10 Years Ago
Week of June 9, 2016
Blue Heron Visits
Hartman Residence
Franklin resident, Maggie Hartman, had a visit recently in her backyard from a Blue Heron. The bird hung around for two hour last Wednesday and then returned for approximately three hours on Thursday morning. While visiting the Hartman residence, the bird ate bird seed from Maggie’s hand, and drank from a bucket of water. Maggie’s husband, Gene, was able to capture several photographs of the encounter.
20 Years Ago
Week of June 8, 2006
Traveler Returns to Where Journey Began
It has been a journey of epic, perhaps even Biblical proportions, and it began in Franklin on Jan. 31, 2002.
From Franklin, it was on to Staunton, VA, to board a Greyhound bus bound for Tucson, AZ.
From there, it was walking, while carrying a backpack weighing an average of 70 pounds, across the continental US—walking for the Lord.
The peripatetic soul who returned last Thursday to his journey’s starting point is Don Vermilyea.
“Day one,” he said, “was here in Franklin. Now, I’m back, and it’s day 1,583.”
Thirteen pairs of high quality New Balance sneakers later, he has walked over 19,400 miles.
Vermilyea’s walk is sponsored by the Brethren Church, and it is chronicled on the church’s website at .
He is a self-described “full-time, long-term” member of the Brethren Volunteer Service, and it was in 1998 that the idea of walking across America and “planting seeds of faith” took hold with Vermilyea.
He pointedly describes himself as an “ordained farmer” rather than as an ordained minister, but he has been “preaching all along the way.”
Indeed, he has delivered sermons in approximately 200 Brethren churches—almost one-fifth of all the Brethren congregations in this nation—as part of his walk across America.
30 Years Ago
Week of June 13, 1996
40 Pendleton Students Receive Vocational School Diplomas
Forty Pendleton County students were among 170 vocational students from the Tri-County area who received diplomas at the 21st annual diploma night ceremony at the South Branch Vocational-Technical Center at Petersburg May 23.
Propst
Volunteer of the Year
At the Pendleton Nursing Home’s Annual Volunteer Recognition, Nellie Propst was selected Volunteer of the Year for her faithful and dedicated service.
For the past 15 years, Nellie has volunteered one day a week for six-eight hours. She mends clothes and sews name labels in the residents’ clothes, helps with crafts, visits with the residents and helps with other activities when needed.
While Nellie was a resident at Pendleton Nursing Home recuperating from a fractured hip, she continued to mend and sew.
Other volunteers receiving awards were Rev. William Rickard and Pastor Peggy Hurlbutt, who received special awards, and Green Hedrick and Mary Hedrick, who received outstanding awards.
DAHMER
Dahmer Farm
Hosts Pendleton
Pioneers 4-H’ers
Pendleton Pioneers 4-H Club, Amy Vandevander, president, held their spring meeting and outing in the country on the farm of Amy’s great-uncle, Johnny Arvin Dahmer, June 8. Harriet McCoy, a 4-H leader, assisted in the business meeting. Harriet’s wisdom and words of praise, along with a nice personality, does much to encourage others!
Club members and adults were divided into three groups, alternating them about every 40 minutes. Lynn Vandevander showed and explained the use of early farm machinery, tools, even down to a grave axe and a grab hook used in fishing.
Amy Vandevander had a scavenger hunt and then went to the cemetery where her great-great-grandparents, John G. and Eliza Dahmer, were buried and told some ghost stories.
Johnny Arvin Dahmer showed them a replica of a one-room cabin with a ladder to climb to the loft. The idea was to show the simple life John and Estella Dahmer lived with five children until more rooms were built.
Onego Native
Graduate of University of Hard Knocks
A college “sheepskin” doesn’t hang on his wall, but the life experience and achievements of retired machinist and business owner Elvin David Huffman have earned him a diploma from the renowned University of Hard Knocks.
A resident of Elkins and a native of Onego, Pendleton County, Huffman was nominated for the honor by the late Jim Comstock, the editor of the West Virginia Hillbilly, who died Thursday, May 23, 1996. Comstock founded the “university” which honors individuals throughout the state who have been successful without the benefit of a college degree.
Huffman, 75, graduated from Circleville High School and said he gained his “hard knocks on-the-job experience” by working under the guidance of factory-trained technicians as well as through correspondence courses and technical manuals. He worked at The Pendleton Times as linotype operator during WWII.
An employee of The Inner-Mountain for 28 years, he served as a linotype operator and machinist, and later as composing room foreman and liaison between the editor and composing room.
In his career, Huffman also provided machine maintenance service for weekly newspapers and commercial shops in the region including the Hampshire Review, The Pendleton Times, Barbour Democrat, Weston Democrat, Buckhannon Delta, Buckhannon Record, McClain Printing and the Moorefield Examiner.
The University of Hard Knocks was founded more than 30 years ago when Comstock presented his business partner Bronson McClung with a handmade diploma emblazoned with “The University of Hard Knocks.”
