Another name drop

Thanks to the anonymous poster who pointed out former Tiger-Cat linebacker Mike Robinson also went to Ancaster High. Does anyone know what he's up to these days? I was only 9 when the Tiger-Cats won the cup in '86, but my dad still has that game somewhere on a VHS tape and I've watched it several times. I can't find any information for Mike Robinson on the Tiger-Cats website (his profile is blank) and he doesn't have a Wikipedia page. The Tiger-Cats site shows that he played from 1986 to 1988 and that sounds right.

Wouldn't it be nice if their defence was as tough now as it was then? Now that was a defence that struck fear in their opponents. Then again, I met current defensive tackle Darrell Adams at last month's Cops and Cats game and he looked pretty tough to me.

I'm not sure if Mike is on the Ancaster High sports wall of fame. Can anyone confirm that?

Royal Lion ready to roar

Ancaster High alumnus Dan Black, who now acts as Pigskin Pete for the Hamilton Tiger-Cats, will be on hand next weekend for the 50th anniversary of Ancaster High School. Dan, who has also served as Stripes and Hamilton Bulldog mascot Bruiser, dropped by the school recently to meet with students who will be helping out at the reunion. The school has just acquired a new lion costume thanks to the school council and it will be unveiled during the reunion weekend, May 8-10.

Thanks to Joan Millard for the photos.

Football star returns to Ancaster

Here's my story on 23-year CFL veteran Bob Cameron. A long-time Winnipeg Blue Bomber and the CFL's all-time consecutive game leader, Cameron was a star quarterback for the Ancaster Royals. He will be making the trip from his home in Winnipeg to Ancaster for the May 8-10 anniversary weekend. Visit http://www.50yearsofroyalty.net/ for all the details.

Football fever ruled the day at Ancaster High

Gridiron glory is a tradition at Ancaster High School.
From humble beginnings and a debut 1959 season that featured zero offensive points, Ancaster High quickly became a football powerhouse by the late 1960s.
Bob Cameron is perhaps the most widely recognized graduate of the prestigious program. A quarterback and punter, Cameron was a star pivot at Nova Scotia’s Acadia University. He went on to play 23 seasons with the CFL’s Winnipeg Blue Bombers, retiring in 2002. Over the course of his career, Cameron earned the iron man moniker for playing in a league record 324 consecutive games.
Today, Cameron, 54, is a real estate developer and home renovator. He still resides in Winnipeg with his wife, Louise, and has four children.
At Ancaster High, Cameron quarterbacked several outstanding Junior and Senior football teams in the early 1970s, including a 1970 squad that captured the city title with an undefeated record.
Cameron also led the senior football team to city championships in 1971 and 1972.
While his natural athletic ability earned many accolades and attention from university scouts, Cameron credits his teammates for the team’s success.
He recalls several outstanding athletes, including fullback Rick Lavinski, tailback Bob Frackleton, tight end Jamie Lamont and many more.
“It wasn’t just me,” Cameron said. “We had an unbelievable team in those days.”
John Evans coached the junior football team in those days. Bob Bell was the senior coach. Mr. Bell, who passed away in 2008, now has a memorial golf tournament named in his honour. Cameron attended last September’s tournament and also plans to participate this year.
Cameron credits Ancaster High athletic director Ray Smith as one of his biggest mentors. At age 14 or 15, Smith told Cameron he could play professional football one day, with continued hard work and dedication. He also helped Cameron appreciate the legacy of excellence at Ancaster High.
After high school, Cameron found himself listed fourth on the quarterback depth chart at Acadia. But preseason injuries to the first and second string quarterbacks gave Cameron a chance to play in his rookie season. Cameron led his team to a pre-season victory, with Rick Lavinski at running back. He was sidelined by illness for most of his first year, but returned as the starting quarterback for three championship seasons from 1975 to 1977. Cameron won the Hec Crighton Trophy for outstanding player in 1977 and won two Atlantic Bowls during his time at Acadia.
Coming out of university, Cameron dreamed of becoming the next great Canadian quarterback, following in the footsteps of Ottawa Rough Rider legend Russ Jackson.
Interest in his quarterback abilities was scarce, so Cameron decided to focus on punting. He tried out with several CFL and NFL teams in 1979, including the Buffalo Bills, Philadelphia Eagles, Edmonton Eskimos, Calgary Stampeders, Hamilton Tiger-Cats and finally, the Winnipeg Blue Bombers.
With no contract offers on the table, Cameron nearly gave up on football. But an opening suddenly turned up when Blue Bomber kicker Bernie Ruoff was charged with a minor drug offense. Ruoff was abruptly traded to Hamilton where he enjoyed a successful seven-year career. And Cameron finally got his big break.
“Not many guys get to live their dream,” he said. “I was one of the fortunate ones.”
Cameron played in six Grey Cup games, winning three of them. But the 1988 Grey Cup win in Ottawa holds a special place in his heart. Cameron’s excellent punting in windy conditions gave the Bombers a distinct advantage in the field position game. Winnipeg beat the B.C. Lions 22-21 and Cameron was named the game’s most outstanding Canadian player.
“We had a great cover team,” Cameron said. “I never had to worry about angling the ball out towards the sidelines.”
Though he never lined up behind centre for an offensive play, Cameron threw occasional passes on fake punt and field goal attempts. His CFL career passing numbers are 10 completions in 21 attempts for 176 yards. He also had one punt return for negative yardage and three special teams tackles. Cameron holds the CFL record for punting yardage at 134,301 yards.
Cameron isn’t the only Ancaster High grad to hoist the coveted Grey Cup. Marv Allemang, a former offensive lineman for the Hamilton Tiger-Cats, was a two-time conference all-star at Acadia from 1972-73. In 1986, Allemang helped the Tiger-Cats stun the heavily-favoured Edmonton Eskimos in a 39-15 Grey Cup win at Vancouver’s B.C. Place Stadium.

