Larry W. Stout has worn lots of hats over the years; a decorated military veteran, ordained pastor, university professor in Europe, and missionary to the former Soviet Union. He has authored textbooks on human resource management and leadership that have been translated into six languages as well as had published two novels. He currently invests his energies as a foster parent and board member for eight different community organizations. He is a native of Montgomery, graduating from Montgomery Area High School in 1970, who married his high school sweetheart Debbie, and together they have raised two sons and two daughters, one of which is adopted, but they cannot remember which one.
My headline is a bit misleading, as, in many ways, I am NOT looking forward to 2022. I am largely pessimistic about our short-term future, but in the long-term, I have a stubborn belief in the American spirit to steady itself when the ship of state shifts too far to the right or to the
I generally like to end a year with reflection and prediction. This week I want to highlight some of my articles from this past year, and next week I will take a stab at what we might expect in 2022. First off, I want to thank all those who have spoken to me personally or
COVID continues to be our national nuisance, but there is a monster of a menace that is more harmful in the long run than this pesky pandemic. It’s like that ticking bomb that appears in so many dramatic television programs or Hollywood films where the hero is trying to figure out how to defuse this
In 1978, Paul Harvey gave a speech entitled “So God Made a Farmer.” It is arguably one of Harvey’s best-known talks. In that spirit, I would like to borrow from Harvey’s metaphor to highlight some unappreciated community servants — our local volunteer firefighters. Like farmers, the volunteer firefighter is a dwindling breed. So, with apologies
There is a story of a mother watching a parade in which her son was playing in a marching band. As the band passed by, she remarked, “Look, Johnny is the only one marching in step.” That thought ran through my mind as I reviewed the proposed 2022 budget for Lycoming County. Everyone will see
In the hundreds of Lycoming County Commissioner Meetings I have attended in the past seven years, I do not remember any that had as many people turning up representing so many different issues and concerns. It was no surprise that the meeting on Tuesday, November 16th, probably set a record running well over three hours
