1'iack I'.oUi.t ^JLbr ;ry 10b If. j cu^hen^ STyretrt Black Mouj.taln, J .0. 26711 Second ciass postage paid at Biacic Mountain. 2S7H Thuisday, December 10, 1981, Volume 29, Number 50 'Outstanding Educator' named Hitda Catdwet) Hiida Ca!dwe!!to represent Owen High Hilda Caldwell, Owen High School English teacher, has been chosen by a committee of fellow teachers "outstand ing Young Educator" for the year. Mrs. Caldwell will compete for the county honor in this annual contest sponsored by the Jaycees. Mrs. Caldwell teaches gifted and talented ninth, 10th and 11th grade students, as well as two college prepa tory classes of freshmen. She is in her ninth year of teaching, having taught at Roberson High School and Valley Springs before coming to Owen four years ago. "I enjoy my role as a teacher," she said. "1 feel it's a most important profession." Mrs. Caldwell made her career decision at an early age. 'Td always wanted to be one (a teacher)," she said. "There was no other thing I ever thought about." In her classroom, Mrs. Caldwell strives to make it possible for every student to feel successful, she said. "I try to create a rapport with the students so they can express their ideas openly without fear, even if their ideas contra dict mine," she explained. At Owen, she is sponsor of the Beta Club and chairman of the English department. A member of the committee who selected Mrs. Caldwell, Betty Davis, said Mrs. Caldwell was chosen to represent the school because she is, "an excellent teacher, very dedicated and very professional." The Madison County native attended Mars Hill High School and graduated from Appalachian State University with a bachelor's degree in English. She and her husband Jerry have two children, Christopher and Stephanie. They live in Haw Creek. Chamber banquet Get invoived, speaker says "Winners leave their marks on their communities, not iosers. Love winning, what's wrong with it?" was the mes sage Monday night at the 22nd annual Black Mountain-Swannanoa Chamber of Commerce banquet at Montreat's Assembly Inn. Guest speaker Stan Finch, a much traveled Texize Corp. executive, spoke on "How To Be A Winner." Opening his remarks with a series of attention gathering stories, Find! finished up with an almost evangelical appeal to enthusiasm and common sense in serving one's community. To win, he said, use commrn sense and get involved. Total emotional commitment to the valley is essential if the Chamber is to move forward, Finch continued. Remove anything that dut tcrs your life, that stands in your way, he urged the large audience. Stay young, he conduded, you have the energy to do anything you want to. Incoming 1982 Chamber President Bill White Jr. outlined goals for the coming year as a new Chamber of Commerce building, moving ahead on a road to Mount Mitchell, and attracting "the right kinds" of new business, high paying and non-polluting firms. A new economic development committee will work on this, he said. Short term goals White mentioned induded doser ties with local public officials, more office coverage at the ' chamber, membership drives, tours of local industries, more participants in the Sourwood Festival, stronger mer chants' committees, and Christmas decorations next year for Swannanoa. Chamber directors for 1982 were announced as Andy Andrews. W endell Begley, Susan Garland, Joe Hyder, Margaret Slagle, Ronald Sneed, Joe Tyson, George Venturella, Sam Wool wine, Herb Edwards and Cliff Meyer Chamber officers for the coming year are W .W. White Jr., president; Frank Rosen, president-elect for 1983; Mike Sobol, vice president; and Cad Bartlett, treasurer. Outgoing president Margaret Slagle detailed accomplishments of the Cham ber of Commerce in the past year. She outlined publicity the Chamber had acquired for the valley in media outside the area and named many signs of growth and development in east Bun combe County. She discussed services provided by the Chamber and its director. Special recognition was given to former chairmen of the Sourwood Festival. They are founder and first chairman Dr. Bob Dickey (1978), Cad Bartlett (1979) and Andy Andrews (1980-81). Each received a Distinguish ed Service plaque. George Venturella will serve as Sourwood Festival chair man in 1982. Many present and former public officials were introduced at the begin ning of the program, including aider men, county commissioners, state and Stan Finch U S. legislators. Outgoing Chamber directors recog nized induded Margaret Slagie, Dr. Tom Cannon, Bili Eubanks, Ted Mahaf fey, Jack Clevenger, Harry Hyder Herb Coman and Roger Hibbard, who receiv ed Distinguished Service awards. Out going president Margaret Siagie was commended for her tireiess efforts for the chamber. Gun fired inside poiice station A gun, thought to be unloaded, was discharged in the Black Mountain police station last week. The bullet from the .38 caliber police special struck the wall where it shattered, scattering plaster fragments. Vinson Miller, town mana ger, was struck in the arm by either a bullet fragment or piece of plaster. The skin was broken slightly on his upper arm, Miller said. Officer Gary Sorrells was demonstra ting speed loading equipment, new to the department, to the town manager about 12:30 a.m. Tuesday. Apparently a bullet remained lodged in the gun when Sorrells emptied it, Police Chief Crait E. Slagle said. Sorrells, believing the gun to be empty, fired it inside the lobby of the station. No disciplinary action will be taken against the