Lots of familiar faces coming to town

We've got lots of coverage this week for the upcoming Ancaster High 50 Years of Royalty reunion.

More than 1,700 people will attend the May 8-10 anniversary weekend, including some familiar faces like CTV Newsnet Primetime anchor Marcia MacMillan and Canadian football great Bob Cameron.

Also watch for our special 50 Years of Royalty pull-out section appearing in this week's paper.

Here's a peak at my feature on CTV News anchors Marcia MacMillan and Sarah Galashan. Interestingly enough, Marcia and Sarah only recently discovered they are both Ancaster High alumni. Marcia graduated in 1989 and Sarah started Grade 9 in 1990, so they never crossed paths. Marcia plans to attend the reunion weekend. Sarah now lives in the Whistler B.C. area and can't attend, but she offered me her comments for the story.

From Ancaster to the world

She’s journeyed around the world and into your home on a nightly basis.
Millions of Canadians get their news from Marcia MacMillan, an Ancaster High School graduate and anchor of CTV Newsnet Primetime.
Ms. MacMillan is one of two Ancaster graduates now working as a CTV News anchor. Sarah Galashan is Whistler bureau chief for CTV British Columbia.
Sometimes the news is powerful and uplifting. It can also be shocking and saddening.
On Feb. 12, Ms. MacMillan awoke from a deep sleep to learn a plane had crashed in a Buffalo suburb, killing 44 passengers, four crew members, an off-duty pilot and one bystander.
Ms. MacMillan immediately got out of bed and went back to work providing live coverage from 2-7 a.m.
“My producer was still wearing his pyjama top,” she recalled in an e-mail exchange. “I was deeply saddened by that story. It’s close to home and it just seemed brutally unfair.”
Ms. MacMillan is much more than a news reader. On a typical work day, her shift begins at 2 p.m. with a hair and makeup session – a television necessity. She attends an evening editorial meeting to discuss the day’s top stories and interview opportunities. Newsnet Primetime offers a recap of the day’s top stories with additional analysis and perspective. To stay on top of new developments, Ms. MacMillan listens to the news at home and in the car. She’s also an avid newspaper reader.
“Before we hit the air at 6 p.m., I do research for my interviews, work on questions and go over the copy of the show,” Ms. MacMillan explained. “Despite some popular belief, the anchors at CTV are working journalists who are heavily involved in the content of the news. We are not just news readers!”
Ms. MacMillan has also entered dangerous territory in search of a story. She arrived in New Orleans last September just ahead of Hurricane Gustav. The city was a ghost town and Ms. MacMillan had no idea what to expect.
“Fortunately, Gustav was not nearly as deadly as forecast but it opened my eyes to a new reality,” she recalled.
Like millions of people around the world, Ms. MacMillan was moved by the historic election of U.S. President Barack Obama. She’s always saddened by the loss of Canadian troops in Afghanistan. Looking ahead, she can’t wait to cover the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver.
When the world comes to Canada, Sarah Galashan will interact with the athletes in Whistler. By next winter the resort town will be transformed with an athletes’ village, and new venues for skiing, luge and bobsled.
Since graduating from Ancaster High in 1995, Ms. Galashan has spent most of her career in Western Canada, as a CTV bureau chief in Calgary and Whistler.
