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Frederick woman turns 100

Thursday, April 13, 2006

Pearl Dutrow was the first resident in a long time to celebrate a 100th birthday at Citizens Nursing Home, according to marketing director Margie Weaver.

The centenarian was feted Friday with champagne (sparking white grape juice) and her favorite cake, devil’s food with chocolate icing. About 40 friends, family members and caregivers, including her 80-year-old son Frank Young, gathered to help Pearl celebrate. Her other son died in 1997.

‘‘She really loved it. She got to see a lot of people she hadn’t seen in a while,” Young said of the shindig.

A grandmother of three and a great-grandmother of six, Dutrow has lived at Citizen’s since February.

She was born in Middletown and never left Frederick County. Independent most of her life, she worked as a seamstress at Frederick Tailoring for 35 years.

She drove until she was 87 and cut her own grass until she was 95, according to her son. Moving to Citizen’s was hard for her at first, Young said, but she is ‘‘coming around and making friends.”

One of those friends is her 99-year-old roommate, so Citizens may be celebrating another 100th birthday very soon.

ER stars named

Emergency Physician Associates, P.A., of Frederick — the group that staffs Frederick Memorial Hospital’s Emergency Department — recently announced their 2005 ‘‘Star of the ER” awards.

The monthly honor is bestowed on a hospital emergency department employee who demonstrates dedication, compassion and efficiency. Each month’s winner receives a $50 gift certificate to a business of their choice, a certificate of appreciation and a place on the ‘‘Star of the ER” plaque that hangs in the department.

The winners for 2005, in chronological order, were nurse Don McCoy, nurse Pat Keeling, technician Heather Prince, nurse Jean Meunier, nurse Lori Cavanaugh, technician Todd Bolyard, nurse Amy Running, nurse Nancy Lee, nurse Kathy Grife, technician Bob Oxendale, nurse Margaret Slaughter and technician Lisa Howells.

The Star of the Year for 2005 was awarded to Cavanaugh for her exemplary dedication to the patients and staff of the emergency department.

Quadriplegics to racein Frederick Marathon

For the first time, a group of disabled people will compete in the 26.2-mile Frederick Marathon April 30.

Running Down a Dream is spearheading the event and teaming more than a dozen riders in wheelchairs and the more than 50 volunteers who will be pushing them.

Relay teams of four to 10 individuals are volunteering to push severely disabled riders in wheelchairs for the full course. The race will be the first event for the tandem pusher-rider organization. Frederick chiropracter Larry Herman founded Running Down a Dream this year to ‘‘bring the experience and joy of running to those who can’t.”

Herman hopes to eventually recruit participants, sponsors and support for entrance in races throughout the United States and beyond. ‘‘The thrill and excitement on the faces of everyone involved is overwhelming,” Herman said in a press release. ‘‘When these courageous folks zoom across the finish line and have that medal placed around their necks, it will be a life-changing, transformational experience for all involved, whether they are a participant, pusher or spectator.”

Pushers, riders, volunteers and team sponsors are needed.

Anyone interested in helping for any amount of time or distance should contact Herman at larryherman@earthlink.net.

Do you have an item for City Beat? Contact reporter Katherine Heerbrandt at 301-846-2129 or kheerbrandt@gazette.net, or fax it to 301-846-2124.