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Athens-Concord Town Social
‘ARTS ALIVE IN ATHENS’ THEME FOR 33RD ATHENS-CONCORD TOWN SOCIAL
Campus and community gathered on CU’s front lawn for the 33rd Athens-Concord Town Social on Aug. 18. The sunny, summer afternoon featured live entertainment, an array of vendors and games for the kids. Awards honored service to the town and university. Theme for the 2019 version of this popular event was “Arts Alive in Athens.”
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s a special tie-in with the theme, the 2019 Fire Hydrant Paint Contest was launched at thetownsocial.Artistsofeveryagewere invited to submit their designs for the contest whichinvolvesrepaintingfirehydrantsinthe TownofAthens.(Besuretolookforthefreshly paintedhydrantswhenyouareinAthens!) Musical,danceandlivinghistoryperformances, along with artists among the vendors, further linked to the theme. “The33rdAthens-ConcordTownSocialwasa successful day!” Dr. Sarah Beasley, chairperson, said.“Theturnoutwasgreat–community members, CU students, faculty, and staff all enjoyed the live music, local vendors, and the opportunity to see friends old and new.” Aspecialhighlighteachyearistheawards ceremony honoring individuals, organizations and businesses that have enhanced the communityandcampuslifeofAthensand
Concord University. The Town Social Committee presented the following awards: Elder Citizen, Dr.KarlFezer;GoodNeighbor,DeborahBaxter; Business Longevity, First Community Bank - Athens;andTotalCommunityInvolvement, AthensVolunteerFireDepartment. TheAthensLionsClubannouncedtwo awards.TheCitizenoftheYearhonorwas presented to Srene Lokay. Top bragging rights fortheBeautificationAwardwenttoLucy GardenerandBruceLilly.HonorableMentionfor BeautificationwasawardedtoGinaandCharles Lane, Pam and Jim White and Terri Turner. Several scholarships were presented to ConcordUniversitystudents.AJeanBeasley MemorialScholarshipwasawardedtoEmily Davis.RecipientsofanAthens-ConcordTown Social Scholarship are Brooke Phillips and MakaylaFarley.
elder citizen award Dr. Karl Fezer
KarlDietrichFezer was born in 1930 in Tenafly,NJ. In1951 he earned a bachelor’s degree at Cornell CollegeofAgriculture, and continued his education by receiving a master’s degree at Haverford College. He earned his PhD at Cornell’s Department of Plant Pathology in 1957.
HethenworkedfortheUniversityofMinnesota, St. Paul, as an instructor in the Department of Plant Pathology and Botany. He devoted six years of research to barley and wheat diseases, working to prevent the next epidemic. During this time, he cultivated broader interests in the history and philosophy of science, which led him to teaching undergraduate biology courses and to serving three years on the faculty at St. John’s CollegeinAnnapolis,MD.
In 1966, together with his wife and four sons, he movedtoAthensWV,wherehestartedworkas chairman of the biology department at Concord, serving from 1967 to 1985. He taught classes in general biology, genetics, micro-biology, evolution, biology seminars, and independent research, as well as general physical science, astronomy, science and religion ethics, among others.
In the ’70s, as the Board of Regents was slashing college biology departments across the state, he was able to show them the importance Concord served to southern West Virginia for pre-med students and training medical laboratory technicians. In the early ’80s, he helped found the National Center of Science Education, and served onitsfirstboardandwaseditorofitsbimonthly periodical.HewaspresidentoftheWVAcademy of Science for one year.
Dr. Fezer received the Interdisciplinary Incentive AwardmadejointlybytheNationalScience Foundation and the National Endowment for the Humanities. This made possible a sabbatical as
VisitingScholaratHarvardUniversity.Atthis time he started writing his own book “Scholarly World, Private Worlds” and years later, the book was published.
AlongwithhisjobatConcord,hehasbeena farmer, gardener, grew Christmas trees, and was a member of the Lions Club, receiving his pin for 45yearsofservice. Heisconsideredan“Amateur Philosopher”. Even in his later years, he still has the ability to teach on many levels and many different subjects.
good neighbor award Deborah Baxter
Deborah Baxter is known around town as someone who is always willing to help her neighbors in times of need. This special caring takes a variety of forms, but is always accomplished with the same spirit of generosity.
Deborah graduated from high school and attended Beckley College before coming to Concord in the early ’70s. The path of her life changed, however, and she left college, married, and became a mother. Even so, she never lost the desire to become a teacher.
In the early ’80s Deborah returned to Concord andfinishedherdegreeandbeganherteaching careerinMercerCounty. Shetaughtatanumber of different schools in the county until she took apermeantpositionatAthensElementary. She taught there until her retirement in the spring of 2017.
