hope that they might one day be buried by her side.
Crawford said he did not know the identity of the man buried beneath Beatrice Williams' grave marker. Nor was he certain whether the
mix-up was restricted to just two sets of remains -- that Grave 103 actually contains the remains that should be in Grave 132, and vice
versa -- or whether other plots were similarly mislabeled.
9/11 Flight 93 Impact Site Memorialized
The Shanksville, PA site where United Airlines Flight 93 crashed after passengers confronted hijacking terrorists during the September
11 attacks almost a decade ago is being marked by a gigantic boulder. Over the years, relatives of the victims have talked with the
National Park Service and other memorial planners about how to mark the impact site in western Pennsylvania, and the use of a large
boulder was suggested, park service superintendent Keith Newlin said during a meeting of the Flight 93 Advisory Commission, which
is responsible for providing recommendations on the planning, construction and management of the Flight 93 National Memorial. A
committee of the Families of Flight 93, an association of victims' relatives, approved the idea, and the 17-ton boulder was recently
moved into place by New Enterprise Stone and Lime Comapny, which is building the entrance road from Route 30 and the ring road at
the memorial, Newlin said. "It was a challenge," Newlin told the Daily American newspaper, of Somerset. "At one point I suggested a
smaller rock, but the New Enterprise foreman said, 'They deserve this stone,' and the crew did not give up. They should be commended."
The crew used a 20-ton chain that snapped three times, said commission member Calvin Wilson, who witnessed the work. The word
came as more than two dozen members of the Families of Flight 93 gathered along with park and memorial officials for the ceremonial
planting of the first three of 40 sweet gum trees sent from the memorial in New York City. The trees initially were given by Maryland in
2006 to the World Trade Center memorial.
13
Kevin M. Bean Profile
Name: Kevin M. Bean
Position: Funeral Director / Owner
Company: Bean Funeral Homes & Crematory;
Whelan Schwartz Funeral Home
Contact Information: [email protected]
Kevin Bean and a favorite family co-pilot, Michael.
1. What was your first job in the Death Care Industry?
Mowing grass and scrubbing white walls with “Knight’s Spray
Nine” at my father’s funeral home. (Remember white walls? I can
remember my Dad turning the old bias ply white wall tires inside
on the hearse because he thought they were “too sporty” looking.
I guess he didn’t want to look like “Super Fly” driving the hearse
in the 70’s!)
2. What did you do before that?
I started doing that at the age of 14. When I was in mortuary school
in Dallas Texas I worked as a bartender at a small restaurant / bar
just off of Central Expressway in Dallas and also was a mechanic
at “Malibu Grand Prix”, which at the time had little formula one
race cars with Wankel Rotary Engines that you could drive on a
small concrete track.
3. You operate five funeral homes in Berks County. Tell us
about them.
My dad started the business in Reading, PA in December of 1955
after he returned from the Korean War where he served in infantry as an artillery sergeant. He and my mom were from Annville,
Lebanon County, and they both graduated from Annville High
School in the Class of 1946. In the 1940’s my dad landed his first
job at the former Gibson Funeral Home at 11th and Amity Streets
in Reading as he was headed toward Philadelphia knocking on
doors looking for a job. Upon returning from the war his job was
no longer available, so he started his own business. In 1981, about
the same time that I graduated from mortuary school, my parents
opened a second location in Shillington just outside of Reading.
My mom died in 1988 and in 1990 my dad purchased the “Ye Old
Spring House” restaurant in Sinking Spring, PA and remodeled
it into a funeral home. In 1998 I bought the business from my
dad and in 2000 I bought 2 funeral homes from Todd Schwartz,
14
a Reading funeral Director. I still operate the Whelan Schwartz
Funeral Home in downtown Reading however changed the name
of Todd’s Exeter Township funeral home to “Bean Funeral Home”.
4. You’re also the owner of Omega Casket Company. Tell us
about that.
A couple of years ago, because of depressed economic conditions,
changing consumer preferences, and skyrocketing casket costs I
felt constrained to enhance the price \ value ratio of the funeral
services that we were delivering to client families. In order to
achieve that goal, I was determined to deliver the same level of
service we had historically delivered at a reduced cost to the client
families we serve. By altering our purchasing practices, namely by
purchasing in truck load quantities and by importing caskets from
China, I was able to achieve the goal of enhancing our competitive advantage by slashing merchandise costs and subsequently
passing on that cost savings to the consumer. In order to do so, I
necessarily had to warehouse caskets and as an outgrowth of that
business model, I began to deliver and sell caskets to other funeral
homes and funeral service professionals. The small casket distribution company that grew out of that is named Omega Casket
Company and can be found online at www.omegacasket.com.
5. What’s a favorite story you have about your experience in
death care?
When I was about 17 my dad sent me to the State Mental Hospital
in Wernersville, PA to transfer an individual who had died. It was
a crisp, clear beautiful moon lit autumn evening and the moon was
full and I was driving a humungous 1973 Cadillac hearse with
the old steel roof that was painted with a black crinkle paint, I
suppose to resemble a vinyl top. The old sanitarium was out in the
sticks and I made a wrong turn and was driving down a winding
country road with the dried out corn stalks standing tall and
resultant long moonlit shadows on either side. I’m with another
guy, Terry Shannon, who I still work with. We come around a
bend and there in the middle of the road was some grizzly
looking old character with a red plaid flannel shirt looking like
something right out of a Stephen King movie. We went tearing
by him screaming and never looking back, not slowing down for
miles. 35 years later, from time to time, Terry and I still laugh
about that night.
On another occasion in the Fall of 1993 I was invited to attend
Cemetery Management Council, now known as Death Care
Management Council, which met that year in Philadelphia. A
group of about 7 of us decided to go out together and we piled
into one of those old boxy rear wheel drive Chevy Caprice taxi
cabs and headed over to South Street. Our group found a table in
a bar room that was packed with people watching the Series and
we settled in next to a group of college kids. After a few beers,
I suggested that we each order a shot of Ouzo, which is an anise
flavored aperitif that is widely consumed in Greece, and is highly
flammable, and very sticky. I started with the “Statue of Liberty”
shot in which one dips their fingers into the Ouzo, lights them on
fire, holds them in the air (like the torch on the Statue of Liberty),
drinks the shot, and finally you dip your fingers in the cold beer to
extinguish the flames. Fred Hill, who then was probably close to
70 years of age, decided he was in on the action. Fred dipped his
fingers into the Ouzo and lit them up, but before he could drink
the shot his fingers started burning, so he tried to put them out.
