Wednesday, December 12,1984/THE BLUE BANNER/7
Irish Edwards: Mexican ties with a twist
By Anna Wilson
"In 1976, the Mexican
money dropped in value,
really low, and these men
kept coming to the house
and asking questions.
Finally, they searched
the house • They thought
Daddy was a CIA agent* We
had to leave but then we
went back in about two
months," said Trish Ed
wards, a UNCA student.
Edwards lived in Mexico
for 13 years, not counting
the sumners she has spent,
there since returning to
the U.S.
"I was five-years-old
when we moved to Mexico.
Daddy had a business, but
ever since he was in high
school, he felt the Lord
wanted him to go into
foreign service," said
Edwards.
The business he had in
Andrews, N.C. burned, so
the family packed up and
went to Texas.
"We lived in Texas about
a year, tfy parents went to
language school there to
leam Spanish.
They knew they wanted to
go to Mexico to become
missionaries but they
didn't know where," she
said.
Her parents, Noel and
Louise Edwards, looked at
a map and pointed. The
family ended up in the
city of Campeche in the
state of Campeche, Mexico.
They started out as mis
sionaries , but her fa
ther *s job covers a lot
more than that.
"When we first got
there, we saw orphans but
no orphanage, so we built
one. It's the only one in
the state," said Edwards.
Her father also started
22 churches in different
places. He would get them
going and then leave a
native in charge.
"In Mexico, foreign-bom
persons can't be pastors.
But Daddy has before," she
added.
"The fact that we are
'Americans didn't bother
any of the Mexicans we
knew. If- anything, they
resepected us because of
it.
However, "they will try
and cheat you. You have to
know, or act like you know
what you're doing," said
Edwards.
"I lived in Mexico until
the ninth grade, then I
came to Murphy to go to
school," said Edwards.
"I stayed with roy grand
mother. Daddy taught us
(Edwards and her brother
Mark) first throu^ eighth
grade. He taught in a one-
room school room with a
blackboard that he had
built," she said.
"We begged him to let us
go the public school and
he let us come back," she
said.
Edwards' father said
they could stay their 10th
and 11th grade too but
they decided to go back to
Mexico.
"He taught us those two
grades, but I wanted to
come back and graduate
from Murphy and I did,"
said Edwards.
After high school, Ed
wards went back to Mexico.
She worked mornings in a
book store and taught Bi
ble school for 10 weeks at
different places.
She then came to UNCA.
"I think I'll get to go to
Mexico for Christmas," she
said.
Edwards said she misses
the kids at the orphanage
and has many pictures of
them in her room in the
Highrise.
"We keep about 20-23
kids. And since the explo
sion in Mexico City, we
may be getting 20 more
kids," said Edwards.
Right now, Edwards' mo
ther is in the U.S. stav
ing with Edwards' sister
Beth and her brother Luis
while they go to public
school. Her father is
still in Mexico.
Her mother plans to go
Staff photo by Anna Wilson
TRISH EDNARDS, a ^ianlsh/6eading major, Uvc^ In Mbx-
ico for 13 years and is gcxlqg badt for ChristBas.
back to Mexico after Luis
and Beth finish the year.
The family has tried to
become Mexican citizens
but they have not been
successful.
"The governor's wife
tried to help us one time
but we haven' t been able
to get permanent papers or
papers for four years. So
far we've only been able
to stay for six months,
then wa have to get them
renewed," said Edwards.
"I'm sure I'll always go
back to Mexico. Right now,
I want to teach," she
said. Edwards will have a
Spanish/Reading degree
when she finishes at UNCA.
Chancellor installa tion set for March
By Cheryl Walker
UNCA is hosting the in
stallation of Chancellor
David G. Brown on March
31, 1985 at 3 p.m. in the
Justice Gym.
The installation of
Chancellor Brown is the
first such ceremony ever
D&D
Continued from page 6
erful user...he freaked
out and killed himself,"
he said.
Otherwise, Magoon said
he'd never heard of Dti)
causing suicide.
Basically Magoon does
not view DSD as danger
ous . He thinks the game
is fun and a release for
college students.
Magoon, who enjoys act
ing, said DfiD is a chance
to act out a character
off stage.
"It's just like reading
an adventure novel except
you get to play the char
acters," he said.
held at this university.
Dr. Shirley Leckie,
director of continuing
education and special
programs, feels that this
ritual is vital to the
university because "it is
a way of establishing tra
dition which is important
to the life of an institu
tion."
The ceremony begins with
a parade comprised of the
faculty and staff of UNCA
as well as delegates frcM
Trivia
Cont. from page 6
white stripes; a cemetery
plot in Hong Kong costs
$40,000; and a man's suit
is made up of about 58
miles of thread, "Truth or
spoof...you decide!"
So this Christmas, look
up trivia fans, there's a
Whole new world opening
up. The hard part will be
to decide which game to
get. Happy trivial pur
suit!
other public universities
and also delegates from
some private universities.
Those in the parade will
dress in "full academic
regalia" said Leckie.
She explained that aca
demic regalia consists of
a caps and gowns in vari
ous colors.
Those with bachelors
degrees are usually in
black and white; those
with masters degrees are a
"little more elaborate";
and those who have re
ceived doctorates are in
various colors with hoods
and caps with gold tas
sels, said Leckie.
In preparation for the
installation. Chancellor
Brown is asking students
to create a medallion as a
physical symh>ol of the
office. The medallion
would then be passed on to
each succeeding chancel
lor.
The medallion contest
offers some students a
chance to involve them
selves with the present
ceremony and with the
continuing tradition as
well as to win money.
Leckie announced the
Medallion Design Coin)eti-
-tion is open to all stu
dents who are enrolled for
the spring semester.
An award of $200 will be
given to the student who
submits the winning de
sign. There are no limita
tions on what can be
included in the design,
but it should reflect the
commitment of UNCA to the
liberal arts, and should
underscore those distinc
tive aspects of the uni
versity that set it apart.
The installation commit
tee is also breaking up
into subcommittees and
would heartily welcome
voluneers. If interested,
contact Leckie or students
Bruce Franks or Jonathon
Harkness.
For more information on
the medallion competition
contact TXicker Cooke in
the art department, ext.
6560.
pepsi.
THG CHOICE OF
A NEW GENERATION
TM