Lesson 635: Packaged with Love

Hello, Readers.

Eloise, here,

sending your Friday night

 package of love

from the Lamp Post.

We've had a crazy weather week in Erie.

Last Saturday we got a nice, March snow dump.

Look on the left side of the photo.

What do you spy with your little eye?

Sam playing his latest favorite game.

The roads were unpredictable,

so I accompanied my daughter,

who is still a shaky winter driver,

to Edinboro University for an event she had to attend.

The Edinboro University students are no strangers to snow.

Well, most of them, that is.

You can't bust out the bike 

after just one warm day.

The snow melted quickly

and left us with a frosty morning.

It's like Mother Nature packaged up

some last winter sparkles with love.

The rapid warming

and thawing

summoned the birds.

I heard them chirping early this morning.

This weather causes the sap to run.

Operation Tree Sap is underway.

It's a long process for very little yield.

It's the love in the packaging of it that makes it so sweet.

There is nothing like maple syrup,

tapped from trees right in your own yard.

I was planning on having some of the syrup on my birthday pancakes,

but Sam made us a Sam-sized omelette instead!

Birthdays are always worth celebrating,

even when you turn 49 on a cold and dreary Tuesday.

I worked all day 

receiving well wishes from the wee folk,

and spent the evening with family

receiving hugs, gifts,

and more than a few licks from Hazel.

My t-shirt blanket was the best surprise!

One of our Harbor Creek seniors makes them!

I can pass you her contact information 

if you want to package one up for a loved one.

My parents,

who truly embrace my quirky,

brought over one of my favorite foods

for a "Beetday" treat.

Eloise loves pickled beets!

I loved them before I met Dwight Schrute,

the beloved Dunder Mifflin employee

who although being a killer paper salesman,

still held shares of his family's beet farm.

I'm trying out this process

this weekend!

Millennials,

the coffee snobs that they are,

claim this is the best way to prepare your favorite cup.

Adding some freshly ground beans

straight from Pawhuska, Oklahoma

poured into my new Pioneer Woman mug,

and I think we have created the perfect package.

If you love Carrie,

and love fitness and healthy eating,

get this book!

Health books from Tim McGraw 

and Carrie Underwood within six months of each other--

wow!

No matter what it is you send someone,

add some special finishing touches.

Taking the time to make something special for someone

is time very well spent.

Even down to the flowery tape.

Package your gifts,

your time,

your energies,

and your prayers

with LOVE.

Weekend Homework

Mandatory:

It's a rare thing for Eloise to share an obituary,

so you know there is something to be learned.

This summary of life,

 of one of my former most respected teachers,

reads like a best selling biography.

If you were fortunate enough to meet Paul Foust, even just once,

you knew in an instant that his life had a far-reaching impact.

Our community will honor a man 

who lived a full, and rich life,

just as this piece opens with.

To the Foust Clan,

I end this blog tonight

packaged with love.

May Mr. Foust rest in peace

knowing that he mattered so much to so many.

Eloise

Paul M. Foust, of Harborcreek, surrounded by his family, died on February 28, 2020, at Sarah Reed Senior Living. The son of Arthur Arden and Amelia Marie Foust, he was born in Erie on November 30, 1929.

He lived a rich full life and had a deep impact on anyone who interacted with him. He had many titles but none more important than husband, father, and grandfather.  Paul Foust taught American History at Harbor Creek High School for 34 years.  He also coached football, basketball and baseball.

Paul grew up at 10th and Cascade, attending Edison Elementary, Gridley Junior High, and Strong Vincent High School. He lettered in basketball and baseball, helping the Colonels win the 1947 City baseball championship as a senior. Following high school, he pitched in the Glenwood League and was impressive enough to be given the opportunity to play professional baseball with the Wellsville Braves. Paul was drafted at the same time into the U.S. Army at the onset of the Korean War so he chose to enlist in the U.S. Air Force instead. He entered radio operators' school and it was there that his aptitude for teaching was first noticed by his superiors. He was given the chance to stay at the school and teach but he declined in favor of shipping out with his unit to Korea. While there, Paul served on an air-sea rescue crash boat assigned to retrieve downed pilots. It was in the Air Force, as he travelled the far east especially, his love of country was reinforced as he saw first-hand how much the United States was admired by people throughout the world thirsting for democracy.