As an Ancaster High student, Ms. Galashan enjoyed media arts. She recalls a writers’ craft course taught by Ms. Bean that offered her first introduction to journalism.
“I had a really great high school experience,” Ms. Galashan said in a telephone interview. “I was on student council and that was fun.”
Motivated by her outgoing personality, Ms. Galashan participated in several school musicals such as Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat and the Wizard of Oz, when she played a witch.
After high school, Ms. Galashan went to the University of British Columbia for Canadian studies. She worked for the UBC student newspaper and applied for newspaper jobs across the country.
“Journalism just sounded exciting to me,” Ms. Galashan said.
But aside from her media studies courses at Ancaster High, she lacked formal journalism training. Despite her disadvantage over other applicants, a brand new paper, the National Post, welcomed her aboard. Ms. Galashan later returned to Ontario for an internship at the Hamilton Spectator before returning west to start her career with CTV.
In 2006, Ms. Galashan was embedded with Canadian troops in Afghanistan. It was one of her most exciting assignments and also one of her most difficult. Four Canadian soldiers she had travelled with were killed.
“There were parts that were great and there were parts that were very hard,” she explained.
Ms. Galashan also visited Canada’s only polygamist colony in Bountiful, B.C. and reported live from Mayerthorpe, Alta., the night four young RCMP officers were gunned down on a rural property.
Although they share the same alma mater, due to their age difference, Ms. Galashan and Ms. MacMillan never crossed paths at Ancaster High. Despite working on several assignments together over the years, they only recently discovered they are both Ancaster High alumni.
Ms. MacMillan identified her career goals at an early age.
“This career pursued me!” she stated. “It combines two things I love most – talking and writing. I have known since I was 10 years old I wanted to do this. I feel very fortunate it’s turned out the way it has.”
Since graduating from Ancaster High in 1989, Ms. MacMillan has worked in several small news markets, including Hamilton’s CHCH TV.
At CTV she’s realized her dream of working for a national network, covering breaking news around the world.
Ms. MacMillan honed her communication skills at Ancaster High. She loved reading and discussing classic literature. Ms. MacMillan also enjoyed Mr. Barnes’ language classes, not so much for the lessons, but for the great stories he told, with incredible life lessons.
“Sometimes we would just talk for the hour – will I get him in trouble for that?” Ms. MacMillan mused.
After years of success on a national stage, Ms. MacMillan hasn’t forgotten her Ancaster roots.
“My favourite memories of AHVS are really tied to growing up in Ancaster,” Ms. MacMillan explained. “I loved that it was small and in a sense, isolated. I mean that in a good way. Everyone knew each other and there was a strong sense of community.”
“As I get older, and see and learn more about the world, I appreciate the experience of Ancaster and Ancaster High.”

Cassie's progress continues

Here's a blog about a local family and their daughter, Cassie. Cassie is a brave little girl living with cerebral palsy. Cassie has one leg that's slightly shorter than the other. She walks with the help of custom orthotics, serial casting and botox injections. Thanks to the specialized treatment she's receiving, Cassie is gaining more strength and mobility. She recently attended an Ability Camp with positive results.

Read her mom's blog here:

