Meeting with Surgeon General

Thought I'd pass along one of the pics I got back from the meeting I had with Dr. Regina Benjamin on April 16th. I met with her at the CGI U event and was able to have her come to UM to discuss the role of the nursing in reducing costs and increasing efficiencies and quality patient outcomes for the "recent health care bill changes." We recommended that primary care be handled by the Advanced Practice Nurses and Doctors of Nursing Practice as independent practitioners. I outlined cost/benefit ratios for her based on EVIDENCE! I have asked the Dean of Nursing for another meeting with her for the fall in DC. UM is sending me a CD of more photos from that meeting...better photos.. ....I'm not bragging much, here. Ha.

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Blogged by Anne

Anne meets President Clinton

The University of Miami was the site for the 3rd Annual Clinton Global Initiative University Meeting (CGI U) held on April 16-18, 2010. As a graduate student Anne was selected by the University to represent nursing as a facilitator for a panel discussion on health care.

Of course she got to meet President Clinton, and during her private conference, asked him to autograph her program for her dad. It says, "To Bill, Thank you, Bill Clinton. She had told the President that her father had been a Physical Training Instructor for pilots during WWII. She also mentioned that he had voted for him twice. The President laughed and said he would be honored to say thanks to her dad.

Willie at Prep

Willie played football at Prep from 1932 to 1935. He was the captain of the 1935 team and played in the QB position. He best remembers the time they played in Bradford in his senior year when the rain fell throughout the game. Prep won 13 to 0. In his junior year he remembers the game against Vincent when he had the ball and ran many yards only to be stopped a foot from a touchdown. They still won the game though with the score 6 to 0.

Urn

After grandpa died in 1950, Anna had an urn placed on his grave site. This picture, taken by my dad, shows the urn at the cemetery. It is behind the flag. The big stone to the left of the urn is for grandpa's father David. The stone in the back is for Lucy Horrigan Crotty Smith. Sometime in the late 1980's the cemetery informed Anna that the urn needed to be removed. My dad put it in her back shed and it sat there for awhile. She later asked me if I wanted it. We painted it white and each summer we place it on our front walk. This year we have geraniums in it.

The traveling bench

Many of you will remember the infamous cemetery bench. As I can recall the facts from my mother, the bench was purchased by our grandmother, Julia Sullivan Crotty, and was placed at the grave site in Trinity Cemetery of her parents John and Anna Dillon Sullivan.

The first picture shows their grave site. Their stones are in the upper right in front of the big stone. In the foreground is a cement pad. I bet that is where the bench was. The second picture shows the tomb stones.

The best we can do is surmise that this probably occurred in the late 1920's or early 1930's. During the 30's, families were advised that these benches needed to be removed. It was then taken to reside for a number of years at 509 Parade Street. Sometime around 1946 the bench was moved to my parents house - one of the 'cottages' built by Lucy Horrigan Crotty Smith at 411 East 5th Street. My family later moved to Eagle Point Blvd in the early 1950's, and the bench travelled to the new Jackson homestead.

The bench stayed at Eagle Point until 1977 when my father moved to Houston to be near me and my family. I recently (May 15, 2010) moved to Jacksonville, Florida to be near my daughter and her family. The bench made the journey with me.

Since I live in an apartment now, the bench is at Robin and Anthony's home. It is being given a place of honor. It will go to their daughter Aubrey. A picture of Aubrey, on the bench will be added later. Aubrey is the great-great-great-granddaughter of John and Anna Dillon Sullivan and the great-great-granddaughter of Richard and Julia Sullivan Crotty. This bench will survive us all. I wish I knew more of the history.

This bench has traveled more than Grandma Crotty ever did, or even thought about it in her lifetime. An old iron bench is the legacy for the generations to come.

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co-posted by

Dede & Rich

The Crotty Estate via a 1943 Wheat Penny

Any cousin who ever went to Anna’s house was familiar with her ‘pennies.’ On her buffet was a chrome wine set with what I think today, was an ice bucket. Anna gave permission for all of us to take some of those pennies from the ice bucket and make a trip to the ‘PX,’ a convenience/candy store on 6th and Parade. This store used to be owned by a family member in years gone by. It had changed hands several times. At that time, the ‘PX’ had a cadre of wonderful penny candies to include wax lips, bubble gum, tootsie rolls, amongst a host of other candies.

One Saturday afternoon, my brother Mike and I were joined by either Dave Barron, Tom Barron, Dave Callahan, or all of the noted. One of us had seen an article in the Erie Times under coin collection. It indicated that there was a rare wheat penny from 1943. This penny was worth over $100,000. Needless to say, in the late 50’s, this was a lot of money! The group of us that day told Anna that we were going to see if any of her pennies, surely over 1,000 pennies in that ice bucket, were of this vintage. Anna supported us with Rola Cola, potato chips, and Swiss cheese while humoring our enthusiasm. We spent several hours going through the entire pot. And, low and behold, we found a 1943 wheat penny!

