Mason's big heart gives teens a trip

By BILL STEVENS

© St. Petersburg Times, published July 5, 2000

On Father's Day morning, as church bells filled the air, I gathered my wife and daughters, boarded the subway and emerged 35 years in the past.

We had already been to the Louvre in Paris, already strolled through Mozart's house in Salzburg and stood atop the Alps in Berchtesgaden -- neat stuff, but it didn't get my heart pumping like this quiet suburb in northern Munich.

The residents must have wondered why anyone would pose for a photo in front of their apartment complex. But as I stood in the doorway at 54 Rockefeller Strasse, as my teenagers giggled and called me "cute," I thought of the 8mm home movies that my own father took all those years back at this same spot of a gangly kid in pegged pants and the beginning of a Beatles hairstyle.

We circled to the side of the building where three small bathroom windows had made such inviting targets for snowballs. My guess is they still do, but these days the tossing would have to be done by German kids. The U.S. long ago pulled troops out of the city and returned such housing projects to the locals. They, in turn, planted trees and shrubs that have altered the overall feel of the place. Still, once I found 54 Rockefeller, the old radar was accurate as we walked to the village where you can still buy bread and pastries or sit among the giant chestnut trees in the classic beer garden where I swear they haven't moved a chair since 1965.

In the Old World, 35 years is but a blink. We build entire cities in less time in Florida, but the neighborhood where I lived while my dad served in the Army has remained the same, save for more vegetation. I found that comforting.

There were a few awkward modernizations in the Bavarian capital. For instance, we left the Hofbrau Haus, the famous 400-year-old beer hall where you can enjoy traditional music and dance, and were greeted by the neon sign of the Planet Hollywood next door. It reminded me of my last visit to Ford's Theater in Washington. It just doesn't seem right that you can stand over the bed where Lincoln died and hear the thump of a bass guitar from the Hard Rock Cafe.

Planet Hollywood, I have to admit, did provide us with one of the most entertaining moments of our 11-day trip to Europe. With a speaker outside blaring Sam & Dave's Soul Man, New Port Richey dentist Niles Kinnunen broke into a dance that impressed not only the Hofbrau crowd, but the eight teenage girls in our travel group.

Dr. Kinnunen and his wife, Cherry, owner of A Secret Garden Spa in New Port Richey, are experienced world travelers who helped lead the group for the Moyer Foundation. Some years back, New Port Richey residents Emory and Virginia Moyer directed that, after death, their estate should help students travel to countries where English is not the primary language. My wife, a teacher, applied to chaperone a group to France and Germany, and her group spent six months learning about the countries' history and culture. I'm pleased to say that we returned all the students safely -- and that they were wonderful girls who despite having to get up early, stay up late and walk miles and miles each day, never lost their smiles.

The Moyers would be pleased to see these young Americans learn to negotiate separate checks with a reluctant French waiter. They would enjoy seeing the girls learn how to read the Metro map in Paris or convert francs and marks to dollars and cents. Travel affords so many practical lessons to complement those that come from staring at Louis David's masterpiece in the Louvre of Napoleon's coronation at Notre Dame. Or spending the day at Versailles. Or Dachau.

You think traffic on U.S. 19 is bad -- until you go to Paris. And while the subway there is efficient, there was one crazy night at Montmarte when Dr. Kinnunen and I had to literally rip the girls from the car because the crowd made it impossible for them to move. The city is beautiful but dangerous. You have to pay attention.

The Moyer Foundation is assisting three groups of traveling teenagers this summer. One just returned from Paris and the Normandy region, and another will leave soon for Israel. Local lawyer John Stewart, who established the foundation for the Moyers, said there will be funds for about five more years, depending on future contributions and the stock market.

"You know, people think only rich people do this kind of philanthropy," Stewart said. "But Mr. Moyer was a blue-collar worker, in masonry. There was nobody to inherit their money, and they felt giving teenagers travel opportunities was a good cause."

To learn more about the Moyer Foundation, write 5435 Main St., New Port Richey, FL, 34652.

Bill Stevens is the North Suncoast editor for the Times.

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