Other 9/11 related stories that were in the paper this week: N-G Readers Recall 9/11, Lexington Fire Department's Memorial Ceremony, 'We Will Never Forget,' VMI alum remembers 9/11 on campus, Former FBI agent helped recover Pentagon victims.

This is the front page from Sept. 12, 2001 with the breaking news of the terrorist attacks:

The front page stories in The News-Gazette issue dated September 19, 2001 were:

• A local couple tells of their son who helped with the search for victims at the Pentagon.
• How residents of Rockbridge County and the cities of Lexington and Buena Vista responded to the Sept. 11 events.
• Debate over the boundaries for the new tourism district.
• The plan for Lowe's, next to Walmart, was approved.

Included in this week's flashback are numerous articles and photos that tell of the area residents' response to the September 11 attacks, which range from making ribbons in remembrance, to offering donations and vigils.

Our goal here is to help folks see that there ought to be a place in their lives for the farmers market. It’s not that people should buy all of their food from the market, of course, but to recognize there is merit in knowing that you shook the hand of the farmers who grew the tomatoes in your salad, that you had a good conversation with the person you bought eggs from, and all the ingredients in the bread and pastries are familiar and easy to pronounce. 

Meet Kate Hinderer of Abundant Life Kitchen – a gluten-free, vegan-prepared meals business. She is a single parent of four boys. Up until this year, her youngest son, Reign, would be at farmers markets with her. She started the business during COVID, when she needed to find a way to support her family after moving here from Oregon. 

Farmers markets she participates in are in Lexington, Harrisonburg  and Staunton. She’s been doing this six years and 100 percent of her livelihood comes from market sales.

Did you always know you wanted to do this? What made it happen?

So 2019, my kids and I had gotten out of, let’s just say, a bad marriage and my kids’ dad had left. I was single-parenting three kids when I moved to Virginia, to be close to my best friend because I needed the support. We came here with absolutely nothing. I had my truck, I put the kids’ bikes in the back of the truck, and each of us had a duffel bag full of clothes, and that was everything we had. We moved here to be near my best friend and stayed with her for the end of 2019, into 2020, and worked for her as well. So then, in 2020, COVID strikes, right? So, March 2020 lockdown happens and the kids lost school and I lost my job. We’d only been here for a few months and we’re trying to work on building a life out of, you know, nothing, and COVID knocks out everything basically. 

It wasn’t necessarily one event; it was just more like a growing sense that the year 2020 was going to be a year of abundance for me and for my family. I was like, ‘I don't understand why it’s on my mind because we literally have nothing.’ So why in the world is this on my mind? I was watching the world fall apart, and I thought, 'you know what? Not only are we not going to panic, we're going to hang on to this word of abundance.' Also, we've been given the gift of time. We have all the time in the world, what are we going to do with it? And so I started pursuing the things in life that I was excited about. One was food. I just started cooking a lot. I was just having fun with it and then I had leftovers that me and my kids couldn't eat. So I started sharing it around with my neighbors and with my friends. People kept saying to me repeatedly, ‘You should sell your food. Are you going to start a business with your food? Why don't you start a business with your food?’ At that point, I was like, ‘okay, I guess that's something I'm going to try.’ I named it Abundant Life because that was the word I had gotten, and that was my way of holding on to that word, by putting it right into the business. I will never forget it. 

Can you tell me some of the process of your job – what you make/grow and what your market tasks entail?

So, I've got farmers markets on Wednesdays, just one on Wednesdays, and then two on Saturdays. It's a full-week process. I order all of my ingredients over the weekend or sometimes into Monday. There's food prep Tuesday, ready for Wednesday's market, then food prep Thursday/Friday to get ready for Saturday's market. I mean it's kind of a 24/7 thing; there's not really an off day. Then [I] set up every Wednesday and early every Saturday. I send a person to one market or the other on Saturdays, I take one and then a different person will take the other one depending on what everybody wants to do. I would like to do three next year on Saturdays. The only reason I haven't done that before is just for lack of people who want to work on a Saturday, you know? But I'm finding people, though. 

What are some of the struggles you face with a year-round outdoor market?

Well, mainly having people who want to set up a booth outside when it's zero degrees. The weather, the temperature in the summer can become a problem with fresh food. It's having to make sure that the coolers stay real cold and then I guess logistically just moving food can be a hazard, you know, like hazardous to your car and hazardous to your clothing. So moving the food from place to place, keeping the labels looking nice, keeping the packaging looking nice, this stuff gets damaged just in transit and we try not to but it happens anyway. Then the heat in the summer, I lose a decent amount obviously in the summertime because once it's been out, you can't sell it after that. So I try and eat as much as I can and then after a while I'm like, ‘okay I'm full, I can't eat no more’ and it goes back in the compost pile.

