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2 Section I Friday, March 31, 2017

Princeton Times

Paving Paths

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Learning to lead...

One of the recent activities of Kristen O’Sullivan’s social activism program at Concord University was a citizens’ lobbying workshop, where O’Sullivan reported she felt a ‘good vibe’ and saw much progress among participants.

Lessons in activism

O’Sullivan curriculum aims to educate youth on creating change

By JEFF HARVEY

for the Princeton Times

ATHENS — Kristen O’Sullivan was raised to practice social activism, which she has done most of her life.

Now, she’s passing the lessons of social activism to a new generation via a class in social activism she is teaching at Concord University.

“The class is small, but it seems to be bringing in students interested in improving their community who are already interested in community activism,” she said.

The idea for the class, she added, had been incubating for three or four years.

“When I was in college, I had many opportunities to be involved in the community and developing organizing skills, but there was no specific class for that. Working with the Concord social sciences faculty, we developed this class, which started last semester,” she commented.

O’Sullivan added that a chapter of an orga-

Kristen O’Sullivan nization named “Our Children, Our Future” was organized to continue the classes’ work on the outside.

The class, she said, is organized along the lines of meeting once a week (in exchange for three credit hours), where techniques are discussed, along with group activities, such as the Legislative Forum at Concord last fall which

was organized and sponsored by the class. The class counts as an internship within the Division of Social Sciences.

“Each student has an individual project, plus two group activities,” she said.

This semester, she said, students hosted the Citizens Lobbying workshop, which drew nearly 100 people and created a

“good vibe” from those who attended.

“We’re working on long development of our chapter of OCOF. How do we make sure that the local community knows about the organization and how do we get people to attend the meetings?” she added.

The students’ individual projects, she said, take the passion and self-motivation the students have and direct them into a positive action for the community.

“We spend a good bit of time going over their individual projects, which they have and developing organizing strategies on how to develop the projects and making them tangible activities for the community,” O’Sullivan said.

Among those projects, she said, is a way to better explain the “Black Lives Matter” movement to the community; a dog park in Beckley; increasing the number of certified nursing assistants in training; advocating for medical marijua-

na in West Virginia; an after-school program in McDowell County; and a number of social justice projects.

She added, ”It’s so exciting to watch them learning the processes.

We have successes and times which don’t meet our goals. These young advocates are learning that if they get knocked down once, they need to get back up.”

The book the class is using is by Steven N. Smith, executive director of Our Children, Our Future West Virginia.

It is titled “Stoking The Fire of Democracy: Our Generation’s Guide to Grassroots Organizing.”

Recently, the class went to Charleston to take part in Kids and Families Day to assist in presentation to those who attended.

Senior Aaron Miller, a senior majoring in psychology, said, “What I’ve learned about social activism/advocacy was basically how to organize and take the initiative on how to be active in

the things I’m passionate about. It also helped me understand the ‘why’ on why I want to be socially active on a certain issue in today’s society.

Later on down the road, I plan to apply what I’ve learned in this class to hopefully, someday, to be a voice for some people and maybe start my own charity that pertains to a certain group.”

Senior Rebekah Weaver said, “Activism and advocacy are more than just wanting to make a change. They involve hands-on work, patience, a lot of waiting, cooperation and understanding.

And, without a passion for what you’re trying to achieve, the other aspects won’t fall into place. This new and further understanding of what goes into activism and advocacy will allow me to provide a voice for and amplification of others’ voices about issues surrounding equal rights in particular.”

— Contact Jeff Harvey at delimartman@yahoo. com

Educating for life: MCA studies go beyond books PRINCETON — Founded in 1980, Mercer Christian Academy has been educating for life for nearly four decades.

While MCA keeps its academic focus on the “three R’s” of reading, writing and arithmetic, the school also ensures its students are ready for the future through preparation in life skills and a solid foundation in biblical principles.

Reading, writing and arithmetic are pivotal components of the Mercer Christian experience. Students as young as 3 years old enjoy learning basic math principles and writing, while kindergarten students are immersed in reading as well.

Moreover, by third grade, MCA students are by all accounts robust readers.

Accordingly, middle school students are versed in a full gamut of essential subjects from earth science, to pre-algebra, to classic literature. Finally, high school students are given the choice to pursue one of three tracks: general diploma, college prepara-

Writing for the future...

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Strong writing, reading, spelling and math skills form the basis for much of the rest of a youngster’s education at Mercer Christian Academy. tory diploma or advanced college preparatory.

Students who choose the general diploma track may take advantage of the opportunity to attend the Mercer County Technical Educational Center for a part of their school day.

Furthermore, pupils who pursue the advanced college preparatory track enjoy the capability of choosing many advanced courses, including, but not limited to calculus,

advanced chemistry, advanced anatomy and physiology and dual-credit senior English.

A relatively new addition to the Mercer Christian wheelhouse is a life skills course.

Students participating in this class are privileged to gain essential, practical knowledge in areas including personal finance, cooking and car maintenance. Pupils plan a budget, cook a meal and learn how to change

Planning for the future...

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High school students are given the choice to pursue one of three tracks: general diploma, college preparatory diploma or advanced college preparatory.

Students who choose the general diploma track may take advantage of the opportunity to attend the Mercer County Technical Educational Center for a part of their school day. Furthermore, pupils who pursue the advanced college preparatory track enjoy the capability of choosing many advanced courses, including, but not limited to calculus, advanced chemistry, advanced anatomy and physiology and dual-credit senior English. a tire. Additionally, 2017 seniors are learning basic plumbing, carpentry skills and basic electricity, as they are remodeling a bathroom.

Pre-eminently, Mercer Christian Academy maintains a solid founda-

tion in Biblical principles as an integral part of its education. Students from 3 to 18 are grounded in the truths of God’s word as they relate to everyday life. The heart of Mercer Christian’s mission is not only to edu-

cate students mentally, emotionally, and physically, but also to educate pupils spiritually. In so doing, MCA believes that its graduates are superbly equipped to flourish in whatever path they choose to pursue.

Princeton Times

Friday, March 31, 2017 Section I 3

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Be part of the fun...

Whether running in the Monument Avenue 10K or not, Bluefield College alumni and friends are invited to a reunion after the race in Richmond in memory of BC alumnus and former dean of students Dan Bowman of Salem, Va.

BC alums, supporters team up for run, reunion to honor...

BLUEFIELD, Va. — For the fourth year in a row, alumni from Bluefield College will gather in Richmond, Va., for a spring reunion and the formation of “Team Dean Dan,” a group of BC grads who will run in the Monument Avenue 10K. Just like years before, when the team comes together this spring for the reunion and run, Saturday, April 1, they won’t be as concerned about how they compete or finish the 10K, but instead how well they pay tribute to the late Dan Bowman, a former Bluefield College dean of students, who succumbed to cancer in 2014, but not before leaving a lasting influence on the BC family.

Known as one of Virginia’s most historic races and “one of the best races in the country,” according to USA Today, the Monument Avenue 10K features more than 30,000 runners, and with its party stops, live music and post-race festivities, the 10K is also considered one of Virginia’s best social events of the year and one Bluefield College alumni and friends will join in memory of Dean Dan. “This is a great way we can continue to honor Dean Dan and his legacy,” said alumnus Mark Hipes (’03), who will be hosting the BC alumni reunion as part of the race along with fellow grads Brandon Caldwell (’02) and Jennifer Mitchell (’08). “It gives all members of the Bluefield College family an opportunity to fellowship, get a little exercise, and be a part of remembering and honoring Dan Bowman.”

Whether running in the Monument Avenue 10K or not, BC alumni and friends are invited to the reunion gathering after the race where food and drinks will be served. Those planning to run in the 10K as

‘Team Dean Dan’ Maddie and Libby, in recreational lacrosse.

He also remained a member of the Virginia Tech “chain gang” that worked down markers for Hokies football games.

Despite his valiant

fight, Bowman succumbed to the cancer, passing away in January of 2014. As a tribute to his influence and service, Bluefield College alumni and friends created “Team Dean Dan” to run each year in the Ukrop’s

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Making a mark, and many memories...

Bluefield College alumni and friends will run in Richmond’s Monument Avenue 10K on April 1 in memory of BC alumnus and former dean of students Dan Bowman of Salem, Va. part of BC’s “Team Dean Dan,” are asked to register online with the event web site at sportsbackers.org/events/monument-ave-10K. Once registered, please e-mail Hipes at markhipes@ gmail.com to let him know you’ll be be running for “Team Dean Dan.” If you’d rather not run, but still want to cheer on your BC classmates, please join the team for a photo prior to the race at the shelter in Monroe Park.

A native of Salem, Va., Bowman came to Bluefield College first as a student in the fall of 1990. After earning his bachelor’s degree in psychology from BC in 1994, a master’s degree in counseling and human development from Radford University in 1996, and five years of service as a guidance counselor at Northside Middle School, Jefferson Forest High School, Liberty High School, and William Byrd High School, Bowman returned to Bluefield in 2001 to serve as dean of students.

“Dean Dan was a man of faith, family, friends and support,” said BC

alumnus Tony Hall (‘94).

“He lived his faith everyday and was an example of courage and trust in a loving God. I am blessed to have known Dan and to have called him my friend.”

During four years as dean of students, Bowman did more than love BC students. He spearheaded three major renovation projects for residence halls and the student activities center. He also increased retention and residential enrollment and installed a values-based living and learning program that included a campus-wide tobacco-free policy.

Bowman returned to his native Roanoke Valley in 2005 to become an associate dean of students at Radford University.

He later served as principal of Craig County High School, but in 2011, he was diagnosed with myoepithelial carcinoma, a rare cancer of the soft tissue that he battled for three years while continuing to work and serve those around him. In fact, in the midst of his treatments, he and his wife, Staci (Gilley Bowman ‘94), continued to coach his daughters,

Athens Campus Beckley Campus 18883845249 13042560270

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Monument Avenue 10K in Richmond. To register for the race and/or the reunion and for directions, cost and other information, visit the Bluefield College web site at bluefield.edu/ reunions.

4 Section I Friday, March 31, 2017

Princeton Times

Designed with success in mind...

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Valley College helps students build future

By JEFF HARVEY

for the Princeton Times

PRINCETON — The older of the two colleges with a campus inside Princeton city limits, Valley College, has made and continues to make its presence felt in the area, primarily by helping hundreds of individuals make positive changes in their lives through education and career opportunities.

VC Southern Region Vice President Beth Gardner said, “We have helped with the Renaissance on Mercer Street and refurbished our main building and two additional classroom buildings and also refurbished a building that we painted just to help make the surrounding area look better.”

In addition to training students in a variety of job fields to benefit the local economy, she said, Valley College provides good, solid jobs for 15 staff members at its Princeton facility.

“Our Student Government Association and our staff participate regularly in community events and with the Princeton-Mercer County Chamber of Commerce,” Gardner said.

Like all Valley College locations, the Princeton campus offers small, spe-

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cialized classes where students can receive personalized instruction.

Industry-current computers and software are available to all students to best prepare them for the needs of hiring employers.

Courses offered include: Medical clinical assistant diploma; nursing assistant certificate (CNA); medical front office, billing & coding diploma – online; medical administrative assistant diploma – online; health services administration O.A.S. degree – online; business administration O.A.S. degree – online; cybersecurity O.A.S degree – online.

The Princeton campus is located at 616 Mercer St., with additional campuses in Beckley and Martinsburg.

Valley College has quintupled in size under new own-

ership and continues to add new programs. The organization operates with a sincere mission to contribute to the communities it serves and change lives.

The success of Valley students is proof that the schools are making an impact.

Placement services are provided to graduates, and all diploma and degree programs have career development and professionalism courses designed to assist students with resume writing, interviewing techniques, and professionalism skills. Financial aid is available for those who qualify.

Students who love Valley College are quick to share their thoughts with readers to the Valley College website and the Princeton Times.

“After receiving great

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news that I would be expecting my first child, I wanted to make a change in my job. I wanted to be able to provide an amazing future for my son, so I called Valley College,” Elizabeth C. shared after her Valley College graduation. “I got my Medical Office Technology Certificate with the help of a remarkable staff! I landed a job in a medical office 10 minutes from my house about a month before graduating. I am currently enrolled in the Business Administration program at Valley and I love it! I wouldn’t be where I am today without Valley College and the wonderful staff!”

Lori C. loved her first experience with Valley College so much that she came back to the school for a second round.

“The courses and

‘hands-on’ training provided at Valley College set me up for success!

I was able to enter the job market with confidence in my abilities. I obtained my Associate Degree from Valley College in 2007 and completed my Medical Office Technology Certificate in April 2013. I chose Valley College because of their flexible schedule for working adults and the one-on-one support from the phenomenal instructional staff.

Valley College is small enough to know your name, but large enough to be recognized locally,” she said. “I knew going back to Valley College was the right choice for me. I was so confident in Valley College, my daughter also enrolled in the Medical Office Technology program as well. I am currently

working for WVUH-East as a registration specialist. Thank you VC!” Heather A. found a family away from home and a new future career at Valley.

“I chose Valley College because of the warm, comforting feeling I got every time I walked through the door,” she said. “The thing I like most about Valley College was the oneon-one teacher student time. There was always someone there to explain it to me… this helped tremendously with my career advancement. I am delighted to announce that I am now a phlebotomist at Princeton Community Hospital, where I am happier than ever with my job!”

And Ashley F. loved that the curriculum got right to the point.

“The thing I loved about Valley College was that there was no wasted time,” she said.

“The courses were all job specific and relevant. I landed a job as soon as I graduated and have now decided to continue my education by taking Valley’s online degree program – while working.”

— Contact Jeff Harvey at delimartman@yahoo. com

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Princeton Times

Friday, March 31, 2017 Section I 5

Living her second chance...

Princeton native, BC grad overcomes cancer to fulfill passion to teach PRINCETON — Bluefield College alumna Sarah Cordill Jones has a passion for teaching – a passion she was living and loving in her seventh year with Tazewell County Schools — until the day she learned she had cancer and found herself out of the classroom and in a battle for her life.

Being a teacher is something Jones said she always knew she wanted to do from the time she was a child.

“I just always enjoyed passing on what I had learned and seeing the excitement of others learning or figuring out something new,” said Jones. “I do feel God called me to teach. I get such a fulfillment from teaching.”

A graduate of nearby Princeton Senior High School, she chose Bluefield College to explore and nurture her passion, earning a degree in interdisciplinary studies with teacher licensure in 2008. While a student at BC, she was a member of the Student Virginia Education Association, Alpha Chi National Honor Society and Phi Delta Kappa, a premier professional association for educators. She was also a Virginia Collegium Scholar and named a Teacher of Promise.

“My experience at Bluefield College was wonderful,” said Jones.

“I really think the BC Education Department

Still smiling...

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Sarah Jones, a Princeton Senior High School and Bluefield College graduate, pictured here in the center, has beaten two rounds of cancer to return to the classroom, where she firmly believes her students are ‘her kids’ and her destiny is to teach.

She says helping others learn is one of her biggest joys and that she gets as much through the relationships with her students as she gives them being their teacher. Jones, who is currently a fourthgrade teacher at Graham Intermediate School in the Tazewell County School system, was recently selected as the Bluefield Daily Telegraph/Cole Chevrolet Teacher of the Year. is the best. It wasn’t just school; it was a family. They went above and beyond to prepare us for the classroom.”

Jones began her career part-time in 2009 as a tutor for Tazewell County Schools. A year later, she became a full-time reading instructor at Dudley Primary School.

Three years later, she got her own classroom as a third-grade teacher at Graham Intermediate School (GIS). And today, she is a fourth-grade teacher at GIS, where in

2011 she started having pain in her back. After months of being told by doctors that nothing was wrong, Jones recalls, physicians eventually found a tumor wrapped around her sciatic nerve near her spinal cord. It was cancer.

Diagnosed in December 2011, she was forced out of the classroom she so loves to begin treatment. For nearly a year, February 2012 to January 2013, she endured four months of chemotherapy, which

allowed surgeons to remove the tumor, two months of radiation, and another six months of additional chemo.

Finally getting back in the classroom, she said, was exciting and emotional.

“It was wonderful to be back where I felt God wanted me,” said Jones.

“My kids, parents, and co-workers made me feel so loved and welcome.

The love and support I received was overwhelming and humbling.

The support and prayers provided a much-needed strength and gave me a boost when I needed it.”

Cancer-free, Jones returned to the classroom in January 2013.

She said she missed the lessons and the actual teaching, but more than anything, the social interaction with her students, hearing about their day, talking about new movies, or discussing comic books.

“I don’t have children of my own, so my students are my children,” she said. “I love each one, even the ones that test my patience. I love teaching the academics and finding fun ways to do so, but one thing that the BC Education Department always talked about was wayside teaching, and I think that it can sometimes make a bigger difference than the academic success. Without that emotional and social support, some students would never pay

attention to the academic part.”

But in 2015, just two years after returning to teaching, Jones received more devastating news.

