AMALIE: “’Amalie’ still lives!”

This message is from Ward Sexton of Clearwater, Fla., who was kind enough to pass along an article he found in the “Tampa Bay Times” Sunday edition from Sept. 14.

The article, “Building a Brand Name,” reads: “In 1903, two immigrant brothers of French and Jewish origin were among the original ‘Seven Sisters’ in the Pennsylvania Crude Oil Association. The Sonneborn brothers sold their own petroleum products, picking their grandmother’s first name, Amalie, for their venture based in Franklin, Pa.

“In 1960, Amalie Oil Co. was bought by Witco Chemical Co. But, Witco opted to push another brand name in its stable of oil products, Kendall, and the Amalie name dwindled in popularity.”

According to oil150.com, Witco Chemical Co. obtained Kendall Refining Co. in 1966. As most of you probably remember, Sun Co. bought both the Kendall and Amalie brands in 1996, and American Refining Group purchased the Kendall refinery in 1997 when Sun did not want it.

This kept the refinery in Bradford open and a large number of local people employed.

Amalie, meanwhile, is alive and well in Tampa Bay, Fla., after it was purchased by the Burkett family’s Petroleum Packers company, which they renamed to Amalie Oil,” according to the “Tampa Bay Times.”

Ward wonders if there are still any Sonneborns in the Franklin area.

PUBLIC LANDS: Today is National Public Lands Day, and some parts of Pennsylvania’s state parks system have taken part over the years.

This year, an event will be held from 9 a.m. to noon today at Sinnemahoning State Park in Cameron County. Volunteers will be gathering at the park to restore the rain garden and do work on the wildlife habitat, according to the state’s Department of Conservation and National Resources.

This is the 21st year of the annual event, and the Sinnemahoning volunteers will be joining volunteers in public parks across the country in an effort to keep these areas in good working order.