http://kfruck.blogspot.com/

Permanent clubhouse in jeopardy for 2010 Canadian Little League championships

Ancaster Little League may be forced to use temporary clubhouse facilities when it hosts the 2010 Canadian Little League Championships, due to a lack of funding for a permanent facility.
Mark Strongman, past president of Ancaster Little League, said the club requested a Trillium Grant to help defray the estimated $150,000 cost of a new wastewater pumping system at the new clubhouse. The grant was denied, leaving the club without the necessary funds to finance the project.
Mr. Strongman said Ancaster Little League has sufficient funding to build the clubhouse, but lacks necessary funds for the wastewater system.
In the city’s 2008 capital budget, $257,000 in capital funding was earmarked for the Ancaster Little League Park redevelopment, including site work at the Jerseyville Road diamonds. The diamond redevelopment is nearly complete.
Ancaster Little League is facing a deadline to confirm the clubhouse financing at the end of this month.
“Capital funds need to be confirmed by April 30, 2009, in order for construction to be undertaken and completed by August of 2010,” states Joe-Anne Priel, general manager of Hamilton’s community services division in an information report.
The city has set the deadline to ensure the clubhouse can be built in time for the championship event next year.
Mr. Strongman said the 2010 championships will proceed with temporary facilities if necessary. But the tournament organizing committee is still hopeful that a permanent clubhouse, with restrooms can be built in time for the tournament which runs in August, 2010.
Ancaster Little League has a capital improvement fund administered through its alumni association. Sponsorship opportunities and more information is available at http://www.ancaster2010.com/
Designed for little league players aged 11 and 12, the 2010 Championships will determine Canada’s entry at the 2010 Little League World Series in Williamsport, Penn. Ancaster will compete as the host team against other qualifiers from across Canada.

Redeemer goes green for Earth Day

Fourth-year student Brianne Fennema is leading the charge towards a greener future at Redeemer University College.
Ms. Fennema and like-minded Redeemer students hosted an April 18 presentation by Dundas resident Julia Kollek, program coordinator for Climate Change Champions and Environment Hamilton spokesperson.
Environment Hamilton recently conducted an energy audit at the Garner Road campus. Redeemer earned high marks for its commitment to local food, reducing water usage and electricity consumption.
Ms. Fennema hopes to encourage more waste diversion at Redeemer using an organic waste collection system and more recycling. She’s working with the university’s board of directors towards implementing an ecological sustainability plan.
“We have a game plan to promote education with the students,” Ms. Fennema said.
Ms. Fennema joined Ms. Kollek and Redeemer students in an Earth Day tree planting, featuring several tree species and wildflowers.
Ms. Fennema hopes to naturalize a retention pond at the north end of the Redeemer campus. Her plan includes specific tree species, shrubs, grasses and wildflowers.
Redeemer also hosts a local chapter of Renewal: Students Caring for Creation, a Christian student environmental club. Campus representative Kira Langendoen said students hope to set an example of positive environmental change. The website is http://renewingcreation.org/
“We’re showing our campus, as well as the community, we as Christians care,” she said.
Ms. Kollek led Redeemer students in a game of climate-change bingo. Ms. Kollek developed the game as an instructional tool for students. Instead of numbers, the caller announces a series of energy-efficient alternatives, such as walking to school, taking the bus or turning off lights.The Climate Change Champions website features an online EcoAction calculator to show how simple lifestyle changes can reduce your environmental footprint. Visit http://www.climatechangehamilton.ca/

Tears of Joy at Citizen of the Year

They could hardly believe their ears. Maude McLennan and Chelsea Goodenough held back tears of joy after they were announced the winners at the Royal Bank Ancaster Citizen of the Year and Ancaster Old Mill Youth Volunteer of the Year evening on Friday.

For Mrs. McLennan, it's one of her first accolades in more than five decades of volunteering. She's a founding member of the Ancaster Community Food Drive and longtime volunteer with Ancaster Community Services' Meals on Wheels, Ryerson United Church, the Canadian Cancer Society and many more.

Chelsea won't be cutting back on her volunteer service, even while pursuing a Kiniesiology degree at McMaster. She's currently assisting a medical study at McMaster and plans to volunteer at Hamilton's Ronald McDonald House. She also teaches tennis and plans to play with the McMaster tennis or water polo team.

For the first time in recent memory, all of this year's nominees were female. Lori Cooper was Citizen of the Year runner-up. Other youth nominees were Kathleen Dunn and Yasaman Karimianpour.

Update on school catchment issue

School board superintendent Krys Croxall agrees changing the French Immersion catchment area could benefit students in the Meadowlands and the Fessenden program.

Ms. Croxall responded to my request for comment on Wednesday afternoon, unfortunately just after deadline.

Ms. Croxall said it would make sense to support the program at Fessenden by changing the catchment to include students from the Ancaster Meadow area.

Ms. Croxall is aware that parents of Ancaster Meadow graduates are paying out-of-pocket expenses to send their children to Ancaster High School, because Ancaster Meadow is currently part of the Sir Allan MacNab catchment.

Following up on parent recommendations, the board will review the catchment areas.

"Our accommodation and planning department is looking into that," Ms. Croxall said.

