4A YORK SUNDAY NEWS c SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 7, 2010

DAILY RECORD / SUNDAY NEWS — SUBMITTED DAILY RECORD / SUNDAY NEWS — PAUL KUEHNEL

In 1943, Susan Smith bought a share of this 65-horsepower plane so she could fly out of the Susan Smith’s used this log book to track her flying hours in 1942 and 1943 while she was
airport at Thomasville. She earned her commercial pilot’s license and instructor’s certificate, getting her instructors license. After giving her own lessons, she eventually took on a job as a
which was only the beginning of what would be a great adventure. translator with the Office of Strategic Services, the forerunner to the CIA.

Fly: She also worked for the precursor to the CIA

After flying, Rodriguez
traveled the globe
as a translator with
a man who would
become her husband.
Continued from 1A
• • •

Soon, she quit her teaching job

so she could fly enough hours to
qualify for her commercial pilot’s li-
cense and instructor’s certificate.
Her father, Gibson Smith, heard
the Army was looking for flight in-
structors. Before long, she moved to
Montoursville with a job in the War
Training Service.
She gave service men their first
10 hours of flight instruction: How to
take off, how to turn, how to land. It
was the first test to see if they had
what it took to fly.
Many of them were nervous,
Smith said. For some, it was their
first time off the ground.
She was the only female instruc-
tor, but the soldiers were respectful.
In the afternoon, while they were in
class, she would sit in the hangar
and listen to the other instructors
tell cockpit stories.
She enjoyed the work but wanted
a different way to help the war
effort. She already spoke French, so
after six months of immersion
classes, she took a job with the
fledgling Office of Strategic Serv-
ices, the forerunner to the CIA.
They sailed from New York on a
converted ocean liner in 1944, zig-
zagging across the Atlantic Ocean to
avoid Nazi submarines for 10 days.
The blitz was still on when Smith
landed in London, and she was ter-
rified to hear the missiles explode.
After the Battle of the Bulge
ended in January 1945 — the last
time the Germans would truly
threaten the Allied line — Smith
was transferred to Paris. She spent
her days translating.
“Whatever was to be done, pa-
perwork mainly, but I did deal with
some human beings,” she said.
She walked the city, not de-
Susan Rodriguez reflects on her time as a young flight instructor for the Army
during WWII, teaching servicemen to fly planes. Now 90, she lives in
Bethesda, Md.
stroyed, but not on display. It was
quiet.
After the Germans surrendered,
everyone was on the move. A few
people headed home, but most were
being transferred into Germany.
Smith had heard stories about the
desolation in German cities and
wanted something else.
“Things were ending,” she said.
“That was sort of what was in the air
. . . everyone was asking, ‘What am I
going to do?’ ”
One day in late spring 1945,
someone walked into the office and
asked if anybody wanted to go to
Tangier. Why not?
The French were just beginning
to return to the North African city
separated from Gibraltar by nine
miles of sea. She became close to
her boss, Alfonso Rodriguez.
But before the end of the
summer, it was time to go home.
She took an all-night train, filled
with animals, to Algiers, where she
caught a flight to New York, then a
train, eventually getting back to
York. She thought she would stay.
Then Alfonso called.
He had been assigned to Costa
Rica and needed another translator.
Come on, he said.
DAILY RECORD / SUNDAY NEWS — PAUL KUEHNEL
Congressional
honor
In March, the surviving Women
Airforce Service Pilots were honored
with Congressional Medals of Honor.
The women flew military planes in
stateside noncombat missions during
the war.
Susan (Smith) Rodriguez didn’t
qualify. But in July, Rep. Todd Platts
recognized her service on the floor of
the House of Representatives.
“The achievements of Mrs. Rodri-
guez and other female pioneers con-
tinue to inspire generations of young
women to achieve the impossible,”
Platts said.
DAILY RECORD / SUNDAY NEWS —PAUL KUEHNEL
By then, OSS had become the
Central Intelligence Group. Smith
Susan Rodriguez sifts through her records from World War II — when she
was still Susan Smith, learned to fly and then became an Army flight
worked out of the embassy and fell
in love.
instructor. She met her husband, Alfonso Rodriguez, while serving in Tangier
at the end of the war. He later became a director with the CIA.
She married Alfonso in the am-
bassador’s house. Her parents trav-
eled from York to be there, the first but I couldn’t really do anything,”
she said. She never flew again.
time they’d left the country. A friend, another female pilot,
Through the years, she lived in
Soon after, the ambassador told spun out in a rented plane and died
Mexico and Spain, before Alfonso
her she was the only embassy em- soon after the war. It spooked her.
was permanently stationed in Wash-
ployee’s wife working. Her job was But she always remembered.
ington, where he served as director
to be at home now, he said. And that “When I see a plane taking off or
of training for the CIA.
was the end of that. flying,” she said, “I feel like I could
“I felt a little rebellious about it, • • • do that, too.”