The cancer had returned, this time as a spot on her left lung. Finding it early in its growth, doctors were able to remove it, after which Jones had to undergo six months of chemotherapy treatments.

“The second diagnosis was crushing,” she said.

“However, I learned so much from the first time around, I just thought there was something else I needed to do or learn. I truly believe God is in control and has a plan for me. My prayer is that I use my second shot to do what God wants me to do.”

And taking full advantage of her second chance is exactly what Jones is doing. In fact, as a result of her courageous battle with cancer, her remarkable return to the classroom, and above all the impact she has on her students, who now call her “a fighter” and “a hero,” Jones was named the 2016 Teacher of the Year for southwest Virginia and southern West Virginia. Dozens of teachers from secondary schools across the region were nominated for the prestigious award, sponsored by the Bluefield Daily Telegraph and Cole Chevrolet of Bluefield. Two Bluefield College grads, Jones and 2012 BC alumnus

Ethan Lewis, another fourth-grade teacher at Graham Intermediate School, were among the finalists for the honor, but Jones stood out as the most deserving.

“I feel very blessed,” she said about being selected Teacher of the Year. “I love teaching. I enjoy it. I truly feel that teaching is what I have been called to do. I cannot imagine doing anything else with my life.”

Cancer-free and back in the classroom, hopefully for good this time, Jones said that not all days are easy as she continues to recover from the disease.

She admitted that she sometimes gets nervous about “every little ache and pain” and the possibility of a recurrence.

But, she added, she has “an amazing support system” in her family, friends and particularly her husband, Jamie, who she said has been her “rock” with his optimism, encouragement and faith.

“Somehow, and I don’t understand it, but my battle with cancer and my overcoming it, has a purpose for God’s glory,” said Jones. “I might never realize what it is, but I know there is a reason. My prayer is that with my second chance at life I can make an impact in my students’ lives. I hope I can teach them to overcome their struggles and see God’s love in what I do.”

From city hall plans to industry recruitment...

Clay sees Princeton as the place to be

By JEFF HARVEY for the Princeton Times

PRINCETON — Pushing forward into the future, a future of hoped-for city g o v e r n ment relocation, growth in the city’s s i z e a n d continuation Clay of the progress already made. That is the path the City of Princeton is paving.

City Manager Ken Clay said, “We’re currently eight months into our budget year, and we’ve made progress in strengthening the budget so that areas we cut in FY 2017 will be restored in FY 2018. For example, we had to slow the demolition program down because we had to cut the abatement funds this year. We’ll be able to restore those funds this year.”

Under the state’s “home rule” program, he said, the Princeton City Council passed an ordinance cutting the city’s Business & Occupations tax on retail sales from .5 percent to .35 percent, effective July 1, 2017. The consumer sales tax will start on the same date. “(The B&O Tax reduction) will save businesses an estimated $800,000,

which they can use to put back into their own business,” Clay said.

He added, “We’re hoping that we’ll have enough funding to promote the city for economic development. With Council’s blessing, I’d like to do more promoting of businesses downtown and on Stafford Drive.”

One of the city’s big priorities, Clay said, was completing negotiations to eventually allow the city’s government facilities to relocate to the old Dean Company building. With that in mind, the City Council voted in February to place the relocation project on top of the city’s priority list for the Region I Planning & Development Council.

“This could change the whole outlook for the city in a positive way. It’ll take time for us to relocate fully. It could allow us to open up (the current city offices and other buildings) up for economic development,” he said.

Events such as Celebrate Princeton, the Town Fair, West Virginia Day, Cool Crusin’ Nights and AutumnFest will continue to be areas of focus, with an added emphasis on Stafford Drive.

“The Community I m p r o v e m e n t Commission has already discussed some ways to promote Stafford Drive,” Clay said.

Another priority, he said, is to get lots cleared by

the demolition program developed into housing.

“Some of these things are going through the Planning Commission and City Council. With Council’s blessing, I’d like to take another look at annexation. We’re going to invite — with open arms — any area which wishes to come into the city and list all the advantages through a cost-benefit analysis.

We have to follow our Comprehensive Plan and give them incentives to consider coming into the city, such as a 100 percent B & O Tax incentive the first year, 65 percent the second year and 35 percent the third year,” he said.

Getting industry into the city remains a priority, Clay said, although the industry will take different forms than in Princeton’s early years.

“Education, such as Valley College and New River Community & Technical College is an industry which can expand,” he said.

He added, “We’re trying to build a reputation of being business-friendly, which means that we may have to change some regulations. If it doesn’t work, we’ll try something else.”

Clay concluded by saying, “We’d like to see more of our people find Princeton a good place to find a career and to raise their families.”

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Princeton Times

6 Section I Friday, March 31, 2017

Partners in education...

New River CTC creates curricula that fit students’ lives, campuses that benefit communities

By JEFF HARVEY

for the Princeton Times

PRINCETON — “New River Community and Technical College provides students with the tools to pave their own pathways,” said College President Dr. L. Marshall Washington.

“Many of our students are first-generation college students who have other obligations. They are parents, spouses and caretakers of other family members. New River CTC gives these students access to quality, affordable education.

They can start here and complete a program that will help them get a job or they can take courses with the plan to trans-

fer to a four-year school, like Bluefield State or Concord.”

New River CTC was created by the West Virginia Legislature in July 2003 to provide comprehensive, affordable, quality education. The initial “Mercer County” campus, then referred to as the Bluefield Campus, was first located at Bluefield State College.

The campus moved to the Mercer County Technical Education Center in Princeton in 2009 and was formally renamed the Mercer County Campus. The Mercer County Campus moved to its present home on Mercer Street, in the heart of downtown

AutumnFest. They’ve also collected donations for Tender Mercies Ministries.”

New River CTC welding students built steps for the Town Square, and along with industrial technology students, they designed and created the rotating New Year’s Eve ball for the city’s celebration. The college’s faculty, staff and students decorated the ball with CDs. When asked how he would define New River CTC’s role in the community to date, Dr. Washington said, “We’ve partnered with area businesses to improve downtown Princeton; provided access to educational programs, such as medical assisting and welding; and worked with other institutions in the area to create educational pathways for our students by signing agreements with Bluefield State College

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Princeton, in August 2014.

In terms of educational services, New River CTC tailors degree programs and courses to fit the needs of the local community and offers classes based on the best times for students, but the college’s contributions to the Princeton community extend through more than classes.

“We’ve been involved in the revitalization of the downtown Princeton

area through participation in Princeton Renaissance projects and the PrincetonMercer County Chamber of Commerce,” said Dr. Washington. “Our students contribute to the economic development on Mercer Street, and our Student Government Association is active in the downtown area.

The SGA participates in Monster Mash, the Christmas and Veteran’s Day parades and

and Concord University.

We’ve also worked with the Mercer County Technical Education Center to create a pathway for their welding students to continue their education through New River CTC.” The college is also expanding relationships with area high schools through the College Transitions program, offering high school students opportunities to earn college credit.

“The partnerships with our communities, businesses and organizations enhance economic development and quality of life for downtown Princeton and the surrounding communities,” he added.

New River CTC serves nine counties in southeastern West Virginia through four campuses.

— Contact Jeff Harvey at delimartman@yahoo. com

BC professor puts psychology training to work to help crisis victims BLUEFIELD, Va. and ORLANDO, Fla. — Part of the Bluefield College mission is to develop transformational servant leaders, but that purpose is not demonstrated only with students and not just in the Bluefield community.

Just ask BC professor Bonny Dillon, who recently traveled to Florida to use her counseling skills to help the families and friends of the victims of this past summer’s mass shooting in Orlando, where 49 people were killed and 53 wounded in a terrorist attack/hate crime inside a nightclub.

In a true act of servant leadership, Dillon traveled to Orlando as a member of the American Red Cross Spiritual Response Team. A professor of psychology at Bluefield College, Dillon has an extensive background in counseling.

She has academic and clinical training in both theology and psychology. She also carries the credentials of Board Certified Chaplain from the Association of Professional Chaplains and Board Certified Professional Counselor and Board Certified Post-traumatic S t ress Dis o r d e r (PTSD) Clinician from the American Psychotherapy Association.

In addition, Dillon has been a member of the American Red Cross Spiritual Response Team (SRT) since 2007, when she first deployed to Blacksburg, Va., to assist with the aftermath of the campus shootings at Virginia Tech. She decided to respond to the Orlando incident based on her commitment to SRT and because she was aware that her previous experience with the Virginia Tech shootings would give her greater insight for the survivors of the Orlando tragedy.

“My primary area of service in Orlando was in the Family Assistance Center (FAC), which was set up in Camping World Stadium,” said Dillon. “My specific duties included support-

ive conversation with FAC agency representatives, employees of the stadium, survivors, and family members.”

Dillon also provided ombudsman services to people navigating the complex array of agency booths in the Family Assistance Center. She helped provide a Red Cross presence at vigils and a benefit concert, and she staffed the Red Cross booth in the Family Assistance Center, where she distributed blankets and tote bags and issued client assistance cards.

At the end of the day, she played a key role in providing mental and spiritual health care through the services of the FAC to more than 750 individuals, representing 243 families.

According to Dillon, more than 40 agencies from city, county, state and federal government were represented.

Representatives were also present from Puerto Rico and Mexico. As a Bluefield College professor who teaches and models servant leadership, she said she didn’t go to Orlando for personal gain, but instead to give of herself, her time, and her gifts to the people who needed it.

“I came away from this experience with much more than I took to it,” said Dillon. “I have a greater awe for the resilience of persons who have experienced disaster. Surely, resilience is a God-given capability that goes beyond what can be learned or taught.”

Dr. Dillon also said that those who came to know she was a Christian were moved by her compassionate response to such a disaster.

She said she connected with people just by being there and by offering a person-to-person connection that is much needed after such a disaster. She said she could not have served in the ways in which she did without the prayers and support of her BC family. She described it as “a great comfort” to know that her Bluefield colleagues “had her

back.”

Those same colleagues say her servant’s heart is noteworthy and that her story is one that should be told. Even more so, they say, it is an example to the students at Bluefield College of what a transformational servant leader truly looks like.

“I hope that my actions will convey the message of servant leadership,” said Dillon, “better than any words I might say.”

Reaching out...

Bluefield College psychology professor Dr. Bonny Dillon recently traveled to Orlando, Fla., to use her counseling skills to help the families and friends of the victims of last summer’s mass shooting, where 49 people were killed and 53 were wounded in a terrorist attack/hate crime inside a nightclub.

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Princeton Times

Friday, March 31, 2017 Section I 7

8 Section I Friday, March 31, 2017

Princeton Times

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Princeton Times

Friday, March 31, 2017 Section II 1

Mountain Mama

Contributed photos

On the trail...

The 600-plus miles of adventurous twists, steep climbs and hometown hospitality of the Hatfield-McCoy Trail System is truly turning West Virginia’s terrain into one of its greatest treasures and attractions for visitors.

Fun on two and four wheels...

Local trails the perfect place to fling a little mud

By TAMMIE TOLER Princeton Times

BRAMWELL – West Virginia’s meandering country roads, high hillsides and majestic moun-

tainous scenery have long exuded a magnetic pull to true mountaineers, but the 600-plus miles of adventurous twists, steep climbs and

hometown hospitality of the Hatfield-McCoy Trail System is truly turning West Virginia’s terrain into one of its greatest treasures and attrac-

tions for visitors.

During the 2016 calendar year, the HatfieldMcCoy Trail System permit sales finished up 7.4 percent over the record

for 2015, with 29,352 permits sold across the seven trails. Of those permits, HMT Executive Director Jeffrey Lusk reported that 83 per-

cent of the permits were sold to riders, all-terrain vehicle and off-road vehicle enthusiasts from

Fun, 7

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Princeton Times

2 Section II Friday, March 31, 2017

Teeing off...

Photo by Jeanie Brown

Daniel Yinger, 47, of Glenwood prepares to tee off during a game of disc golf at Glenwood Recreation Park recently. Yinger has been playing disc golf for three years and is a member of the Southern West Virginia Disc Golf Club.

Photo by Jeanie Brown

Going for par...

Southern West Virginia Disc Golf Club member Daniel Pritt, a junior at Concord University, goes for par on a hole at the Glenwood Recreation Park’s 18-hole disc golf course recently. Pritt, a native of Fayetteville, said the Glenwood course is enjoyable and also adds the challenge of the lake’s water hazard.

Give it a whirl!

Southern W.Va. the ideal backdrop for disc golf

By JEANIE BROWN Princeton Times

Hiking while playing...

Photo by Jeanie Brown

Daniel Pritt, Concord University junior from Fayetteville, plays disc golf with friends at Glenwood Recreation Park on a recent sunny afternoon, Pritt, a member of the Southern West Virginia Disc Golf Club, said he enjoys the sport because it’s an expensive way to enjoy a hike and get some exercise while also playing a game.

Bishop makes sure the discs are returned.

Disc golf is a bit like golf with a Frisbee. Courses typically have 9 or 18 ‘holes,’ which are actually metal chain baskets on poles that serve as targets for various weighted discs. Each hole has a par in which to complete the throw, similar to pars in golf. The winner is the player who completes the course with the lowest par, or least number of throws required to reach the targets.

Discs come in a variety of weights made to travel different distances. The ideal weight is usually between 165-175 grams, Bishop said. Disc edges also differ in order to perform a variety of functions. For example, drivers have sharp edges.

Besides disc weights, throwing techniques also help make the hole, he said. Speed, glide, fade, and turn are common terms used in disc golf.

Disc pole holes are positioned as much as 600 feet from the tee pad.

Disc golf is a great way for players of all ages to get exercise and have fun, Bishop pointed out.

The course at Glenwood Park and the one being built at City Park are free. Bags of discs may be rented for a nominal fee, or guests may bring their own.

The course at Princeton City Park will have two

sections. The first nine holes will be family friendly.

“It’s called the family loop,” said Bishop, “because it’s not in the woods, and it’s got shorter holes. But it’s still technical enough for the experienced player to enjoy.”

Each of the first nine holes will have two tee pad choices—a short distance and a longer distance, so that players may choose their difficulty level. Families could also potentially play 18 holes on the first nine holes of the course by first playing the short tee pads and then the long.

on Sundays at 2 p.m. at the course at Glenwood Park. Anyone is welcome to participate, and players pay a $3 tournament fee to cover prizes. When the weather warms, Bishop said, the league will begin meeting on Mondays at 5 p.m.

A member of the league, Bishop’s son, 15-year-old Drew, is a big disc golf fan like his dad. Drew noted how easy it is for anyone to become a player.

“I love the personal challenge and the competition against other players,” he said. “And I love how easy it was to start playing, both skill-wise and money-wise.”

Bishop is interested in holding clinics to introduce others, young and old, to the enjoyment of playing disc golf. He’d also like to get schools involved by teaching students or physical education teachers how to play the game. He has contacts to connect schools with affordable, portable disc golf sets for classes and hopes they will take advantage of the opportunity to learn a potentially lifelong healthy, enjoyable sport.

Bishop has organized many tournaments at the Glenwood course, including his first Pro Disc Golf Association-

sanctioned tournament, the Southern West Virginia Shoot-Out, last September, which attracted 81 players from five states. This year’s Shoot-Out is already scheduled for Sept. 16, with the possibility of the second round of the tournament being played at the new City Park course.

West Virginia has just over 50 disc golf courses; of those, three of the most scenic are in Mercer County. Bishop has plans to continue designing picturesque disc pole holes across Mercer County, with the wooded area surrounding Dan Hale Reservoir on his radar for a possible course.

For more information about the Southern West Virginia Disc Golf Club, the Glenwood Disc Golf League, or to schedule a disc golf clinic, contact Greg Bishop at 304920-1746 or visit the Facebook page “Southern WV Disc Golf Club.”

To sponsor a hole at the new Princeton CIty Park Disc Golf Course, contact Amanda McCabe, executive director, City of Princeton Parks and Recreation, at 304-4875041. For information about the Glenwood Park Disc Golf Course, contact 304-425-1681.

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PRINCETON — The rolling hills and serene forests of our area make the perfect backdrop for disc golf. Disc golf aficionado Greg Bishop, of Glenwood, has almost single-handedly brought the craze to Mercer County.

He’s currently designing his fourth local course, this one located at Princeton City Park.

His skills come simply from playing nearly 90 courses and learning what he likes.

“I like to do a lot of walking when I’m planning the course, getting to know the land. I like using special features at each hole: a tree, a downed log, a boulder.

I like to incorporate it into the hole to make it more scenic,” he said. “I walked the trail at City Park for a month before I even designed the first hole.”

Glenwood Park Superintendent Greg Pruett said the course Bishop installed there see lots of traffic throughout the year by not only locals, but by disc golfers traveling through and professional disc golfers participating in tournaments. “[Bishop] does a lot of traveling with his work, and, in doing so, he’s played a lot of courses.

He approached me a few years ago and said we only have one course in the area, at Pipestem, and would it be possible to work with me and put one in at Glenwood Park,” Pruett said.

