20 Years Ago
Week of December 23, 2004
North Fork
Fitness Center Now Open
In rural counties in West Virginia, the population base is aging.
Also, it’s well-known that West Virginia is a national “leader” in the specific problem of obesity and in many general categories related not only to physical fitness but to a variety of maladies, including heart disease.
At the now preserved Circleville High School a fully equipped, state-of-the-art workout-equipment physical fitness center has been in operation since Dec. 1.
Indeed, there are approximately nine weight stations and six cardio-vascular machines.
Last Thursday, Delegate Harold K. Michael visited the new work-out center and presented a check from state government in the amount of some $45,000.
Altogether, Delegate Michael has secured about $65,000 in funding from state government to get the CHS/North Fork community physical fitness center up and running.
That funding has paid for the work-out equipment and for physical infrastructure improvements in the rooms housing the machines, principally new ceiling tile and a new heating/air conditioning system.
Charles Teter, the president of the CHS Preservation organization, said, “Everybody in the North Fork is happy with this situation and the opportunity to pursue physical fitness and healthy life-styles. The physical fitness center is open to its members (of whom there are approximately 50 already) 24 hours a day and seven days a week once they obtain a membership/pass-key card.”
Carl Warner, one of the CHS Preservation’s directors, pointed out that the new heating/air conditioning system will be fully installed this week.
The construction of new bathrooms and showers is about 80 percent complete and is on track to be finished “in a couple of week,” Warner said
Marching ’Cats
To Play at Inauguration
The pride of Pendleton County, the Pendleton County High School Marching Wildcats, will perform in the inaugural parade prior to the swearing-in ceremony for Governor-elect Joe Manchin, III, on Jan. 17.
The inaugural parade will start at 10:00 a.m. and proceed on Kanawha Boulevard between Capitol Street and Greenbrier Street.
It will be the state’s first inaugural parade since the inauguration of Governor Arch Moore in 1973.
Band director Dwight Sponaugle said the Marching Wildcats will travel to Charleston on Sunday, Jan. 6.
The inaugural parade will consist of high school bands from across the state, as well as the WVU and Marshall University bands.
“The resurrection of the inaugural parade is due to our desire to provide an event that all family members can enjoy and participate in, especially children. The response has been tremendous, and we anticipate it will be one of the true highlights of the inaugural festivities,” said First-Lady-to-be, Gayle Manchin.
Synthetic Lubricants
Prevent Winter
Engine Worries
In extremely cold weather, it can be difficult to start your car promptly because of the car’s non-synthetic oil (the type motorists commonly use in their engines), gear lubes and transmission fluids. This conventional motor oil thickens, making it difficult for your starter to turn over the engine. What’s worse is that thick oil doesn’t circulate easily—it may even take several minutes—leading to oil starvation and increased wear on your car.
Synthetic motor oil remains fluid at extremely low temperatures in comparison to the commonly used non-synthetic lubes. Even on coldest mornings, engines turn over freely and transmissions shift easily. As a result, motorists experience easier winter starts, reduced fuel consumption and maximum protection against wear.
Whether your car has front wheel drive, rear wheel drive or four wheel drive, fill the crankcase and drive train with synthetic motor oil, gear lube and transmission fluid this winter. This will not only protect the engine, it will also be able to stop the worrying about tow trucks, jumper cables, extension cords, engine heaters, battery chargers and long engine warm-ups. Even better—one will be getting to his destination a lot sooner.
60 Years Ago
Week of December 24, 1964
100 YEARS AGO
By LON K. SAVAGE
Editor’s Note—The following is one of a series of articles on the Civil War. Each weekly installment covers events which occurred exactly 100 years ago.
Lee’s Army Feasted
On Its Last New Year
The Confederate soldiers of Gen. Robert E. Lee enjoyed their last feast together 100 years ago this week.
It was a feast put on by the people of Virginia as a gift of gratitude. The food—tons of it—was brought to a hotel in downtown Richmond where it was prepared by the city’s best caterer. And then the feast was carried to the troops in the miles and miles of trenches running between Richmond and Petersburg on the Virginia front.
All told, more than 36,000 loaves of bread were baked for the occasion. In addition, there were piles of ham, beef, chickens, turkeys, venison and mutton for the soldiers.
The feast was held on New Year’s Day, and that night Lee’s men went to bed with the unaccustomed feeling of being well fed.
Across the battlefields, Union troops too celebrated the Christmas-New Year holidays as best they could. A great national campaign had been carried on in the North to provide Christmas dinners for the Federal troops, and ships, laden with turkeys, cakes and pies, hove in at City Point on the James River below Richmond during the holiday season to distribute the food. Both sides sent out foraging parties to gather wood for holiday fires, and at times the groups encountered each other. The spirit of Christmas usually prevailed on these occasions, and the Federal and Confederate troops chatted amicably before returning to their armies.
The war, itself, dragged on through the holidays with cold rain and snow falling intermittently on the troops, who suffered most from lack of proper clothing, wished that Santa Claus would bring them shoes.
Every day that winter, deserters left the armies. Especially in the Confederate army were desertions numerous, as day after day a few more Southern troops showed up at Union lines, some of them offering to join the Union army, others simply seeking a way out of the Confederate army.
