Dayhoff Soundtrack

Sunday, August 26, 2007

20070827 Westminster Mayor and Council Meeting Agenda

Westminster Common Council

City Council Members |Minutes of City Council Meetings

CITY OF WESTMINSTER, MARYLAND

Mayor and Common Council Meeting of August 27, 2007

AGENDA

1. CALL TO ORDER – 7:00 P.M.

2. PUBLIC HEARING:

Sectional Map Amendment SMA07-1 – Rezoning of 59, 61, and 63 Union

Street to “C-N” Compatible Neighborhood Overlay District

3. MINUTES OF THE MEETING OF AUGUST 13, 2007

4. CONSENT CALENDAR:

July 2007 Departmental Operating Reports

5. REPORTS FROM THE MAYOR

6. REPORTS FROM STANDING COMMITTEES

7. ORDINANCES AND RESOLUTIONS:

Resolution R07-9 – Drug Task Force and Task Force Forfeiture Agreements

8. UNFINISHED BUSINESS:

a. None as of August 23, 2007

9. NEW BUSINESS:

a. Good Cause Waivers: No. GCW 07-1 – Youth Services Building Site at Washington Avenue and Route No. 32; No. GCW 07-2 – New Cut Inc. Property at 130 Liberty Street; No. GCW 07-3 – 176 Liberty Street; No. GCW 07-4 – 509 Locust Avenue; No. GCW 07-05 – Buckingham View Lots 14 and 16; No. GCW 07-6 – 849 Gist Road; No. GCW 07-07 - Lots 47 and 49, Willow Avenue; and No. GCW 07-9 - 33 West George Street

b. Support of Albion Apartment Renovation Project

c. Approval of Fiscal Year 2008 Town-County Agreement

10. DEPARTMENT REPORTS

11. CITIZEN COMMENTS

12. ADJOURN

20070823 WMAR TV Archives full of historic gems by K Volkmann BE

WMAR TV archives in the basement of University of Baltimore’s Langsdale Library full of historic gems by K Volkmann

This is an exciting turn of events. WMAR TV has been around for a long time and to have historic film footage available from all those years available would be an historians dream.

Archives full of historic gems

Kelsey Volkmann, The Examiner 2007-08-23

BALTIMORE –

… old television news reels in the basement of University of Baltimore’s Langsdale Library.

[…]

Metal film canisters and videotapes line shelf after shelf and contain old WMAR-TV footage, images showcasing history as it happened from the post-World War II era through the Reagan administration.

The collection is considered one of the most complete archives of television news on the East Coast.

But most filmmakers can’t afford to transfer the 16-millimeter film into digital video and the equipment to play some of the tapes is difficult to find, leaving the footage as it has been for decades rarely watched and left to collect dust.

The 6 million feet of unedited news reels contain hidden gems:

[…]

University of Baltimore has applied for a $356,000 grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities to finance a digitization of the films for storage on computer servers.

Library directors will learn this spring whether they won the grant.

[…]

Read the entire article here: Archives full of historic gems

Saturday, August 25, 2007

20070824 The White House Weekly Review

The White House Weekly Review

August 20-August 24, 2007

Monday, August 20, 2007 President Bush traveled to Canada to meet with Prime Minister Stephen Harper of Canada and President Felipe Calderon of Mexico at the North American Leaders' Summit. The leaders reviewed progress and continued cooperation under the Security and Prosperity Partnership, as well as discuss hemispheric and global issues.

President Bush Participates in North American Leaders' Summit

Tuesday, August 21, 2007 During the second day of the North American Leaders' Summit, President Bush met with the North American Competitiveness Council. He later participated in the North American Leaders' Meeting and participated in a Joint Press Availability with the Prime Minister of Canada and the President of Mexico.

President Bush also received a briefing on the Interstate 35-W bridge damage as well as the Minnesota floods.

"It's our people's interests that Canada and Mexico work closely together. In other words, there's a good reason why our leaders should come together on a regular basis. First reason why is to figure out ways to continue to enhance prosperity. It's in our interests that the Canadian lifestyle be as strong as it is, and it's in our interests that prosperity spread to Mexico. If you're a U.S. citizen, you want people that live close to you to be prosperous. The more prosperity there is in your neighborhood, the more hopeful your neighborhood is."

