Felicia Knowlton and Ed Wickenheiser were honored by being selected to the Our Lady of the Angels School Hall of Fame during festivities held on Saturday evening.

“Felicia Loreto Knowlton is the youngest of Mary Nobile’s and Arthur A. Loreto’s ten children. She joined sisters, Francine, Maria, Gina, Angela and Mary and brothers Steven, Arthur, Gregory and Anthony in a home lovingly referred to as “Grand Central Station” by their mother.

“One of her siblings recalls that Felicia was a “first responder” at an early age. Any siren that sounded in town, Felicia was up and out of the house tracking the fire or emergency event. Many nights while we were all at the dinner table and the fire whistle would blow, Felicia was out of her seat in a flash. It was a little annoying to our parents since dinner was a sacred family time, but they allowed it. Knowing Felicia now, you can see that she is still a first responder – helping people in immediate need.

“She was also the “Loreto News Agency” as a youngster. We didn’t have the internet back then but we didn’t need it because we had Felicia. She always asked people a ton of questions, including visitors to the house and her siblings’ friends when first meeting them, and she got their whole story.

“Felicia recalls fondly that their Christmas dinners were exceptional, not only including the family but two elderly nursing home residents and several Egyptian immigrants who had no where else to go. Everyone was welcome at their table, and there was always room for one more.

“From her years in St. Peter School Felicia recalls fondly the time her class went on a pilgrimage to Mount St. Mary’s. She was lucky enough to be in Kit Seibert’s car. They stopped in Gettysburg and toured the battlefield, and even had lunch on the way home. That would be impossible to do now with all the current standards and regulations. Theirs was the only car that had that experience.

“After leaving St. Peter’s Felicia graduated from LCHS in 1985.  She obtained an Associates Degree from Manor College in 1987 and a BS in Behavioral Science from Penn State University in 1989. She earned a Master in Education from the University of Maine in 1992. Her education prepared her for her present occupation as a Health Educator for Lancaster General Health.

“Felicia’s volunteer service includes:

• Past Secretary of St. Peter’s Council of Catholic Women,

• Past Vice President of the Knights of Columbus Auxiliary,

• Former Chairperson of St. Peter’s Christmas Bazaar,

• Founder and Coordinator of the Good Samaritans of Our Lady of the Angels,

• Former Disabilities Task Force Member for the Diocese of Harrisburg,

• Former Autism Committee for Lancaster County Mental Health Organization,

• Our Lady of the Angels Parent Volunteer, and

• Coordinator of the annual health fair at Our Lady of the Angels School.

“Felicia was happily married to Allen Knowlton for 18 years until his sudden, untimely passing on Christmas Eve this year. He was a native of Maine and veteran of the US Navy. They are the proud parents of Hannah and Aaron.

“Hannah is 15 and a sophomore at LCHS, participating on the basketball and track teams. Hannah is a faithful volunteer at St. Peter’s Church.

“Aaron is 13 and has severe autism, intellectual disabilities and a seizure disorder. He has taught them, and all of us, the true meaning of love, happiness and humor.”

“Edmund A. Wickenheiser, Jr. is one of three sons of Edmund A. Wickenheiser, Sr. and Patricia Wickenheiser. Ed and his brothers Bernard and Michael were raised in Columbia.

“During his school years, Ed worked at The Art Crafters – his father’s print shop – and later for his dad at the Columbia Tobacco Co., and helped to deliver sewing machines for Russell Patton’s Dry Good Store on Locust Street. One of his fondest memories from his elementary years was of the scrap paper drives during the war years. Classes would compete to see who could collect the most. Ed remembers the school collecting literally tons of scrap paper and cardboard. He was proudly a member of the last Freshman class at Holy Trinity.

“As a teenager, Ed earned the rank of Eagle Scout in Post 335 Explorer Scouts, and continued to be involved in Scouting as a Merit Badge Counselor.

“After attending Lancaster Catholic High School, Ed enlisted as a Private in the U.S. Marine Corps on June 5, 1956 and served three tours of active duty during the Cold War, Vietnam, and Persian Gulf War. He retired November 1^st, 1994 as a Chief Warrant Officer-4 with 38 years of combined active and reserve duty. He received the Navy Unit Commendation Ribbon, Meritorious Unit Citation with two stars, Marine Corps Good Conduct Medal, Organized Marine Corps Reserve Medal with seven stars, Sea Service Deployment Ribbon, National Defense Medal, Armed Forces Reserve Medal with two Hour Glass devices and the “M” device, and the South West Asia Medal with one star.

“Coursework at Franklin & Marshall, numerous professional business and management courses, and a Dale Carnegie course in Effective Speaking and Human Relations led Ed to a career in radio and television journalism. From radio announcer at WCOY in Columbia, to News Director at WGAL-TV in Lancaster, Ed has run the gamut in radio and TV as a sportscaster, announcer, program director, account executive, general manager, journalist, operations manager and news director.

“The highlight of his many professional honors is being the recipient of 5 – Emmys from the National Academy of Television Arts and Science – Philadelphia Chapter while news director at WGAL-TV.

“Ed has been a member of the Columbia Jaycees, Local Emergency Planning Committee of Lancaster County, Columbia Boro Disaster Plan Committee, County of Lancaster Emergency Management Agency;  he served on the Lancaster County Hospital Authority for 17 years, and was an appointed member of the Lancaster County Counter Terrorism Task Force.

“He is an Honorary Life Member of the Knights of Columbus, and has served as Grand Knight of Columbia Council 2294, District Deputy of District 39, and is a life member of the Santa Maria General Assembly, 4^th Degree.

”As a member of Holy Trinity Church, Ed has served as an Extraordinary Minister of Holy Communion, Lector, and Choir Member; he was named ‘Man of the Year – 2003’ as a member of the Holy Name Society; he is past president of Holy Trinity School Board, former member of Holy Trinity Pastoral Council, and serves as a volunteer with the Fastnacht Bake group.

“He has served the Diocese as a member of the Communications Commission, the Diocesan Pastoral Council, and St. Anne’s Home Advisory Board.

“Ed’s quotes to live by are: ‘Never ask anyone to do something you haven’t done, or aren’t willing to do.’ and … ‘Lead, follow, or get out of the way.’

“His advice to share with parents includes ‘Be firm and yet fair when dealing with your sons and daughters.’ and ‘Every day, never let the sun set without telling them you love them.’”

Article and photo provided by Our Lady of the Angels School.