I suppose Fred was in a bit of a panic and instead of dipping his
fingers into the beer he put his flaming fingers into his shot glass
filled with the highly flammable Ouzo, and in doing do knocked
over the shot glass. NOW, not only was Fred on fire, but Fred,
the shot glass, and the entire table were on fire! The other six
people sitting around all quickly poured our beers on Fred and
on the table dousing the flames. The comparatively “responsible”
college kids next to us sat in amazement watching this group of
“old guys” next to them raising cane. Fred and I often laughed
about that story. Every time we would see one another he would
point at me and say “That guy set me on fire!”.
6. What makes you happiest/most satisfied about your business?
Recently I became a Certified Celebrant and have realized a
tremendous amount of satisfaction in personally creating and
officiating at a service personalized and geared specifically for
the individual who died. I’m happiest, quite frankly, when we are
busy, my bills are all paid, and cash flow is good.
7. What are some benefits PCCFA brings to you?
By far I’ve found that the greatest benefit PCCFA brings me are
the contacts and associations with other people in the industry.
PCCFA has some extraordinarily dynamic, intelligent, knowledgeable and resourceful individuals within its diverse membership. PCCFA simply attracts the best of the best in Pennsylvania.
8. What person do you admire most in our industry?
That’s a difficult question to answer because there are so
many people that I admire ~ however some of the people that
immediately come to mind who have been real innovators and
who have really made a difference are Ernie Heffner – for
his dedication, ceaseless innovation and demand for utmost
quality of service to the consumer and dedication to principle,
Sam Saxton, for his dedication to the industry and his commitment
to PCCFA’s political efforts. Bob Rae, who through persistence
and dedication to principle has enjoyed tremendous success in
industry insurance sales. Dave Heisterkamp, for his innovation
(albeit not innovation that I always appreciated) and success in
merchandise sales (who would have ever thought you could knock
on a door and ask “Do you want to buy a casket” and it would
work?) Jack Sommer, not only for his past successes however
for what he is accomplishing today at Prospect Hill Cemetery in
York, what a turn around for Prospect Hill! We all know their
accomplishments and what they continue to do and how they have
changed the industry. I don’t think that I need to say more. Also,
I will never forget Asher Neal, a positive, giving and intelligent
individual, always willing to contribute and asking for nothing in
return. Asher sadly died all too soon at a very young age.
9. What person do you admire most in your life?
Robert E. Bean, my dad.. He never, never, never gives up. At
82, he has had his knees, shoulders and hips replaced and along
with my step mom is instrumental in raising my 11 year old son
Michael. In fact, they stay in Wildwood together all summer long.
He talks about how poor his family was when he was growing
up, and laughs and says: “We were poor, but we didn’t know it.”
I have never ever heard him make a derogatory remark about
someone based on their race or background.
10. What is your ultimate personal goal?
To see my son Michael through college and living happily with a
family of his own.
11. PCCFA members may be surprised to know that.
Ernie Heffner and I have done a lot of scuba diving together.
12. If you could choose any other profession in life, what would
you do?
If I had an opportunity to live life over again I would consider
enlisting in the Coast Guard.
13. A favorite Quote:
“Once in a while even a blind squirrel finds a nut.”
14. A book everyone should read and why:
The book of Jobe in the Bible. It is a short story of a man’s faith
and determination in spite of wave after wave of what would
be for anyone else life devastating events. Jobe keeps his faith,
maintains his course, and ultimately is rewarded with everything
he lost having been returned to him many times over.
15. Trapped on a desert island with a record player, what five
albums would you want?
There are two Philadelphia disc jockeys’ that I love to listen to;
Jerry Blavat and Bob Pantano. They spin oldies like Earth Wind
and Fire, Barry White, Donna Summer, the Motown sound, that
kind of thing. Jerry is a Philadelphia icon and he has a place called
Memories in Margate, NJ where he still personally spins the
records on Saturday nights and he and Bob can be found at
various places down the Shore in the summer and around
Philadelphia. Just let me listen to those two guys spinning the
tunes and I’ll be happy.
16. If I’ve learned one thing it’s...
“Life isn’t fair.”
PCCFA encourages you to
consider and patronize
Keynews advertisers.
Thank and support those who
help support your Association!
15
9/11 Disposition Objections
Some relatives of victims who died a decade ago at the World Trade Center are objecting a plan to place more than 9,000
unidentified pieces of human remains seven stories below ground at the National September 11 Memorial & Museum. A family
spokesman said, "They believe that the remains should be placed in a respectful and accessible location, such as something akin to the
Tomb of the Unknowns, above ground and separate from the museum.” Sally Regenhard, whose firefighter son died at the World Trade
Center, contended that families had not been consulted about where the remains would be placed and felt the proposed location was
disrespectful. Alice Greenwald, director of the museum, said the plan to build a repository in the same building as the museum has
been public since 2006 and that victims' families have been involved the entire time. The remains, which are currently at a temporary
location near the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner's on 30th Street, will be moved to ground zero in 2013. “We're trying so hard
to be responsive to families," Greenwald said. "I understand the pain that they are in and I'm deeply sensitive to what they have been
through. But I think they are characterizing what we're doing in a way that is not true." Although visitors to the museum will use the
same entrance as family members who are paying their respects to the repository, the two are separate entities, Greenwald said. Families
will also have access to the repository even while the museum is closed. The plan includes an inscribed quote from Virgil's Aeneid:
"No day shall erase you from the memory of time." Still, many family members said they were not involved in the decision to keep
the unidentified remains within the museum. "Family members should make the final decision regarding the human remains of their
loved ones," Regenhard said. Not all 9/11 victims' family members share this opinion, though. Charles Wolf, who lost his wife on
September 11, said he is upset by the protests against the current repository plan. "The museum is being very sensitively designed," he said.
"It is respectful."
