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Valrico Father And Son Honor Fallen Troops

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By BARBARA ROUTEN

Tribune correspondent

Published: February 4, 2009

TAMPA - Valrico resident Frank Strom, manager for Hillsborough County Veterans Affairs and a retired Marine, and his 6-year-old son, Joshua, a kindergartner at Cimino Elementary School in Valrico, planted flags representing fallen servicemen and women at the Jan. 10 Field of Honor Ceremony hosted by the Vietnam Veterans of America at the Veterans Memorial Museum and Park.

The quarterly remembrance includes a reading of the names of Army, Navy, Air Force and Marine Corps members who died during the previous three months, said Jack Skelding, a member of the Veterans Council of Hillsborough County. The field has more than 4,000 flags.

The next ceremony is scheduled for 10 a.m. April 11. The park is at 3602 U.S. 301 N.

School Dedicates Angels Wing

RIVERVIEW - A new wing with a science lab at St. Stephen Catholic School opened in August and recently was dedicated with a blessing by the Rev. William Swengros, pastor of St. Stephen Catholic Church, and the Rev. Angelus Migliore, pastor of the Catholic Community of St. Patrick in Tampa.

Science equipment for the lab came from Migliore's parish school, St. Patrick Catholic School, which recently closed.

Assisting with the dedication ceremony were the Rev. Michael Juran, St. Stephen parochial vicar, and Therese Jackson, St. Stephen Catholic School principal. Jose Rivera, the church's assistant music minister, provided music.

Students named the new structure the Angels Wing in acknowledgment of their friends and relatives who have succumbed to cancer. Students and their families have raised thousands of dollars for the H. Lee Moffitt Cancer Center and Research Institute in Tampa in the past three years through their Project Cure Walk.

To learn more about the school, admissions and registration, which begins this month, or to arrange a private tour, call the school office at (813) 741-9203.

Seniors Eligible For Odiorne Scholarship

BRANDON - High school seniors who live in the greater Brandon area, have a grade-point average higher than 2.5 and perform community service or are involved in the arts are invited to apply for the Center Place Fine Arts and Civic Association's Patricia B. Odiorne 2009 Scholarship.

Odiorne was active in the community and a member of many local organizations' boards of directors. She was a defender of the arts and assisted with the development of Center Place.

The deadline to apply for the $1,000 scholarship is March 13. Application forms are available from local high school guidance counselors or at www.centerplacebrandon .com. The Web site also offers details about the scholarship.

Spaghetti Dinner Open To All

RIVERVIEW - Mama mia! The Marine Corps League Auxiliary Riverview Unit 1226 will serve spaghetti dinners with meatballs, salad, rolls and desserts from 4 p.m. until the cook pots are empty Saturday at American Legion Post 148, 7240 U.S. 301 S.

The meals - eat in or takeout - will be available for $6 per person. Proceeds will go "to various veteran projects," said Pat Skelding, president of the auxiliary. "In the past, we have donated to needy families, Toys for Tots and the Haley House for recovering military personnel. This is not earmarked for anything specific yet," Skelding said.

The auxiliary also welcomes new members. Wives, widows, mothers, daughters, grandmothers, granddaughters, sisters, stepmothers, stepdaughters and daughters-in-law of Marines, former Marines or Fleet Marine Force Corpsmen are eligible. The group meets at 7:30 p.m. the first Tuesday of each month at the Riverview Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 8108, 7504 Riverview Drive.

For information, call Skelding at (813) 672-1778.

Free Workshop For Young Writers

BRANDON - Those ages 12 to 18 who like to write are invited to a free Young Writers Workshop from 10 a.m. to noon March 7 at Barnes and Noble Booksellers, 122 Brandon Town Center Drive. The workshop will be presented by Debora M. Coty of Seffner, an enthusiastic and entertaining speaker and author of many articles and books, including the novel "The Distant Shore" and its newly released sequel, "Billowing Sails."

For information, visit www.DeboraCoty.com.

WAVES Women Hold Get-Together

BRANDON - All women of the military sea services, retired or active, are invited to a meeting of the Tampa Bay WAVES Unit 55 at 11 a.m. Saturday at AMVETS Post 44, 318 Pauls Drive.

For details, call Jeannette Green at (813) 657-9164.

Snippets

Congratulations to Philip and Veronica Einsmann, who as of Jan. 29 have been married 60 years.

Send news and photos of community interest to Barbara Routen at The Tampa Tribune, 505 W. Robertson St., Brandon FL 33511, e-mail neighbors@tampabay .rr.com or call (813) 657-4531.

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