Local Physicians Devote Time to Helping Others & Fire for Dr
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N/C 4S1 MIXED DET.-1 HOAG& SONS SPR1NGPORT. Ml 492S4 "Top Pop" Father's Day Contest rules... Pg. 7 Salute to the Hartford H. S. grads; and Watervliet Independence Parade info... Pg. 14 Senior Class awards Coloma Comm. OKs fire truck payment... Pg. 5 An estimated 13,000 spectators turned on Page 10 out for the Lane Automotive Car Show WaterfrWICf JJUparkl rv summertime specials ^Joffered...J ^ -Pg.• ^14 • thiim>s past oaiuSaturday..i uuv... see Pagr e 7/ The hometown newspaper for Coloma - Hartford - Watervliet 463-6397 [email protected] www.tricityrecord.com CITY RECORD 124th Year Issue #22 May 29, 2008 Seventy-five Cents Mission trip to Philippines aids those desperate for care Police Local physicians devote time to helping others & Fire For Dr. Samuel Roda, a family country for family practice residen- "I was lucky," Roda says. "My fam- physician with Coloma Medical cy training at St. Mary Nazareth ily was able to help me gain a good Reports Center, living in the United States is Medical Center in Chicago, Illinois, education and send me to medical a privilege that he doesn't take for In 1970, he became a U.S. citizen, school. But I remember the poverty Compiled by Annette Christie granted. Dr. Roda grew up in the but the plight of the less fortunate I saw daily while growing up in the Philippines, where he attended med- back in his birthplace was never far Philippines," he explains. "Since 92-year-old ical school before coming to this from his mind. then, conditions for many have improved in the larger cities; but for woman injured those in the more rural areas, access in crash; ran stop to healthcare is still impossible." To make a difference in the sign on Bainbridge lives of others, Dr. Roda Center Road dedicates his personal time A 92-year-old Watervliet woman to medical missionary work. who failed to stop at a stop sign on Adventist University of the Philip- Monday night. May 26, was injured pines Alumni Association in Amer- in Bainbridge Township. ica sponsored his most recent mis- MEDICAL MISSIONARY... Dr. Roda treats young patients in the Allene Brunden was traveling south sion trip. Currently, Dr. Roda serves Phillipines. Accompanying him earlier this year to bring desperately on Bainbridge Center Road, ap- as the organization's President. He needed medical treatment to the poor was Dr. Gideon Medina. proaching North Branch. She tailed and others have journeyed on a med- (Contributed photos) to stop at the crossroad and collided ical-dental-optometry mission the with a vehicle driven by Michael Es- past few years to give back some- smeyer who was traveling west on ... „ thing to the community by serving North Branch. COLOMA AMERICAN LEGION POST 362 COMMANDER...Pete the ^ sick people ^ the philip. Brunden received injuries and was Petruk (left) and Brett Bartels (not pictured) of the 101st Airborne pines who don.t haVe access ,o med- airlifted to a Kalamazoo area hospi- Division presented a P.O.W. (Prisoner of War) Medal posthumously to icaj care tal by Air Care. The extent of her WWII veteran T-5 Alexander Keil, along with a framed display of his Dr Gideon Me(iina an orthopedic injuries was not known at press time other honors. Receiving the honors was Kell's widow, Clara. surgeon from Watervliet who assist. and it could only be confirmed that (Lynn Attila photo) e(j jn pfovijing carei accompanied she was admitted. Dr. Roda on the Philippines mission Essmeyer and the four people in his WWII widow receives trip. Another physician, a dental sur- vehicle were all wearing their seat- geon, a nurse and an optometrist, all belts. Essmeyer was the only one to from California, completed the receive injuries in his vehicle, and husband's POW ribbon team. they were minor. Their mission trip would take them The Berrien County Sheriffs De- to Aparri, a far-flung coastal town in partment is investigating the acci- on Memorial Day dent. They have determined that the province of Cagayan in Northern 0f Cgbii in the Visayas group malnutrition," says Roda. "I was By Lynn Attila weather was not a factor. Luzon in the Philippines. All told, is|an(is) t0 finaiize the details of a limited to what I could do because of Memorial Day 2008 will always the trip took more than 23 hours of 2009 medical-surgical mis- the lack of medicine for the illness- Coloma Township hold special meaning for longtime tovel. sjon wjt|1 (hg Director of Cebu es. A drug company had donated two Police ticket two Watervliet