The 19th Annual Carbon County St. Patrick's Day Parade, sponsored by the Ancient Order of Hibernians, Alec Campbell Division 1, Carbon County, and the Ladies Ancient Order of Hibernians, Mollie Maguire Division 1, Carbon County, will take place along Broadway in Jim Thorpe starting at 1

p.m.March 13.The parade committee has selected Francis "Snitz" O'Donnell, a longtime community servant, especially through his leadership role in the American Legion, to serve as grand marshal of the event."I'm very honored to have been selected to be the grand marshal," O'Donnell said. "I was really surprised when the parade committee members asked me. I'm very proud of my Irish heritage, so, obviously, parade day will be a very special day for me. I hope I can do it justice."In addition to honoring St. Patrick, the parade, which will be held rain or shine, has become a huge draw for the residents of Carbon County to celebrate their Irish heritage and reunite with loved ones and old friends. The parade will follow the same route as in past years, starting at the upper end of West Broadway and ending at the county parking lot, a downhill route that showcases the natural and scenic beauty and unique history of Carbon County.Grand marshalBorn Oct. 10, 1929, to a humble, hardworking Irish family in the town of East Mauch Chunk, the grand marshal is one of three children of the late Neal and Elizabeth (Carrigan) O'Donnell. His siblings are Thelma and Walter.He attended Immaculate Conception Catholic School and Mauch Chunk Catholic High School, after which time he began work on the former Lehigh Valley and Jersey Central railroads. He was a railroader until being drafted in 1951 at the age of 22.Following basic training at Camp Breckenridge, Kentucky, O'Donnell went to Japan and was trained in heavy equipment. Later, he served in Korea and attained the rank of sergeant first class with the 151st Combat Engineers, helping to repair roadways and the war-torn area.When his service stint ended in 1953, he returned to Jim Thorpe and secured employment in the coke works of the Bethlehem Steel Corporation, where he had a 31-year career.Upon retiring, he wore many hats, including being a school bus driver for Head Start, rafting and Skirmish operations.Throughout his life, O'Donnell has been generous with his time and himself. As a member of the Fairview Hose Company, Jim Thorpe, he drove ambulance for many years and saved a few lives in the process.A frequent visitor to hospital patients and nursing home residents, O'Donnell drove cancer patients to and from appointments for many years and was a radiation mold maker for Dr. David Moylan. Even in his golden years, "Snitz" runs people to grocery stores and to do their banking.Most notable is O'Donnell's dedication and service to the American Legion. He has held several national, state, county and local offices in the organization, including Commander of Post 304 several times, county commander and state chaplain. O'Donnell is an advocate for veterans throughout the county, also being involved in the VFW.He is also a past grand knight and current deputy grand knight of the Knights of Columbus and a charter member of the AOH.In 2010, the Mauch Chunk Trust Company, Jim Thorpe, honored O'Donnell as one of its Community Heroes.O'Donnell married the former Joanne Izzo in 1957. He is the father of seven children: Lynn, Cheryl, Francine, Glenn, Brian, Christine and Walter; the grandfather of 11, Christopher Michlovsky, Stacey MacPainstil Ostrom, Angela and Michael Bing, Eric, Timothy and Steven Craigie, Stephanie and Brian O'Donnell, Kristen Ritter and Sadie O'Donnell; and 10 great-grandchildren, Chelsea, Daniel and Riley Michlovsky, Lindsey, Joseph and Sydney McArdle, Novella Bing, Taylor and Matthew Craigie and Hailey O'Donnell.Parade informationThe 2015 parade program will be dedicated to the memory of Dennis Gallagher and John Kane, recently departed members of the AOH.The Grand Marshal's Dinner is scheduled for March 11 at the Mahoning Valley Country Club, Mahoning Township, beginning with a social at 6 p.m. and followed by the dinner and program at 7 p.m. and dancing until 11 p.m. For tickets, contact Noel Behan, 570-325-4563; Ron Sheehan, 570-778-0161; or Hugh Dugan, 570-325-3359.The St. Patrick's Mass will be celebrated at 4:30 p.m. March 12 in Immaculate Conception Catholic Church on Broadway in Jim Thorpe.The deadline for parade participant registration is March 1. Groups can register online at carbonstpatricksparade.com.To advertise or place a congratulatory message in the dinner program, contact Bernadette Behan, 570-325-8056.The members of the parade committee would like to remind spectators and those attending private parties along the parade route to respect the parade by not interfering with the parade or any of its participants.More information can be found on the official parade website,

www.carbonstpatricksparade.com.