Alongtheway,shemettheloveofherlife,David Baxter, and they were married in late ’80s. Regrettably, he passed away in 2018. She has two sons, David Joseph Cantrell, who resides in Warren,PA,andSFCSamuelCantrell,USArmy retired, who lives in Clarksburg, WV. »
Deborah spends most of her time presently working with an afterschool tutoring program through theAthensBaptistChurch,occasionallysubbing inpositionsatAthensElementarySchooland entertaining the newest addition to her family, “Bo”, a MaineCooncat.
Business Longevity First Community Bank – Athens important factors, First Community Bank strives to offer a “unique brand of hometown banking”. In additiontoprovidingfinancialservices,theAthens location is part of the community in other ways. The branchhostsAthensAppreciationDaysandhasbeen part of Concord’s Homecoming parade.
AsabenefactorfortheTownSocial,FirstCommunity providesfinancialsupportthatisvaluablein putting on the event. This year, the bank sponsored the T-shirts. Bank employees are also faithful participants as vendors on behalf of the bank with their “money machine” being a crowd favorite.
Total Community Involvement Athens Volunteer Fire Department
TheAthensbranchofFirstCommunityBankispart of the bank’s history that spans three centuries and traces back to 1874. First Community has been servingtheresidentsofAthensandsurrounding areas from its location at the corner of Vermillion Street and Route 20 since October 2001. This branch is one of more than 40 branch banking locations operated by First Community Bank in four states.
Athenscustomersareprovidedwithafull-service brick and mortar facility that offers products from loans, personal accounts and safe deposit boxes to lobby,drive-thruandATMbanking. With “community and customer involvement” as
ThemissionoftheAthensVolunteerFire Department(AVFD)is“toprovideexcellentfire, emergency medical response and rescue services to thecitizensofAthensandsurroundingcommunities”
ona24/7basis.Thedepartmentisselflessly dedicated to serving the town, the Concord campus and an area that extends to the Summers County line and on Rt. 20 toward Princeton.
TheAVFDhasservedthecommunityformorethan 90 years. While a volunteer department by name, this organization operates like a larger, professional department. Weekly training meetings, a dedication to having up-to-date vehicles and apparatus and an impressive ISO rating make them a topnotch group. Recent renovations to the South State Street station are also noteworthy.
Onanon-emergencybasis,theAVFDisavaluable part of the community as well. Their community service includes visits to schools for career days and othereventstotalkaboutfiresafetyandservicewith thedepartment.Theflashinglightsandwhirring sirensfromtheirshinyredfiretrucksareastaple at Concord’s annual Homecoming parade, and the sprinkler they set up at the Town Social is popular with the kids to cool off and have fun.
Citizen of the Year Srene Lokay
Srene Lokay is known as a selflesspersonwhogives 110 percent of herself each and every day.
Srene is a special education teacher at PikeView High School. The principal has this to sayaboutSrene:“Allof the students know her. She greets students as they enter the school each morning and many go to her to share stories and seek advice. She notices things about students, for example, if a student has worn shoes with holes in them, she will worktofindthemabetterpair.Srenekeepsschool supplies available for students who need them. If a student is hungry she makes sure they have food. She has worked many years with others to ensure that students have turkeys and groceries during the holidays. She also champions a fundraiser at Christmastoraisefundstohelpidentifiedstudents get Christmas gifts each year. Srene takes pride in her school and works countless hours helping to landscape the campus to keep the school grounds looking great.”
SrenealsoservestheAthenscommunity.Sheisa memberoftheAthensLionsClubandthroughthis club, provides books to elementary students each year. She also organizes a group of PikeView students to go out into local elementary schools to do read alouds.
Her principal further states that “Srene is committed to children and that commitment is evident through her desire to see that all kids have tools to be successful, such as food, clothing, and books.” She concludes by saying that “if Srene sees a need, she willworktofillit.”
Srene is just as giving in her personal life, helping her friends and raising her family. Srene is an amazing lady with a heart that knows no limits.
The home of Lucy Gardener and Bruce Lilly makes for an attractive setting in their West Broadway Street neighborhood. This summer the property was especially lovely.
With several white rocking chairs and beautifulfloweringplants and ferns, the welcoming covered front porch beckoned guests and passersby and seemed to say, “Come sit and visit for aspell.”AnAmericanflagwavedinthebreeze,anda whimsical toy wagon rested to one side.
The charming lawn is thoughtfully landscaped and decorated. Special touches like a birdbath, birdhouse and hanging baskets with pops of colorful blooms add to the delightful space. █
