HC Magazine April 2013 by High Country Press

Volume 8 â&#x20AC;˘ Issue 5 April / May 2013

Bring it on

Spring Time

Nancy Watsonâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Milestones CEO Richard Sparks Family Music Traditions B-Ball with Roger Banks April / May 2013

High Country Magazine

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READER SERVICES

C O N T E N T S

12 Archiving the Watson Family

ABOUT US

Nancy Watson began archiving family stories as a field recorder in the late ‘60s. Being the daughter and brother of Doc and Merle Watson, she didn’t have to venture much further than the homestead in Deep Gap. Soon those recordings will see the light of day with her creation Milestones: Legends of the Doc Watson Clan – a four-disc box set with nearly 100 unreleased tracks and hundreds of old family photos.

24 Legacy of High Country Health

During the past 35 years, Richard Sparks, an ASU graduate and president/CEO of Appalachian Regional Healthcare System, has built a legacy for not only himself but for healthcare in general throughout the High Country.

42 An Equestrian Safe Haven

A safe haven for abused and neglected horses in this part of the state, Horse Helpers of the High Country has flourished since its inception in 2004. Today, the nonprofit organization averages about a dozen adoptions while teaching atrisk kids about animal care.

50 Gardening Time

The first High Country Press newspaper was published on May 5, 2005, and the first issue of High Country Magazine went to press in fall 2005. In March of 2012 the newspaper made the transformation to an online newspaper at our new website: www.HCPress.com. Our new “webpaper” is still packed with information that we present and package in easy-to-read formats with visually appealing layouts. Our magazine represents our shared love of our history, our landscape and our people. It celebrates our pioneers, our lifestyles, our differences and the remarkable advantages we enjoy living in the mountains. Our guiding principles are twofold: quality journalism makes a difference and customer care at every level is of the greatest importance. Our offices are located in downtown Boone, and our doors are always open to welcome visitors.

ADVERTISING & MARKETING

Our magazine is a wonderful way for businesses to advertise to our readers. Our magazines tend to stay around for a long time, on coffee tables and bed stands, and shared with family and friends. To find out about advertising, call our offices at 828264-2262.

Break out the tillers, shovels and spades. It’s time to get gardening here in the High Country and there are several businesses that are ready to help you with all your gardening needs this spring and summer. Check out or special section on gardening and landscaping businesses and learn all about where you need to go to get ready for springtime gardening.

56 Music: It’s a Family Thing

BACK ISSUES

62 The B-Ball Tactician, Recruiter

PHOTOGRAPHY

Old-time music runs through the veins of the The Sheets Family, The Cockman Family and The Burnett and Griffin families, and each one is highlighted in our story titled Family Arrangements.

Roger Banks is regarded as a well-rounded coach, good with the X’s and O’s, adept with player personalities and a phenomenal recruiter. Plus, he happened to coach the best player to come out of the mountains, Tommy Burleson, when the 7-foot-4 center played high school ball in Avery County.

on the cover Todd Bush

Visit Todd's website at www.bushphoto.com

comfort cooking with a touch of gourmet

Back issues of our magazines are available from our office for $5 per issue. Some issues are already sold out and are no longer available.

Photography and page reprints are available for purchase. For sizing, prices and usage terms, please call our office. Some photos may not be available and some restrictions may apply.

42 62

Todd Bush captured this Eastern Tiger swallowtail butterfly in the gardens of Greenleaf services in Linville last year. Did you know the scientific name for this butterfly is (Papilio glaucus)? We didn't either. GO SPRING!

Chestnut Grille

coming spring 2013 at the Green Park Inn

FREELANCE OPPORTUNITIES

Writers and photographers may send queries and samples to the editor at hcmag@highcountrypress.com.

High Country Press/Magazine P.O. Box 152 130 North Depot Street Boone, NC 28607 www.hcpress.com info@highcountrypress.com

www.chestnut-grille.com | 828.414.9230 9239 Valley Boulevard, Blowing Rock, NC 28605

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April / May 2013

High Country Magazine

FROM T H E PU B L ISH ER

Nancy’s Story

A Publication Of High Country Press Publications

Mast Store

Editor & Publisher Ken Ketchie Art Director Debbie Carter Contributing Writers Jesse Wood Megan Northcote Ken Ketchie

ive winters ago in 2008 my friend Jim Morton called to ask if I knew how to scan pictures into a computer. I said, “Sure, we do it all the time for the newspaper.” Jim then went on to say that he had a friend who needed help scanning and digitizing artwork for a project. I said that I could probably help out and asked who his friend was. He said it was Nancy Watson, Doc Watson’s daughter. Well, that kinda threw me for a loop. I was a bit nervous, but, of course, I said yes and told Jim I’d be happy to help out in any way. So the next day we were off, with my computer and scanner in hand, to Watson’s house in Deep Gap. Looking back, I’m not sure if I was much help to Nancy – but I’ll never forget about that opportunity to hear and see and learn about what she was up to, and how fascinating her project was. Nancy, of course, swore me to secrecy, so I had to keep it all to myself. Every once in a while since then, I’d get a card from Nancy telling me she still hoped her project would be published, but that it would certainly be done on her terms in the way she envisioned with authenticity intact. She said she kept running into record companies that wanted to do it their way. Nancy was having none of that. Well, this past winter it all started to come together for Nancy. I got an email from a good friend of hers saying that Nancy started a “Kickstarter” campaign on the Internet to raise $73,000 for the project and asked if we could help spread the word. There was only 3 weeks left in the campaign to raise $38,000, which seemed like a long way to go. We posted the story on our website a number of times, and other media outlets were writing about it as well. Finally in the last few days it took off, and Nancy reached her goal. So now, at last, 14 years after Nancy began, she is ready to tell the world about her project. And we’re very lucky here at High Country Magazine to be one of the first to bring to print the story that describes Nancy’s work, titled Milestones: The Legacy of the Watson Clan. Our writer, Jesse Wood, takes us back to 1969, when Nancy worked as a field recorder for East Tennessee State University. That was the project’s inception, though Nancy didn’t know it at the time. From there, Nancy recorded and listened to hundreds of hours of family reel-to-reels, and sorted through boxes of family pictures to produce the beautiful collages that I first saw back in 2008. Nancy has been known to be a bit shy – something she readily admits – but with this project I think Nancy has found her voice and is ready to share her beautiful memories of growing up in a mountain family from Deep Gap that just happened to be unbelievably famous. 4

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April / May 2013

Allison West Tim Gardner Sally Treadwell Paul T. Choate Contributing Photographers Freddie Georgia Finance Manager Amanda Giles

SHARE WITH FRIENDS You can share our magazine with friends that are out of town by sending them to our website. Just click on “Magazine” in the Menu Bar and that will take you to our online magazine where you can flip through an issue online - just like you would with a printed copy.

www.HCPress.com HIGH COUNTRY MAGAZINE P.O. Box 152, Boone, NC 28607 828-264-2262 Follow our magazine online where each issue is presented in a flip-through format. Check it out at:

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Calendarof Events Calendar # 1

APRIL 2013

Relay for Life Spring Thaw 5K Run/Walk,

Boone Roubaix: The Hell of the High Country, Boone,

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Festival on the Field: A Charity Concert for Foster Children, Duck Pond Field, ASU, meetup.com/

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NC Brews Walkabout, Downtown Blowing Rock, 828-

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Grandfather Home For Children Centennial Celebration, Grandfather Home for Children, Banner

19 21

Turchin Center’s 10th Anniversary Birthday Party,

First Friday Date Night at Timberlake’s Restaurant,

Music on the Lawn: Mark Bumgardner, Best Cellar,

Watauga County Farmers’ Market Opens, Horn in the

New River Marathon, Half Marathon, 5K, Riverside

Appalachian Rollergirls vs. Blue Ridge Rollergirls,

Free Community Wellness Reboot, Fairfield Inn and

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April / May 2013

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Don’t mess with these roller derby vixens – especially on their home turf. The Appalachian Rollergirls square off against The Apocalypstix of Atlanta at the Holmes Convocation Center on Saturday, May 4. Founded in 2010, the Appalachian Rollergirls’ mission is empower women and encourage female athleticism, all while being stewards of the community. See www.appalachianrollergirls.com for more info.

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MerleFest is right around the corner, and the lineup – as usual – is spectacular. This year, The Charlie Daniels Band, Donna the Buffalo, Scythian, The Waybacks and so many more will perform. The four-day festival takes place April 25 to 28 on the campus of Wilkesboro Community College in North Wilkesboro. See www.merlefest.org for more info.

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Music on the Lawn: The Harris Brothers, Best Cellar,

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High Country Magazine

mountain

echoes Turchin Center at Appalachian Celebrates 10-Year Anniversary May 3

‘Like a Part of the Action’ at ASU Baseball Games Photos by Dave Mayo

f you haven’t been out to Beaver Field at Jim and Bettie Smith Stadium for an Appalachian State University Mountaineers baseball game, you are missing out. The Mountaineers (17-10, 8-6 SoCon; as of April 9) recently set an attendance record in early April when 1,116 fans turned out for a game at Smith Stadium against Georgia Southern. “The movie Moneyball said it best; ‘it’s hard not to be romantic about baseball,’” said Brad Miller, Appalachian Athletics marketing and promotions representative. “The atmosphere at a baseball game is total Americana. It’s a great experience to go out to a baseball game and cheer on Appalachian.”

ASU baseball trivia where fans get a chance to win prizes. Maybe bingo is your thing. If so, ASU baseball sometimes does “Baseball Bingo” where each fan gets a bingo board and if certain actions happen in a game you get to mark it off on your board. The first fan or fans to reach “Bingo!” will be eligible for prizes. “It’s really not just about the promotions,” Miller said. “Every time someone comes out to Smith Stadium we really try to make them feel like they are a part of the action.” It just keeps getting better in the late innings. After “Cotton-Eyed Joe” plays during the Seventh Inning Stretch, fans are eligible for a Stick Boy Bread Company coupon in the event of an ASU home run. There are also aspects to each game that try to simply give the fans a good laugh. When the opposing team’s manager, pitcher and catcher meet on the mound, ASU plays the “Three Best Friends” song from the movie “The Hangover.” If there is a team meeting by the opposing team, you can expect to hear the “Imperial March” from the Star Wars movies. Don’t sleep on the talent either. ASU matched a school record with four players selected in the 2012 Major League Baseball Draft when Nathan Hyatt, Tyler Tewell, Seth Grant and Ryan Arrowood were drafted. The team has a winning record yet again and ASU officials are optimistic.

The Mountaineers won their first Southern Conference Championship in 25 years last season when they knocked off Western Carolina in a come-from-behind victory, 5-4, on May 18, 2012. Building on the excitement of last year’s success, ASU is continuing to rack up accolades. On April 8, Sam AgnewWieland was named the Southern Conference Pitcher of the Week for the second week in a row. But it is not just the sport that keeps people coming out to ASU baseball games. The Mountaineers do all kinds of things each game to keep the fans engaged. If Appalachian scores in the second inning fans get a chance to have their own ASU baseball T-shirt during a “T-shirt Toss.” If that isn’t enough, there is always 8

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April / May 2013

O “I think our players are really good and have a place in Appalachian State baseball history,” Miller said. Ticket prices shouldn’t keep people from games: at only $3 to $5 per ticket, ASU baseball is a great way to get outside and enjoy America’s Great American Pasttime while not breaking the bank in the process. So whether it’s for the sport, the experience or just getting outdoors and cheering on ASU, taking a trip over to Smith Stadium – located on Bodenheimer Drive in Boone – will make for a great afternoon. For more information on ASU baseball, visit goasu.com. By Paul T. Choate

n Friday, May 3, the Turchin Center for the Visual Arts at Appalachian State University will celebrate its 10-year anniversary with a birthday party from 7 to 9 p.m. that will include live music and a special print available. Located in the heart of downtown Boone on West King Street, the Turchin Center has been a key cultural, educational, economic and service resource since opening in 2003. The center is the largest facility of its kind in Western North Carolina, Eastern Tennessee, and Southwestern Virginia, and is named for university benefactors Robert and Lillian Turchin. The center has been nationally recognized by organizations such as The Andy Warhol Foundation for the Visual Arts, which has supported the center through exhibition grants and through a gift of artworks by Warhol. The center presents a rotating roster of exhibitions providing a diverse look at the visual arts and inviting visitors to expand their perspectives through creative and critical thinking. It also maintains a small permanent collection to support the exhibition and education programs and to offer a campus loan program. "Our vision for the Turchin Center was to increase campus and community accessibility and ownership of the arts in ways that were dynamic, engaging and fun,” said Director and Chief Curator Hank Foreman. “We believe that the arts are educational, therapeutic and an integral part of a great community. We hope that we have increased accessibility through creative partnerships that help the arts find their way into the every day lives of our community members."

(continued on page 10) April / May 2013

High Country Magazine

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echoes

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Green Park Inn’s Laurel Room Remodeled; Renamed as The Chestnut Grille

USPTA Awards Bryan Dirk of Yonahlossee Top Tennis Professional Award

ince Steve and Gene Irace purchased the Green Park Inn in May 2010, major renovations have taken place at the historic hotel. Now the Green Park Inn will be getting a whole new look in their restaurant that, for many years, had been called the Laurel Room. The Laurel Room was closed in January 2013 and the restaurant’s menu stopped being served in the tearoom in late February 2013. On April 19, 2013, the Green Park Inn will reopen the restaurant as The Chestnut Grille. In the past few years, it has been well documented how much the Green Park Inn has been working on remodeling and restoration efforts. Just this past November, Historic Hotels of America, a program of the National Trust for Historic Preservation, honored the hotel with a Preservation Success Story Award. The award was presented on Nov. 8, in Ojai, Calif., at the organization’s annual conference, in recognition of the significant restoration work that the hotel’s new ownership have undertaken since their purchase of the property. The remodeled restaurant will be outfitted with a large portion of American chestnut, a wood that in recent years has been more difficult to come by. A portion of one of the dishes on the new menu will

ach year the United States Professional Tennis Association (USPTA) of North Carolina recognizes individuals for extraordinary service and representation of the game. This award is especially meaningful to the recipient as its honoree is selected by a vote of his/her peers and associates. The High Country was particularly well represented at this year’s awards ceremony in Pinehurst the weekend of January 2527, as Bryan Dirk, managing professional at the Yonahlossee Racquet Club in Boone, has been awarded the designation of “Best Tennis Professional” by the USPTA. Yonahlossee Racquet Club (YRC) also received the “Best Tournament” honor from the United States Professional Tennis Association (USTA) of North Carolina for its annual Gladys Hackworth Adult Tournament, which hosts players from all over the East Coast and has been held each July for the past 20 years. This is the first time YRC has taken both

donate proceeds to the American Chestnut Foundation. As for the atmosphere, General Manager Lorry Mulhern says the goal was to give the restaurant a more casual feel. “We wanted to make the Green Park Inn a hub for the social community in Blowing Rock again,” Mulhern said. “The

Chestnut Grille is a lot warmer, cozier and a lot less formal and the menu is also a lot warmer, cozier and a lot less formal.” By less formal, did Mulhern mean the menu is less pricey? In a word, yes. But that doesn’t change the fact that the food will be prepared by the renowned, awardwinning Chef James Welch. The Green Park Inn’s Chestnut Grille has also welcomed some new members to their team. In the wake of the local fine dining establishment Crippen’s Country

Inn and Restaurant closing in late January 2013, three of Crippen’s long-time staff members moved over to Green Park Inn. “We are happy to welcome Sharon Walker [former manager at Crippen’s], Scrip Morrow [former head waiter at Crippen’s] and Felix Mendoza [former wait staff at Crippen’s] on board,” Mulhern said. The remodeled restaurant will have some modern conveniences absent in the Laurel Room, such as large flat screen televisions for example, but Mulhern said the goal was to preserve the Green Park Inn’s historic integrity while also walking the line of giving customers modern elements they desire. Mulhern noted that the last time the restaurant at the Green Park Inn had a total overhaul in terms of renovation was “at least the 1980s.” The Green Park Inn was originally opened in 1891. The hotel was placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1982. The last of the “Grand Manor Hotels” in Western North Carolina, it remains the state’s second oldest operating resort hotel. The Green Park in is located at 9239 Valley Blvd., Blowing Rock. For more information, call 828-414-9230 or visit greenparkinn.com. By Paul T. Choate

Turchin Center Anniversary (continued from page 9) During the event, a special tribute will be paid to the Turchins. There will also be live music courtesy of renowned local jazz musicians and ASU Hayes School of Music faculty members Andy Paige and Todd Wright. Also in celebration of the 10th anniversary of the Turchin Center, Tim Turner has created a limited edition lithograph of his original work, “Lemon Grass.” Only 50 prints of this incredible work will be 10

High Country Magazine

available for purchase. Proceeds will go directly to the Turchin Center to continue presenting art exhibitions and education programs for the community. The prints will cost $225 and framing options are available. For those who are Turchin Center donors, a special reception will be held prior to the event from 6 to 7 p.m. The celebration will also coincide with the May installment of the Downtown

April / May 2013

Boone First Friday Art Crawl, so attendees of the celebration will also have the opportunity to explore downtown and see all the diverse art the High Country has to offer. The Turchin Center is located at 423 W. King St., Boone. For more information on the event or to reserve a limited edition Tim Turner print, call 828-262-3017 or email turchincenter@appstate.edu. By Paul T. Choate

of those awards during the same year. Previously head tennis professional at the Tucson (Ariz.) Country Club, Dirk came to YRC in March 2011. With less than two years under his belt, Dirk has held two seasons of free tennis clinics in area elementary schools, two summers of kids’ tennis camps, two U.S.T.A. tournaments, plus numerous tennis benefits for Grandfather Home for Children, the Humane Society and Habitat for Humanity. Dirk also led a women’s 4.0 team and a combo 7.5 team to the state playoffs in 2012. Additionally, under Dirk’s leadership, Yonahlossee Racquet Club is becoming increasingly involved with Grandfather Home – sponsoring fun days of tennis, swimming, movies and pizza for the kids. This Christmas, each child – who had no Christmas destination – was “adopted” by a YRC member and treated to a Christmas party, din-

ner and gift “exchange” at the clubhouse. Dirk knows most of the kids by name – and they know him. The ripple effects of Bryan Dirk’s move to the High Country, less than two years ago, is not only measured in awards – but more importantly – in smiles and memories. For more information about YRC, call 828-963-1800 or visit yonahlosseeclub. com.

