Journalism
​Published in the Daily American
Ruth Pile Story
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Ruth Pile sits in her chair and lets out a laugh. “I never thought I’d see 2000!” Pile exclaims “It’s a different world now than what I came into.”
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Pile was born on June 16, 1924, in Stoystown to Jacob and Miriam Zimmerman. She lived on a farm with her eight siblings. They each had different chores before they could play. At the age of nine, Pile was milking three cows every morning and night.
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Unlike most people around in the 30s, Pile enjoyed growing up in the Depression. In fact, it’s her favorite decade. “That’s when you learned to use everything you had,” Pile said. She remembers giving old bedsheets a new purpose as she turned them into skirts.
Pile said no one in the family was worried about their wellbeing. She knew the family would be okay and so did they. The only thing she was concerned about was whether lightning and thunder would set their home on fire. She prayed during each storm hoping it would pass and they will all be safe.
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Until eighth grade, she attended school in a one-room schoolhouse where students would test to see if they could move onto high school. “A lot of kids didn’t continue. I remember the girls talking whenever we took the eighth-grade test like they didn’t know whether they were going to high school,” Pile recalls.
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Pile graduated in 1941 from Stoyestown High School (it was spelled with an “e” at this time). In 1942, she decided she would help in the war effort. Her sister and two brothers found themselves on the front lines as she found herself in Washington D.C., after taking a civil service test and passing.
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Known as “the watch dog,” Pile worked in the Claims Department, and made sure the government gave the right amount of money to people who were owed money. She had two friends who also worked in the same office and lived in the same neighborhood.
A typical day included catching a streetcar or bus to work. She would enjoy a coffee and head to the cafeteria for lunch. Once the day was over, she would meet her friends for dinner. Suddenly the war over and it was time to head home.
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In 1947, she married the love of her life, Richard Pile. During the war, he served in the Navy. The two stayed in touch by letters. She remembers no real engagement, but she didn’t care. The two met at Kimmel’s Park in high school.
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Once married, the two lived in Somerset and had two kids before deciding to move to Friedens. “When he was in Somerset he wanted to be in Friedens, when he was in Friedens, he wanted to be at the hunting camp! He always wanted to be someplace,” Pile exclaims.
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By 1960 Pile found herself with four kids living in her third house. “You don’t get instructions…that’s for sure!” Pile laughs. From teaching Sunday school, to being a den mother, she found herself having a full-time job taking care of her kids. She didn’t understand how other parents could have a full-time job and take care of their children as well.
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In 2001, Pile found herself speechless as she had to say goodbye to her husband. “It’s something you just can’t describe…like a spicket, you turn it and it goes over,” she sighs. Richard Pile was recovering after a triple bypass surgery due to a blood clot when he suddenly passed.
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Pile often cut out newspaper clippings and shared them with the people that were featured them, but she often forgot to give the articles to them. Just like the newspaper clippings, our memories seem to be just that. Different short articles that we keep and get to share with others.
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Pile, now struggling with lung cancer, reflects on what advice she would give to others about life. “The most important thing is to remember who you are. That you are God’s child, and your talents are all given to you. Your talents aren’t the same as another person’s talents. You use yours and don’t try to use someone elses. You’re there to make the world a better place,” Pile smiles.
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Somerset Syrup in Serbia
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On Christmas day, most people surround themselves with the ones they love and enjoy each other’s company while they eat food and exchange gifts. However, not all families can be together during this time.
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Bruce Pile received a call on Christmas day 2018, from his son Jacob Pile. Jacob left in October to go to Subotica, Serbia to participate in a program known as “Hockey Without Borders.” The program focuses on teaching young kids’ hockey.
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Bruce asked his son if there was anything he wished he had for Christmas. A month later, Jacob finally had his hands on what he wanted, maple syrup.
Maple syrup is a big part of what makes up Somerset County. Most people know this, but to people outside of the country tend to believe Canada is the only producer.
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This past March, Bruce’s family traveled to Serbia to visit Jacob. They met many different families that Jacob coached as well as some friends he made. The Piles made sure each person they met got a taste of sweet maple syrup from Somerset County.
During a traditional dinner Jacob’s friend, Aleksandar Kolaric and his girlfriend, Vanja Kovacevic, talked about their knowledge about maple syrup. Kolaric has had maple syrup while he was living in Canada but Kovacevic has never had it. While at the table, the two took a spoon and tried the product.
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They each smelled the maple syrup and mentioned that they think it resembles coffee. Then came the taste test. “I love this! I am crazy about sugar,” Kovacevic exclaimed. Her eyes were wide as the rest of her face. Kolraic found that the syrup from Somerset was lighter and sweeter than the kind he tried In Canada.
