European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - January 28, 1994, Darmstadt, Hesse Friday january 28, 1994 the stars and stripes Page 3 Rary Job ends sex school Secretary looks Back on lunches that started it All after 47 years i by Ron Jensen Nurnberg Bureau Erlanger Germany when an american school system opened in or Langen in september 1946 to serve the offspring of soldiers stationed at Ferris Barracks an administrator had the wis Dom and foresight that first year to offer use Kreth a Job As Secretary. A Kreth a Nurnberg native was stat the time and was attracted by the Job s inclusion of a daily meal. She accepted. After countless hot lunches and the re cent closure of the base the Erlanger elementary school will close this year. And Kreth has decided that Well shoot she May As Well retire along with it -. I had not intended to she said. But with the draw Down we Cut my Kreth who will be 64 next month joined the staff of the High school in april 1947 at the invitation of principal William Ashley who was a patient at the dental clinic where Kreth was working. She was Happy in that Job but the prom ise of a daily meal was an offer she could t refuse in postwar Germany. The difference was i got a hot lunch at school she said. That was the differ ence. Food was not easy to along with the meal she was paid 125reichmarks a month Worth about two packs of cigarettes on the Black Market. Her first employment records yellowed cards which have not endured the 47 years As Well As she Are still in the files. She took the Job she said thinking i would be temporary. With a laugh that lighted up her face she added and it s been temporary Ever since for 47 the High school moved to Nurnberg the following year and Kreth was relieved of her Job for six months. She re turned As Secretary of the elementary school and has been there Ever since from president Truman to Clinton. Kreth s retirement took effect on Jan. 1, so she does t often see the school s final gasp. The atmosphere is much Dif Ferent from the one that even into the 1980s boasted 700 students in kindergarten through sixth Grade. The current school year began with 267 students. It was at 47 on wednesday. Three teachers remained. The school was quiet and Many hallways were dark. Workers carted supplies to waiting vans. It All added to the sadness of Kreth retirement. I know she said when reminded of that fact. I still Haven t faced this John Rhyne in his first year As Princie Al at the school leaned on Kreth and or experience As he led the school s clo sure. v. I relied on her he said. I still rely on her. She s retired but she still comes in to do the payroll for Rhyne knew Kreth before he wife Irene worked at Erlanger from is Ron Jensen use Kreth former Secretary of the soon to close Erlanger elementary school 1976 to 1980."i knew i would be very fortunate to have her he said. During those 47 years and 22 administrators Kreth said her Job was never a Job. There was never a morning she said in which she faced the Day with dread. She has been a nurse and Counselor Friend and Loyal colleague who says her Best friends Are former teachers now inthe United states i just enjoyed it so much she said. I had offers to go to Siemens and other places. But the atmosphere the Chil Dren. And she was needed Rhyne interjected. And i was needed she said. I Al ways Felt that this was my school. This was my family. Since 1 was not fortunate enough to have a family of my own i made this my family. And i still feel that construction under Way for Naples area site by sue Palumbo Mediterranean Bureau Naples Italy covered walkways with Lush Green grass and Trees on either Side. Brand new buildings with air conditioning and heating. Everything within easy walking distance of two multistory parking garages. This Paradise May sound like a College Campus but it s actually the plan for the new naval support activity Naples. The Naples improvement initiative is actually two parts said it. Cmdr. Pam Mulder project coordinator. It consists of the Naples relocation program at Cap Dichino. And the other is the Naples support site which will consist of the housing schools the Exchange and the other Type officials began construction last year on several buildings at the relocation site at Cap Dichino located about 10 Miles from the present base in the City of Agnano. The military air terminal is already there. An Esti mated $10 million already has been spent in the Capo Dichino area according to project officials. They say the figure could Reachi As High As $200 million before the five year plan is Complete. Despite the hefty Price tag Mulder said the new base will save the Navy Money. The Cost is for one time military construction compared with paying rent on individual buildings which is currently done in Agnano. The present base which military officials refer to As dysfunctional sits on an inactive Volcano in the mid dle of a Crater. Less than a mile up the Hill tour guides Point out the sul uric Gas rising from the fumaroles in the ground. Ten years ago the entire City of Agnano and the nearby City of Pozzuoli were the Sites of dozens of daily earthquakes that scientists dubbed Bradeis ism or the not so gradual rising and falling of the ground. Some scientists predicted the entire area would go up in a puff of Ash and Gas but several months after they began the tremors stopped. However the experience lingered As military officials decided the base must be moved. The months of jarring and swaying already had taken their toll on the build Ings which weren t constructed to withstand the Seis Navy Chlof potty officer Doug Gabos a construction worker hauls a length of pipe along the catwalk at Cap Dichino Airport in Naples Italy. Mic activity. The Navy also had outgrown the Agnano area with some offices having to relocate off base. Access to the base also was a concern. The Only Road in and out of the Agnano base is a tiny two Lane Street that also serves several Hundred italians. While construction is Well on its Way for the military facilities at Cap Dichino the contract for the Naples support site has yet to be awarded. Military officials said they could not speculate where the site will be built. The first offices from the Agnano base could begin relocating in the fall officials said. But until the sup port site is built people will have to commute from government housing in pin Tamare about 20 Miles to the commissary and Exchange at the Agnano base to Cap Dichino another 10 Miles. Mulder insists the facilities at the new site will be Worth the temporary inconvenience. A parking garage sports bar and a fire and Security building were the first buildings constructed. Several office buildings two new Barracks a new dining facility another parking garage and a new Chapel also Are planned. But before the construction begins More than a dozen of the old buildings must come Down. Officials already have begun the reshuffling of offices and facilities so that services won t be interrupted. Nobody will be relocated from Here Asa and stuck out in a trailer in the parking lot said Heather Adams assistant coordinator. You la see a lot of temporary facilities for people already out at Capo but they Are very Nice. The Chapel even got new furniture to go with their temporary i