Pruett said many world-renowned disc golfers have seen the Glenwood course and complimented Bishop’s design.

One of the attractions of the Glenwood Park course is the water hazard the lake provides players. Bishop said he has waded the lake to retrieve as many as 60 lost discs from the water.

If players write a name and number on the back,

The second nine holes of the course are more difficult, and several holes are incorporated into the new hillside walking trail that traverses the park. Bishop was careful to design those holes so that walkers won’t interfere with a disc game and vice versa.

The course is expected to be completed by the end of spring. Fourteen of the holes are sponsored by local businesses at $500 per hole to cover installation expenses.

The past three courses Bishop has designed, including one at Bluefield College, he designed alone, sometimes using funds from his own pocket. Why? “He just has a passion for it,” explained Pruett.

“He has a lot of experience. He’s a real asset to courses around here.”

Bishop has formed the Southern West Virginia Disc Golf Club, a non-profit organization, which, according to their Facebook page, is “committed to flingin’ discs and making friends in the process.” Matt Wine of Princeton, a four-year member of the Club, said disc golf is a great way to “get out and have some good, clean fun with the guys.”

Bishop also leads a disc golf league that meets

Princeton Times

Friday, March 31, 2017 Section II 3

Fight to save flight of the honeybee: Mercer County Beekeepers using newly approved method to save the bees

BY JEANIE BROWN Princeton Times

PRINCETON — The plight of the honeybee in recent years has been a tough one. There’s no doubt the tiny little pollinator that’s responsible for one out of every three bites we eat is vital to not just our economy, but our health.

Concern for our honeybees increased with the emergence of colony collapse disorder in 2006, when colonies of honeybees began to inexplicably disappear, leaving behind the queen and their young. Scientists and beekeepers (apiarists) began searching for a reason, pointing to neonicitinoids in pesticides, malnutrition, loss of habitat, and other factors.

One of their suspicions included the varroa mite, a parasite which continues to become an increasing threat to the future of honeybees.

According to apiarist Ken Cole, former president of the Mercer County Beekeepers Association (MCBA) and Instructor of the Beginning Beekeepers course at the Mercer County Technical Education Center, “Without man’s intervention, the varroa mite might wipe out the honeybees.”

The varroa mite is a parasite that can only live off of honeybees. They suck the blood of both the adult bees and their young, called brood. The bees become weak and die, and the brood may be born deformed, missing legs or wings. If left untreated, the mites will multiply until they kill an entire colony. The female mite is large enough to be seen with the naked eye.

The body is flat and oval, reddish-brown in color, with eight legs.

The mites can easily spread from one colony to another, making them dangerous to multiple hives in the same apiary or even in the same neighborhood. According to Cole, the mites carry over 30 different viruses harmful to the honeybee.

Varroa mites were first reported in colonies of United States honeybees in Florida in the 1980s.

Tool to save the bees...

Contributed photo

This oxalic acid vaporizer, produced by Blue Ridge Bee Company in Princeton, is used by beekeepers to treat the hives for the harmful varroa mite.

Hive inspecting...

Photo by Jeanie Brown

Young beekeeper Eli Campbell, of Athens, checks a frame of honeybees during a hive inspection.

Many beekeepers agree regular inspections and treatments prevent hive loss due to varroa mites and other honeybee-specific parasites.

The parasites reached hives in our area in the 1990s. Several different strips treated with chemicals, such as Apistan strips and CheckMite+, were used as miticides, but according to the West Virginia Department of Agriculture, varroa mites started to develop a resistance to these treatments.The United States Department of Agriculture is working on developing a strain of honeybee that will be resistant to the varroa mite, but beekeepers in the meantime are rushing to find successful remedies to save their hives.

The newest treatment being used by local apiarists, according Cole, is the vaporization of a chemical called oxalic acid.

The chemical has been used for several years by apiarists in Europe, but was just approved this year in the United States.

Used in conjuction with another chemical, called formic acid (brand names MiteAway Quick Strips and ApiGuard), the treatments are quite successful in ridding a hive of

the harmful varroa mites, Cole said.

Oxalic acid is also known as wood bleach. It is an organic acid naturally found in plants and vegetablet. The acid is a natural plant’s defense against herbivores, and, therefore, has been used as a pesticide.

The vaporizer looks similar to a small pie iron used for cooking over a campfire. Oxalic acid crystals are placed inside the tool’s plate at the end of a handle, and a cord connects to a battery which heats the crystals to the point of vaporization. The bee hive is sealed off from the top, and the vaporizer is inserted at the bottom, where the vapors move through the clusters of the colony. The hives must be treated at precisely the right time of year, when the weather is cool enough for all the bees to be in the hive and for no brood to be present.

The treatment takes only minutes to kill the mites, and the hive doesn’t need to be opened, making it quick and convenient.

Cole said the oxalic acid vaporization treatment

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has been used successfully by state bee inspectors, including Rebecca Moretto, the inspector her in Mercer County.

Of the 52 members in the MCBA, Cole said 5 have used the treatments since its recent approval.

Success of the new treatments won’t be seen until warmer weather, when hives are inspected for mites.

Beekeeper Alvin Jewell, of Pineville, travels to the MCBA meetings so that he can learn about new treatments such as oxalic acid. He has not only used the treatment, he also has made his own oxalic acid vaporizer.

“It only took about $75 to make it,” he said, “and the treatments are less than $1 apiece.”

Cole said with the high cost of purchasing new

honeybees to replace lost hives (approximately $160 for a nuc), it makes sense to spend a couple of dollars to treat a hive for mites to ensure the bees live.

A local manufacturer of the vaporizers, Blue Ridge Bee Company, sells the vaporizer for $79. For an addtional $20, the company sells a complete kit, which comes with the vaporizer as well as enough oxalic acid for 50 treatments, the 1/4 teaspoon scoop for measuring the crystals, a pair of safety goggles, a mask, and gloves. The safety gear is a wise idea, because, although the acid is harmless to bees, it has a caustic effect on the eyes, skin and respiratory system of humans.

According to Blue Ridge Bee Company owner,

Will Lambert “oxalic acid vaporization is an organic treatment that you don’t have to open the hive to use, and research shows, when used properly, it has a 95 percent kill rate of varroa mites in the hive.”

Lambert has treated his own eight hives on Old Athens Road with the vaporized acid.

He described the parasites as pin-head sized, kidney bean-shaped parasites that definitely affect the health of a hive. His company has sold over 700 vaporizers on eBay since August 2016 and is also selling them on Amazon and on their website, www.blueridgebeecompany.com. With the method being approved just last year, hive survival rates later this spring will reveal the success of the vaporization method for his customers and for local beekeepers.

If the Belgian poet and master beekeeper Maurice Maeterlinck was correct in his 1901 book, “The Life of a Bee,” when he wrote, “If the bee disappeared off the face of the earth, man would only have four years left to live,” then every step we take to save the honeybee is crucial. Mercer County beekeepers are on the right track in saving the pollinators that make our world sweeter with their hard work.

— Contact Jeanie Brown at jbrown@ptonline.net.

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4 Section II Friday, March 31, 2017

Scouts’ honor!

Princeton Times

The Summit aims to build best BSA adventure — ever

Contributed photo

By TAMMIE TOLER Princeton Times

Contributed photos

Venues for adventure...

Top right, The Summit features an impressive site called Arrowhead Ridge for traditional training with bows, but this year, Scouts and Venturers will be able to try something completely new: sporting arrows.

Much like the shotgun sport, this archery activity will challenge participants to hit moving targets as they launch through the air. Above, Bravo Lake is home to The Summit’s water obstacle course, kayak touring and stand-up paddleboarding, pictured here. It’s a place where Scouts and Venturers can cool off between programs and enjoy the reflection of the area’s natural beauty on its calm waters.

One of those organizations is the Boy Scouts of America. Stephen was a boy scout as a youth and credited the BSA, more than anything else, with building the strength of character that allowed him to find success and to lead others throughout his life.

The Bechtel Foundation’s was the largest charitable donation ever made to the Boy Scouts of America.

Other charitable donations have also been essential to developing key features at The Summit. For example, Walter Scott Jr. became an Eagle Scout in 1946 and is a recipient of the Distinguished Eagle Scout Award. On Oct. 22, 2010, his foundation donated $25 million to The Summit. Scott credits the lessons he learned in Scouting to much of his success, including the central tenet of goal setting (but he loved the camping, too). The gift will result in the Scott Scouting Valley, the central panoramic feature at The Summit.

The Goodriches are no strangers to charitable giving and the BSA. The family helped create the Comer Scout Reservation (also known as Camp Comer) in the BSA’s Greater Alabama Council. Goodrich has described his gift as a natural response to wanting to give back to the organization responsible for creating such transformative experiences for so many young people. In appreciation of their gift, The Summit’s primary lake will be named Goodrich Lake.

The community also proved key in assisting.

Fayette County took out a $200 million loan.

“Talk about having some faith in a program,” Hartley said.

In addition, CONSOL Energy has donated $15 million toward the creation of the CONSOL Energy Bridge, a unique pedestrian bridge that will be an integral part of a Scout’s experience at The Summit. With three separate walkways, two of which bend above and below the main span, the bridge’s eagle-wing inspiration is clearly visible. The donation of America’s largest energy company will be forever recognized in this inspiring structure.

Hartley said The CONSOL Energy Bridge was designed to serve as a walkway crossing a valley on the property and to allow an ambulance to cross, if necessary.

“We did a lot of work with accessibility to make sure that we could access all parts of The

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Summit, if we needed to get to campers with all sorts of abilities or disabilities in any event,” Hartley explained. “The specs call for the bridge to handle the traffic of the camp, to get the kids across, as well as for us to be able to get an ambulance across it.

But if you’re a 14-yearold kid full of energy, you don’t have to go straight across. They put two cables in each side instead of one, which allowed them to do these walkways, where you can go all the way from the bottom of the bridge to the top of the bridge and then land back down on the other side.”

There’s also some symbolism of the eagle’s wings involved.

“Then, of course, the highest rank in scouting is the Eagle Scout, and if you’ll take a look at this, [the architect] used the form of the eagle’s wings

PR

states were visited over an 18-month span and inspected as possible locations for the new venue. The top 15 sites were visited, and in October 2008, the list was cut to three sites: Saline County, Ark.; Goshen, Rockbridge County, Va.; and the New River region of West Virginia. In February 2009, Arkansas was cut from the list, leaving Virginia and West Virginia. On Aug. 4, 2009, the BSA announced it was no longer considering the Virginia site as the permanent host of the National Jamboree and was looking into the feasibility of the West Virginia site hosting the National Jamboree as well as the leadership and high-adventure programs.”

In November 2009, the BSA announced that it had chosen the West Virginia site, known locally as the Garden Ground Mountain property, as the future home of The Summit.

Then, the question became one of funding.

Stephen Bechtel provided an answer.

“It started with the $50 million gift from Stephen Bechtel, and that’s why it’s called The Summit Bechtel Family National Scout Reserve,” Hartley said.

Stephen D. Bechtel Jr. ran the largest engineering company in the United States for 30 years. The S.D. Bechtel Jr. Foundation and the Stephen Bechtel Fund, both family foundations, provide support to, among other groups, select non-profit organizations that address challenges to the economic welfare of the United States.

C IN

ETON RAILR O

AD

GLEN JEAN — Days dedicated to outdoor adventure, nights camping under the stars and service projects pursuing purpose are all synonymous with a national or international scouting experience. Finding the perfect place for the national Boy Scout Jamboree that would allow such experiences to continue for 10 days at one time in one setting for 40,000 campers, their leaders and all the staffers, contractors and vendors that are essential to create the experience was a tall task. Creating that experience once the site was identified was even more intense.

But, scout’s honor, 10 years after the search began and on the brink of The Summit Bechtel National Scout Reserve’s second National Jamboree this summer, the high-adventure arena, leadership center and world-class camp is a one-of-a-kind site that is still in the development that Community and Government Relations Director Gary Hartley says is limited only by organizers’ imaginations.

Situated in the wilds of West Virginia, near Glen Jean and not far from Beckley, The Summit is a training, Scouting, and adventure center for the millions of youth and adults involved in the Boy Scouts of America and anyone who loves the outdoors.

According to its website, www.summitbsa. org, The Summit Bechtel Reserve was constructed as the permanent home for the National Scout Jamboree, held every four years, and the Paul R. Christen National High Adventure Base, which complements the three existing bases: Philmont Scout Ranch, Northern Tier and Florida Sea Base.

“Get ready for the next century of Scouting. With incredible facilities and amazing outdoor programs, The Summit is a place that takes Scouts and Venturers to the limits of what they think they can do, and then pushes them further...

The Summit is more than just a place for Scouts; it’s where future leaders are shaped,” the site declares.

The Summit story traces its roots back to 2007, when a top-secret search, covertly named Project Arrow began the search for the Jamboree’s new home and the BSA’s new adventure base.

The search committee dedicated to identifying this new site was chaired

by Jack Furst, and the search, investigation and competition to host the Jamboree was intense.

According to Summitbsa.org, “More than 80 sites in 28

for the bridge. If you see his drawing, it’s called the Eagle’s Wingtip Bridge, and it kind of goes up and down, like the eagle’s wings,” Hartley said. “And, as the eagle’s wings come down close to these rods, each rod goes 165 feet back into the rock to hold the suspension bridge in place.”

The property includes 14,000 acres of property bordering the 70,000 acres of the National Park Service’s New River Gorge National River and National Park. Hartley said the largest contiguous 10,000 acres of The Summit is situated in a bend in the New River atop land that was part of the old New River Coal Company, which began as an underground mine site, with shaft sites still present. Later, strip-mining procedures created a series of roads through the mountains that are still in place as the road system that staffers and visitors use to navigate The Summit site today.

The one-time wilderness of West Virginia’s natural “mountain mama” set the scene for rock-climbing walls, ziplines, mountain biking, ATV-riding, BMX bike-riding, swimming, theatrical re-enactments, swimming, canoeing, kayaking, STEM projects, scuba-diving and much more They planted nearly 100,000 trees on the property, several hundred of which are the new, hybrid American Chestnut trees that are created to be blight resistant. The site runs on two large water tanks that draw water from Oak Hill and Mount Hope, with a total capacity of roughly 8 million gallons. Two million would run The Summit’s daily operations, Hartley said, on an average yearround basis, but the larger tank is required for the Jamboree, so

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Continued from 4 organizers built both into the plan keeping sustainability in place for both eventualities.

“It helps to make the site self-sufficient,” he said.

When the Jamboree comes to town, there will be roughly 40,000 campers on site, and the digital service in Glen Jean was once questionable for one cell phone. AT&T joined The Summit as a major sponsor and changed all of that, Hartley said.

“They really lit the place up,” he said. “They came in and put in more than a dozen cell towers at the site ... and they added 160 Wifi hotspots.”

When it was all said and done, The Summit wound up with a bandwidth 2 1/2 times greater than the City of Charleston.

••• While staying connected to family, friends and the outside world is important, Hartley said The Summit is really all he about helping the scouts and venturers who visit the site connect with themselves, their skills and their interests. That’s why The Summit Center offers participants and visitors a small sample of the various activities available there.

At Summit Center, Scouts can get a taste of the activities, adventures and skills they can hone during their time at The Summit. Then, they can spend more time doing the things that interest them most, Hartley explained.

Princeton Times

Friday, March 31, 2017 Section II 5

Contributed photos

Some of the offerings at The Summit Center include rock climbing, mountain biking, skateboarding ziplining, rappelling and others.

“They can kind of make up their mind, and they can really kind of improve their skills,” Hartley said. “For example, if they really like mountain biking, they can come out [to the full mountain biking site] and spend all day mountain biking.”

All of the Jamboree camping takes place on-site at The Summit, but some scouts travel into the New River Gorge National Park for whitewater rafting trips.

Whenever possible, and always when on The Summit property, Scouts and Venturers hike to their destinations.

Adventure sites are constructed so that participants may progress from beginner to more advanced stages as they either age or improve through their programming or skill levels.

“This one of the largest collections of BMX tracks in the country, and of course, it has all of the jumps and the turns and everything that the bikers want,” he said.

A new addition to this jamboree, in answer to the demands of the campers, will be ATV-safety

p a e Ch s l l i r Th RECORDS

training, in partnership turous, world-class site ble illnesses are spread and the beauty that sur- needlessly among the with Polaris ATVs. One of the adventure rounds them daily. It’s 40,000 campers on site. sites those ATV rid- the sort of scene that A security check of each ers will certainly see is must be experienced to bus will take place, and a Boulder Cove, a unique fully grasp, but some- bus will roll toward The site that was made by times numbers can help Summit approximately man but looks like its put the scope of the task every 45 seconds – for 10 hours. into perspective. surroundings.