French Immersion parents join catchment area debate

In our April 10 issue, I reported on an Ancaster Meadow School council meeting where parents asked school board officials to change catchment area boundaries so Ancaster Meadow graduates can receive bus service to Ancaster High School. To parents, it just makes perfect sense. Ancaster kids should go to an Ancaster High School. But the board's catchment area rules put Ancaster Meadow within the Sir Allan MacNab catchment area. That means students can receive bus service to MacNab, but parents who want transportation to Ancaster High must pay about $700 each out-of-pocket. Many have done just that and others are on a wait-list. See last week's story here:
http://www.ancasternews.com/news/article/170029

The catchment issue is also affecting French Immersion. Here's an update.


Parents urge school catchment changes

French Immersion parents in the Meadowlands are asking Hamilton’s public school board to change school catchment boundaries to allow their children to attend Ancaster’s Fessenden School, instead of Norwood Park School on the central Mountain.
The French Immersion parents are not alone in their quest to alter the catchment boundaries. Earlier this month, more than two dozen parents who attended an Ancaster Meadow school council meeting said they also want the catchments changed to allow Ancaster Meadow graduates to attend Ancaster High School.
Ying Chan, a co-founder of Ancaster Parents for French Immersion, helped establish the public board’s first French Immersion program in Ancaster in 2008. When Ms. Chan and other members of APFI made presentations to the school board on French Immersion enrollment projections for 2008, the committee included the Meadowlands area. To maintain enrollment levels in Ancaster and ensure the Fessenden program isn’t cancelled due to lack of interest, Ms. Chan said the board should consider making Ancaster Meadow part of the Fessenden French Immersion catchment area.
According to current board policy, bus service is available for students from the Ancaster Meadow catchment area who attend Norwood Park, beginning in Grade 1. But transportation service is not available from the Ancaster Meadow area to Fessenden, because the school is considered out of the catchment area. That’s despite the fact Ancaster Meadow is geographically closer to Fessenden than Norwood Park.
“Nobody is going to drive their kids to Fessenden everyday for six or seven years,” said Ms. Chan, citing the lack of public transportation from Ancaster.


“It would make much more sense to keep Ancaster students within the community, using Fessenden, as well as reducing not only the students' travel time but also board's future expense in transportation,” Ms. Chan wrote in an e-mail to Krys Croxall, board superintendent of education for program and assessment.
Ms. Croxall was unavailable for comment this week.
French Immersion consultant Christine Rees said catchment area changes must be approved by the school board.
“It’s quite a lengthy process,” Ms. Rees said.
Due to the same catchment area guidelines, dozens of secondary students who live in the Ancaster Meadow area are paying $700 annually for private bus service to Ancaster High School. Ancaster Meadow graduates currently fall within the Sir Allan MacNab Secondary School catchment area on the west Mountain. In accordance with board policy, parents who intend to enroll their children in an out-of-catchment school, such as Ancaster High, must make alternate transportation arrangements.
Ms. Chan hopes that by changing the catchment areas, both the French Immersion and Ancaster High School catchment discrepancies can be fixed.
Hamilton Wentworth District School Board superintendent Scott Sincerbox has announced parents will have an opportunity to comment on transportation issues when the board consults the public for an accommodation review this fall.

Rodeo coming to town

Here's something new. The new Ancaster Fairgrounds on Trinity Road will host the Dodge Rodeo Tour on June 6 and 7, the weekend before Heritage Days. Read more about it here:
http://www.ontariorodeo.com/Ancaster.html

This event is anticipated to coincide with the formal opening of the fairgrounds at 630 Trinity Road, although fair staff have already moved into their new digs as of last week.

Heritage Days on the way

The Ancaster Heritage Days committee is working hard to make this year's event the best yet. Visit their newly-designed website at www.ancasterheritagedays.com for all the details.

Events begin with the 26th annual Old Mill Race on Tuesday, June 9, followed by the Ancaster Community Services' Community Links Golf Tournament, Tastes of Ancaster, the Ancaster Senior Achievement Centre's Strawberry Social and of course the weekend festivities including the parade, Kidsworld, sidewalk sales, fireworks and much more.

The popular kids' soap box derby makes its second appearance this year.

The elementary school essay contest is now underway.
This year’s contest invites Ancaster students to write a short essay about Heritage Days.(maximum 150 words).
If you are in Grade 1 or 2 you are asked to submit a drawing.

Students should submit entries to their teachers by Friday May 1st.