Pre-Paid Funeral Funds Missing
The Cumberland County District Attorney’s office is investigating licensed funeral director Boyd Myers Jr. after discovering that
approximately $600,000 in pre-paid funeral services was missing. District Attorney David Freed said the investigation had just begun
but authorities are looking into whether Myers was running a pyramid scheme or merely pocketing the money. By law, pre-arranged
funeral money has to either go into a bank trust or an insurance policy, and funeral directors can’t access that money - or the interest it
acquires - until that person dies. If a funeral director puts the money into an insurance policy, he or she also has to be licensed to sell
insurance. The discovery of missing funds came when the Myers Funeral Home business was sold to funeral director Bob Buhrig in
April. “I feel terrible,” Jutta Myers said. She was married to Boyd Myers Sr., who died in 2009, and sold the business to Buhrig after
her stepson Boyd Myers Jr. turned down an offer to buy the business. Boyd Myers Jr., had been working at his father’s funeral home for
almost three decades. “We’re good businesspeople. We discovered everything before we purchased it, and we came up with a plan,” Bob
Buhrig said. It was a lifelong dream of Buhrig’s to run a local funeral home and has changed the name of the business to Myers-Buhrig
Funeral Home. “This is my hometown, and we wanted to serve people well, and we realized that we were probably the only people who
would be able to offer these people any peace of mind,” he said. Buhrig has told the 80 to 100 families whose funds are unaccounted
for that he’ll honor their pre-arrangements. Buhrig said he’s been asked to provide records to the district attorney’s office and received
a request from the Department of State. He’s turned everything over.
Snakes On The Plain
In May, mourners attending a graveside memorial service at
Hershey Cemetery were interrupted from a visit from a 6-footlong boa constrictor. Authorities were called who arranged the
capture of the snake by ZooAmerica. ZooAmerica then turned
the snake over to Forgotten Friend Reptile Sanctuary in Manheim.
It is unclear how the snake ended up at the cemetery. The boa
was in the process of shedding its skin and had pine sap patches.
The boa also had a cold likely due to exposure. Forgotten Friend
would like to reunite the snake with its owner, if the animal
simply slithered away by accident. However, people who release
exotic pets into the wild may be prosecuted. The boa posed no
danger to humans and most pets. The largest animal this boa may
have eaten would be the size of a squirrel.
16
One should count each
day a separate life.
- Seneca KEYNEWS
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Monks Making Caskets
In July, the monks of St. Joseph Abbey in Covington, Louisiana, persuaded a federal district court to rule that the state law restricting
casket retailing only to licensed funeral directors is unconstitutional. The state plans to appeal to the federal appellate court and it is
uncertain how the appellate court will rule due to a split in authority on the issue. Federal courts in Tennessee and Mississippi have
held that similar laws in those states are unconstitutional, while the federal courts in Oklahoma upheld that state's law as a permissible
exercise of the state's right to protect an industry from competition. The ICCFA assisted the plaintiffs by providing deposition testimony
establishing that the Association had not published any warnings to consumers over the "dangers" of buying caskets from non-funeral
directors. The Institute for Justice represented the Abbey pro bono, and has worked with the ICCFA in past cases that challenge the
legality of anti-competitive state laws. The long-time motto of the ICCFA is "Promoting consumer choices, prearrangement and open
competition." ICCFA believes it is necessary to be prominently on record as the most pro-competitive national trade association in the
cemetery and funeral profession. This is necessary due to the tendency of the news media to assume that organizations representing
the death care profession all support protectionist legislation and policies. For example, a recent Atlantic Monthly published a story
titled, "How 38 Monks Took on the Funeral Cartel and Won." The term "funeral cartel" is unfocused and misleading, but when a
publication as influential as the Atlantic says it, many readers will believe it. The writer of the story was apparently not aware of
ICCFA's involvement to help the monks. The State of Louisiana has 30 days to file its notice of appeal.
Ashes Into Ammo
If you’re hunting for a unique send-off, now you can turn your ashes into bullets, according to CNN’s Jeanne Moos. It all part of a new
service from Holy Smoke, LLC. “Are you gonna spend eternity on a mantle?” says one of two Alabama game rangers who dreamed
up the idea. The target audience is people who love hunting and their Right to Bare Arms, or as late night Comedy Central Steven Colbert put it, “We’re finally extending the 2nd Amendment Right to dead people.” What you do (or those loved one’s left after you pass
away) is send Holy Smoke about a pound of ashes and, for $1250, they turn the ash into 250 shotshells or 100 catridges. Clem Parnell,
co-owner of Holy Smoke, wants his ashes turned into turkey shot so “…the last thing that one turkey will see is me, screaming at him at
about 900 feet per second.“ Talk about a classy sendoff, this is high caliber. Literally, you get to pick the caliber of bullet: .22, .30-30.
and .38. “Congratulations Holy Smoke,” continues Steven Colbert, “for giving us the most bad ass way to scatter your loved one’s ashes
since the invention of the urn grenade.” (Holy Smoke isn’t going to produce any urn grenades.) Some people, who don’t want to settle
for bullets, might consider the Hunter S. Thompson approach and get shot out of a cannon. For three thousand bucks, you can send your
ashes into orbit. If that isn’t enough, for ten thousand dollars, you can have a portion of your ashes placed on the Moon. Meanwhile,
back on earth, more information on the ashes to bullets process can be found at myholysmoke.com.
17
Differing Opinions of Do-It-Yourself Funerals
Recently (see April, 2011 Keynews), Phyllis Ingold was threatened with prosecution by the State Board of Funeral Directors for conducting a
home funeral for her mother, Naomi Hollinger. The Commonwealth’s opinion, it appears, is that in Pennsylvania a licensed funeral director
must be involved with a funeral and burial, regardless of the wishes of the deceased or next of kin. However, Last Rights of Central Pennsylvania doesn’t see it that way. According to their website, www.lastrights.info, “for over 25 years, Last Rights of Central Pennsylvania
(LRCP) has been helping individuals and families to avoid the emotional confusion and high expense often associated with caring for the
deceased. We do this through education and advocacy. Our main goal is to help you to understand the broad range of after-death care options
available to you so that your choices are personally meaningful--and affordable. Most people are actually surprised by what is possible.”
Frequently Asked Questions
1. Is a licensed director or funeral home required by law in Pennsylvania?
No. It is often falsely assumed that the services of a licensed funeral home or director are required by law to move a body from the place
of death, to notify the proper authorities, and to finally bury the body. On some occasions, the person in charge at the hospital or hospice
may have to be reminded that it is legal for a family member to take charge of the proceedings. If that happens, they can be referred to the
following Pennsylvania law:
Purdon's Pennsylvania Statutes and Consolidated Statutes
Title 35 P.S. Health and Safety
Chapter 2. Registration of Vital Statistics
Vital Statistics Law of 1953
Article V. Death and Fetal Death Registration
450.501: The person in charge of interment or of removal of the dead body or fetal remains from the registration district shall file the death
certificate with any registrar who shall be authorized to issue certified copies of such death.
In other words, “the person in charge” could be a loved one. It doesn’t have to be a funeral director. It should be noted, however, that this
person or family member must follow the same Pennsylvania statutes and procedures required of licensed funeral directors.