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April / May 2013

High Country Magazine

MILESTONES

Nancy Watson at work in the living room of her family’s home.

The Living Room Antholog of the

Watson Clan

Story by Jesse Wood

n the summer of 1969, Nancy Watson was 17 years old when some professors at East Tennessee State University visited her family’s home in Deep Gap. While inquiring if her legendary father and brother, Doc and Merle Watson, would play a concert at the college, the professors learned that Nancy just graduated high school. She was then asked to take part in a summer program at ETSU, where recent graduates were hired as field recorders to collect the folklore and heritage of the mountain people in Watauga and Avery County.

Photo by Roy Andrade

High Country Magazine

April / May 2013

Nancy agreed, but before heading off into the hollers, she traveled to Johnson City and spent two days at the college, learning how to operate reel-to-reel tape recorders and conduct field interviews. “Of course, I was too bashful to go to anybody that wasn’t close to me, so I just went mostly to family members,” Nancy said, adding that after completing the summer program, she asked for a tape recorder for her birthday and began doing her own recordings of the family. April / May 2013

High Country Magazine

And such is the beginnings of the treasure trove known as Milestones: Legends of the Doc Watson Clan, a four-disc box set that features 94 tracks of stories, songs and interviews rarely heard outside of the family. It also includes 50 collages, tediously crafted by Nancy from more than 500 family photos, some more than a century old. In late April, the collection will be available for the first time at this year’s MerleFest in North Wilkesboro. But it wasn’t until 30 years later that Nancy decided to dust off those old analogue recordings. In 1999, Nancy started rummaging through dungy, yellow-faded boxes that held stacks upon stacks of old reel-to-reels. The vintage tapes contained thousands of unreleased tracks of the Watson Family, featuring five generations of interactions, music and memories of the old days on Deep Gap. Many of the recordings predate The Folk Revival, back to a time when Doc was playing electric guitar and was unknown

for his musical abilities beyond the townships of Eastern Tennessee and Western North Carolina, where Doc would play on Nancy Watson street corners, at barbershops, farmers’ markets, land sales, square dances and other such gigs to support his family. “My cousin Kermit who lived in Ohio brought down the first reel-to-reel machine that anybody in this [part of the] country ever had, so he started doing recordings down here, and he loaned the machine to daddy,” said Nancy. “I said ‘Daddy, you’ve got tons and tons of old reel-to-reels.’ I said, ‘Can I go through and look for stuff?’ He said, ‘Yeah.” After her father’s blessing, Nancy began digging through the archives, which were scattered about in the homes of relatives, at Doc’s house and at ETSU. At first she felt compelled to preserve her family’s history by writing a book, but when she sat down with a pen and pad and wrote and wrote, she knew something

“When I close my eyes and listen to the project for just a few hours, Daddy, Mama and Merle are all back in the physical world with me. I’m so thankful that I got to do this project. It’s my heart.”

Photo by Roy Andrade

“What a wondrous, ethereal piece of delight a little dog-eared flat box can be when it contains a plastic reel of shiny brown recording tape! It’s magic lies in something I can’t touch, something I can’t see – at least with my physical eyes. Memories! How can that be? The sounds of my memories; so many past happy times, the long silent voices of loved ones … right there they all are again … in my hand.” Nancy Watson 14

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April / May 2013

The collage above is from Nancy’s personal collection while the college to the right – titled The Early Years – was created as one of the covers for the four CDs in the project. From the time Nancy began working on the project in 1999 to the time she stopped counting in 2007, she logged more than 10,000 hours of labor on the project. She would work through the middle of the night with tweezers, a magnifying glass, acid-free tape and some Elmer’s School Glue to create three-dimensional, layered collages made from hundreds of old family photos. She also listened to thousands of old family recordings, trimmed the compilation to 64 CDs and then narrowed down Milestones: Legends of the Doc Watson Clan to four CDs. April / May 2013

High Country Magazine

Frog Greene (left) and Doc Watson, circa 1954. Frog, who is in his late 80s, was born in Boone and currently lives in Nashville, where he still plays music. He used to play with Doc in the ‘50s. The two would play at music stores, schoolhouses, barbershops, land sales, square dances and on the street to the delight of passersby. “Oh yeah,” Greene said recently. “We could draw a crowd.”

Doc (far right) performing with his rockabilly band, Jack Williams and the Country Gentlemen, at the VA Hospital in Johnson City, Tenn. Circa 1954 16

High Country Magazine

April / May 2013

was amiss. “After writing a few chapters, I realized people needed to hear the music, the voices and the interactions of what it was like growing up in the family,” Nancy recalled. “You can read a story but not hear what I heard to know what it really felt like.” Nancy was born in Boone on July 11, 1951, nearly two-and-a-half years after Merle was born – and she wasn’t always apprehensive. She remembers tagging along with Doc in the ‘50s whenever he would play at the VA Hospital in Johnson City, Tenn. She would get on stage and sing and dance. “I wasn’t a bit scared on stage until I was 7 years old,” Nancy recalled. Once Nancy gathered all of the known existing reel-to-reels, Doc showed her how to set up the equipment to transfer the analogue tracks to CD. Nancy said she “wore out the CD copier” and had to briefly switch to cassette tapes. Eventually, she narrowed the material to 64 CDs and then trimmed that down to Milestones: Legends of the Doc Watson Clan. Next, after preserving the old recordings into digital form, she catalogued and then cross-catalogued the tracks into various subgroups such as instrumentals, a cappella, personalities, date and so forth. “After that I sat down and said, ‘God, I don’t have the slightest idea of what the finished product is supposed to look like. I need some help here,’” Nancy said. “I heard the first piece of music in my head. As I was writing that down, I heard the next track. Every time I would write down one track, I would hear the next track. I really did have help programming, but it wasn’t from anybody in this world.” After the last recording was preserved, Nancy began working through the night with tweezers in hand and a magnifying glass, acid-free tape and “a little bit of Elmer’s School Glue” to create layered, three-dimensional collages using mostly the family’s collection of photos. It was a tedious – and fixating – process to say the least. She said each collage took anywhere from one to two weeks to complete. “Once I got started, I was obsessed,” Nancy said. “I forgot anything else was going on in the world.” (Not one to use computers, Nancy added that Melba and Doug Carter of Boone helped her scan and size the old photos.)

Rosa Lee and Doc Watson

Doc Watson and Gaither Carlton

Gaither Carlton was Doc’s father-in-law, and he was fine old-time musician, playing the fiddle and the banjo. According to liner notes in the David Holt and Doc Watson album Legacy, Doc was 18 when he started going to Gaither’s house to play music, and that’s how Doc met Rosa Lee.

Merle, Rosa Lee and Doc Watson

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TOP PHOTO: Merle poses with his guitar about 24 hours after learning his first chords. He was 15 at the time MIDDLE PHOTO: Merle and his mother, Rosa Lee about 12 hours after she taught him his first chords. BOTTOM PHOTO: Merle at 19 playing with his dad on stage in Angiers.

Milestones: Legends of the Doc Watson Clan is in chronological order, and the recordings date from 1953 to 2006 but feature many stories predating the ‘50s. For fans of the Watson clan – and for people who are interested in listening to tales of what life was really like in Watauga County, this is truly an extraordinary collection. Music aside – in one track, Doc recounts the August 1940 flood, where, to put the waters in perspective, the Watauga River crested nearly 30-feet high. In his story, Doc tells of how he “escaped from being washed away,” Nancy said. Rosa Lee and Doc talk about their childhood, and Merle interviews his father about The Folk Revival. Another recording has references to Native Americans, which Billy Wolf, a studio engineer on the project, found fascinating. “The first CD covers the whole background of the family, references to [Cherokee] Indians and the whole population of the area. That, also, was very interesting,” Wolf said, adding that a conversation of when radio first came to the region was intriguing, too. As for the music, the whole gamut is covered from Doc playing electric guitar in Jack Williams and the Country Gentlemen, a country-dance band, to a cappella performances of the family and other members of the congregation at Mount Paran Church in Deep Gap in the ‘60s to Merle lighting up the banjo a few months after learning his first chords. Other songs were recorded at Doc’s home, at Doc’s parent’s home, and at the home of oldtime fiddler Gaither Carlton, Doc’s fatherin-law. There is also a rare version of Doc playing his Les Paul and singing “Pharaoh,” a song Doc wrote and recorded in

Family Group Photo: Left to right, bottom row – Marlene Carlton, Nancy Watson (age 11); Middle row – Maggie Carlton, Gaither Carlton, Annie Watson; Back row – Rosa Lee Watson, Doc Watson, Merle Watson, Arnold Watson

Bottom Photo: Doc with Merle (age 2 ½ ) and baby Nancy (age 3 months) April / May 2013

High Country Magazine

The Watson Family in 1981 20

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Photo by David Holt

Historic Valle Crucis across from The Mast General Store

1 Farmho 6 8 1 e u

Doc and Rosa Lee

a studio in Johnson City, Tenn., in 1954. In all, more than 38 family members, young and old, perform on the collection – from grandparents to cousins to grandchildren, from some family members that were born 100 years apart. “There’s one section where daddy is actually with brothers and sisters singing hymns at a reunion gathering. There’s another track with my grandmother, daddy’s mother, churning butter and singing,” Nancy said. “It’s unbelievable what’s on it.” Throughout the cataloguing process, Nancy came across tracks that she didn’t know existed anymore, recordings that took her back to a place and time that will never be again. “It was wonderful when I would discover things that I thought were lost forever or never knew were recorded in the first place. It was like getting to live my life all over again,” she said. “I am a person that measures my life by music. If I hear certain music, it takes me back instantly to that time in my life.” While Nancy had to dig into the archives to find many of the old recordings, some of the later recordings of Doc and his wife Rosa Lee were deliberately made for this project. The collection is a living-room anthology. The majority of the material was recorded in living rooms across Deep Gap, and Nancy said she wanted that “livingroom feel” for the Milestones: Legends of the Doc Watson Clan. “That was one of the goals – to make people feel like they were present when the recordings were made, that they would feel like they were part of the family, group or gathering,” Nancy said. “If it were to sound like it was recorded in a studio that would totally ruin the whole purpose. I didn’t want it to sound like a commercial endeavor to make a bunch of money.” This was exactly what Billy Wolf, the engineer, had in mind when he began mastering the recordings. Although he balanced the volume and tone for consistency among the four CDs; corrected noises associated with the analogue-to-digital transfer; and fixed gaps or dropouts in the sound, Wolf said – and as instructed by Nancy – he made a point to “retain the vibe of the older recordings.” Prior to Wolf performing the final touchups on the project in 2013, T. Michael Coleman, the bass player who toured with Doc and Merle, spent two years editing, splicing – and even repairing – the recordings on the 64 CDs for no fee. “He did a phenomenal job,” Nancy said. “Some of the tracks were beyond repair, and I didn’t think they could be used, but Michael spent all of this time and worked really, really hard to get these

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Music is not separate from the person. It isn’t something you have to learn to do. It’s already inside all of us. We are born with it. At whatever capacity we are able, we must allow ourselves to express it.” Nancy Watson tracks to where they were usable.” One of the neat aspects of a unique collection like this is that each listener will stumble upon a particular favorite. For instance, Roy Andrade, the producer of Milestones: Legends of the Doc Watson Clan, pointed out that, although “there are just so many,” he was particularly fond of recordings of Doc playing the banjo, performing jazz standards on the electric guitar and the interactions between Doc and Nancy. “There are some banjo tracks where Doc changes his picking style halfway through. He starts playing three-finger bluegrass style and then clawhammer style and back to bluegrass,” Andrade said. “There is also really intimate storytelling between him and Nancy. The kind of stuff you could never get as an outsider, a father telling his daughter stories.” Andrade was a graduate student at ETSU in 1999 when Nancy called the college to retrieve the field recordings that she completed during that summer in 1969. As a graduate student, Andrade

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“Music and stories have been an everyday part of life in my family. It was as important to us as eating and sleeping.” Nancy Watson

– along with a few other classmates – helped Nancy transcribe her interviews. Today, Andrade is a professor of old-time music at the same university, located in Johnson City, and he started working on Milestones: Legends of the Doc Watson Clan with Nancy in 2010. While Nancy – who stopped counting the time she spent on the project in 2007, after logging more than 10,000 hours – was the creator of the project, Andrade did a lot of the legwork and helped it see the light of day. See, Nancy struggled with finding a record label, and all the record executives Nancy spoke with wanted complete creative control, which she wouldn’t relinquish because she said the endeavor would have sounded too commercial. Andrade ended up founding Open Records solely to put out this project. Along with his producing duties, he also wrote 10,000 words of liner notes – consisting of contextual essays and descriptions of the 94 tracks. To Andrade, one thing that stood out about the project was its uniqueness. “It’s the first anthology of a family's music that I

know of that was created entirely from within the family,” Andrade said. “All of these home recordings were recorded by members of the family, meaning that they actually pressed the record button.” While this project focuses on the Watson clan, it also offers an intimate portrait of the most famous Watson – Doc, of course. Although Doc was acclaimed the world over for his lightning-quick, yet graceful, picking style, he remained so humble to be so famous. “You know, it’s a different side of daddy in this project that you didn’t know before,” Nancy said. “Daddy always put his family first. He loved his music, but his family always came first. He went out on the road to provide for his family.” With Doc passing away last summer and Rosa Lee following him into heaven on Thanksgiving, it’s been a tough year for Nancy. This project has not only

helped her brush off some of that shyness, it has also helped her cope with losing the two-most important people in her life. As Andrade said, “It’s been very good for her for sure.” Throughout the completion of the project, Nancy has encountered numerous photos and songs and stories that bring back memories. “It does make me sad,” Nancy said. “But it makes me real happy that mama and daddy got to hear the project before they passed.” Before Doc and Rosa Lee passed away, Nancy played them the demo of Milestones: Legends of the Doc Watson Clan. Do you know what Doc said after he listened to it? “It’s an adventure,” Nancy said. “Those were my daddy’s exact words. It was an adventure.” 

Nancy Watson with her mother Rosa Lee, and father Doc, in their living room. 1992

To pre-order Milestones: Legends of the Doc Watson Clan, click to www. docwatsonmilestones.com. It will also be available at MerleFest from April 25-28. PHOTOS COURTESY of NANCY WATSON

“I would not trade for all the world’s riches the precious moments I’ve had with my family. I don’t know why God picked me to be with them. I feel humbled that he did. If I had grown up in a dirtfloored, tar-paper shack, it would all be the same. If no one knew who my father was, and if we were even more poor, than we used to be, so much so that we would have to forage wild food to survive, it would all be the same. Each other. That’s what counts … truly caring about each other’s feelings and needs. That’s what they taught me … my parents … Love, family. That’s everything. ’Treasure it.’ They didn’t need to say it. They taught me without words.” Nancy Watson

Photo by Roy Andrade

“This is my life’s work. I was born to do this project. My wish is that everyone who sees and hears it … that their hearts will be touched and that their lives will be just a little bit better because of it.” Nancy Watson 22

High Country Magazine

April / May 2013

In 1988, Doc Watson was among 12 other recipients of the National Endowment for the Arts National Heritage Fellow award. His daughter, Nancy Watson stands behind Doc on stage (left). April / May 2013

High Country Magazine

The Heartbeat of High Country Healthcare

Richard Sparks

Leading the Community through Compassion for 35 Years BY: MEGAN NORTHCOTE 24

High Country Magazine

Photo by Marie Freeman

April / May 2013

ometimes in life, things happen for a reason. Just ask Richard Sparks, President and CEO of Appalachian Regional Healthcare System (ARHS), who was honored this January for 35 years of service to ARHS and the High Country. It was 1976 and, like most Appalachian State University college alumni, twenty-three-year-old Richard Sparks stood at the crossroads of adolescence and adulthood, contemplating one of life’s most daunting, yet exhilarating questions. What next? Born and raised in Shelby, N.C., the first time Sparks set foot on ASU’s campus as a freshman, he was instantly over-

whelmed by an unexplainable feeling of possibility, freshness and adventure. His first impressions didn’t fail him, and four years later, he had earned his diploma – a bachelor’s degree in business administration with an emphasis in healthcare, one of the university’s newest programs at the time. Never one to settle for status quo, the recent college graduate dreamed of attending George Washington University and earning his Master of Hospital Administration. Yet, finances got in the way, and by the fall of 1976, Sparks found himself back at ASU, taking a couple classes, awaiting the day he could afford his dream school. A semester passed, and the day finally

April / May 2013

High Country Magazine

came for Sparks to transfer to GWU. Yet, after much deliberation, he turned it down. Working as an assistant manager at the former Mountaineer Apartments on Bodenheimer Drive in Boone, Sparks essentially had a free place to live. Plus, with a graduate assistantship already in place, he had his ASU tuition nearly paid for, and saw no reason to relocate. And for the real deal sealer, ASU continued to engulf Sparks with that same feeling of possibility and adventure. On a whim, Sparks decided to stay in Boone just a little bit longer (only temporarily of course) to earn his MBA from ASU, which he did in 1978. Fast forward 35 years, and Sparks still hasn’t left the High Country. Had he moved away, the High Country may have never found the same leadership and vision Sparks demonstrated in shaping, building and expanding ARHS into what it’s become today – the region’s leading healthcare system. Today, ARHS boasts a staff of over 1,500 employees serving the High Country through three hospitals – Blowing Rock Hospital (soon to be replaced by the Appalachian Place at Chestnut Ridge, Center for Healthy Living and Rehabilitation), Charles A. Richard Sparks, 1989 Cannon, Jr., Memorial Hospital in Linville, and the Watauga Medical Center in Boone, which includes the Cardiology Center, the Seby B. Jones Regional Cancer Center, the Paul H. Broyhill Wellness Center and several other specialty units. Spend even a few minutes with Sparks, and you’ll soon realize he’s far too humble to take full credit for the success of ARHS, which sees 6,500 inpatient visits, 33,000 emergency room visits and over 100,000 outpatient visits per year. Yet, he’ll never deny that choosing to stay in Boone just a little bit longer was one of the best decisions he’s ever made both for himself and for the High Country. “Sometimes in life, when things don’t go your way and it looks like plans have been shattered, things really turn out better than Watauga Hospital Inc., constructed in 1967 at its new location on Deerfield Road (above), what you thought,” Sparks reflected. “For doubled in size in 1975, and has since greatly expanded under Sparks’ leadership to become me, [staying at ASU instead of going to GWU] part of the Watauga Medical Center, pictured in 1980 (below). was really a life-changing event. At first, it was a disappointment, but it turned out to be a great thing for me.”