At the end of the war, stationed in Southport, N.C., Paul met his wife Jacque and, after a brief stay in Sumter, S.C., they moved to Erie where they began their 65 year journey together. He was employed by Hammermill Paper and, starting in 1954, attended school full-time (while working full-time) at Edinboro State Teachers College, earning a degree in Social Studies Education and later a master's degree from Edinboro as well. Paul was not the most famous Foust to graduate in his class, however, that honor belonged to his dog Casey who escorted him to school every day and whose profile was published in the school newspaper that spring. He was a proud Edinboro alumnus, attending many football and basketball games. From 1967-1968 he served as the President of the Alumni Association.

Upon completion of his studies, Paul was hired by the Harbor Creek School District in 1958 and for the next 34 years taught American History and positively influenced generations of students to appreciate all that we have in America. In addition to his teaching duties, he advised the Model UN for years, taking them on legendary trips to New York City, Toronto, and Washington, D.C. He later was the director of the entire Model UN for Gannon University. He also sponsored more after-game dances than anyone on faculty. Early in his career, Paul coached football and basketball and then served as the PA announcer and scorekeeper for the games until his retirement. For 32 years, he served as the head coach of the baseball team compiling a record of 396-200-3. His teams captured eight Erie County League titles and one District-10. More importantly, he mentored and served as a role model for all his players to play hard, play within the rules, and, win or lose, play with class. In the end, while he loved coaching, Paul stressed he was a teacher first who coached. He also did much to improve the standing of teachers as a profession. He was a faculty leader who was instrumental in the early days of collective bargaining. One contract he helped negotiate was hailed as the "best in the state" and was requested by school districts throughout Pennsylvania to use in their own negotiations. During summer breaks, he worked at Whitford Park and served as Harborcreek's Park Director for over 20 years. He taught many kids to swim in the dammed up 6-Mile Creek and established many rec programs that remain today.

In addition to his career as a teacher and coach, Paul had a love for public service. An unapologetic and staunch Democrat, he was active in many political campaigns and served as the Erie County Democratic Party's chair twice. He was elected to Erie County Council in 1983 and served until 1995. Two of his proudest votes were to establish the new state of the art library on the bayfront and to get Jerry Uht Park built. Following his times as a Councilman, Paul served on the Erie County Convention Center Authority and a West Point selection committee. As a community leader, his work was honored by then Mayor Lou Tullio with Paul Foust Day on November 16, 1982.

For his hard work and dedication, he received many honors throughout his life. Paul earned induction into three halls of fame for his work in athletics. In 2000, he was elected into the Erie Chapter of the Pennsylvania Hall of Fame for his work as a high school coach. In 2010, he was inducted into the Erie Big Ball Hall of Fame honoring his 30 plus years of play in the City Rec Slo-Pitch League where his team, "The Jokers," won countless regular season and tournament titles. And in 2011, he was an inaugural member of the Harbor Creek Athletic Hall of Fame for his legendary contributions to the athletic program there. He started the Erie County Baseball All-Star game in the mid-1960s and then later served as the game manager for years upon his retirement from coaching. Paul has two ballfields named in his honor, the baseball field at Harbor Creek High School and the softball field (which he built with a friend) at Whitford Park.

His interests were varied and wide. He loved sports and wrote for many newspapers including the Edinboro College Spectator, the Erie Dispatch, and the Weekly Sentinel. Paul later co-founded the Tri-Community News and served as the sports editor. He was a passionate fan of the New York Yankees and was a season ticket holder for the Erie Seawolves for over 20 years. For a long time, with whatever free time he had in the summer, he loved to walleye fish with his children and his great friend, Bob Black. He saw Mamma Mia so many times it was joked that he was an honorary cast member. He was a lifetime member of the Erie Moose, Siebenbuerger and Maennerchor Clubs and also a member of North East Lodge # 399 F&AM, the Erie Shrine Club, and the American Legion Carl Neff Post 571.

In lieu of flowers, the family asks that memorials to support future students and ballplayers be made to the Harbor Creek Baseball Club,  or the First Presbyterian Church of Harborcreek’s Camp Scholarship Fund, PO Box 67, Harborcreek, PA 16421.