resident Clara Keil. This The journey began with a 13-hour, Sanitarium and Hospital," says Dr. boxes of medicine. I had also bought was the day she received her for no license non-stop Northwest Airlines flight Ro(ja ^ j1jstory 5uffs< ^ebu is a a box of my own supply for pediatric deceased husband's P.O.W. Medal. from Detroit International, traveling island. It was the shores of cases. By the second day, almost all David Albert Tunstill was cited for Alexander Keil had been held as a over the Canadian Northwest Terri- Cebu where M the famous of our medical supplies were gone. operating a vehicle without a valid prisoner of war during World War II license on Ma 20 after fo1 tories, Alaska, and finally Japan. world circumnavigator, met his The receptionist had to send people y - and had never received this honor, low,n a ol,ce car t00 closel Following a two-hour stop at Nanta death;, he says "As the away because of the lack of time and g P y- . which he should have been given International Airport in Japan, they Magellan wadedt0shore medical 5^5" Tunstill was traveling less than V/2 years ago. boarded another 747 jet for a five- carrying a cross t0 spread christ. while the team did what ^ could car lengths behind a police car dnv- Members of Coloma American en by Officer Michael Prince when hour flight to Manila in the Philip- to ^ natives He was met by with the supplies they had, it was Legion Post 362 and Watervliet Prince pulled off the road and Tun- Pines- a fierce warrior, Lapulapu, who then obvious that the need greatly out- VFW Post 6803 were on hand May still passed him. "From Manila, we flew down to the killed him. Magellan's original cross weighed their time and provisions. 26 to present the long overdue He was then pulled over and asked is now incased and on display un- "As I passed through the medal posthumously to Keil's to provide the necessary driver's derneath a pergola in the Cebu City widow. Alexander Keil Float dedicated rows of people standing, license, which he was unable to do. Hall plaza." Clara reports that Keil enlisted in Commander of Coloma American waiting and hoping that we He was cited and also given a writ- Once the team reached Cebu, the the United States Army on March Legion Post 362, presented the long- to former would stay longer, I looked ten warning for following too close- trip to the remote area of Aparri was 24, 1942, at the age of 29. He was a awaited medal, along with a framed ly and no operator's license on per- an 18-hour ride through narrow, at their faces and their eyes Technical Sergeant (T-5) with the display ofhis other honors, to Clara. Miss Hartford son. twisting, rugged mountainous roa^s. seemed to say, 'Please come 4th Armored Division and was a Bartels represented the 101st Air- Colton Lee Carmer was also cited "We were warned by locals to avoid 999 tank operator. borne Division who had been the killed in crash back; we need you here, for driving without a valid opera- traveling through deserted, moun- Clara recounted a story of bravery group that liberated the P.O.W. camp reflects Roda. tor's license on May 21. He was By Christina Glass tainous areas in the Cagyan Valley and perseverance. m Hammelburg. "It was heart-wrenching.99 speeding on Paw Paw Lake Road ma perseverance. ... ..a.luuv.uvu6. The Memorial Day Parade in fofor feafear of the NPA (New People's "It was neart-wrencmng. speeding on raw raw Laice Koaa It seems General George Patton had Clara, taken aback with emotion, Hartford did not just honor Vet. ^ „ Roda states NpA is a one particular incident during the when he was stopped and asked to a son-in-law who was imprisoned as wiped a tear from her eye as she erans ^ year. ^ a|so ^ de^ut • . ^ t j h j r phiHnnines mission stands out in Dr. Roda's provide a license, which he was mincl and a P.O.W. in Hammelburg, Germany, thanked one iftid all for bestowing of ^ Hartford community float, mission guerillas who roam the underscores the plight of unable to do. So Patton rallied the troops and sent this honor on her beloved Alex. AoAtnitc^Adedicated t o the memory r\fof \lortoccrtVenessa ^"""7 cars"an"d. .buse s <he Mpeople^n1 n . "It wwmnwas gettin g Inflateo , onrandl Watervliet City Police ,h-in,o H—^ Ita. Garcia, a former Miss HaHford. ^ S w...ree.,,i.Br.ad,I.a.e an elderl investigate bad check his son-in-law. -o Alex during his tenure with th—e Garcia rerepresentepresented HartforHarttord iinn ththee naccpnDasseneer™s wW?e Wwerere told that if voun an elderlyy man came in begging to Officer Cattes investigated a coun- A bloody battle ensued.