Building a Leader

On April 17, 1938, Watauga Hospital, housed inside Founders Hall on ASU’s campus, opened its doors to accept its first patient. At first, the hospital, which had been financed entirely by state funds and community donations, flourished. But by the early 1960s, the original hospital had outgrown its footprint and was plagued by space issues. In response, the Board of Trustees began a campaign to create a new hospital, securing large funds from the North Carolina Medical Care Commission Duke Endowment Grant and a local bond referendum. At last, on May 23, 1967, a newly expanded, 83-bed facility, relocated to its present day 26

High Country Magazine

April / May 2013

Vance C. Holland

Administrator - Watauga Hospital, Inc. 1950-1955

Richard T. Walls

Administrator - Watauga Hospital, Inc. 1955-1956

Virginia A. Groce

Administrator - Watauga Hospital, Inc. 1956-1989

Richard G. Sparks

President - Watauga Medical Center, Inc. 1989-

Since Watauga Hospital, Inc. reorganized in 1949, four leaders have presided over the hospital, including Virginia Groce, hospital administrator for over 30 years, who was instrumental in coaching her administrative assistant and ultimate replacement, Richard Sparks.

location at Deerfield Road, and announced their grand opening. This new hospital fell into the capable hands of Mrs. Virginia Groce, hospital administrator between 1956 and 1989. She supervised a hospital staff of 56, including eight medical staff members, seven general practitioners and one surgeon. Time marched on, and the hospital

building contractors, Sparks learned how to read engineering blue prints, the basics of installing electrical wiring and plumbing pipes, and everything else that went into building a new facility. Most importantly, Sparks received firsthand experience in team building and employee management, skills which would prove vital to his success as a healthcare leader years later. “I had a lot of time to learn about human behavior, negotiations, and leadership, how you motivate people to do the things that need to be done,” Sparks reflected. “It really was a real life laboratory for me.” For about ten years, Sparks continued working under Groce, getting his feet wet in as many areas of hospital administration as possible, by taking on small-scale projects, Richard Sparks such as working to streamline the hospital accreditation process. “In those days, prior to the late 1960s before Medicare and Medicaid, most people didn’t have insurance, so financially, operating a hospital was very, very stressful,” Sparks admitted. “Ms. Groce could stretch a dime farther than anybody I’ve ever met. So I learned a lot about being very prudent with your money, maximizing your resources and not trying to do everything at once.” Years passed when suddenly, in 1989, Groce fell ill and had to step down from

“Sometimes in life, when things don’t go your way and it looks like plans have been shattered, things really turn out better than what you thought. For me, [staying at ASU instead of going to GWU] was really a life-changing event. At first, it was a disappointment, but it turned out to be a great thing for me.” – continued to grow, prompting another 75,000-square-foot addition in March 1975 with the approval of a $4.9 million bond, doubling the hospital’s size. For the next five years, construction crews labored away on the expansion. Overseeing the construction project was none other than a young Richard Sparks, who was appointed Groce’s administrative assistant on January 22, 1978 when he began working for Watauga Hospital, Inc. Working closely with the architects and

her position. Hoping to find a quick replacement, the hospital board decided to allow Sparks to fill Groce’s position, but only temporarily for six months. Before his trial run ended, Sparks had proven to the board that he possessed the leadership and drive to pick up where Groce had left off. “Richard had outstanding leadership ability, good vision and management concepts,” Paige R. Murray, former Watauga Hospital Board of Trustees member from 1978 to 1999, said. “He had the vision, experience and heart to take the organization forward.” And without a doubt, he did exactly that.

Dreaming Big

In June 1989 at 34 years young, Sparks found himself in charge of the Watauga Hospital. But even today, he’ll tell you he never felt intimidated by the amount of power and responsibility vested in him at such a young age. Instead, he proceeded to do what any young man would – dream. When Sparks was first appointed CEO, Paige Murray, who then served as Chairman of the Board, gave Sparks some words of advice he never forgot. Leaving Sparks in his new office, Murray turned, and told him, “You’re captain of the ship now Richard, you take it where it needs to go.” Taking his words to heart, Sparks didn’t just steer the ship, he worked to turn his dreams into a reality. Moving in full force, he started with perhaps his most ambitious project of his career to date – building a cancer center. In the early 1990s, just a year into his new position, Sparks and his board began investigating the need for a cancer center in the High Country to serve patients in

April / May 2013

High Country Magazine

“Richard is a really good person possessing high standards and ethical principles. He is always one to emphasize the crucial importance of teamwork. He is transparent in his leadership style, freely sharing his thoughts, ideas, and values with his team. The importance of teamwork and meeting community needs instilled in his staff is matched by a consistent increase in a loyal patient clientele.” – Dr. Herman Godwin, Medical Director of Blumenthal Cancer Center

On January 14, 1993, Godwin made his first trip to the new Ashe, Avery, Watauga and Wilkes County and Johnson County. While doing the research, Sparks was shocked to learn that Cancer Center in Boone, serving four patients that day. With each approximately 1 in 4 cancer patients he spoke with in the High subsequent trip to Boone, Godwin’s clientele continued to grow. After retiring from Carolinas Medical Center in 1999, GodCountry would rather stay at home and let the cancer take its win relocated to toll than drive off the Blowing Rock and mountain to receive was appointed by proper treatment. Sparks to serve as the Originally, Sparks Senior Vice President planned to partner and Medical Director with Wake Forest Bapfor ARHS, a position tist Medical Center to he continues to hold utilize their expertise today. Godwin briefly in establishing a canresumed his practice cer center for the High as medical oncologist Country. between 2002 and When this part2006 in Boone, and nership fell through, by 2005, the Watauga Sparks turned to Dr. Medical Center’s onHerman Godwin, cology department Medical Director of was renamed in his Blumenthal Cancer honor. Center at Carolinas Godwin strongly Medical Center in maintains that the Charlotte. Offering full medical and radiation oncology services, the Seby B. Jones Regional Cancer Cancer Center’s sucPlacing full confiCenter has touched the lives of thousands throughout the region since first opening in cess is primarily a dence in Sparks’ lead1993, fulfilling one of Sparks’ first dreams as CEO of ARHS. tribute to the foreership abilities, Godwin agreed to help Sparks launch the medical oncology services sight that Sparks demonstrated in having the vision to establish in the Seby B. Jones Regional Cancer Center, which opened on the Center. “Richard is a really good person possessing high standards and ethical principles. He is always one to emphasize the Watauga Medical Center campus in 1993.

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Man Behind the Suit: Ten Trivia Tidbits about Richard Sparks, President and CEO of ARHS 1 What’s your favorite restaurant in the High Country? Bistro Roca Antlers Bar 2 What’s your favorite movie? Apollo 13 3 What’s your favorite music group/ type of music? The Beach Boys or any kind of Carolina beach music 4 What’s your ideal vacation? Going to the beach 5 What was your favorite subject in school? Your worst? History (favorite), Calculus (worst) 6 What is your favorite outdoor activity? Golf 7 What’s your favorite season in the High Country? Fall 8 What is your biggest fear? Making a mistake 9 What is your favorite book? Team of Rivals: The Political Genius of Abraham Lincoln by Doris Kearns Goodwin 10 What’s your favorite exercise? Going to the Wellness Center to use the elliptical and lift weights 30

High Country Magazine

April / May 2013

the crucial importance of teamwork,” Godwin stated. “He is transparent in his leadership style, freely sharing his thoughts, ideas, and values with his team. The importance of teamwork and meeting community needs instilled in his staff by Richard is matched by a consistent increase in a loyal patient clientele.” For instance, the total number of patient appointments seen in the Center’s medical oncology division jumped from 11,995 in 2010 to 15,275 in 2012. Likewise, the radiation oncology division saw 214 new patients in 2012, or an average of 18 new patients per month, bringing the total number of patient appointments for the year to 1,464. An 8,000-square-foot addition in 2002 has allowed for enhanced cancer diagnostic and treatment procedures, including radiation therapy, chemotherapy, biotherapy, immunotherapy, prostate brachytherapy and hormonal treatments, among other services. One day a week, the Cancer Center oncologists hold clinics in Ashe and Avery counties as a way of extending services throughout the High Country. But the real success story behind the Center is not in the statistics, but in the human relationships and bonds formed between patients, staff and Sparks. A few years ago, as Sparks was making the rounds through the Cancer Center, he noticed an 80-year-old woman with a scarf covering her head, shuffling from the radiation oncology building across the parking lot, assisted

by a nurse. As Sparks approached the woman in greeting, the nurse looked at the patient and said, “Mrs. Jones, this is the man who is responsible for the facility being here.” Sparks sheepishly shook his head, trying to find the right words to deflect taking full credit for the facility’s existence. The elderly woman stopped, pulled the scarf away from her face, and, looking Sparks straight in the eye, said “Thank you.” “You’re welcome, Mrs. Jones, but you know a lot of people were involved in creating this facility, it wasn’t just me,” Sparks replied humbly. “Well, I don’t know how much longer I’m going to live,” Mrs. Jones responded, “but I know I’m going to live a little bit longer because of you.” And for Sparks, that’s what it’s all about – changing people’s lives for the better. “Once in a while, those feel good moments happen and all the bad stuff, the hard stuff, the lying awake at night worrying, it’s all worth it,” Sparks said.

Building a Legacy

The Cancer Center, Sparks’ proudest accomplishment, was only a precursor to the many other ARHS projects to come under his leadership. Kenneth Wilcox, who currently serves on the Appalachian Regional Healthcare Board of Trustees, also served on the Watauga Hospital Board of Trustees in the mid 1960s and again

At the Cardiology Center, which opened in the mid-90s, four cardiologists and related medical specialists offer a complete continuum of heart and vascular care.

in the mid 1980s, and has known Sparks his entire career. Wilcox sites the opening of The Cardiology Center in the mid 1990s and the Watauga Medical Center/Scott Mallard Kidney Dialysis Center in June 2009 as two more success stories. Much like the creation of the Cancer Center, both of these services prevented patients from having to drive down the mountain to Hickory, Charlotte or Winston Salem to seek treatment, Wilcox explained. Undoubtedly, the Paul H. Broyhill Wellness Center, which is now celebrating its fifteenth anniversary, has impacted more individuals in the High Country than any other ARHS service, Wilcox said, by offering state of the art equipment, specialized staff and unique fitness programs to prevent illness and maintain wellness. Built in March 1998, the 62,000-square-foot facility features two aquatic pools and attracts between 2,000 and 3,000 members annually. “Through his leadership and vision, none of this would ever have been accomplished,” Wilcox stated. “Richard has been lucky to have had quality community leaders on his board.” One of these community leaders is John Blackburn, general manager of Eseeola Lodge in Linville for 30 years. Blackburn also served on ARHS board in 1996 as the first non-Watauga County resident, as well as chair a couple times, and currently serves as vice chair. Yet, he was most instrumental in merging Sloop Memorial Hospital in Crossnore with Charles A. Cannon, Jr., Memorial Hospital in Banner Elk, to form Avery Health Care System, Inc. The new hospital, also called Charles A. Cannon Jr. Memorial, opened in Linville in 1999.

CURTIS R. PAGE,

With the formation of ARHS in 2004, Sparks now presides over a triple alliance of High Country hospitals, including the Watauga Medical Center, Charles A. Cannon, Jr., Memorial Hospital (above), and the addition of Blowing Rock Hospital in 2007 (below).

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“Just like the economy’s gone global, we’re global healthcare. The more we can understand about world health, we can take the things other people have already learned [elsewhere] and apply them here [at ARHS], so we can help folks.” Over the last decade, several trips to Fudan University in Shanghai brought together top medical professionals and academic leaders including (from left to right): Chancellor Emeritus John E. Thomas; Richard Sparks; Dr. Xiliang Zha, Vice President and Dean of Shanghai Medical College at Fudan University; Dr. Gretchen Bataille, Sr. Vice President of the UNC System; and Chancellor Kenneth E. Peacock.

For ten years, between 1999 and 2009, Blackburn chaired Cannon Hospital, a 25bed acute care facility with a ten bed inpatient behavioral health unit among other services. Eventually, Blackburn began to realize that the new Cannon Hospital was too small and lacked proper specialty services to successfully operate on its own. Collaborating with Sparks, Blackburn and other board leaders secured funding to merge Cannon Hospital with the Watauga Medical Center, forming ARHS in 2004. By 2007, Blowing Rock Hospital joined ARHS, forming a three part healthcare alliance for the High Country. “The merging process was tough financially, but without Richard, it may not have worked,” Blackburn admitted. Equally challenging was securing enough responsible, hardworking staff to help the High Country’s leading healthcare system operate, thrive and grow at its newly expanded size. Once again, Sparks had everything under control. “Richard has an acumen for picking the right people to work in the right places and has been very instrumental in recruiting his staff,” Blackburn said. “I’ve learned a lot about hiring people from him. Anyone could have built these buildings with fancy equipment, but without good providers, ARHS would be nothing compared to what it is today.” 32

High Country Magazine

First a Student, Always a Student

When Dr. John E. Thomas, former ASU chancellor from 1979-1993, first met Sparks when Sparks was a student at ASU in the mid-70s, he never dreamed he’d be approaching Sparks years later for advice on how to teach healthcare. It was 1996, three years after Thomas’ retirement, and Kenneth Peacock, then the Dean of the Walker College of Business at ASU, told Thomas they were short a healthcare management professor. Having a business degree, but lacking professional training in healthcare, Thomas went to his long time friend and told Sparks to teach him all he knew about the field. “Because of Sparks’ competent instruction, teaching healthcare management was the most enjoyable ten years of my career,” Thomas said, who, earlier in his career, had worked as an engineer, a manager for NASA and a lawyer. Sparks’ avid desire to learn and continue learning years after his time as a college student has formed the cornerstone to his success. Years of studying every side of hospital operations from the most technical medical terms to cutting-edge healthcare equipment have helped ARHS thrive under Sparks’ skilled leadership. It came as no surprise then, when, in 1999, Sparks accepted Chancellor Kenneth E. Peacock and Dr. Thomas’ invita-

April / May 2013

– Richard Sparks

Breaking Medical Ground in Blowing Rock

what:

Appalachian Place at Chestnut Ridge, Center for Healthy Living & Rehabilitation will be constructed in two phases. During Phase One, an 85,000-square-foot, post acute, 112-bed facility, including rehabilitation services, memory support care, extended care and palliative care will be constructed. Phase Two will focus on complementary facilities, such as a primary care clinic, retail pharmacy, and retirement community, including independent living, assisted living, and skilled nursing care. An estimated 110 jobs will be transferred from Blowing Rock Hospital and approximately 59 new positions will be created.

when:

Phase One construction will begin this summer and the post-acute care facility is scheduled to open in the fall of 2014. Phase Two construction is TBD.

where: This 68-acre facility will replace the aging Blowing Rock Hospital (circa 1952) located at 418 Chestnut Drive in Blowing Rock, north of the Blue Ridge Parkway.

why: In light of the Affordable Health Care Act, ARHS is more committed than ever to providing quality healthcare through highly specialized medical facilities and services. The post acute care center rounds out the continuum of healthcare services offered in the High Country by focusing primarily on services for the aging.

tion to accompany them and a group of ASU students to Fudan University, one of the most prestigious universities in Shanghai, to examine the university’s medical school. Originally, the chancellors had established an exchange program with Fudan University where a group of 12 ASU students from the Walker College of Business’s William R. Holland Fellows Program travelled to Asia to study business, swapping places with 12 Chinese students. This time, the chancellors intended to establish a similar exchange program between Fudan University and ASU’s College of Health Sciences. Sparks accompanied the chancellors on three subsequent visits in 2004, 2008, and 2010. During these visits, when given the opportunity to explore Shanghai, Peacock remembered Sparks fully immersing himself in Chinese culture, trying new foods and participating in local customs. Whenever their travel plans went amiss and their airplane was delayed, throwing them off schedule, Sparks was never one to panic. “Richard always took things in stride and has always been calm under pressure,” Peacock said. “He’s just that kind of leader.” Chancellor Thomas was particularly struck by Sparks’ insatiable thirst for knowledge, asking the medical staff in Shanghai all sorts of questions to learn about the differences between the United States’ and

how:

Funding will primarily be obtained through ARHS’s capital campaign to raise $10 million as well as the revenue from selling the old Blowing Rock Hospital. Ultimately, the projected cost for the entire project is $20 million.

wellness, but prevent illness through a full has placed the exchange program tempoChina’s approach to healthcare. rarily on hold. “Just like the economy’s gone global, body workout. While a partnership has been formed Yet, students don’t even need to travel we’re global healthcare,” Sparks said. “The more we can understand about world between ASU’s healthcare department and overseas in order to gain a quality healthhealth, we can take the things other people Fudan University, the economic recession care education that can serve ARHS well have already learned [elsewhere] and apply them here [at ARHS], In 2010, Chancellor Kenneth E. Peacock awarded ASU alumnus Richard Sparks with ASU’s Outstanding so we can help folks.” Service Award for his contributions to the university, particularly as a mentor and advisor for students For example, Sparks oband faculty in the College of Health Sciences and Walker College of Business. served that doctors in Shanghai seemed more receptive than their American counterparts to treating patients with the most effective medicine, whether an Eastern herbal remedy or a Western synthetic drug. In the United States, however, Sparks feels Americans seem much more skeptical of Eastern medicinal treatments, preferring scientifically tested Western practices and medicines even if the Eastern approach would prove more effective. “At ARHS, we should try to take a much more holistic approach to caring for the patient as they’re doing in China,” Sparks admitted, referencing ARHS’s Wellness Center with its mission to not only maintain April / May 2013

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“In order to get everyone focused on healthy growth with an eye to the future, the mindset you have to have takes brains and heart. He’s got both,” Thomas said. If you’ve got someone who really believes like he believes, great things can happen.” – Dr. John E. Thomas, former ASU chancellor from 1979-1993 in the future. Each year, over 650 students from ASU and 30 other colleges intern at ARHS, attracting students from a variety of disciplines, including social work, communication disorders, music therapy, art therapy, exercise science, health promotions, and other programs, Sparks said. Sparks has always been agreeable and supportive of making ARHS facilities available to use as a training ground for collegeage students. One of the partnership programs between ASU and ARHS of which Sparks is particularly proud is the Appalachian Cardiopulmonary Rehabilitation Program (ACRP), where interns work directly with patients at ARHS’s Wellness Center under the guidance of ACRP Clinical Director Jeff Soukup, an ASU faculty member. Through ACRP, students get hands-on experience with ECG administration, which monitors heart rate and rhythms, exercise physiology testing, treadmill testing and respiratory efficiency. Since serving as director of ACRP beginning in July 2007, Soukup estimates the program has hosted 8-10 undergraduate and graduate interns each year. These internships are designed to increase students’ chances of becoming certified by the American College of Sports Medicine and entering into the clinical exercise field. Several of these students now hold jobs with ARHS. In March 2012, ARHS pledged a nineacre tract of land on the corner of State Farm and Deerfield roads for ASU to construct a

In 2005, the Medical Oncology Department of the Seby B. Jones Regional Cancer Center (shown here) was renamed in medical oncologist Dr. Herman Godwin’s honor.

permanent building for the College of Health Sciences, which will house parts of the college’s five academic departments. The project has been fully endorsed by Dean of the College of Health Sciences Fred Whitt, as well as Peacock and Sparks. “Richard Sparks has decided to partner with ASU on this project to help fulfill the dream of maintaining a strong healthcare focus for the High Country in the future,” Peacock said. While building funds were originally expected to come from the state, due to the economic recession, Peacock announced, the university is now turning to public and private partnerships for financial backing. As an alumnus of ASU, Sparks’ support of his alma mater extends far beyond his collaboration with ASU’s College of Health Sciences. He also serves on the advisory council for the John A. Walker College of Business, attends numerous student performing arts productions through the College of Fine and Applied Arts, and even attends ASU football games, spending time with ASU guests.

“ASU doesn’t have a finer friend than Richard Sparks and I don’t either,” Peacock said. “He’s always willing to give and do for other people, that’s just how he’s built.” Sparks wishes to continue making partnerships between ARHS and higher education institutions a priority. After his retirement from ARHS, Sparks hopes to teach healthcare administration at ASU or a community college to pass on the knowledge he’s gained over the course of his healthcare career to the younger generation. “The great lift I got in life I got was because I had the opportunity to get a quality education at ASU,” Sparks said, “so I would like to make sure that the people who follow me have the same opportunity through scholarships and educational programming.”

An Eye to the Future

A leader, Dr. Thomas said, “is one who motivates and allocates resources in the face of insatiable demands.” Few can fit that definition better than

Richard Sparks. In every ARHS project he’s supervised, from the Cancer Center to the Wellness Center, Sparks has deliberately contemplated the best use of money, staff, equipment, construction materials, and healthcare knowledge to ensure that only the highest quality facilities and services are provided to best serve the needs of the patients. Simultaneously, he’s had to work to motivate other key players, from community funders to board members, to support his decisions. And very rarely does he ever let them down, nor do many projects ever fall through. Largely, that’s because of Sparks’ character. “The character of an organization comes from the top, the guy in charge, he sets the tone,” Thomas said. At his core, Sparks credits his father, who made his career as a policeman, for instilling in him basic values of acting with integrity and honesty. Not forgetting these foundational virtues, Sparks has since created a “culture,” his own three part value system to which he holds all 1,500 employees accountable

April / May 2013

High Country Magazine

Pass through this spacious lobby at the entrance to Watauga Hospital on Deerfield Road and you might find Sparks working in his office or interacting with patients and staff.

everyday: compassion, integrity, and striving for excellence. By embodying these values himself, ultimately, Sparks’ gentle, laid back demeanor enables everyone, from his employees to his patients, to feel very comfortable approaching him about anything, positive or negative. “The reason Richard is so successful is because he has surrounded himself with good people, people who are like-minded with him on major issues, such as ensuring quality healthcare for the community,” Thomas said. “He can relate to all people who work for him from the housekeeping staff and cafeteria personnel to the surgeons and head nurses.” None of Sparks’ success would have been possible without the support, hard work and dedication of his staff. Years ago, ARHS used to honor its employees at anniversary dinners, awarding employees with pins in recognition of their number of years of service with the organization. Inevitably, at every ceremony, several 36

High Country Magazine

employees would walk across the stage trembling to receive their pin and shake Sparks’ hand. At first, Sparks was puzzled by their nervous behavior, especially coming from professionally trained medical personnel who had witnessed more than their fill of blood and guts in the operating room. But it soon became apparent that, for many of these employees, this awards ceremony was one of the most meaningful moments of their lives, and that they were outwardly shaking with pride and exhilaration in gratitude for the opportunity to have selflessly cared for so many patients over the years. “I don’t think there’s any greater privilege or reward that one could get than having the opportunity to touch someone’s life and hopefully make it better,” Sparks said. Without question, these employees all take their jobs as seriously as Sparks values his. So seriously that, Sparks admits, despite the tremendous amount of stress and responsibility he bears as CEO for the

April / May 2013

High Country’s leading healthcare provider, he places total confidence in his employees. So much confidence that he very rarely looses sleep worrying about day to day ARHS operations. Through heart procedures to routine checkups, Sparks rests easy knowing that his employees can always be trusted to act in the best interest of the patients. “People come here because we treat them the way they want to be treated as a patient,” Sparks believes. “The staff views it as a privilege and opportunity to care for these patients.” Yet, perhaps nothing in Sparks’ 35 year career has quite prepared him for the leadership skills he’ll soon have to demonstrate with the passage of Obama’s Affordable Health Care for America Act, signed into law in 2010, which will completely revolutionize the financing of healthcare. Under this Act, hospitals and medical facilities will be paid, not based on how many types of healthcare services are being offered and utilized, as has traditionally been the case, but on the quality of healthcare that

is provided to the individual. Thus, each year, the hospital will be paid a lump sum of money, rather than payment for individual procedures. “This period of change we’re about to go through in the next five years or so [under the new Health Care Act], far exceeds anything I’ve ever seen in my career,” Sparks said. “Making sure we stay on the right path and apply the resources in an effective, prudent way, so that we are, in the future, a healthier population is our biggest challenge now.” In order to ensure that patients continue to receive quality healthcare, ARHS will have to begin brainstorming new, innovative ways to deliver healthcare. For instance, building more specialized facilities, such as Alzheimer’s units, as well as offering more outpatient services to offset inpatient costs are likely options. This model of Watauga Hospital, housed in the Councill Auditorium at Watauga Medical Undeniably, the next few years mark a rough Center, represents the hospital as it appears today after several building expansions. road ahead, but it’s nothing that Sparks’ friends and supporters don’t think he can handle. “In order to get everyone focused on healthy growth with an 1938: to build a regional healthcare system that results in healthieye to the future, the mindset you have to have takes brains and er individuals and enhanced quality of life. And you better believe heart. He’s got both,” Thomas said. “If you’ve got someone who Sparks will uphold this mission until the end, but he admits he can’t do it alone. really believes like he believes, great things can happen.” “The things that were successful [during the last 35 years with Not ones to disappoint, Sparks and his board are once again working hard to secure funding to build the newest addition to ARHS] were not due to me, but it was the opportunity that other ARHS – a 85,000-square-foot post acute facility in Blowing Rock, people gave me here [that has made ARHS grow],” Sparks said. which will ultimately replace the old Blowing Rock Hospital when “To work with such wonderful, skilled people on the Board of Trustees, doctors on the medical staff, employees, and people of construction is complete in the fall of 2014. Up until his retirement (which is still a ways off, Sparks said), the community who have been supportive, that’s what’s made more than anything else, Sparks hopes to remain true to the mis- these last 35 years so remarkable. And hopefully, some of these sion of ARHS, which first began with the Watauga Hospital in accomplishments have made people’s lives better.”  The Outpatient Imaging and Lab Center, located on State Farm Road, provides radiology services to patients.

April / May 2013

High Country Magazine

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High Country Magazine

Saving Horses story B y S ally T readwell

“It’s really amazing when you see what happens in a great environment where horses get only positive attention,” says Sierra Mueller, here working with Gypsy. Sierra regularly works to calm and re-train horses that have behavior issues resulting from abuse or neglect.

“There is something about the outside of a horse that is good for the inside of a man.”

– Winston Churchill

photography B y frederica georgia

The Volunteers of Horse Helpers of the High Country Bring Neglected Horses Back to Health – and Home

hico had hay. He had plenty of hay; in fact he was practically swimming in it. So why on earth was this endearingly quirky horse starving to death? Because his owners “didn’t know anything about horses,” says Amy Hudnall, president of Horse Helpers of the High Country. “They weren’t being cruel. They just didn’t know that he couldn’t chew and swallow because they hadn’t had his teeth floated.” Floated? Turns out that horses’ teeth 42

High Country Magazine

April / May 2013

keep growing and can develop painful sharp edges that make eating difficult. Horses in the wild will naturally keep their teeth ground down by chewing on seeds and nuts and even small rocks; a pastured horse is going to need regular dentistry. And Chico’s well-intentioned, but very busy, owners didn’t know that and didn’t have time to find out. End result: Chico was starving. Drive down pretty much any country road in the High Country and sooner or later you’ll be gifted with a glimpse of a

couple of joyful horses galloping away across the fields. Or maybe you’ll unconsciously exhale as you round a curve and see a heart-calming old horse, grazing peaceably in the lee of a copse. “Horses fly without wings and conquer without swords,” the Bedouin say. No kidding. Most of us are conquered without ever wanting to put up a fight. But a few of those horses, and probably not the ones you’ll see as you drive past, aren’t getting the care they need. Not by a long stretch.

April / May 2013

High Country Magazine

How, and Why, Horse Helpers got started

Actual abuse—beatings, torture—is thankfully rare here. What’s far more common is the neglect that comes from lack of knowledge, time, or money; newly disabled or financially strapped owners may even call Horse Helpers themselves, desperate to get proper care for horses they love. Sometimes horses suffer because of sheer indifference to the needs of domesticated animals and laws that don’t encourage a more thoughtful attitude. Or sometimes “people have gotten themselves into a situation they don’t know how to get our of,” Amy explains. Like the woman who’d ‘rescued’ 60 dogs and a whole bunch of horses because she couldn’t bear to see them be euthanized. She didn’t have enough money or land to take care of them all, although she was doing the best she could. “I think she was really relieved when we showed up,” Amy notes. Regardless of why neglect happens, though, the animals suffer—sometimes very badly. Horse Helpers got started when Anita Gomez, head of Watauga County Animal Control, ran into Joyce Campbell at Southern States back in 2004. Anita was searching out hay and fencing for the emaciated horses that had just been surrendered to her. Joyce had hay she was willing to give, a stable, a little land. Between Anita’s organizational skills, Joyce’s knowledge of horses, and a pack of hard-working volunteers, they set up an organization to bring rescue horses back to health and to find them temporary or permanent homes.

Everyone in the area seems to know and love Chico (playing with Molly the cat); they remember learning to ride on him, or racing down lanes trying to keep up with him. Occasionally, just out of mischief, Chico would spin around and tip his original owner off his back—he’ll still try his old tricks, Amy says. And one time his equally mischievous owner tied a blow-up doll behind him as he rode Chico, but pretty soon his wife heard about the new ‘woman’ her husband had taken up with, and came yelling after them. Chico was sold to a young family only when his owner hurt his back and couldn’t ride any longer. That’s when Chico found out the hard way that not everyone knows much about taking care of horses.

As a child, Amy Hudnall, here with Ethan, used to dream of buying up her whole neighborhood so that she’d have a place for every creature that needed safe harbor. Now her farm is home to chickens, cats and dogs, and above all rescue horses. “Most people don’t neglect or abuse horses intentionally,” she says. “Some—like Chico’s owner—are devastated when they realize that their horse is suffering.”

And Horse Helpers was desperately needed. Joyce recalls some of the horses they rescued—one was just skin and bones and his teeth were gone from severe cribbing; one was so thin he couldn’t even safely be vaccinated. Another was in such bad shape that she was warned he probably wouldn’t survive, though she could tell from his eyes that he wanted to make it (and did). “What am I supposed to tell my kids?” the angry owner asked. “What are you telling them now?” she shot back. Joyce is a firm believer in getting kids involved in good horse groups early, so they’ll understand what proper care involves and what a healthy horse looks like. Soon Anita realized that there was an inherent conflict in the two hats she was wearing, so Kathleen Kelley took over as president. And when Kathleen moved, Amy became president and the whole enterprise shifted to her home, Wisteria Farm, which sits on five acres in Vilas. Two auxiliary locations loaned out by generous landowners allow Horse Helpers to shelter even more horses. Horse Helpers is flourishing as a safe haven. It now averages 10-12 adoptions a year and finds foster homes for more animals; in 2011 the Global Federation of Animal Sanctuaries (GFAS) verified the organization as a bona fide equine rescue that provides humane, responsible care. GFAS accreditation is in the works, and Amy is a licensed Equine Cruelty Investigator.

Betsy Nicholls does an amazing job rounding up volunteers and pitching in. She’d ridden as a kid; she seized the opportunity to work with rescue horses came when she and her husband retired to the High Country and found Horse Helpers. Eventually she adopted Pocahontas. Here she’s with Grace, who was rescued from a ‘horse hoarder.’

“The essential joy of being with horses is that it brings us in contact with the rare elements of grace, beauty, spirit, and fire.” – Sharon Ralls Lemon 44

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April / May 2013

High school student Alicia Buzzard (left) volunteers regularly; Josie Hoggard is an ASU sustainable development student who came to the farm for a conflict resolution April / back. May 2013 H i gJosie h C are o u working n t r y Mwith a g aChico. zine workshop and…just kept coming Alicia and

Want to Help? If You Have… …Cash

- Horse Helpers is a 501(c)3 organization: tax deductible donations in any amount are gratefully accepted. Money’s needed for vet bills, vaccinations, feed, cleaning supplies—you name it.

…Time - Volunteer hours are from 1:00-5:00 PM on Wednesdays and Saturdays; 2:30-6 PM on Thursdays.

…Skills

- If you can help regularly with routine work, or if you could be available for a one-off emergency or upgrade, Horse Helpers needs help with bookkeeping, organization, website upkeep, plumbing, electrical work, and fundraising.

…Extreme Cash and or Director Skills

- Amy already works full-time as a professor and would love to turn the directorship over to a paid employee—if Horse Helpers can either get funding or find the perfect volunteer.

…Land - If you’re considering putting land under conservation, think about a farm heritage conservancy—and a permanent home for Horse Helpers. Equally, if you’ve bought a ‘land bank,’ you could find tax benefits from loaning out the land. The group also needs temporary foster homes for horses.