Winning entries will be reprinted in an Ancaster News supplement and winners will ride in the Heritage Days parade on June 13. There are also three cash prizes of $100, $75 and $50.

Excitement builds for 50 Years of Royalty

Ancaster High School's 50th anniversary weekend is just three weeks away. Check the website http://www.fiftyyearsofroyalty.net/

As of today, 972 people have registered to attend. A golf tournament planned for May 8 is already full. The weekend also features a staff reception, pub night, team games, a fun run, and various activities. During the weekend of May 8-10, the school will showcase memorabilia from each of the last five decades.

To celebrate this special milestone, the Ancaster News will publish an anniversary supplement, featuring notable school history, famous graduates, past staff, athletes and more.

Earthquake hits close to home

Here's a sneak peek at a story this week on the devastating April 6 earthquake in L'Aquila, central Italy.

One local family is paying close attention to the deadly earthquake in central Italy.

Cecilia Challen, a native of Italy’s Abruzzo Region, visited L’Aquila province last month for a family vacation. She marveled at the historic Renaissance basilicas, the beautiful Apennine Mountains, the modern university and scores of laptop toting students, reminiscent of Hamilton’s Westdale village.

Near the end of her excursion in Sulmona, a town of 25,000, Mrs. Challen and her family felt the earth move. She checked the time. It was 2 a.m., Saturday, March 22.

Later that morning, Mrs. Challen overheard two local women speaking about the “Terremoto.” Indeed, there had been a mild earthquake. But there was no indication of things to come.
With their vacation nearly complete, the Challens returned home to Ancaster. Less than two weeks later, they were shocked by the news that much of their beloved land was in ruins.
Cecilia, born in 1941 as Cesira Corti, grew up in the Abruzzo Region east of Rome. She immigrated to Hamilton with her family at age 10. Growing up in an Italian household, Cecelia heard stories about her Aunt Cesira, a beautiful young woman who was killed in a devastating 1915 earthquake.

The April 6 earthquake that rocked L’Aqulia province wasn’t quite as devastating as the 1915 disaster that killed an estimated 6,000 people. But today, thousands are homeless and more than 270 are dead.

L’Aquila is one of the Challen family’s favourite vacation spots. Mrs. Challen once lived in the town of Gagliano Aterno, just a short drive from L’Aquila. Many of L’Aquila’s historic landmarks were hit by the earthquake, including the Basilica of San Bernardino, the greatest Renaissance church of the Abruzzi.

L’Aquila is a university town, and the centre of government for the Abruzzo Region. It is both a city and a province. L’Aquila is also famous for its soft nougat candy, called Nurzia.
Easter is perhaps the most the most celebrated holiday in Italy. But this year’s festivities took on a solemn tone, as Italians around the world stopped to reflect on the grave loss of life in their homeland.

“Instead of the bells tolling, a gorgeous sound, it’s going to be quite toned down,” Mrs. Challen said.
Growing up in Gagliano Aterno, Mrs. Challen knew about the potential earthquake threat. On occasion, a tremor was felt, enough to rattle some pots and pans, but never enough to level a building. So on March 22, no one in the Challen family was particularly worried.

Mrs. Challen, her husband, Paul and their family love to visit the Abruzzi Region. A newly published author, Mrs. Challen’s first book documents her family’s Italian roots. Her book, There Comes a Time, traces the life Mrs. Challen’s mother, Evelina Corti.

Mrs. Challen recently published a short story about her recent visit to L’Aquila. She recalls the Colonnade area packed with expensive sports cars, the National Art Museum of the Abruzzo, and the storied Fountain of 99 Spouts, where town women have visited to collect water since the Renaissance.

While speaking to a reporter in her home, Mrs. Challen leaves the room to answer the phone. The caller is an old friend of Mrs. Challen’s mother who read her story. The caller asks for “Mimmi,” Mrs. Challen’s childhood nickname. Mrs. Challen has been answering calls from her Paesani all week.

The Challens share a property with relatives in Secinaro, southeast of L’Aquila. The nearby Avenzzano area was virtually wiped out in the 1915 quake but has since rebuilt.
“We’re hoping L’Aquila will be able to spring back the same way Avenzzano has,” Mr. Challen said.

“L'Aquila” literally translated means “the Eagle.” Although Mrs. Challen knows the eagle is grounded, she believes it will soar once again.“I’m confident that it will all come back again,” she said. “These are not people who will throw their hands up in despair.”