August 10, 2006 Issue                                       

©2006 The Chestnut Hill Local

Local Life...

Former part-time employee now the owner of Hill Company
By JEROME O’NEILL

Linda Moran, who walked into the Hill Company in 1997 looking for a part-time job, is now the owner of the 57-year-old fixture at 8615 Germantown Ave. (Photo by Jerome O’Neill).

Since 1949, the Hill Company at 8615 Germantown Ave. has been a fixture among the fine shops of Chestnut Hill. Originally a hardware store founded by Eli Schmidt, the Hill Company shifted to outdoor furniture in the 1970s. Over the years Eli’s wife and son, Lillian and Bruce, continued to serve the Chestnut Hill shopping community in this capacity. However, a noteworthy decision by Bruce Schmidt nine years ago recently led to a new and exciting change for the store and our community.

Teen volunteer hooked on non-carnivorous Gator
By PAULA M. RILEY

This is the 16th in an ongoing series of articles by Paula M. Riley on Chestnut Hill volunteers.

Eric Goldfischer, 15 right, , loves to drive the John Deere Gator at the Wissahickon Environmental Center where he has been volunteering for four years doing various maintenance jobs caring for the grounds around the Tree House. (Photo by Paula M. Riley

Most teenage boys pass their school days listening to teachers deliver lessons in a classroom. Not Eric Goldfischer. This 15-year-old volunteer creates his own classroom during the five hours he spends each week riding a John Deer Gator vehicle, building birdhouses or doing odd jobs at Wissahickon Environmental Center at the Andorra Natural Area.

“The Gator – that’s what got me hooked!” says Goldfischer, who began volunteering after he attended the center’s summer camp between fifth and sixth grades. During camp, he was fascinated by the natural beauty of the meadows and trees surrounding the center’s main building known to many as the “Tree House”.

Area pianist writing musical to memorialize Hill opera singer
by LEN LEAR

Jonathan Miles Freeman, a Mt. Airy native and graduate of the famed Juilliard School of Music who now lives in Glenside, performed last Sunday to celebrate the dedication of the Yamaha Clavinova at the Whitemarsh Parks and Recreation Building.

A local prize-winning classical pianist who performed in an area concert last weekend has a goal in life that many would find admirable but quixotic — to bring acclaim and widespread recognition to a deceased friend. Jonathan Miles Freeman, 54, who grew up in Mt. Airy and now lives in Glenside, both performs and teaches private piano students, some who have been Chestnut Hill residents. He also recorded numerous CDs.

Freeman has both Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees in piano from the Juilliard School of Music in New York, the “Harvard of music schools,” where he studied under consecutive scholarships with famed pianists Sascha Gorodnitzi and Ilona Kabos. At Juilliard he was the recipient of the Carl M. Roeder Memorial Prize in Piano and of the Baldwin Keyboard Search.

One-man show for painter, 15,at Mt. Airy’s Sedgwick Center
MELISSA HUNSBERGER

Jonah Stern, who is only 15, stands in front of his paintings, currently on exhibit at the Sedgwick Cultural Center. (Photo by Melissa Hunsberger)

He’s filled numerous 100 page sketchbooks, completed more than 100 oil and acrylic paintings as well as dozens of watercolor and gouache paintings. His name is Jonah Stern, and the resident of West Mt. Airy is just 15 years old. His most recent accomplishment is his first solo art show, currently being showcased at the Sedgwick Cultural Center, 7137 Germantown Ave. in Mt. Airy.

‘Mexican Days’ the next best thing to being there
by DAVID CROSS

Samantha Brown, of the Travel Channel, apparently does not need a partner for her trips, but if she ever does, David Cross will be first in line.

Seems like everyone I know is traveling these days — going off to spas at the Grand Canyon, to the Greek Islands, to Disneyland with the kids, to Europe. But not me. No sir. I’m too busy, busy with work and with the hours of reading and writing it takes to keep my loyal readers apprised of the latest literary trends. Plus my dog needs me.

Okay, so I’m poor. I’ll admit it. How poor? I have just three words for you — Romano’s Tomato Puree. Yes, that poor. So my traveling is currently confined to episodes of The Travel Channel (usually with Samantha Brown, the gorgeous, gregarious and truly funny visitor of Great Hotels and European retreats) and, of course, my books. This week I was able to visit Mexico, with the help of Tony Cohan and his engaging book, Mexican Days.

G’town public health grad working to keep us healthy

Germantown resident Jessica Klausmeier, a recent graduate of Drexel’s School of Public Health, works in public health studying addiction treatment for dually-diagnosed women.

In a society faced with threats of terrorism and violence on one hand and widespread epidemics like infectious diseases, obesity and diabetes on the other, it’s reassuring to know that some people in our community are working to keep us safe and healthy.

Germantown resident Jessica Klausmeier is one of them. Klausmeier is a recent graduate of Drexel’s School of Public Health, where she began her work in public health studying addiction treatment for dually-diagnosed women.

Drexel’s School of Public Health requires its students to become involved in the surrounding neighborhoods as an integral part of their degree programs. Klausmeier’s required Community-Based Master’s Project investigated the drug treatment for women who have mental disorders. She interviewed patients and staff at Caring Together, an outpatient drug treatment center for women at the Medical College of Pennsylvania Hospital.