High Country Magazine

Amy’s enormously thankful for grants and donations. Horse Helpers couldn’t flourish, though, without energetic and greathearted volunteers. They sit on the Board, build barns and stalls, wire and plumb; and of course keep the stalls clean, feed and rehab the horses, do routine care and get the horses ready for adoption. For some volunteers it’s a great introduction to what it really takes to own a horse—hard work, knowledge, attention, and money. Of course, sometimes volunteers fall in love with an animal. Betsy Nicholls, the group’s indefatigable volunteer coordinator, couldn’t resist Pocahontas. And when Brian and Kristi Revell of SunVolt Electric and Renewable Energy came out with their kids to wire up a dark, dark corner of the barn (“they were so great, swarming around working together to string wiring,” says Amy) they found themselves contemplating adopting a rescue, too. Making a horse adoptable and happy takes far more than bringing it back to health. Accomplished rider Sierra Mueller spends 10-15 hours a week, often more, re-training fearful, unsociable or aggressive animals. “Rough handling builds up over time and really messes with their heads,” she says. “Starvation will cause bad behavior, too. For instance, Gypsy came in with a lot of trust issues; she was so aggressive you could hardly ride her. It’s really amazing when you see what happens in a great environment where horses get only positive attention—it’s like they become sane again.” But there’s even more to Horse Helpers than caring for animals. One of the informal programs dear to

April / May 2013

Amy’s heart is working with at-risk kids and those doing community service. She sees the healing power of horses working strong magic; one young girl in particular found that her community service “punishment” turned out to be a blessing that gave a new focus to her life. Amy’s also looking to expand educational programs all round. Wisteria Farm hosts field trips and conflict resolution workshops, sends volunteers to speak to clubs, and generally fosters education about animal care and communication. Because horses have such a strong pull, there’s always a good possibility that people who’ve had horses taken away will go out and get more. So education is huge; she’s interested in developing cutting-edge programs that will, for instance, provide therapy to help ‘horse hoarders’ beat their addiction. Depending on the severity of the case, Anita can ask people to sign an agreement that they’ll either never own a horse again or will first go and volunteer at a horse rescue, so that next time around they’ll get things right. “I’d love to see it become a structured remedial program, kind of like you’d do for drunk driving,” says Amy.

Fixing the problem

People are always calling Anita to tell her about a horse that they think is being neglected. And she always checks things out, but says there’s only so much she can do. “People don’t realize that horses fall under livestock laws, not the Animal Welfare Act. So long as they have food and water available they’re considered OK. Shelter could just be a windbreak—a couple of

Volunteers do just about everything—including building when necessary. Veterinarian David Linzey, who owns The Animal Emergency & Pet Care Clinic of the High Country, and home-builder Brian Mueller (right) are working on a new hay barn.

…A Love for Fun

- Sign up for the Horse Helpers 3K: Run for a Cause! or head for the Chompin’ at the Bit Auction on April 13, 2013.

…Time to Lobby

- Care of horses in North Carolina is covered by livestock laws, not the Animal Welfare Act. This means that as long as a horse has food and water—even if the hay is moldy and the water slimy—care is considered adequate. State legislators and county commissioners have the power to change that.

For more information: www.horsehelpersnc.org

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“Our laws dealing with horses don’t live up to today’s expectations. Let’s review the laws and guidelines, and strengthen them.”

trees.” She can, and does, call a veterinarian if she sees what appears to be a real problem, although about thirty percent of the time it turns out that the horse is already verifiably under veterinary care. When there’s no underlying cause but a horse is actually skinny or even starving, not just lean, Anita tries to resolve the issue. Voluntary compliance, education or surrender is usually the best solution. A court case can drag on for years, she explains, and can even be detrimental to the horse since it can’t be ridden while under county care. “We handle everything the best way we can.” She notes differing attitudes: some people see horses as loving companions and pets while others pragmatically see them as livestock and believe nature should take its course. One problem with re-writing legislation is that there aren’t any black or white rules about horses. A young, healthy horse may not need a stable, but an elderly horse does. You should really have at least an acre for each horse, but a few do well on less with proper care and exercise. Feed must be available by law—but in a herd, young horses might bully an older horse away from it, or a horse might starve just because a compromised digestive system can’t process what’s provided. Regardless of the complexities, “there

could stand to be stricter laws,” Anita says. “They have them in other states. Everything has come a long way, things used to be very different for cats and dogs; but yes, we still need change.” Amy couldn’t agree more. “We need clearer guidelines,” she said. “The law is very weak and it’s open to interpretation. We just picked up a horse from Caldwell County—they had seized it and charged the owner with criminal charges, but a similar case in Watauga County, based on the same laws, has a dramatically different outcome.” So if you want to see laws change, you need to clearly tell state and county legislators so.

The joy of the job

Once Horse Helpers gets involved in a horse’s life, “we’re in it forever,” says Amy. They check up on horses that have been adopted out regularly and have the right to take any horse back. That can be a huge benefit for an adopter who encounters serious issues—like one who, sadly, died of cancer, and could know that his horse would still have a loving home. Adoptions create an ever-enlarging community since adopters stay involved and in touch with Horse Helpers. “The horse through all its trials has

preserved the sweetness of paradise in its blood,” Nobel Prize-winning author Johannes Jensen once wrote. Amy’s guiding light is her first horse, who stayed sweet despite all her trials. Natalie was a PMU (Pregnant Mare Urine) horse. For each pregnancy cycle, about six months, Natalie had been kept tethered and had her liquids limited so as to provide the raw material for Premarin, a hormone replacement. After four months nursing a foal, the cycle would start again. Natalie was terribly damaged when Amy adopted her, but that didn’t stop the gentle horse from becoming a ‘mental health therapist’ to the other rescue horses until she died— as is common for PMU mares—of liver failure at age 16. Horse Helpers’ mission, at heart, is to nurture that essential sweetness in every horse that passes through Wisteria Farm. Stability, good food and kind handling do a lot to restore kick-up-your-heels exuberance. “They don’t have the power to protect themselves,” Amy says. “We have to be responsible for them.” “It’s just so satisfying when a horse can go to a new family, when we find a really happy match.” Sierra notes. “We have one girl now looking at a horse, and it’s just a perfect match. It makes all the work so worth it.” 

– Amy Hudnall, president of Horse Helpers

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It ’s Gardening Time!

Gardening Landscaping Nurseries Mountaineer Landscaping

LINVILLE. Mountaineer Landscaping, Inc. is owned and operated by Wayne and Terry Brewer. They have combined their talents and experience into a unique combination of landscape design and products to meet the needs of their customers. Whether you are looking for a special accessory or plant for you home, lawn or garden - or if you need custom landscaping to turn your yard into the garden of your dreams, Mountaineer Landscaping and Design Center is the place to visit. We are always in season! The beauty and relaxation of Mountaineer Landscaping awaits you in Linville in our 9,000 square foot building. We have a unique landscape design center and flower shop offering the most unusual garden treasures in the High Country. Everything from pottery and garden fountains to hand blown humming bird feeders. The mystique of Mother Nature lurks around every cor-

Look here for Local Businesses that can help you with Gardening Time

ardening and landscaping are big deals here in the High Country. There are some here in our beautiful mountains that will tell you gardening is a spiritual experience. Raising crops from the ground up that will eventually make their way to the dinner table is a rewarding endeavor. Gardening is one of the oldest practices in the South – and in the world, really. It is a great way to be self-sustaining and lessen that grocery bill. It provides a great opportunity to be outside and physically active while doing something that will benefit you in the future. A Southerner’s garden is also a point of pride. A garden absent of any weeds, grass or anything else that isn’t supposed to be in there is always the goal. Additionally, there are frequently competitions at fairs and festivals in the area for who can 50

High Country Magazine

grow the largest vegetable or fruit and tallest stalk of corn. There is also a social aspect to gardening. The truth is, even though there is some friendly competition, gardeners talk to other gardeners. They advise on places to shop for plants and supplies, planting times and growing strategies. On the landscaping side of things, not all plants are put in the ground with the hope they will produce food for the dinner table. Flower gardens and shrubbery, for example, are not just visually appealing. Having the right landscaping and curb appeal can tremendously increase the value of a home. In the same way seeing homegrown vegetables on the dinner table inspires a sense of pride, so too does planting a flower garden and then seeing the beautiful

April / May 2013

flowers in front of your home throughout the summer. For those who haven’t been “green thumbs” their whole life, and especially for those who are new to the idea of working in the dirt, it might seem a bit overwhelming at first. But don’t let that worry you. Whether you’re new to gardening, or it’s simply a friendly competition with neighbors over the best looking yard or biggest tomatoes, or whether farming is a way of life for you, the High Country has many local businesses that can offer just what you need. Flip through the following pages in this month’s special gardening and landscaping business directory. The friendly folks at these businesses are glad to help out and are sure to have everything you need to grow the best crops and boost that curb appeal.

ner enticing you to turn your yard into the garden of your dreams. Come see us for the most fantastic and unique landscape treasures in the High Country as well as unique gifts for all occasions. Here you'll find annuals, perennials, shrubs, water features, pottery and more. But Mountaineer Landscaping is more than just a store to furnish all your landscaping needs, it’s a scenic attraction! At our Design Center you will also find nursery plants, soil additives, garden supplies, fountains, pottery, yard art, wind chimes, birdhouses, feeders, and baths. As you can tell, we offer more than just plants and landscaping services. We also do landscaping for commercial and residential projects with crosstie work, dry stack walls, natural and formal designs, perennial flower gardens, water features, licensed pesticide

sprayer. Our Flower Shop has a full time Floral Designer providing cut flowers and arrangements, TELEFLORA Wire Service, dish gardens, house plants, balloons and gift baskets. Also, stop by to check out our Waterscapes and Waterfalls. Wayne is an expert at waterscapes and making waterfalls and has years of experience. Visit Mountaineer Landscaping, Inc. for Full Service Landscaping, Landscape Design Center and Flower Shop.  828-733-3726. www.mountaineerlandscapinglinville.com

MUSTARD SEED MARKET

BLOWING ROCK. The Mustard Seed Market is the High Country’s favorite destination garden center, rooted since 1992 on Highway 321 between Boone and Blowing Rock. We offer a beautiful selection of unique plants, landscaping services, wonderful relics for your gar-

People’s Choice

Winner In Recognition of Excellence

February 28 - March 3 2013

We’re well known for our landscaping and gardening supplies and plants, but did you know that inside our 9,000 square foot center are thousands of unique items for your garden, lawn and home to look fabulous this summer. Come by to see what you can add to your summer decor.

Hwy. 105 in Linville at the foot of Grandfather Mountain | 733-3726 April / May 2013

High Country Magazine

Mc/aMex/ViSa/DiScoVer 828.264.6044 678 highway 105 ext. • boone, north carolina 28607

BOONE RENT-All & parties too and AVERY RENT-ALL

OPENING MAY 4TH Open May through October

H OME G ROWN V EGETABLES J ELLY • P ERENNIALS A NNUALS • C UT F LOWERS B READ • C RAFTS Saturday Market, 8am - Noon Wednesday Market, 8am - Noon at Horn in the West

www.wcfm.info 52

High Country Magazine

BOONE AND BANNER ELK. Since 1972 Boone Rent-All & Parties Too in Boone and Avery Rent-All in Banner Elk have been helping the High Country "Do Spring." The whole idea behind renting equipment is there are some things that you only need on occasion and it doesn’t make sense to own them. It makes sense to rent them. Tillers, aerators, dethatchers and spreaders are examples. You save money by only paying for the time you use it. You have no maintenance or storage hassles and you get top quality equipment. It’s a great deal! But there is some equipment you should own. Things like lawn mowers and string trimmers. At Avery Rent-All we offer the full line

April / May 2013

BOONE. Farmers Rentals and Power Equipment is the High Country’s one-stop shop for equipment rental, sales and service since 1986. Farmers Rentals offer a wide-ranging rental inventory with top name brands, complete parts and service department and a very knowledgeable staff to assist you. Whether you require general tools, contractor hardware, outdoor power equipment, contractor supplies or repair parts—we have all the tools you need to get the job done right, at the right price! From power tools to snow blowers, to excavators and forklifts – we are proud of our wide selection. Farmers Rentals and Power Equipment is a family owned and operated business. When we opened our doors back in 1986, our mission was to provide expert advice, service, and top-quality equipment sales and rentals. To this day, we continue to expand and strengthen our services by offering contractors and do-it-yourselfers a high quality tool selection. We know that when you have a job to do, choosing the best equipment for your home or business is essential. At Farmers Rentals you can count on our experienced and friendly staff to help you decide which product is ideal for your job, saving you time and money. We are

SHRUBS & TREES • CRAZY CONIFERS • RHODIE

Custom Planted Containers • Landscape Installation Garden Consultation and Design Your Favorite Destination Garden Shop

IV E

SUGAR GROVE. Opened in 1980 as Forget Me Nots Organic Flower and Vegetable Farm, the love of cut flowers, dwarf conifers, native plants, fragrant shrubs attracting butterflies and birds, the texture and breezy movements of grasses, and the winter architecture and bark of deciduous trees naturally led to the creation of a nursery an landscape design and installation. We, locally, innovated the organic, sustainable landscape. For 29 years, we have been building divine, nutrient rich well drained soils while dressing the curves with enduring colors and textures. We are horticultural fanatics. We focus on the natural affinities between plants and recreating unique niche environments. Doing so, we create healthy, living art. This same passion floods our stone and boulder work. Strongly influenced by our Blue Ridge Mountain landscape and by the gardens of mountainous Japan, or stone walls, paths, patios, massive steps, and boulder gardens unite art and function with the dance of joy in our labor. An artisan’s integrity is the foundation of our design and construction. We have fun and consider each project a unique gift to you. We hope to do more than construct. Employing a small crew of dedicated crafts persons, our backgrounds in clas-

farmers rentals and power equipment

“Let us make your garden successful”

5589 Highway 321 South • Blowing Rock • 828-295-4585 Monday - Saturday 9am-6pm

DY PERENNIALS • VERTICAL GARDENS • NAT

Monday-Friday 7:30-5:30 Saturday 7:30-1:00 Closed Sundays www.farmersrentals.com

Forget Me Nots

sical and contemporary horticulture and our deep commitments to the ageless tradition of dry stonework inspire our clients in a common creative process. Each landscape and stonescape project is a unique outgrowth of the immediate and surrounding physical environment and personal interests of the clients and their home. A free consultation would be a time for us to listen to you and find where our visions merge.  (828) 773-3763 or (828) 964-5448, forgetnenotlandscape@yahoo.com

ALORE • ORGANIC HERBS • HEIRLOOM VEG

We’ve Got It! Rent or Buy Today!

of Stihl outdoor power equipment for sale and service. And at Boone Rent-All & Parties Too we offer the full line of Husqvarna outdoor power equipment. So for the equipment you use on occasion we offer our extensive line of rental equipment. For the equipment you own we offer the absolute best equipment available Husqvarna and Stihl and the best service anywhere. So Spring into your chores with help from Boone RentAll in Boone and Avery Rent-All in Banner Elk. Boone Rent-All.  828-264-5000 or boonerent-all.com / Avery Rent-All 828-8986301 or averyrent-all.com.

ES • GORGEOUS ANNUALS • FAIRY GARDENS • H

Everything You Need This Spring to Get Your Yard & Garden Picture Perfect!

den and home, and inspiration for gardeners and non-gardeners alike. Robb and Danielle Stewart combine their creative talents and horticultural expertise within each corner of their beautiful shop. Let them design and plant your seasonal containers, give a consultation at your home, or professionally install your landscape… all while using the hardiest & healthiest plant stock and organic soil amendments. Our shop is loaded with hand-picked and eclectic embellishments for your home and garden. Rustic metal animals antiqued stone statuary, terrariums, recycled Adirondack chairs, fairy gardens, industrial lights, solar lanterns, vessels of every kind, and the best shea butter soap! We expend a lot of effort caring and maintaining our quality plants and educating you, our valued customer, in the proper care for your ultimate gardening success! We’d love to see y’all Open seasonally … spring through fall. Monday-Saturday 9-6 New this fall… we are transforming our Greenhouse into a Celebration for the Holidays! Keep watching for out for the details of our newest endeavor.  (828) 295-4585.

Gardening Landscaping and Nurseries

We’ve Got Gardening Landscaping and Nurseries What You Need!

Grandfather Mountain

Nursery Garden Center and LandscapingSM Great Landscapes Take Knowledge & Experience While Extraordinary Landscapes Take Passion and Vision Serving the High Country since 1976

The Garden Goddess Theresa Foxx

Proud to be a Local Woman Owned Business

Customized maintenance & landscape plants tailored to your lifestyle Establish unique new landscapes & renovate “tired” ones Cater to our client’s discriminating tastes by offering a wide range of exceptional products & services Recognized as one of the most progressive green industry businesses in the North Carolina High Country Committed to excellence in every phase of operation Our vision and passion makes us the landscape leaders in the High Country!

