Tiffany Claus

Tiffany Claus is making a name for herself in the entertainment world by imitating one of the world's most popular actresses, Angelina Jolie. The Allegany County resident has capitalized on her striking resemblance to Angelina, and her place in the entertainment business is flourishing.
She's made appearances on the Chelsea Handler and Tyra Banks television shows, as well as Access Hollywood and News Clones Documentary on the Current TV network. She guest-starred on the Maury Povich show.
Tiffany made her film debut in the "Hunting and Fishing" parody, by the writers and directors of the "Scary Movie" sequels. She was featured as well in "300" and has a couple of others awaiting release. She played Jolie's Laura Craft role from "Tomb Raiders" in a Geico Insurance television commercial and has been seen in several magazines: Stuff, Maxim, Marie Claire, Globe Weekly, the New York Times, New York Post "IN" magazine, (Germany) Hot Star - People, and the Las Vegas Palms News.
Other projects to date include the Best Buy - Trade Show Convention, the San Patricias Cinemas - Puerto Rico, and a themed banquet event at the 2006 Oscar ceremonies. She was a special invited guest at the New York City premiere opening of Madame Tussaud's wax museum, posing alongside waxen Jolie - Pitt figures. Several journeys to Las Vegas and Hollywood are among her itinerary; she's been to Europe and South Korea as well.

Tiffany was recognized on Friday, June 20, 2008, as the first Cumberland Friday after Five Celebrity of the Month for her success in her field, and for representing the area in a positive manner as she travels around the world. She spent the evening greeting her many local fans, posing for photos amid a gathering of Corvettes assembled on Town Centre as well as over 200 pictures taken with event attendees, even as she was scheduled to leave early next morning to film an appearance in another movie, this one being shot in nearby Harrisburg, PA, and featuring Mickey Rooney.

A photo above is of Tiffany posing with my brother, Ted Haines, alongside his white 1992 Corvette.
Not yet thirty, Tiffany and her two children enjoy the relaxed setting our area provides; she paints in her spare time.

Senator Robert C.Byrd

The long-time senator from West Virginia has brought much to our region, including to the ATK (formerly ABL) facility at Rocket Center. Military contracts assure employment for area workers; a building on the premises has been named in honor of his wife, Ora, and two more for himself. Throughout the state, much bears his name: a high school in Clarksburg, where Senator Byrd was instrumental in transferring FBI departments, and many of the highways winding through the Mountain State are now referred to as the Robert C. Byrd Appalachian Highway System.
Born on November 20, 1917, in North Wilkesboro, North Carolina, to Titus and Vlurma Byrd, he married his high school sweetheart Erma Ora (James) Byrd on May 29, 1937.
It's been said by fellow Congressmen that Senator Byrd exemplifies the type of person the founding fathers had in mind when they drew the Constitution. He has cast 17,800 roll call votes - an amazing 98.7% attendance record - in his nearly 5 decades of service in the Senate and has been elected to more leadership positions than any other senator in history.
After taking 10 years of classes while serving as a member of Congress, he earned a law degree from American University in 1963, and earned another diploma from Marshall University at the age of 77. Acknowledging the value of an education, Senator Byrd introduced a program in West Virginia in 1969 whereby valedictorians at each public and private high school receive savings bonds and a congratulatory letter from him. Then, in 1985, he launched the first and only federal merit-based scholarship program. Since then tens of thousands of U.S. students have received help in paying their tuition bills through its unique incentive.
Showing his down-to-earth side, he learned to play the fiddle, and has played it in churches, homes and hamlets across the state. His skill led to performances at the Kennedy Center and on television, and he has even recorded an album, "Mountain Fiddler."
"Each day in the Senate, Robert Carlisle Byrd is focused on building a better future for the Mountain State" comes from his biography posted on the internet.

