1965
THE VOICE OF WILKES COMMUNITY COLLEGE
WILKESBORO, NORTH CAROLINA
Happy Easter
Holidays
m
From The President
Dr. Jim Randolph, President
Alter ;ill. it was more than ten years
old. And the 1,300 mile trip from
Cheyenne, Wyoming to Wilkesboro,
North Carolina was just too much I'or
it. The color was gone. The image was
various shades of green. The sound
control was going fast. Yes, it was time
to buy a new television.
I he new unit was great. The Denver
Broncos’ jerseys were still the orange
that I remember. The sky was blue and
Dan Rather s hair was really turning
gray. It was everything I remember that
television should be. What I wasn’t
expecting, however, was that little flat
plastic device that came along with the
new unit that allowed me to turn the
television on and off, raise and lower
the volume, and change channels all
from the comfort of my easy chair. You
just aim and push a button. It was
magic. What a marvelous addition to
the art of television watching is the
remote control unit. This little device
provides total control without getting
oil the couch. I could change channels,
sip a Coke and munch a handful of
peanuts-all at the same time.
It soon became apparent to me that
the remote control was indeed invented
just for me. Why had I waited so long to
buy this great invention of mankind?
With remote in hand, I could easily
watch three sitcoms, two “cops and
robbers” show, one movie, all-star
wrestling, and a basketball game all at
the same time. It was wonderful! No
longer would I have to endure com
mercials or predictable outcome to
otherwise boring shows or the middle
ol Murder She Wrote when almost
nothing ever happens. When I got
bored, which was often, I just flipped
channels. No longer would I have to
listen to Dick Vital say forthe fourteenth
time, “but baby...it’s party time.” I had
truly died and gone to heaven.
But then, Caroline (the co-owner of
the television set), having had enough
ol my masterful editing of several shows,
said “Jim, if you change that channel
one more time. I’m leaving the room!”
Oh, great. Once again, I was forced to
watch a full hour of l.arry King discuss
ing Donald Trump’s marital problems
with Morgan Fairchild. Yuck!
1 was forced to move back into the
Dark Ages of TV watching. I had to
painfully endure entire episodes of
America’s Funiest Videos. Give me a
break!
Soon, 1 found myself longing to flip
through the channels. 1 became desper
ate. “Caroline,” 1 would say, “someone
is at the door, can you get it?” Flip, flip,
flip. Oh, it felt so good. “Caroline, you’re
wanted on the phone.” Flip, flip, flip,
1 know that 1 was totally hooked
when in the space of time it took
Caroline to go to the kitchen for a glass
of water, 1 could get through all twenty-
one channels five, count them five,
times. I had become an addict. I was a
“llipaholic,”
Yes, I was ashamed. I craved the
chance to madly flip through the chan
nels. I lelt the need to see what video
was being shown on VH-1, to know the
score of the Atlanta Hawks and Chicago
Bulls game, and to see if Ralph Emery’s
guests included Hank Williams, Jr. I
knew that 1 needed help. The only thing
lelt lor me to do was to sign up with the
Connie Chung School for Flipaholics.
I had reached a low point in my life.
But then, just last week 1 read Dave
Barry’s column in The Charlotte Ob
server (March 18,1990) and was relieved
to d iscover that Dave believes, therefore
it must be true, that men are biologically
capable of keeping track of a large
number of television programs sim
ultaneously by changing the channel
the instant something boring happens,
such as dialogue. Whereas women, he
postulates, because of a tragic genetic
flaw, feel compelled to watch only one
program at a time.
What a relief. 1 was not really an
addict, but rather 1 was born with the
ability to grasp the significance of num
erous programs in a singular moment.
Certainly, this must be the same genetic
trait that allows men to play 27 holes of
goll in one afternoon, but keeps them
from taking our the garbage because of
a bad back.
Now, instead of feeling guilty. I’m
proud that 1 have this trait and feel
sorry lor Caroline as we watch Matlock
laboriously and boringly cross examine
the guilty party and win yet another
case. I smile as I wait for that special
moment. “Carolina, you’re wanted on
the phone.”
Flip, Hip, Flip
(P.S. This, 1 suppose, should have been
a serious article that would inspire
students to bigger and better things,
but, what the heck, the year’s almost
over and we all need a break. Best of
luck.)