Every intersection When the scouts for the “This here is a good example of just how National Jamboree roll between the welcome creative these folks are. into Fayette County on center and The Summit Advertiser Tudor’s Worldwill be staffed in an buses from allBiscuit over the This was a retaining attempt to avoid traffic nation this summer, each wall for the road above Contact Robert Gobel 304.722.0019 us.” Hartley said. “They bus will be assigned a jams. Up to 80 buses will Publication Bluefield Daily — every 5.417” xhour, 6” and within anTelegraph 8 arrive said, ‘You know, we time frame to 10-hour have this great retainRun Date Fri 3/3timeline in that doesn’t even account ing wall. Why don’t we which to arrive at the for the scouts who will make it a rock-climbing Ruby Welcome Center arrive via plane or train.

Because The Summit wall?’ They worked with on Route 19. From there, a group called Eldorado each bus will undergo a needs to remain active Jamborees, Rock Walls, and they health and safety check between went out and photo- to ensure no communica- Hartley said it is now graphed and looked at the rocks in the New River Gorge. They put in the steel, wrapped it in mesh and brought in different teams to sculpt the rocks and paint them to make them look a thousand years old. Isn’t that something?”

Boulder Cove is the rock-climbing sampler in The Summit Center. There’s a larger rock-climbing and rappelling tower in Adventure Alley for campers who want to get serious about those skills.

••• It’s difficult to capture the enthusiasm the folks at The Summit have for their gorgeous, adven-

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in use for a variety of Girl Scout, Venturing and other camps and is available year round.

In fact, it will be the site of a Spartan Race in August, which is expected to make a substantial economic impact in southern West Virginia, because unlike the Jamborees where campers stay on-site, Spartan participants will need hotel and motel rooms and restaurant business.

For more information on The Summit Bechtel National Scout Reserve, visit summitbsa.org.

— Contact Tammie Toler at ttoler@ptonline. net

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Princeton Times

6 Section II Friday, March 31, 2017

On the cutting edge...

Age-old tradition brings world-class timbersports to Camp Creek

By JEANIE BROWN Princeton Times

CAMP CREEK — In 1880s West Virginia, before King Coal’s reign began, lumber was king. The first bandsaw came to the state in 1881, and logging operations popped up all over. Settlers saw money growing on the virgin timbers of our state, and by 1909, half a million board feet of lumber were being produced per year.

With 17 acres a day of timber needed to flow through a mill, loggers had to practice skill and speed to keep up with demand. They were a proud, hardworking lot, tackling poplars 140 feet high, white oaks 13 feet in diameter, and stands of red spruce and firs with undergrowth of mountain laurels so thick, men sometimes starved to death trying to push through.

The “woodhicks,” as they were sometimes called, lived in the wooded hills in shantytowns— shanties being crude, tiny shacks that could be assembled quickly for work in the woods and then torn down to transport to the next camp. During a month or so in those hills, offhours were oft filled with boredom. The macho workers needed a pasttime to entertain themselves. The competition already present in their line of work naturally

Photo by Jeanie Brown

Chopping champ...

Timbersports competitor Bryan Wamsley, forester at Allegheny Wood Products in Green Valley, participates in the standing block competition at the Camp Creek Timbersports Competition and Ramp Feast last year. The event, sponsored by the Camp Creek State Park Foundation, takes place this year on April 29.

Admission is free, and lumberjack champions from across the country will be participating in the event. led to heated chopping and sawing matches.

In those days, rivalries were about endurance, seeing which lumberjack could chop the longest.

The matches often lasted

for hours among workers who were accustomed to working long days.

Modern timbersports competitions are less about endurance and more about speed and

strength. Timbersports competitor and Forester for Appalachian Wood Products in Green Valley, Brian Wamsley, has been competing in the sport since he joined the West

Virginia University Woodsmens Team 2004.

Wamsley, originally from Lewis County, graduated from WVU in 2007 with a degree in forestry resource

management. He organized the first Camp Creek Timbersports Competition last year during the Camp Creek State Park and Forest Foundation’s annual Ramp Feast. Twenty lumberjacks from across the country, including world-renowned competitors and four females, participated in last year’s competition in the hills of southern West Virginia.

One of the competitors was Arden Cogar Jr., who is not only a sawyer, but also a lawyer, and whose father competed in Appalachia’s first wood-chopping festival in the 1930s in Webster Springs. Another competitor was Mike Eash, of Pennsylvania, also a second-generation chopper and a former jeweler who went from cutting diamonds to cutting wood. Eash uses a diamond grinder to sharpen axes for his co-choppers. Mike Slingerland and his son, Matt, carry on the tradition of Mike’s father, Richard, who was also a timbersports champion in the 1970s. Melvis Lintz, known as “King of the Lumberjacks,” a logger by trade, has won more international, world and Australian titles than any other competitor in America. Lintz is a third-generation chopper and has passed the sport

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Fun...

Continued from 1 outside the Mountain State.

The HTMT was built to accommodate trail riders of all experience levels and tolerance for adventure. Because each trail has its own personality and community connectivity, there can be quite a substantial distance between various portions of the system, but wherever possible, organizers have linked the elements and trails as closely as possible. The trails include: • Bearwallow Trail System: One of the three original HMT systems opened in October 2000, Bearwallow Trail offers access to and from the town of Logan and runs near the site of the Battle of Blair Mountain. Bearwallow is open to 4x4s and offroad vehicles. The trailhead is located in Ethel.

• Buffalo Mountain Trail System: Also one of the three original HMT systems opened in October 2000, Buffalo Mountain Trail System is known for its proximity to the Hatfield-McCoy feud sites, including that of the Matewan Massacre. The trail provides direct community access to the towns of Williamson, Delbarton and Matewan. The trailhead is located in Williamson.

• Devil Anse Trail System: Now open, this system links the Rockhouse and Buffalo Mountain trail systems, uniting more than 300 miles of the HatfieldMcCoy Trail System.

The trailhead is located in the town of Matewan, historically known for being the heart of the Hatfield-McCoy Feud.

This system has immediate access to gas, food and lodging. Fifty-three percent of the trail is rated a blue difficulty level for more difficult, while 26 percent is rated green.

• Indian Ridge Trail System: Along with the Pocahontas and Pinnacle Creek trail systems, the Indian Ridge Trail is one-third of the largest continuous area of the Hatfield-McCoy Trail System. The trailhead for Indian Ridge is located in Ashland, near Northfork in McDowell County.

• Pinnacle Creek Trail System: Along with the Indian Ridge and Pocahontas trails, Pinnacle Creek provides more than one-third of

Friday, March 31, 2017 Section II 7

On average, as many as 40,000 riders annually visit southern West Virginia to ride the Hatfield-McCoy Trail System, traversing the terrain where folklore tells of a blood feud so strong that it lived far longer than Devil Anse Hatfield and Randal McCoy, the ill-fated romance between two youngsters that it claimed or the stolen pig that spurred it on. the longest continuous trail mileage of the HMT Trail System. It is also known for its scenery and proximity to Twin Falls Resort, skiing opportunities and whitewater rafting -- all within a one-hour drive. The trailhead is located in Pineville.

Pocahontas Trail System: Along with Pinnacle Creek and Indian Ridge, Pocahontas is part of the largest onethird of the HMT system. Pocahontas is also known for its access to historic Bramwell, home of the millionaire coal barons of the Pocahontas coalfields, who built the town in the late 1800s and early 1900s. The Pocahontas Trail also offers the closes access to Interstate 77 and serves as the HMT gateway to the Southeast United States. The trailhead is in Bramwell, and community access is available to Bramwell and Montcalm.

Rockhouse Trail System: The largest single trail system, Rockhouse is also one of the three original trails in the HMT to open in October 2000. It is known for its wide variety of types of trails, as well as the amount of lodging available in both Man and Gilbert. The trailhead is in Man. The Hatfield-McCoy Trail System is typically at its busiest from mid-March through November, but this winter’s unseasonably warm temperatures created a boost in trail-riding weather and permit sales. Lusk welcomed the sunshine and absence of snow in the hills and hollows.

“We were up double digits in the history of the trails,” Lusk said.

“March has just started out really strong.

We’re ramping up right now. We’ve actually just had the best combination December-JanuaryFebruary in the history of the trails.”

There are big things happening on the HTM horizon too.

Lusk is particularly looking forward to the development of the new visitors center that is being developed by SilverPoint Homes in

Coaldale to serve as the gateway to the trail system in McDowell County.

“We’re hoping that will open up sometime this summer,” Lusk said.

On average, as many as 40,000 riders annually visit southern West Virginia to ride the Hatfield-McCoy Trail System, traversing the terrain where folklore tells of a blood feud so strong that it lived far longer than Devil Anse Hatfield and Randal McCoy, the ill-fated romance between two youngsters that it claimed or the stolen pig that spurred it on.

But, to Lusk’s dismay, the development those visitors should spark hasn’t ignited as quickly as he – and they – had hoped when the HTM system began taking shape.

“The greatest need we still have is lodging investment along the trail. Mercer and McDowell will continue to be a leader in lodging and attractions, but we still need more lodging there, particularly in Bramwell, Matoaka and Montcalm. Those little, rural communities can really capitalize on what the trail has to offer.

If you’ll look at Main Street in Bramwell, they have really taken advantage of what the ATV riders bring to the community and have catered to them,” Lusk said.

“They’ve welcomed them with open arms. There, the ATVs ride right down Main Street, because the business owners and the town leaders have made them feel welcome. They don’t get that kind of treatment everywhere they go. In fact, a lot of places, it’s just the opposite. They really are made to feel like they are not wanted, like they are a nuisance in other areas.”

He likes to joke that places like Bramwell, Gilbert, Man and Coaldale not only roll out the red carpet for trail riders, but they roll it out and carry them down it.

The economy in these small communities was so closely linked to coal that it almost died when the fossil fuel all but stopped being export-

ed during the nation’s Great Recession in the late 2000s, but the ATV and trail industries have helped Bramwell, Matoaka and Montcalm diversify somewhat.

Still, there’s a way to go.

“We really need more beds,” Lusk said. “We need the folks who are already open to expand, and we need more businesses to open … Right now, the largest in-demand commodity is cabins, followed by full hookup campsites. Then, the ancillary activities have not developed as they should. The zip lines, the canoe and kayak sites, the skiing. These folks don’t want to ride every single day. They want a full, fun vacation.”

With 40,000 riders entering the region each year, Lusk said the area could support at least one, maybe two more zip line attractions and a kayak site, complete with guides and training. But, so far, those sorts of activities are few and far between in the region.

He believes the HTM has proven its sustainability and its worth well since 2000.

“The biggest question was whether or not what we’re doing was sustainable. It is successful, and it is something we can build upon. Initially, when we opened, there was the concern whether this is something that could work year in and year out. I think we’ve shown that it will be here long-term, to the point that folks can make an investment and get into the business,” Lusk said. “Those initial guys really took a chance. Those guys have been successful. We’ve proven to be good stewards of the land and good stewards of that initial investment.”

When asked to sum up what it is that makes the HTM successful, Lusk said he believes it’s mostly the 600-plus miles and variety of terrain riders can enjoy.

When riders visit the HTM once, they don’t make it a single visit. Mercer County Convention and Visitors Bureau Executive Director Jamie Null

recently met a duo finishing their 18th trip to southern West Virginia.

“The impact is so great, because when these riders come into our area, they don’t just visit one place. They join the community. They stay in our lodging. They visit our gas stations, our grocery stores, our restaurants, our businesses. They go everywhere we would go, and this couple had been here 18 times, to ride the trails. Eighteen times!” she said. “Imagine the money they spent during their trips.”

She also sees a dire need for diversification.

“We definitely need to turn our attention on the economic side to activities that are something they can do after a couple of days of riding. We can extend their vacation if we have something else for them to do. We have to do the activities that they can do to complement the ATV riding,” Null said. “Breweries are very popular right now, and they are going handin-hand with the trail in some places.”

Though she acknowledges it’s not always possible, Null said she’s also noticed that trail riders would rather park their on-road vehicles at the beginning of the vacation and start them up at the end, opting for their ATVs and UTVs at all points in between.

So small places like Bramwell, where ATVs are welcome on Main Street are ideal.

ATV enthusiasts have a passion for riding the trails that knows no bounds, and they are not the average tourist. They love to explore, and Lusk said the diversity and scenery they can find along the HTM feeds that need for the unique experience.

“We are one of, if not the, largest managed trail systems in the eastern U.S. You can come here for a week and never cross your path.

No one else enjoys that level of mileage,” he said.

Plus, there’s the fact that each community on the trail is different, bearing the personality of its hometown and the people who live there.

“It makes for a very unique experience. Most of these properties are locally owned. There are very few chains along the trail,” Lusk said. “So, you can stay in one of these properties, or stop in at a restaurant, and you’re in for a one-of-a-kind experience more often than not that you just can’t find anywhere else.”

He said the hospitality he’s seen along the HTM is unmatched.

“I’ve been at this job 11 years, and I’ve never had one of our visitors call me and say that one of our vendors, one of our providers, has been unkind to them or treated them poorly,” he said.

“I’ve never had one complaint.”

Still, Null said there’s always room for improvement.

“In Mercer County, I think there are lots of things we can do to make ourselves more ATV-friendly. The CVB is encouraging businesses, especially on Route 52 to put up signs that say ‘Welcome ATV Riders’ just to let them know that we’re glad they’re here,” she said.

One of Lusk’s most memorable experiences on the trail came one day as he escorted Bramwell Mayor Louise Stoker around a portion of the trail. He was a little nervous to have such a prestigious task.

“Lou is always dressed very well. Up until that day, I had never seen Lou with any bit of mud on her,” Lusk recalled. “I was so concerned when I took her out that I was avoiding everything, every mud hole and every bit of mud I saw … when the ride was over, I parked sort of close to a mud hole, and one of her fellow riders zoomed by us and just got mud all over her. I think I am the only person to get the mayor muddy, and I had spent the whole day being meticulous not getting the mayor muddy.”

Ironically, Null shared a similar memory about the trail.

“I’ve been around the trail a couple of times.

One time, I went around with some Canadians, and they were amazed by the forests here – the shape of the limbs, the leaves, the form of the branches, everything.

The way the trees sort of made a canopy fascinated them. I guess they were trying to be cautious because I was with them, and because of that, the ride was actually kind of slow and boring. Toward the end of the day, I said, ‘Can you please just let it up and go fast. They didn’t want to get me muddy or wet, so they had been really careful in the ride up to that point, but when I asked them to do that, they did. They went fast, and it was a lot more fun then,” Null said. “They laughed a lot at me too.”

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8 Section II Friday, March 31, 2017

Edge...

Continued from 6 on to his son, Jason, who also came to compete at Camp Creek. Jerry Gingras, award-winning lumberjack from New Hampshire, traveled the farthest to compete in West Virginia, and has competing since the age of 10.

Among the “lumberjills,” or female competitors who competed at Camp Creek is Martha King, a petite but powerful chopper from Pennsylvania who works for her family’s tree service business.

King has competed in five Lumberjack World Championships and won first place in the championship in Paris France in 2015. West Virginia lumberjill Kristin Friend, from Jefferson County, will make another appearance at the competition this year, as will Arden Cogar Jr.’s wife, Kristy Cogar. Trish Jones, multi-winning World Champion Jack and Jill cutter will again participate as well.

Competitors will engage in a number of different divisions of competition, including the standing block (the lumberjack chops a vertical log beside him), single buck (a lumberjack uses a cross-cut saw to cut a slice called a ‘cookie’ from a log), stock saw (Each competitor randomly draws a Stihl MS661s chainsaw from a batch and saws into equal blocks of wood, striving to be the fastest to make two cuts.), hot saw (this ‘bring-yourown-saw” event involves

At the chopping block...

Photo by Jeanie Brown

Timbersports competitor Bryan Wamsley, a forester with Allegheny Wood Products in Green Valley, practices recently at his backyard training facility at his home in Narrows, Va. Wamsley is organizing the second annual Timbersports Competition at Camp Creek State Park in April. The competition brings champion lumberjacks and sawyers from across the country to compete in the day-long festival that coincides with the Camp Creek Ramp Feast. the use of customized chain saws with motors replaced by the motor of a dirt bike. The event’s unpredictability makes it exciting.), two-man cross-cut saw (two sawyers slice two cookies from a 12-inch poplar log), Jack and Jill (a male and a female sawyer pair up to be the fastest team to cross-cut a cookie from a log), Jill and Jill (two females team up to do the same), and the axe throw. The axe throw involves a double-edged axe being thrown at a

target in an attempt to make a bulls eye.

According to Wamsley, the axe throw has its origin in the early logging days.

“It came about because of arguments with the camp cook,” he explained.

“If you wanted to settle the argument, you put a cherry in the thick bark of a chestnut or poplar tree. Whoever hit the cherry with the axe first won the argument: too much salt in the gravy, more meat and less vegetables, or whatever the

argument was.”

Timbersports competitors partake in a rather expensive hobby, according to Wamsley.

Lumberjacks accumulate their equipment as they’re able to afford it. Specialty axes begin in the $600 range, with only a handful of manufacturers available in the world, none of whom are in North America, Wamsley said.

