Tuesday, September 14,2010 - Thomasville Times - 5
OPINION
Thomasville Times
MICHAEL B. STARN
Publisher
mstarn@hpe.com
•
LYNN WAGNER
Advertising Director
lwagner@hpe.com
LISA M. WALL
Editor
editor@tvilletimes.com
•
. ZACH KEPLEY
Sports Editor
tvillesports@yahoo.com
A happy Sept. 11
anniversary
VIEWPOINT
D.G. MARTIN
N.C. Columnist
Last week on September 11
we marked two important,
life-changing anniversaries.
First, of course, was the
remembrance of the 2001
attacks on the World Trade
Center and the Pentagon.
But there was another,
happier celebration mark
ing Sept. 11,1935, when the
Durham-based NeUo L Teer
Company began construction
of the Blue Ridge Parkway
It would be hard to find
anybody who would argue
that the Parkway is anything
but one of North Carolina’s
(and Virginia’s) great trea
sures. More than 17 mUlion
people drive on the Park
way every year, making it
the most visited unit in the
National Park System.
We take the Parkway and
the beautiful mountain scen
ery for granted. We don’t even
ask how did this incredible
road ever get constructed.
First of aU, the Depres
sion made the Parkway
possible. It was part of
Roosevelt’s stimulus package.
The connection to the De
pression is just one of count
less other compelling and
Instructive stories about the
Parkway told by Anne Mitch
ell Whlsnant in her book,
“Super-Scenic Motorway: A
Blue Ridge Parkway History,’’
My favorite of Whisnant’s
stories is how North Carolina
“stole” Tennessee’s share of
the Parkway. This story is
too rich and complicated to
summarize, but I wUl give it
a try The Parkway links the
Great Smoky Mountains and
Shenandoah National Parks.
Both of the two final proposed
routes took the Parkway from
the Virginia line to a point
near LinvlUe. The “Tennes
see route,” unanimously
recommended by an advi
sory committee appointed by
Secretary of Interior Harold
Ickes, took the Parkway from
Linville through Tennessee
and down to Gatlinburg. The
other proposal, ultimately
approved by Ickes, takes the
Parkway via AshevUle to a
Park entrance near Cherokee.
Why did Ickes overrule his
own advisory committee? Lots
of reasons: The highgr eleva
tions and dramatic scenery
on the North Carolina route.
The passion of Parkway boost
ers in AshevUle, which was
desperate for more tourism.
A passionate, well-prepared,
and eloquent state employee
named R. Getty Brown
ing, who presented North
Carolina’s case to people who
might influence the decision.
All of these factors helped
North Carolina, but the key
was an inside track North
Carolina had to President
Roosevelt. The Raleigh News
& Observer’s Josephus
Daniels had been Roosevelt’s
boss when both were part of
President Woodrow Wilson’s
administration. They became
and remained good friends.
Daniels was reluctant to use
his friendship to ask for favors
for his home state, but he
finally did ask Roosevelt to
get involved. The President
saw that the North Carolina
route had some advantages,
and gave North Carolina
and Daniels the nod.
Don’t feel too sorry for
Tennessee. Thanks to Roos
evelt, it got the TVA.
Not aU the stories Whis-
nant teUs are happy ones.
The Parkway’s right of
way divided small mountain
farms and took some farms
outright, driving famUies
off lands their families had
worked for generations.
The National Park Service’s
rigid limits on commercial
ization denied local busi
nesses some of the anticipated
benefits they hoped would
come from Parkway visitors.
The Service’s approach to
historic preservation along
the Parkway has been in
consistent In one case, an
old farmhouse was stripped
of its “Improvements” to
reveal an original log cabin
for display. Later, persuaded
that the true history of the
farmhouse should show it
as it exjsted in 1930s, those
stripped-away improvements
were restored. The conflict
between maintaining and
creating beautiful scenery
and presenting “true history”
with all its warts might make
for an impossible challenge.
StUl, once on the Blue
Ridge Parkway, who wants to
worry about all these con
flicts? Only those of us who
always have to remember
that many of the good things
the past has left us came
about only after determined
effort and painful conflict.
D.G. Martin hosts UNC-TV’s
North Carolina Bookwatch,
which airs Fridays at 9:30pm.
(This week only, the Sunday 5
p.m. broadcast will be pre
empted for special program
ming.) For more information
or to view prior programs
visit the webpage at www.
unctv.org/ncbookwatch/.
www.tvilletimes.com
• ■«& ,
JUST
y
Surveys help analyze content
VIEWPOINT
LISA WALL
Editor
For any business to be suc
cessful, it’s necessary to fre
quently analyze its product
by asking for feedback from
customers. This helps to en
sure the ever-changing needs
and interests of customers
are met in order to produce a
product that best suits them.