Located at the Base of Grandfather Mountain

11466 Hwy 105 • Banner Elk, NC 28604 • grandfatherlandscaping.com PHONE: (828) 963-5025 • FAX: (828) 963-7637 April / May 2013

High Country Magazine

Shady Grove Gardens and nursery “Your LocaL FLower Farmer” Wedding Flowers & Floral design

828-297-4098

sggarden@skybest.com • shady-grove-gardens.com

The Watauga County Farmers Market

Valle Crucis, NC • 828-963-5974

Over 30 Years of Personal Service Featuring Over 400 Varieties! OPEN BY APPOINTMENT ONLY Annuals • Vegetables • Herbs

www.charlottesgreenhouse.com

Greenhouse & Garden Center

Our Business is Growing Since 1956 Pansies & Johnny Jump Ups Available in a Variety of Colors

Mother’s Day Special

4” Geraniums ... $1.25 STORE HOURS: Mon. - Sat. 8:00am - 4:00pm Located on Old Jonas Ridge Rd. in Pineola (828) 733-4323 • (828) 733 - 5150

Handicap Facilities Available 54

High Country Magazine

Gardening Landscaping and Nurseries always ready to serve your needs – for your next project, take advantage of our convenient hours, competitive rates, advance reservations, and delivery / pickup service. Whether you need our services or equipment for your home or business, call or visit us today.  828.264.6044. www. farmersrentals.com

SHADY GROVE GARDENS

VILAS. Shady Grove Gardens is 'Your Local Flower Farm.' For 27 years Shady Grove Gardens have been growers of perennial and flowers. Twelve years supplying brides with locally grown wedding flowers. Both flower grower and designer, Susan Wright of SGG is at the forefront of the new trend of locally grown, farm direct flowers. The 'Slow Flower' movement is a resurgence of florist as growers, sellers, and designers of flowers and plants. Her unique, rustic designs use all seasonal, locally grown flowers. While 80-90% of flowers used in USA are from foreign sources, here in the High Country you have a choice. Brides may order standard wedding arrangements or DIY seasonal flowers by the bucketful. As the premier 'Specialty Cutflower Grower' in the region Shady Grove Gardens sells over 200 types of flowers for weddings, event florist, and the Watauga County Farmers Market. Often called 'wildflowers' these are all cultivated on 5 acres in Watauga and Ashe counties. The rest of the farm is managed as conservation lands. Shady Grove's Farm in Creston, NC is on the NC Birding Trail. For a small fee, you can see many unusual birds, including the Golden Winged Warbler. At the nursery in Zionville, NC stock up on locally grown perennials, hardy to the High Country. Visit their searchable Blog or Facebook for more information about flowers, gardening and special sales. www.shady-grove-gardens.blog-

April / May 2013

spot.com As one of the most senior members of the Watauga Co. Market, Shady Grove Gardens offers, vegetable transplants, flowers arranged to order, herbs, wreaths, dried and preserved flowers and perennial plants. You will find flowers such as Dahlias, Dianthus, Lilac and Lisianthus. All plants and flowers are non-certified organically grown.  828.297.4098. shady-grove-gardens.com

vaughn nursery and greenhouse

PINEOLA. Since 1956 Vaughan Nursery and Greenhouse & Garden Center has been taking care of all your flower, shrubbery and landscaping needs. Vaughan is situated on 12 acres with 18 greenhouses and an acre dedicated solely to perennials. The nursery offers some of the best variety of flowers and shrubs of any business of its kind in the High Country. Vaughan is also the only nursery in the area that grows all their annuals right there on the property. While some businesses bring in plants fully-grown and ready to go, it starts with the bulbs at Vaughan. Vaughan does both wholesale and retail businesses and offers some great specials on the retail side. For Mother’s Day customers can get four-inch geraniums at a discounted rate. There will also be discounts on various products throughout the summer. Vaughan is open Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 4 p.m., and Saturday 8 a.m. to 12 p.m. They are located along Old Jones Road in Pineola.  (828) 733-4323 • (828) 733 - 5150

GRANDFATHER MOUNTAIN NURSERY GARDEN CENTER AND LANDSCAPING

BANNER ELK. Since 1976, Grandfather Mountain Nursery Garden Center and Landscaping has been passionate about plants and creating pleasant outdoor

Gardening Landscaping and Nurseries environments in which you can live, play and relax in. We offer much more than "the big guys" because we have maximum product knowledge, a greater variety of product, and many special services to aid our customer and can offer value priced products. We are a team of Landscaping professionals dedicated to making your landscape garden a success. Our success is evident in the many long-term relationships we have developed with our clients and their landscapes. Our vision and passion makes us the landscape leaders in the High Country and we are recognized as one of the most progressive green industry businesses in the area. The Garden Center offers a vast array of lawn and garden merchandise and related accessories. We are constantly on the look to stock the finest quality in plant materials and garden products. We are pleased to offer dwarf, rare, unique and hard to find varieties of plant material as well as the more common varieties. By maintaining a personal relationship with our suppliers, we obtain the "pick-of-the-crop" and are able to provide premier plants to our customers. Our stock is hand cared for and maintained by our superb garden center staff. We continually update our garden accessories and stock the classical to the whimsical garden accessories. And of course, we keep on hand specialty fertilizers, chemicals, pavers, statuary, fountains, gardening books, tools, a wonderful array of gardening gloves, arbors, plant markers, and lots more. Our garden center staff can provide you with a wealth of information about your gardening questions and help offer solutions and suggestions. Delivery service is also available. Come peruse the offerings at the garden center - it truly will be your breath of fresh air.  828-963.5025. www.grandfatherlandscaping.com

Forget-Me-Nots

Landscape Gardens, Design and Stonescaping Uniting Artistry, Experience and Organic Sustainability With the Fine Joinery of Plant, Soil and Stone in a Thriving Relationship between Craftsman, Client and Environment

NATIVE, NATURAL LANDSCAPES:

boulder gardens & walls • drystack stone walls • drylaid stone paths & patios ponds & waterfalls • flowering trees and shrubs attracting birds & butterflies hardy unique conifers • organic perennial flower, herb & vegetable gardens edible landscapes • rain gardens • drainage & erosion issues mowing & weedeating • full landscape maintenance

29 Years Locally Offering You More Than You Expect! Bob Gow

828-773-3763

Jamal Gow

828-964-5448

Website: forgetmenotslandscape.com

FOR THE EQUIPMENT YOU NEED TO RENT AND THE EQUIPMENT YOU NEED TO OWN

WE’VE GOT YOU COVERED!! April / May 2013

High Country Magazine

Family Arrangements

The SheetsFamily Band

The Carter Family

Ola Belle Reed

The kruger

brothers

the abbott family

High Country Magazine

April / May 2013

story by allison west

he musical landscape of the present is firmly rooted in the past. Look no further than the current crop of grassroots-building chart-topping, award-winning artists – British folk-rockers Mumford & Sons, Denver indie band The Lumineers, Icelandic troubadours Of Monsters and Men, Brooklyn country-rock trio the Lone Bellow or Seattle folkpoppers the Head and the Heart. These days, vintage suspenders and weathered boots, mandolins and glockenspiels, fingerpicking and high-lonesome harmonies are so retro they’re basically mainstream. Like the heightened migration toward artisanal food and repurposed objects, what’s old is new again. And an entirely new generation is being weaned on all things rootsy in popular music. But even as pared down as this intimate-embracing folk resurgence remains, what about the old-time instrumentation that isn’t being reinvented with occasional elements of punk rock, layers of pop, a patina of synthesizers or even tweaked with Auto-Tune? What about the music that’s so old it’s still just plain ol’ old? Well, rest assured it’s alive and well and flourishing on front porches and back porches, in barns and churches, at festivals and concerts, and in low-lit living rooms. It’s called “old-time” or “mountain” music, representing perhaps the oldest form of North American traditional music other than Native American music. Comprised of regional traditions, Appalachian old-time music incorporates a melange of instruments – from the dulcimer, banjo and fiddle to the jug, washboard and spoons. If you threw in the kitchen sink, there’s no doubt someone would figure out a way to play it, too. Dr. John Cockman, a professor at Appalachian State University and fiddler whose own family band, The Cockman Family, is revered in these parts, underscores the more-the-merrier point. “Oldtime music sounds good when played with a large group. Since much of old-time is based on dance rhythms, it is good for the instrumentals to be very full and rhythmic rather than sparse. Since not everyone has a violin or guitar, this traditionally includes incorporating whatever you have handy – washboard, spoons, a jug, hands and feet. The ballads, however, should be very sparse, to the point of haunting.” The pedigree of the old-time band runs deep – Roy Rogers and Gene Autry, Ola Belle Reed and The Carter Family, The Shady Mountain Ramblers and The Martin Family, The Abbott Family Band and, of course, the inimitable Doc Watson. This cherished legacy has been maintained with a trajectory not unlike the oral tradition of folktales, one handed down generationally (and some might say genetically, too), through parents and siblings, evolving in terms of playing in the spirit of the moment but not by adding too much genre-clogging flotsam. The “family band” style of music erupts from the heart and soul and is encased within the nurturing, protective husk of the familial nucleus. It is a species worth protecting and celebrating. Herewith, a look at three acclaimed local families whose pedigreed music echoes throughout our own Blue Ridge Mountains.

Randy Sheets – banjo and vocals; Deborah Jean Sheets – guitar and vocals; Kelly Sheets Snider – fiddle and vocals

By Day…

Randy is a carpenter while Deborah Jean and the couple’s daughter Kelly are both teachers: Deborah Jean is a technology education instructor at Watauga High School and Kelly teaches art at Two Rivers Community School.

What’s that Sound?

Rooted in a belief that music is an essential part of life (the home is littered with instruments just waiting to be picked up whenever the mood strikes), The Sheets Family Band expresses its values through music: family, simplicity of lifestyle and community. Celebrated for its vocals and energetic instrumentals, the group’s calling card, says Deborah Jean, “is a lot of tight, close harmonies,” adding that “the music is just part of who we are. We enjoy simple, downhome, earthy lifestyles and the music is an important part of that.” Meaning that at any given performance, listeners will be treated to an old-time mountain

grab bag of lively fiddle tunes, gospel songs, early country covers, ballads, some original music “and a few drinking songs, too,” adds Kelly. And the audience should treat the entire experience as a block party. Participation is encouraged, notes Deborah Jean, who says the band embraces “sing-alongs, dancing and choral yodeling. When we play we want our audience to feel that they are part of it. Old-time mountain music is pure, simple, real, inviting, sometimes funny, tells stories, haunting, beautiful and more. We feel the tunes and songs have integrity. We want to promote that, not show off hot licks and beautiful singing. We don’t practice what we say in a show, it just flows and changes, since each show has a different audience and tone.” Today’s folk resurgence finds music less politically engaged and more community-minded, a trend that sprung up organically from within the Sheets family. Kelly says, “We didn’t plan to make music as a family to make a statement, but we do find that the music we play lends itself to community, and our community begins with family.” April / May 2013

High Country Magazine

All in the Family

Virginia native Randy began playing banjo as a teenager, steeping himself in the traditional music of the region. Randy’s musical lineage is all over his DNA: His uncles were old-time musicians (Joe Sheets and Rudy Perkins) and Ola Belle Campbell Reed is his mother’s first cousin. Deborah Jean, who grew up in Durham, became interested in traditional music by way of the folk revival. She started playing guitar and later drifted to banjo, when she became enamored with old country duos the Louvin Brothers and the Delmore Brothers, and then fell in love with old-time fiddle tunes. Both Randy and Deborah Jean are self-taught musicians, with no formal training. Kelly, who grew up surrounded by music and began singing harmony with her mom at 13, took violin in elementary school and experimented in college with mandolin and banjo, but it was the fiddle that took hold of her heart just after college and never let go. “Dad gave me an Albert Hash fiddle that had a great sound,” recalls Kelly, whose husband is banjo player Ian Snider. “The instrument had a mind of its own and helped me along as I learned to play old time.”

In a Jam

The family takes its inspiration from a long line of musicians: Legends such as the Carter Family, EC Ball, Ola Belle Reed, Louvin Brothers, Foghorn Stringband, The Skillet Lickers and The Wilders, as well as contemporary artists including Townes Van Zandt, Gillian Welch and David Rawlings, Martha Scanlin, and Buddy and Julie Miller. But for Kelly, a dream jam session with a living artist would be Tara Nevins and Betse Ellis, “both great fiddlers, singers and songwriters,” she raves. “One of the wonderful things about our region and community is that we do frequently get to jam with friends and strangers at fiddler’s conventions, gatherings and jams. These living musicians and friends are the reason any of us started to play in the first place.” Says Deborah Jean, “I got to sing in a jam once with Tim O’Brian at the Ola Belle Reed Festival. And I would love to play some more with Dale Jett.” But she fondly recalls one moment that stands as perhaps the most special of all. “We were in a lineup with Doc Watson in Big Stone Gap, Va. The show had a great energy and the incredible love from the audience made the music effortless. After the show a friend said that we ‘gave it to them with both barrels.’”

CDs

2008’s The Sheets Family features husband-and-wife and mother-and-daughter duets with bold old-time and original songs. A Southern Girl’s Reply, which contains a mix of tunes including “River of Jordan,” “This Little Light of Mine,” “Squirrel Heads and Gravy” and the title track, was released in 2011.

CockmanFamily & The Butterpats By Day…

Dr. John Cockman is the head of Appalachian State University’s physics department, while his wife Jennifer is a homesteader of the dynamo variety whose list of weekly activities (from vegetable farming, fermenting and pickling, making wine, mead and dairy products, to spinning wool, knitting clothes, making candles and harvesting wild plants for food and medicines) would make any self-respecting pioneering woman of the 1860s question her own work ethic. Arwen and Lorien are about as lazy as their mother, which is to say they make most kids their age look as idle and indifferent as older generations (sometimes) unfairly assume they are. The girls, both homeschooled, practice several hours a day. In addition to their band instruments, they each play piano, while Arwen practices the hammered dulcimer and Lorien plays the Celtic harp. Tuesday night in the Cockman house is “jam night,” says John, with the clan spending several hours showcasing the songs they have learned during the week.

Upcoming Performances

• Merlefest (Wilkesboro, NC), April 26-28

• Valle Crucis Park Summer Music Series (Valle Crucis, NC), June 7 • Jones House (Boone, NC), June 21 • Ola Belle Reed Festival (Lansing, NC), August 10 • Backstreet Music (West Jefferson, NC), August 30 • Bristol Rhythm and Roots Festival (Bristol, TN/VA), September 20-21 For complete list, visit www.thesheetsfamilyband.blogspot.com

John Cockman – fiddle; Jennifer Cockman – bass; Arwen, 13 – guitar; Lorien, 11 – dobro

What’s that Sound? Family Connection

Rooted in bluegrass, gospel, old-time and cowboy Western with plenty of yodeling, the Cockman family is a multi-instrumental, multi-talented juggernaut. Arwen and Lorien, now an acclaimed duo called The Butterpats, says Dr. Cockman, “were singing as soon as they could talk, and began playing piano and fiddle when they were three years old.” Arwen began yodeling at the age of five after hearing Riders in the Sky at Tweetsie Railroad. These days, Lorien (who plays fiddle, dobro and piano and sings lead and harmony) and Arwen (who play guitar, fiddle and piano and sings lead and harmony) are national yodeling champions who yodel in the old-time tradition of Jimmie Rodgers and the Dezurik Sisters as well as the Western tradition of Rogers, Elton Britt and Patsy Montana. The Butterpats were awarded the 2011 WMA Harmony Yodeling Duo of the Year and the 2011 WMA Youth Harmony award at the Western Music Association Showcase and Awards Show in Albuquerque, NM. The group performs in Western North Carolina for the most part, frequenting churches and festivals, says John. 58

High Country Magazine

April / May 2013

Playing music as a family, says John, not only allows the family to stay emotionally and spiritually connected, it also yields a relevance to their place on this earth. “The tunes we play are fun,” says John, “but also have a timeless feel to them. When we play this music, we feel a close connection to our mountain heritage. It is special to us because it represents our unique place in the world. This is music that was shaped by our ancestors and by the very mountains themselves.”

Local Inspiration

The Cockmans themselves are inspirations to fellow local musicians (see the Burnett and Griffin families), but it’s another set of local near-legends that continually motivates and heartens John: The Kruger Brothers. “We have jammed with them several times and are always amazed at their musicianship and versatility,” marvels John. “They are virtuosos who play mountain music with love and respect.” John also names Doc Watson, Kenny Baker and Doyle

Lawson as particular influences, while the girls’ faves include Roy Rogers, Gene Autrey, Riders in the Sky, the Kruger Brothers and Balsam Range. Says John of the yodeling champs’ old-fashioned leanings,” They have heard [groups like Mumford & Sons and The Lumineers] but are not very impressed with the musicianship or inspired by the lyrics of their more popular songs.”

Upcoming Performances

• Independence Day Celebration (Blowing Rock), July 6 • Christmas in July Festival (West Jefferson, NC), July 6 • MusicFest ‘n Sugar Grove (Cove Creek High School), July 12 & 13 • Orchard at Altapass (Spruce Pine, NC), July 28 • Fred’s Mercantile Summer Concert Series, July 31 For more on the Cockman Family, visit www.cockmanfamily.com

April / May 2013

High Country Magazine

The Blue Ridge Mountain Bel les

music with others.” In fact, beams Anissa, “Being together with good friends and the excitement of playing music and singing for others, making something beautiful, is the best part!” Incidentally, Mary and Sarah joined mom Angel in the family band tradition in 2012. But performing was in their blood and continuing this legacy was practically their destiny. Angel grew up singing and playing piano with her sisters and parents, with whom she performed at revivals and churches. If two heads are better than one, it seems logical that two families are as well. And neither family takes its place lightly. “We enjoy playing as a family and with our best friends,” says Kathleen, “because it’s a wonderful way to share the gifts God gave us with the people we love the most.” Adds Mike, “I love jamming with the kids. The band is a wonderful chance for us to combine the two families’ music.”

Positive Influences

Anissa Burnett, 13 – vocals and fiddle; Kathleen Burnett, 15 – vocals and fiddle; Mary Griffin, 14 – vocals and fiddle; Sarah Griffin, 15 – vocals and fiddle Mike and Rebecca Burnett back up their daughters on guitar and bass, respectively, while Mary and Sarah’s mom Angel accompanies the Belles on piano, as needed. At concerts, younger Burnett siblings Sophia, 8, and Anneli, 6, occasionally fiddle or sing as a complement to the main family act. Steven Griffin and his sons, Eric and William, assist the Belles with sound and equipment.

