Ashey, Townes inducted in Hall of Fame

By JERRY LANKFORD

Record Editor

Doc Watson remembers Clarence “Tom” Ashley.

“He was a good friend,” Watson said, cradling his guitar in his lap on the stage of the John A. Walker Community Center on the campus of Wilkes Community College.

He recalled how Ashley recorded the Depression-era song Dark Hollar Blues.

“When the record producer asked if he had another one just as good, Tom said, ‘Well, I haven’t written it yet.’”

Watson paid tribute to Ashley during Saturday evening’s 2010 Blue Ridge Music Hall of Fame induction ceremony.

Ashley (who was born in 1895 and died in 1967) was inducted in the Pioneer Artist category for his groundbreaking work as a banjoist, songwriter and recording artist.

The goal of the Blue Ridge Music Hall of Fame is to showcase and preserve the rich musical heritage of the greater Blue Ridge Mountains area from northern Georgia to northern Virginia, along with being an educational source of traditional Americana music.

This was the third such induction ceremony for members of the Blue Ridge Music Hall of Fame. Watson was an inaugural inductee in 2008.

Another of the first round inductees, multi-instrumentalist David Johnson of Millers Creek, was on stage as well, serving for the third year as a member of the house band. He was joined by his cousin Eric Ellis, one of the region’s most well-known banjo players, who was inducted into the Hall of Fame last year.

Also on Saturday “B” Townes was inducted in the category of Special Contributor, Organizer, Promoter.

Townes, who was inducted by Conrad Shaw, was one of the key organizers of MerleFest. He recently retired from Wilkes Community College after 36 years. He began his career at WCC as horticulture instructor. When he retired, he had risen to the rank of vice president of development for the college.

“That’s quiet a career leap,” Shaw said.

During Townes’ induction, Shaw told how MerleFest, which was first held in the spring of 1988 in tribute to Doc Watson’s late son, Merle, was only going to be a one-time festival. After seeing the groundswell of popularity and support, MerleFest became and annual event, which as drawn as many as 80,000 visitors to the college each year.

Bobby Hicks was also inducted on Saturday.

Hicks, joined by Johnson on guitar, Ellis on banjo and Scott Gentry on bass, fiddled a silky smooth set of bluegrass and western swing tunes.

Hicks, a 10-time Grammy winner, was inducted in the Sideman and Regional Musician category. Born in Newton in 1933, Hicks began playing fiddle when he was 9 years old and went on to become a member of Bill Monroe’s Bluegrass Boys. He has played with many notable Americana musicians including Rickey Skaggs and Vassar Clements.

The late Don Reno, who died in 1984, was inducted in the Nationally Known Artist from the Region category. He had originally been asked to play the banjo in Monroe’s band in 1943, but declined to go serve in the Army during WWII.

When discharged from service, Reno – a native of Spartanburg, S.C. - went on to forge a successful and colorful career in the bluegrass world.

Reno’s son, Dale, a master mandolin player, joined the house band on stage to perform several of his father’s song.

Albert Hash was also inducted in the Luthier category. Born in Rugby, Va. in 1917, Hash was a much respected fiddler and instrument builder.

Piedmont blues master Etta Baker was inducted Saturday in the Master Musician and Tradition Bearer.

Baker of Caldwell County was born in 1913 and died in 2006. Most of her life she only played with her family. After being recorded in 1956, Baker’s music became known far and wide. In 1973, she retired from working at a textile mill and focused on her music.

The evening of entertainment also included a performance by the Snyder Family.

Mike Cross, nationally known singer, songwriter and storyteller served as emcee for the event for the third year.

 

 

Sturdivant honored by Rotary Club

By JERRY LANKFORD

Record Editor

Alvin Sturdivant  has accomplished much in his lifetime.

But, perhaps his crowning achievement is the creation of Wilkes County’s Health Foundation.

Sturdivant was honored by the North Wilkesboro Rotary Club on Monday evening. by presenting him with the Distinguished Citizen of the Year Service Award.

Club member Dr. Charles Bentley, John Matthews and Joe McMillian all spoke about Sturdivant’s character and accomplishments during a dinner event held at the Rainbow Center for Children in Wilkesboro.

“Someone had to have the vision,” Bentley said of Sturdivant’s accomplishments. “We all owe a debt of gratitude to Alvin Sturdivant.”

Bentley presented a biography of Sturdivant to the crowd.

