4A c YORK SUNDAY NEWS SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 7, 2010 DAILY RECORD / SUNDAY NEWS — PAUL KUEHNEL Susan Smith’s used this log book to track her flying hours in 1942 and 1943 while she was getting her instructors license. After giving her own lessons, she eventually took on a job as a translator with the Office of Strategic Services, the forerunner to the CIA. DAILY RECORD / SUNDAY NEWS — SUBMITTED In 1943, Susan Smith bought a share of this 65-horsepower plane so she could fly out of the airport at Thomasville. She earned her commercial pilot’s license and instructor’s certificate, which was only the beginning of what would be a great adventure. Fly: She also worked for the precursor to the CIA After flying, Rodriguez traveled the globe as a translator with a man who would become her husband. Continued from 1A • • • Soon, she quit her teaching job so she could fly enough hours to qualify for her commercial pilot’s li- cense and instructor’s certificate. Her father, Gibson Smith, heard the Army was looking for flight in- structors. Before long, she moved to Montoursville with a job in the War Training Service. She gave service men their first 10 hours of flight instruction: How to take off, how to turn, how to land. It was the first test to see if they had what it took to fly. Many of them were nervous, Smith said. For some, it was their first time off the ground. She was the only female instruc- tor, but the soldiers were respectful. In the afternoon, while they were in class, she would sit in the hangar and listen to the other instructors tell cockpit stories. She enjoyed the work but wanted a different way to help the war effort. She already spoke French, so after six months of immersion classes, she took a job with the fledgling Office of Strategic Serv- ices, the forerunner to the CIA. They sailed from New York on a converted ocean liner in 1944, zig- zagging across the Atlantic Ocean to avoid Nazi submarines for 10 days. The blitz was still on when Smith landed in London, and she was ter- rified to hear the missiles explode. After the Battle of the Bulge ended in January 1945 — the last time the Germans would truly threaten the Allied line — Smith was transferred to Paris. She spent her days translating. “Whatever was to be done, pa- perwork mainly, but I did deal with some human beings,” she said. She walked the city, not de- stroyed, but not on display. It was quiet. After the Germans surrendered, everyone was on the move. A few people headed home, but most were being transferred into Germany. Smith had heard stories about the desolation in German cities and wanted something else. “Things were ending,” she said. “That was sort of what was in the air . . . everyone was asking, ‘What am I going to do?’ ” One day in late spring 1945, someone walked into the office and asked if anybody wanted to go to Tangier. Why not? The French were just beginning to return to the North African city separated from Gibraltar by nine miles of sea. She became close to her boss, Alfonso Rodriguez. But before the end of the summer, it was time to go home. She took an all-night train, filled with animals, to Algiers, where she caught a flight to New York, then a train, eventually getting back to York. She thought she would stay. Then Alfonso called. He had been assigned to Costa Rica and needed another translator. Come on, he said. By then, OSS had become the Central Intelligence Group. Smith worked out of the embassy and fell in love. She married Alfonso in the am- bassador’s house. Her parents trav- eled from York to be there, the first time they’d left the country. Soon after, the ambassador told her she was the only embassy em- ployee’s wife working. Her job was to be at home now, he said. And that was the end of that. “I felt a little rebellious about it, but I couldn’t really do anything,” she said. Through the years, she lived in Mexico and Spain, before Alfonso was permanently stationed in Wash- ington, where he served as director of training for the CIA. • • • She never flew again. A friend, another female pilot, spun out in a rented plane and died soon after the war. It spooked her. But she always remembered. “When I see a plane taking off or flying,” she said, “I feel like I could do that, too.” DAILY RECORD / SUNDAY NEWS — PAUL KUEHNEL Susan Rodriguez reflects on her time as a young flight instructor for the Army during WWII, teaching servicemen to fly planes. Now 90, she lives in Bethesda, Md. Congressional honor In March, the surviving Women Airforce Service Pilots were honored with Congressional Medals of Honor. The women flew military planes in stateside noncombat missions during the war. Susan (Smith) Rodriguez didn’t qualify. But in July, Rep. Todd Platts recognized her service on the floor of the House of Representatives. “The achievements of Mrs. Rodri- guez and other female pioneers con- tinue to inspire generations of young women to achieve the impossible,” Platts said. DAILY RECORD / SUNDAY NEWS —PAUL KUEHNEL Susan Rodriguez sifts through her records from World War II — when she was still Susan Smith, learned to fly and then became an Army flight instructor. She met her husband, Alfonso Rodriguez, while serving in Tangier