Cross-cut saws, which usually require a twoyear wait period, begin in the $2,000 range.

Peace of mind has a new ring tone.

Single-buck saws, which are made only in New Zealand, also require a two-year or more wait period and cost at least $2,500.

Along with equipment, special chopping shoes are needed that are flexible and have tips that allow the logger to feel the log with his or her toe. Wamsley has special custom-made chainmaille leg guards made from stainless steel fireplace grate and a sharkbite suit. Training equipment is up to each lumberjack, and range from fully-equipped, yearround modern facilities to homemade, backyard areas. Wamsley opted for the “Rocky Balboa” method of training, working with logs he accumulates from his job as a forester.

At his home in Narrows, he has built a wooden platform by a stream, where he anchored an underhand cradle and a chopping block stand.

His wife, Laura, participated in last year’s crosscut competition and hopes to begin training in chopping. The couple’s two-year-old son, Benjamin, stays busy ‘chopping’ with strips of wood on his pretend chopping block, already following in the footsteps of his dad.

Investments in equipment are in part reimbursed by winning competitions. Award prizes start around $100 for the top placer in each event, Wamsley said, with a total purse of approximately $3,000 at the Camp Creek Competition. Businesses who would like to sponsor the events at this year’s Camp Creek com-

petition may contact him at 304-888-7577 for more information.

Timbersports carries on a long-standing traditional in rural West Virginia. It provides exercise and personal satisfaction for competitors and exciting entertainment for festival goers. Most of all, it provides a connection among lumberjacks from all walks of life and all areas of the world.

“It’s fun. There’s a lot of comraderie among the guys,” said Wamsley. “We compete against each other, but there’s no enimosity between us.”

The Camp Creek T i m b e r s p o r t s Competition is scheduled for Saturday, April 29, at the park’s amphitheater.

The day kicks off with a flower and bird walk hosted by the Bibbee Nature Club from 8 a.m. to 10 a.m. The ramp feast, which always draws a hungry crowd anxious to devour those once-a-year wilderness delicacies baked into a casserole, is served from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. All the fixings will be available alongside the ramp casserole: brown beans and cornbread, cole slaw, drinks, and tasty desserts.

The timbersports action will launch in two shifts with a break between.

The first round of competition is from 11 a.m. to 12:30 p.m., and the second shift is 1:30 to 3 p.m. The event is free, and the feast is $12, which benefits the Camp Creek State Park and Forest Foundation.

— Contact Jeanie Brown at jbrown@ptonline.net

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Friday, March 31, 2017 Section III 1

Take Me Home

Contributed photo

Expanding lives...

KVC West Virginia is a non-profit, 501c3 child welfare and behavioral healthcare organization built on the ideals of Kids, Values and Compassion. Although most people seeking to adopt a child forever enter the adoption process hoping to bring a baby into their family, there are more than 5,000 children in some form of temporary care throughout West Virginia, and many of them are pre-teens, teens and young adults. Although it doesn’t always work out this way, many times, foster care turns into a forever home, if the foster-care placement works for the family and the child. To become a foster parent, the adults in a home must be between the ages of 21 and 65, meet basic income requirements, have dependable transportation, agree to rely on non-physical discipline, participate in 30 hours of foster family training, possess a safe and healthy home and agree to undergo and pass a background check.

Foster to forever...

KVC aims to make sure all children have homes built to last

By SARA CAMERON for the Princeton Times

PRINCETON — As of January 2017, there were approximately 5,040 children in temporary care in West Virginia, the majority of which need homes, according to the Mercer County KVC (Kids, Values, Compassion) branch.

KVC West Virginia is a private, non-profit, 501c(3) child welfare and behavioral healthcare organization.

One of KVC’s main goals is to find forever homes for foster children. While many people love adopting infants, KVC’s Community Resource Specialist Paul Orten, says, “The reality is there are many teen/ young adults who are in need of a loving, supportive family.”

“Becoming a foster or adoptive parent is a big decision! It can become difficult to find families willing to follow through with the level of commitment required,” Orten said.

KVC has a mission to enrich and enhance the lives of children and

Contributed photo

Fun and games...

There are currently more than 5,000 children in some form of temporary care throughout West Virginia, and many of them are pre-teens, teens and young adults. Community Resource Specialist Paul Orten says nearly any adult with a kind heart and some knowledge, talent or time to share can make a positive impact on a child’s life, even if they just take time to do some crafts, play a musical instrument or even play a game as a mentor. Even small contributions can make lifelong impacts to children in need of positive influence. families by providing medical and behavioral healthcare, social ser-

vices, and education.

The non-profit agency works closely with

the West Virginia Department of Health and Human Resource,

more commonly known as DHHR, and other organizations to provide

community-based services that enrich and enhance the lives of children and families.

To be approved as a foster-care parent, there are necessary qualities a potential parent needs to possess. Of course, one must have the desire to help a child succeed. The requirements to become a foster parent in West Virginia are: • To be between 21 and 65 years of age; • Meet basic income guidelines; • Reach regulations regarding a safe and healthy home environment; • Have reliable transportation; • Possess a willingness to complete 30 hours of free training on fostering; • Agree to use non-physical discipline; • Undergo and pass a background check.

Unfortunately, and realistically, not everyone can adopt, or foster. For those unable to adopt, but with a desire to make a difference, there

Foster, 2

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Princeton Times

2 Section III Friday, March 31, 2017

Foster...

Continued from 1 are still options.

“Everyone can do something meaningful to help children and families who are involved in the child-welfare system. The families we serve are often affected by poverty, substance abuse, mental/behavioral health challenges, or trauma such as abuse or neglect. You can offer your time by mentoring a teenager, or volunteering to serve in some capacity,” Orten said.

The community is encouraged to help foster children by sharing personal, unique talents; i.e. playing a musical instrument, sharing crafting skills, going hunting or fishing, etc.

In addition to KVC’s services, The Safe at Home initiative’s goal is to reduce the number of youth living in temporary care settings like residential treatments facilities and youth shelters.

Orten said he has personally witnessed a direct influence of the services. He explained that the initiative has the belief that youth develop best in families, and in local communities with people who are interested in their well-being. Safe at Home follows a wraparound model of intervention.

“It is designed to bring people together in the youth and family’s life to identify strengths and needs of the family.

Then, this wraparound team works together to determine and implement creative strategies to address the needs identified by the family.

I have seen the posi-

tive impact that these services can provide the families in crisis, as well as the positive support that West Virginia communities will show in times of need,” he said.

In effort to bring awareness to KVC’s services and the Safe at Home initiative, the organization will be present at several events, as well hosting their own.

KVC’s Annual Resource Family Conference, held at Glade Springs Resort from March 31-April 1, is a training opportunity for KVC foster families to learn a range of new topics such as helping youth feel safe and connected, promoting healthy brain development and resilience, and partnering with other members of a child’s support team. Children will enjoy tons of fun and games while parents attend the workshops.

KVC also attended the Job Fair at Bluefield State College on March 22 to provide information about the career oppor-

tunities available with KVC, as well as information about their services. On March 23, the organization also took part in a resource fair at Concord University from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., and representatives will be on hand for The Springfest in Bluefield on April 29.

“We are constantly searching for opportunities to spread the word about the need for foster care, so any notifications of upcoming events that would provide us that platform can be sent to “porten@kvc.org,” or by phone at 304-932-5745.

Along with becoming involved in KVC’s awareness events, fostering and adopting, monetary donations and/or goods are appreciated. To find out more information about KVC, including free foster-parent training classes, visit “westvirginia.kvc.org” or call 304-347-9818.

KVC is currently serving 26 counties throughout West Virginia, by providing foster care,

Contributed photo

and 27 counties as providers of the Safe at Home initiative. The

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Princeton Times

Girls just want to have fun...

Photo contributed by CU International Students Club

Some of Concord University’s International students enjoy a little down time and strike a pose inside their home away from home on The Campus Beautiful.

Friday, March 31, 2017 Section III 3

Celebrating Homecoming...

Contributed photo by CU International Club

Members of Concord University’s International Students Club dress their parts for the Homecoming festivities during Greek Week at the Athens campus.

Although southern West Virginia has not always been home to the international students, they are all making the region home, at least temporarily.

Abroad to home amid the hills

Educational opportunities bring international students to W.Va.

By ANASTASIIA VOROBEVA

for the Princeton Times

ATHENS — While West Virginia has an image of being home to only “mountaineers,” international students from all over the world actually make West Virginia their home. Some only remain among the Mountain State’s hills and valleys temporarily while they are in school, but others stay here permanently.

According to a NAFSA report, there were 4,150 international students living in WV during the recent 2015-2016 academic year.

“Since I came here, I’ve been feeling like I’m at home away from home,” says Olga Novikova, a Concord University student from Russia, who came to study Hotel and Travel Industry Management.

“I’ve always been treated

in the best way possible, and people of West Virginia have been always interested in getting to know me.”

Novikova says that she smiles and thinks about West Virginia every time she hears John Denver’s song “Country Roads,” while traveling locally or abroad.

It takes courage to move to another country, and it takes time to adjust to a different language, culture and weather. Sometimes, the new country becomes a home, and others, it seems to be unwelcoming and hostile.

Different international students’ experience of West Virginia ranges from the stories about people they barely knew being outstandingly nice and offering them a room to stay overnight to unknown man coming from the back and

whispering that he used to kill “people like you” during the war.

Megastasia Waddy, a Concord University student from Indonesia, recalls how loved her American friends made her feel after the first President Trump’s immigration ban. Many people she knows texted to say they were worried for her. Yet, there are also some negative moments Waddy mentions about life in West Virginia.

“The bad experiences have come from people staring whenever I’m at Wal-Mart, Kroger or other public places. I think people stare because there isn’t much diversity in this region,” she said.

Waddy is married to American, and she doesn’t mind the idea of staying in West Virginia after graduation, even though she

might prefer to live in a big city.

“My overall experience as an international student in West Virginia was inspiring and perspective-changing,” says Jelena Jevtić, Bluefield State College student from Serbia, who mentions how kind West Virginias are. “The more people I meet from here, the more respect I have for them.”

Brahim Ladhar, a Concord University student from Tunisia, says after thoughtful phrasing, “I was astonished and happy to be among this community until I started noticing funny faces and rarely some verbal violence towards me just because I look different, and that doesn’t make me feel comfortable.”

Haley McCord, a Concord University student from Lewis County,

has been dating Ladhar for more than a year.

“He has definitely encouraged me to meet new people and try new things that I may not have had the chance to experience otherwise,” says McCord, talking about how dating an international student changed her. However, McCord didn’t always find people around her being accepting of their love.

“Brahim and I have encountered a few racist individuals during his time at Concord,” she said candidly.

Nancy Ellison, director of Multicultural Affairs at Concord, believes that exposure to different cultures is important for American students.

Most of them have never flown or been outside of the United State, says Ellison.

“It is a whole new expe-

rience for them, and it is so valuable because they are learning not only from their classwork but also the cultural experience of being with international students,” Ellison said.

Some internationals will leave West Virginia or even the country after their graduation, but others will stay because they have found a new home and fallen in love with mountains and the people who live here. No matter how long they are planning to stay in West Virginia, most of the internationals who have found their way here agree that West Virginia and the “Mountain Mama” atmosphere have presented a great opportunity to learn something new and to share American culture. It has been and will continue to be life-changing for everybody.

Concord’s tallest towers get facelifts

By JEFF HARVEY

for the Princeton Times

ATHENS — For many of Athens’ temporary residents, their homes away from home are getting a makeover. The tallest buildings on the Concord University campus, the Twin Towers residence halls, are being brought into the 21st century via an extensive remodeling project.

Rick Dillon, CU’s vice president of administration/associate dean of students said, “The North and South Towers residence halls at Concord University are undergoing extensive renovations.(Among these renovations are) new, energy-efficient windows and exterior

finishes, state-of-the-art technology upgrades, new heat and air systems, carpeting, paint and completely renovated bath areas for dorm rooms.”

In addition, he said, “Double-pane windows will replace original, single-pane units, and all bedrooms will be painted. Each residence hall will also receive elevator, and IT upgrades to include the latest version of Wi-Fi networking.”

The project, kicked off on April 22, 2016, as part of Concord’s Founders Day ceremony, saw work progress through spring, summer and fall of 2016 and into this semester.

The North (women’s)

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Tower was completely renovated by Jan. 8. Project work on the top four floors of South (men’s) Tower began on Jan. 2 in anticipation of a completion date in September 2017.

The Towers were built in 1968, consisting of 173,500 square feet.

Silling Associates, based in Charleston, is the architectural firm for the renovation project.

The general contractor is Paramount Builders located in St. Albans.

— Contact Jeff Harvey at delimartman@yahoo. com.

Getting an overhaul...

Contributed photo

Concord University Vice President of Administration and Associate Dean of Students Rick Dillon reports that the North and South Towers residence halls at CU are undergoing extensive renovations, including the addition of new, energy-efficient windows and exterior finishes, state-of-the-art technology upgrades, new heat and air systems, carpeting, paint and completely renovated bath areas.

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Princeton Times

4 Section III Friday, March 31, 2017

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“It’s kindly in your blood, something you just like doing. A lot of years, it’s kind of hard to even make a profit, but somehow, you just keep going,” Johnston said one cold morning recently, with a mix of snow and rain falling outside his barn/garage at Oakwyn Farms, just north of Athens.

On this particular day, wet snow had already fallen over the community, despite the fact that the calendar and recent time change indicated spring was only days away. A frigid, persistent wind blew over the knoll where Oakwyn is situated, chilling anyone who happened to be outside to the bone. Yet, Steve knew there were lambs who had been born four days earlier and even younger ones who had arrived just a night or two before. The youngest were still penned inside a barn to ward off some

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Princeton Times

Friday, March 31, 2017 Section III 5

In tune with tradition: Easter family pickin’s link music of past and people of present

By TAMMIE TOLER Princeton Times

ELGOOD — Set to the twang of good, old-fashioned bluegrass before a postcard-perfect mountain backdrop and seasoned with a heaping helping of hometown hospitality, a familiar hilltop tradition thrives in the Easter family near Elgood.

Known only as Pickin’s, the festivities take place twice each year -- once on the third Saturday in July and once on the Saturday after Christmas — but they are events not to be missed, for many of the regular participants and musicians who pull instruments, cook a covered dish and join the fun for a few hours of music and fellowship among neighbors, or maybe friends they haven’t seen in the months since the last Pickin’.

“There aren’t any requirements to come,” Martha Easter, who’s been hosting pickin’s with her husband, Dwight, for the last 38 years, said.

They used to happen once a year; then they added a second.

Dwight quickly amended the requirement statement, though, adding that there are some prohibitions.

“I don’t want any electric instruments, rocking out. It’s pretty much a bluegrass thing. And, we don’t want any thieves here,” he said.

Though there have been times over the years when visitors have arrived with the wrong idea about the musicand-food fest, along with the friendly welcome they met, both of the Easters emphasized that they have always intended for the events to be family friendly and drug-free.

“It’s always been something we wanted people to feel free bringing the kids to and something that we could have our kids at,” Dwight said.

Their own children — Amanda and Josh — grew up around the pickin’s and the music.

As a result, they play music now, even though they have varied and other interests as well.

Amanda now lives in Oregon, but Josh remains in the area and still plays guitar, banjo, mandolin and upright bass. He is also a music writer these days. Martha is encouraging him to debut one of his songs and attempt to sell it.

“I know if he would sell one of his songs, he would see how well he could do with it,” she said.

But, at 25, Dwight understands his son has too many varied interests to dedicate too much attention to one for too long.

Still, Josh appreciates the experience he gained through the music his parents love and the pickin’s he experienced as a youth.

“It’s been fun,” he said.

“It’s nice. A lot of kids don’t get to experience that growing up.”

Dwight said the family used to set up games away from the music so

the kids at the events could go play the games when they wanted and emerge to pick a few tunes when they wished.

When they grew tired of the music, they had a haven to which they could retreat.

“They could pick a little and play a little,” he said.

••• Pickin’s, or similar events, have been hosted in Appalachian regions for generations. The Easter family is no different.

“I think my mom started hers in the early ‘70s,” he said. “It’s basically for the musicians. They’re a family of sorts. Just like we’re a family. The musicians are all an extended family.”

“And, a lot of times, the only chance they get to see one another is at the pickin’,” Martha added.

“We never know who’s going to show up. The winter ones tend to have more people.”

Both Dwight and Martha attributed that fact to the reality that many people travel in the summer, so it’s often more difficult to avoid vacation scheduling, par-

ticularly with the July pickin’.

“During the winter, if the weather is good, we’ve had 300 people in the house,” he said.

“Even if it’s bad, we probably get 100.”

The fact that a neighbor hosts a Jeep run through the nearby hills and hollows that same day boosts attendance somewhat. The riders make their run through the local mud, snow, rain or whatever elements exist that day, finish the ride and stop back by the Easters’ for a meal on the way out.