2. What if the person dies on the way to the ER or at the hospital or nursing home?
This makes obtaining a death certificate easier, but requires a transit permit from your local Office of Vital Statistics for the body to be
moved back home or to the burial ground—or a fee-for service agreement with a local funeral director to pay for the transport of the body.
Once this is obtained, and the Medical Examiner's Office has declined jurisdiction, the body must be released back to the family on request.
Resist any pressure to release the body only to a funeral home if those are not your wishes. If an offer is made to transport the body for you,
the point-to-point cost of that transportation – in writing – should be obtained before accepting. A family member's personal van, large SUV,
or pickup truck are all perfectly normal means for transport at a savings which can be thousands of dollars.
3. How soon does someone have to go into the ground, especially during the summer?
The body must be "buried, embalmed, or refrigerated" within 24 hours of death. Refrigeration is a way of keeping the body below 40
degrees F. Most funeral homes have coolers. Refrigeration is also done with dry ice, and often with gel packs and regular ice (in bags to keep
the water from making a mess as it melts), or simply by turning the AC (home or auto) to the coldest setting.
4. What is meant by the term "traditional burial"?
A traditional burial is one performed by family members and friends. Current burial practices involving the funeral home business are
relatively new. The traditional burial goes back thousands of years to the present day. Because a traditional burial does not generate any
profit, however, there is no massive marketing strategy to keep it in the public eye.
5. Are there any situations where a funeral home or director can legally make claim to a body despite the wishes of family members?
No. Only when the county or state has contracted with a business for the handling of unclaimed bodies, where next of kin cannot be found
and notified, is this legal.
6. Are there any restrictions on where ashes (cremains) can be scattered or buried?
According to a local crematory, the only State restriction on scattering cremains is that if you are going to bury or scatter ashes on private
property, you must have the permission of the property owner. With regards to scattering cremains on public lands, lakes, or streams, there
are no restrictions in that regard, but we were advised to do it discreetly and privately.
7. Who should we call if a loved one dies at home?
According to Dave Morrison, Funeral Consumers Alliance National Board, here is a way to think about it:
#1a Dad is failing, in his late 80's. Found dead in the morning. Call his doctor. The doctor will drop off the plain white death certificate,
which needs to be completed on the top 2/3 before taking to the local registrar.
#1b: hospice. An RN-pronouncer will come out with the plain white death cert and leave it with the body (they usually drop it off at the
FD's). You will have to get the cause of death signed from the doctor before taking it to the local registrar before burial or cremation (long
weekend: a temporary burial permit will do; cremation - must get MD's sig before faxing it to the coroner to give his consent).
#2 Mom is in her 70's, not feeling well. Retires early. Is dead in the morning. Do not move or touch the body. Call the doctor, and let him
make the decision as to whether this is a coroner's case or his/her decision #1a. If no doctor to call, call the local police, who will contact
the coroner's office. They will either sign off, or take the body for an autopsy (stroke or MI usually). You may have to drive to the coroner's
office to pick up the plain white d. cert. as they do not always carry blank forms with them. You need the designated agent form from "Before
I Go" the decedent has previously filled out. Presumably the chair of the burial arrangements group has already met with the coroner's office,
so they will not be blindsided. They hate surprises. The point of all of this: a death is not an emergency
Funeral Facts
• Caring for a deceased loved one oneself is legal in Pennsylvania, as it is in most states.
• Embalming is not essential. Dry ice works well for preservation during a three-day home ceremony.
• The modern practice of embalming began during the Civil War, for bodies shipped long distances. By 1920 almost all bodies in
the U.S. were embalmed. The practice is still rare in other countries.
• In Pennsylvania, a family member can (1) act in lieu of a funeral director to orchestrate all arrangements and carry out all decisions;
(2) fill out and file end-of-life documentation; (3) transport their deceased loved one to a home, place of ceremony, crematory or cemetery.
18
Suicide Rate Affected by Economy
America's suicide rate rises and falls in relation to how well the economy is doing, according to the first-ever study to compare agespecific suicide rates to U.S. business cycles. The study, titled "Impact of Business Cycles on the U.S. Suicide Rates, 1928-2007," was
conducted by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Mental health experts and economists say the strongest correlation
between suicide and economic downturn is found in Americans in their prime working years, ages 25 to 64. In that group, suicides have
been most common in periods of economic recession like the Great Depression after the 1929 stock market crash, the end of the New
Deal in the late 1930s, the Persian Gulf oil crisis in the mid-1970s and the so-called "double-dip" recession in the early 1980s. The study
examined data up until the year 2007, so it doesn't include suicide figures for the current global economic downturn. By far the biggest
rise in suicides occurred in the Great Depression, when the national suicide rate jumped from 18 per 100,000 adults in 1928 to more
than 22 per 100,000 people in 1932 -- an all-time high. That's a 22.8 percent jump over four years. Since then, the U.S. suicide rate has
been mostly dropping, especially during periods of relative economic prosperity, such as during World War II, when the U.S. economy
was expanding, and in the 1990s, when America saw fast growth and low unemployment. The U.S. suicide rate fell to its lowest point
in the year 2000. "Economic problems can impact how people feel about themselves and their futures as well as their relationships
with family and friends. Economic downturns can also disrupt entire communities," said Feijun Luo, the study's lead author. Based
on its findings, the CDC recommended beefing up counseling to Americans who've lost their homes or jobs, and promoting family and
community connectedness, so workers feel as if they can reach out to loved ones if they need help. It has also recommended making
suicide crisis centers more widely available.
15 Things To Never, Ever Say
To Your Boss
www.pccfa.com
1. “Would you call this a sore or a pimple?”
2. “Whew! (wave hand in front of nose) Somebody’s mouthwash
ain’t making it.”
3. “Bring it on, boss. Work, to me, is like crack. And, boy, do I
love crack.”
4. “Well, what you call ‘having sex with your secretary in the break
room’, I call ‘multitasking.’”
5. “You’re the wind beneath my wings.”
6. “You wouldn’t mind an office pool to see who gets a date with
the new summer intern first, wouldja?”
7. “What? Can you speak up? The voices in my head are
screaming right now.”
8. “I can’t go to that seminar, sir. Technically I’m not supposed to
leave the state.”
9. “Everybody says they fantasize about having sex with the boss’s
spouse but how many people can actually said they did it?”
10. “Any way you could come back later? I’m on the phone with
my bookie.”
11. “Hello. I can’t come in today because they’re having a Charles
In Charge marathon on cable this afternoon.”
12. “Is that your wife?! Man, she looks different on the Internet.”
