Page Two - Cougar Cry - April 6,1990
Student Profile
Robert Perkins
The purpose of the community college
system is to help fulfill the educational
needs of the people within the com
munity. A prime example of Wilkes
Community College providing these
services would be that of student Robert
Perkins attended Lincoln Heights
School, where at the age of sixteen he
dropped out. He then took a job with
the intentions of relieving some of the
financial burden on his widowed
mother. Two years later he returned to
school. Upon graduation from Lincoln
Heights, Perkins joined the United
States Air Force where he served for
some twenty-six years.
The pursuit of knowledge has been a
never endinggoal in Perkins life. While
in the Air Force he took advantage of
every available chance to acquire more
knowledge. He looks back on his travels
abroad and his life experience in the
service as a continuous learning exper
ience.
Upon retirement from the service he
entered New Mexico State University
where he received a degree in pre
business. After returning home to
Wilkes, Perkins and his wife Martha
took a residence in Wilkesboro. He
went to work as a jailer with the Wilkes
County Sherrifs Department where he
is still a full-time employee. Perkins is a
33 degree Mason Shriner and Master
of a local lodge which he was instru
mental in establishing. He is a lifetime
member of the DAV, he serves as vice
president of the Lincoln Heights Re
creational Cooperation and is on the
Board of Trustees at Saint Home United
Methodist Church. Despite this busy
schedule in the fall of 1988 Perkins
enrolled in the electronics program,
where he has been on the Dean’s List
every quarter. He will be a member of
the graduating class of 1990 at the
proud age of fifty-five.
Perkins sees the art of learning as a
never ending process. He enjoys both
the professional and friendly atmos
phere at Wilkes Community. He feels
this community is fortunate to have
this institution and its continuous effort
to help meet the educational needs of
all Wilkes Countians. He urges all to
take advantage of the numerous pro
grams and events offered here.
By Linda Carlton
Divine Spark
In Humankind
The unsinkable ship sank.
The Titanic, at that time the largest
ship afloat, sank on April 15, 1912,
after it struck an iceberg.
On board that ship were 2,224 people.
Only 706 of them were rescued. The
rest went down with the ship. This loss
of life in a supposedly indestructible
ship made the accident one of the
greatest tragedies in the history of the
sea.
After the disaster was confirmed, an
artist illustrated the majestic ship pinned
to the iceberg with this caption: "The
weakness of man. the supermacy of
nature."
Next to this illustration, the artist
depicted another showing one of the
passengers aboard the Titanic offering
his place in the last lifeboat to a woman
and a child. Its caption read: "The
weakness of nature, the .supremacy of
man."
Nature - stronger, more powerful
than puny man - remains supreme.
But man - that puny part of nature
-retains the divine spark of supremacy.
"Easter
Service To Humanity
Good News!
F.astei is on April 15, Easter is always
a time of rejoicing and good news. It is
the lime to remember the resurrection
of Christ. Easter means springtime is
here...and it is! March 20 was officially
the first day of spring.
Good news for sophomores! Grad
uation is on May 25. So just hang in
there; it will be worth it all. Angela
Triplett is already preparing for her life
after graduation. She has been accepted
at Appalachian State University.
More good news! These people are
planning their future with marriage:
Amy Mecimore-July 1, Tanya Childers
- September 15, and Kristy Turnmire -
next spring, l.et this spring be a lime for
planning for you. Carefully consider
your goals and what you want from
iife.
According to Missy Wood and Fat
Hayes, I’lU. also has good news to
share. The National FBI. spring con
ference is being held in North Carolina
this year from April 6-8. FBI. also
helped to improve our community by
cleaning up their adopted highway.
Spring can be a time of improvement
lor everyone.
Congratulations are in order for Den
tal Assisting Instructor Mrs. Dcana
Billings and her husband, David, for
the birth of their first child Rebecca
Lynne. Rebecca was born on February
19th at 8:14 pm. She weighed seven
pounds, three ounces and was twenty
and one half inches long.
Mrs. Billings will return to the class
room after the Easter holidays.
WCC certainly made a “good news"
improvement. WCC is improving facili
ties for the handicapped by installing
“Stair-lifts” to eliminate the problem of
stairs for those who are in wheelchairs.
We hope each ofyou has a bit of your
own good news!
by: Fanya Childers & .lennifer Pugh
The Yearbook
Is Finished
Since the beginning of the school
year in August, several of the students
at WCC have been involved in the
production of the WCC Yearbook for
1989 - 1990 and they are pleased to
announce that their work is completed.
Each student of the yearbook staff has
had to assume a variety of positions in
order to achieve a timely completion of
the various sections of the yearbook.
Many of these positions included: edi
tors. writers, photographers, and typists.