In addition to hosting one or two of the gatherings annually as a tradition, Dwight said the family will occasionally add another for a special event. For example, they had one to mark the completion and unveiling of a new home, and his brother, Jimmy — who is always a valued and integral part of any Easter pickin’ — has marked at least two birthdays over the years with very musical celebrations.

“We couldn’t have a

Pickin’ and pictures...

Shown here inside the Easters’ garage during one of their winter gatherings, this group of old-time brings together all of the sounds essential to a beautiful bluegrass ensemble.

Easter, 6

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Continued from A-1 pickin’ without help from family and good friends,” he said. “All I do is provide the building and some of the food.”

For the summer event, the Easters roast a pig for barbecue, and the visitors often chip in by donating a vast array of homemade food from their own kitchens. Then, everyone is welcome to share in the fare.

In the winter, Dwight prepares four to five gallons of homemade vegetable soup and adds some beef or venison to the stew. The family also usually picks up some chicken from a deli in town.

“And, a few pots of coffee,” he added.

But, these are not regular pots of coffee. We’re talking about coffee pots that brew up to 60 cups at a time.

The Easters don’t worry about the guest list. In fact, as long as everyone is friendly and plays by their relaxed rules, they are considered welcome.

The Easters figure they know that.

“I get to see people that I meet one year and don’t see for a year until they come back to the pickin’. Sometimes, I know they are my friends, but I don’t know their names,” Martha said matter-of-factly and completely candidly.

Other times, the friendships sparked at the pickin’s turn into lifelong bonds for the others in attendance.

“I had a couple that met in front of my refrig-

erator and ended up getting married,” she said.

Ironically, as much a part of their lives as the pickin’s have become, neither Dwight nor Martha play during them.

Dwight once specialized in making banjos and still has one of the most special ones he crafted. He sold a beautiful one carrying his trademark rabbit logo with a tiny red dot for an eye. With iridescent abalone-shell ivy vines in the fingerboard and head and some magnificently intricate metal work surrounding the resonator, he bought it back when he had the option not long ago, holding onto the banjo for Amanda. Banjo was the instrument he played when he had the time and inclination.

Meanwhile, Martha was just learning to play the guitar, when she started having children, and they pulled

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her attention away from music.

“There’s life before kids and life after kids. They change everything,” he said.

Ultimately, the fumes and time required to make the instruments the right way proved to be too much for a family man with children.

Then, Dwight “accidentally got into machine work,” fixing equipment when called to do so and doing work as an excavation contractor to take care of his family. He also found that entertaining a pickin’ crowd and cooking the pig for them to eat didn’t leave much time to pick a banjo.

“I wound up doing the talking, and you really can’t do both,” he said.

During the summer event, the couple turns the underside of their picturesque back porch into a shaded stage area, and they set up tents and folding chairs for

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100 miles to each of their events. Their log home near Elgood presents the perfect country setting for such celebrations.

Martha previously said she heard Dwight say the house was built for pickin’s.

“I thought it was built for our family to live in,” she said, at the time.

— Contact Tammie Toler at ttoler@ptonline. net

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“What’s normal?”

Dwight asked.

“You do eat leftovers for several days,” Martha said, shrugging, showing how little that bothers her. Then, she added, “I have a dear friend from Virginia, who comes to the pickin’s, who loves to clean house and cook, and I just love it when she comes over.”

The Easters estimate they average visitors from a radius of up to

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the audience.

In the winter, there may be six different bands, striking up impromptu shows in every nook and cranny from the garage all the way to an upstairs music room.

“Anywhere anybody can find to play, they’ll be playing,” Dwight said.

There are no set play lists or songs.

In fact, there generally aren’t any set bands that attend, unless they come together.

“It’s just anything anybody wants to pick.

Whatever somebody takes off on, the rest of them will kick in,” he said.

So, how long does it take to get the house and family back to normal after a pickin’?

That depends on your perspective.

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Princeton Times Continued from 4

of the chill, but the lambs who were on their feet and feeling more brazen ventured outside with their mom.

Elsewhere on the farm, there were cows ready to calve at any time, and Steve knew he’d have to be ready to tend to them when nature determined their babies were ready to meet the world.

“You just kind of learn to work with nature.

When you get nice days and can, you do the farm work. When it rains and you can’t, I work on farm equipment repair and work on tractors,” Steve said.

Situated just off of West Virginia Route 20, the farm is most recognizable for the barn that greets passersby and advises them to stop using snuff and spit tobacco.

Based upon the old-fashioned billboard marketing campaign utilized by Mail Pouch tobacco, the Community Connections campaign puts the same sort of ingenuity to work with the opposite, drugfree message.

Oakwyn, named by Steve’s mother, Greta, due to the proliferation of oak trees on the property and because the wind blows most of the time in the area between Athens and Pipestem, tallies roughly 167 acres. Steve tends another 80 acres that he uses for pasture and maintains by mowing hay for his animals.

“When hay season gets here, I don’t have much time,” he said. “In the summertime, it gets real busy.”

He has four of his own tractors he uses at Oakwyn – one for the garden, two for hay and general farm work and one for any other various chores that need to be handled along the way.

From one generation to another, Johnstons have lived on and managed Oakwyn Farms since 1969. Prior to that, Gene Johnston grew up in the area that is now East River Shopping Plaza, where Walmart anchors the congested area east of Princeton where Interstate 77 and U.S. 460 converge now.

“Walmart bought the last piece of property out there that was really farm land,” Steve explained.

Greta grew up in Pipestem, so when the family set up their longstanding farm roughly five miles from Pipestem and two miles from Athens – still within easy commuting distance from Princeton and the area where Gene grew up – it was home for everyone.

Contributed photo

Harvest...

These leafy greens were among a recent year’s harvest at Oakwyn Farms, near Athens.

beef and homegrown vegetables they want. It’s in their blood now.

“You find satisfaction in seeing the stuff growing and being born, and in just being out with nature,” Steve said.

Gene passed away in 1989, but Steve said he knew he was glad to see Steve keep the family farm going.

Greta still lives near and supports Oakwyn’s endeavors.

— Contact Tammie Toler at ttoler@ptonline. net

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Photo by Tammie Toler

This little lamb didn’t mind the snow one recent morning as it wondered out into the white stuff a few days after meeting the world at Oakwyn Farms. The sheep raised at the farm near Athens are sold for meat, which is one of the reasons Steve Johnston says it’s important not to consider farm animals pets.

“It’s been farmland all the time we’ve been here,” Steve said. “Dad had beef cattle. That’s pretty much all he had. Then, he had a stroke and turned it over to me. I added some sheep. Wendy and Rachel added a few goats.”

Walking between the buildings of the farm, even with winter’s impending last blast threatening in looming gray clouds, it was impossible to take more than a few steps without one animal or another warning of a human’s encroaching presence. The cattle clung quietly to their daily hay allotment in the distance far out in the field, but the goats, confined to a

pen near one of the farm’s structures, were more vocal in their welcome or warning as we walked through. Two dogs, on hand primarily to keep guard over the livestock in an area where coyotes are well-populated, paced the length and width of their run but kept quiet as long as they did not perceive a threat to the animals over which they kept watch.

Most of the cattle who live on the farm today have been born there.

They are a mix of Angus and Simmental cattle that Steve sells for meat and at market. Others he keeps for breeding stock at Oakwyn.

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a mainstay in the store.

Once that venture closed, the family began selling their produce, meat, preserves and eggs at the Mercer County Tailgate Market on Wednesday and Saturday on Stafford Drive.

As long as there are patrons seeking whole foods grown in methods as clean and as close to nature as possible, Oakwyn Farms will have customers, and Steve and Wendy Johnston will likely work to keep serving up the grass-fed

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The sheep at the farm are of a breed that grows hair, so they shed rather than get shorn for wool.

The folks at Oakwyn sell their meat alongside their beef at local markets during harvest season, and the goats also contribute their meat and milk for goat cheese.

Especially when the weather is rough and baby goats are born, the humans have to step in to help rear little ones.

“Wendy’s got one baby goat that she’s feeding on a bottle now,” he said.

There are chickens at Oakwyn, too, and though there’s not always a large egg harvest to crow about at the farm, when the harvest is good, the Johnstons sell the extra eggs.

When Steve’s stepdaughter, Rachel Parsons, owned and operated a bookstore in downtown Princeton, meat and eggs from the farm were

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Friday, March 31, 2017 Section III 7

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Princeton Times

8 Section III Friday, March 31, 2017

Our dedicated doctors make a difference at Princeton Community Hospital.

On Doctors’ Day, Thursday, March 30, 2017, we celebrate our dedicated physicians and express our sincere gratitude to them for the skill and commitment they bring to our patients and to our community.

Anesthesiology • (304) 487-3559 Philippe Ball, M.D. Michael Bowling, D.O. Erez Ofir, M.D. Kenneth Parker, M.D. Sherri B. Ross, D.O. Kamila Spitzer, M.D.

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Stephen Blaydes, M.D. • (304) 327‐8128 Yasier Kanawati, M.D. • (304) 325‐5711 Theodore P. Werblin, M.D. • (304) 487‐6123

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Longinus Agor, M.D. Mohsin Arshad, M.D. Kristin Bowman, D.O. Christopher A. Daniel, D.O. Jeffrey Dax Murillo, D.O. Ahmad Eter, M.D. Christopher McCoy, D.O. Olga McDaniel, M.D. Furhan Qureshi, M.D. Kanwal Razzaq, M.D. Razelle Reyes, D.O. Seyed Shams, M.D. Mebrahtom Tesafai, M.D. Milagros Vidot, M.D. Yoginder K. Yadav, M.D.

Pediatrics/Infectious Diseases

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Pediatric Dentistry

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General Surgery

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M. Khalid Iqbal, M.D. • (276) 807-8001

Neurology

Thomas Conklin, D.D.S. • (304) 327-5506 E. Lynn Veneri, D.D.S. • (304) 425-8886

Inas AlAttar, M.D. • (304) 487‐0415 Ghazala Khokar, M.D. • (304) 325‐7931 S. Munif Khokar, M.D. • (276) 322‐2450 Tara L. Mitchell, D.O. • (304) 425‐2355 Anjum Rana, M.D. • (304) 425‐0120

Pediatric Cardiology

William Merva, M.D. • (304) 487-6144

Frederick Barker, M.D. • (276) 322‐2324 Gene B. Duremdes, M.D. • (304) 425‐2310 Generoso D. Duremdes, M.D. • (304) 425‐2310 Eric S. Hopkins, M.D. • (304) 425‐1852 David A. Mullins, M.D. • (304) 425‐1852 Vijaykumar Phade, M.D. • (304) 327‐7476 Izhar A. Rana, M.D. • (304) 425‐7127

Michael Bermudez, M.D. Rickey Bradley, D.O. Matthew Dellacona, D.O. Mark Gustafson, D.O. Sharita Johnson, M.D. Amos Lane, D.O. Gary Lowther, D.O. Adam Miller, D.O. Michael R. Mills, D.O. Robert Petrarca, D.O. Michael Sitler, M.D. Byron Smith, D.O.

Internal Medicine

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Emergency Medicine • (304) 487-7000

(304) 487-7349 Priti Goyal, M.D. Thomas Martin, M.D. Gopal M. Pardasani, M.D.

Nabeel Ghabra, M.D. • (304) 487-0130 Mohamed Sekkarie, M.D. • (304) 327-1873

Kamalesh Patel, M.D. • (304) 425-7243

Frederick Brodeur, M.D. Christopher Conley, M.D. James DiPoce, M.D. Emma Diponio, M.D. Ronnell Hansen, M.D. Jennifer Kottra, M.D. Arie Moszkowicz, M.D. Robert Ortega, M.D. Akshat Paliwal, M.D. Sachin Patel, M.D. J. Daniel Rasband, M.D. Alex Sinelnikov, M.D. Jason Smythe, M.D. Ibrahim Syed, M.D. Page Wang, M.D. David Wu, M.D.

Rowena G. Chambers, M.D. • (304) 425‐1453 Muhammed I. Khokar, M.D. • (304) 487‐6065 Joel Schor, M.D. • (304) 325‐8104

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Jessica Aliff, D.O. • (304) 384‐7325 William C. Bird, M.D. • (304) 431‐5499 Michael Crews, D.O. • (276) 688-4331 Pamela Faulkner, D.O. • (304) 431‐7100 T. Donet Glasscock, D.O. • (304) 431‐5041 Wallace Horne, M.D. – VP Medical Affairs (304) 487–7721 Nancy Lohuis, M.D. • (304) 487‐7936 Marshall Long, D.O. • (304) 487‐7936 Stephen Miller, D.O. • (304) 753‐9100 Jana Peters, D.O. • (304) 425‐3922 Ryan Runyon, D.O. • (304) 431‐7100 Richard Shorter, D.O. • (304) 425‐0716

Hrak Chemchirian, M.D. • (304) 487‐1431 John Goad, M.D. • (304) 343‐9923 Gordon F. Prescott, M.D. • (304) 487‐1431 Naeem Qazi, M.D. • (276) 326‐1136 M. Javed Rana, M.D. • (276) 322‐0000 Shahid R. Rana, M.D. • (304) 487‐9032

Hematology/Oncology/ Internal Medicine

Lewis Gilbert, D.D.S. • (304) 256‐3777 Krstal Thompson, D.D.S. • (304) 256‐3777 Clarence Worley, D.D.S. • (304) 256‐3777

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James L. Chianese, D.P.M. • (304) 487‐9442 Timothy J. Donatelli, D.P.M. • (304) 487‐9442 Marshal Gwynn, D. P.M. • (304) 487-9442 Martin Mrozek, D.P.M. • (304) 574‐2310

Psychiatry

Nasreen Dar, M.D. • (304) 425‐9471 Jeffry Gee, M.D. • (304) 327‐9205 Omar Hasan, M.D. • (304) 327‐9205 Hassan Jafary, M.D. • (304) 327‐9205 Safiullah Syed, M.D. • (304) 252‐4433 Alina Vrinceanu-Hamm, M.D. • (304) 425‐9541 Brandon Workman, D.O. • (304) 327‐9205

Radiation Oncology • (304) 425-1960 Joseph Baisden, M.D.

Walid Azzo, M.D. • (304) 324‐2725 Darrell C. Belcher, M.D. • (304) 425‐9563 Philip J. Branson, M.D. • (304) 425‐9563 Frederick B. Morgan, D.O. • (304) 425‐9563

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Robert Kropac, M.D. • (304) 425-9563

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Justin Douglas, M.D. • (304) 487-3407 Robert M. Jones, M.D. • (304) 487-3407

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A. James Paine, M.D. • (304) 255-2343 Lee E. Smith, M.D. • (304) 487-3407

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Almost Heaven

Supporting her ‘sissy’...

Contributed photo

Anelisa dedicated herself to supporting her sister during the scary period of her cancer treatments.

Contributed photo

Medical team, support team...

Miah not only received the best of medical care from her nurses at Wake Forest, she also received support and inspiration from them. Several of her nurses shared with her their own journeys with cancer and inspired her with their success.

Friday, March 31, 2017 Section IV 1

Family ties...

Contributed photo

Left to right: Miah’s brother, Noah; Miah; Miah’s dad, Richard; her sister, Anelisa; and her mom, Julienne.

Miah’s cancer journey: No one fights alone

By JEANIE BROWN Princeton Times

PRINCETON — With her long, thick, blonde hair, her lively hazel eyes, and her mischievous smile, 11-year-old Miah Smith was typical in most every way, except for her extraordinary energy level.

She was a rambunctious athlete, preparing to become a sixth-grader at Princeton Middle School, and taking advantage of the sunny June days of summer break. Her mornings were filled with basketball, and, during the afternoons, the fearless goalie, No. 21 on the East River Raptors, spent her time on the soccer field.

Any spare time was devoted to hanging out and giggling with her best friend, Sadie. On Sundays, she worshipped with her church family at Sacred Heart Catholic Church, where she was a regular altar server.

In late June of last year, after an active day of sports, Miah was at home, settling in for the night, when she felt an unfamiliar lump on her neck. She rubbed it and noticed it felt kind of hot.

She casually mentioned it to her mom, Julienne, and her dad, Richard, who told her it was probably just a swollen gland from allergy drainage.

“Just watch it, and if you notice any changes, let me know in the morning,” her mom told her.

By morning, one lump had become two; the second was located above her collar bone.

“To me, that’s not normal,” Julienne said, and decided to take her to the doctor.

Looking back now, Julienne remembers Miah had lost 17 pounds during the month prior to the appearance of the mysterious lumps, but Miah had also spurted

Contributed photos

Miah’s journey told through her hair...

Clockwise: 1. Miah had long, thick hair that began to fall out almost immediately after she began treatments for Hodgkin’s Lymphoma in Augist 2016. On August 30, she asked her old sister, Anelisa, to shave what remained of her hair. 2. By Christmas, Miah had almost grown accustomed to her smooth head, and she attended a candlelight service with her grandparents at First Baptist Church of Beckley. 3. Now, cancer-free, Miah’s hair is beginning to grow back ‘about an inch per month,’ she said. up over 4 inches in that time, similar to growth spurts her older brother, Noah, had experienced

at that age.