13. “I’m sorry but I’m not sure that’s what Satan would want me
to do.”
14. “I feel that today’s presentation would be best communicated
through an interpretive drum circle.”
15. “Oh my God. How ‘bout a courtesy flush over there?!”
Check in for the very latest
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and information.
19
Cemetery seeks Rebirth
According to Kristin E. Holmes of The Philadelphia Inquirer, Mina Cockroft can't wait for the day when Historic Eden Cemetery has
the prominence she says the people buried on its 53 acres deserve. The Collingdale, PA cemetery is the final resting place for a host
of Philadelphia luminaries. William Still, an abolitionist known as the father of the Underground Railroad, is buried within walking
distance of famed opera singer Marian Anderson and not far from Julian Abele, an architect who had a prominent role in designing the
Philadelphia Museum of Art.
Yet, the cemetery founded to give African Americans a place to bury their dead is just getting by, says Cockroft, Eden's general manager.
Finances and space are getting tighter, and officials are considering how to turn Eden into more than just a burial ground. "It's important
because of the individuals who are interred here, and their contributions to (African-American) culture and society and what they did for
our culture and society as a whole," Cockroft said. To honor that, cemetery officials are embarking on a campaign to transform Eden
into a paradise for history lovers, similar to what has been done at the famed Laurel Hill Cemetery in Philadelphia. They plan to promote
the historic value of the cemetery, lobby for financial support, and increase tours and special events. Already this year, the cemetery has
hosted an observance of the 100th anniversary of the death of Frances Ellen Watkins Harper, a poet, abolitionist and suffragette. Harper
refused to give up her seat on a horse-drawn trolley in Philadelphia, in the way that Rosa Parks refused to sit in the back of a bus nearly
a century later. In addition to a Memorial Day parade already held, cemetery officials also have scheduled Civil War tours; community
cleanups; the filming of a documentary about Eden; and the campaign's first big fund-raiser, a masquerade ball during which guests must
dress up as someone buried at the cemetery. "Eden is a pantheon to Philadelphia history," said Thomas H. Keels, author of "Philadelphia
Graveyards and Cemeteries." "I'm hoping Eden can work with other cemeteries to help develop historical programs in addition to what
they have and emphasize their historical importance to Philadelphia." It won't be easy, Cockroft said. The cemetery is facing many of
the same challenges that others in the industry are facing in a troubled economy. Income for cemeteries has fallen, in part because more
families are choosing cremation over more elaborate burials, said David Heisterkamp, immediate past president of the Pennsylvania
Cemetery Cremation and Funeral Association. Cockroft says Eden's finances have also been hard hit by a decline in new-grave
purchases. She attributes that not only to cremation but also to a lack of effective marketing of the cemetery and the lingering effects
of integration. The deceased loved ones of African-American families are no longer barred from white cemeteries. That means more
competition for what historically has been Eden's primary customer base. The decline in revenue makes it increasingly difficult for
Eden to market the cemetery and maintain the grounds in a way that keeps it competitive with other cemeteries, said the Rev. Albert
Campbell, chairman of Eden's board of directors. Space also might soon become an issue at Eden. There is room for 500 more
graves. In the last five years, cemetery officials have sold 50 to
75 new graves annually. At that rate, the cemetery could be filled
in 10 years. More than 90,000 people are already buried there.
The cemetery has room to expand elsewhere on its property, but
that depends on whether there is demand, Cockroft said. That
shrinking space as a cemetery is part of the reason that
transforming Eden into a place for visitors interested in its historic
pedigree is so important, she said. The cemetery was founded
in 1902 by Jerome Bacon, a teacher at the Institute for Colored
Youth in Philadelphia, now Cheyney University of Pennsylvania.
Bacon led the effort to acquire the land for a cemetery after
Philadelphia officials began condemning African-American
cemeteries to make way for municipal improvements. Over the
years, the remains of people buried in city cemeteries that were
closed were later moved to Eden, including 19th-century civil
rights activist Octavius V. Catto and hundreds of black veterans
who fought in the Civil War. Despite Eden's history – the
cemetery was added to the National Register of Historic Places
in December – the burial ground has not always been the object
of respect.
In 2008, vandals overturned more than 200 headstones. Stones
have been spray-painted, and some residents walk their dogs on
the property. An effort to raise money for a new fence stalled after
$8,000 was donated — the cemetery's small, aging staff of five
workers, most of them part-time, could not continue the effort.
But cemetery officials hope this new campaign will encourage
more community members, government officials, charities and
foundations to become involved. State Sen. Vincent J. Hughes
(D-Philadelphia) has joined the effort. He is hoping to generate
state funding to aid the cemetery and is assisting in developing a
comprehensive plan to revitalize Eden. Hughes' father, James, is
buried at the cemetery and served on its board of directors. In the
meantime, Cockroft and the cemetery's staff and supporters will
continue planning events to raise the cemetery's profile as both
a historic destination and a place to bury the dead. "There may
be some cemeteries that have better curb appeal," Cockroft said.
"But nowhere will you find this kind of history."
20
21
Financial Urnings
T H E RO O S E V E LT
INVESTMENT GROUP
Our concerns remain at a heightened level given the renewed European sovereign debt crisis, the U.S. government’s
inability to resolve the debt ceiling issue in a way that meaningfully addresses the country’s budget imbalances, and the
economy’s apparent inability to generate self-sustaining growth.
European Troubles and U.S. Woes
For the second time in a little over a year, Greece is again on the precipice of defaulting. Its debt now trades at prices that indicate
investors believe there is a high likelihood of default. There are now also growing concerns about Italy and Spain, and renewed
worries about Ireland. Defaults by any of these countries would have serious consequences for major French and German
commercial banks which hold large amounts of Eurozone sovereign debt. The concern today is that the under-capitalized
condition of one or more large European commercial banks, impaired further by losses on Eurozone debt, could result in
another Lehman-like liquidity crunch that would impact the global banking system.