“Soon I was sending them out to every non-college person who, according to my own judgment, had amounted to as much or more than the average college man,” Comstock said.
“Graduates” of the University of Hard Knocks met sporadically until 1976 when the honorary society became housed at Alderson-Broaddus College in Philippi.
40 Years Ago
Week of June 12, 1986
15,000 Canning Jars Given to County
Flood Victims
Within a period of only two weeks, some 15,000 canning jars were distributed to persons in Pendleton County who had lost jars in the November 4 flood.
“About 12,00 jars were distributed in the first two days,” said Rev. Charles Erzkus, pastor of Faith Lutheran Church in Franklin where the distribution is taking place.”
“We knew there would be a need for canning jars in the county, but we were very surprised at how great the need actually is,” Erzkus said. “This project may put a dent in the problem, but it does not solve the problem for families who depend on canning but lost hundreds of jars.”
Some 120 families in the county have picked up jars so far, with each family receiving five dozen canning jar and additional mayonnaise jars if they wanted them. The project was made possible through the efforts of Rev. G. P. Whiteley and his wife, Nancy of Rockbridge Baths, Va.
The project began not long after the November 4 flood when Cindy Erzkus and Nancy Whiteley were both students at JMU. Nancy asked what could be done to help and Cindy shared the concern about canning jars. Nancy and G.P., who is a retired Presbyterian minister, let several Presbyterian churches in Virginia know of the need and then proceeded to collect these jars from the churches. The result was some 17,000 jars which were collected and driven to Franklin by Rev. Whiteley and Nancy.
American Elm Tree
To Make Comeback
The American elm tree that once graced parks and streets throughout the eastern United States, may soon make a comeback if ongoing research proves successful.
Dutch elm disease has taken a heavy toll on this tree, causing its virtual disappearance in many areas. Recently, however, the National Arboretum in Washington, D. C., has released two new elm cultivars, “Homestead” and “Pioneer,” that are resistant to this disease. And, Nursery Crops Research in Delaware, Ohio, is studying cuttings from a few surviving wild American elms that appear to be naturally resistant to the disease.
50 Years Ago
Week of June 10, 1976
5-Day Plan Helping 12
To Stop Smoking
Twelve would-be non-smokers attended the first group therapy session of the Five-Day Plan to Stop Smoking held in the galley at the Sugar Grove Naval Station last Sunday night.
Richard I. Byrd of the pastor-physician team conducted the Five-Day Plan for Pendleton County citizens, reports a genuine interest on the part of participants. Some have been chain smokers, and nine have been smoking for ten years or more. The entire group has been smoking a total of 166 years.
The participants are mainly Navy personnel and housewives, the pastor says. “They all have a common bond—a desire to break a habit that has crept into every waking moment.”
Similar to the program followed by Alcoholics Anonymous, those attending the Five-Day Plan were assigned buddies, “to help them over the rough spots,” the pastor explains.
DAHMER
A smile is a curve that can straighten out many troubles.
Due to freezing temperatures and a dry spring, the first cutting of orchard grass is a light one here in the mountains. Russell Propst is again an early bird to begin the hay harvest here.
The common milkweed or a local name of cotton weed, makes a tasty dish when eaten in the early stage and fixed with eggs.
Johnny Arvin Dahmer had a thrill while working when he noticed a flower, the large Twayblade, blooming and a shrub, the buckthorn or Indian cherry, in full bloom. Despite the common name, buckthorn, all species found in West Virginia are thornless.
60 Years Ago
Week of June 9, 1966
Giant Hemlocks
To Be Preserved
A land of great trees resembling the redwood forests of coastal California are being preserved in eastern West Virginia.
This forest sanctuary being preserved by The Nature Conservancy is 59 acres of virgin timber near Spruce Knob. The giant hemlock, spruce, oak, maple, pine, cherry, ash and birch trees are considered by some foresters to be the most impressive stand of virgin timber in the eastern United States.
70 Years Ago
Week of June 7, 1956
295 Vote Tuesday
In Franklin’s Biggest Municipal Election
Citizens of Franklin set a new record Tuesday in the number of persons voting in a town election.
An all time high of 295 persons went to the polls to register their choices for a mayor, recorder and five councilmen. This number compares with 101 that voted in the last town election two years ago.
EDITORIALS
More Civic Interest – – –
More citizens of Franklin voted in the election this week than ever before. This is a good sign because it indicates that a greater number of our town folk are taking a more active interest in community affairs.
This should be encouraging to our newly elected town officials, because the more interest the people take in their town, the more cooperation the officials can expect of them. And it is hard to accomplish anything without the cooperation of the public.
But in addition to being encouraging, the big vote also serves as a mandate to the new town fathers. It means that people are interested in their community and want to see it progress, and they will be looking to the elected town officials to produce the leadership that will insure continued improvement for the town. Personal and selfish desires and opinions should be forgotten, and the touchstone for decisions should be, “Will it help to make a better Franklin?