at the end of the war. He later became a director with the CIA. VETERANS DAY EVENTS STAR SPANGLED BANNER & 13 FOLDS OF THE AMERICAN FLAG, performed by the Korean War Veterans, Chapter 178 of York, will be presented at the fol- lowing locations. For details, call 767-7448. c 7 p.m. Wednesday, Trinity Lutheran Church, 243 Hellam St., Wrightsville. c 10 a.m. Thursday, Veteran’s Day Program, York Expo Center, Memorial Hall East, 334 Carlisle Ave., West Manchester Township. c 9 a.m. Friday, Northeastern Senior High School, 300 High St., Manchester. c 7:30 p.m. Nov. 15, Riverside Lodge, 25 Cool Creek Road, Wrightsville. VETERANS DAY SERVICE, Pleasant Acres Nursing and Reha- bilitation Center, 118 Pleasant Acres Road, York, 2:30 p.m. Thurs- day. VETERANS DAY BREAK- FAST AND CEREMONY, York Expo Center, Memorial Hall East, 334 Carlisle Ave., West Manches- ter Township, www.yorkexpo.com, 848-2596, 7:30 a.m. Thursday. $11 for breakfast; ceremony is free. Make breakfast reservations from VA office at 771-9218 or at the door. Korean War Veterans, Chap- ter 178 presents Star Spangled Banner & 13 Folds of the American Flag Presentation at 10 a.m. FREE CAR WASH FOR VET- ERANS and current service per- sonnel will be 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. Thursday at Cloister Car Wash, 2720 E. Market St., Springettsbury Township. Veterans will only need to inform Cloister verbally that they are veterans or are currently serv- ing in order to receive their free car wash. HAPPY HOUR IN HONOR OF VETERANS, sponsored by White Rose Bar and Grill and York Tradi- tions Bank, will be 5 to 7 p.m. Thursday at White Rose Bar and Grill, 48 N. Beaver St., York. There will be complimentary hors d’oeuvres and attendees will have a chance to get to know more about American Red Cross’ Club Red, a young adult group of volun- teers between the ages of 21 and 40. Admission to this event will be items for donation to “Operation Uplift” for troops in Afghanistan. Donations include international phone cards, beef jerky or Slim Jims (individually wrapped), wet wipes (80 count or less preferred), socks (white cotton, crew length only), underwear (men’s briefs/ boxers; ladies briefs/boy short) or a pack of disposable razors. For de- tails, call 771-3551 or visit www.redcross-yorkadamspa.org. VETERANS DAY TROOP CARE PACKAGE DRIVE, spon- sored by Long and Foster Real Estate Inc., in conjunction with VFW Post 8951 Ladies Auxiliary, will be 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Thursday at Long and Foster York Office, 1770 E. Market St., York. Drop off donat- ed items and sign the banner to thank our troops on Veterans Day. Donations may also be dropped off at all Long and Foster Open Houses 1 to 3 p.m. today or the York office between today and Thursday. Donations will be deliv- ered to VFW Post 8951 Ladies Auxiliary and forwarded to our troops. Cash donations are tax de- ductible. Acceptable donations in- clude: c Comfort items: gel insoles, foot powder, T-shirts, underwear, socks, Glade Stick-Ups, blankets, big fluffy towel, toilet paper, small battery operated fan, baby wipes and eye drops. c Everyday general items: en- velopes, paper, stamps, calling cards, magazines, disposable cam- eras, Slinkys, squirt guns, theme packages, pocket electronic games, Dixie cups, small battery operated light, batteries, sunblock, small sewing kit, stress ball, padded mailing envelope and eye- glass cleaner wipes. c Food and snacks: nonmicrowave meals, Cup ’O Noodle soups, individual-serving dry cereal, instant oatmeal or grits, breakfast bars, granola, cereal and power bars, Bowl Appetite dinners, Pop Tarts, tuna in the “fresh pouch,” beef sticks, Slim Jims, potted meat and crackers, small bagged chips, cookies, crackers, Lunchables, candy, snack cakes, M&M’s, graham crackers, chocola- te-dipped pretzels, pre-packaged brownies, licorice, bubblegum, Chex Mix, mixed nuts, pretzels, Rice Krispie Treats, applesauce, pudding or fruit cups with pop-off lids and trail mix. c Drinks: instant coffee, tea bags, powdered Gatorade (don’t forget a pitcher, jug or some sort of container), lemonade mix, pre- sweetened Kool-Aid and pre- sweetened powdered hot choco- late. c Toiletries: razors, shaving cream, foot powder, shampoo, con- ditioner, after-shave lotion, soap and mouth wash. STEWARTSTOWN AREA SENIOR COMMUNITY CENTER, 26 S. Main St., Stewartstown, will sponsor Veterans Day at the senior center 10:15 a.m. Friday. All veter- ans are invited to visit the center for special music provided by Jack Foracher, a puppeteer and soloist, followed by a special lunch. For reservations, call the senior center at 993-3488. FREE BASIC OIL CHANGE, OIL FILTER AND LUBRICATION AND COURTESY WINTER CHECK to honor our veterans and military personnel, will be 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Friday at Fadely’s Auto Masters Plus Tires, 3177 W. Market St., West York. An appoint- ment is necessary for the first 30 calling in for service on that day. Certificates will be handed out for those not having service that day to be honored for a specific time. Veterans also will receive a certifi- cate for $6 to be used at Mary Jane Restaurant, West York. For details or to make an appointment, call 