Ann Silverthorn

According to some folks, especially those in Pennsylvania, in order to have good luck in the new year, you should dine on pork and sauerkraut on New Year’s Day. This, according to legend, is because pigs root forward, a symbol of success. I’ve never seen a pig rooting, but I did make eye contact with…

The arrival of a new year often makes people feel uncomfortable. This is when the rapid passing of time becomes the most apparent and the uncertainty of the future somewhat unsettling. At least that’s the way it feels for me. It’s the way I’ve been since I was thirteen, and we were entering a new…

Do you make New Year’s resolutions? If so, how often do you achieve those resolutions or even remember at year’s end what they were? Here are seven tips to help you set your New Year’s resolutions and also set yourself up for success in achieving them. 1. Take stock of the previous year. What goals had you…

Ten years ago, when I met with the Academy High School class of 1935 in Erie, PA, and asked them about their former assistant principal, William Dimorier, using the French pronunciation, Di-more-ee-ay, they didn’t know who I was talking about. Then I tried pronouncing it as it is spelled, and still no recognition registered with the…

Hello! Thanks for visiting my 100 Happy Days 76-100. For an overview of this project, click here. <–Days 1-25    <–Days 26-50     <–Days 51-75 Well, I’ve completed the 100 Happy Days Challenge. What has this experiment done for me? Has it made me a happier person? I know that posting at least one happy thing every day has forced…

Some men might have rejoiced over a physical defect that would keep them out of World War II. Take Donald Michaels, the conscientious objector who was sentenced to three years in a Federal penitentiary for refusing to go to war. A minor physical deformity, like a crooked finger, could have saved him a lot of trouble.…

Hello! Thanks for visiting my 100 Happy Days 51-75. For an overview of this project, click here. <–Days 1-25       <–Days 26-50       Days 76-100–>  Days 76-100–>

I first met Chris Dubbs in 2005, when I left my job as grant writer at Gannon University for another position. Chris was my replacement, and over lunch one day, I shared as much as I could with him about the grant-writing landscape at Gannon. So when I recently saw a notice about his latest book, America’s U-Boats:…

Hello! Thanks for visiting my 100 Happy Days 26-50 gallery. For an overview of this project, click here. <–Days 1-25        Days 51-75–>       Days 76-100–>

Poet and educator William E. Dimorier played a major role in the building of Veterans Memorial Stadium in Erie, PA. Although the newspaper accounts from the stadium’s dedication in 1924 do not mention his name, Dimorier worked behind the scenes from the landmark’s conception to completion.   Remembering Erie’s Veterans Memorial Stadium Dedication Veterans Day 2014 will mark 90 years…