President Bush Participates in Joint Press Availability with Prime Minister Harper of Canada, and President Calderón of Mexico

In Focus: Global Diplomacy

Joint Statement by Prime Minister Harper, President Bush, and President Calderón

President Bush Participates in Briefing on Interstate 35-W Bridge Damage and Minnesota Floods

Wednesday, August 22, 2007 President Bush made remarks at the Veterans of Foreign Wars National Convention in Kansas City, Missouri. The President talked about the challenges we face in Iraq against the historic background of our successes in Asia. He described how America's presence and perseverance in Asia led to a freer, more stable, and more prosperous continent, transforming American enemies into American allies and making the world safer for our citizens. As we face challenges in Iraq today, we do so knowing we have done this kind of transformative work before and the benefits to America made the sacrifices worthwhile.

"The greatest weapon in the arsenal of democracy is the desire for liberty written into the human heart by our Creator. So long as we remain true to our ideals, we will defeat the extremists in Iraq and Afghanistan. We will help those countries' peoples stand up functioning democracies in the heart of the broader Middle East. And when that hard work is done and the critics of today recede from memory, the cause of freedom will be stronger, a vital region will be brighter, and the American people will be safer."

President Bush Meets with Community Leaders in Missouri

President Bush Attends Veterans of Foreign Wars National Convention, Discusses War on Terror

Thursday, August 23, 2007 No official public events.

Ask the White House

Paula Dobriansky, Under Secretary of State for Democracy and Global Affairs, answered questions on he North American Plan for Avian and Pandemic Influenza and our international efforts with our Canadian and Mexican neighbors to protect our citizens against the dual threats of avian and pandemic influenza.

Friday, August 24, 2007 No official public events.

Ask the White House Karen P. Hughes, Under Secretary of State, answered questions on the USNS COMFORT, a Navy hospital ship that provides humanitarian relief around the world, exemplifying the "deeds of diplomacy" that demonstrate the compassion of the American people. .

Monday, August 20, 2007

Press Gaggle by Gordon Johndroe

Press Gaggle on the President's Bilateral Meetings with Mexico and Canada by Dan Fisk, Senior Director for Western Hemisphere Affairs, National Security Council

National Ovarian Cancer Awareness Month, 2007

Tuesday, August 21, 2007

Statement on Federal Disaster Assistance for Minnesota

National Prostate Cancer Awareness Month, 2007

Wednesday, August 22, 2007

Press Briefing by Tony Snow

Constitution Day and Citizenship Day, Constitution Week, 2007

National Alcohol and Drug Addiction Recovery Month, 2007

Setting the Record Straight: President Bush's View on Iraq's Elected Government Consistent

Saturday, August 25, 2007

President's Radio Address Embargoed until 10:06 AM ET

For more information from this week please visit http://www.whitehouse.gov/news/

20070822 Edward Hopper: Poet of the ordinary

Edward Hopper: Poet of the ordinary

Posted Saturday, August 25, 2007

My Tentacle column for this past Wednesday, August 22, 2007 is on Edward Hopper: Edward Hopper: Poet of the ordinary

On a recent trip to Boston, I leapt at the opportunity to see the genius of Mr. Hopper, considered by many art historians to be one of the most influential, if not one of the most popular artists of the twentieth century.

Although shows in recent years have featured portions of his work, it was the Whitney in 1980 that put together the last major comprehensive retrospective show of his work, “Edward Hopper: The Art and the Artist,” took place at the Whitney. That show also toured London, Düsseldorf, Amsterdam, San Francisco, and Chicago.

In 1999 an exhibition of fifty-six watercolors from 1923 until the mid-1940s debuted at the Smithsonian American Art Museum. This was the work, painted in Gloucester and Cape Cod, which first caught the eye of the art world and collectors. Forty at the time, his watercolors that finally made him financial secure after struggling many years supporting himself as a teacher and a commercial illustrator.

Seventy of his paintings toured Europe in 2004. It traveled to Cologne, Germany and the Tate Modern in London England where published accounts have noted that in the three months it was exhibited, it was viewed by 420,000 folks becoming the second most popular in the history of the gallery.

[…]

The voyeuristic stark world of American Scene realist artist Edward Hopper was recently on view at the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston Massachusetts.

While the exhibit ranges extensively from Mr. Hopper’s early prints, watercolor landscapes and scene paintings, to his iconographic oil paintings, the exhibition focused on a 25-year period of peak artistic expression from 1923 to about 1948. The show distributed about 100 pieces of art, in chronological order across 8 gallery-rooms, including 12 prints, 34 watercolors, 48 oil paintings, and two of his “ledger” notebooks containing his sketches and notes.

