srans Catch results from Friday night's high school football action. ober 9,2010 r I 1 THOMASVILLE IlMES Columnist Tammy Holyfield discusses ways to better communicate with others. WWW.tvilletimes.com 120th Year-No. 4 50 Cents THOn/iAbViLt-£f NC 27360 TMQTFD fire safety efforts recognized BY ELIOT DUKE Staff Writer Thomasville Medical Center and Thomasville Fire Department pulled their collective resources in an effort to increase awareness about the im portance of fire preven tion in the home. With the help from Da- vidsonLlnks volunteers, TMC and TFD reached out to hundreds of area homes that were liter ally an accident waiting to happen. More than 250 smoke alarms were Installed throughout ThomasvlUe as part of the Remembering When fire and fall prevention program for older adults. “The City of Thomas ville has one of the fin est Injury prevention programs in the state,” Kelly Randall, deputy di rector with the State Fire Marshall’s Office, said. In North Carolina, our big gest problem is people either don’t have work ing smoke alarms, don’t change the batteries or have smoke alarms that are too old. This program is responsible for saving lives.” Trained volunteers ac companied members of TFD going door-to-door throughout the Chau- City to homes where fire prevention education was needed the most. Often times, Randall said, se nior citizens are extreme ly -vulnerable to fires as they don’t tend to ask for a smoke detector when they need it. Seniors also are susceptible to falls, and part of the program Included making homes safer for elderly people to move around in safely. “The great thing about this program is we come up with the rnodel and you apply it to make it See SAFETY, Page A6 TIMES PHOTO/ERIN WILTGEN From left, Jacob and Justin Kohler Friday take turns reading parts of Lyndon B. Johnson's speech from the back of the red caboose near the depot station on Main Street. Relivmg History Thomasville commemorates Lyndon B. Johnson’s ‘Southern Swing’ BY ERIN WILTGEN Staff Writer A s the late afternoon sun shone over a bustling Thomasville downtown, the fiery and patriotic words of Lyndon B. Johnson flowed out over the railroad tracks. Almost 50 years from the day the former president — then a senator and vice president-hope ful — addressed Thomasville cit izens from the back of a train on Oct. 10, 1960, Thomasville Tour ism commemorated the moment in a reenactment and playing of ■ the speech. “This is a very special time in the history of the celebration of Thomasville,” Mayor Joe Ben nett told the gathered crowd. “Back then, Thomasville was at a peak of manufacturing. A gen tleman that was running for vice president of the United States thought it would be very proper and fitting to stop here.” At the height of his power as Senate leader, Johnson had run for the Democratic nomination 'You people here who are known as being makers of fine furni ture ... I want you to look at us as makers of good government and weavers of a fine destiny.' — Lady Bird Johnson for president but lost to John F. Kennedy. He surprised the na tion when he joined the Demo cratic ticket and accepted the vice president seat. Just weeks before the Gen eral Election, Johnson and his wife, Lady Bird, went on a Spe cial Tour of the South or Spe cial Southern Swing, traveling by train to Culpepper, Va., Gas tonia, N.C., ThomasvlUe and New Orleans, and made several whistle stops in undocumented cities. The campaign spanned Oct. 9 through 14, and the party stopped in ThomasvlUe on Oct. 10. After addressing the crowd, Johnson hopped atop the Big Chair and waved to the crowd, ThomasvlUe officials presented Lady Bird and Johnson with a replica of the Big Chair to be shipped to their house in Wash ington. “You people here who are known as being makers of fine See HISTORY, Page A6 Cumpton earns TCS ‘Teacher of the Year’ honors TIMES PHOTO/ELIOT DUKE Thomasville Middle School's Ira Cumpton stands in his science lab Thursday at the school. BY ELIOT DUKE Staff Writer Ira Cumpton may be in enemy terri tory when it comes to coUege basket ball, but as far as the classroom goes, the ThomasviUe Middle School science teacher is right where he wants to be. Cumpton, a Kentucky native and proud supporter of his home state Wildcats, was named ThomasviUe City Schools Teacher of the Year earlier this week. Known as a tireless worker who has been in the Cha'ir City school system for more than two decades, the social studies turned science teacher hopes to be in ThomasvlUe for many years to come. “This is very humbling,” Cumpton said. “There area lot of great teachers Hedrick Hedrick highlights political platform BY ERIN WILTGEN Staff Writer Jason Hedrick, a Demo crat from Lexington, wUl compete for one of four spots for Davidson Coun ty Commis sioner in the Novem ber elec tion. Owner of Hedrick Creative Build- ing LLC, a home buUding company, Hed rick finished top of the pack with the most votes in the Democrat primary during his first foray into politics. And like most of his comrades, a large part of Hedrick’s focus lies on economic development. Any and aU types of busi nesses have helped the county rise above the re cession, but small busi nesses seem to have a renewed focus, Hedrick says that about three fourths of the U.S. labor force works for a small business, and as such Da vidson County needs to do aU it can to support those companies. “I think smaU busi nesses are one of the biggest keys we’ve got to grow in our economy,” said Hedrick, who added that whUe incentives to smaU companies were a good start, the county stUl coifld do more, “We also need to reach out and help small businesses grow or help them with problems by putting them in touch See HEDRICK, Page A4 INDEX and just to be considered is an honor. My whole career has been right here in ThomasviUe. I love It here. I have great people to work with and wonderful kids. I just reaUy enjoy being in Thomasville. I’ve gotten to know a lot of people and am starting to teach children of my for mer students. That’s kind of neat. This is home away from home. ” Cumpton is in his 21st year as a ThomasvlUe educator and spends his days teaching sixth and eight grade sci ence. When not in the classroom, Cump ton also teaches driver’s education and coaches the girl’s track team at Thom asvlUe High School. WhUe he started out teaching social studies, the move to science has aUowed him to do and expe- See HONORS, Page A4 & Weather A2 Focus A3 Opinion A5 Obituaries A6 Religion A8 Sports B1 Business B6 Sunny, 82/50 ■V40S.3 UUi£.3D Advanced technolosy (and babies) delivered daily. Thcrniasville/MEDKALGBNmBi Remarkithie Pcoplr. Rmurkabk Mcdinitf. 207 Old Lexippon Rd • Thomasville, NC : . , wtvw.thomasvilkmedicalcenter.org • (33^5)^76-2725 Thomasville, North Carolina • Your Town. Your Times.