VETERANS DAY EVENTS

STAR SPANGLED BANNER &
13 FOLDS OF THE AMERICAN
FLAG, performed by the Korean
War Veterans, Chapter 178 of
York, will be presented at the fol-
lowing locations. For details, call
767-7448.
c 7 p.m. Wednesday, Trinity
Lutheran Church, 243 Hellam St.,
Wrightsville.
c 10 a.m. Thursday, Veteran’s
Day Program, York Expo Center,
Memorial Hall East, 334 Carlisle
Ave., West Manchester Township.
c 9 a.m. Friday, Northeastern
Senior High School, 300 High St.,
Manchester.
c 7:30 p.m. Nov. 15, Riverside
Lodge, 25 Cool Creek Road,
Wrightsville.
VETERANS DAY SERVICE,
Pleasant Acres Nursing and Reha-
bilitation Center, 118 Pleasant
Acres Road, York, 2:30 p.m. Thurs-
day.
VETERANS DAY BREAK-
FAST AND CEREMONY, York
Expo Center, Memorial Hall East,
334 Carlisle Ave., West Manches-
ter Township, www.yorkexpo.com,
848-2596, 7:30 a.m. Thursday. $11
for breakfast; ceremony is free.
Make breakfast reservations from
VA office at 771-9218 or at the
door. Korean War Veterans, Chap-
ter 178 presents Star Spangled
Banner & 13 Folds of the American
Flag Presentation at 10 a.m.
FREE CAR WASH FOR VET-
ERANS and current service per-
sonnel will be 7 a.m. to 7 p.m.
Thursday at Cloister Car Wash,
2720 E. Market St., Springettsbury
Township. Veterans will only need
to inform Cloister verbally that they
are veterans or are currently serv-
ing in order to receive their free car
wash.
HAPPY HOUR IN HONOR OF
VETERANS, sponsored by White
Rose Bar and Grill and York Tradi-
tions Bank, will be 5 to 7 p.m.
Thursday at White Rose Bar and
Grill, 48 N. Beaver St., York. There
will be complimentary hors
d’oeuvres and attendees will have
a chance to get to know more
about American Red Cross’ Club
Red, a young adult group of volun-
teers between the ages of 21 and
40. Admission to this event will be
items for donation to “Operation
Uplift” for troops in Afghanistan.
Donations include international
phone cards, beef jerky or Slim
Jims (individually wrapped), wet
wipes (80 count or less preferred),
socks (white cotton, crew length
only), underwear (men’s briefs/
boxers; ladies briefs/boy short) or a
pack of disposable razors. For de-
tails, call 771-3551 or visit
www.redcross-yorkadamspa.org.
VETERANS DAY TROOP
CARE PACKAGE DRIVE, spon-
sored by Long and Foster Real
Estate Inc., in conjunction with
VFW Post 8951 Ladies Auxiliary,
will be 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Thursday at
Long and Foster York Office, 1770
E. Market St., York. Drop off donat-
ed items and sign the banner to
thank our troops on Veterans Day.
Donations may also be dropped off
at all Long and Foster Open
Houses 1 to 3 p.m. today or the
York office between today and
Thursday. Donations will be deliv-
ered to VFW Post 8951 Ladies
Auxiliary and forwarded to our
troops. Cash donations are tax de-
ductible. Acceptable donations in-
clude:
c Comfort items: gel insoles,
foot powder, T-shirts, underwear,
socks, Glade Stick-Ups, blankets,
big fluffy towel, toilet paper, small
battery operated fan, baby wipes
and eye drops.
c Everyday general items: en-
velopes, paper, stamps, calling