Sturdivant was born in 1925 in Akron, Ohio. His family moved to Wilkes in 1930 and his father went into the funeral home business. After Sturdivant completed high school, he enlisted in the Navy where he became a pharmacist’s mate. He had to trick military officials to get into the service because of his eyesight and age – he was only 17 at the time. Having served in the Navy from 1943 to 1946, mainly in the Pacific theater, he saw his ship attacked several times by Japanese planes.

After the war, Sturdivant went to college on the G.I. Bill, and earned a degree in accounting. While working at Reins-Sturdivant Funeral Home, he helped develop Wilkes County’s first subdivision – Highland Park.

He was also a partner in Foster-Sturdivant Construction Company and later formed Sturdivant Appraisals, from which he retired in 1991.

As for community service, Sturdivant served in various ways. Most notable was his time on the board of Wilkes Regional Medical Center – a board which he also chaired.

It was through his wife, Shirley, who had worked as a nurse at Presbyterian Hospital in Charlotte that he learned about that hospital’s health foundation. He realized that such a foundation would be beneficial to Wilkes residents.

The mission of the Health Foundation is to improve the health and well-being of the citizens of Wilkes County. Past projects include the Wilkes Regional Medical Center (WRMC) Family Center, West Park, The Wilkes Public Health Dental Clinic, the on-site helipad at WRMC, the Kidney Dialysis Center, The Ruby Pardue Blackburn Adult Day Health Care Center, and more.

Most recently, The Foundation purchased the new Mobile Expanded School Health (MESH) bus. It travels to area high schools and provides medical care to students there. The Foundation also awards yearly scholarships to students studying allied health care.

Matthews spoke about the hiking club that Sturdivant formed several years ago and about the weekly trips it’s members take to locations like Stone Mountain, Pilot Mountain, and Doughton Park. He also showed a humorous slide show about the group.

A plaque was presented by McMillian.

Sturdivant thanked friends, family and club members for the award.

“I think all of you,” he said. “It’s a real honor to be here.”

 

 

Third annual marathon ride for Children's Hospitals a success

By REBECCA TRIPLETT-JOHNSON

For The Record

 Third time was a charm for local Shriner, Todd Trivette of Wilkesboro, fellow Shriner Brent Higgins of Clemmons and friend Lyman Williams of Morganton, when they completed their third annual marathon motorcycle ride of 1075 miles, through four states, in record time of less than 18 hours.

Trivette conceived the idea of the ride in 2008 to bring awareness and to raise money for the Shriners Children's Hospitals.  The first ride was 1000 miles, through four states, in less than 24 hours.  In 2009 the group road 1,079 miles in 19 hours.  

 "This year's ride was phenomenal," said Trivette.  "We had perfect weather, no prob lems and good traffic flow for the entire ride. We were able to break our own record time and still cover our planned route through western North Carolina to Atlanta Georgia to Birmingham Alabama to Nashville Tennessee and back to Wilkesboro North Carolina.  We had to take a detour around Nashville due to the horrific damage caused by the torrential floods. 

 The worst thing about this year was the intense heat.  It was like riding in a sauna.  It was 96 degrees at noon, just outside of Birmingham AL.  We made multiple stops for water and wore lightweight long sleeved shirts that helped keep our skin out of direct sunlight which aided in staying hydrated.  

 We chose this time of year to coincide with the summer solstice in June that gives us the most daylight hours for safer driving.  We don't ride on Father's Day and we avoid any home games of the Atlanta Braves due to the impossible traffic they create in and around Atlanta.

We packed our food and kept our stops to 20 minutes for eating and fuel ups.  People were very nice and supportive as we met them along the way during our rest stops.  One lady even made a donation on the spot when she found out the purpose of our ride. 

Along the way we stayed in touch with our family and friends through cell phones, Blackberries and Facebook while keeping up with the latest weather and any traffic delays."

With the lagging economy, donations for funding of the Shriners Children's Hospitals has seen a decrease in the last several years.  So much in fact, there was a chance that some hospital campuses would have no choice but to close. 

 Fortunately, with the help and hard work of Trivette and others like him, a spotlight was put on this dire issue and last year's donations increased enough to keep the hospitals open.  They continue to accept children regardless of their financial situations.  Life saving medical treatments and therapies are provided at no cost to the families.

As the Shriner's Hospitals for Children once again find themselves in critical need of finance, more and more children are in critical need of care.  Once the emergency is handled, weeks, months and years of rehabilitation and follow up treatment, sometimes including multiple surgeries, can be part of life saving treatments for the young patients. 

 Statistics provided by Shriner's show over the past 86 years, Shriners Hospitals for Children has provided the best, most advanced medical care, at absolutely no charge, to more than 865,000 children with orthopedic conditions, burns, spinal cord injuries and cleft lip and palate. This unique health system has grown from a single hospital in Shreveport, La., to 22 sophisticated pediatric specialty hospitals located across the U.S., and in Canada and Mexico.

