Memorial to be held for federal employee

[Guest guest]

Memorial to be held for federal employee

Originally published February 17, 2007

By _ Gardner _

(http://www.fredericknewspost.com/sections/customer_service/email_reporter.htm?w\

riter= Gardner)

News-Post Staff

(http://www.fredericknewspost.com/fnp_adsystem/redir.cfm?adid=35)

FREDERICK -- Edwin A. will be memorialized in a ceremony Sunday at

the Plant Protection and Quarantine Professional Development Center he helped

start for the federal government in 1979.

, 66, died Jan. 23. His family said his death was from long-term

complications of multiple chemical sensitivity, which his wife said he had for

many years.

" He was visionary, " said , who worked with for many

years at the professional development center. " That is why we're in Frederick. "

worked for the United States Department of Agriculture's Animal and

Plant Health Inspection Service, and oversaw the training center until 1992.

Plant Protection and Quarantine is a program within the USDA's Animal and

Plant Health Inspection Service. It safeguards agriculture and natural

resources from the risks associated with the spread of animal and plant pests,

diseases, pathogens and noxious weeds.

" He was the best boss I ever had, " said. " He wanted an ideal

environment where employees could be productive. He wanted a state-of-the-art

training facility. "

said he chose Frederick over other locations including Westminster

and Glen Burnie because it was easy to get to and close to farming areas.

Plant inspectors from all over the country and many foreign countries and

specialists come to the training center for an 11-week course.

" He was not only a supervisor, he was a compassionate individual, "

said.

He recalled that when his wife was killed in a plane crash, took care

of him and his daughter, helping him deal with funeral arrangements.

' wife, Kay Barcklow , said her husband may have been exposed to

chemicals while in the Army, but she wasn't sure. In the early years of his

career with the plant inspection service, she said he inspected fruit trees

and may have picked up a sensitivity then.

He found it difficult to travel as his symptoms worsened.

" His condition seemed to escalate in the last couple of years, " she said.

" He mostly had to avoid things. "

Breathing became difficult. nn , who lived about 30 miles from

the es in Mercersburg, Pa., met about three years ago. Both have

multiple chemical sensitivity.

" It's a medical condition in which a person loses the ability to handle

toxic things, " she said. " Even the smallest toxin can cause a reaction. I can't

smell it because it would make me sick. "

Perfume, air fresheners, hair spray, gasoline and diesel fumes all can set

off a reaction in someone with the sensitivity, said. It invades the

body, causing one to cough, throw up, become dizzy, become unable to think

clearly.

" Things that are hard to avoid make you sick, " she said. " It's a crazy thing

to have to live with. Most people who get it have been poisoned by toxic

overload. "

Being around excessive amounts of pesticides, herbicides or a chemical spill

can cause multiple chemical sensitivity.

" It can come from a one-time exposure or a low-level chronic exposure, " she

said.

was diagnosed after a toxic mold exposure four and a half years ago.

She met through Internet support groups, and they got together a few

times in person.

" He was a great help to me, " she said. " He had had it for many years and I

was new to it. It was a wonderful relief to meet someone else who knew what

you were talking about and to have someone there in the flesh. "

will speak at the memorial.

" I'm really going to miss having Ed's support, " she said.