Lauryn Williams, Olympic Silver Medalist and World Gold Medalist, spoke last Thursday at the third annual Beaver County YMCA Scholar Athlete Award program. The program, held at The Fed in Hopewell, honored 31 students from 14 high schools.

Students were nominated for the awards by their coaches, teachers and athletic directors for excellence in sports, academics and community service combined. A YMCA Scholar Athlete committee selected the recipients:

Reanna Hart, Aliquippa High School; Liz Decima, Sarah Romasco and Amy Joy, Ambridge Area High School; Abigail Schartner, Beaver Area High School; Jack Anderson, Lisa Hamilton and Jenna Mullen, Beaver Falls Area High School; Chris Cosgrove, Chelsea Feltrop and Renee Niklewicz, Blackhawk High School; Lindsay Dolan, Roxanne Fix and Chelsea Hanne, Center Area High School; Michael B. Lewis, Freedom Area High School; Anthony D'Antonio, Adele Scarsella and Laura Gecina, Monaca High School; Jeremy Custer and Jessica Ludwig, New Brighton Area High School; Lauren Renner and Leah Antkiewicz, Quigley Catholic High School; Alex Vucelich and Amanda Boswell, Riverside High School; Dawnese Booker, Richard W. Hocanson Jr. and Daniel Shaffer, Rochester Area High School; Laura McCarthy and Nicholas Kucher, South Side Beaver High School; Cindy Metzler and Carley Castelli, Western Beaver High School.

A Hopewell mother, Lisa Curry, chronicled several embarrassing incidents involving her son, Griffin, 8, in "Food for Thought," which has been published in "Chicken Soup for the Mother of Preschooler's Soul."

The setting for one incident was the Giant Eagle in Hopewell's Green Garden Plaza.

Griffin, who was 4 at the time, remarked loudly, "Boy, she's really old, isn't she?" within hearing range of a woman in the bread aisle.

After two similarly embarrassing scenes elsewhere, along with his mom's attempts to explain the distinction between honesty and courtesy, the story returns to Giant Eagle.

"One of the store employees was passing out free samples of pound cake. She was an older woman, and I was holding my breath waiting for Griffin to make some impolite comment about her age," Mrs. Curry said. "Instead, he was worried about her feelings being hurt because nobody wanted to try her pound cake."

That employee still works at the Aliquippa Giant Eagle bakery department. "Wilma's the nicest lady, always friendly and patient with the kids no matter how long they take to pick out their free cookie," Curry said. "As soon as the book came out, Griffin and I gave her a copy."

In another incident, Mrs. Curry brought her son to work for an emergency project.

"When we arrived, Paul had markers and paper for Griffin. From my cubicle, I could hear them chatting about Griffin's drawings. Then my candid son asked, "What happened to your hair?" Dead silence followed.

Paul, a handsome man of 40, was prematurely balding. "It just kind of fell out," he finally answered.

"You should buy some new hair," Griffin suggested.

Mrs. Curry works part time as public relations director for Moon Community Access Television and freelances as a copywriter for a graphic design firm in Washington County.

Ohio Valley General Hospital in Kennedy dedicated the Irene E. Fritzky Critical Care Center April 21 in honor of Mrs. Fritzky, a resident of Ohio Valley's Residence at Willow Lane Assisted Living Facility.

The family of Mrs. Fritzky, a native of Sheraden, has donated $500,000 to Ohio Valley General Hospital for technology to improve patient care at the 119-bed facility in Kennedy.

The gift will enable the hospital to implement an Internet-based software system that gives physicians access to patient information.

The Beaver County Deanery Holy Name Society will honor six individuals as Deanery Men of the Year at its 40th awards banquet Sunday at St. Titus Catholic Church, Aliquippa.

Honorees will be William Anzalone, of Holy Family, New Brighton; Ronald J. Bercik, of Good Samaritan, Ambridge; Allen J. Maze, of St. Felix, Freedom; Nicholas M. Nardone Sr., of Queen of Heaven, Koppel; John J. Schreiber, of St. Frances Cabrini, Center; and Edward Stover, of Divine Mercy, Beaver Falls.