officer by Chief Slagle, he said, because he was not present when the incident occurred. "If any action is taken, it will have to be by the town manager," Slagle said. However, "there will be a policy officers will not practice in the station," Nativity p!ay wi!! feature rea! animais Churdi Women United will sponsor an outdoor Christmas Nativity pageant on Dec. 16, 17, 18 and 21, 22, 23. The 30-minute performance will begin each evening at 6:30 p.m. in the parking lot of the First Baptist Church on Montreat Road, Black Mountain. Children from area churches will portray the characters in the Christmas story. Live animals will be used. The audience is to assemble in the Ingle's parking lot adjacent to that of the church. Choirs from six local churches will provide the music for each perfor mance. They are: Mountain View Baptist Church, Blade Mountain Pres byterian Church, Ridgecrest Baptist Church, First Baptist Church of Blade Mountain, the choir from the Juvenile Evaluation Center and Mills Chapel Baptist Church. The public is welcome. Slagle said. "It wasn't written policy before." ' "I didn't recommet I any (discipli nary action)," Miller said, "because it was an accident-which shouldn't have happened." Speed loading equipment allowr sev eral bullets to be loaded in a gun at the same time instead of one by one, saving an officer who may be facing an automatic weapon the few seconds that might save his life. Black Mountain police have been examining several types of the loaders before a purchase is made for the department. Chief Slagle said another result of the accident in the police station will be a stepped-up weapons training program for the department. While all Black Mountain police officers are qualified on a range, Slagle believes they need more practice. "It's a little too easy to qualify," he explained. Medtca) Center dean-up (jay Saturday A call for volunteers to help dean up the grounds around the Swannanoa Valley Medical Center went out this week from Dr. Jack Kettleson, chair man of the Center's board of directors. Volunteers are asked to come to the Medical Center at 10 a m. this Satur day, Dec. 12, and to bring rakes, pruning shears, etc. Hot coffee and lunch will be provided for volunteers. The Medical Center grounds are badly in need of weeding and leaf raking, Dr. Kettleson said, and many shrubs and small trees need pruning. The Center has been unable to provide adequate professional help for regular maintenance, and therefore dedded to appeal again for community assistance. The Swannanoa Valley Medical Cen ter is the product of the community. Organizations and individuals in the Valley contributed to its creation in 1964. Typical of continuing financial support is (1,700 received from the local Kiwanis Club during the past year. White House Conference on Aging Delegate reflects on accomplishments by Cynthia Reimer When 2,200 delegates from across the United States met in Washington for the White House Conference on Aging, Highland Farms resident Paul Limbert was one of them. Limbert was appoint ed by Governor Hunt, one of 22 delegates from North Carolina to the Nov. 30-Dec. 3 conference. Although the most controversial issue at the conference was Social Security ) benefits, Limbert reflected on other H important trends in the 600 recommend H ations of the 14 committees made up of y "older Americans," issues that may have tnore far-reaching affects on all Americans, young and old. "This conference went on record in favor of maintaining the present level of support for that portion of the older generation who are needy," Limbert said. "It also gave attention to the role of the private sector in doing all they ^ can, through pensions, education pro grams, volunteer activity," in keeping with the movement in Congress to curtail government spending. A-recurring emphasis throughout the conference, Limbert said, was on com bating stereotypes of older people, on getting away from the idea of simply providing services for and to the eloerly. Ohe recommendation of the commit i tee reads, "Older Americans are too often considered a problem. We are of the strong conviction that older Ameri cans can be part of the solution to the challenges facing this country in the decade ahead." Through the conference it became apparent, Limbert said, that "the older generation is a political force to be 0!der Americans can be part of the sotutiuon to the chatienges facing this country' reckoned with. They want to be regard ed as a resouroe, not only in their own interests but in international, economic and other areas. " At the conference, Limbert served on the Educational and Training Opportu nities Committee, a natural outcome, he said, of his career in the field of education. Limbert was a college pro fessor, president of Springfield College in Massachusetts, secretary-general of the World Alliance of YMCAs in Switzerland for 10 years and executive director of Blue Ridge Assembly before he retired at Highland Farms. The recommendations of the confer ence, which convenes in Washinton every 10 years, will be considered by governmental bodies on the federal, state and local levels for years to come. "To be part of it was very thrilling in many ways. It was a memorable experience to me," Limbert said. "The significance will appear as time goes on, in what happens locally, what happens nationally." "There may be a renewed awareness of oltier people," he concluded, "and what important role they play in American Sodety." Weather ^ . H rcy