Dr. Mervin Lee Trail

Cumberland native Dr. Trail was respected and cherished by most all of the populace of Louisiana. He was very well known for his contributions to the New Orleans tourism industry: "Among his many accomplishments Merv Trail helped establish New Orleans as a sports and "Big Event" mecca - from Clancy DuBos. An ear, nose and throat specialist, he was associate editor of "Archive of Otolaryngology" and on the board of "Journal of Heart and Neck Surgery." Along with Patricia Denechaund, he founded the New Orleans affiliate of the Susan G. Konen Foundation in 1992 to fight breast cancer.
He passed away from a stroke suffered on New Year's Day, 2001; at the time he was chairman of the task forces planning the 2002 Super Bowl in New Orleans and the 2003 Final Four NCAA college basketball championship. He had already spearheaded the effort to bring that tournament to the Big Easy twice before - the latest in 1993. He also led the drive to bring the Women's Final Four to the city in 1991.
Additionally, as Founding Chair of the New Orleans Sports Foundation he was responsible for the renovation of Tad Gormley Stadium, which culminated in the city hosting the U.S. Olympic Trials in 1992.
In the tourism arena, Trail was a founding member of the New Orleans Convention Center Board of Directors and a key figure in securing funds to build and expand the facility. He got his first taste of tourism development in 1973 when he was asked to help the group lure medical conventions. Two years later he became a member of the commission's executive committee and went on to serve as president several times.
When New Oleans' efforts to host the 1988 Republican National Convention appeared to be floundering financially and otherwise, the community turned to Trail, who was then in his third term as president of the Tourist and Convention Commission. He responded with his usual combination of enthusiasm, selflessness and focus. The result: A bipartisan acomplishment to host the most successful political convention ever. And he did it quietly, behind the scenes, without stepping on toes and without looking for credit.
A friend described Mevin Trail as "one of those people who could compromise without losing sight of his goal. And he could keep everybody happy in the process." Rare traits, indeed.
Somehow, between all that, he continued teaching and maintaining an active medical practice, including work as a head and neck surgeon. Since 1994 he served as Chancellor of Health Sciences Center, the University's medical school. Under his leadership the LSU center took over management of the Louisiana Charity Hospital system, including its 15,000 employees and a $1.5 billion budget.
In January 1989, Gambit Weekly named him "New Orleanian of the Year for 1988." The descriptive column described his efforts as a "House Call for the Economy."
A resolution was produced on January 4, 2001 at the Louisiana Board of Regents honoring Dr. Trail for his leadership and dedicated service to mental education, health care, the Louisiana State University system and the people of Louisiana. Homage was paid: "Dr. Merv Trail was a healer in many, many ways. New Orleans was lucky to have been his favorite patient."
In the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, scientists are once again conducting research in the Mervin L. Trail Clinical Sciences Research Building as of February, 2006.
While still in high school he was sports editor of the school's newspaper, and he provided sports information to the Cumberland newspapers as well. He enjoyed athletics and participated, successfully, in tennis tournaments, and he was an avid outdoorsman in later life.
After his high school graduation he attended Bridgewater College in Virginia, preparatory to his advanced degrees. He received a Doctorate from the University of Maryland - Baltimore - before moving on to New Orleans.
He is survived by his wife, Edith, four daughters and several cousins in this area.

Bishop James E. Walsh

Born in 1891, James Edward Walsh worked as a timekeeper in a steel mill until his calling in 1915. Assigned to preach in China, he served there as a missionary from 1927 to 1936, and returned to the United States until the Vatican requested he return in 1948, one year before the Chinese Communist take-over.
He gained word-wide acclaim for his religious defiance in the face of the country's government, and was finally arrested in 1959. He spent 12 years in solitary confinement before being suddenly released by his captors; he walked over a bridge into Hong Kong and to freedom.
In 1973 Ridgeley native Patrick Fryer was ordained by Bishop Walsh at St. Patrick's Catholic Church. He then served as a Naval Chaplain for the next 28 years and is currently pastor of St. Joseph's Catholic Church in Martinsburg.
A separate display area at St. Patrick's Church holds several mementos of Bishop Walsh's career, including letters mailed from China while he was held prisoner there.
He passed away in 1981; the parochial school on Haystack Mountain was named in his honor.

Earl M. Nonnenmann

Earl's contributions to our community were many. When Little League baseball play began in 1949, it was learned that many potential players had no gloves with which to participate. Quietly and behind the scene he saw to it that every player was completely outfitted, and as a result some very good players were developed.
The physical fitness center at the Riverside YMCA bears his name because of his generosity, and the Earl M. Nonnenmann YMCA Sunday School Basketball League was re-named in his honor. A youth baseball field in South Cumberland is also named for "6 Ns." He and his wife Georgianna presented nursing scholarships to Allegany College. He was a life-time member of the YMCA and represented Cumberland at various National Council of YMCAs meetings as a National Board member.
He headed a committee to celebrate the 100th anniversary of the Cumberland YMCA in 1974. In addition, he was an active member of the Allegany County League for Crippled Children, the American Red Cross, the Sacred Heart Hospital Foundation and many other civic organizations in the Cumberland area before relocating to Grand Rapids, Michigan with his second wife, Kay.
At the age of 92 Earl continued to show his love for Cumberland, driving from his home in Michigan to attend numerous Dapper Dan and basketball league dinners, often speaking to his many friends, in a strong voice over the microphone, during the ceremonies.
He passed away from injuries suffered in a fall at home at age 93, and is buried at the Rocky Gap Veterans Cemetery.

