COMMUNITY NEWS
Widen Rotary Club News
Following the departure of Program Chairman Herb Johnson to Florida, Darrell Wood, President of Widen Rotary Club, appointed Dr. E. B. Gray to succeed Mr. Johnson. Dr. Gray has now lined up a series of medical films to show at the weekly meetings, the first of which, “Antibiotics”, was shown following dinner on March 2. The film dealt primarily with penicillin and the mass production of that drug in the United States. Most of us take our “shots” of “wonder drugs” as a matter of course, without a thought of the tremendous amount of extremely careful work that has gone into their production. In the case of penicillin, first comes the selection of a living mold containing the proper ingredients, then the careful feeding of that live organism until it has grown to a tremendous size. These molds are tended and grown in laboratories much the same as livestock are raised on a farm, from selective stock and specialized feeding on certain foods. There is enormous expense attached to the development of new drugs and in their original form they would be much too costly for any practical use. Only the mass production techniques of American industry has enabled the drug profession to lower the costs to a point where it is possible for a doctor to administer the shots at a cost within the reach of nearly everyone. Other films of similar interest will be shown on succeeding weeks.
The Widen club recently has been honored by the attendance at some of its meetings of the president of Elk River Coal & Lumber Company, Robert Hughes, and the vice president, Steve Canonico, who is an active member of the Rotary Club of Clarksburg. Other recent guests have been Russell Decker, of Industrial Engineers of Fairmont, and Richard Pate, manager of the Insurance Department of Clinchfield Coal Company.
The Rotary Club of Widen is always happy to welcome guests, particularly visiting Rotarians. These guests soon learn that although we’re not a real big club so far as membership is concerned and don’t go in too much for elaborate programs, we are probably the best fed club in the state, if not in all Rotary, thanks to Club Manager Harry Taka, our only remaining Charter Member, who very shortly will complete thirty successive years as a member of the Widen Club.
Members Woman’s Club Attend Convention
Members of the Widen Woman’s Club attending the 53rd annual convention of the West Virginia Federation of Women’s Clubs at the Greenbrier Hotel, White Sulphur Springs, West Virginia, were: Mrs. Harold L. Beattie, Mrs. E. D. Moyers, Mrs. Cecil Butcher, Mrs. E. B. Gray, Mrs. Marie Donohue, Mrs Robert Osborne Mrs. Scott Williams and Miss Hazel Baughman. The convention was on March 19th to 21, 1959.
Mrs. Scott Williams and Miss Hazel Baughman were named as delegates from the Widen Womans Club and also served as ushers on the evening of March 19th. Mrs. Harold L. Beattie, First Vice President of Capitol District and Mrs. Cecil Butcher, President of the Widen Woman’s Club were in the processional at the evening session, Thursday, March 19th. Mrs. Beattie was in charge of ushers for the entire convention.
Boy Scout News
Widen Troop III happily chose Monday, March 2, as the date for its first cookout this year. That turned out to be one of the few really nice days during the first half of March. Eight boys accompanied Scoutmaster E. C. George to Heart Rock, on top of the hill above the ball diamond. Climbing the hill is fun for the boys it’s just a bit hard on the scoutmaster. About half way up the hill we found evidence that some carnivorous form of wildlife had dined on pheasant. A few large colorful tail feathers and a multitude of soft, white downy feathers gave mute evidence of the successful hunt, probably by a fox. The rock itself, named for its shape, juts out over the valley. At the rear of the rock there is a large solid overhang, beneath which the boys build their cooking fires in shelter.
The troop has made many trips to that rock and on each occasion the boys seem to have more fun than the last time. Directly across Buffalo Valley from Heart Rock is another piece of the same formation, called Saddle Rock by the youngsters. That is another favorite spot for cookouts. At the March 2 outing, Roger Mick, the only tenderfoot in the troop, passed his fire building and cleanup tests. To do that, he gathered the wood for his fire, built a good fireplace, started his fire with one match, kept it going while he cooked his supper, then doused the fire (Boy Scout fashion?), and left the area cleaner than he found it.
Three newcomers to the troop are coming along nicely with their tenderfoot work. They are Kelly Sparks, son of Flavy Sparks; Freddie Donohue, son of Paul Donohue; Daniel Wood, son of Darrell Wood, who appeared for the first time at a meeting on his eleventh birthday, March 16.
Several outstanding events are in the offing for the local troop and scouts generally in this area. First is the Spectacular, a tremendous scouting show at the Civic Center in Charleston on April 3 and 4. Several national notables will be in attendance, including Bill Pierce, champion archer who not only will demonstrate his skill, but will shoot against any who care to try to match his shots. Also, there will be a nationally famous marksman, an indoor swimming pool in which among other things there will be log-rolling, or birling, demonstrations. A feature of the show will be the appearance of Col. Chuck Yeager, of supersonic flight fame, who will do the announcing for a live showing of jet formation flying by a team that will come from Martinsburg to put on a performance over the city of Charleston. Scout officials at Buckskin Council headquarters have also said there will be a noted TV character in attendance, but have thus far refused to reveal his identity. Tickets for the event have been sold locally by the members of Troop III, and may also be obtained at the door of the Civic Center on show days.
On April 1, several troops will be represented at a tree-planting near Renick, when some 5,000 tiny plants will be set out by scouts. Then the last two weekends in May, district and council camporees will be held. The local troop will go to Camp Clifton McClintic for the week of July 26, to August 1. Council officials have announced that the advance registration for summer camp is the earliest and heaviest in history. It is expected that at least ten boys from Troop 111 will spend a week in camp this summer.
Unusual Things Happen on the Golf Course
The hazards of the first-time out gave trouble to at least one member of Widen’s golfingest threesome recently. Playing at Hawk’s Nest one Sunday early in March, one of the lads managed to three-putt fifteen of the eighteen greens. At the other extreme, one of the others required only one putt on thirteen greens. Funny thing is, their final scores were very similar, the poor putter having no trouble getting to the greens but being unable to take advantage of his success on the fairways, with a vice versa case for his buddy. That’s what makes golf the great game it is, and keeps the men coming back time after time, searching for that elusive golden day when every shot has the perfection that every golfer has in mind when he starts his swing. And, of course, if all else fails, there is always the nineteenth hole, which only the inveterate golf bug can really appreciate.
BRIEFS & ANNOUNCEMENTS
WEST VIRGINIA TEST: The Clay County Club test will be given Friday, April 10. The superintendent’s office will provide the Junior Citizens tests. The tests for Discoverers, 5th grade; Explorers’ 6th grade and Pioneers’ 7th grade, will be made up by the teachers of the schools.
SPELLING BEE—: The date of the Clay County spelling contest has been set for Saturday, April 18, 10 o’clock A. M., in the Clay County High School auditorium. Watch the county newspapers for announcement of prizes to be awarded to the winners.
MARCH OF DIMES results for 1959, made a total of $767.67, raised by the Clay County Schools.
