10 Years Ago
Week of September 1, 2016
Respected Local Dentist Retires
Teter takes down shingleafter 65 years of service
One of the area’s most respected medical professionals has taken down his shingle in anticipation of enjoying the golden years of retirement. Dr. H. Byrd Teter, DDS, officially retired on Friday after serving the community for 65 years. Ruthalene Judy, his faithful assistant for 51-1/2 of those years, also retired.
Teter started his practice in Franklin in July of 1951, but soon after he joined the military and served in a dental clinic at Chanute Air Force Base just outside Rantour, IL, following the Korean War.
Teter graduated from Bridgewater College in Virginia and Baltimore College of Dental Surgery, which later became part of the University of Maryland, the oldest dental school worldwide.
When asked what retirement may hold, Teter, 91, replies simply. “The good Lord has always looked out for us, but I think I will start by catching up on my ‘honey-to-do’ list.”
Warner Drive-In To Re-Open September 9
“The Pendleton community and surrounding areas have outdone themselves,” said Bob Davis, chairman of the Warner Drive-In Cultural and Resource Center board of directors. “So much so, that we are ready to open the gates again.”
Warner’s Drive-In, which closed two years ago due to the high cost of a digital projector, will re-open on Friday, Sept. 9th with the Disney movie, “Finding Dory.”
Opening the drive-in to show movies once more is just the first step in a long list of aspirations of the group. As a corporation, the WDI plans to construct a stage at the base of the screen, repair the roof and interior of the building and put up a pavilion at the back of the property.
Origin of Labor Day Explained
Labor Day marks the unofficial end of summertime fun and a day when thousands of people gather across the country for their final big barbecue blowouts. Labor Day has evolved into a holiday about relaxing with friends and family, and that has led to its origins getting somewhat lost in the celebratory shuffle.
Created by the labor movement in the late 19th century, Labor Day was established to highlight the achievements of American workers, both from a social and an economic perspective. Labor Day highlights one of the main benefits of being a citizen of the United States, the ability to have professional freedom and contribute to the prosperity and strength of the country through gainful employment. Labor Day became a federal holiday in 1894.
Celebrated annually on the first Monday of September, it is believed that Labor Day was first promoted by the Central Labor Union and the Knights of Labor, which also organized the first labor-related parade in New York City. Although the true fathers of Labor Day remain a topic of debate, some historians maintain that Peter J. McGuire of the American Federation of Labor put forward the first Labor Day proposal in May 1882 after witnessing a labor festival in Toronto, Canada.
20 Years Ago
Week of September 7, 2006
County Resident Earns Best New Song Award In National Competition
Pendleton County music lovers with Internet access should do this now: Go to newsong-festival.com and find a number titles “Where Are You Moses?”
There, one will find that Mountain Stage, the nationally renowned, West Virginia-based organization which mounts contemporary music concerts heard coast-to-coast on public radio, lists the results of its 2006 best new song contest.
The contest is juried, and one of the three co-winners this year is “Where Are You Moses?”
That powerful, wrenching song about the devastation of New Orleans, LA, by Hurricane Katrina was co-written by a resident of Pendleton County, Tracy Rush, who lives in the Dry Run area, and Dave McCormack, who is based in Saint Albans and will open for the young Nashville-based sensation, Ashley Gearing, at this year’s Treasure Mountain Festival on the evening of Sept. 16.
30 Years Ago
Week of September 5, 1996
Franklin To Get Traffic Signal
The first traffic signal installation in Pendleton County is among contracts added to the Division of Highways’ September 10 bid opening, Governor Gaston Caperton announced today.
“This project typifies our state’s continuing growth,” the governor said, noting that the signal had been requested by the Town of Franklin for an area where turning radii had only recently been improved.
The contract calls for a signal at the intersection of North Main Street (US 220) and Maple Street (US 33) to relieve periodic traffic backups and improve access to Franklin High School.
SUGAR GROVE
A Favorite Fishing Hole Is Special
There are many fishing spots that each of us hold dear to our hearts. It’s a place where one can slip off sneakers and squish one’s toes in the mud! All around is the shrill call of the katydids, the buzzing of the bees, and the sleepy bullfrog blinking in the sun. Every once in a while, the rousing “ribbit” sound is uttered. Dragonflies dart above the water, and occasionally a water snake glides through the water. Waiting patiently for a nibble…and as time passes by, a pebble to be skipped over placid water to break the monotony of time. Landing a big one would be great…it doesn’t matter…that fishing spot is pretty special.
40 Years Ago
Week of September 4, 1986
Graduation Held at Scholars Academy On Spruce Knob
The Honorable Arthur M. Recht was awarded the inaugural Great West Virginia Scholars Academy on August 24. The ceremony was part of the graduation festivities for the West Virginia Scholars held at the Woodlands Institute campus near the summit of Spruce Knob Mountain.