What are the rewards?

Being a single parent, I'm available for whatever my kids need. I feel like it's another blessing, that I get to spend every day with my child versus having to send him somewhere else, you know, to somebody else to parent him. And that's true with all my kids, really. They're at school but every single appointment, I'm there. Every single game, they have or practice or whatever, whatever they need, I'm able to be there for them. I'm in charge of making our schedule and stuff, so it gives me the ability to play all the roles and be a part of everything that's going on in their lives instead of being distant, separate. I have that flexibility and if I worked for someone else, I wouldn't get to have that.

What do you wish people knew about going to the farmers market?

There is so much more behind the scenes than people think. It's not a matter of, ‘oh, we went out in our backyard and we picked vegetables for five minutes and then we popped up our tents.’ No, it's like your whole entire life goes into preparing, to bring this. The local produce, the local artisans – [it’s] your community – that is up every week and it's not easy. Whatever people can be offer[ing] you [here] has everything to do with the rain versus the heat versus the humidity versus whatever's going on in the ground versus the bugs. There's just so much there and it's not smooth, it's not easy and there's so much more work [going] into it than people think. 

I know people talk a lot about, or they complain a lot about, the prices of the farmer's market. The fact is, people want local, handmade products, they want things to be organic and non-sprayed and ethically sourced and all these things; they want all of that but they think that should be cheap to find and that's just not the way that it works. The price is not for the item. The price is for all of the hard work and planning that went into bringing the thing that people are really asking for. So yeah, I wish people would be more aware. We're not just trying to upcharge because we can. There's just so much more moving pieces and more aspects that are impacting what choices we make as business owners. I wish people understood what goes into making a farmers market happen.

And what can we, as citizens, do to help with some of the common issues our local law enforcement officers grapple with to keep our localities the safest places to live in Virginia? In this interview series, we'll look behind the badge to see people, just like you and me, who choose to serve our communities in ways that make us safer and improve our quality of life. 

This week's interview is with Deputy Michael Fitzgerald, a School Resource Deputy for Rockbridge County schools. He's been in law enforcement for 23 years, first with the Lexington Police Department for 19 years and this is his fourth year with the Rockbridge County Sheriff's Office. His favorite food is egg roll in a bowl on a black stone.

Did you always want to be in law enforcement? If not, what was your original career path?

Well, yes and no. From as long as I can remember, I always wanted to either be in law enforcement or in kind of the biology field, whether that was teaching biology or doing marine biology research. So I actually went to James Madison University and I have a bachelor's degree in biology. But I always wanted to be a police officer too so I kind of had those two paths and decided to go into law enforcement. Have been here ever since.

What motivated you to become a police officer?

I've always had an interest in helping people and obviously you can do that through biology, you know whether it's teaching and educating or it's actually being out in the field and helping that way, but in law enforcement it's really up close personal day-to-day. You get to help people. So that kind of was what pushed me to the right instead of the left.

Describe your journey from academy to where you are now.

I graduated high school and [asked myself, 'Do I want to go into law enforcement?' because it's a tough field. It's not for everybody. There are definitely challenges with law enforcement. So I went to JMU and got my degree in biology,  graduated from there in 2002. Still kind of was undecided, kind of figuring out what I wanted to do because you know, I like to be dedicated to it and you know I wanted to go full force in the law enforcement area, go full force into the biology field. 

So I took a couple years and kind of worked odd jobs and did everything and then in 2004 I decided that 'Yep, I'm going to do law enforcement.' So I applied to several places: State Police, Waynesboro, Harrisonburg and Lexington – they had two openings at the time. I was going through the process with Lexington and Lynchburg kind of, they were the two that kind of got it started soonest. Went through the hiring process with Lexington, they agreed to hire me, went to the academy (at that time Lexington goes to Cardinal Criminal Justice Academy which is in Salem). It's 20-some weeks of the Academy, where they do kind of everything: criminal laws, all traffic stops, defensive tactics, driver training. Graduated from the academy, came back to Lexington and did 12 weeks of field training – it’s where you ride with an experienced officer and they do daily observations of you and kind of make sure, 'Hey, you know the basics,' and then teach you some of the stuff that you don't learn in the academy. Graduated from field training and served with Lexington, like I said, 19 years there. 