792-1596 or 792-6272 or stop in. You must come in that day for service or to sign up for a certifi- cate. Please bring proof of time in service. Food will be served during the day for all attending, gifts for the military and door prizes will be given out. For those attending, please donate non-perishable and non-expired canned goods for the Dover Food Bank. ST. PETER’S LISCHEY’S UNITED CHURCH OF CHRIST, 5671 Lischeys Church Road, Spring Grove, will host a Veterans Day worship service 10:30 a.m. Nov. 14. Keynote speaker will be Lt. Col. Lance B. Green and a light luncheon will follow. For details, call the church office at 225-3932. FREE VETERANS BREAK- FAST, hosted by Red Lion Area Senior Center, 20-C Gotham Place, York Township, will be 8:30 a.m. Nov. 17. Veterans are invited to the senior center for a free breakfast of bacon, eggs, pan- cakes and toast. Phil Palandro, di- rector of York County Department of Veterans Affairs, along with his wife, will cook your breakfast. Non- vets are welcome for a charge of $3.50. Seating is limited. For reser- vations, call the senior center at 244-7229. Tax Continued from 1A • • • Metta Barbour, can’t say for sure whether property tax reform will pass in the coming term. If it was up to him, property taxes would have been eliminated a long time ago. Saylor said the issue isn’t partisan so much as geograph- ic. Some areas of the state suffer more from property taxes than others. According to Saylor, it’s not as big a deal in the areas around Phila- delphia and Pittsburgh, so changing the system isn’t a priority from law- makers around there. Saylor is policy chairman for the House Republican caucus. On Tues- day, Saylor is run- ning for the position of majority whip, the third- highest position in the House. No other state rep- resentatives have announced their in- tention to run for the position, but that doesn’t mean nobody will. If he becomes whip, he’ll proba- bly be able to use his leadership po- sition to bring a vote on property tax reform to the House floor, Saylor said. But that’s no guarantee it will pass. For years, lawmakers in Harris- burg have put forth countless prop- erty tax reform proposals, which generally involve replacing property taxes with other taxes such as income or sales. Ideally, Saylor would like to eradicate the sales tax altogether, but in the meantime, he’d settle for something that helps reduce it. “The biggest problem we’ve been having is building consensus across the state,” Saylor said. State Rep. Eugene DePas- quale, D-West Man- chester Township, said the problem is that state education funding isn’t relat- ed to enrollment in individual school districts and hasn’t been since 1991. So districts that have grown since then, such as many in York County, have taken a hit. Property taxes are used to fund education, which is why they’ve been rising in York County. In York, which DePasquale’s dis- trict includes, the problem is still greater because many properties are used for government functions and thus produce no tax revenue — putting a heavier burden on the re- maining property owners. The challenge of changing that in the legislature is convincing law- makers whose districts haven’t grown over the years, DePasquale said. “The areas that are stagnant in population basically are benefiting from the status quo,” he said. Steve Miskin, spokesman for the Republican House caucus, pre- dicted that education funding will be a “hot topic” in the term ahead, but he wouldn’t speculate on what form — if any — property tax reform will take. A spokesperson for Corbett could not be reached for comment. Tim Allwein of the Pennsylvania School Boards Association said his organization is keeping a close watch on factors that might affect education funding. In debates, Allwein said, Corbett has said he wouldn’t continue the increases in education funding that were a hallmark of Rendell’s admin- istration. So the PSBA isn’t counting on a bigger state share of education funding in the near future. But Corbett also has hinted he might remove some of the state man- dates related to education funding, such as a prevailing wage for school construction projects or certain spe- cial education requirements. “Things don’t get any cheaper in school districts,” Allwein said. Saylor DePasquale GOP majority in U.S. House The school board association said it doesn’t expect Corbett to continue increases in education funding. In addition to the state House of Representatives, the U.S. House is now in the hands of Republicans after last week’s elections. U.S. Rep. Todd Platts, R-York County, said it’s too early to say what that will mean for him personally, and we won’t know for a couple of weeks at the earliest. He believes he’ll continue to serve on his current standing committees: Transportation, Education and Armed Services. The influx of new members also will give him a bump in seniority, which he speculates will lead to him heading one or more subcommittees. Still, House leadership tries to assign standing committee memberships ac- cording to the interests and experience of individual representatives. And with such a large group of newcomers, they have a lot to sort out. “There’s a lot of variables,” Platts said.