cards, magazines, disposable cam-
eras, Slinkys, squirt guns, theme
packages, pocket electronic
games, Dixie cups, small battery
operated light, batteries, sunblock,
small sewing kit, stress ball,
padded mailing envelope and eye-
glass cleaner wipes.
c Food and snacks:
nonmicrowave meals, Cup ’O
Noodle soups, individual-serving
dry cereal, instant oatmeal or grits,
breakfast bars, granola, cereal and
power bars, Bowl Appetite dinners,
Pop Tarts, tuna in the “fresh
pouch,” beef sticks, Slim Jims,
potted meat and crackers, small
bagged chips, cookies, crackers,
Lunchables, candy, snack cakes,
M&M’s, graham crackers, chocola-
te-dipped pretzels, pre-packaged
brownies, licorice, bubblegum,
Chex Mix, mixed nuts, pretzels,
Rice Krispie Treats, applesauce,
pudding or fruit cups with pop-off
lids and trail mix.
c Drinks: instant coffee, tea
bags, powdered Gatorade (don’t
forget a pitcher, jug or some sort of
container), lemonade mix, pre-
sweetened Kool-Aid and pre-
sweetened powdered hot choco-
late.
c Toiletries: razors, shaving
cream, foot powder, shampoo, con-
ditioner, after-shave lotion, soap
and mouth wash.
STEWARTSTOWN AREA
SENIOR COMMUNITY CENTER,
26 S. Main St., Stewartstown, will
sponsor Veterans Day at the senior
center 10:15 a.m. Friday. All veter-
ans are invited to visit the center for
special music provided by Jack
Foracher, a puppeteer and soloist,
followed by a special lunch. For
reservations, call the senior center
at 993-3488.
FREE BASIC OIL CHANGE,
OIL FILTER AND LUBRICATION
AND COURTESY WINTER
CHECK to honor our veterans and
military personnel, will be 8 a.m. to
5 p.m. Friday at Fadely’s Auto
Masters Plus Tires, 3177 W.
Market St., West York. An appoint-
ment is necessary for the first 30
calling in for service on that day.
Certificates will be handed out for
those not having service that day
to be honored for a specific time.
Veterans also will receive a certifi-
cate for $6 to be used at Mary
Jane Restaurant, West York. For
details or to make an appointment,
call 792-1596 or 792-6272 or stop
in. You must come in that day for
service or to sign up for a certifi-
cate. Please bring proof of time in
service. Food will be served during
the day for all attending, gifts for
the military and door prizes will be
given out. For those attending,
please donate non-perishable and
non-expired canned goods for the
Dover Food Bank.
ST. PETER’S LISCHEY’S
UNITED CHURCH OF CHRIST,
5671 Lischeys Church Road,
Spring Grove, will host a Veterans
Day worship service 10:30 a.m.
Nov. 14. Keynote speaker will be
Lt. Col. Lance B. Green and a light
luncheon will follow. For details, call
the church office at 225-3932.
FREE VETERANS BREAK-
FAST, hosted by Red Lion Area
Senior Center, 20-C Gotham
Place, York Township, will be 8:30
a.m. Nov. 17. Veterans are invited
to the senior center for a free
breakfast of bacon, eggs, pan-
cakes and toast. Phil Palandro, di-
rector of York County Department
of Veterans Affairs, along with his
wife, will cook your breakfast. Non-
vets are welcome for a charge of
$3.50. Seating is limited. For reser-
vations, call the senior center at
244-7229.