 "We were so blessed to have another safe ride and be able to return home to our families," said Trivette.  "We look forward to doing this each year because we really want to bring attention to the outstanding work done at these hospitals while helping to raise money to keep them going.   

The economy is still bad this year. Understandably, donations have been slower to come in.  There is no cut off date for individuals or companies who wish to donate.  All of the money goes directly to the hospitals and is a non-profit tax deductible donation. 

 I appreciate what everyone has done to help the hospitals and for the kindness and interest shown to us during our marathon ride."

 Anyone who would like to make a donation of any amount can still do so by sending a check to Blue Ridge Shrine Club, PO Box 1504, North Wilkesboro NC 28659.

Local youth on first billboard for CDH campaign

By REBECCA TRIPLETT-JOHNSON

For The Record

Aaron Younce, of North Wilkesboro, is featured on the first ever billboard for the Congenital Diaphragmatic Hernia Association's [CDHA] national awareness campaign, 'Save the Cherubs'. 

And, Wilkes County is the premier site for the billboard presentation.   The electronic sign which rotates images every few seconds, is located on the east bound side of West D Street near Arby's and will remain through June 23.  Billboard space was donated by Lamar Advertising.   Williamson and her husband Craig, members of the Younce family and Severt were on hand as the billboard was first displayed last week.

Younce is depicted on the sign wearing cherub wings, the symbol of 'Save the Cherubs' campaign, which was founded by Dawn Williamson in 1995.   Photos for the campaign were taken by The Record's Missy Severt and are being used on billboards, pamphlets and the CDHA website.
Younce, the son of Carl and Julie Younce, attends Mountain View Elementary School and has lived with the severe disorder since his birth in 1999.  

 "I am so happy to be on the billboard so that lots of people can see it and learn about what CDH is," said Younce.  "I hope it will also help people understand what 'Save the Cherubs' is all about and what it is doing to help others who have it while working to find out why the disorder happens to babies."   

CDH occurs when the diaphragm fails to fully form, allowing the abdominal organs to move into the chest cavity preventing complete and normal lung development and growth.  One in every 2500 babies are born with CDH.

Upon Younce's birth, doctors gave his parents the horrific prognosis that he would not live.  He spent the first three months of his life in the PICU and NICU at Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center where he underwent two major surgeries and numerous other medical procedures to help correct some of the most critical issues.  When his team of specialists determined he had gained enough strength to go home, his family turned their nursery into an in home hospital room equipped with life saving oxygen, heart monitors, suction machines, feeding pumps and pulse oximeter.  For many years, this was the normal everyday life in the home. 

 With continued medical support, family love and God's blessings, Younce gained strength and abilities that enabled him to detach from his highly controlled and monitored lifestyle.  Today he is capable of living without daily oxygen except when he requires extra breathing help during bouts of illness.  However, CDH has left Younce with pulmonary hyperplasia of the left lung, pulmonary hypotension and asthma, making every other illness that he contracts, such as colds or viruses, much more serious and harder to fight.

 CDH, unknown to most, occurs as often as other defects such as Cystic Fibrosis and Spina Bifida.  The goal of the Raleigh based, national CDH CHERUBS non-profit organization is to bring awareness, understanding and hope for families fighting the deadly defect.

 "As a parent of a child with CDH it is so hard to watch your child struggle to just breathe at times," said Aaron's mother Julie. "To sit in the NICU and not know what the next five minutes will hold for your baby is the worst feeling in the world.  Aaron is a little older now and continues to struggle with simple things we so often take for granite like eating and gaining weight. Even with all of his continued problems never one time has he questioned why or why me. He is  going out there and telling anyone and everyone about CDH and cherubs in order to make them aware of the serious disorder in hopes of one day finding a cause and a cure.  Aaron is a hero to me."

 Younce is looking forward to spending lots of time swimming and learning about the art of clay sculpture during his summer break.  He is excited to enter the fourth grade in the fall and see all of his old friends while making new ones at school.

For more information on CDHA and 'Save the Cherubs' visit www.savethecherubs.org

 

 
 
 Senate candidate Cunningham heading into second primary

 By JERRY LANKFORD

Record Editor

U.S. Senate candidate Cal Cunningham says many voters aren’t aware that a second primary in his race is set for next Tuesday.

“We’re just trying to get the word out,” Cunningham said.

The candidate will meeting N.C. Secretary of State Elaine Marshall in the second Democrat primary. The winner of that contest will face incumbent Republican Richard Burr.

