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FOTOFAX
BREVARD PLANT
PHOTO PRODUCTS DEPARTMENT
Vol. 12, No. 2 February, 1979
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Gertha, center, with friends at job site.
One of two buildings nears completion.
Mechanics Give Week For Mission
Five men of maintenance services
took a week's vacation early in January.
Jerry Miller, Lee Porter, Gertha Ship-
man, Bob Tucker and Jack Whitmire
went to Sanderson, Texas, to use their
skills for a special piece of work.
Before the week had ended, they
had done much of the heavy work of
building two 28' X 60' structures for a
missionary team named "Flight for
Christ, Inc."
Paul Ray, who started "Flight for
Christ", is a former plant employee.
Fie worked here when the Brevard Plant
was part of the Pigments Department.
Paul is a missionary, one of two who
will live with their families on an old
World War II airbase which he has leased
from the government. The field is
about fifteen miles from town.
Chances are you haven't heard of
Sanderson, Texas. It's a little town.
Wreck Proves Value of Belts
On Friday, January 19, Yvonne Collins
of maintenance services took a ride she
doesn't expect to forget. She was in an
auto accident which damaged the front,
top, back and both sides of her car.
"I always was a 'seat belt groper'.",
says Yvonne. "When I get into a car.
I'm digging down in the candy wrappers
to find the belt. My husband, Doug,
would always fasten his if someone
asked him to, but he's a real believer
after what happened to us that night!"
Yvonne had left their little girl with
a sitter. She had asked her husband to
buckle up, then they started on a rou
tine trip down a familiar road. The
night was cold, the roads clear. No
reason to anticipate an emergency.
She turned the car off NC 191 and
started up the hill on the road leading to
the Asheville airport. Their speed was
about 40 miles per hour as they reached
the top of the hill. Yvonne saw head
lights at about the same time she
realized the road was completely cov
ered by ice.
At first she thought the car ahead
was parked in a driveway, then she saw
it had been abandoned with its front in
her lane, the back wheels off the road in
the ditch. She couldn't stop or steer on
the ice. She hit the other car.
I couldn't believe all the things that
happen," she said. "I somehow thought
we would hit and just stop. But you
don't. You have no control over your
body, you can't brace. Our heads were
snapped forward, my arms and legs
went every way. Then the car bounced
backward and went up an embankment
and when it hit something in back, my
head was thrown that way."
The car had slid up the bank on one
side, now it started to roll, it slid a bit
on the other side, then fell over on its
roof. The side window broke out
behind Yvonne's head. The rear window
popped out. The windshield shattered
but remained in place.
"The windshield wiper was going,"
said Yvonne. "Flere I'm hanging upside
down in the dark, smelling gasoline, and
I remember the windshield wiper going
back and forth."
After the wreck, Yvonne and Doug
were able to prevent three more impacts
by waving a warning from the top of the
hill. The next three cars ran off the
road, but there were no more crashes.
The fourth vehicle stayed on the
road, and stopped to help the victims
of the accident.
"I really believe in using seat belts,"
said Yvonne. "Our wreck should be
proof enough for anybody. I'll tell
anyone who wants to talk about it
that there's just no excuse for not
wearing them."
almost lost in the vast flat country near
the Big Bend of the Rio Grande River.
The next town is 60 or 70 miles away,
it's twelve miles to the Mexican Border.
Sanderson is a good place to "get
away from it all". On a clear day, Paul
can see the mountains of Mexico dimly
outlined on the horizon. Mexican and
Indian families live in those mountains,
in country which has never known a road.
"Flight for Christ" was begun to get
supplies to missionaries in the moun
tains. An airplane can get there in
thirty minutes, but it's a three week
trip by mule.
The ministry has outgrown the small
airplane they were using, so they're
buying a larger one which needs the
larger field. They needed a place to live
and room to store supplies.
Midway Baptist Church, on the Ros-
man Highway, has been sending dona
tions to "Flight for Christ" as part of
their missionary program. When mem
bers started talking of going to Texas
to donate work as well as money, other
men caught their enthusiasm.
The church offered $300 for gasoline,
then two motor homes were made
available for the trip. Eight men decided
to go.
The trip began January 5. Bob
Tucker traveled with Ray Aiken, a
brickmason. Their wives went along to
cook for the group.
The four other du Ponters went with
Ted Owen, a real estate agent, and Hub
Powell, building contractor.
One group made the trip in 31 hours,
stopping only for fuel. When they
arrived Sunday morning, they decided
to go across the border for some souven
irs and sightseeing. While they were in
Mexico, they went to church. Services
were in Spanish, with occasional com
ments in English for the visitors.
The other vehicle got in much later
in the day. They had been delayed by
icy roads and traffic-blocking accidents
of a winter storm in northcentral Texas.
Work began Monday morning. Jerry
Miller, official awakener, had everyone
up and moving by five o'clock. "Better
than any alarm clock," says Tucker.
The weather was bitter cold, and the
masons had problems. Their mortar
was freezing on the board; icy lumps
formed before any blocks could be
laid. They discussed the problem and
decided to seek a non-technical solution.
They gathered in the cold morning
and prayed for better conditions for the
job. Soon a warm breeze took away the
chill, and pleasant weather began which
was to last for the whole week.
The work continued until 9:30 that
night. A group of bone-weary people
drove back to Sanderson for a bath,
some food, and sleep.
(Com. On Page 3)
Address Correction Requested
Box 267, Brevard, N. C. 28712
Bulk Rate
U.S. Postage
PAID
Brevard, N.C.
Permit #66
OLIVER J OWNBEY
ROUTE 1 BOX 60
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