Casper Taylor

"Cas" served as a delegate to the Maryland House for many years, reaching the position of Speaker of the House of Delegates, and he presided there from 1994 to 2002. He served his constituents well, reflected in the Rocky Gap Lodge and Golf Resort, and the Music Festival held there for many years; it brought some of the biggest names in country music to our area during its run. He was known for keeping a keen eye on the health of the entire state, especially economically depressed areas such as Western Maryland, Baltimore City and the Eastern Shore. He was also instrumental in the construction of the new Riverside YMCA on property formerly owned by the Kelly-Springfield Tire Company.
"Cas" is a graduate of LaSalle Institute, and of Notre Dame University. Since his departure from the political scene, he has become a lobbyist, using his influence in representing companies and causes in Annapolis.

Robert Moses "Lefty" Grove

Born in Lonaconing in 1900, "Lefty' went on to carve a baseball Hall Of Fame career with the Philadelphia Athletics and the Boston Red Sox. In seventeen seasons spent entirely in the American League, he won 300 games while losing but 144, and his success put him in that hallowed Hall in 1947, in his first year of eligibility.
He threw a lot of rocks as a youngster, building arm strength in the process. But he played no baseball at all until age 17, and when he did, it was as a first baseman for a semi-pro team in Midland, Maryland. He worked in the mines, the silk mill, a glass factory and the B & O Railroad while he perfected his craft, and began pitching soon after. Lean and lanky at six feet three and 170 pounds, he was known for his temper as much as for his skill.
Signed by Martinsburg of the Blue Ridge League in 1920, he rode his bicycle from 'Coney to report for his first professional job. Impressing scouts quickly, he was bought by the Baltimore Orioles of the International League for just over $3,000 - because Martinsburg needed the money to complete their ball field.
His Minor League stint was impressive as well; known as the "wild Oriole" because of the number of walks he issued in his first couple of seasons, he compiled a 111-39 record before being sold to the Philadelphia Athletics in October of 1924 for $100,600. It was the highest price ever paid, to that time, for a minor leaguer. He went 10-12 that first big-league season, and led the league in shutouts and walks. He hit the 20 win mark in 1927; it was the beginning of a seven year run with at least 20 wins, capped by a 31-4 record in 1931.
"Lefty" went to the Red Sox in 1933, part of a $125,000 multi-player deal. His last season with the Red Sox brought a 7-7 record, and he announced his retirement after the completion of the '41 campaign.
"Grove could throw a lamb chop past a wolf" was the tribute from sportswriter Westbrook Pegler. But his temperament was well known; opposing fans would flock to the ballparks to boo and curse him. Few historians of the time cared to tell about his great pitching efforts. According to the book "The Baseball Library", Grove led the American League in shredded uniforms, kicked buckets, ripped apart lockers and alienated teammates. The ravaged clubhouse in St. Louis lived after him; his quiet acts of goodness were interred with his moans.
He retired to Lonaconing and operated a bowling alley and pool hall there before moving to Norwalk, Ohio, and he passed away there on May 22, 1975. Rick Schramm remembers fishing with his uncle John and Lefty in the Georges Creek area; he's in ownership of many mementos handed him by Grove, but Rick remembers the legendary Hall of Famer as "just a friend."
Lea and Mike McCagh are in possession of a Brunswick pool table purchased at an auction in 1980 after Lefty's death; it's in normal use in their family room.
Ron Windle's aunt was a nurse who cared for Grove during a hospital stay, and she was rewarded for her tenderness with an autographed baseball. Having no children of her own, she gave it to a young Ronnie, who promptly gave it a good cleaning - until he saw the signature had been removed. He stopped, but it was too late.The ball still carries the statistics of the game: the date, the score, and the runs, hits and errors.