April 1948 Snapshots

Life is like a rollercoaster. Everyone experiences ups and downs, and that was no different in Selinsgrove in April 1948. Lives were lived in Central Pennsylvania, however, the rush could end very quickly. 

An example of this is Reverend Harry Jarrett. He was the talk of the town when he hosted President Herbert Hoover his Methodist church in 1931 for a service. Rev. Jarrett was on a high after President Hoover visited. However, 17 years later, his rollercoaster reached its peak and on April 14, 1948, in Philadelphia, he passed away. Or perhaps with John Benner, a deacon from the Middleburg Evangelical and Reformed Church. Not only was he a deacon, but Benner was also a member of the Middleburg Free and Accepted Masonic Blue Lodge, as well as several other organizations such as the Reliance Hose Company. Benner’s heart condition made him suffer and his health was on the decline, leading to his death on April 3, 1948. Yet another example of a native Selinsgrover was J. Irvin Aucker. He had been suffering from a heart condition for a long time, and at the end of his life, he was living with his in-laws and nephew. Heart disease seemed to be a slow killer in this small town. These few locals represented the slow nature of dying.

On the other hand, there were people like Howard “Dick” Kauffman, a Susquehanna University graduate, but more notably, a former major league baseball player. He was signed by the St. Louis Browns  (the modern-day Baltimore Orioles) as a first baseman. Disappointingly, he got nailed by a ball which fractured his wrist and ended his MLB career  A similar story is the one of Harry C. Troup. He died of a heart attack. These people represent the other side of the coin: the rapid nature of going downhill. What goes up must come down.

April 1948 was a month of discomfort and tragedy for residents of Selinsgrove. But it also came with a sweeter end. Some of these issues were trivial such as, the month was a hot one, and on April 1 the Lancaster Almanac reported that local towns would not have access to iceboxes so Pennsylvanians would be unable to store their cold drinks for the upcoming sweltering summer. Another Selinsgrover complaint was the Rousch family who was especially perturbed as their one year old’s birthday was not included in the Selinsgrove Times last birthdays section. On top of that neighbors in Mt. Pleasant Mills suffered a mumps outbreak later that week, which especially targeted the Sierer family, with Aretta and Sarah Sierer failing ill. Aretta was banned from attending the junior missionaries’ meeting, despite being president.

More seriously, early in the month spinal meningitis struck the town’s tax collector, Oscar Shotzberger. He was rushed to the Community Hospital in Sunbury when his condition became critical. Finally and tragically, Samuel and Dorthy Burd gave birth to a stillborn baby boy and had to schedule the funeral instead of picking a name. The first half of April proved to be rather depressing, but these unfortunate events did not spoil the month. The second half proved to be much brighter.

First off, the unusually hotter weather made fires more likely and more deadly threatening the safety of Selinsgrovers. So the borough council conducted meetings in order to found a new fire department to protect residents and lower the cost of their fire insurance by 50%. Around the same time Oscar rebounded from his spinal meningitis and the Sierer sisters also leaped into recovery. On top of that students of Selinsgrove high school entered into thirteen events in the District Forensic League held at State College. Students such as Joyce Ingham flaunted their musical talents. Local students placed 1^st in six of them and 2^nd in the other seven. Notable first place holders were Jack Fritz with the drums and Joyce Ingham who performed a mezzo soprano solo. The winners would continue onto state finals and attempt to compete for an even higher award.

Selinsgrovers also got a few small nice notes to end the month. Three new professionally produced movies appeared at the beloved Stanley theater. One of them, Gentleman’s Agreement, had even been nominated for picture of the year. The film also featured two of the most popular actors at the time, Gregory Peck and Dorothy McGuire. While it may seem like the month of April was a dark and depressing one, Selinsgrovers had much to enjoy when the darkness lifted and the sunshine broke through.

In 1948, a veteran recounted his experiences in the Philippines during the aftermath of the Second World War. He witnessed Manila in ruins, its former beauty turning into dust. Resources were scarce, anguish was everywhere. Civilians scraped by from what government rations and donations they received. Despite the devastation, citizens roamed the streets carrying on with daily life. Merchants traded, restaurants opened. For they knew that no matter what, there’s no such thing as a free lunch.

Yet home wasn’t too different. Even with the privilege of being spared from war, someone still had to pay the bills. He remembered the great deals at Weis, nineteen cents for two cans of beets, or twenty-three cents for three cans of tomato juice may have been a steal, yet it was a steal that someone had to pay; whether it was someone reducing their profits or laborers working tirelessly to meet high quotas or less pay. These discounts always came at a cost, and it didn’t necessarily come from the buyer.

He looked back at a simpler time, when bills were never a problem. He remembered his younger years. Steak, corn, potatoes, and beans—he ate like a king, but it was only through the backbreaking and tiring work of his father out in the fields. He often listened to his father’s tirades when he read the paper, especially when he went on rambles of always needing the latest tractor model. Whether they were the latest Ford tractor model or used tractors, his father was always eager to improve his yield. It seemed irritating to the young veteran hearing this rant over and over. Yet, he understood that all these ramblings came from the heart of a man who wanted to provide for his family, even if it came at the cost of sweat and tears.

He remembered another incident, one that caused quite the controversy in town. These new highways were being built in the county. Indeed these roads reduced travel time by a large margin. Yet the veteran couldn’t forget the small protests from residents who paid the biggest costs. He noticed an increase in his taxes, but more consequently he noticed the number of residents whose property were to be trampled in the name of the public good. Houses, buildings, and structures gone all for the benefit of reduced traveling time. The vet pondered whether the costs were really worth it, personally he knew that he’d be disheartened at seeing his father’s hard work at the farm gone for naught.

He snapped back to his reality, the dust and ruins still present. He looked outside to see lines of civilians lined up for their daily rations. It was the US government and taxpayer money paying to save these poor souls from starvation. The veteran looked up, the air was filled with smoke and blood. He knew peace came at the great cost of the lives of several men. For he knew there’s no such thing as a free lunch. Someone out there will always have to pay.