If this was not enough to create serious concerns for investors, during the months of May and June U.S. macroeconomic data began
to show signs of deterioration. Investors responded by selling stocks in economically sensitive sectors and rotating into perceived
safe-haven sectors such as healthcare, consumer staples, and utilities. While officials at the Federal Reserve attribute some of
the recent data weakness to “factors that are likely to be temporary,” including higher food and energy prices, supply-chain
disruptions related to the Japanese earthquake, and weather events, investors appear less certain. They await confirmatory
data in July as well as guidance from management teams who will be reporting their second quarter earnings in the coming
weeks Before making a determination about whether the weakness is temporary or more entrenched. Employment data has
been decidedly mixed over the past two months, with non-farm payroll data showing minimal job creation that was well below
expectations for both May and June. Unemployment claims have remained over 400,000 since the second week of April,
partially due to federal, state and local government layoffs. On the other hand, the ADP National Employment Report showed
157,000 new hires in June, indicating that the non-farm data may need to be revised upward. Parsing through some of the
underlying figures, seasonal factors such as teachers leaving on their summer breaks make the June monthly payroll data
somewhat less relevant, and this anomaly will not be repeated in next month’s report. Data also indicated that the number of
hours employees worked rose sharply in the second quarter, evidence that employers are stretching their current workforce
rather than adding new employees.
While employment figures are lackluster, the corporate environment appears reasonably healthy. Monthly Purchasing Manager
Index surveys from the Institute of Supply Management indicate the economy is growing, with particular strength in
manufacturing. Regional Federal Bank surveys over the last month were mixed, but the surveys from later in June were
stronger than earlier surveys, indicating that the economy may have strengthened as the month progressed. May durable goods
orders (reported in late June) were stronger than expected, while April and March reports were revised upward significantly.
The ripple effects from the disaster in Japan also appear to be subsiding, with economic data from that country improving
markedly over the past month and the government raising its assessment for growth.
Capital spending continues to grow at a good clip this year, and despite the generally healthy condition of balance sheets at
many companies, borrowing by businesses grew faster in the first quarter than in any period since Lehman Brothers collapsed.
This data is important because it signals that corporate management teams are confident enough to both spend and borrow.
Legislation which grants accelerated depreciation of capital equipment is a contributing factor to the spending activity, but in
our view that alone is not enough to explain this year’s growth.
The second quarter Business Roundtable CEO survey published a few weeks ago indicates that over half of large company CEOs expect
to increase hiring this year. With corporate profitability higher than it has been in over 44 years, we can only hope that management
teams will demonstrate their confidence and begin hiring. It also seems likely that the Obama administration will be making more
forceful efforts to stimulate job growth. Elevated unemployment, stagnant wages and a still-weak housing market make for an
environment in which it should be no surprise that consumer sentiment surveys are mostly negative. Nevertheless, retail
spending has been much stronger than might logically have been expected. In June, same store sales were up 6.9%. This rise
was on the heels of a 5.4% increase in May and an 8.5% increase in April. Gasoline prices have declined about 8% since the
highs reached in mid-May, which probably contributed to spending patterns.
We expect near-term investor focus to remain on resolving the debt crises in the U.S. and in Europe. Second-quarter earnings
season, which has just begun, will provide clues as to the underlying condition of our economy and whether we will be able to
break out of the slow growth environment that we have endured so far this year.
Keynews thanks Adam Sheer and The Roosevelt Investment Group, Inc. for their on-going submission of
“Financial Urnings” to Keynews.
Roosevelt Investment Group 1-800-829-4337
22
Cemetery Director Sentenced
The former director of a Chicago-area cemetery where hundreds
of graves were dug up and resold has pleaded guilty to several
charges involving the desecration of human remains.
Carolyn Towns, 51, who ran the Burr Oak Cemetery when the
allegations surfaced in 2009, was sentenced to 12 years in prison
in early July after she pleaded guilty to all charges against her,
including dismembering a human body and theft from a place of
worship, according to state prosecutors in Cook County, Illinois.
Three maintenance workers face charges as well. As part of the
scheme, prosecutors said, the grave diggers would exhume bodies,
crushing vaults and caskets before dumping human remains at the
cemetery's trash site. The workers would "double stack" graves,
meaning they would bury existing remains deeper into the ground
before placing new remains in the same location, authorities said.
Towns "is very remorseful, not only for the pain she caused her
family, but the families of people who have loved ones at Burr
Oak," defense attorney Susana Ortiz said, according to CNN affiliate WLS. "She accepted responsibility for the allegations in this
case, and she would just like to put this behind her and move on
with her life."
The Cook County Sheriff's Department received more than 5,000
telephone inquiries and 1,700 e-mails regarding missing relatives
throughout their investigation. At the time, Sheriff Thomas J. Dart
said the scene at the predominately African-American cemetery
was disturbing. "I found bones out there," he said. "I found
individuals wandering aimlessly looking for their loved ones
who can't find them." The investigation also extended into
"Babyland," a section of the cemetery intended for children.
Dart said he talked to countless women who could not find their
children. Authorities also discovered the original glass-faced
casket belonging to 14-year-old Emmett Till, piled in a garage
filled with lawn care equipment. Thousands rallied behind Till's
family after he was violently murdered in August 1955 for
reportedly whistling at a white woman. His body was exhumed
in 2005 following a renewed investigation into his death. He was
reburied in a new casket. Groundskeepers told investigators Till's
body was not disturbed. The scandal led to onerous law changes
for Illinois cemeteries. Said one Illinois cemeterian, “Onerous?
Absolutely! And the changes had nothing to do with and would
not have stopped the wrongdoing at Burr Oak. There were many
things in the law that are impossible for a cemetery to do making
you an instant criminal.” In addition to the change in cemetery
law in Illinois, federal legislation has been introduced, currently
H.R. 900, which would affect all U.S. cemeteries, crematories,
funeral homes and independent providers. PCCFA opposes this
unnecessary and impulsive legislation.
State Newsletters Online
Find the State Real Estate Commission and State Board of
Funeral Directors newsletters online.
Go to: www.dos.state.pa.us
On the left hand side, click Licensing (wait for new screen)
On the left hand side, click Newsletters (wait for new
screen) Scroll down to find your Board.
Keep yourself informed!
Roosevelt Investments
is a proud member of PCCFA
Roosevelt Investments
has been providing
customized
investment management
services
designed to meet
the life cycle needs
of cemeterians
and funeral directors
since the early 1990s.
Please contact Adam Sheer
at 800.829.4337
to learn more.
Roosevelt
Investments
The Roosevelt Investment Group, Inc.
317 Madison Ave., Suite 1004
New York, NY 10017
www.rooseveltinvestments.com
23
Recycling Cremated Implants
According to Lancaster’s Sunday News, cremated flesh vanishes, bones shrink down to a few pounds of brittle slivers, but metal body
implants easily outlast two hours or so of 1,800-degree flame. And, now, more and more crematories, local and statewide, are recycling
some of these remnants. Leola-based Evans Eagle Burial Vaults Inc., which handles cremations for the majority of the 33 funeral homes
in the county that do not have on-site crematories, reclaimed the metal which is sorted, melted down and used to make new implants
and other products.