Art from 39 public and 13 private collections has been brought together to give visitors the opportunity to listen carefully for the “poetry” of Mr. Hopper’s otherwise famously spare, mute landscapes, blunt geometrics and austere interiors in which the beauty is in the common place, the unexpected, and the unexceptional.

[…]

The Tate restates that one of the many reasons Mr. Hopper remains relevant today is that he has “inspired generations of artists, writers, and filmmakers including David Hockney, Mark Rothko, Alfred Hitchcock, Todd Haynes, and Norman Mailer.”

Coinciding with the National Gallery of Art show will be yet another Hopper-inspired work of art - an opera, “Later the Same Evening: an opera inspired by five paintings of Edward Hopper,” by renowned composer John Musto and librettist Mark Campbell.

The opera will be performed November 15-18, 2007 at Clarice Smith Performing Arts Center at the University of Maryland in College Park, MD, and December 2, 2007 at The National Gallery of Art

Additionally, the artistic impact of Edward Hopper’s work is the subject of a new documentary film that accompanies the exhibition.

It is narrated by actor, writer, and Hopper art collector Steve Martin and produced by the National Gallery of Art. In the Washington area, the documentary will be shown on WETA Channel 26 on Thursday, September 6 at 10:30 p.m. and in the Baltimore area on MPT Channel 67 on Sunday, September 23 at 7:30 p.m.

Read the entire column here: Edward Hopper: Poet of the ordinary

The Carroll County Arts Council is sponsoring a bus trip on September 25 to experience this must-see event in this year’s fall art calendar. Call the Arts Council at 410/848-7272 for details.

Mr. Hopper’s art may have been relatively mute in its spare commentary yet it continues to inspire the viewer to lend their own story to each enigmatic piece and artists in other media continue to add an interpretation of their own. The National Gallery exhibition is a must see event in this fall’s art and culture calendar.

Kevin Dayhoff writes from Westminster Maryland USA.

www.kevindayhoff.net

E-mail him at: kdayhoff AT carr.org or kevindayhoff AT gmail.com

His columns and articles appear in The Tentacle - www.thetentacle.com; Westminster Eagle Opinion; www.thewestminstereagle.com and Winchester Report.

20070822 Edward Hopper: Poet of the ordinary

Edward Hopper: Poet of the ordinary

Posted Saturday, August 25, 2007

My Tentacle column for this past Wednesday, August 22, 2007 is on Edward Hopper: Edward Hopper: Poet of the ordinary

[…]

The voyeuristic stark world of American Scene realist artist Edward Hopper was recently on view at the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston Massachusetts.

[…]

The opera will be performed November 15-18, 2007 at Clarice Smith Performing Arts Center at the University of Maryland in College Park, MD, and December 2, 2007 at The National Gallery of Art

Additionally, the artistic impact of Edward Hopper’s work is the subject of a new documentary film that accompanies the exhibition.

Read the entire column here: Edward Hopper: Poet of the ordinary

The Carroll County Arts Council is sponsoring a bus trip on September 25 to experience this must-see event in this year’s fall art calendar. Call the Arts Council at 410/848-7272 for details.

Kevin Dayhoff writes from Westminster Maryland USA.

www.kevindayhoff.net

E-mail him at: kdayhoff AT carr.org or kevindayhoff AT gmail.com

His columns and articles appear in The Tentacle - www.thetentacle.com; Westminster Eagle Opinion; www.thewestminstereagle.com and Winchester Report.

20070822 Westminster Eagle Week in Review

Westminster Eagle Week in Review

Posted Saturday, August 25, 2007

2007 Carroll County Public Schools School Bus Schedules

Kevin E. Dayhoff

County fair emerged with Carroll's agricultural awareness
In researching the predecessor to what we now know as the Carroll County 4-H and FFA Fair -- which began in Taneytown in 1897 -- some folks have suggested that there was once a "fairground" at the site of the current Carroll County Regional Airport.

Well, perhaps they are partially right. Historic... [Read full story]

Local News

Carroll County fair ambassador heads to state stage
As the 2007 Carroll County Farm Bureau Ambassador, Sarah Rawlings handed out ribbons to all the livestock winners at this month's 4-H and FFA Fair and posed in all the photos during the livestock auction.

Now that the fair is over, the 17-year-old will represent the farm bureau on a larger stage, ... [Read full story]

City parks, trail earn POS funds

A ramp replacement, a new playground and an extension to Wakefield Valley Trail are all projects in Westminster that have been approved to receive Program Open Space money from the state.

