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Editorials
Editors' Notes
by April Edmondson
Have )rou ever thought about what people will think about you when yot
get older and you have wrinkles under your eyes, gray hair, and a cane tc
help you walk?
Have )Tou ever thoughtfr^What does that elderly person have to offer?"
Elderly people have a great deal to offer others. They have experienced
many of the same things you and I experience in our lives. Of course, their
experiences may have been somewhat different since they were a part of a
different time. However, they have much knowledge to share with society.
Elderly people are an excellent source for learning about history and why
things happened the way they did. Many are scholars within their own
time. They have been through wars, the Great Depression, medical
advancements, the coming of Ute automobile, space technology, and an array
of other societal advancements.
When I was a little girl I used to stay with my grandparents while my
parents worked. I can vividly remember my grai^mother telling me about
how her grandparents lived and some of the experiences they had as mill
owners. Many afternoons I would sit and listen to her tell stories of my
relatives in the Civil War and of the various activities of Love's Mill. Of
course, this knowledge was not first-hand, for she had listened intently to
her grandmother many times, also.
I can also remember my granny Sarah telling me stories of how she and her
brothers and sisters had to walk three miles to school everyday. I remember
her telling stories about the Great Depression, the tobacco market, and World
War II.
Because my grandmothers are fifteen years apart in age, they have
different knowl^ge and experiences to relate to me. This is just one prime
example of the gifts elderly people have to offer.
These stories and many more have taught me many lessons. I have learned
of a way of life that I would have never experienced in the same manner if I
had simply read about the events.
I have also found that elderly people have a great deal of wisdom to offer
others. They have been participants in life far longer than we have. 'The
knowledge that they have acquired through these years of experience can be
taken as a lesson and example for the younger generation.
I have discovered in my recent years, especially since I have come to Salem,
that I cherish the time I spend with my elderly friends and grandmothers.
Their views on life have allowed me to develop my own mix of traditional,
yet somewhat liberal ideas of what life is all about and how to face the
challenges that are always present.
Elderly people also have much to offer the community in terms of
volunteering their services. The time and effort they exert for the benefit of
others saves the taxpayers money. It also allows the elderly individual to
spend time doing something that makes them feel worthwhile and needed.
Ernest Beeson, an 83-year-old volunteer, has been working at Baptist
Hospital for almost five years. In April he will have accumulated over 6,000
hours of volunteer service. Beeson recently told Susanne Estes in an interview
for The Kemersville News, "All I want is meet people and to feel like I have
helped someone along life's pathway for a little better life."
All too often in our society we push elderly people to the bottom of our
priority list because society sees them as being no longer gainfully employed
and paying their own way through life. Even though they have given a
majority of their lives to the work force, once they retire they are made to
feel, many times, as if they are less than worthy of our time.
In today's fast paced society it is easy to disregard the advice and wisdom
from our elders, but often the very lessons they try to teach us will last much
longer than any of today's present knowledge.
The elderly population have a great deal to offer society. It is the our task
to realize their worth and importance.
THE SALEMITE ENCOURAGES
LETTERS TO THE EDITORS
AND WE THANK YOU
FOR YOUR SUPPORT
fry Amy Cass
When I first started to write this editorial I knew I wanted to tackle the issue of the
upcoming dections. This has certainly been a heated topic lying beneath the cracks
of Salem. At least I haven't ran into many people who have been overly eager to
volimteer any information about the controversies taking place thisj)}/);^^ Everyone
seems to be avoiding the issue. Therefore, I decided to voice my .opinion on the
topic.
I've heard complaints about the deadline for petitioning for the different offices.
I've heard problems arise with not enough offices being filled. I've heard remarks
about who will be the best leaders for Salem College next year???????
Well, I'm not here to harsh on these topics being whispered about among various
groups. But I am here to let you know that 5mu, the students who will make up Salem
next year, need to seriously think about who will do the best job leading the students.
Attend SGA next week. Listen clearly to the speeches. Reflect upon these
canidates as individuals as well as leaders. Think about who can communicate
effectively to the administration. Imagine who will be the best liason between the
students and administration. Visualize the future welfare for Salem College during
the 1990-91 school year.
I'm thankful that 1 have the opportunity to vote as a senior. Although 1 will soon be
a 1990 alunmae, 1 will always care about Salem College. When 1 prepare to mark
my ballot for the future leaders of Salem, I must remember the saying, "actions
speak stronger than words." 1 will reflect upon the words used in the canidates
speeches, but 1 will especially reflect on the actions they used over the past several
years.
Good luck to each canidate and may the best woman win!
Dear Editors,
I have decided to try this one
more time since I never received a
formal answer from my other letter
to The Salemite concerning the new
trees being planted in the Pit. As I
stated before, I am concerned with
the safety of the students who park
in that lot. The new trees shadow
the lot even more at night therefore
making it darker and easier for
people to be attacked. The new fur
trees also provide a perfect place
for some attacker to hide. I am
tired of our safety being
compromised for the beautification
of the parking lot. I would like to
see some action or answers.
Irritated,
Libby Brown
Tlie SciCemttc
SoCem CoCCege
Wlnston-SoCem, North Carotina 27108
(919) 721-2825
Co-Editors-in Chief..
Copy Editors Kathr3m WhiU
Susanne Estes
Editorial Editor Paige Parker
Sports Editor.....; Galen Miller
Office Manager .Jenny Savage
Amy Cass
April Edmondson
Advertising Editor Patricia Earnhardt
Headline Manager Diane Davis
Business Manager Laura Brooks
Photographer Lesley Stokes
Faculty Advisor George McKnight
Staff Reporters - Ginny Crable, Catherine Davis, Dawn Darby, Elizabeth Fennel,Tricia
Forbes, Laura Franklin, Heather Glasscock, Steffen Hambright, Caroline Horlbeck, Hope
Lamm, Katherine Livermon, Jeimy Savage, Gaither Smoot, Caroline Swope, Tammy
Taylor, Anne Tucker
Contributing Writers - Libby Brown, Sonya Cobb, Catherine Davis, Denise Decker, Mich
elle Duffie, Mattilde Dumond, Kara Hayes, Jennifer King, Sally Lemmon, Karen Lewis.
Katherine Massey, Doima May,Strat Newitt, Sally Pierce, Heather Smith, Kerry Stovall,
Lauren Strain, Karen Timmons, Mary Bradley Thompson, Mindy Worrell
Published bi-monthly, excluding examinations, holidays, January term and summer
vacations, by students of Salem College. Subscription price $4.75 yearly.
Printed by Wihstoh-&lem Chronicle.