Melissa Walker, editor ofthe freshman
section and index, and Phyllis Smith,
editor of the academic section, spent
countless hours rummaging through
pictures to put onto each page and
thinking of captions to place next to
each picture. Susan Mitchell, chief
photographer, Brian Barker, photogra
pher, and Maitri Klinkosum, photo
grapher, spent their time taking and
developing the pictures that would
eventually find their way into the fin
ished yearbook. Maitri Klinkosum. who
also doubled as a writer along with
Phyllis Smith, wrote several themes for
the closing of the yearbook as well as a
piece on the 25-year history of the
college. Diane Marcum, typist, single
handedly typed and retyped all of the
captions, names, stories, and all other
written material that was included in
the yearbook. Other students who con
tributed to the completion of the year
book include: Tamara Elledge. Kerry
l.ynn Wagoner, and Melissa Wiles.
I he yearbook staff also wishes to thank
the administration, faculty, and staff
who graciously cooperated in the com
pletion of the yearbook.
From Circle K
Circlc K recently sponsored a dating
game in the commons on February
16th. It turned out to be a great success
and loads of fun. Participants were
Jonathan Francis, Kip Edwards, l im
Pitman, and Wendy Mo.ser, for the first
game. The following game participants
were Michelle Hamby, Rachel Eller,
Sue Ann Wyatt, and Larry Lee. The
winners were Jonathan Francis, Wendy
Moser. Larry Lee and Rachel Flier.
The winners from both games won free
dinners lor two at Western Steer. Pi//a
Hut and Arbys.
Wendv Moser
Phi Theta Kappa
The Phi I heta Kappa honor fraternity
1989 - 1990 has recently become the
first group of P I K students at WCC to
receive recognition for their achieve
ments. I he Regional Office ol Phi
Theta Kappa presented the Alpha
Kappa Omega chapter with a certificate
of achievement at the Regional Con
vention in Charlotte, NC on February
16, 17, and 18. The chapter was re
cognized for its many successful fund
raisers and community activities. Sev
eral members of the WCC chapter
attended the Regional Convention,
1 hey were Maitri Klinkosum, President,
Brian Barker, Chris McNeil, and Mi
chael Souther. The members of PTK
are presently selling tickets for a drawing
in which the winner will receive hall of
the money accumlated, Ihe cost of
each ticket is $1.00 In April. PI K is
planning to announce and induct new
members for the 1990-91 academic year.
Maitri Klinkosum
President
Wilkes LRC Holds Treasures
For Students
On March 6th Mrs. Deana Bilings
brought her daughter Rebecca for her
first visit tu our campus.
One of the not so good things about
returning to college this quarter would
have to be the assignment of the term
paper. Many students must lace the
dreaded task, especially those students
enrolled in ENG 0103 Report Writing.
My grandpa used to say. "They're two
ways of doing things; the right way and
the wrong way." Grandpa was right.
1 his Spring when you have to do the
term paper or research paper, start at
the Learning Resource Center before
panicking. Do it right.
One source of help is The Writer's
Advisor by Leland G. Alkire, Jr. While
it is not a good sourcebook lor just any
subject, the author does do a good job
carrying out what he set out to do. II
your term paper is related in anyway to
writing, with the exception of cave man
exploits, you can truly benefit. 1 he list
of informational sources about writing
reads concisely and in some cases the
author has even put in a word about the
books listed. Categories range from
“Poetry" to “Realism in Books" to
“Finding an Agent." While the average
student may not use the latter section,
the tips on article writing make the
book worth checking out. Especially if
you are trying to get the words right.
Perhaps the best news about the
book is it is listed as a reference volume
in the Learning Resources Center. It
will be on the shelf probably just when
you need it.
Brian Boles
There are students and faculty here
at Wilkes Community College who feel
it is still fulfilling and worthwhile to
minister to and care for other people.
These unselfish people are willing to
sacrifice their time and money to aid
someone less fortunate or someone
who is in need.
The Faster Season is in remembrance
of such sacrifice. These concerned peo
ple at Wilkes Community College have
decided to serve their fellowman.
The students and advisers of the
BSU and Phi Theta Kappa collected
and delivered food, clothing, and toys
to a needy Wilkes County family at
Thanksgiving and Christmas. Pete and
Becki Mann have worked with the local
hospice association. This group aids
terminally ill patients and their families.
Derrick Fllis volunteers for Knotville
Fire Department and First Responders.
Our campus PBL club has adopted
Collegiate Drive. They are trying to
make our highways nicer for all of us, a
much needed service in our community.
Deborah Baccus, a member of the
faculty, is also busy volunteering as a
first responder. Deborah feels that peo
ple are more important than things.