The projects are approved for a total of $209,893 from POS, designated to Westminster through Carroll ... [Read full story]

Business Briefs

Taking a dive in Carroll

It may seem odd to some people that scuba divers from all over the state come to Carroll County to dive.

George Carter doesn't find it curious at all.

In fact, he counts on it.

Carter has been diving professionally for more than 20 years and is co-owner of Undersea Outfitters located in Finksburg. What is it about Carroll County that attracts divers from all over the state?

One draw is Hyde's Quarry, located between Westminster and New Windsor off of Route 31. The quarry has been a staple of the diving scene for years, presenting a training ground for fledgling divers as ... [Read full story]

Focus on People

Carroll CAP has pivotal role in Tri-Wing event

Twenty-six members of the Carroll Composite Squadron joined some 250 Civil Air Patrol cadets and officers from as far away as Nevada and Michigan at the annual Tri-Wing Encampment, held at Camp Fretterd in Reisterstown, July 28-Aug. 5.

The Tri-Wing ... [Read full story]

Opinion

Carroll County's school year starting on a strong note

Editorial

Carroll County Public Schools will open on Aug. 27 on a high note after learning last week that every school in the county met federal guidelines in the most recent round of standardized testing in math and reading.

Every school in the system made the benchmarks for "adequate yearly pr... [Read full story]

For Better or Worse

My relationship with wildlife is something to bee-hold
Doug was leaning back on the sofa, engrossed in something on his laptop screen, when I burst through the door off the deck and made a mad dash for the freezer.

"Ow ow ow ow ow ow!" I yelled. I needed an ice cube and I needed it fast.

"It's like living with a 5-year-old," Doug sighed. He sat forw... [Read full story]

Wolf at the Door

Throwing a wrench, and a little soup, into match making
Recently I happened to read a column written by two young people about their reaction to dating and their advice to others.

I loved the column -- if simply to muse how wrong they were!

"Dear Abby" I'm not, but nevertheless, for those of you looking for a soul-mate, I believe I have some advice.<... [Read full story]

Culleton on Carroll

Carroll has to stop growing homes and start growing jobs
First, there was the prediction from some regional planning council or other that Carroll was to be the fastest growing county in the next decade.

Next, there was the presentation by our own Economic Development Director Larry Twele that military base realignments would bring more than 400 new hou... [Read full story]

Community Calendar

ARTS

The Carroll County Arts Center, 91 W. Main St., will host its annual Members Art Show, Aug. 16-Sept. 29 in the center's Tevis Gallery. Gallery hours are 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., Monday through Wednesday; Thursday until 8 p.m., and Saturday, 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. For more details, call the center at ... [Read full story]

[Local news archives]

Caution: Busy on Board

Van Parys balances hectic schedule as student and school board member

Topics of conversation for new high school seniors these days might be summer vacations, breaks from homework and early plans for homecoming.

But last week, Liberty High School senior Rachel Van Parys was instead focusing on the environment, dress codes and "constructive possession."

These are the things the 16-year-old has to think about as she prepares for her year representing fellow students as the student member of the Carroll County Board of Education.

"I'm pretty excited," she says.

Van Parys... [Read full story]

Local News Saturday, August 25

School system again calling all volunteers
During the past school year, the Carroll County Public School system benefited from the support of 15,609 registered volunteers who collectively provided 113,710 hours of service.

"They make countless things happen," said Jane Farver, coordinator of the Carroll County Public Schools volunteer prog... [Read full story]

News Briefs

Shepherd's Staff collects for prescriptions

Carroll County's Shepherd's Staff wants to give you a pig.

As part of the nonprofit's effort to support county residents in need, Shepherd's Staff is seeking business owners to help the group raise money for its prescription assistance program.

The "... [Read full story]

City parks, trail earn POS funds

A ramp replacement, a new playground and an extension to Wakefield Valley Trail are all projects in Westminster that have been approved to receive Program Open Space money from the state.

The projects are approved for a total of $209,893 from POS, designated to Westminster through Carroll ... [Read full story]

More Headlines Back-to-School 2007-08

Kevin E. Dayhoff

Bergman: Closing credit for a master of cinema
On July 30, 2007, the acclaimed, enigmatic Swedish filmmaker Ingmar Bergman, passed away at age 89.

