6
To The Editor
BEST SUPPORT?
BACKLASH!
Dear Editor:
Who is Albert Forrester? I looked
through the phone books in Jefferson
and Berkeley Counties and can't find
him. Of course he's only been here five
years, maybe he hasn't gotten
established.
I hope I'm wrong but he sounds like
an escapee from D.C. government that
wants to get involved in local affairs,
good7
Before he sounds off too much, I'd
like to tell him, don't put words in West
Virginia mouths, it don't work!
I'velived here and owned proper-
ty for nearly 30 years, but I know bet-
ter than to advise a West Virginia
native on how or whom to vote for.
Albert, you're the best support that
Master has bad in the last ten years,
keep up your good work!
Sincerely,
Fred E. Kennel
Harpers Ferry
OPPOSING VIEW
To the Editor:
Having lived in the Eastern Panhan-
dle for over seven years now, I am
beginning to see a distressing pattern
in the actions and behavior of Charles
Town Mayor D.C. Master.
After a number of years of apparent-
ly quietly administermg the town, Mr.
Master, in a burst of emotion, blurted
out how he thought women on welfare
should be made sterile, thus bringing
about a break in the chain of welfare
dependency. Such feelings may be
understandable, especially if one is
frustrated at the many troubles that
face you in an adnC|nistrative position,
(and politicians are always putting a
foot in the mouth), but what I find
disturbing is the aftermath of this
statement, which brought national at-
tention to Charles Town and D.C.
Master. The illustrious mayor got
himself in the national news and, if I
recall correctly, onto television.
After a couple of years, Charles
Town and Master had returned to the
alaonymous sta*te of most small towns
and their citizens when things are
routine. At this time, Master again
brought up his sterilization scheme --
but only the local newspapers gave
him any space• The national press just
yawned this time -- they had heard it
before, and this was not of national
importance.
Then the drug business took on the
dimensions of a go-go growth industry,
and Master again opens his mouth to
espouse the legalization of narcotics,
to be sold like "chewing gum," accor-
ding to his original proposal.
Since then, the illustrious mayor and
fearless leader has been getting more
ink (both locally and nationally), and
has been on television twice, including
a network talk show. Master is a hot
property!
Perhaps he is too hot for Charles
:Town, considering the trouble he is go.
trig through to get his name in the
press, and that is just the thing Charles
:Town residents ought to he thinking of.
-Rather than spending time with his
:veterinary practice and keeping an
eye on his city, Master seems to be out
to make himself a celebrity.
If Master wants to be well known,
:fltt is his right, but in his position, he
4hould be a celebrity for doing
:something constructive. He could be a
,mad at conomng t,
recognizing that growth in our area is
inevitable, but pertmps can he directed
tba pleasant formthat benefits new
and old residents. Instead, he and the
Jefferson County Commission have
tried to stop development, as if it was
so easy to just put up a wall and keep
out the mobs. He could have been a
man who would recognize that mass
transit could he a very important tool
in controlling development and
tvoiding the traffic jams that are in-
evitable with rapid population growth.
Instead, he wants to abolish the inade-
quate bus service we now have.
, He cotfld have been a man who could
tell teens to stay in control by staying
€ff drup -- that drup make your body
fike an automobile that has no brakes
and no steering wheel. Instead, his
original plan would have had the dru
sold over the comity to anybody -- and
an you imagine the television com-
mercials the clrng-Aling corlxwations
vould put on the air? (The spoofs on
Tijuana Gold that used to Into on Satur-
day Night Live would come to life --
but not as spoofs l)
Of course, none of these alternatives
would have gotten D.C. Master on na-
il television. But then, if Master
fan f'md the time to make a trip to New
York to appear on TV, maybe he
kesn't have the time to run Charles
Town. Or maybe the running of
Garles Town doesn't take up enough
of his time -- which makes me wonder
if Charles Town needs D.C. Master.
Anybody for impeachment?
David P. Lubic
206 Clover Street
Martiusburg, W. Va. 25401
Dear Editor:
Vincent Parmesane apparently
took some unintended offense at my
reference to Sbepherdstown as a
historic ghost town• Shepherdstown
is picturesque but bankrupt and I
don't want to see that happen in
Charles Town too.