What a thrill! We then decided how Anna would spend her newly-found money. First, she would purchase a large estate, the ‘Crotty Estate.’ This would allow all Crotty families to have a family bedroom in this mansion, probably in Glenwood Hills. We would enjoy this on weekends. There would be a swimming pool. (We no longer had to go to Chestnut pool to swim) The boys wanted a baseball diamond and a basketball hoop. We’d no longer go to the CYS Club for bowling on Sunday, we’d have our own bowling alley. Then there would be servants. One of us decided that we would ask the servants to ‘peel our grapes.’ We laughed ourselves silly and went onto other modes, totally enjoying being amongst the rich and privileged. We would return to our own homes for the daily week, going to school where we were enrolled, to return on weekends.

After all of our enthusiasm, planning and expectations, as all luck would have it, our penny lacked the final demarcation needed to command the $100,000. We again convened at Anna’s. There would be no estate, no family rooms, no swimming pool, baseball diamond or basketball hoop, nor having our grapes peeled, or fancy dinners. Looked like it was back to the CYS Club on Sunday for bowling. However, all was not lost. We still had carte blanche to Anna’s house and her penny pot with our choice of penny candy at the PX.

It’s December, 24th, 1974. I am sitting in a church in New Jersey for Christmas Eve Mass listening to ‘Silent Night.’ I am holding my new baby, 1 month old. (This baby is now 35 years old) We came home, to receive the ‘Christmas Eve Call In’ from Anna, et al. Anna always had the entire family for a Christmas Eve party. Passing the phone from one family member to the next was both a fun and sacred experience. Your first Christmas without your family is a tough one, but the call allowed for continuity in spirit.

Thinking back on the many events Anna hosted for her family, be it Christmas Eve, St. Patrick’s Day, a new chair, or a lava lamp celebration, the ‘Crotty Estate’ was up and alive. Needless to say, Anna didn’t need to be amongst the rich and famous in a palatial mansion to behold the “Crotty Estate.’ It was there all the time.

Lucy Rastatter Cappello
April 8, 2010
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Hot Fudge Sundaes at Norma and Johnnie’s

Lights, Cameras, Action and Hot Fudge Sundaes at Norma and Johnnie’s

I lived in Woodcliff Lake, New Jersey for some of the best years of my adult life. I shopped in a neighboring town, Westwood, New Jersey, and always managed to make my way into a little sweet shop called Conrad’s. Their homemade candy rivals Stefanelli’s in Erie. They have an ice cream soda shop that takes you back years in time. It still looks like 1959. Westwood has the charm of suburban New York, offering a variety of venues for the shopper and palate. Conrad’s still holds old charm.

Over twenty five years ago, while shopping, I was craving a hot fudge sundae. I went to Conrad’s. I took one taste and went back in time. Could this actually be happening? The time was the late 50’s and early 60’s, at Norma and Johnnie’s house.

After putting on our Sunday finest, Mike, Ann and I, in my parent’s Ford, were excited to be on Greengarden Blvd, knowing ‘the turn’ was coming. We walked into Norma and Johnnie’s greeted by Norma. She always had perfectly coiffured auburn hair, with a “Gibson Girl” twist in the front. She wore a crisp apron and always, red nails with an understated yet beaming smile. Johnnie was always gentle and warm.

We kids (Patty, Mike, Ann, Mike and I) could care less what the adults were going to do for the afternoon. We went downstairs to the basement stage and had a ball creating an original play. How I loved that time in their great basement! After much planning and practice, we put on our original play. Our audience of parents gave rounds of applause. We had succeeded. Look out Broadway.

Before dinner, I’d admire Norma’s original art work. I thought it was so cool. She had oil paintings, some by numbers, beautifully framed throughout the house. Then, time for a great dinner. Yes, a great dinner, but I couldn’t wait for the dessert, a hot fudge sundae. You could smell the sauce cooking. God, nothing could compare, except tasting it! It had a rich chocolate flavor and a moderate creamy consistency dripping over pure vanilla ice cream. I’ve tried many times to recreate the sauce with the Hershey’s cocoa hot fudge recipe, and maybe I’ve come close. Then I went into Conrad’s in Westwood, New Jersey. No matter what diet I tried to be on over the past 25 years, I’d give myself a reprieve and have that hot fudge sundae. I am amazed. How can I be so lucky? It’s just like Norma’s! I enjoy my sundae. I go back in time. I relive my childhood memories. I reconnect with what’s good and important. Conrad’s, please never go out of business.

Lucy Cappello
March 2, 2010