Easter
History
Easter Day, the Feast of the Resur
rection of Our Lord is the greatest of all
festivals of the Christian Church. It is
also the longest observed holiday. Al
though it is speculated when the Birth
day of Jesus is, there was never a doubt
about the Resurrection. This took place
at the time of the Jewish Passover.
Easter can never fall earlier than March
22nd or later than April 25th. Due to
inaccuracies of early calendars we can
not pinpoint the first Easter Day, but it
did come in the Spring.
The word Easter is derived from
Eastre (or Eostre) a Northern Goddess
of Spring and the Dawn, whose cele
brations were held at the Vernal Equi
nox. Religious ceremonies of pagan
peoples around the world innacted in
the Spring to make crops grow and
prosper have carried forward into our
Easter customs.
Easter eggs, for instance, are deeply
rooted in pagan antiquity and so are
hot cross buns and the Easter hare. The
custom of eggs at Easter symbolize
continuing life and resurrection. The
giving of eggs as gifts, colored or gilded,
was also a pre-Christian custom. The
egg can be many colors, but quite often
is red, traditionally commemorating
the blood of Christ. But scarlet eggs
were also given by pagan peoples cen
turies before Christ. Like the egg itself,
the color is an emblem of life.
The Easter hare is an ancient guise of
the Easter beast a once sacred animal of
the European Spring-Goddess. He is a
living symbol of fertility, renewal and
the return to Spring. The Easter Hare is
the one who hides the eggs. In Yugo
slavia, the hare makes a nest in the
stable, and the children on Easter morn
ing find the eggs concealed in the hay.
Spring cleaning also stems from
houses being “cleaned down”for Easter.
It is custom everywhere at Easter to
put on a whole new outfit or at least a
new hat or a pair of gloves. This
tradition is older even than Easter. New
garments worn at the Spring Festival
were to celebrate winter’s passing.
On Easter Day altars are adorned
only with the arum lily (known as the
Easter lily). The white of the lily and
green of the branches signify
immortality.
By: R. Dian Marcum
A Visit To The Animal Shelter
They lay roasting in the sun on hot
pavement, all caged in and having no
hope to go on living. Some having
bleeding wounds from some heartless
person that has shot them. Others have
been beaten or found tied to a tree with
no food or water. And most have been
picked up from wondering the streets.
“We make rounds picking them up four
or five times a day, sometimes even
eight,” said Alfred Speaks, Control
Officer at the Wilkes County Dog
Shelter. These are the small innocent
animals that just want a good home
and someone to love and care for them.
“We use carbon monoxide to put
them to sleep, this is not painful, they
just go to sleep,” explained Speaks.
“The sick ones are put to sleep as soon
as we get them. Their sickness could
spread and the others could get il,”said
Kelly Thompson who is working there
as part of his community work. “1 try to
clean them up and get my friends to
take them. Some are really great dogs.
They were about to put a little puppy to
sleep just because it was wet and looked
sick. But 1 cleaned it up and its just
fine.” Kelly hoses down their cages and
helps look after them.
Bulldogs, Lab puppies, and Collies
are just a few that are wanting a good
home. The dogs and cats are for sale to
a good and caring animal lover for
$7.00 (dogs) and $2,00 (cats). Speaks
says that there are people going in and
out everyday to look at the animals to
take home but there are many that are
left without. The shelter has dozens of
cute and huggable puppies just waiting
for a caring friend. But if they stay there
over five days they will be put to sleep.
Some of them won’t be that lucky, the
older and larger dogs will prevent them
from getting any food.
. The shelter can be reached at 921-
3878 and is located off of Germantown
Road. It is at the same site as the
Landfill. If you wish to get in touch
with the Human Society call 667-4084
it is located in Wilkesboro. You may
ask to speak to Chariotte Porter. The
Dog Shelter is open 8 to 5 Monday
through Friday and 8 to 3 on Saturday.
Anyone is welcome to come and look at
the animals during these times.
By: Derrick A. Higgins
“Spec” an English Bulldog, along with her two newborn puppies are held in the arms
of Susan Colvard. Susan is a senior at Wilkes Central and plans to attend WCC this
/' Happy
■I?/*-*--'-’?
WILKES
COMMUNITY COLLEGE
This sad looking Basset Hound namea
“Abby” fakes time out of her playful
routine. She belongs to Melissa Higgins.
Melissa is a graduate of WCC.
1965
EXCELLENCE
IN EDUCATION
1990
All caged in and wanting you to laKe
him home. This is one of the many
puppies you will find at the Wilkes
County Dog Shelter.