Shepherdstown is the oldest town in
West Virginia and deserves to have
its history protected and preserved. I
fail to understand how that is
achieved by "hiding from the In-
dians". A town can be perfectly
preserved and be perfectly dead
which is unnecessary. There has
even been talk of Shepberdstown
having to disincorporate because of
the failure to provide for economic
health and vitality.
I regret the severe problems
Sbepherdstown faces and l'd hate to
see Charles Town emulate the exam-
ple. Charles Town believes that in-
sisting it is still 1955 will make it so.
Actions, or the lack of them, can have
unexpected adverse consequences as
they have in Shepherdstown. Charles
Town has som hard realities to face
and deal with which will not respond
to leadership which lurches from one
crisis to the next. Without vision and
leadership, we have no hope of
remaining prosperous and preser-
ving our history and culture.
Sincerely,
Albert O• Forrester
BUY DIAPERS
To the Editor:
Now that my Spirit of Jefferson-
Advocate has trickled its way down to
me here in Dallas, I feel a response is
due to Master-on-Drugs.
First, I want to thank D.C. Masters
for telling the world about my letter to
him concerning drug legalization. Of
all the letters he says he recevet rm--
just wondering why he picked mine to
analyze in The Spirit?
As for his numbers, "The majority
of" zero tolerance people from Texas
and California and "the older genera-
tion" of 70 and 80 year olds "in favor
of" drug legalization, I'm again
wondering where the good mayor
came upon them.
Now, to his thoughts on the drug pro-
blem. Where does the mayor think the
"good ole dollar bills" are coming
from to support another giveaway
program. Surely, NOT FROM ME!
I'm 57 years old and feel like I'm car-
rying about 5 of the bums, welfare
recipients, jailbirds, lazY, etc., and
I conclude they are getting a bit heavy.
The people of this nation are taxed to
death now, much less buying a "free
fix" for the dopers, with the expecta-
tion that sometime in his lifetime he
will "see the light...maybe."
With my tax dollars, I would much
rather buy free diapers for the il-
legitimate babies ,of our unwed,
teenage mothers ages 13 to 16, or a
good bottle of Gallo for all our winos,
or a new Ford pickup for all the hard-
working slobs of this country. Oops!
Now Fm getting on a second grade
level of thinking.
Lastly, I say this, only one good
thought I relish, in the entire Master-
on-Drugs hog-wash. "If they are bent on
frying their brains, SO m rr!"
Then, the funeral directors and all
support businesses would prosper.
From Texas
Austin Kranenberg
One-YEAR AGO-One
J. Scott Shipe, secretary for the
Charles Town Lions Club, is named
Lion of the Year for 1968-87.
Conrad "Connie" Hammann, of
Shepherdstown, president of Halltown
Paperboard Company, is elected to the
Board of Directors of the National
Paperbox and Packaging Association.
MARRIED: Deanna Lynn Spunlch,
Charles Town, and Michael Alan Bell,
Evansville, Ind.; Margaret E. Vorous,
Winchester, Va., and David C. Musick,
Lebanon, Va.
DEATHS: Lyle Shriver Catlett, 57,
dies in Martiusburg Veterans Ad-
ministration Hospital; Mrs. Grace L.
Rosenberry, 81, dies in Rose Hill Nur-
sing Home, Berryvflle, Va.; David C.
Orr, 48, dies in Martiusburg's City
Hospital; Raymond Lee Valentine,.
Jr., 64, dies in Martinsburg VA
Medical Center; Robert C. (R.B.)
Bruffy, Jr., Bakerton, dies of injuries
sustained in an automobile accident;
Shirley J. "Jay" Eby, dies in
Chatsworth, Calif.; Grmiville Eugene
"Catfish" Penwell, 68, dies in Mar-
tinsburg VA Medical Center; Horace
Thornton, 43, dies in Jefferson
Memorial Hospital; Gerald D. Bast,
St., 78, dies in Washington County,
Md., Hospital in Hagerstown; Mrs.
Josephine Bielaski, 58, dies in George
Washington University Hospital,
Washington, D.C.; Mrs. Nellie C.