To become a West Virginia Scholar — the state’s highest academic award — students are selected from over 30,000 high school juniors for exceptional academic promise and have demonstrated motivation. In addition the students are selected for their ability and desire to develop scholarship skills — particularly writing. They undertake several academic programs including a rigorous 100 page autobiographical thesis during the summer.
The recipient of the Great West Virginia award is selected by the West Virginia Scholars. Judge Arthur Recht received a handcrafted white oak rocking chair, designed specifically for the West Virginia Scholars Academy’s annual award. The chair was designed and crafted by Franklin craftsman, Jim Underwood.
PCI Softball Team Finishes with Record of 55-16
With Runner-up Trophy In USSSA Class C Tourney
The Pendleton County Insurance Softball team sponsored by Morris Homan, concluded its 1986 season with the county regular season championship and the league tournament championship.
PCI finished with an overall record of 55 wins vs. 16 losses while being runner-up in the USSSA Class C State Tournament at Parkersburg. This marks the third runner-up trophy in the state tournament after winning the state in 1980 under the name of Brandywine.
The softballers of PCI finished the county league with a 33 and four record.
The PCI team has done very well in the state tourney play, finishing fifth or better in five of the last seven years.
They have earned world tournament berths in six of the last seven years, earning the reputation of one of the most consistent teams in the state.
70 Years Ago
Week of September 6, 1956
Sawmill Training School Is Being Held Here For West Virginia Operators & Foresters
State forestry personnel and sawmill operators from throughout West Virginia are attending a three-day State Sawmill Training School in Franklin this week.
The school is being held in the Pendleton County Courthouse and will last from Wednesday morning until Friday at noon. It will include a tour of the Max Ruddle mill in Franklin to observe the manufacture of specialty products and mill-site instructions at the Cammack sawmill 13 miles south of Franklin on US 220.
Bill Miller, Pendleton County Forester, explained that the purpose of the school is to discriminate up-to-the-minute information concerning sawmill operation among sawmill operators of the state, and to promote greater sawmill practices among the operators and state forestry personnel of West Virginia.
The school is being held in Franklin, Miller remarked, because Pendleton County is one of the biggest producers of forest products and also because there are a number of sawmills in the county.
EDITORIALS
A Commendable Attitude – – –
Franklin’s mayor and town council displayed a commendable attitude over the past weekend by issuing courtesy cards providing for free parking to members of the National Speleological Society who were attending the group’s Labor Day Reunion here.
Although the spelunkers do not spend a great deal of time in town where they could take advantage of the free parking privileges as most of their activities have their setting outside of town, still this little act of courtesy let the visiting cavers know that they were welcome in Franklin and that the town officials appreciate their selection of Franklin as the site of their reunion.
And the thoughtful gesture had its desired effect because one of the spelunkers was heard to remark: “We knew that some of the local merchants were glad to see us come, but when we were given the courtesy cards by the town officials, it made us feel like we were being welcomed by the whole town.”
Large cities are always putting forth great effort to attract conventions and meetings into their areas for the simple reason that it is a real stimulus to business. One hundred-fifty people cannot spend a weekend in a town without leaving a considerable amount of their money there.
So we think it is a fine thing for our town council to take the initiative in making visitors feel welcome in Franklin, especially since the tourist business is so important to Pendleton County.
Jimmy and Billy Ryan Find a New Home in the West and Like it ‘Fine’
Life has taken on a rosier hue for two young Franklin boys who heard the cry, “Go west young man,” and took it seriously.
Jimmy Ryan, 10, and his brother, Billy, 9, left Franklin August 6 and are making their new home in Salt Lake City, Utah. And according to a letter received here Monday by their grandmother, Mrs. Evelyn Lambert, they like the “wide open spaces of the West” just fine.
Upon the death about three years ago of the youngsters’ father, William Edward Ryan, it became pretty much of a struggle for their mother to keep her four boys together. And when she went to Pittsville, Maryland, about a year ago to work in the Chesapeake and Armour Packing Plant, the two boys remained here with their grandmother.
Recently Mr. and Mrs. A. Dean Dewey, of Salt Lake City, learned of the two boys through Glenn Sponaugle who was in the west. Mr. and Mrs. Dewey contacted the youngster’s mother and after assuring her that they could give the boys a good home, they came to Franklin for them. They are now taking steps to adopt them.
So now that the boys are in the great wide west and like it so much, they are looking forward to a brighter future, playing in their new dad’s radio shop or on his farm. Their family and friends here wish for the boys the best of luck and a happy future.
Pendleton County’s 536 Korean Vets Reminded of GI Benefits
Pendleton County has 536 Korean Veterans eligible for training under the GI Bill covering that conflict, an “An alarming number of these will lose their benefit eligibility before the coming school year if they fail to take steps immediately,” is the prediction of J. Lawson Adkins, director of veterans education and training for the State Department of Education.