Cunningham, 36, made his second trip to Wilkes on Monday. He met with voters and supporters are The 50’s Café on Main Street in Wilkesboro as they had breakfast and coffee.

He said he feels good about the second primary.

“We’re building momentum across the state,” he said. “We’re trying to hit every little town that we can.”

Although Wilkes County is has a Republican majority, Cunningham said he’s trying to encourage Democrat and unaffiliated voters to go to the polls.

“People here have known Richard Burr for some time,” he said. “They’re asking me what he’s been doing in Washington for the past several years.”

And, he added, “I think America would like to put the first veteran from the Iraq war in the U.S. Senate.”

Cunningham, a Democrat from Lexington, is a former state senator and captain in the U.S. Army Reserves. He served a one-year tour in Iraq and was a lead military prosecutor, earning a Bronze Star for cracking down on contractor crimes.

In the N.C. Senate, Cunningham worked to lower class sizes, give patients more rights over their medical care, and balance the budget.

In the U.S. Senate, Cunningham said he will work to improve health care and job training for veterans, protect North Carolina's military communities and bases which create many jobs, and strengthen the state’s public schools, community colleges, and universities “so we can grow the new economy jobs that will power an American comeback.”

Cunningham was elected to the N.C. Senate in November 2000. He represented Davidson, Rowan and Iredell counties. He served as vice chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee and on the Senate's education committees. He has since served on the Executive Committee of the North Carolina Democratic Party.

In addition to a Juris Doctor from UNC Law, Cunningham’s education includes a masters of science from the London School of Economics. He also holds a bachelor’s degree with honors from UNC-Chapel Hill. At UNC, he served as the student body president and later as the chief justice of the Student Supreme Court.

Cunningham also serves as a Governor's appointee to the Board of Trustees of the Davidson County Community College and as a public member of the North Carolina Banking Commission, and he has served as a deacon and as an elder of the First Presbyterian Church of Lexington.

He and his wife, Elizabeth, have two children.

 

 
 
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Community Happenings

 Mayo's Baseball School: Dream Bat Baseball Camp Fundamental Baseball Clinic. June 29-July 2 9:00 a.m.-12:00 noon, ages 6-14, Memorial Park, North Wilkesboro $150.00 membership fee. Free T-shirt for every camper. Registration deadline June 4, after which a $15.00 late fee will be charged. Spaces are limited. For more information contact Jeff Mayo at 336-684-4861 E-mail: mayosbaseballschool@charter.net.

 

The Humane Society of Wilkes offers registration for the low cost spay/neuter clinic every Tuesday night, from 6:00 - 7:00 p.m. at the Wilkes County Public Library.  Registered pets are transported to the clinic on the second Monday of each month. For more information please call 336-984-0227.

You are invited to Vacation Bible School at Hilltop Baptist Church in Fairplains on June 27- July 1 from 6:30 until 8:30 each evening. There will be classes for all ages and everyone is welcome.

 

The Wilkes Senior Citizens Council, Inc has fans to give to persons 60 years and older.  The eligibility requirements are as follows: Must be 60 years or older, and must be a resident of Wilkes County and have a home situation where a threat to the person’s health and well-being exists.

 

The Wilkes County Library Sci-Fi Convention has a website at http://www.wilkeslibrarycon.com.

Please visit the website to learn more about the upcoming Convention on Saturday, July 31, 2010 at the Wilkes County Public Library.

 

The Humane Society of Wilkes will hold a Pet Adoption Fair in the parking lot of the old Hollywood Video, next to KFC on Hwy 421, Wilkesboro, on Saturday, June 19, from 12:00 PM to 4:00 PM, weather permitting.  HSOW foster dogs, puppies, cats, and kittens will be available for adoption.  Adoption fees include vet exam, vaccines, worming, rabies shot and spay or neuter.  Pet related items will be for sale.  For more information visit www.humanesocietyofwilkes.org or call 336-984-0227.

 

Vacation Bible School at Bethel Baptist Church in Hayes will be held at 6:30 to 9:00 each night Sunday, June 13^th through June 18^th.  This year’s theme is “The Egypt File”.  The kickoff will be Saturday, June 12^th at 4:00 pm so come out to register and fellowship with a hot dog supper and games.

 

The Wilkes County Friends of the Library invite the public to a tour of the US 421 Welcome Center to be conducted at 6:30 p.m. on Thursday, June 17.  The center is usually closed at this time, but will be open for this special tour.  Access the center by entering US 421 at the NC 115 on-ramp, heading toward Boone.