The Family Who Plays Together Works Together

It’s a good thing they all like each other, since they appear to spend as much time together as your average battalion. Mike Burnett works for Blue Ridge Mountain Rentals, which is owned and run by Steven and Angel Griffin. Rebecca Burnett teaches art one day a week with the High Country Christian Homeschoolers. On average the girls practice a few hours per week while juggling such activities as Ju60

High Country Magazine

nior Appalachian Musicians, ASU Orchestra and homeschool co-ops (both sets of girls are homeschooled). They also have to make time for church extracurriculars and taking care of the horses they own. And somehow they find time to make appearances in such North Carolina and Virginia locales as Fiddlers Grove, ASU Old-Time Fiddle Convention and nursing homes.

What’s that Sound?

The Blue Ridge Mountain Belles says, Rebecca, who backs up the teenage quartet on bass when needed, mostly sing and perform covers of bluegrass, gospel, old-time

April / May 2013

music, old spirituals, hymns and waltzes, although 14-year-old Mary is a budding songwriter. The Belles are currently putting together a CD.

Mike’s inspiration derives from a Who’s Who of local and national favorites: John Cockman and the Cockman Family Band, Cecil Gurganus, John Pryne, Ricky Skaggs and John Denver. And traditional hymns and gospel music lifted up Angel from an early age and carried her into adulthood. But what’s most striking is that while today’s youth are setting their dials (or Pandora stations) to tunes by Rihanna, Pink and Bruno Mars and getting worked into a lather by One Direction, the Griffin girls’ tastes run refreshingly more obscure…and less TMZready. Mary counts Maddi Jane and Britt Nicole as her favorite artists while Sarah is partial to the Peasall Sisters and Natalie Grant.

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Upcoming Performances

• TBD: The Cockman Family Youth Showcase, May 18. To book the Blue Ridge Mountain Belles for a singing engagement, contact mirebu2003@aol.com.

Musical Scales

As so often the case with predetermined talent, Kathleen and Anissa have been singing and playing music practically since they could talk, each of the girls showing a keen interest and talent around age 3. Ironically, says mom Rebecca, “They needed extra encouragement as little children to sing and play in front of others. But now it comes fairly naturally and they love to share their April / May 2013

High Country Magazine

The High Country’s Roger Banks 2013 1983

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Basketball Coaching Guru & Superstar Recruiter Emeritus

By Tim Gardner

ome coaches excel in a certain area. Some are superb of- Carolina High School annals, Roger compiled an astounding twofensive tacticians. Others are noted for their defensive ex- year record of 52 wins and 4 losses. As much as anyone in the pertise. Some are known as good organizers. There are North Carolina High Country, Roger helped elevate high school those regarded as program builders. Some are acute in- basketball here to the high level in which it is played. He was the novators. And yet others are more known as public relations spe- last coach at old Newland High School and the first at the consolcialists in dealing with players, fans, faculty and the communities idated (with Newland, Crossnore and Cranberry) Avery County where they coach. High School. Roger began his coaching career in the 1967-‘68 While Roger Banks was regarded by his peers and other knowl- season at Newland High, before moving to Avery County High edgeable observers for enfor the ’68-’69 season. Aptcompassing all of those ly assisted by Bruce Daniels, abilities as an outstanding Roger directed teams to basketball coach on the high 29-2 and 23-2 records, reschool, and later as an assisspectively. He led them to tant on collegiate levels, he conference regular season was particularly noted as a and tournament championdeft college recruiter. ships anda third place finish Considering the proof in the State 3-A tournament his phenomenal success as a —the Western North Carorecruiter provides, it’s easy lina High School Athletics to contend that few, if any, Association (WNCHSAA). coaches have ever done it Roger coached probably better than Roger Banks. the best player ever to come And it further warrants his out of the North Carolina elite status as a recruiting Mountains at Newland genius. and Avery High Schools in When Roger started center Tommy Burleson. recruiting a player that The 7-foot, 4-inch Burledozens—maybe even hunson was recruited by every dreds—of other universities major college or university were after, his reputation as in America. He went on to Coach Roger Banks (seated) with family (Left-to-Right): Granddaughter Emma, an ace recruiter and track play in the Dapper Dan NaDaughter-In-Law, Susan, Grandson Nick, Son, Aaron, and Grandson, Parker. record for signing all-star tional High School All-Star Emma and Nick hold a stuffed University of Georgia Bulldog to commemorate players’ added pressure on Game in Pittsburgh, PA, the Roger's coaching tenure there his competitors to deliver 1972 World Olympics, on a for his school. But when National Championship as Roger zeroed in on a recruit, he alwell as an undefeated team at North most always signed him. Carolina State University. Burleson In fact, Roger was named as one then played for four National Basketof college basketball’s best recruiters ball Association (NBA) teams—the Seby such highly-acclaimed publications attle Supersonics, Kansas City Kings, as Sports Illustrated, Sport, Sporting Atlanta Hawks and Chicago Bulls. News and various other national magAccording to Roger, other players azines. Sport even named Roger to its on those Newland and/or Avery teams Super Salesmen: The College Baskethe coached included: Bobby Tate; ball Recruiters Hall of Fame list. Kenny Ward; Kenny Church; Roger Stanley; Randy Childress; Danny One of Top Coaches In Wright; Gary Edwards; Jim Turbyfill; Coach Roger Banks and his family shown during his coachNorth Carolina Prep History Steve Suddreth; Brad Blalock; R.D. A record that ranks him as one of ing tenure at Auburn University: Standing- Son, Aaron, and Daniels; Harvey McQueen; Billy the most successful coach’s in North daughter, Jo Beth. Seated- Wife, Virginia (Tense), and Roger Daniels; Billy Watson; Richard DanApril / May 2013

High Country Magazine

Roger Banks recruited and coached players who became some of the finest in college, and later in professional basketball annals. Four of his top basketball phenoms are: (Left-to-Right): John Drew, Dominique Wilkins, Charles Barkley and Vern Fleming. Drew played for Gardner-Webb College and then the Atlanta Hawks and Utah Jazz professionally, as well as in the Continental Basketball Association (CBA). He is a two-time National Basketball Association (NBA) All-Star. Ironically, he was traded by the Hawks for another Roger Banks-pupil, Dominique Wilkins. Drew received the NBA’s Comeback Player of The Year Award in 1983-’84 for seemingly overcoming his addiction to cocaine. But sadly, he relapsed into drug abuse and became the first person banned for life from playing in the NBA for multiple violations of its substance abuse policy. Drew reportedly has finally overcome his drug addiction and currently drives a taxi cab in Houston, TX. (continued next page)

(continued from previous page) Wilkins was an SEC Player of The Year at the University of Georgia. He is generally considered one of the greatest players in college and professional history and by many as the all-time best dunker. He played for five NBA (most notably the Atlanta Hawks) and two foreign professional teams. He was enshrined in the NBA Hall of Fame in 2006 and currently is a vice-president and part owner of the Hawks. Barkley was an SEC Player of The Year at Auburn University and became an eleven-time NBA All-Star while playing for three teams (primarily the Philadelphia 76ers). He’s currently involved in several business enterprises and is an NBA and college basketball television analyst. Fleming was a standout point guard for the University of Georgia who went on to play professionally for the NBA’s Indiana Pacers and New Jersey Nets and one foreign team. Following retirement from playing, Fleming served as an assistant coach with the Pacers. He is still active in various capacities with the Pacers organization.

iels; Jerry Wise; Larry Roberson; Mike Lacey; face, man-to-man pressure with an occasional Gerald McKinney; Robert Ensley; and Butch zone and zone press that often smothered opHughes. Tate went on to play collegiately at ponents. A classic example of the latter came Appalachian State University, while Ward also during the ’67-’68 season at Cherokee did at Mars Hill. Ward later served two tenHigh against the state’s top-ranked 1-A ures as an assistant at Avery High before evenBraves. Newland rallied from a 27-point tually becoming the Vikings head coach. third-quarter deficit to register an improbable Those who followed the Newland Indians 83-79 overtime triumph. during that time recall their battles with AvRoger recalled that epic battle: “Cherokee ery County rivals Cranberry and Crossnore outplayed us for the first two-and-a-half quaras well as Bakersville Bowman. And followters of that game, but we still had the better ing consolidation with Newland, Cranberry team. Our players were better conditioned, and Crossnore forming Avery High, many of played better defense and we hit the shots we those same fans remember the Avery Vikings needed to come from behind and win that epic clashes with fellow-state powerhouses game when it seemed it was a sure loss. My The University of Georgia Basketball Asheville-Lee Edwards, Marion, Morganton Newland and Avery High teams could run and Watauga. Newland and Avery faced many fast and rebound well and we turned up our media guide from the last season Roger opposing star players in those days like Bowgame so-to-speak when we needed to most. Banks served as an assistant coach and man’s Johnny Wilson, Morganton’s Jimmy Our pressure defense ran Cherokee in the the Bulldogs chief recruiter (1980-81) Powell, Asheville Lee Edwards’ Larry“Go-Go” ground in the last quarter-and-a-half. When Grant and Marion’s Archie McIntosh, brothers Frank and Earl we started rallying, I remember our guard, Danny Wright, telling Gilmore, Chuck Cordell and Steve Early. Several went on to pro- me, ‘Coach, We’ve got ‘em now.’ And he was right; we did ‘have’ ductive collegiate careers. them. It was only a matter of our winning. Cherokee didn’t hustle Roger’s on-the-court philosophy included a fast-paced attack, as well as we did and could not stand our pressure defense. That is designed to get the ball up the floor offensively to set up the half- one of the greatest wins by any school in Avery County history.” court game with continuous player movement, crisp passing and Avery High recorded epic 63-62 and 58-57 triumphs over minimal dribbling. Defensively, his teams played stifling in-your- Marion as well as a come-from-behind 85-76 win at Asheville

during Roger’s tenure. Several of Avery’s games were even moved to Appalachian State’s Varsity Gymnasium in Boone in order to keep from having to turn fans away at the door who wanted to see Burleson and cast play. The Vikings even drew more fans than the home-standing and college ASU Mountaineers in their own gym. Roger also hosted and conducted basketball camps and clinics at Avery High with clinicians that read like a Who’s Who of college basketball icons: Duke head coach Bucky Waters; Wake Forest head coach Jack McCloskey and assistant, Billy Packer; Tennessee head coach Ray Mears and assistant Stu Aberdeen; and Maryland head coach Charles “Lefty” Driesell. South Carolina head coach Frank McGuire had two of his star players, Tom Owens and Bobby Cremins attend the camp as did Wake Forest player, Gil McGregor. College coaches also had unlimited visits under National Collegiate Athletics Association (NCAA) rules to watch recruits when Burleson played at Avery High. So it was common to see at least a half-dozen or more prominent college head coaches such as North Carolina’s Dean Smith and N.C. State’s Norman Sloan at Avery High’s games then. Legendary coach John Wooden of the then top major college program—UCLA—also phoned

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Banks about the possibility of Burleson playing there, considering him to be a franchise player. Burleson’s recruiting and Roger’s basketball camps helped bring much positive exposure to the Avery County and its high school basketball program and prep basketball throughout the region. “I wanted my Newland and Avery High teams to be a major part of the community and do all we could to promote this area and our region through the game of basketball,” Roger explained. “My camps helped do just that while giving players chances to improve their abilities and skills and show their accomplished levels of play to some of the collegiate game’s biggest names. And April / May 2013

High Country Magazine

Press clippings highlight some of the grandest triumphs in the storied traditions of Newland and Avery High Basketball— all of these came during the Coach Roger Banks era. He is talking strategy with his players in the team huddle in the center picture. On opposite page, Tommy Burleson in action.

Tommy’s play and recruiting helped put Avery County on the map nationally, as much as any occurrences in the county’s history. I’m thankful to have coached here and been part of so many wonderful happenings.”

Coaching Success Continues On Collegiate Level As Recruiting Reputation Flourishes

Roger had enjoyed so much success on the prep level and was regarded as being so far ahead of the game, having been through the national recruiting process with Burleson that he seemed destined to become a collegiate coach and recruiter. His first such post was as an assistant coach and head recruiter at Gardner-Webb College (now university), working there for legendary coach, Eddie Holbrook. During his five seasons there (1970-71 through ’74-’75), Roger established himself as one of the nation’s finest recruiters, signing several All-Americans who eventually became some of the NBA’s top draft choices—John Drew, Dave Bormann and Alvin Jones—all with the Atlanta Hawks; Jimmy Blanks (Houston Rockets); and George Adams (Milwaukee Bucks). Gardner-Webb’s Bulldogs were ranked among the nation’s Top 5 National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) teams every season Roger coached there, earned three trips to the NAIA playoffs and were National Runners-Up twice. Roger then accepted a post as an assistant coach and head recruiter at Austin Peay University for the 1975-’76 season. There he signed prep all-star Sammy Drummer-- perhaps the best player in that school’s history. And during Roger’s tenure, the Governors compiled a stellar 21-3 record enroute to winning the Ohio Valley Conference Championship. Roger then served two seasons (1976-’77 and ’77-78) in the same roles at the Georgia Institute of Technology (Georgia Tech). He helped the Yellow Jackets to Top Twenty national rankings and he signed some of the school’s top all-time players, including Tico Brown, who became the Metro Conference’s leading scorer. Drummer transferred from Austin Peay and also became a standout for the Yellow Jackets. Georgia Tech finished 19-7 and 17-9, respectively, while Roger was on its staff. Roger then accepted an offer from another legendary coach, Hugh Durham, at the University of Georgia and began a threeyear stint as an assistant coach and the Bulldogs chief recruiter with the 1978-79 season. Before Durham and his staff came to the University of Georgia, the Bulldogs had never been to either the National Collegiate Athletics Association (NCAA) or National Invitation (NIT) Tournament, had never won a Southeastern Conference (SEC) regular season or tournament championship and had losing records in 23 of the previous 27 seasons. 66

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But they immediately embarked on a remarkable transformation project with Durham’s Dunkyard Dawgs that produced the most prolific era of Georgia basketball. Although Roger was only at Georgia for the first three years of the Hugh Durham era, he made an indelible and lasting mark on its program. Durham literally coached his first Georgia team by himself during games as he sent his three assistants on the road recruiting. The assistants were only on the Bulldogs bench for a total of ten games between them of the 28 the Bulldogs played. But the recruiting paid off to the zenith as behind Roger’s direction, Georgia landed the nation’s top-rated recruiting class, which included two MacDonald’s High School All-Americans in forward Dominique Wilkins and center James Banks. Roger signed both to letters-of-intent. He also signed three other MacDonald’s Prep All-Americans to play for Georgia—point guard Vern Fleming, forward James Banks and center Wilmore Fowler. Few coaches in history can boast of such a phenomenal recruiting feat. And he added other standout players such as forward Lamar Heard, center Terry Fair and guard Mike Morris. Recruiting and signing those players were among the most important inaugural steps in propelling Georgia to quick success and eventually as a consistent college basketball power that included a Southeastern Conference championship and then an NCAA Eastern Regional crown in 1983 with victories over two teams that had been ranked atop the national polls during the regular season-- St. Johns (70-67) and defending national champion North Carolina in an epic 82-77 upset. Wilkins was the centerpiece of that first recruiting class, while Roger directed Georgia’s recruiting efforts. Nicknamed The Human Highlight Film for his acrobatic athletic ability and highlight reel dunks, Wilkins, a Washington, NC native, played three seasons for the Bulldogs and was the 1980-’81 season Southeastern Conference (SEC) Player of The Year. He went on to be one of the eight leading scorers in NBA history while playing for several teams, primarily the Atlanta Hawks, of which he is currently a vice president and part owner. The on-the-floor highlight of Roger’s tenure at Georgia was the Bulldogs finishing 19-12 in his last season (1980-’81) and earning their first ever post-regular season—the NIT—where they reached the second round. The Bulldogs also finished as runners-

up in the SEC Tournament. Roger moved from Georgia to fellow-SEC member and rival Auburn University, where he concluded his coaching career. There he served as an assistant coach and recruiting director to head coach Sonny Smith, a Roan Mountain, TN (just across the mountains from the North Carolina High Country) native. As almost a blueprint of his tenure at Georgia, Roger’s recruiting success propelled Auburn to milestone success while he was on its staff and then its best-ever season shortly after he left the school. During his three seasons at Auburn (1981-’82, 1982-’83 and 1983-’84), Roger helped improve the Tigers fortunes, climaxing in a 20-11 over-all record, Top Twenty national rankings, an SEC Tournament runner-up and the school’s first NCAA Tournament berth his latter campaign. He signed Charles Barkley and Chuck Person to play for the Tigers. Like Wilkins at Georgia, Barley was an SEC Player of The Year and went on to become one of the top players in NBA history at power forward for the Philadelphia 76’ers, Phoenix Suns and Houston Rockets. He is currently an analyst for the Inside The NBA television show. Person was a full-time starter at forward and teamed with Barkley to form a potent inside-outside combination. Person was known for his superb outside shooting skills (unusual for a big man), which aptly complemented Barkley’s strong inside play. Person led the Tigers to win its first-ever SEC Tournament championship the next season and an NCAA Tournament Sweet Sixteen appearance, followed by reaching the NCAA’s Elite Eight the next season. Person was named the NBA’s Rookie of The Year in 1986-’87 while playing for the Indiana Pacers. He played for three more pro teams, and is currently an assistant coach for the Los Angeles Lakers. Besides being a recruiting ace, Roger’s reputation as an astute on-the-floor coach was boosted in a Sports Illustrated article in which Barkley—nicknamed The Round Mound of Rebound for his physique and exceptional rebounding ability—credited Roger with teaching him the proper way to rebound. “I enjoyed working for every school I coached and I’m proud that I helped make their programs and their players better,” Roger said. “Each was a different experience and a good experience. I’m thankful and honored to have been involved with those programs.”

