December 1958
Dear Jerry—
Weather-wise, it looks as though we may have a white Christmas! We have had our first snow of the season since the last issue of Widen News. Cold weather is really here, too. Only two more shopping days until Christmas—hope you have all your shopping done, these last few days are always hectic.
Mr. and Mrs. Carroll Gray spent the Thanksgiving Holidays with their son and daughter-in-law, Dr. and Mrs. E. B. Gray. While here they made the “acquaintance” of their new granddaughter — little Elizabeth Ann Gray, who was born during the latter part of September.
Miss Judith George is spending the Christmas Holidays with her parents, Mr. and Mrs. E. C. George of Kanawha Street. Judy is a freshman at Indiana Unievrsity. [sic]
Miss Betty Jayne Craft is also spending the Christmas Holidays with her parents. Betty is the daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Garland D. Craft and is attending school at Glenville State Teachers College.
Mr. Gerald Simmons, band director, spent the Thanksgiving Holidays with his parents in Winston Salem, North Carolina.
We had a nice long letter from Mr. T. I. Beam, father of George Beam. Mr. Beam lives in Arlington, West Virginia. He expressed the hope that everyone on Buffalo Creek are happy and doing well.
Mr. and Mrs. Dorsel Perry are the parents of a new daughter, born at Widen, November 1958. The baby has been named Capris Shane Perry. Mr. Perry is in the U. S. Army and is presently serving overseas.
Mr. and Mrs. “Russ” Mullins had all their children and grandchildren as guests on Thanksgiving Day. Mr. and Mrs. Pat Morris and three children from Ivydale, Mr. and Mrs. Bob Neal and son from Summersville, Mr. and Mrs. Ed Mullins and two children, Tom Mullins and Russell, Jr., all of Widen.
Mr. and Mrs. George Morris, Jr., announce the birth of a daughter at Widen, W. Va., December 8, 1958. Mrs. Morris is the former Margaret Ann Holcomb, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Clyde Holcomb of Kanawha Street.
We wish for all of our readers a Merry Christmas, and hope that it is observed in it’s true meaning and not as a pagan holiday.
May the New Year bring much happiness and success in whatever you are doing—
Bye ’till next month.
—Co-Editors
Relief Committee Meets November 22
The Widen Relief Committee met at the offices of Elk River Coal and Lumber Company at 11 A.M. on Saturday, November 22, 1958, to consider matters pertaining to its business accumulated since its meeting on October 24. The employees were represented by Billy G. Facemire, Edgar Donohue, James Triplett, Lloyd Butcher, Jr., and Carl Young. Company representatives were H. L. Beattie, H. S. Williams, R. G. Elliott, and G. D. Craft.
The list of retired men remains unchanged, with twenty-seven pensioners. Only Ira Eagle and Joe Boggs have accepted retirement during the past two years, although there are a number of other employees who have been eligible for quite some time.
Fifteen men received disability benefits for November, of whom ten were off all month and five for a portion of the month. Thirteen men remained on the list at the end of November.
Thirty-eight widows and sixty-nine surviving minor children of deceased employees received benefits for November. One widow who recently remarried was taken off the list, and the widow and five small children of William Douglas, killed in an automobile accident on November 9, were added.
Medical and hospital bills were paid for two hundred one employees and their families, at Charleston, Clay, Clendenin, Cowen, Gassaway, Gauley Bridge, Glenville, Richwood, Rowlesburg, St. Albans, Spencer, Summersville, Sutton, Webster Springs, and Weston, W. Va., and Middleport, Ohio, and Salem, Indiana, and addition to the list available at Widen Medical Department and Charleston General Hospital.
Are your dependents listed correctly with your employer? Is the beneficiary on the insurance policy the beneficiary you want to receive the proceeds if anything happens to you? Does the beneficiary know where the policy is kept? Those are all simple queries, and if you can’t answer “Yes” to each of them, you may well save your family time, money, and embarrassment by taking a brief of about ten minutes of your own time now. Along the same lines, have you made a will, especially if you own any property? If you know how you want to dispose of your possessions, or rather what disposition you want made of them if anything happens to you, better get it into proper legal written form. Many a nice congenial family has been turned into a bunch of bitter wranglers because Daddy neglected to prepare for that moment which must come to all of us sooner or later. Most people wouldn’t think of neglecting their families during their lifetimes, so why leave a mess for them to clean up when you’re gone? Property of persons dying without a will is apportioned by the courts according to law, and that may not be the way you want it, and in case there happens to be any considerable amount of it, chances are a good piece of it will go for attorneys’ fees. These are all items that must be taken care of while you’re still alive, and while all of us like to think we’ll be around for a long time, who knows what tomorrow may bring?
WIDEN WOMAN’S CLUB TESTED RECIPE
Pumpkin Pie
1 C. Granulated sugar
1-2 tsp. salt
1 1-2 tsp. cinnamon
1-2 tsp. nutmeg
1-2 tsp. ginger
1-2 tsp. Allspice
1-2 tsp. Cloves
1 1-2 C. Canned Pumpkin
2 eggs
1 2-3 C. Carnation Milk
9 inch single unbaked pie crust. Mix filling ingredients until smooth. Place in unbaked pie crust. Bake in hot oven (425 degrees F.) 15 minutes. Lower temperature to moderate (350 degrees F.) and continue baking about 35 minutes or until custard is firm.