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Another family that tried the syrup was the Mandic family. Daniel Mandic explained how he saw a special on National Geographic about how maple syrup was made. He first tried it when his cousins from Canada brought him some.
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Mandic smelled the syrup and described it as a caramel flavor. As he tasted the maple syrup, he mentioned how the product was lighter and had less sugar than the syrup he had from Canada. After he finished tasting the syrup, he felt as if the sugar stayed in his stomach.
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Mandic’s wife, Maria, felt the sugar in sitting in her throat as well as the flavor after trying the product. As for her thoughts on the syrup? “Not strong, not bitter, just good,” Maria said with a smile.
Published in The Etownian
Dr. Gail Bossenga
President Carl Strikwerda and his wife, Dr. Gail Bossenga, enjoy their routines such as planting flowers at the President’s house or taking a walk down the Conewago Trail but as their time at Elizabethtown College ends, Gail reflects on her last event on campus as well as past memories, advice, and what the future holds for them.
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On April 16, an event titled “Marie Antoinette: the Ill-Fated Queen” took place in the Susquehanna room. Dr. Bossenga presented during the event because of her fascination with the origins of the French Revolution. The event focused on how Marie Antoinette really was during this time contrary to what people believe. “Understanding why she was vilified can help us to see the conflicting pressures that she faced as a queen,” said Dr. Bossenga.
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The most interesting fact that people ask Dr. Bossenga is if Antoinette said, “then let them eat cake!” during the bread shortage. “No, there is no evidence for this at all. Historians have tracked this phrase down to the Confessions written in 1765 by the famous philosopher Jean-Jacques Rousseau when Antoinette was just nine years old,” said Dr. Bossenga.
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When Dr. Bossenga first arrived at Elizabethtown College, she felt a positive energy radiating from the college even though it was during a heat wave and no one was present on campus. During her time here, she made her favorite memory which was shopping for furniture for the President’s House with her event planner.
Together they looked at pieces shaped like high heels and others that resembled animals but did not go through with putting them in the house.
Her favorite Etown tradition is graduation where students can finally feel like their mission is accomplished.
New Faces, Wise Advice
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As the cold weather comes around, and the leaves begin to fall, many students begin a new year at Elizabethtown College. Freshmen begin their first year at Etown but have no idea what to expect except for classes and new friends.
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By senior year, many students feel as if they did not accomplish enough or participated in too many activities and clubs on campus. If senior students could do it all over what piece of advice would they give to their freshman self?
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“Don’t be afraid of change. It’s okay to change majors,” said Liuba Miranosava, senior accounting major. She encourages students to take other classes as she regrets not focusing on a major, she enjoyed more.
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A big trend throughout the older students on campus were time management. A lot of students felt as if they did too much on campus. From different majors, minors, clubs, sports, and events to choose from, it’s no wonder why this is a challenge.
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Damai Odom, a senior majoring in English pro writing, recommends that students manage time well. For example, when there is extra time between classes, studying during this time instead of at night, is more effective. When it gets too overwhelming, take a break and check out events on campus.
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Ayami Yamamoto, a study abroad student, enjoys the smaller class sizes and enjoys getting to know her professors better because of the smaller size. Yamamoto enjoys the campus life and being able to do what she wants when she wants to do it. This helps her organize her schedule better.
Leo Costello a senior communications major, wishes he would have spent more time trying more things especially things that you are passionate about.
Rei Shimomura an exchange student from Japan, wanted to study at the small college to make friends easier and speak English better. By hearing these ideas, going to more events like Odom mentioned seemed to catch her attention. It is a great way to meet more people on campus.
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As for freshmen students or study abroad students that are at Elizabethtown for a semester or year, hearing this advice gave the students new ideas.
Juan Castano, a freshman talks about what he expected when coming to Etown College. “I expected to meet really great people and enjoy classes,” he said. Even though it is only a week into the semester, he emphasizes his enjoyment of the classes.
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After hearing the advice from seniors, Castano was surprised by the advice from Odom. He wants to start studying in between classes as he mostly studies at night. He also believes in finding things he is passionate about on campus and hopes to do just that.
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Yuuka Ohki a study abroad student from Japan, came to Elizabethtown because of her past school size. “My college has so many people in the college. There are 70 thousand people,” said Ohki.
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When it came to the advice, Ohki agrees with all of them and was taken with switching her majors. Right now, Ohki studies law in Japan but thought about learning about the United States version of the law as well. She hopes to broaden her knowledge about law both in Japan and the United States. As of now, she is a sociology major at Etown College.
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The class of 2023 has a lot in store this year. From convocation, to their first Thanksgiving dinner, and of course Mr. Etown, there is a lot of great traditions coming their way. Hopefully, the class will take these pieces of advice and in 2023 have even more wisdom to pass down.