No law requires this. All money received for recycled metal is donated to charity, said Paul Evans, finance executive for Evans Eagle
Burial Vaults. "The biggest thing, I think, is to find a dignified way to reuse [the implants]." Charles F. Snyder Jr. Funeral Home &
Crematory Inc. in Lititz also sends recyclers hardware such as replacement joints and pins that once helped knit together broken bones.
Last month, Kearney A. Snyder Funeral Home Inc. in Lancaster sent its first shipment of "byproducts" to Implant Recycling LLC in
Detroit, Michigan. Disposal wasn't always so decorous, according to Brad Wasserman, managing partner of Implant Recycling.
“When we started, the bulk of U.S. crematories - 90% or so - were throwing the material in a landfill.” “Today, he added, only about 10
percent of the crematories nationwide continue to bury implants on their premises, landfill them or consign them to the medical waste
stream.”
Surgeons began routinely inserting artificial hips and other metal implants more than 30 years ago, Wasserman noted. "One in eight
people in the U.S. has some form of orthopedic material implanted into them," he added. Now, many older recipients are dying and
being cremated, and their loved ones typically sign over their implants. Tom Ford, funeral director for Andrew Scheid Funeral Home in
Millersville, said surviving pieces might include sockets, joints, titanium alloy rods, stainless steel pins and plates, as well as assorted
screws and fittings from the caskets that contain the bodies during the cremation process. The metal pieces are placed into a container
designated for their delivery. It may take up to a year for a funeral home to fill up the container which results in an average compensation
per container of $70. Many participants donate the money to charities of choice. At the Charles F. Snyder Funeral Home the crematory
that opened last July has "witness" rooms for family members who opt to watch the casket being rolled into the 15-ton burn chamber
or who are bound by religious obligation to initiate the cremation. What they don't see is the recycling process that begins after the jet
engine roar of the natural-gas burner subsides and the fire brick cools. Funeral Director Charles "Chad" Snyder III explained the steps:
Crematory operators raise the 6-inch-thick door and use long-handled tools to rake the ashes forward. After a hand-held magnet is used
to draw out small metal pieces, the remains are consolidated and placed in an urn. Prosthetic limbs are sometimes destroyed along with
the body, Snyder said. If not claimed by family members, he added, the limbs are in some cases reused by rehab centers. (Pacemakers,
which can explode in a cremation chamber, must be removed from bodies before cremation.) After the cremation process, the
remaining implants are temporarily stored in a heavy-duty metal bucket in a room near the witness room. Snyder declined to name the
local recycler his company uses. Evans, whose company has operated a crematory since 1990, said it has always recycled implants.
"It makes sense" to recycle an implant, Evans said. "You should use it" to benefit others.
“60 Minutes”
Story on Cemeteries
CBS News has been developing a report on cemetery problems for
its program "60 Minutes" since last year. ICCFA’s past president
Paul Elvig and executive director Bob Fells were interviewed
by Anderson Cooper this past January. The segment has not yet
aired, but the ICCFA has learned that CBS continues to interview
individuals and has tentatively scheduled to broadcast the segment
at some point this fall. ICCFA believes that CBS may be waiting
for another cemetery "event" to make the segment seem timely.
Making a Difference
As we get older we sometimes begin to doubt our ability to "make
a difference" in the world. It is at these times that our hopes are
boosted by the remarkable achievements of other "seniors" who
have found the courage to take on challenges that would make
many of us wither.
Harold Schlumberg is such a person:
THIS IS QUOTED FROM HAROLD:
"I've often been asked, 'What do you do now that you're retired?'
Well...I'm fortunate to have a chemical engineering background
and one of the things I enjoy most is converting beer, wine and
whiskey into urine. It's rewarding, uplifting, satisfying and
fulfilling. I do it every day and I really enjoy it."
Harold should be an inspiration to us all.
24
Chilly Nap
A Johannesburg, South African man awoke to find himself in a morgue fridge – nearly a day
after his family thought he had died, a health official reported in July. Health department
spokesman Sizwe Kupelo said the man awoke on a Sunday afternoon, 21 hours after his family
called in an undertaker who sent him to the morgue after an asthma attack. When the morgue
driver arrived at the home to collect the body, the man’s pulse was checked, there was no sign
of a heartbeat, “there was nothing," the morgue owner told the Associated Press. But a day
after staff put the body into a locked refrigerated compartment, morgue workers heard someone
shouting for help. They thought it was a ghost. "We couldn't believe it!" said a morgue official.
"I was also scared. But they are my employees and I had to show them I wasn't scared, so I
called the police." After police arrived, the group entered the morgue together. They had their
firearms, in case something wanted to fight with us. Opening the drawer, the man was pulled
out pale and disoriented. "He asked, 'How did I get here?'" The health department said the man
was then taken to a nearby hospital for observation and later discharged by doctors who deemed
him stable. The South African health department have urged South Africans to call on health
officials to confirm that their relatives are really dead. While making funeral arrangements, the
family was informed that their loved one was alive. They're very happy to have him home, the
morgue owner said. But also said he is still trying to recover from the traumatic experience.
"I couldn't sleep last night, I had nightmares," he said. "But today I'm much better."
Be Wary of Copyright Infringement
Copyright infringement occurs when someone other than the copyright holder copies the “expression” of a work. This means that the
idea or information behind the work is not protected, but how the idea is expressed is protected. For example, there have been many
movies about Pirates, but only one Jack Sparrow. Copyright infringement can occur even if someone does not copy a work exactly.
This example of copyright infringement is most easily apparent in music and art. Copyright infringement occurs if the infringing work
is “substantially similar” to the copyrighted work. There are three exceptions to the copyright infringement rules, which allow one to
reproduce another's work without obtaining a license or assignment of rights:
Fair Use: This is a doctrine which permits the reproduction of copyrighted material for a limited purpose of teaching, reviewing, literary
criticism and the like. Without the “fair use” doctrine, books and movies could not be reviewed and colleges and high schools would
not be able to study works by people like Arthur Miller. This is also how television programs such as The Daily Show are able to use
copyrighted material in their commentary. "Fair use," however, is determined on a case-by-case basis.
Public Domain: This refers to works which are no longer covered by copyright law. For example, the song “The Star-Spangled Banner”
can be performed without ever paying license fees to anyone because the copyright has expired.
Non-Copyrightable Works: Copyright infringement cannot occur when someone uses material that cannot be protected by copyright,
such as facts or ideas. However, if someone puts a bunch of facts into the form of a book (e.g. The Farmer’s Almanac), copying all or
part of that book would constitute copyright infringement.
