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What's New at Arcadia

Historic Burial Grounds of the New Hampshire Seacoast By Glenn A. Knoblock

Arcadia Publishing has releases a new title in the Images of America series, the historic account of the cemeteries along the New Hampshire Seacoast. This collection is a must for anyone interested in local history, genealogy, or colonial-era art. Please visit Arcadia Publishing to purchase your copy of Historic Burial Grounds of the New Hampshire Seacoast and browse other cemetery books!

Green-Wood Cemetery By Alexandra Mosca

Arcadia Publishing announces the release of the historic account of one of New York's most famous cemeteries. Aracdia Publishing's Images of America series has an extensive catalog of many cemetery publications! Please visit Arcadia Publishing to purchase your copy of Green-Wood Cemetery.

Announcements

Quoting Death in Early Modern England: The Poetics of Epitaphs Beyond the Tomb By Scott L. Newstok

An innovative study of the Renaissance practice of making epitaphic gestures within other English genres. A poetics of quotation uncovers the ways in which writers including Shakespeare, Marlowe, Holinshed, Sidney, Jonson, Donne, and Elizabeth I have recited these texts within new contexts. Visit Palgrave Macmillan and purchase your copy today!

Living by the Dead By Ellen Ashdown with illustrations by Mary Liz Moody.

A memoir about living beside a cemetery--and about the members of my family who came to rest at Roselawn Cemetery in Tallahassee, Florida. Please visit Kitsune Books for more information.

Graveyards of Chicago: The People, History, Art, and Lore of Cook County Cemeteries By Matt Hucke And Ursula Bielski.

Discover a Chicago That Exists Just Beneath the Surface - About Six Feet Under! Take a tour of Chicago's permanent residents! Please visit the Lake Claremont Press website to purchase your copy of Graveyards of Chicago today!

Epitaphs: The Magazine for Cemetery Lovers By Cemetery Lovers

For information regarding subscriptions, single issues, submission guidelines, deadlines, classifieds or advertising for future issues, please visit The Cemetery Club.

Guardians of the Soul: Angels and Innocents, Mourners and Saints with photography by John Bower and foreword by Claude Cookman

Indiana's remarkable cemetery sculpture is now available. Please visit Studio Indiana for more information.

West Springfield Massachusetts: Stories Carved in Stone by Rusty Clark

Features information on early New England gravestone carvers with more than two hundred photos and illustrations. Please visit the Dog Pond Press website.

Coroner defends self on cremation charge PDF Print E-mail
Written by DeadGirl   
Tuesday, 05 October 2004
By Lee Filas
10/2/2004

Lake County Coroner Jim Wipper defended himself against accusations he wrongly profited from disposing of the bodies of unclaimed, indigent people in return for a state fee.

Published reports Friday said Wipper, who is a licensed funeral director, cremates such corpses at a cost of $150. In return, he is paid a fee of nearly $1,000. The Ingleside Republican said Friday he has done nothing wrong. He said he handles the cremations at the direction of the Lake County public guardian and administrators office.

They occur only when the public guardian cannot find a funeral home to bury an unclaimed, indigent corpse, he said.

"If I took it upon myself to do that, then it would be illegal," Wipper said. "The administrator's office calls me and asks me to take care of this."

However, his opponent in the Nov. 2 election for coroner, Richard Keller, a Waukegan Democrat, said he will hold a news conference Monday to call for a full criminal investigation into Wipper's practice.

"I seriously have some questions as to whether this is illegal or not," Keller said. "One thing is for sure, though, that it's ethically wrong and extremely appalling."

At least two county officials say no laws have been broken.

Lake County Chief Deputy State's Attorney Meg Marcouiller, who leads the office's civil division, said the practice is not illegal.

Public Guardian Joseph Vogler said he contacts Wipper to cremate the body of an unclaimed, indigent person when no other funeral home will take the job.

"(Wipper) only does this for us if no one else can take it," Vogler said. "We have great funeral directors in the county and most of the time they step in to help out during these situations. But, sometimes, the money just isn't there for them to do it."

Wipper, who was appointed coroner in May 2003 after Barbara Richardson retired, said he has been doing this type of cremation for more than 20 years. He said his predecessors in the office knew about the practice.

He said he handles such requests three to four times a year.

"I get paid, but it's a part-time job for me," he said. "I'm not acting as a coroner in those situations and I'm not mixing the jobs up. I'm asked to perform this as a funeral director, so I do it."

Keller refuted claims that funeral homes are called by the public guardian's office and said Wipper should not be pocketing state money for the work.

He added Wipper also shouldn't use county-purchased automobiles from the coroner's office to transport the bodies to the crematorium.

"I am calling for a full inventory of all of the individuals that Mr. Wipper has cremated and a full and complete catalog of all the remains," he said. "He acts like he's borrowing paper clips or something."

http://www.dailyherald.com/search/main_story.asp?intid=3826210
 
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