“I just thought the exercise and eating healthy were paying off,”

said Miah, recalling how she was weighing herself daily at the time, hoping to get in shape for middle

school sports.

Miah’s older sister, Anelisa, said she had a gut feeling something

was drastically wrong as soon as Miah mentioned the lumps on her neck, but Julienne thought it was just a minor infection that was showing up in her glands, possibly even a case of mono.

“Nothing more serious even entered my mind,” she said.

The following morning, Julienne took Miah to her regular family doctor, Donna Southers, physician’s assistant at Midtown Family Practice. Preliminary blood work showed Miah was healthy, with no infections. Southers suggested Julienne take Miah for a chest X-ray, but after discussing it with Richard, they decided to hold off on the X-ray since the blood results were normal.

As evening fell, however, the phone rang in the Smith household.

It was Southers, who is not only the family’s doctor, but also a good friend. Southers told Julienne she couldn’t get Miah off her mind all day and wanted to go ahead and schedule that X-ray. Julienne agreed.

Southers also prescribed a two-week round of antibiotics.

Though the chest X-ray was clear, the antibiotics weren’t successful in reducing the swelling of the glands in Miah’s neck. Miah remembers she was beginning by then to feel “dragging,” and was starting to worry that the lumps weren’t going away.

The next step was an ultrasound at Princeton Community Hospital.

What the ultrasound revealed would flip Miah’s happy pre-teen routine upside down and send her family into a tumultuous frenzy.

“Me and Dad were in the room with Dr. Hopkins,” recalled Miah, referring to surgeon Eric

Journey, 2

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201 12th Street Extension (next to Hickman’s Pharmacy) Princeton, WV 24740 • Phone: 304.425.1852 www.pchonline.org

1090383340

2 Section IV Friday, March 31, 2017

Princeton Times

Journey...

Continued from 1 Hopkins. “He said it could be lymphoma.

Dad started crying, but I didn’t even know what that meant. I said, ‘What is that?’ I kept asking, like three times, until Dad said, ‘It’s cancer.’ I had never seen Dad cry before.”

Miah, who has kept her sense of humor throughout the tough ordeal of a cancer diagnosis and treatments, often does an impersonation of the Tyler Perry character, Mabel ‘Madea’ Simmons, from the Madea comedies. When conversations get deep, she likes to lighten the mood with her favorite Medea line, “Y’all laughing, but I think I got the cancer!”

Her sister, Anelisa, affectionately stroking the stubbles of blonde hair on her sister’s scalp, plays along, “You are the cancer!”

Anelisa turns to explain, “We joke about it to make it easier.”

Very little could help make the news that day any easier. Hopkins said that the ultrasound had revealed multiple clusters of enlarged lymph nodes under Miah’s collarbone and along the left side of her neck, including a 3 1/2-centimeter node that would require surgical removal.

A biopsy would answer the cancer question at that time.

After receiving the worst news about their youngest child they could have imagined, Julienne and Richard spent the evening mulling a different dilemma. Miah

Kickin’ it for Miah...

Contributed photo

Miah served as Honorary Captain of the Bluefield Middle School soccer team when they took on Graham Middle during the Miah Kick It fundraiser at Princeton Senior High School last fall.

Organizers of the event, Michelle Dye of the East River Soccer Association and Melissa Powell of the Jonathan Powell Hope Foundation wanted to help raise money for medical and travel expenses while also honoring Miah’s years of playing travel soccer with players from both the Graham and Blueifeld Middle teams. Players presented Miah with a flower as each of their names was called. ‘It was a very special moment for her and all the kids on that field,’ her mom recalled. was scheduled to go on a trip to the beach with a friend. Surprisingly, it didn’t take much deliberation for the parents to settle on a decision.

“We knew what was ahead, what she was about to go through, and

she needed to go to the beach,” Julienne said.

With the doctor’s approval, Miah spent a normal, playful week at the beach before she had to face the most grueling time of her young life.

•••

THE BATTLE Miah and Anelisa have always been close, despite the 7-year age gap between them.

Miah’s illness and daily tears were hard on her big sister, who was accustomed to taking care of her “sissy” and seeing her smile.

Anelisa has the milestones of Miah’s cancer journey ingrained in her mind.

She ticks off the dates, “On Aug. 1, she had the biopsy. On Aug. 3, Dr. Hopkins confirmed it was Hodgkin’s Lymphoma.

On Aug. 5, Cincinnati Children’s Hospital confirmed it.”

Why does she know all the dates?

“Because I can’t forget them,” she replies.

Miah traveled to Wake Forest Baptist Hospital to get her port for easier access for treatments.

In the few short weeks between first noticing the lumps and her appointment, the lumps in her neck had grown alarmingly quickly, Julienne said.

“From when she first noticed it to when she had her first treatment, they had grown to a visible size,” she said.

Miah also had a bilateral bone marrow biopsy in her hips to be sure the cancer had not metastasized to her bones.

“The PA told me I have strong bones,” Miah proudly recalled.

The biopsy results were good. The cancer was at a very early point of Stage 2, a blessing Julienne credits to the urgency of their family physician, Southers.

“If it wasn’t for Donna asking us to reconsid-

er testing, the disease would have progressed,” she said. “The longer you wait, the more that disease is going to continue. Cancer knows no boundaries, and even one month, or a couple of months, of waiting could have put her that much farther, maybe Stage 3, with longer treatments.

What if it had spread quickly and become a Stage 4 in two months?

I could just hear something in Donna’s voice.”

Results of her treatments were evident right away, Miah said.

She could feel the lumps shrinking after just the first treatment.

On Aug. 18, Anelisa posted to her Facebook page her feelings about watching her younger sister go through the physical pain and emotional turmoil of cancer treatments, “It’s been a long week for my sis, but she’s staying strong and positive. It’s been a lot of not feeling good and tears, but God is taking care of her.”

Unfortunately, the treatments were taking their toll on Miah in visible ways that are difficult for a young girl. Her long hair immediately began to fall out.

As always, Anelisa made sure her sister was taken care of. On another date she easily recalls, Aug. 30, Anelisa helped Miah shave her hair, taking pictures of the big event like it was a celebration. And, in a way, it was a celebration of Miah’s courage and her positive attitude.

“I even lost my eyebrows and eyelashes both,” announced Miah.

“But I kept two little eye-

lashes on each eye, and I put mascara on them too!”

Like all families that travel down the consuming path of cancer, the entire Smith family was absorbed by the process.

Schedules were balanced, chores were shared, and normalcy was out the window. Miah’s 18-yearold brother, Noah, postponed his Eagle Scout honor ceremony until the family could find a break to be in the same place at the same time.

Miah’s routine entailed three days at Wake Forest for treatments followed by a fourth day at home, where Richard endured the difficult task of giving his daughter a painful injection.

“He didn’t like giving it to me either,” Miah said, but she knew he did it so the family could be together rather than spending another 24 hours away from home.

A fifth day involved local appointments to make sure her blood counts stayed up so she wouldn’t need a transfusion. And then the treatment cycle began all over again.

The three days at Wake Forest meant ups and downs for Miah. She found it difficult to sleep with the constant activity in the hospital, and the child-sized beds seemed too short for her growing pre-teen body to find comfort. She relied on Benadryl to sleep and to fend off nausea from her chemo. If she got up too early, she suffered vomiting, but morning labs meant she had no choice.

She spent her days walking the halls, her IV bag trailing behind her, “just

Journey, 3

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Journey...

Continued from 2 to get out,” she said. Her biggest obstacle was controlling the nausea so she could avoid losing the chemicals she desperately needed to keep down so they could fight the disease within her.

Julienne attests to the benefits of essential oils during Miah’s bouts of nausea, saying she used ginger oil on her daughter throughout the miserable tribulation.

“The nurses told me that every mother on that floor was using some kind of essential oils on her child,” she said.

Miah grew close to the medical team caring for her. She learned that several of her nurses had been through cancer struggles of their own. She said it helped knowing they understood her fears, and she felt inspired that they had overcome cancer as kids, grown up, and become mothers. Her nurses were on hand the day she completed her last treatment, cheering her on as she rang the bell signifying her treatments were complete.

Anelisa struggled seeing her baby sister battling the effects of chemotherapy.

“It was hard watching her suffer, and I couldn’t do anything about it. It hurt watching her in pain and just having to go through all that in general,” she said.

••• NO ONE FIGHTS ALONE While Miah spent the majority of her days at Wake Forest, the Smith family was able to remain with her in the Ronald McDonald House thanks to arrangements made by the Jonathan Powell Hope Foundation.

The Foundation also provided Miah with her own cell phone during that time so she could stay in touch with her friends back home in Princeton.

Being out of school for months, and away from the sports she loved, was difficult for her. Her contact was mostly limited to family and medical personnel. Her vocabulary became filled with medical terminology rather than schoolyard chatter. But she still had a few close friends to help her throughout the journey.

Her “lifelong best friend,” Sadie Boggess, provided her vital support during her illness.

“Even though she’s eight months older than me, we’re best friends,” said Miah. “If I needed to talk to her, she’d be there.”

Julienne said Sadie provided the link to the normal world that Miah desperately needed during the isolating period of treatments.

“She came over to play, or Miah went over there.

It was very helpful for Miah to act her age,” she said. “She was 11 and not seeing her friends.

Beyond the medical part of it, the emotional part was really difficult. They would just watch TV or play video games—just hang out and be normal.”

Other youngsters all across the community showed their support for Miah. Her schoolmates at Princeton Middle wanted Miah to know they were with her, so they raised money to help with medical expenses by selling

Laughter as a cure...

Contributed photo

Miah displayed her usual good humor during a girls’ day out for slushies with her older sister, Anelisa. Anelisa said the two, who are very close, use humor to deal with the difficulties of cancer. bracelets imprinted with “No one fights alone.”

The student body gathered on the school lawn to form a human childhood-cancer gold awareness ribbon in her honor.

Her Princeton Middle School soccer teammates wore gold shoelaces in their cleats and buttons on their gear bags saying “I wear gold in honor of Miah.” When Miah was in town, they eagerly welcomed her on the sidelines.

Michelle Dye, Princeton Senior High School ladies soccer coach sold “Kick it for Miah” shirts and held a fundraiser clinic with East River Soccer Association to raise money for the Smith family. Princeton Senior High School sold hats to raise $600 for the family.

Anelisa designed a shirt to sell and created flyers, earning $4,000 for her sister’s medical expenses. Campestre employees made a generous donation. Brick House Cardio held a fundraiser Zumba event. Tammy and Lauren Crews of Heart Strings Boutique offered their emotional and financial support. Miah’s travel soccer coach, Bill Parrish, raised money during his Mercer Christian Academy team’s game to help offset expenses for the Smith family, and he also recognized Miah during the game and presented her with flowers.

For the women’s soccer sectional tournament game between Woodrow Wilson High School and Princeton High School, the WWH ladies presented the Tigers team with get well-gifts for Miah.

They wore childhood cancer warm-up jerseys imprinted with Miah’s name. The unexpected show of sportsmanship and support was overwhelming for the PSHS team and for Miah.

“Wow, Mom! I never realized how many friends I had,” Miah told Julienne.

An entire community offered compassion and generosity to Miah’s family. But the support didn’t stop there. A Facebook post challenging local soccer teams to show Miah encouragement took off like a direct penalty kick toward a goal box. Jerseys and well-wishing notes began arriving in the Smith’s mailbox daily, from college teams to professional. Autographed jerseys, photos, and team scarves rolled in for Miah. The WVU Women’s Soccer team sent Miah, a goalie herself, an official, padded goalie jersey autographed by the team. The Seattle Sounders sent a

special childhood cancer awareness scarf. Nearly 50 soccer care packages have arrived for Miah, and they’re still coming.

Miah was particularly glad to have a chance at the ERSA soccer clinic to sit on the bench with her peers.

“They let me sit on the bench and they treated me normal,” she said, adding that being treated as an outcast was difficult.

“I’d go to the grocery store and have to wear a mask. Grown-ups would stare at me, and I’d be like, ‘Hello! I can see you,’” she said with a chuckle, her sense of humor again hiding her frustrations.

After Christmas, Miah got to return to school and to most of her normal routine, She was embraced with open arms by students and staff at PMS who had been her long-distance cheerleaders and prayer warriors for the past semester.

“I was glad I was back in school,” she said. “I got a lot of hugs, and my classmates were screaming when they saw me.”

“The administrators have been phenomenal through all of this,” said Julienne. “I just can’t say enough good things about them. This was all a first for them too.

The teachers were alerted that she was coming back, and the kids were instructed, ‘Don’t touch Miah; don’t overwhelm her.’”

Coincidentally, another Mercer County student was diagnosed with cancer around the same time as Miah.

Ten-year-old Owen Bailey of Glenwood, was being treated at Wake Forest for a type of brain cancer called a germ-cell pituitary tumor. Though the mothers of the two patients shared news of their similar experiences though text messages, their paths have never crossed. Miah was, however, surprised to learn she and Owen had attended the same preschool years earlier.

Following surgery and treatments, Owen continues to be cancer-free, and Julienne said maybe one day the families will meet in person.

••• CANCER FREE Miah’s cancer-free announcement came on Feb. 16, after six months of battle.

Anelisa was so excited by the news, she rushed to Princeton Middle School to celebrate with her “sissy” on the spot.

“I was running around, telling everybody. I cried the whole day. I went to Miah’s school with bal-

loons and flowers and candy,” she said.

“Yeah, and then she just popped in and interrupted a social studies test,” added Miah with a grin.

Anelisa posted to her Facebook page that day smiling photos of Miah and the caption, “The day we’ve been waiting for since Miah was diagnosed Aug. 3. After 6 1/2 months of every feeling you could imagine, it’s finally all over.

Miah is cancer free!

Today has been the best day imaginable. Tears of joy, happiness and relief.

Thank you for all of your prayers, thoughts, gifts, cards, and events for our family. We can’t thank this community, our family or friends enough.

Nothing like seeing this smile on her face. Sissy loves you!”

Julienne said, “I was excited, and, at first, good and tear-free, until Anelisa sent me a picture of what she did for Miah at the school, with the flowers and everything, and then I lost it.”

Julienne was at work, and her co-workers at the Mercer County School Board Office celebrated and shed tears right along with her.

“The women that I work with have lived this whole experience with me, and they have truly been my backbone.

I was glad to be able to share my news with my co-workers; it was just appropriate because they lived it with me,” she said.

In a twist Anelisa believes was orchestrated by God, the mother of another local child with cancer was in the grocery store that day when Anelisa went in to get gifts for Miah — Lori Varney, the mother of Lindsey Varney, a PSHS sophomore who was diagnosed with a rare type of brain cancer called Diffuse Intrinsic Pontine Glioma at around the same time as Miah’s diagnosis.

“On the day we found out Miah was cancer-free, I ran into Lyndsey’s mom at the store,” she remembered.

“She hugged me and cried when I told her.

It was difficult to tell her, but I knew she’d be happy for us. She was at the store getting stuff to make cupcakes for Lindsey. It was just really good running into her that day.”

Miah’s reaction to hear-

Friday, March 31, 2017 Section IV 3 ing she was free of the disease was a big shout, “Yes!” accompanied by a vigorous fist pump.

“But I already knew it was gone,” she said, “I knew the lumps weren’t there anymore when I felt for them.”

••• LESSONS LEARNED Miah was finally able to have the surgery to have her port removed on March 23. A previous appointment to remove it was cancelled because she had a cold.

Even though her stubbles of hair are bginning to grow back, and the cancer is gone, its shadow will always be quietly nagging the back of her mind. She and her mom continue to feel Miah’s neck, paranoid the lumps might return.

“I’ll never be able to eat Jolly Ranchers or peppermint again,” said Miah, explaining that the taste reminds her of sucking the candies to make it through the unpleasant saltiness in her mouth as the medical team flushed her port with saline, a taste that reminds her of the nausea she experienced.

Miah will need to return for follow-ups every three months for the next three years, followed by six-month intervals, and finally annual check-ups.

“She’ll never be free of annual check-ups,” said her mom. “For the rest of her life, she’ll have to be checked.”

While there’s only a 3 percent chance the cancer will return after the use of both chemical and radiation treatments, medical teams will also be checking for other forms of cancer that can result from the radiation.

Miah said her ordeal has tightened the already secure bond within her family.

“It’s made us stronger and closer,” she said.

Anelisa feels their family has a newfound appreciation for the small joys of life after Miah’s fight.

“Mom’s motto used to be, ‘Wait ‘til tomorrow,’ and now, it’s, ‘Do it today, because you never know what tomorrow will bring,’” she said.

Julienne said both Miah and Anelisa have become more independent through the trial.

The entire family was changed by the events of the past six months, she said.

“Any family that goes

through something like this, the whole family goes through it,” she said. “If you allow it to consume you, it will.”

