- 1
- 2
- next
- | single page
Jack Hershey said it all with a smile
To the editor:
Over the last few weeks, I have thought about and discussed with others the loss of John R. Hershey Jr. As so many have expressed, Jack was a terrific husband, father and grandfather, a wonderful citizen of Washington County, and an astute and very successful financial expert.
He generously became a local philanthropist who made our small part of the world a better place through his many contributions of time and money to important local needs. Although much has already been said about his many local charitable donations, I wanted to add my thoughts to the chorus of praise for Jack Hershey and share my perspective on why he was an extraordinary individual.
Most importantly, I urge our community to long remember him as a role model for community citizenship, always being proud of the many wonderful aspects of Washington County and doing so many things publicly and behind the scenes to assist persons in need. He was a local champion for many nonprofits to advance their mission and serve so many community members.
He even planned that after his passing the Jack and Anna Hershey Foundation would match gifts to local nonprofits for 30 days after his death. This says so much about who Jack was, and for many of us, it further ignites our praise and gratitude that will never fade away.
Jack and his family were extremely generous in helping HCC raise funds for endowed scholarships. I’m so proud that each and every year forward, a number of HCC students will be beneficiaries of the Hershey family scholarships.
The college plans to share with these students the Jack Hershey story so they, too, can more fully appreciate the man responsible for helping them afford a college education. My wife, Sue, and I, from the day we met Jack, always considered him, with his sparking eyes and upbeat spirit, as one of the most enthusiastic Washington County cheerleaders one could find.
Jack’s involvement with HCC said so much about who he was. He was a man for all seasons, and for all the right reasons. He regularly visited the HCC Foundation Office, the ARCC and the alumni amphitheater in recent years. Being generous with his contributions to support college academics, watching basketball games and enjoying the summer military band concerts were all part of Jack’s interest in HCC.
In fact, three days before his death, Jack was at the campus amphitheater enjoying a concert and sharing his love for the special things in life that made him so exceptional. He expressed to me on a number of occasions how pleased he was to see HCC’s expansive growth over the last 10 years, and how important a low-cost and high-quality community college was to the economic, cultural and human development of Washington County.
As we position the memories of Jack in our long-term community consciousness, I urge all of us to remember him laughing and smiling with his eyes dancing with interest and excitement, in a way that was uniquely Jack. I’m certain his family and friends will long hear Jack’s spirit saying, “Smile and be happy and don’t grieve for me.”
We should all adopt Jack’s approach to living a fulfilling and generous life, and also strive to be positive right up to the day that our God calls us home.
Guy Altieri, president
Hagerstown Community College
Chick-fil-A cartoon distorted the facts
To the editor:
I want to take exception to the editorial cartoon about Chick-fil-A. It is a bald-faced lie.
There is absolutely no evidence that they have discriminated against gays in any way. You need to check the facts before you publish something like this. This is a free speech thing, not discrimination.
Why don’t you have fair and balanced reporting?
To the editor:
Over the last few weeks, I have thought about and discussed with others the loss of John R. Hershey Jr. As so many have expressed, Jack was a terrific husband, father and grandfather, a wonderful citizen of Washington County, and an astute and very successful financial expert.
He generously became a local philanthropist who made our small part of the world a better place through his many contributions of time and money to important local needs. Although much has already been said about his many local charitable donations, I wanted to add my thoughts to the chorus of praise for Jack Hershey and share my perspective on why he was an extraordinary individual.
Most importantly, I urge our community to long remember him as a role model for community citizenship, always being proud of the many wonderful aspects of Washington County and doing so many things publicly and behind the scenes to assist persons in need. He was a local champion for many nonprofits to advance their mission and serve so many community members.
He even planned that after his passing the Jack and Anna Hershey Foundation would match gifts to local nonprofits for 30 days after his death. This says so much about who Jack was, and for many of us, it further ignites our praise and gratitude that will never fade away.
Jack and his family were extremely generous in helping HCC raise funds for endowed scholarships. I’m so proud that each and every year forward, a number of HCC students will be beneficiaries of the Hershey family scholarships.
The college plans to share with these students the Jack Hershey story so they, too, can more fully appreciate the man responsible for helping them afford a college education. My wife, Sue, and I, from the day we met Jack, always considered him, with his sparking eyes and upbeat spirit, as one of the most enthusiastic Washington County cheerleaders one could find.
Jack’s involvement with HCC said so much about who he was. He was a man for all seasons, and for all the right reasons. He regularly visited the HCC Foundation Office, the ARCC and the alumni amphitheater in recent years. Being generous with his contributions to support college academics, watching basketball games and enjoying the summer military band concerts were all part of Jack’s interest in HCC.
In fact, three days before his death, Jack was at the campus amphitheater enjoying a concert and sharing his love for the special things in life that made him so exceptional. He expressed to me on a number of occasions how pleased he was to see HCC’s expansive growth over the last 10 years, and how important a low-cost and high-quality community college was to the economic, cultural and human development of Washington County.
As we position the memories of Jack in our long-term community consciousness, I urge all of us to remember him laughing and smiling with his eyes dancing with interest and excitement, in a way that was uniquely Jack. I’m certain his family and friends will long hear Jack’s spirit saying, “Smile and be happy and don’t grieve for me.”
We should all adopt Jack’s approach to living a fulfilling and generous life, and also strive to be positive right up to the day that our God calls us home.
Guy Altieri, president
Hagerstown Community College
Chick-fil-A cartoon distorted the facts
To the editor:
I want to take exception to the editorial cartoon about Chick-fil-A. It is a bald-faced lie.
There is absolutely no evidence that they have discriminated against gays in any way. You need to check the facts before you publish something like this. This is a free speech thing, not discrimination.
Why don’t you have fair and balanced reporting?
