Page 30 The Dispatch/Maryland Coast Dispatch July 19, 2013 Regional Digest Cooling Centers Open SNOW HILL – With extreme heat that descended on the Lower Shore this week expected to continue into the weekend, Worcester and Wicomico officials announced the opening of alternative cooling centers to the public until the heat wave subsides. With heat indexes of over 100 degrees expected to prevail into the weekend, Wicomico County officials on Wednesday announced a cooling center has been opened to the public at the Wicomico Youth and Civic Center for the duration of the heat wave. The cooling center will be open each day from 11 a.m.-8 p.m. No pets will be permitted, however, and residents will need to bring their own food, beverages and medications. The MAC Center in Salisbury will also be open to individuals over 50 who need shelter from the extreme heat. “During weather like this, it is critical to check in multiple times a day on neighbors, friends and relatives who may be most at risk,” said Wicomico Health Officer Lori Brewster. “Make sure they are keeping cool and hydrated and get them to an air conditioned place if necessary.” Meanwhile, Worcester officials are urging residents looking to beat the heat to go to any one of the county’s five public library branches during normal business hours, or to the Worcester County Recreation Center in Snow Hill. . . Falck Remembered For ‘Grace And Humility’ Berlin resident Steve Falck, pictured paddling in the ocean that he loved so much, will be remembered at a Celebration of Life on Sunday at 2 p.m. at Worcester Preparatory School’s Athletic and Performing Arts Center. Submitted Photo Shore Delegate Tapped For Governor Ticket BERLIN – Maryland Republican gubernatorial candidate and current Harford County Executive David Craig this week tapped Eastern Shore Delegate Jeannie Haddaway-Riccio to be his running mate in the 2014 election. Haddaway-Riccio has represented the Eastern Shore in the House for nearly 10 years and is expected to bring legislative leadership, committee experience and wide-ranging policy background to the Craig ticket. Haddaway-Riccio started her own graphic design business in 2003 and held environmental policy positions in the government and non-profit sectors before holding elective office. She is regarded as a long-time advocate for policies that protect women, children and families. Craig said this week Haddaway-Riccio was chosen in part because of her understanding of rural issues as a delegate representing the Eastern Shore. “The lieutenant governor is too important a position to tell them to go in the corner for eight years and dabble on public policy experiments and come out to attend press conferences for the SEE NEXT PAGE FROM PAGE 4 have ever asked for and fought harder than any of us could have imagined. We know he is finally at peace and no longer suffering, and hopefully, surfing a perfect, neverending wave.” Close family friend Dee Gilbert, who owns and operates The Nest in Berlin, spent countless hours with the Falck family during the waning weeks of Steve’s life. Like so many, Gilbert said she often wondered why a person with the attributes of Falck would be stricken with such an insidious disease, but as she spent more and more time with him and watched how he handled the adversity, the reason became clear to her. “He was a wonderful, wonderful man,” she said. “The thing that keeps coming back to me is why would this happen to such a great guy? It was because it was up to him to teach us all grace and humility.” Gilbert said Falck set a shining example on how to handle the most difficult challenges for those dealing with seemingly innocuous day-in, day-out woes. “I keep thinking of how we all complain about having a lousy day, or it’s too hot or whatever, but when I went to see Steve, he never complained,” she said. “Instead, with everything he was going through, he would ask me how my day was going. He was very humble and I think the plan was for him to teach us all of that and show us how to handle adversity with dignity and grace.” Local surfer and paddle boarder Sandy Deeley was close to Falck and the two often surfed together over the last couple of decades. Last year, Deeley and another family friend and ocean enthusiast Teene Froiseth trained for and competed in the famous Molokai 2 Oahu World Championship paddleboard race in Hawaii to raise funds for the Steve Falck Foundation. The annual race crosses the famed Ka’iwi Channel known for its dangerous currents, high winds, big waves and an occasional shark or two that stretches 26 miles between Molokai and Oahu. The Ka’iwi Channel is literally translated as the “Channel of Bones” by those who have tested it and failed. Deeley is headed back to Hawaii for the Molokai 2 Oahu championships this week on a different mission. Throughout his illustrious surfing career, Falck never made it to Hawaii, but a part of him is going there this week. Deeley said he will paddle across the Ka’iwi Channel with a portion of Falck’s remains and then spread his ashes at the foot of the famed Duke Kahanamoku statue on Waikiki. “Steve was a true waterman in every sense of the word and a recognized legend in the Ocean City surfing community,” said Deeley this week. “Most importantly, Steve set an example for the rest of us on how to lead our lives as friends, husbands and fathers. His wife, Patty, and daughters, Blair and Brooke, showed all of us how love and devotion to family can carry you through the most difficult of times. He will be missed, but never forgotten.” Beyond his life as a legendary local surfer, another of Falck’s major contributions to the local community were his decades as a coach and mentor to countless local youth in the community. He began his coaching career as a baseball coach at the then-Worcester Country School decades ago and continued coaching right up until the time of his passing. “Few people know that Steve coached for us way back in the 1970s,” said recently retired Worcester Prep Athletic Director Matt O’Hare this week. “Patty taught art and he was a wonderful baseball coach. When we got lacrosse, his two daughters played and both were goalies. He became a wonderful goalie coach.” O’Hare said even after his debilitating disease started sapping his faculties, Falck never lost the energy and devotion to coaching and teaching kids. “When he got sick, he continued to coach through the pain,” he said. “He was a terrific role model for the kids and all of us. Even after he became ill, he was a tremendous asset to our staff and set a wonderful example on how to handle adversity. They were lessons certainly not lost on our kids and all of us.” Malibu’s Surf Shop owner Lee Gerachis shared a wave or two with Falck over the years and fondly recalled his kindness and spirit and generosity. “He was one of the nicest guys I’ve ever met,” he said. “He was always genuine and always willing to help in any way he could. He will be greatly missed in the surfing community, but also the entire community. He was involved in everything and touched just about everybody around here in some way.” A celebration of life for Steve Falck is set for Sunday at 2 p.m. at the Athletic and Performing Arts Center at Worcester Prep. In honor of Falck’s aloha spirit, casual attire including Hawaiian shirts and flipflops is recommended. In lieu of flowers, donations in his name can be made to the Ocean City Surfrider Foundation at P.O. Box 3342, Ocean City, Md. 21843.