In addition the community support, Julienne points to her family’s faith and the prayers of many in the healing of her youngest daughter.

“We never could have gotten through this without God. Prayer was definitely the basis for her healing,” she said.

“We are a family that is close to God and always have been, but even with that strong religious background, it still, a situation like this, brought me and the whole family closer to God. Some people in a tragedy could be the opposite and draw away, but, in our situation, it drew us closer. The power of prayer can heal. It’s intense.

Miah’s prayer chain was a national prayer chain.

We had friends all over the country praying for her. A family in Hungary was praying for us. It became so much bigger than what I thought. I’m really humbled by, and grateful for, the support we got from this community.”

Julienne said she has never allowed any of her three children to say, “I can’t.” That lesson turned out to be a valuable one.

She also recommends parents teach their kids to be aware of their bodies.

“After a certain age, we no longer clothe them and bathe them, and they need to know if anything at all is questionable about their bodies, to come to a parent,” she said. “That’s the reason Miah came to me when she felt the lump.”

As for Miah, she’s just eager to get back out on the soccer field. She recently started kicking a ball around with her team again, and she can hardly wait to get back into her goalie box after the wound from her port heals. In just a couple weeks, the fearless No. 21, who is no doubt even more fearless after her recent victory, will be pulling back a brandnew ponytail and diving on soccer balls. And for each game, she plans to wear a different jersey from the teams of her supporters, the ones who made sure she knew no one fights alone.

— Contact Jeanie Brown at jbrown@ptonline.net.

1090383428

4 Section IV Friday, March 31, 2017

Princeton Times

Sterling success:

Princeton wholesale business meets 100-year milestone

By TAMMIE TOLER Princeton Times

Photos by Tammie Toler

Success on Second Street...

Above, this structure on South Second Street in Princeton is the only headquarters Sterling Grocery has ever known.

Originally chartered as Princeton Flour and Food in 1917, Sterling Wholesale Grocery has been around for at least 100 years in Princeton, and President Roger Buckner says it currently services 200 customers and owns two convenience stores. Right, several longtime employees and leaders of Sterling Wholesale Grocery gather inside one of the Princeton offices to review the distributor’s historical documents recently.

Pictured standing are Charles Perkins, General Manager Danny Snyder, Robert Workman and Roger Ollis. Seated is President Roger Buckner. Of the five men, all have worked at Sterling more than two decades, except Snyder, who joined the business fairly recently. was involved in running of the business, but Buckner said there was some sibling rivalry between the two brothers, which could explain how one of them came to run Sterling, while the other took on M&R alongside Dan Rorrer, creating McMullin & Rorrer. Eventually, once the McMullins were no longer in control of the operation, M&R was merged back into the Sterling business, and the business became whole again, Buckner said. Still, as the employees spoke recently, there was some loyalty apparent.

“I was M&R for a long time,” Charles Perkins, who worked for one Sterling affiliate or another for more than 40 years, said. He added later, “I’ve still got a lot of my old checks at home.”

Buckner was quick to remind everyone, “It was all part of Sterling, though. We’re all Sterling Grocery.”

As for the checks he said he bet none of the checks ever said they were from McMullin & Rorrer, since he wrote, or typed, many of them.

As McMullin III transitioned out of the busi-

ness, he passed it to Bob Bailey and Rorrer, who were running the business when Buckner graduated from Concord College with a bachelor’s degree with a concentration in accounting. He joined the business as Sterling’s most junior associate, serving as secretary and treasurer and gradually working his way into a more senior leadership position.

When he first joined Sterling Grocery in the late 1970s, Buckner estimated the business sold approximately $5 million in products annually.

“We’ve grown greatly from that,” he said.

While revenue collected has expanded, Buckner said technology has ensured that the number of employees on the payroll has shrunk.

At its most populated, he estimated Sterling employed 37-45 people between its warehouse, delivery and convenience store operations. Now, it’s probably 25 at the most.

“The nature of our business has not really changed. We still run the warehouse and deliver our products where they need to go. That’s still the same, but technology has changed what

we do. We used to have to count everything by hand and record it with a pencil and a piece of paper, which took more people. And, it took a lot longer. Now, we have a software system that virtually does the accounting for us,” he said.

While he might still like to have a larger staff on hand, Buckner said he was pleased that the way payroll checks were written advanced over an old machine he once had to use.

“It was a very complicated machine that cost about $20,000 to put in, and I was the turkey who had to run it to print the checks,” he recalled.

“Then, we finally hired an assistant, and I put it on him.”

Various members in the leadership of the company retired and later passed away, and each time, he continued working his way up and purchase shares of stock in the company whenever

to work here,” he said.

“But that was a lot of Bounty and Charmin to unload.”

He said he thought employees had half a day to unload each car that came their way, but it was hard work, even with special carts designed to help them get the freight off of the trains.

There were at least two times some of the employees could recall floods that threatened the structure or its contents in one of the city’s lowest spots. With its close proximity to Brush Creek, Sterling is particularly vulnerable to flooding, and at least one of the men said he had seen pictures of employees with boats around the building.

Once, lightning struck the top of the building, knocking some bricks loose and onto vehicles parked below.

Buckner said he thought the owners of the vehicles were upset with the damage and the possibility of insurance not paying for the problem.

“It was an act of God,” one of the men said.

Buckner, who stopped in for this discussion recently, was dressed in a polo shirt and khaki pants, said he could recall everyone who worked in the Sterling offices, even administrative assistants, dressing to the nines, as if they were ready for church.

••• Sterling Grocery has come a long way, from the days when it delivered feed for livestock in buggies pulled by horses today, as it runs merchandise to 200 stores throughout southern West Virginia, Southwest Virginia and all the way to the Kentucky line in its five trucks. The company also owns and operates Melrose Square and The Village Store in Princeton.

Although plans are not complete, Circle said PMCCC and Princeton City Council tentatively plans to salute Sterling Grocery during the Princeton City Council’s upcoming meeting in April.

— Contact Tammie Toler at ttoler@ptonline. net.

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PRINCETON — Not many businesses make it to celebrate 100 years in business, but one Princeton mainstay heralded that milestone in March. From its horseand-buggy delivery days to today— when it delivers food, health and beauty aids to 200 wholesale customers and owns two convenience stores — Sterling Wholesale Grocery Inc. has been a part of Princeton’s business backdrop since March 6, 1917.

It hasn’t always operated as Sterling Grocery, however, and it might actually be a little bit older than the birthday implies.

“It was originally incorporated by the West Virginia Secretary of State’s Office in Charleston as Princeton Flour and Food on March 6, 1917, but we don’t know how long they had been operating before the business was incorporated. It was developed along with the Virginian Railway, and it came through Princeton in 1909,” Princeton-Mercer County Executive Assistant Keith Circle explained to the Development Authority of Mercer County recently.

In addition to that tidbit of information, Sterling Grocery President Roger Buckner explained that the name changed to Sterling Grocery in 1918, and despite a fairly thorough tracking of history on the business, no one appears to know where the name of Sterling emerged from. Sterling employees say they can spot someone trying to earn false favor when they mistakenly argue that they know or spoke with “Mr. Sterling,” because no one knows who that may be.

Reading from the historical ledger book that traced the founding of Sterling Grocery, Buckner named the four original stockholders of the company, which included President S.N. Rangely; R.E. Lazenby; B.H. Hancock; J.W. Anderson; and J.E. McMullin.

“They started out with $37,000 in capital stock,” Buckner said recently, as he was joined by several employees with decades of experience working with Sterling Grocery and its affiliates of M&R [which stood for McMullin & Rorrer, the health and beauty wing of Sterling’s operation years ago].

“That was probably a lot back then,” one of the employees, Roger Ollis, chimed in.

The five “founding fathers” possessed a total of 200 shares split amongst them, though if the book declared exactly how the shares were separated, Buckner didn’t explain.

“At first, Mr. James E. McMullin was the secretary/treasurer,” Buckner said. “His son and grandson inherited the bulk of the business after he passed, going first to James E. McMullin Jr.” James McMullin Jr. also had a brother named Danny, who

possible. Eventually, he became the most senior partner and is currently president and CEO of Sterling Grocery.

“It’s been a pleasure of mine to have been a part of it for these many years,” Buckner said. “I hope that we continue and that other people will carry the torch after that I’m gone.”

••• The South Second Street building that houses Sterling Wholesale Grocery has been its home since its inception, but the structure is a bit of an interesting design.

Buckner and General Manager Dan Snyder said the building appears to have been constructed at four different times with four somewhat different schemes, so even without blueprints in hand, it’s fairly easy to tell where one part of the 61,000-square-foot structure ends and another begins.

Like with most old buildings, there are creaks and squeaks and things that may go bump in the night — or day.

There are unconfirmed reports of a ghost one staffer nicknamed Jake, but none of the gentlemen who participated in this interview ventured into such topics.

There were some humorous tales shared among the longtime pals, though.

Perkins recalled that one of the salesmen of the past had a rude habit of taking his packed lunch of a sandwich and soda daily. So, Perkins came up with a plan.

“I put mineral oil in it,” he said, laughing at the memory.

The longtime Sterling employee didn’t go into detail about the outcome, but when asked if the salesman “got sick,” Perkins answered only, “... He had to go home.”

Ollis recalled times when the goods arrived by rail, rather than truck, and staffers had a limited amount of time to unload the cars so that the train could keep its schedule on down the track.

“I don’t remember a lot about that, because it was only Procter & Gamble by the time I got

1090383433

Princeton Times

Photo by Jeanie Brown

Leading the effort...

Nurse Crystal Dickerson Bogle, R.N., shown here with two of her children, Peyton and Gracie, will be one of the helpers at Camp Mariposa, a series of five camps beginning in April, for kids who have been affected by addiction in their families. The camp is made possible through a grant from the Moyer Foundation and will offer counseling, understanding, and fun activities.

Friday, March 31, 2017 Section IV 5

Photo by Jeanie Brown

Having fun and making connections...

As part of the new Camp Mariposa West Virginia at the Glenwood 4-H Camp, kids from all over the state who have experienced the pain of drug addiction in their families will come together to connect with those who can relate, help and have a fun time. Camp Mariposa, under the direction of Erica Bartling, will host a series of five camps for the group.

Camp Mariposa road to hope for kids touched by addiction

By JEANIE BROWN Princeton Times

PRINCETON — An 8-year-old girl in southern West Virginia came home from school after a bad day. Walking in the door of her home, trying to cope with sadness and needing a hug, her parents instead fed her a pill to numb the pain. Her addict parents had taught her the way to cope when life deals disappointment is to pop some pills — the same pills that have given West Virginia the highest drug overdose rate in the country, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Erica Ellis-Bartling, director of Camp Mariposa West Virginia, is looking to break that family cycle of addiction. As a mental health professional in Mercer County, Bartling has seen families torn apart by addiction and the effects it has on the children. Through a fiveyear, $198,000 grant from the Moyer Foundation, and with the partnership of Community Connections, Bartling will connect with addiction-touched children at a series of camps at the Glenwood 4-H facility.

The Moyer Foundation was created in 2000 by former Major League Baseball pitcher Jamie Moyer and his wife Karen. The organization began as as a small nonprofit in Seattle, Wash., aiming to provide counseling to grieving children. The Moyers met 15-year-old Erin Metcalf, a liver cancer patient, and were touched by her concern for family members of patients like her who were grieving.

Following Erin’s death at age 17, the Moyers formed Camp Erin in her memory, providing a safe place for grieving youngsters to find healing.

Camp Erin has become the largest national bereavement program for children and hosts 45 camps—one in every Major League Baseball city across the U.S. and Canada.

In 2007, the Moyer Foundation added a second group of children to their mission—children affected by the substance abuse of a familiy member. This year, Camp Mariposa West Virginia joins the list of locations

offering the free mentoring and addiction-prevention camp.

According to Bartling, up to 30 campers will be offered spots in the 2017 program at the Glenwood 4-H Camp.

WIth the financial contribution of $20,000 from the Moyer Foundation, and a $30,000 grant from the Mercer County Commission, Glenwood Park Superintendent Greg Pruett said the camp bunkhouses have recently been equipped with heating and cooling systems to more comfortably accommodate the campers.

“Camp Mariposa prompted the upgrade to help with their four camps this year, and the heat is also going to allow for future groups from North Carolina and other places going to Winterplace to have a large facility with a cheap price to spend the night. In the summer, the Elks’ special needs campers will be more comfortable with air-conditioning,” Pruett said.

The first Camp Mariposa is scheduled for April 7-9, with three additional camps scheduled throughout the year.

Campers, ages 9-12, will remain with the program throughout the year and attend each camp outing.

“The only thing parents have to send is your kid and their clothes,” said Bartling.

A “Camp Swag” kit of a sleeping bag, a pillow, a camp T-shirt, a lanyard, a water bottle, a flashlight, and glow sticks, will be given to each camper. Campers will enjoy fun activities such as hiking, fishing, and campfire singing. A special guest will visit the camp, known only as “Survivor Man.” Survivor Man is equipped with wilderness skills to amaze and entertain campers, including axeand knife-throwing stunts and the ability to identify— and eat!— safe woodland edibles as if he were on the show Survivor.

The camp’s mission is deeper than just providing a fun time. Camp time is designed to allow mental health professionals and trained volunteers to nurture campers in a supportive environment in order to help break the cycle of addiction.

Goals are to help campers have fewer feelings of isolation and guilt, meet friends facing similar situations, understand that addiction is a disease, avoid the juvenile justice system, build confidence and coping skills, make positive choices in life, and develop relationships with mentors.

“We want them to build relationships and trust with other kids, their mentors, camp volunteers, and our camp nurse,” explained Bartling.

The camp nurse practitioner, Sandra Griffith Wynn, and camp nurse, Crystal Dickerson Bogle, R.N., will be on-site at all times during the camp.

“I want [campers] to have a connection,” said Bartling. “I firmly believe the opposite of addiction is connection. They need to connect with other kids who are going through what they’re going through.

They need to connect with mentors. It seems we are more connected these days with social media and all, but it’s not genuine. You need a friend there in person at the end of the day when you’re sick or sad.”

In addition to the younger campers, teens ages 13-17 will be trained as camp counselors so that they can serve as mentors to younger campers while, at the same time, receiving counseling themselves.

Children state-wide are eligible to apply to Camp Mariposa, with the only stipulation being they are in some way affected by addiction.

“They can be from any addict situation, even the addiction of a family friend,” Bartling said.

Campers do not need referrals to register for the camp, and the opportunity, incuding the counseling, is free.

Counseling at Camp Mariposa is under the direction of Clinical Psychologist David Lawson of Lantern Mental Health in Wyoming County.

Between camp dates, participants will take part with their families in other activities, said Bartling, including seeing the performance of Dinosaur Zoo Live at the Chuck Mathena Center, visiting Pottery Time for some art therapy, attend-

ing CultureFest at the Appalachian Folklife Center in September, and watching a Princeton Rays game.

“We want them to get to do things they might not have the chance to do otherwise,” said Bartling. “I’m pretty excited about it. My heart is with these kids.”

Bartling, who has worked with addicts through both Brighter Day and Project Renew, said she knows firsthand the need for these kids to find an outlet other than drugs.

“I’ve seen a lot of hurt kids and kids that don’t

know how to cope,” she said. “People are seeking to fill a hole in their life and that’s a problem. We have 12-yearolds coming home and thinking about hurting themselves. Kids used to be too trusting of adults, and now, they don’t trust anyone. That’s really sad. It’s a lack of hope.”

Bartling sees the grant as a chance to return hope to these hurting kids.

“What I look forward to is the change we’ll see from these preventative actions. It might be five or ten years down the road, but I do believe we

are going to bring West VIrginia up out of this epidemic.”

Parents interested in registering their children for Camp Mariposa may print a registration form at www.

CampMariposeWV.org or visit the Community Connections office at 215 South Walker Street in Princeton. For more information about the camp, or to volunteer as a mentor, contact Bartling at erica@ strongcommunities.org or 304-913-4956.

— Contact Jeanie Brown at jbrown@ptonline.net.

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Princeton Times

6 Section IV Friday, March 31, 2017

Princeton Times 2017 Business Honor Roll

Neighborhood

Businesses

Thank You for Your Continued Support of Our Locally Owned Businesses!

60 Years

173 Years

Thomas S. Lilly

24 Years

Phillip B. Ball Over 60 Years of Experience In

REAL ESTATE, COMMERCIAL & CORPORATE LAW ESTATE PLANNING

Since 1844

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B&G Pro Shop

“Serving the Area for 24 years” 1090383161

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49 Years

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40 Years

90 Years

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39 Years 70 Years

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19 Years

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Princeton Times

Friday, March 31, 2017 Section IV 7

Princeton Times 2017 Business Honor Roll Thank You for Your Continued Support of Our Locally Owned Businesses!

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36 Years

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Princeton Times

8 Section IV Friday, March 31, 2017

We Believe in Our

Communities...

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