Biographies “State hopes to publish veterans' biographies - Charleston Daily Mail” plus 4 more

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• State hopes to publish veterans' biographies - Charleston Daily Mail
• St. Maura - Catholic Online
• 1000s of film biographies - Tiscali
• Public library use climbing as people try to save - Salisbury Post
• Keeping history on track: Director dreams of museum growth - Salisbury Post

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State hopes to publish veterans' biographies - Charleston Daily Mail Posted: 01 Nov 2009 09:26 PM PST CHARLESTON, W.Va.--They live on through names engraved in granite, but a memorial dedicated to the West Virginia men and women who died in military service during major 20th Century wars reveals nothing of their personal stories. A self-taught artist, the cover girl of a nursing booklet and an All-American center in football are among those who sacrificed their lives. State archives and history officials hope to collect more of those kinds of details as they work to develop online biographies for all 11,427 soldiers whose names are carved in the West Virginia Veterans Memorial. The research began about five years ago, and as of last week the state had 47 biographies completed and three more nearly ready. Lately, efforts have been focused on re-carving names on the Veterans Memorial to correct errors and add missing names. That project recently was completed, so staff members of the state Division of Culture and History plan to put more time into the biography work and are seeking the public's help. "We just want families to know we are doing this and we welcome any information they might have," Veterans Memorial Assistant Constance Baston said. "It means a lot to them." Childhood friends and surviving veterans also may be good sources of information for the biographies, which recognize West Virginia soldiers who died either in combat or from accidents or disease during periods of recognized conflict in World War I, World War II, the Korean War and the Vietnam War. State archives officials inherited files of information about those veterans in 1998. Some files included names of family members, but others had very little information. Some veterans were unmarried. Others had no siblings. Many names were pulled from casualty lists. "It can be difficult to track," said Joe Geiger, the acting director of archives and history. Finding information on World War I veterans is a particular problem, archivist Debra Basham said. "Most of the widows are gone, a lot of the kids are gone," Basham said. "World War II is going to get there. "They all had hopes or dreams for their futures," Basham added. "You don't want to forget them." While there is enough information about many veterans to write short biographies now, archives officials want to go further in remembering who each person was. "We could do a biography on every one of them, but it's just words on a page," Geiger said. Archives officials are seeking photos of soldiers in uniform, family photos and school pictures. Other materials could include medals, articles and letters, as well as information about student activities or athletics. "Those biographies are very sensory," Baston said. Capt. James Fields Mayenschein of Malden and Pvt. James Junior George of Belington were among those who gave their lives during World War II. Because of information passed on by family members, those who read their names also can learn that George was involved with the Civilian Conservation Corps and that Mayenschein played football and rode a motorcycle. The U.S. War Department wrote that George was killed in action in 1945 near Schelden, Germany, and a fellow Barbour County soldier wrote that George was said to have been "a brave kid and a good soldier," his biography said. Because of a misunderstanding regarding another soldier named James George, family members initially thought he was coming home. But George's sister, Juanita Kyle of Belington, said she remembers her father returning from the coal mines after a co-worker received a letter from his son telling him about George's death. "It's important that people around us know that our brothers and sisters and husbands and fathers have given their life for their country," Kyle said. "It's important for the generations to come to know the sacrifice that has been put there for them." Mayenschein was married and had two children, including Patricia Duncan of Belle. Duncan was just a baby when her father died in 1945 at Iwo Jima. He was posthumously awarded the Silver Star for saving his company while in combat, and one of his men wrote about "how much we liked our Captain, how we admired his courage and leadership," his biography said. Duncan said she would like to see more veterans remembered. "We have a tendency to keep on running with our lives," Duncan said. "We've got to stop and remember - they are a whole lot of the reason we are free. And the ones who are fighting now are the reason we are free." Families, friends and veterans who have information can set up appointments with archives officials and bring their materials to the state Culture Center, where researchers can take photos or make copies and hand those original materials right back to them, Geiger said. Archives and history officials have developed a form to collect information about veterans that includes nicknames, family members' names, education, extracurricular activities, pre-war jobs, marriage and children, duty assignments, death and burial. Biographies already on display can be found at the division's Web site, www.wvculture.org/history/wvmemory/vets/vetbios.html. "They gave up the life they had at the time and the life they could have had," Baston said. "They had plans and they had a family. We just don't want them to be forgotten." Those with more information about veterans listed on the West Virginia Veterans Memorial can contact Constance Baston at constance.bas...@wvculture.org or 304-558-0230, ext. 139. Contact writer Michelle Saxton at michelle.sax...@dailymail.com or 304-348-4843.   This content has passed through fivefilters.org.
