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EDITOR’S DESK
Looking up to Jim
I looked up to Jim Krut long before I got to know him. He was a tall man, so it was easy to do. But I soon learned his stature went well beyond his height.
James “Jim” Krut passed away this past August at the age of 80 (see page 7). For much of the 1980s, he was the editor of Penn Lines, setting a standard for reporting we still try to live up to today. He later led the communications team at Adams Electric Cooperative in Gettysburg, Pa., where he worked until his retirement in 2009.
Long after he retired, I enjoyed seeing Jim at an annual meeting or for the occasional lunch. Always encouraging and always with a smile, Jim was a fan of Penn Lines till the end. Most recently, he was excited to join our podcast to talk about the magazine’s 60th anniversary, but his health issues prevented that from happening.
I got to know Jim while he was at Adams Electric, often while presenting him and his team awards for their impressive communications work year after year.
I once joked with him that we should lower the standard so others could win an award now and then. He answered seriously: “No, don’t do that. Let people rise to the standard. They’ll get there.” He meant it, because he believed the best in people.
What impressed me most was the way Jim approached life. He was a decorated combat medic in Vietnam, an experience that undoubtedly shaped him but never hardened him. If anything, it deepened his appreciation for people. He asked questions and listened carefully because he genuinely wanted to know your story. That curiosity and generosity of spirit made him a good storyteller, a craft he brought to one of his great passions: acting.
Jim is most famous for his role in the 1978 cult classic “Dawn of the Dead,” where his character has an unfortunate run-in with a helicopter. The scene earned him international recognition as the “Helicopter Zombie” among his many fans.
Jim’s professional legacy is easy to measure; it’s all there to see. But his greatest legacy was personal — in the family he loved, the people he encouraged and the heights he inspired others to reach. Here’s looking up to you, Jim.
PETER A. FITZGERALD
EXECUTIVE EDITOR
A DIFFERENT KIND OF CAMPING
DCNR touts success of first glamping program
“Glamping” is in.
The state Department of Conservation and Natural Resources (DCNR) reports that the demand for glamorous camping sites has been high this year — the first year the state has offered outdoor, safari-style tents with modern comforts at a handful of parks.
Sites can be reserved at the following locations: Codorus State Park, York County; French Creek State Park, Chester County; Hickory Run State Park, Carbon County; Hills Creek State Park, Tioga County; Laurel Hill State Park, Somerset County; Promised Land State Park, Pike County; and Pymatuning State Park, Crawford County.
The accommodations feature beds, electricity, air conditioning and heat, fire pits, and even coffeemakers.
DCNR has a five-year agreement with Timberline Glamping, which operates the sites. The state also invested $400,000 to improve the campgrounds, which included upgrading restrooms and adding utilities.
The glamping program is expected to expand to additional state parks in 2027. Rates range from $149 to $199 per night before taxes and fees. To reserve a site, visit timberlineglamping.com/locations#Pennsylvania.
GET YOUR GLAMP ON: Camping — with beds and air conditioning? Yes, it's a thing, and you can give “glamping” a try at several state parks in Pennsylvania thanks to a partnership between the Department of Conservation and Natural Resources and Timberline Glamping. Nightly fees range from $149 to $199. (Photo courtesy of frenchcreek.tlglamping.com)
HEADING IN THE RIGHT DIRECTION
Lyme disease cases in Pennsylvania down over previous years
Lyme disease cases are decreasing in Pennsylvania.
As of late July, the number of cases were down, dropping from 11,044 in July 2025 to 8,540 this summer. State officials noted that surveillance found fewer ticks this year, which most likely led to the decrease in reported cases.
Allegheny County led the state through the end of July this year with 1,044 cases, while Westmoreland County was next with 623. To the east, Chester County had 549 cases followed by Montgomery County with 384, Bucks County with 376 and Berks County with 365. In south-central Pennsylvania, York County had the most cases with 285, followed by Lancaster County (257), Cumberland County (142), Dauphin County (130), Lebanon County (84), Adams County (67) and Perry County (52).
SAY CHEESE
Game Commission's Elk Cam is live until October
Since August, the Pennsylvania Game Commission’s Elk Cam has been thrilling wildlife enthusiasts with the sights and sounds of bugling bulls and an array of other animals.
The camera, online until Oct. 3, is located in the heart of the Commonwealth’s elk range, an area totaling more than 220,000 acres, including State Game Lands 311 and Elk State Forest. To watch the livestream, go
to pa.gov/agencies/pgc/wildlife/wildlife-viewing/wildlife-cams.
In addition to elk, viewers can expect to see turkey, deer and other wildlife. The elk, however, take center stage, the commission says, noting they ramp up their mating activities in late summer and early fall. They can be seen mostly in the mornings and evenings.
IN MEMORIAM
Former Penn Lines editor passes away
Former Penn Lines editor James “Jim” Krut of Gettysburg passed away Sunday, Aug. 2. He was 80.
Following his tenure at the magazine, Krut established and led the communications department at Adams Electric Cooperative in Adams County until his retirement in 2009. A U.S. Army veteran, he also gained fame as the “Helicopter Zombie” in the 1978 horror classic, “Dawn of the Dead.”
“Jim was an outstanding editor, but he was an even better human being,” says Pete Fitzgerald, Penn Lines executive editor. “Jim helped shape Penn Lines into the magazine it is today, believing that the stories of Pennsylvania’s co-ops and their members are worth telling — and telling well. It’s a legacy we continue to hold onto today.”
In a 2024 Penn Lines article, Krut said that while editor, he was especially proud of the magazine’s reporting on the emergence of Lyme disease and radon poisoning. “As part of the co-op family,” he said in the article, “we worked to solve rural problems, and we did much of that through Penn Lines.”
A funeral service was held in August.
TIME LINES — September 2016
A decade ago, Penn Lines commemorated the 15-year anniversary of the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks by telling the story of Reynoldsdale resident David Dovala, a member of Bedford Rural Electric Cooperative. Visiting New York City on vacation, Dovala had plans to tour the World Trade Center that day but ended up visiting the Statue of Liberty instead — a decision that saved his life. “There’s not a day that goes by,” he said at the time, “that I don’t thank the dear Lord that I survived. I never see a low-flying plane that I don't think about what happened.”
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