She desperately wants to be there to
minister to those in need, whether that
need be physical or spiritual. I he fol
lowing profile of Deborah reveals a
very caring, giving, and concerned per
sonality. The kind of attitude that is
needed from all of us in order to
improve our world. It is my hope that
Deborah can be an inspiration to all of
us. Deborah hopes to instill in others
the desire to help other people, I he
next time wc should endeavor to write a
“service to humanities” article for our
school newspaper, we hope the list ol
names of "people who care" will fill the
parji i.
Profile of a person who cares
It took me thirty-two years to realize
that people are what life is all about.
Material possessions-money, too!-can
be gone tomorrow.
Wilkes County has been my home
for almost seven years, I am a certified
First Responder, currently enrolled in
an FM T-Basic Class here at Wilkes
Community College. My plans are to
become a certified paramedic and ride
reserves with a local EMS system. I
want to be where I am needed. My firm
belief is that each individual is here to
serve in some capacity, ministering to
others. This is definitely where I belong,
I am presently training with a local
fire department to become a firefighter,
I work with the Ladies Auxiliary, too.
The time I have spent with this depart
ment has reaffirmed my belief that
people do care. These are dedicated
individuals—people helping people-
being there when they arc needed.
Sharing and caring
As my plans begin to focus, I would
like to begin a support ministry for fire
victims. Provide clothes, a place to
stay, moral support, etc, for fire victims.
With the help ofthe citizens of Wilkes
County this can be a reality.
...Deborah Baccus
Let's all join these unselfish and
sacrificing people. Let’s lend a hand
where it is needed. A word of en
couragement, a word of kindness, a
smile, all these are ways to uplift others,
and they also make us feel better. We
can only make the world a better place
by serving others and not merely serving
ourselves,
Phyllis Smith
WCC student Killed In Wreck
We arc saddened by the death of our
fellow student Johnny DeWayne l.ine-
berry. age 19. Johnny died of multiple
head injuries received in a collision of
U.S. 421 near the Yadkin Co. line.
Johnny was the son of Stanley and
Elizabeth l.ineberry of East Bend, NC.
He was born March 22, 1970. and
graduated from Forbush High School
in 1988. where he was an “A" student.
He was an active member of Mount
Bethel Baptist Church. Although he
was v\'ith us for such a short time, we
will long remember this kind and dedi
cated young man.
KNOWLEDGE MEASURES SUCCESS
Strange Truth
About Us
Most Americans know our national
bird, the bald eagle, is a majestic symbol
of power, that the Pilgrims gave us
Thanksgiving, and that cowboys on
horseback are synonymous with the
Wild West. But few know that our
national symbol could have been a
turkey, that Pilgrims'thanksgivingdays
consisted of fasting and prayer, or that
camels also were used in the Southwest.
“Strange Stories, Amazing Facts of
American’s Past,’’published by Reader's
Digest, reveals these and hundreds of
other stories history books leave out,
providing an intriguing angle on the
country’s past.
Did you know ...
• an enterprising newspaperwoman
reportedly sat on skinny-dipping Presi
dent John Quincy Adams’clothes until
he granted her an interview?
• Alexander Hamilton was black
mailed over an affair with a married
woman?
• railroad baron Cornelius VanderbiU
left an estate equal in size to all the
money in the U.S. treasury in 1877?
• no presidential candidate had ever
campaigned for himself until Stephen
A. Douglas did it in I860?
• it was illegal to celebrate Christmas
in Puritan New England?
• Edward Mueller’s otherwise con
vincing counterfeit dollar bills spelled
the president’s name “wahsington”?
• the young son of Princess Poca
hontas and John Rolfe was forced to
choose between his mother’s people
and his father’s?
• whenever two trains meet at a
crossing in Texas, both of them must
come to a full stop; then neither one
may proceed until the other has gone?
Easy To Talk
A Good Game
Twas a big day in dogdom, for the
first day of the World Kay-Nine Series
was about to begin between the Bowser
Diamond Demons and the Wolf Pack
Howlers.
Unfortunately, the collie playing left
field for the Diamond Demons broke,
his paw in a stupid fight with a bulldog
and the other player set for that position
was down with doggie flu. The manager
had no choice but to put an eager-
beaver rookie terrier in left field.
Well, during the game, that left field
was as wild as a hungry greyhound
after his rabbit dinner. After three
innings, the rookie terrier dropped two
high fly balls, let two more zoom
through his paws, and he even lost his
mutt mitt jumping for a fast grounder.
The manager, watching all this from
his team’s dogout, was so mad he called
the rookie in, bawled the bark out of
him, and announced he was going to
play left field himself even though he
was the manager.
But the next inning was no better. In
fact, it was worse. The other team made
four runs before the inning was out and
three were home runs - all made because
of errors chalked up against the
manager.
The manager was furious. He stormed
into the dogout, faced the rookie and
barked, “You made left field so dog
gone, bone bad nobody can play it
right!”
Guess it’s easier to tell somebody
how to play left field than to play it
yourself