St. Maura - Catholic Online Posted: 02 Nov 2009 12:10 AM PST	A | B | C | D | E | F | G | H | I | J | K | L | M | N | O | P | Q | R | S | T | U | V | W | X | Y | Z Find Saint: Products | Books | Prayers | Saint of the Day Search Saints:
1000s of film biographies - Tiscali Posted: 27 Oct 2009 09:17 AM PDT This content has passed through fivefilters.org.
Public library use climbing as people try to save - Salisbury Post Posted: 02 Nov 2009 12:32 AM PST Monday, November 02, 2009 1:31 AM | Rowan Public Library When the going gets tough, the tough still get going — to the library. Attendance is up at the Rowan Public Library, and showing no signs of slowing down. "It's been steadily increasing over the last couple of months, and our attendance is high compared to the same time last year," said library manager Suzanne White, who oversees library public services. Attendance climbed 4 percent in September compared to a year ago, according to the most recent Rowan Public Library stats, and circulation of materials is up 7 percent. "The trend appears to be continuing," said White, who has noticed more people coming in and taking advantage of resources including career and business materials and computer training. "The library brings people together in an inclusive, supportive environment — we're helping people look for and apply for jobs online and find information and resources to improve their skills and education." For many in Rowan County, it seems the libraries' free services are ever more needed — and adding up to big savings. Library users have free access to the Internet, newspapers, magazines, books and movies. The library is definitely a money saver for Kimber Huffman and her family, who are all big readers. "I come to the library all the time," she said, "maybe twice a week or more. "We check out movies and books, and my girls have been coming to story times since they were babies. We get help with all kinds of homework assignments and research information for ourselves. It's my first go-to for almost everything — always before the bookstore or the movie rental places. Everything's free, and the staff is always so friendly and helpful." Whitey Harwood uses the library to get information on hard-to-find topics, biographies and local lore. "I really like the magazine exchange at the South Rowan library, too," he said. Dr. Rowland King and his wife, Marilyn, are retired and moved here three years ago. They have been attending computer classes at the library these last three years. "We like the variety of classes, everything from working with digital photos, to using e-mail, buying and selling on eBay, trip planning, searching Google and social networking — and we are really impressed with the instructor, who is so supportive and patient." "We come here all the time," said James Holcomb, who was with his son, Joshua, 2, last week at the South Rowan Library. "We check out children's books and I get information I need, for myself and for my family, and I check out DVDs, too. I also use the genealogy room in Salisbury to work on my family tree. I don't have Internet at home, so it's easy to come here and get the information I need, and the people who work here are really helpful." "As state and county funding becomes tighter, it becomes more of a challenge —but more important than ever, to meet the growing needs of our community," said Library Director Jeff Hall. This content has passed through fivefilters.org.