Tax House Republican

The school board
association said it
doesn’t expect Corbett
to continue increases
in education funding.
Continued from 1A
• • • taken a hit.
Metta Barbour, can’t say for sure
whether property tax reform will
pass in the coming term.
If it was up to him, property
taxes would have been eliminated a
long time ago. Saylor said the issue
isn’t partisan so much as geograph-
ic. Some areas of the state suffer
more from property taxes than
others.
According to Saylor, it’s not as
big a deal in the areas around Phila-
delphia and Pittsburgh, so changing
the system isn’t a priority from law-
makers around there.
Saylor is policy chairman for the
caucus. On Tues-
day, Saylor is run-
ning for the
position of majority
whip, the third-
highest position in
the House. No
other state rep-
resentatives have Saylor
announced their in-
tention to run for the position, but
that doesn’t mean nobody will.
If he becomes whip, he’ll proba-
bly be able to use his leadership po-
sition to bring a vote on property tax
reform to the House floor, Saylor
said. But that’s no guarantee it will
pass.
For years, lawmakers in Harris-
burg have put forth countless prop-
erty tax reform proposals, which
generally involve replacing property
taxes with other taxes such as
income or sales. Ideally, Saylor
would like to eradicate the sales tax
altogether, but in the meantime,
he’d settle for something that helps
reduce it.
“The biggest problem we’ve been
having is building consensus across
the state,” Saylor said.
State
Eugene
Rep.
DePas-
quale, D-West Man-
chester Township,
said the problem is
that state education
funding isn’t relat-
ed to enrollment in
individual school
DePasquale districts and hasn’t
been since 1991. So
districts that have grown since then,
such as many in York County, have
Property taxes are used to fund
education, which is why they’ve
been rising in York County.
In York, which DePasquale’s dis-
trict includes, the problem is still
greater because many properties
are used for government functions
and thus produce no tax revenue —
putting a heavier burden on the re-
maining property owners.
The challenge of changing that in
the legislature is convincing law-
makers whose districts haven’t
grown over the years, DePasquale
said.
“The areas that are stagnant in
GOP majority in U.S. House
In addition to the state House of
Representatives, the U.S. House is now
in the hands of Republicans after last
week’s elections.
U.S. Rep. Todd Platts, R-York
County, said it’s too early to say what
that will mean for him personally, and
we won’t know for a couple of weeks at
the earliest.
He believes he’ll continue to serve
on his current standing committees:
Transportation, Education and Armed
population basically are benefiting
from the status quo,” he said.
Steve Miskin, spokesman for the
Republican House caucus, pre-
dicted that education funding will
be a “hot topic” in the term ahead,
but he wouldn’t speculate on what
form — if any — property tax reform
will take.
A spokesperson for Corbett could
not be reached for comment.
Tim Allwein of the Pennsylvania
School Boards Association said his
organization is keeping a close
watch on factors that might affect
education funding.
Services. The influx of new members
also will give him a bump in seniority,
which he speculates will lead to him
heading one or more subcommittees.
Still, House leadership tries to assign
standing committee memberships ac-
cording to the interests and experience
of individual representatives. And with
such a large group of newcomers, they
have a lot to sort out.
“There’s a lot of variables,” Platts
said.
In debates, Allwein said, Corbett
has said he wouldn’t continue the
increases in education funding that
were a hallmark of Rendell’s admin-
istration. So the PSBA isn’t counting
on a bigger state share of education
funding in the near future.
But Corbett also has hinted he
might remove some of the state man-
dates related to education funding,
such as a prevailing wage for school
construction projects or certain spe-
cial education requirements.
“Things don’t get any cheaper in
school districts,” Allwein said.