Oden, 76, dies in Martinsburg's City
Hospital; Charles Henry Stiles, 62,
dies at his home in Boomboro, bid.
SPIRIT OF JEFFERSON Farmer's ADVOCATE -- THURSDAY, JULY 14, 1988
E:00,3wn Memory Lane... 1
Church members at the Charles Town Methodist Church pose o the entran- Robert Manuel (in uniform), Melvin Strider and C.W. "B,-,-
ce steps in the year of 1918 or 1919. Some known members include Mrs. Anna photo was furnished by Mildred Barton Hoffmaster, now of /{
Editorial Byrd
Jefferson Leads the Way onZomllg V-'
A piece of history was made here last
Thursday.
Jefferson County, faced with the spectre
of phenomenal growth during the next
decade, became the first county in the state
of West Virginia to adopt a zoning ordinan-
ce.
The adoption was not accomplished over-
night. It was spread over a period of more
than three years. It involved dedicated per-
formances by appointed members of the
Jefferson County Planning Commission,
aided by input from the Citizens Advisory
Committee, representative of many
segments of county population, and from
pvate individuals as well.
Even after the original measure was
drafted by the planning commission, the
document was placed on public inspection,
and public hearings by the Jefferson County
Commission, the final deciding body, were
not only conducted but the Commission
responded to the suggestions of those who
attended and offered nearly a dozen amen-
dments which were in turn accepted
unanimously by the planning commission.
The final ordinance, now available (at a
price) at the planning commission office, is
not the severely restrictive measure
utilized in some other communities. But it
does provide the basis for controlling
growth patterns that will stand the county
in good stead in years ahead.
It is a measure which should be accep-
table to those who do not favor strong
restrictive measures; and certainly it
should be acceptable to those who feel it is
not restrictive enough, inasmuch as it so
designed as to be easily amended upon
petition by those affected, and by prompt
action of the planning commission and the
Jefferson County Commission.
The ordinance (which does not become ef-
fective until October 7 of this year) deser-
ves the support of the majority of Jefferson
County citizens because it provides a
guarantee that growth control is available,
and can be utilized.
Rejection of the measure would, in the
opinion of many, doom Jefferson County to
uncontrolled growth, even if another or-
dinance were adopted within the next five
years, simply because, in the meantime,
under present regulations, available land
areas would be gobbled up by developers
and unrestricted sprawl, without regard to
any esthetic factors, would take place.
In short, it is far better to have at hand,
and on the books, an ordinance that will
provide the basis for controls, than to have
no ordinance at all.
We commend the Jefferson Planning
Commission, the countless number of in-
dividuals who worked on advisory commit-
tees or of their own personal volition,
providing input for the measure, for what
has to be their full concern for the future of
Jefferson County, in which many have
lived, prospered and enjoyed, and who wish
to enjoy its benefits in the future.
By
Robert
As I was
Valley
I reflected
ing Software Valley!
Virginia, and on
state's economic
A century ago,
the infancy of
boom. The mature1
out of that boom
Virginia with
familiar--coal,
chemicals, gas,
labor-intensive
But we live
ing economies,
terns, changing .1
changing compefi/
Throughout my
ed to promote W
tional industries. /
cCOrmcema?d my i;
But, t
L00.g new ec0n000i00
• 'nia's fu
west Virgl fu
stage for West Vi:
the world not as it i.
might like it to be #
ing, but to compete
That is one of the
I joined in launcz.l
Valley movement.
Survival in toY
largely a matter d
technological ste
rivals. Industri
matter of bei g ,.
_.-------_. . Repeating
"Truth never damages a cause that is just."--Mohandas K. Gandhi
"You cannot live without lawyers, and certainly you cannot die without them."
Joseph Hodges Choate,
lawyer and diplomat
News of Other Years
intensive. .._
Through the Sot"
ment, I hope t,_t
West Virginia s ee'lL
00hnology,
dustries in our staW
of flexible compute./
and that we can
business and econ
our state never tS':
here. :i ]
Above all, w
economic foundafia°
c_n
an0000omeo
support their f
Certainly, we .c
federal programS
quality of life in o
in of
rising cries for fler
largesse is an un l 1
In the final analys
future rests
p00vateen0000V00
through o-, - :
Mary Lee Starling Lyon, a resident
of the Jeffersonian Manor Nursing
Home in Charles Town, observes her
• 100th birthday.