Keeping history on track: Director dreams of museum growth - Salisbury Post Posted: 02 Nov 2009 01:01 AM PST Monday, November 02, 2009 1:29 AM | By Deirdre Parker Smith dp1@salisburypost.com Nearly 20 years in Rowan County has convinced N.C. Transportation Museum Executive Director Elizabeth Smith that this is home. Sitting in her office in the Master Mechanics office on the site, Smith works amid the nearly constant sound of train whistles and clacking tracks. You can hear her coworkers in the offices around her, answering the phone, making plans. She says the best thing about her job is her staff and the volunteers. "It's a great group of people. They have good ideas and are able to carry them through. ... I can be away and not worry about what's going on." She supervises 18 full-time employees and four part-time workers, along with 80-85 active volunteers. "Those volunteers do everything, from operating the trains, to school tours, to working on the engines." And she says the younger people have learned a lot from the men who actually worked at Spencer Shops in its heyday. The worst part of the job is doing budgets, especially in the current climate. "We learned long ago how to stretch a dollar a long way," she said. "But sometimes it works out better than we expected." The state relies on tourism as part of its economy and supports places like the museum, which gets more than 100,000 visitors a year. Smith gives credit to the museum's support group, the N.C. Transportation Museum Foundation, for acquiring exhibits when they become available. Smith, born in the historic town of New Bern, went to Meredith College in Raleigh, where one of her classmates was Spencer native Kim Everhart Lentz. After college, she was a tour guide in Raleigh at the State Capitol and the governor's mansion. When she moved to Spencer in 1990 to be assistant site manager, it was a promotion. Then she became executive director in 1998. She'll soon have 30 years in as a state employee, but she doesn't think about retirement. When she was site manager, she worked with Don Wooten. Her job was to make sure the museum had enough volunteers, that the school tours were organized and that visitors had a good experience. "A lot of what I learned was from the people who were here in the early days," including longtime volunteers Julia and C.E. Spear. She learned from folks such as Bill Hatley, Hotshot Williams and Jack Vale. Larry Neal now has her job and is called chief of museum services and education. "She's taught me a lot about being a manager," Neal says. "She puts a lot of trust in me and my abilities." Kelly Alexander, who works with the foundation, gets a lot of credit from Smith for making things work. Alexander says Smith is "a very kind person. She doesn't like confrontation and she tries to work things out. That's the thing I think most about her. She wants to find a compromise." It was the museum's potential that attracted Smith to the job, and her lifelong love of history. "My mother insisted we all learn history." Smith's father worked for Piedmont Aviation, and his uniform is on exhibit. Her dream is to see the museum continue to grow, "keeping railroading at the forefront" but also with autos, trucks and aviation. Her favorite exhibit is the old flight simulator. She sees more support locally in the last couple of years, partly due, she says, to Mark Brown, information and communications specialist. "He's out in the community and getting the word out." Plus this year's "staycation" trend brought more local visitors to the site. "People in Rowan are so open. I think more people in Rowan are aware of us and where we are." She wants to help get museum visitors across the street to restaurants and shops in Spencer. The train ride now covers more of the town, and volunteers are telling more Spencer stories. The most unusual part of her job is answering odd questions. She gets a lot of people asking for old employee records of people who worked at the shops. But Southern Railway took most of that when the company left town. Perhaps the oddest question came from someone who asked if he could land a plane on the site. Although she lived in Spencer for years, she and her husband, Donnie, whom she met in Spencer, moved to China Grove recently, where they're fixing up his grandmother's house. "I still go to church here, at Calvary Lutheran." She plays handbells and is in the choir. She's the chairman of the advisory board for the Salvation Army, a group she appreciates for all its work with hurricane victims. She enjoys learning the history of Rowan from her friend Kaye Brown Hirst, and they have both been on the N.C. Museums Council. She loves to read, especially mysteries and historical novels, as well as biographies. "I am fascinated by people and how they become who they are." Her favorite book is "whatever I'm reading at the moment," but she enjoys Anne Rivers Siddons and James Clavell. And this year, she'll be chief judge for the election at one of the precincts in China Grove. She loves to travel. She and her husband took a rail cruise once, Salisbury to Chicago, Chicago to New Orleans and New Orleans back to Salisbury. She'll be a grandmother soon, "a new dimension for me," when her stepson and his wife have their baby. Judging by the piles of paper in her office, she's not going to run out of things to do any time in the near future, which is all about preserving the past. This content has passed through fivefilters.org.

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