Bergman's genius is the source of an endless fascination for me. He was born in Uppsala, Sweden, a small college town on July 14, 1918. He drew much of his inspiration by attempting to figure out th... [Read full story]

Agriculture in Carroll has always been 'fair' game

The 2007 Carroll County 4-H and FFA Fair drew to a close last Saturday as herds of folks flocked to pack up and clean up the grounds of the Carroll County Agriculture Center.

It's another successful fair for the history books.

Late last Friday evening, Andy Cashman -- the fair's overall livestoc...
[Read full story]

Song of the South: No grits, no glory

Recently, my family ventured on our annual sojourn south. It's a combination family reunion and vacation, as folks rendezvous from literally all over the world to a house with its very own ZIP code in Nags Head, N.C.

Many are aware of North Carolina's Outer Banks as a family values-oriented destin... [Read full story]

Barnes keeps adapting to meet changing needs of law enforcement

Westminster Police Department Captain Randy D. Barnes, 50, graduated on June 8 from the 229th session of the prestigious FBI National Academy in Quantico, Va.

The Westminster mayor and Common Council recognized Captain Barnes at the last council meeting.

Westminster Common Council president Roy ... Read full story]

More Headlines Carroll working to save and share 'Our Barn'

Commissioners should start 'coffin' up cash on 144-year-old debt

Helen Thomas to speak at McDaniel College

Like the ever-ready bunny, at age 86, the "The First Lady of the Press," Helen Thomas soldiers-on in what many understand to be her single-minded mission to save the nation, even if she needs to do it all by herself.

A celebrated author, member of the White House Pres Corps, former United Press International reporter, and currently a Hearst newspaper columnist, Helen Thomas is slated to lecture at McDaniel College in Westminster Thursday evening, April 12.

In an era when the challenges faced by our nation are debated 24 hours a day by partisan talking heads well tra... [Read full story]

Community Rallies behind Bowling Brook
On March 2, Bowling Brook Preparatory Academy in Keymar announced that after 50 years in operation, it would close on March 9.

The closing comes in the wake of the death of one of the students on January 23.

Since the closing was announced, many Carroll Countians have rallied in sup... [Read full story]

A sordid saga of communists, reservoirs, congressman, and pumpkins
Contrary to what is being circulated; the Union Mills reservoir project in Carroll County will add another layer of protection to the site of the “pumpkin papers,” and this national treasure is not threatened.

Recently the old Whittaker Chambers “pumpkin patch&... [Read full story]

Who was Oriana Fallaci?

Who was Oriana Fallaci? On September 15, Oriana Fallaci, the Italian lioness of letters, died of cancer.

Although Ms. Fallaci was one of the world’s greatest artists of letters; she is today, relatively unknown in the United States.

A prolific – quite controversial - journalist and existential writer with an aggressive and indefatigable approach to life, she had been shot several times and left for dead, had torrid affairs and put on trial.

She never skipped a beat.

Born in Italy on June 29, 1929 Ms. Fallaci served in the fascist resistance ... [Read full story]

More Headlines

“The Wizard of Oz”
Local news coverage, in Spanish, of the tragic accident in Westminster
Former Texas Governor Ann Richards has died
The Carroll County Wormseed Story
IN HIS OWN WORDS: Larry Haines’ experience growing wormseed
Carroll County Maryland Vietnam Memorial Park, Westminster
On Memorial Day, Freddy Magsamen is No. 11 in our hearts
Flower & Jazz Festival Kicks Off the Spring Event Season in Westminster
IN HIS OWN WORDS: An Interview with Carroll Budget Director Ted Zaleski, part 6
IN HIS OWN WORDS: An Interview with Carroll Budget Director Ted Zaleski, part 5
IN HIS OWN WORDS: An Interview with Carroll Budget Director Ted Zaleski, part 4
IN HIS OWN WORDS: An Interview with Carroll Budget Director Ted Zaleski, part 3
IN HIS OWN WORDS: An Interview with Carroll Budget Director Ted Zaleski, part 2
IN HIS OWN WORDS: An Interview with Carroll Budget Director Ted Zaleski, part 1
Feedback on Westminster budget? Here's mine
IN THEIR OWN WORDS: an interview with Commissioners Minnich and Jones, part 1
IN THEIR OWN WORDS: an interview with Commissioners Minnich and Jones, part 2
IN THEIR OWN WORDS: an interview with Commissioners Minnich and Jones, part 3
IN THEIR OWN WORDS: an interview with Commissioners Minnich and Jones, part 4
IN THEIR OWN WORDS: an interview with Commissioners Minnich and Jones, part 5
IN THEIR OWN WORDS: an interview with Commissioners Minnich and Jones, part 6
IN THEIR OWN WORDS: an interview with Commissioners Minnich and Jones, part 7
Gordon Parks - An American Cultural Icon passes Away at 93
Community Leaders take action against underaged drinking
Carroll County Children’s Chorus Sing Spring

