There never can be too much praise heaped upon homicide detective Stephen Furr of Charlotte, N.C., for the tenacity he exhibited in solving the October 1995 murder of Rachel Dietrich, 20, of West Sunbury.

In addition, praise also is in order for the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Foundation, which donated money to hire the full-time lab expert who used advanced technology to match skin cells found under Rachel's fingernails with her killer.

Jeffrey Barton of Gastonia, N.C., was sentenced last November to a 12- to 14-year prison term after pleading guilty to second-degree murder. He was the owner of a cleaning company that had employed Rachel

Rachel had moved to North Carolina only 27 days before being beaten to death. Barton had employed Dietrich for two days before she got a job with a security company.

It is believed that Barton wanted to date Dietrich, but she wasn't interested.

Furr, in his first year as a detective when Rachel was murdered, was assigned to the case. Dietrich's file remained on his desk until 2003, when his police department instituted a cold case squad and the police foundation donated the money to hire the lab expert.

Furr now works cold case homicides full time.

Not only was Furr determined to solve Rachel's murder, but, commendably, he remained in communication with Rachel's mother, Debby Dietrich of West Sunbury, to keep her updated on the investigation and to reassure her that the murder probe was determined to apprehend the killer.

It was fitting that Debby Dietrich got to meet Furr in person. In a trip financed by the police foundation, Furr traveled to the Butler County Airport on April 9 for the filming of a video dealing with the Dietrich case and another cold case.

The police foundation also is paying the expenses for Debby Dietrich to travel to Charlotte on Wednesday. She will be attending a foundation luncheon on Thursday at which the video will be shown.

During their meeting at the airport, Debby Dietrich presented a plaque to Furr to honor him for his efforts in solving her daughter's murder. No doubt his determination will help produce similar successes in the future.

<B> </B>Someone knows the whereabouts of a plaque honoring two Unionville firefighters who died in the line of duty nine years ago.That individual, presumably of questionable character, should return it.Authorities should be notified about where it can be retrieved. The person need not identify himself or herself.The plaque honors Anthony Murdick and Scott Wilson, who drowned in Slippery Rock Creek in Lawrence County on April 8, 2001, as they tried to recover the body of a drowned kayaker. The plaque, which was dedicated by the Lawrence County commissioners on July 28, 2001, was attached to the Harris Bridge just off Mountville Road in that county.After learning that the plaque was missing, Lawrence Commissioner Steve Craig made an accurate observation:"Who would steal that? That's a low, low form of life."Whoever is responsible, it's clear that that person doesn't have much of a conscience.

Occasionally people choose to do good things in anonymous ways.The Zelienople Friends of the Park's Pennies for the Pool fundraiser, for the second year in a row, is the fortunate recipient of such a generous person.Among the coins collected as part of the current fundraiser was found a 1906 $20 U.S. gold coin valued at approximately $1,200. Found in last year's fundraiser was a 1979 gold South African coin worth $900.Obviously, the person — or persons — who donated the coins is a strong believer in the Friends group's mission and goals. Why the person has chosen to remain anonymous is unimportant when compared with what the Friends will be accomplishing with the money in hand.Evidently the person who made this year's gold contribution is happy with how last year's gift was used. It helped make possible the community's Fourth of July fireworks display.That is how the pool organization plans to use the money received for the $20 gold coin.In addition to fireworks, the organization plans to obtain a new heater for the community swimming pool this year. Last year, the group was able to pay for a new slide for the pool, in addition to having the fireworks display.Alecia Flood, Friends of the Park treasurer, commented that "whoever the anonymous person is, they're doing really something special. Whoever he or she is, we really appreciate it."Adding to the importance of this year's gold donation is the fact that the fundraiser, apparently due to the economy, hasn't been as successful as last year's effort.Someone in or around Zelienople is a godsend to the community's best interests. Whoever that person is, he or she should feel a great sense of pride in having such a resource available to help make such a positive impact for many other people of the community.No doubt many other communities trying to raise money for various projects in these difficult economic times wish they had such a generous person in their midst — anonymous or otherwise.<B><I> — J.R.K.</B></I>