Jockey philip Grove, a Frederick,
Md., native is honored following his
3,000th career victory at the Charles
Town Races.
I--YEARS AGO-10
President Jimmy Carter pays
Harpers Ferry a surprise visit as he
tours the historic Jefferson County
town.
Indians finish in third place in
seasonal play of the National Division
of the Little League.
The Astros roll through a perfect
15-0 season to capture the American
Division championship of the Jeffer-
son Little Le_gue baseball.
MARRIED: Deborah Deanna Har-
dy and Alex James Nagy, both of
Harpers Ferry; Cynthia Gay Ganon,
Charles Town, and Michael Noll
Wilson, Martinsburg; Cynthia Marie
Vickers, Charles Town, and Densil
Lynn Nibert, Point Pleasant, W.Va.
DEATHS: Howard Edward Shreck,
84, dies in Jefferson Memorial
Hospital; Mrs. tsahell Harm, 65, dies
in Oak Ridge, Tenn., Hospital; Mrs.
Harry (Gladys) Evelyn Schlack, 74,
dies in Martinsburg's City Hospital;
Miss Mabel Lorraine Miskell, 88, dies
in the Knott Nursing Home; Mrs.
Helen E. Aguiar, 73, dies in Arbutus,
Md.; Mrs. Lillian Irene Mykers, 75,
dies in Jefferson Memorial Hospital;
Csrles Franklin Engie, 65, dim in Jef-
ferson Memorial Hospital; Mrs. May
T. Johnson, 65, dies in Martinsburg's
King's Daughters Hospital; William O.
DeLauney, 78, dies at his home in
Sharpsburg, Md.; Robert Lee Hill, 50,
dies in Martinsburg's VA Medical
Center; Mrs. Elizabeth P. Huff, 73,
dies in Washington Hospital,
Fredericksburg, Va.; Marvin Ed-
wards, 83, dies in the VA Medical
Center, Martinsburg.
20-YEARS AGO-20
Tummy Lee Hicks, daughter of Mr.
and Mrs. Ray Hicks and Keith Wayne
Kain, son of Mr. and Mrs. Morris Kain,
are the grand prize winners in the
baby contrest staged by the Bolivar
Civic Association at Harpers Ferry
High School.
Miss B.J. Allara and Miss Cynthia
Cain represent Bee Line Chapter,
NSDAR, at American Heritage Week
at Cedar Lakes.
30--YEARS AGO-30
E.M. Whiting and Douglas Cooper,
of Winchester, purchase the auto
business of Jefferson County, Inc.,
from J. David Yowell, of Charles
Town.
Lightning desVoys the large ham on
the Robert W. McCormick farm with
an estimated $35,000 damage to the
structure and its contents.
DEATH: Hezekian W. Sager,
former farmer and store operator,
dies in the local hospital.
MARRIED: Miss Lucia Hedwig
Scholz, of Kaiserlautern, Germany,
and Technical Sergeant Ray H.
Longerbeam, of Summit Point.
Mrs. George R. Heidrich, of Her-
mitage Farms, of Charles Town, is
named executive secretary of the Jef-
ferson County Chapter of the
American Red Cross, succeeding Mrs,
John D. James.
40-YEARS AGO--40
DEATHS: Mrs. Ella Whittington
dies at her Shenandoah Junction
home; Mrs. Ernestine Ardella Lake
dies in Shepherdstown; James Bowers
is fatally injured when his auto over- moting
Established 1844
Published Weekly on
The Jefferson Publishing CompanY,
2 1 0 North George Street Charles Town,
Telephone: (304) 725-2046 Second Cl.J
, Mail Address: P.O. Box 966 Paid at Charu; T°'.
Charles Town, W. Va. 25414
Annual Subcription Price
To All U.S.A. Addresses t
I
Advertming l::)eadline Monde t 5..00 P'ld'iill "