Next week: “Beast” Butler Fired.
80 Years Ago
Week of December 15, 1944
NOT TOO CHILLY
Another wartime winter is here. As usual the air is filled with talk of civilian fuel shortages. Because more than 75 per cent of the nation’s population is dependent upon coal for warmth, figures on coal are in order.
Since the start of the war, the bituminous coal industry has been mining three times the coal for war manufacturing, the railroads, the making of electricity and gas, steel and civilian industries, that it has for domestic users. At the same time, it has also increased the output of coal for home consumption by 25 per cent a year since Pearl Harbor, a pace currently being maintained.
During the present heating season, the coal mining industry is prepared to furnish upwards of 180,000,000 tons of coal solely for American homes, at an average price of less than $10.00 a ton. In other words, the entire coal-using population of the United States will be kept warm through the coming 200 days of cold and chilly weather, for an average cost of 10 cents a day per person.
This does not look like the nation is going to suffer too greatly from lack of coal.
Queen Of Sports
Of Circleville High School
On December 1, a rival contest for Queen of Sports came to a close at 8:45 p.m. in Circleville High School. For several weeks twelve young ladies, two selected from each class in high school by the membership of the class and a third selected from each class by members of the Basket Ball Squad, had been collecting votes. The twelve were to appeal to public spirited patrons and citizens of the community for votes in the contest. If anyone desired to cast a vote for any of the contestants, it would cost a penny to give, it being understood that all pennies collected would be turned over to the Athletic Department of Circleville High School to equip the boys’ basketball team. The young lady captivating the highest number of votes would be crowned and honored as Queen of Sports and the second highest be given the name, Sports Maid of Honor and the other ten girls would be princesses.
For several weeks the charm, the appeal, the beauty and personalities of these twelve young ladies campaigned the entire community and captured over 22,500 votes. Rosa Lee Arbogast, an outstanding senior, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Don Arbogast of Cherry Grove, was crowned Queen of Sports by Mr. E. W. Fike at the public gathering in the high school auditorium, Dec. 1, at 9:00 p.m. She captured more than 5,000 votes, to lead the entire group of charming ladies.
Idelta Sponaugle, another popular senior, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Harman Sponaugle of Circleville, was awarded the Sports Maid of Honor, running second to Miss Arbogast with more than 4,400 votes.
Twin Brothers Perplex Navy Recruiting Officers
Twin brothers came to Richmond to enlist in the Navy.
Their names? Johnny Gilbert Lough and Keith Erwin Allen.
They have three brothers in the Navy—their names are Jim, Douglas and Bill Plum.
Johnny, who is the image of Keith, lives in Parson, W. Va., with his folks, Mr. and Mrs. Leason Lough. Keith, who looks exactly like Johnny, lives in Franklin, W. Va., with his folks, Mr. and Mrs. Cyrus Allen.
Their brothers, the Plum boys write to their folks, Mr. and Mrs. John Chester Plum, at Washington, D. C.
To unravel the Loughs and Allens and Plums, it’s necessary to go back to the time when the twins, Johnny and Keith, were 21 months old. They were the youngest sons of Mr. and Mrs. Plum, who were living in Parson at that time. There were three older brothers and two older sisters.
Mr. and Mrs. Lough and Mr. and Mrs. Allen wanted to adopt the twins, and because of family reasons, Mrs. Plum gave her consent, so the boys were parted when they were less than two years old.
Growing up in Parson near his original family, Johnny knew about his twin brother from an early age. But Keith’s parents didn’t tell him for many years and the two boys did not meet until they were 13 years old, and that happened accidentally.
In the Navy Recruiting Station here yesterday afternoon, they explained how this happened to confused recruiting officers who were trying to figure out the boys’ papers.
“It was at a basketball game,” Johnny said. “I had gone into the game earlier, and my brother, Jim Plum, was at the gate. Keith came to the same game and went to the gate where Jim was taking tickets.
“When Jim saw Keith he thought it was me, because he had never seen my twin brother before either. Jim said, “Go on in, Johnny, I have your ticket.” And then Keith said he wasn’t Johnny. He was Keith Allen.
“When Jim found out who it was he found me and brought me over to Keith…and that was how we first saw each other for the first time,” Johnny concluded.
Since then, the brothers have been seeing more of each other although their homes are 75 miles apart and about three months ago they decided to join the Navy together.
They were 17 years old on September 28. Today, both enlisted as apprentice seamen; they’re on their way to don Navy blues, hoping the Navy will keep them together after their many years apart. —Richmond News Leader, Wednesday, Nov. 29, 1944.
GAME FOOD PUT OUT
CHARLESTON, W. Va.—The recent heavy snow sent game protectors into woods and fields with heavy bags of grain for game in the Conservation Commission’s winter feeding program.
Executive director Jack Shipman announced that $3,000 had been made available for the purchase of grain this winter. This was $1,500 more than was allocated last year.
It was divided among the 55 counties in proportion to their respective needs, based on the size of the county, the severity of the weather, etc.
The amounts ranged from $40 to $80 per county. Distribution of the food, intended mainly for quail and wild turkeys, is made by county game protectors, aided in some instances by sportsmen’s organizations and Boy Scouts.