Copyright Infringement charges can lead to penalties of
thousands of dollars. When a business is developing a web page
or new printed material, be sure your web designer or media
professional is not using copyrighted material without getting
the proper permission or making the proper payments. You may
also make arrangements to have your designer liable if copyright
protected images are used without your knowledge.
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Wisdom and Observations
However, the articles, statements, stories and
opinions printed or reprinted in the Keynews do
not necessarily reflect the views and opinions of
the Association or its membership.
26
tailors ltd.
All readers are encouraged to contribute articles,
statements, stories and opinions of interest to
Keynews.
CUSTOM SUITS & SHIRTS
George Balani
Cell: 718-809-4234
SINCE 1962
KEYNEWS
Riviera
I was going to ask God for a bike, but I know God doesn't work that way. So I stole a bike and asked for forgiveness.
Do not argue with an idiot. He will drag you down to his level and beat you with experience.
Going to church doesn't make you a Christian any more than standing in a garage makes you a car.
The last thing I want to do is hurt you. But it's still on the list.
Light travels faster than sound. This is why some people appear bright until you hear them speak.
War does not determine who is right - only who is left.
The early bird might get the worm, but the second mouse gets the cheese.
Evening news is where they begin with 'Good evening', and then proceed to tell you why it isn't.
To steal ideas from one person is plagiarism. To steal from many is research.
A bus station is where a bus stops. A train station is where a train stops. On my desk, I have a work station.
How is it one careless match can start a forest fire, but it takes a whole box to start a campfire?
Some people are like Slinkies ... not really good for anything, but you can't help smiling when you see one tumble down the stairs.
Dolphins are so smart that within a few weeks of captivity, they can train people to stand on the very edge of the pool and throw them fish.
I thought I wanted a career, turns out I just wanted pay checks.
A bank is a place that will lend you money, if you can prove that you don't need it.
Whenever I fill out an application, in the part that says "If an emergency, notify:" I put "DOCTOR".
I didn't say it was your fault, I said I was blaming you.
I saw a woman wearing a sweat shirt with "Guess" on it...so I said "Implants?"
Why does someone believe you when you say there are four billion stars, but check when you say the paint is wet?
Women will never be equal to men until they can walk down the street with a bald head and a beer gut, and still think they are sexy.
Why do Americans choose from just two people to run for president and 50 for Miss America?
Behind every successful man is his woman. Behind the fall of a successful man is usually another woman.
A clear conscience is usually the sign of a bad memory.
You do not need a parachute to skydive. You only need a parachute to skydive twice.
The voices in my head may not be real, but they have some good ideas!
Always borrow money from a pessimist. He won't expect it back.
A diplomat is someone who can tell you to go to hell in such a way that you will look forward to the trip.
Hospitality: making your guests feel like they're at home, even if you wish they were.
Money can't buy happiness, but it sure makes misery easier to live with.
I discovered I scream the same way whether I'm about to be devoured by a great white shark or if a piece of seaweed touches my foot.
Some cause happiness wherever they go. Others whenever they go.
There's a fine line between cuddling and holding someone down so they can't get away.
I used to be indecisive. Now I'm not sure.
I always take life with a grain of salt, plus a slice of lemon, and a shot of tequila.
When tempted to fight fire with fire, remember that the Fire Department usually uses water.
You're never too old to learn something stupid.
To be sure of hitting the target, shoot first and call whatever you hit the target.
Nostalgia isn't what it used to be.
Some people hear voices. Some see invisible people. Others have no imagination whatsoever.
A bus is a vehicle that runs twice as fast when you are after it as when you are in it.
If you are supposed to learn from your mistakes, why do some people have more than one child?
Change is inevitable, except from a vending machine.
414 Hankow Center
5 - 15 Hankow Road, Tsim Sha Tsui, Hong Kong.
E-mail: [email protected]
Threats Across Europe and Beyond.
The English are feeling the pinch in relation to recent events in Libya and have therefore raised their security level from "Miffed" to
"Peeved." Soon, though, security levels may be raised yet again to "Irritated" or even "A Bit Cross." The English have not been "A Bit
Cross" since the blitz in 1940 when tea supplies nearly ran out. Terrorists have been re-categorized from "Tiresome" to "A Bloody Nuisance." The last time the British issued a "Bloody Nuisance" warning level was in 1588, when threatened by the Spanish Armada.
The Scots have raised their threat level from "Pissed Off" to "Let's get the Bastards." They don't have any other levels. This is the reason
they have been used on the front line of the British army for the last 300 years.
The French government announced yesterday that it has raised its terror alert level from "Run" to "Hide." The only two higher levels in
France are "Collaborate" and "Surrender." The rise was precipitated by a recent fire that destroyed France 's white flag factory, effectively
paralyzing the country's military capability.
Italy has increased the alert level from "Shout Loudly and Excitedly" to "Elaborate Military Posturing." Two more levels remain:
"Ineffective Combat Operations" and "Change Sides."
The Germans have increased their alert state from "Disdainful Arrogance" to "Dress in Uniform and Sing Marching Songs." They also
have two higher levels: "Invade a Neighbor" and "Lose."
Belgians, on the other hand, are all on holiday as usual; the only threat they are worried about is NATO pulling out of Brussels.
The Spanish are all excited to see their new submarines ready to deploy. These beautifully designed subs have glass bottoms so the new
Spanish navy can get a really good look at the old Spanish navy.
Australia , meanwhile, has raised its security level from "No worries"to "She'll be alright, Mate." Two more escalation levels remain:
"Crikey! I think we'll need to cancel the barbie this weekend!" and "The barbie is canceled." So far no situation has ever warranted use
of the final escalation level.
-- John Cleese - British writer, actor and tall person
12 Obvious Headlines
Healthy Lifestyle Makes Women Less Likely to Die Suddenly
Obsessing over body image isn’t healthy
Study: Some foods help shed pounds, others help pack them on
Healthy Lifestyle May Ward Off Sudden Heart Attacks
Eating Out and Frequent Snaking Seen as Main Cause for Obesity
IMPROVE YOUR BUSINESS — NOW
FIFTY NEW IDEAS!
Potato chips are piling on pounds, Study finds
Exercise: The New Doctor’s Orders
Extra Sleep Could Boost Athletic Peformance
Study: Men Need Cuddles, Too
Teenagers Prefer Drinks With Caffeine
To Ward off Dementia, Stay Healthy from Head to Toe
Binge Drinking can Affect Memory in Teens
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27