Recruiting Philosophy

A college basketball recruiter faces long days of hard travel and intense pressure—but he drives on in pursuit of signing the next all-star player. Despite the pressure, many prep players seem to base their decisions on sound reasoning—such as which school can best further their basketball-playing career or which schools are best academically. The fact that few players transfer each year provides evidence that a vast majority make choices they don’t regret. Still, it isn’t surprising that a recruiter would try to break rules to sign a player that might mean the difference in his getting a pay increase for signing all-star players or maybe lose his job if he doesn’t sign enough of them. Despite all the pressure in signing star players and sometimes questionable maneuvering, relatively few schools are put on probation for recruiting violations by the governing body for major college sports—the NCAA. No coach can win consistently without talented players. And that’s what a recruiter is hired to do—go get the players needed to win, and then win consistently. Though he is an assistant coach with various job responsibilities, a recruiter’s most important task is procuring talented players. He is always working on next season’s team. Her might see more than four or five dozen high school games in a season, but only a handful of those of the college or university where he coaches. As a recruiter, Roger acted as a liaison between various personalities. He worked with the recruits. He watched practices, games and films of high school stars. He then sold the head coach he worked for at the time, and his school on the athlete. He also worked with the head coach about determining what the program needs and prioritizing how immediate those needs are. “When it came to who we signed and didn’t sign. I had strong input. If I told the head coach, we needed to take this player, we took him,” Roger said, succinctly. “I helped evaluate what we were doing in our program—what were our strengths and weaknesses—and I recruited to build on those strengths and improve those weaknesses. My job as a recruiter was to be the third party working for the first and second parties.” To sign the best players, a recruiter must be sincere, and the master of convincing the recruit why he should attend and play for his school. April / May 2013

High Country Magazine

The most famous prep player Roger Banks coached was Newland and Avery High’s Tommy Burleson. Burleson is shown rejecting a Watauga High player’s baseline shot in the top picture and pulling down a rebound against the Pioneers in the bottom picture.

High Country Magazine

April / May 2013

“I never gave up on a player I recruited no matter how many times he told me he was not going to sign with the school I coached until he actually signed with another school,” Roger declared. “Giving up on players will cost you very badly as young athletes may change their minds numerous times. Occasionally, you will sign an athlete who has decided early that he wants to play for your school and never waffles on that choice. That’s rare, though. Most players consider several schools before finally settling on one. “If you give up on them, you almost assuredly won’t sign them. Of course, there were some I recruited and wanted badly who I didn’t sign. But I signed almost all of the ones I wanted. I’m particularly proud of that.” Roger continued, in detail, about his distinctive recruiting philosophy that has been not only a blueprint for signing the nation’s finest player’s yearafter-year, but one that is a model for his peers to emulate. “When I recruited a player from inside the same state as the college or university I work for, I tried to draw a circle around him,” Roger explained. “I might have used his family, his high school head coach—anyone he listens to. First, I sold him on the advantages of playing for the college or university where I coached—especially if it was close to where he grew up. “In that case, I pushed him about the benefits of attending college and playing at a school close to his house—so his parents and family can come and see him play or watch him on television every game and doors will open for him later on in the job market. The circle gets tighter and tighter until wherever that player goes he has people he knows and loves telling exactly the same things I’ve been telling him. That’s the way I signed Terry Fair for Georgia. But Dominique (Wilkins) was from out of state and lived about an eight-hour drive from the University of Georgia, so I played it the opposite way. I stressed the importance of his getting away from home and being his own man.” Wilkins had narrowed his college choices to Georgia and North Carolina State University. Georgia had very little basketball tradition, while N.C. State had one of the nation’s most storied programs with its star forward of the early-to-mid 1970s, David Thompson, considered by many to be the best player in Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) history. But Roger kept drilling one thought into Wilkins’ head that helped convince him to play for the Bulldogs rather than the Wolfpack. “I told Dominique over and over that he could play for N.C. State and be the next David Thompson or he could play for Georgia and be the one and only Dominique Wilkins,” Roger said. “And Dominique is still the best player in Georgia history and probably always will be.” There are many aspects to recruiting. For an especially bright prospect, Roger might recite the latest figures about how much higher the student-athletes graduation rates are over the non-athletes at his school. With all the players he talks to, Roger tried to create the feeling that he will be a family friend for life. But of course, one of his foremost priorities is what impact a particular player will have on his

What Others Say About Roger Banks “Unquestionably, Roger Banks is the best recruiter in college basketball history and one of the best basketball coach’s I’ve ever witnessed. I love the man.” –Dominique Wilkins, University of Georgia Basketball Playing Legend and NBA Hall of Famer and General Manager, Atlanta Hawks “I was fortunate to hire Roger Banks. He is a tireless worker in every endeavor he undertakes and was an extremely loyal member of the Georgia Basketball program. Roger was an excellent coach and the best recruiter in college basketball … maybe the best there’s ever been. He had a phenomenal number of recruiting contacts all across the nation. His recruiting efforts were responsible for much of our success—especially in winning the 1983 Southeastern Conference and NCAA Eastern Regional Championship—after he had left our program as he had recruited and signed the players that helped form the nucleus of the team that achieved those lofty heights.” –Hugh Durham, Head Basketball Coach Emeritus, University of Georgia “Roger is one of college’s basketball’s all-time outstanding recruiters. He proved it at every school he coached. He was not only a great recruiter, but also a proven floor coach. He showed total dedication in getting the job done in all areas of the game, everywhere he coached.” –Sonny Smith, Former Head Basketball Coach, Auburn University school’s wins total. Roger added: “The worst part of recruiting is that to get players, you always seem to be running the roads. One season when I worked at the University of Georgia, I was pursuing three players in two states. It took approximately 400 miles of driving each time, but there were days when I made an appearance in all three players’ gyms the same day.”

The Man

Roger is a Yancey County (Burnsville), NC native, and was raised in the Banks Creek Community. His parents are Roger Banks, Sr. and May Clevenger Banks. Roger, Jr.’s father was a former Major League baseball player in the New York Yankees system. He and his wife later worked for Warren Wilson College in Swannanoa, NC, where they first met. Roger, Jr. graduated from Cane River High School in Burnsville in 1963. There he lettered in three sports—basketball, baseball and football. He was a forward in basketball, a catcher and first baseman in baseball and a tight end in football. Roger earned athletic scholarships to Mars Hill College and East Tennessee State University for both basketball and baseball. He first

“Roger was way ahead of the game and he made it fun to play. He has a charismatic personality that makes you like him and his coaching demeanor was scholarly, yet simplistic in many ways. The drills and schemes he taught me and we used when I played for him helped me immensely in my prep and later in my college and professional careers. “In one such drill, Roger stood in front of me and held a broom high up in the air and had me shooting over it. That helped me improve my shot and also learn how to correctly shoot over other tall players like myself. I never had a shot blocked in my career on any level, and Roger’s coaching had a lot to do with that. Roger also helped me perfect a jump hook shot that University of North Carolina head coach Dean Smith told me was one of the best he had ever seen. “ –Tommy Burleson, Former Avery High and North Carolina State University All-American Basketball Player and NBA Standout “Roger Banks is a good basketball tactician and one of the finest recruiters in any sport I’ve ever observed. His genuine personality made athletes eager to please him. To sign four consensus prep All-Americans for our program, which had then registered little success, is a feat of amazing proportions. And Roger certainly was responsible for signing the best basketball player in University of Georgia history in Dominique Wilkins.” –Vince Dooley, Athletics Director Emeritus and Head Football Coach Emeritus, University of Georgia attended and graduated one year of prep school at Castle Heights Military Academy in Lebanon, TN, where he lettered in three sports (basketball, baseball and football). Castle Heights is a training school where various potential pro athletes attend to further hone their playing skills. Roger then attended Mars Hill for two years, where he played basketball and baseball. He later transferred to East Tennessee State, where he played baseball and received a degree in Education in 1966. Roger had also received a scholarship offer to play football at the University of Tennessee, but he focused his attention on a potential Major League baseball career. In fact, Roger was such a highly-accomplished baseball player that he was drafted professionally by the Detroit Tigers and New York Yankees. He played one season in the Yankees farm system at Binghamton, NY. A catcher, Roger injured his throwing arm, which ended his pro career. Although he lacked some mandatory credit hours for his academic teaching duties when he began coaching at Newland High, Roger earned his graduate degree at Gardner-Webb while he coached there. He later earned a degree from Appalachian State. Roger joked that he “probably attended April / May 2013

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more colleges and universities trying Roger rationalized why he didn’t to play sports and get my degrees become a college or university head than anyone in America.” coach: “I had some head coaching Roger and his wife, the former overtures, but the timing wasn’t right Virginia “Tense” Franklin of the or it wasn’t the right job,” he said. “I Linville Falls Community in Avery was labeled as a gifted assistant coach County, have homes in Linville Falls and a great recruiter. Those labels and Davidson, NC. Roger currently may or may not have hurt my chancworks in the credit union business, es to get the ‘right’ head job. If I had based out of Davidson and Jacksongotten a head coaching job, it would ville, FL. He and Barkley co-own have been a tremendous opportunity several other business enterprises. for my family and me. But I didn’t “Tense” taught in Avery County concern myself with it too much, as Schools for several years and is active my family and I were happy in the in the Avery County Historical Sociroles I had. ety, of which she also serves on its “It goes without saying that you Board of Trustees. Additionally, she always have mixed emotions when volunteers at the Avery County Muyou move from one job to another seum in Newland and is considered and uproot your family. As an assisas one of the most knowledgeable tant coach you’re trying to work into persons about Avery County history. a position where you eventually staFor her many contributions to her bilize yourself and your family. You home county, "Tense" was named are always in the process of proving Avery County Woman of the Year in yourself. 2012. Also, Roger and “Tense” op“I believe I did as much as I could Perhaps the most prestigious press honor of Coach Roger erate a Christmas tree farm in Linfor each of the school’s programs Banks’ star high school player… Tommy Burleson is thought ville Falls. They are members of the I coached in my capacities as an asto be the only North Carolina High Country native to grace non-denominational Linville Falls the cover of Sports Illustrated, which he did twice, including sistant coach and recruiting director. Community Church. My primary interest in coaching was this 1973-74 College Basketball Preview edition. Burleson Their union produced two chil- played on the USA Team in the 1972 World Olympics and to help schools have measures of sucdren—son Aaron, and daughter, cess at the level of, and ideally better, on a National Championship as well as an undefeated team Elizabeth Jo (Jo Beth). Roger and than those they competed against. at North Carolina State University. He then played for four Tense have three grandchildren— Roger continued: “I love a chalNational Basketball Association (NBA) teams—the Seattle grandsons Parker (age 16) and Nick lenge. I was not a coach at programs Supersonics, Kansas City Kings, Atlanta Hawks and Chicago (age 10), and granddaughter, Emma that had a lot of tradition of success Bulls. Burleson also remains the only three time All-State (age 12). Aaron’s wife’s name is like Kentucky, Duke or UCLA. I always prep basketball player in North Carolina history. Susan, and he is a former basketseemed to work in programs that needball player at Avery County High ed to build more tradition. And I’m School and a varsity baseball, softball and girls basketball coach proud that I helped each school I coached establish a strong tradition at Statesville, NC Christian Academy. Parker is an accomplished of success of its own. I’m even prouder that I did it the right way. athlete—particularly in baseball—there. Jo Beth is single and lives I was never cited for any violation of rules as a coach or recruiter. in Atlanta, GA. She is also an accomplished athlete—an Ironman And I never complained when a player I was recruiting signed with tri-Athlete and she works with the Ironman Organization. Ad- another school. I never accused another recruiter of cheating.” ditionally, she works professionally in GOP politics on national, He added that he believes accusations of cheating in recruiting state and local levels. are exaggerated anyway. “I don’t think an athlete can be bought. If you attempt to buy them or ‘snow’ them so-to-speak, you inAchievements Provide Pride sult their intelligence,” Roger said. “James Banks told me one of The man who coached the only three-time All-State prep bas- the reasons he signed with Georgia over a slew of other schools ketball player in North Carolina (Burleson), more than a dozen that were recruiting him was that I was totally honest with him. future professional players and an amazing four United States I didn’t promise him a certain amount of playing time or other Olympic Basketball Players-Burleson, Wilkins, Fleming and Bar- things. I told him he could be a really good player for the Bulldogs kley—said he considers himself the luckiest person to ever play and how he could improve his playing skills. He said some other sports and coach. He declared much of the reason is because of recruiters tried telling him what a perfect player he was when he his North Carolina High Country heritage. knew he was not a perfect player. I was up front with James and “Unquestionably, my background growing up in the high didn’t try to trick him and that’s why I signed him.” country of the North Carolina Mountains and playing sports and Roger noted that his on-the-court coaching and recruiting then coaching there fueled my athletics success to the zenith,” style was based on honesty and genuine concern for young stuRoger proclaimed. “No group of people anywhere on Earth work dent-athletes. harder, love each other more, are friendlier, more knowledge“I know the game of basketball well,” Roger declared. “That’s able, more God-fearing and love sports anymore than the people not because I’m a genius, but because I’ve seen so much of it over who live, or are from here. I’m fortunate to be a part of these a long time span. I’ve always had an ability to picture a player as mountains in the ways I have. No athlete or coach has ever been part of a team and how he would perform in that role. more blessed.” “I fell in love with the players I recruited. I’ll use Dominique 70

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April / May 2013

Wilkins for example. I wanted to sign him so very much that he knew even if he didn’t sign with me to play for Georgia, that I would still go see him play at whichever school he choose to attend, every chance I could. He would see me in the stands at almost all his high school games. I’d tell him, ‘I’ve been on the road all day, I’m tired and it will really energize me if you will dunk one for me, Dominique.’ I was honestly concerned about the players and I tried to be consistent in my dealings with them. As long as you’re honest, it’s easy to be consistent.” Roger jokingly quipped that he missed the Big Money era of major college basketball by about 25 years. “Nowadays, major college head coach’s make millions of bucks and even several million if they get fired to buy out their contracts, and some assistants make several hundred thousand bucks,” he said. “The most money I ever made in coaching was $36,000 a year at Auburn University and I was provided a vehicle by its athletics department to use for recruiting. There’s probably part-time employees currently at college and university athletics departments who make as much or more than I made in college coaching. And I know the coach’s also have unbelievably better other perks like golf country club memberships and various things of that sort.” On a serious note, he concluded his comments by stating: “I was never in coaching for money and intangible perks. Sure, I had to make enough money to support my family and me. But coaching was all about the players to me—trying to make a positive difference in their lives, helping them become better players and in every other way I could while also providing for my family. Those are my greatest rewards of coaching.” Roger Banks has enriched the lives of many people—especially young, student-athletes. He commands respect and admiration throughout the sports fraternity, but perhaps even more for being a Christian gentleman of the first order, than his playing, coaching and recruiting prowess. And that’s quite a legacy.  Tim Gardner is a freelance journalist who makes his home in the North Carolina High Country of Avery County and is a friend of Coach Banks and his family. Tim’s articles have appeared in national, regional, local and specialty publications. Tim also is a longtime enthusiast of the University of Georgia Bulldogs, and he has covered their exploits for newspapers, magazines and online web sites. *Photographs and information for this article were provided by Coach Roger and Virginia “Tense” Banks, Wingate Downs Photography, Athens GA and Sports Communication Offices at: the University of Georgia; Auburn University; Georgia Tech; and Austin Peay University.

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Parting Ways, ASU Athletics Moving to Sun Belt Conference

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o long, it’s been good to know yuh.” When recording that song in 1940, Woody Guthrie was singing about the Dust Bowl, but soon ASU Athletics will be whistling the tune on its way to the Sun Belt Conference. In a press conference at the end of March, ASU made the announcement that ASU Football was moving to the FBS (Division 1) and parting ways with the Southern Conference, where ASU had been a member since 1971. Its football squad competed at the FCS level since 1982, winning an unprecedented back-to-backto-back championships and becoming the first FCS team to beat a nationally-ranked FBS opponent. The move to the FBS has been in the works for two years, and Athletics Director Charlie Cobb essentially called the move a new beginning for ASU Football. “I want to stress the fact that today is a starting point,” Cobb said. “Quite frankly, 72

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the easiest course of action was to stay with the status quo. However, and I say this with tremendous respect and gratitude to our past and presence with the Southern Conference, the status quo is not acceptable for Appalachian.” ASU announced its move on the same day that Georgia Southern, also previously of the Southern Conference, declared it was leaving to the Sun Belt Conference, too. Sun Belt Commissioner Karl Benson described both teams as “plums of the FCS” in the Southeast region. “Appalachian State and Georgia Southern are an absolute homerun for the Sun Belt Conference,” Benson said. “Appalachian is a perfect fit – academically, athletically and geographically.” As Benson noted, conference landscapes are changing. Take the Atlantic Coast Conference, for example. Fans of the old basketball rivalries will barely recognize the ACC with Pittsburgh, Syracuse

April / May 2013

and Louisville soon to join while Maryland exits – and don’t even start talking about the old days in the Big East, that is no more. While ASU won’t be a member of the Southern Conference in the future, Cobb noted that “creative” schedules could be made to keep some of the old SoCon rivalries. The move comes with added costs at a time when higher education is facing tough times fiscally, but those close to the move see more revenue within the FBS and see more talented players because of the increase in scholarships. And with the Big Ten declining to play FCS teams in the coming years, the possibility of ASU upsetting a caliber team like Michigan again is narrowing. As Chancellor Kenneth Peacock said, “The future is so bright, sometimes we have to wear shades.”

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