In late July and early
August, the Times published
a survey for two weeks
asking readers to share
their ideas and comments
concerning what news they
considered most important.
While only a small percent
age of subscribers returned
the survey, those who did
helped to provide some
insight into how they feel
about the Times’ coverage.
After adding up the results
from the nearly 50 submit
ted surveys, the results are
as follows: The categories
that reflected the highest
percentage of interest were
education and schools, crime
and police reports, health
and wellness, religion, opin
ion and city government.
Nearly two-thirds of surveys
said that stories relating
to those issues were most
important. Only a handful
said that those categories
were of little importance.
Youth sports, children,
family and parenting, busi
ness and economics and
entertainment categories
produced mixed results,
with a near split of those
ranking it very or somewhat
important. College sports
was somewhat Important to
readers, with only a hand
ful saying it was either of
high or little importance.
Three-fourths of readers
said they felt news in the
Times was reliable, trust
worthy and useful. About 50
percent said the paper was
the best source of local news,
yet two-thirds said it was the
best source for local school
news and information.
Nearly aU those surveyed
said they relied on ads and
information in the newspa
per for shopping and buying
decisions and 95 percent used
the inserts to determine how
and where to shop. A major
ity of people said they didn’t
own a computer or rarely
visited the website, with one
saying they were unaware
the Times had a website.
Of the columnists pub
lished in the paper, there was
a lot of good feedback as to
readers’ Interests. Receiving
the highest number of votes
were local writers (in order
of votes received) Larry Mur
dock, Doug Creamer and BUI
HiU. Those tied for number
of votes were Josef Walker,
Dr. David Lipschitz and staff
writer Erin WUtgen, foUowed
by staff writer Eliot Duke
and Bookwatch host D.G.
Martin. Of the syndicated
columnists published, Joe
Conason, Susan Estrich and
David Harsanyi split votes.
One reader said he enjoyed
sports columns the most,
regardless of the author.
Many of the survey forms
contained additional com
ments, such as circulation
issues, concerns about proof
reading and suggestions for
the type of news they’d like
to see more of in each edi
tion. AU of these comments
were not only read and noted,
but were addressed immedi
ately AU of the surveys with
comments regarding circula
tion were passed along to the
Times’ circulation depart
ment. To address the proof
reading Issues, I have tried
to realign staff schedules
as much as can be to ensure
that several sets of eyes are
avaUable to look over each
page. Of course, there always
wUl be the nights when
meetings are late, deadline
is looming and I am work
ing solo, which creates the
greatest chance for mistakes.
But I assure you, we wUl do
our very best to catch every
misspeUed word or improper
grammar usage or that
pesky “Name Here” place
holder beneath mugshots.
OveraU, the results of the
surveys helped give Insight
on the issues that are of
greatest concern to readers.
Now, I wUl take a moment
to give readers some insight
as to what the Times would
like to see from them. It
would benefit the newspa
per and readers to see more
Letters to the Editor being
submitted. This helps give
other residents an idea of
how issues and decisions
impact them. I’d also like to
see more teachers, school
personnel and businesses
submit photos and informa
tion concerning projects,
events, mUestones, etc. that
happen in their profession.
With only a four-person staff,
we can’t be everywhere, aU
the time, so our “community
reporters” are Important to
informing others about the
many things that happen
in Thomasville that we’re
imable to cover. Since feed
back is Important to every
business, please feel free
to contact me via phone or
email to offer suggestions on
what you. Dear Reader, would
like to see in the Times.
On a final note, those who
completed the survey were
also given the opportunity
to win a gift certificate from
three participating restau
rants. The three randomly-
drawn gift certificate win
ners are Aldeen Robbins
of Thomasville, who will
receive a $25 gift certificate to
Carter Brothers Restaurant;
Betty Mins of ThomasvUle,
who win receive a $25 gift
certificate to Panera Bread;
and Jack Hiatt of Thom-
asvnie, who wiU receive a
$25 gift certificate to oSo’s
Restaurant. Congratula
tions to the winners, and a
big thank you to aU those
who took the time to com
plete the survey Your input
wni go a long way to help
ing us Improve our busi
ness and your newspaper.
Editor Lisa Wall can be
reached at 888-3590, or at
editor@tvilletimes.com.
LEHERS TO THE EDITOR
All letters should include nanne, address and daytime phone number. Anonymous letters
will not be printed. Letters should be no more than 400 words, unless otherwise approved
by editor. Limited to one ietter every 30 days. Ali ietters are subject to editing.
EMAIL: Editor@tvilletimes.com
FAX: 888-3632
MAIL: Letters to the Editor
Thomasville Times
210 Church Ave.
High Point, N.C. 27262
EDITORIALS
All unsigned editorials are the
consensus of Editor Lisa Wall and
Sports Editor Zach Kepley