20070824 Margaret K. 'Peggy' Villella, 62, of Westminster

Margaret K. 'Peggy' Villella, 62, of Westminster

Many of us in the community were taken aback to open the Carroll County Times Friday morning and read that Peggy Villella had passed away.

Over the years as an appointed and then an elected official I had gotten to know Peggy as the ever-cheerful and vivacious receptionist for the Carroll County Times office on Railroad Avenue in Westminster.

When I moved to the other side of the computer and began writing columns for “The Advocate,” a weekly publication of the Carroll County Times, every time I visited the office, she would, no matter how hectic the day, act as if I were the only person in the world she needed to greet and help that day.

In a Carroll County Times article which was published in the paper today, (Face of the Times remembered for her warmth,) Karen Karaszkiewicz wrote what many of us felt, that she was the “face” of the Carroll County Times. In many ways a model for what corporations and government agencies need on the front desk – such as, for example, Kay Church, the receptionist for Carroll County government in the Carroll County office building on Center Street in Westminster. (See: 20060706 KDDC Aunt Kay Birthday Cake and the Commissioners and 20060713 Happy Birthday Kay Church)

Ms. Karaszkiewicz wrote

“A woman who was known by many as the face of the Carroll County Times will be remembered by friends, family, coworkers, and neighbors for her charisma and upbeat attitude.”

[…]

“For about the past 10 years, she had worked at the front desk, spreading her cheerfulness to everyone who walked into the building, whether they were customers or coworkers, according to Lori Blake, director of administration.”

Over the years in which I got to know her, she never ever had a bad thing to say about anyone. And as Ms. Karaszkiewicz wrote, “For about the past 10 years, she had worked at the front desk, spreading her cheerfulness to everyone who walked into the building, whether they were customers or coworkers, according to Lori Blake, director of administration.”

Upon hearing the news, Carroll County commissioner Dean Minnich spoke of having gotten to know her over his past years as newspaperman and remarked that she was always so upbeat, positive and always greeted you with a big smile. “There is so much bitterness in the world and it is such a shame to lose such a sweet person.”

Carroll County Times city editor Jamie Kelly spoke for many when he said, “It’s been a shock. She was just a wonderful lady. She loved people and it showed. It will be hard to adjust to the Times without her...”

There are many such folks in Carroll County and it is people like Peggy Villella that make our community a wonderful place to live. She will be greatly missed.

Her obituary reads:

Margaret K. 'Peggy' Villella, 62, of Westminster

Margaret Kay "Peggy" Villella, 62, of Westminster died Thursday, Aug. 23, 2007, at her home.

Born July 10, 1945, in Washington, D.C., she was the daughter of the late James E. and Charlotte Houk Freeman. She was the wife of Frank Xavier Villella Sr., her husband of 39 years.

She was a graduate of Patterson High School. She had been a receptionist and cashier for the Carroll County Times since 1992.

She was a member of the Ladies Auxiliary of Carroll Post 31 American Legion and of the VFW Post 467, both in Westminster.

She enjoyed going on ocean cruises, weekend getaways and trips to the mountains. She liked eating crabs and collecting dolls. She also enjoyed watching scary movies and science fiction movies; her favorite was the original version of "The Thing."

Surviving, in addition to her husband, are sons Patrick and Frank X. Villella Jr., both of Westminster; a brother, James E. Freeman of Lighthouse Point, Fla.; a devoted friend, Rita Shea Schiff of Baltimore; and eight nieces and nephews.

A Mass of Christian burial will be held at 10 a.m. Monday at St. John Roman Catholic Church, 43 Monroe St., Westminster, with Monsignor Arthur Valenzano officiating. Interment will be private.

The family will receive friends from noon to 3 p.m. and from 6 to 8 p.m. Sunday at Pritts Funeral Home & Chapel, 412 Washington Road, Westminster.

In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to the American Heart Association, Memorial and Tributes Processing Center, P.O. Box 5216, Glen Allen, VA 23058-6536.

Villella Margaret 19450710 20070823