I worked my way up through patrol, corporal, sergeant, first sergeant, lieutenant and deputy chief. And then there was an opening at the sheriff's office for the school resource deputy position and I just couldn't pass it up. So I came over here in March of 2023 and I've been here ever since. From day one, kind of, I always wanted to be chief because, you know, you kind of get [to know] how the department is going and make sure it's headed in the right direction. But the more I climbed up the ladder, it became more kind of budgeting and equipment management and personnel management. Obviously chiefs and sheriffs, they make a huge impact, they can control the way the department goes but for me, I really wanted that personal kind of making a difference in the everyday life. Being a school resource deputy, all our school resource officer whichever, kind of really always interested me because, you know, the youth is our most important resource. Being able to actually get in day-to-day and make sure that they're safe and they have a safe place to come and get an education, but also kind of helping mentor and just being that person there that, you know, on a day-to-day basis no matter what's going on they know they have somebody they can come to.

What has been your favorite position, role or location?

You know, I can honestly say right now the role I'm in – being a school resource deputy. It was a big choice. I went from deputy chief to school resource. You know, I try to bring a ton to it and really try to make those personal connections with the kids, I mean, it's simple as telling 'good morning' or give them a high five and wishing them well on the weekend or you know stuff like that.

When I started here, I was the first school resource deputy here, they never had one before and you could see certain kids that kind of would shy away from you, you know? They would see the police officer and they would kind of, you know, duck their head or whatever. And now you know it's like I'm a part of their community. I know some of them have come up and told me things that, you know, and it's a big family - there's Miss Camden and Miss Bailey. Obviously they'll tell their teachers stuff but sometimes having that other person, I know some of the kids are kind of more comfortable talking to me. You know, there's things that I can help them with that obviously the school can't. So I personally have gotten more out of this position than any of the other ones. 

In your position, what is the hardest part of your job?

The biggest part of it, and I think what really kind of wears on a lot of law enforcement, is we serve so many roles. You know, even your patrol officer – one minute they may be going to a call where it's a really bad abuse case (whether that's physical, emotional, sexual), and then the next minute they're going out and they're having to make a traffic stop and having somebody that doesn't like police and having to deal with that, and then the next call could be a DOA where they're dealing with that and dealing with a family and the loss, and then right after that they may be dealing with an 80 year old grandma [that] got scammed out of money. So, it's kind of, you never know what call you're gonna get and sometimes you get those calls back-to-back and you really have to be able to manage your emotions and deal with a lot. Law enforcement, kind of in the past, has always been that kind of tough guy thing and you know 'we handle anything' but sometimes being able to regulate all those different emotions you can go through in a very short amount of time.

What is the best part? What motivates you to keep doing your job?

The best part of the job is obviously helping people. I was lucky when I first started. I had a sergeant way back in the day in 2004. He sat me down as I joined his shift and he told me, 'No matter what you do, in everything you do, your job is when you encounter somebody, put them in a place better than you found them.' Now sometimes that may be you know somebody has lost control or is doing something, so maybe the best place for him is jail. That can be the best place for people. But he said, 'you can always hold your head up high at the end of the day if every time you encounter somebody, you put them in a place better than you found them.' And so for me, you know, that's the best part of it. When you can meet people at their worst and you know we can't fix all the problems, we can't solve everything for them, but we can give them the resources, we can do everything we can and at the end of the day if you've put them in a better place then that's a pretty good feeling.

What do you do to unwind? Do you have any hobbies/unique skills or talents?

I love the outdoors. I love going camping, fishing, stuff like that. I've recently got into gardening, which I wouldn't say I'm really good at yet but I'm kind of figuring my way through it. I don't know of any unique talents but as far as hobbies, yeah, camping, fishing.

Based on your professional experience, what is a common call type or complaint you handle in your position? What actions are taken in response and what programs are in place?

I can't really say a certain call type but I will say what I have seen drug addiction, you know, which that can lead to domestics and larcenies and even here to school when you have kids that have to deal with that. So I would say anything that's involving, you know drug addiction and what all that can entail, whether that's kids seeing things or being exposed to things that they shouldn't be. Obviously if somebody's under the influence it can lead to physical assaults and domestics, and then sometimes when people get [become addicted], it's hard to financially feed it, which can lead to larcenies and breaking-and-entering. 

I'll say one thing that I've been truly impressed with is Sheriff McFadden, [he] has really [at] the forefront and two of his …  overarching goals that he's focused on is the drug abuse problem, addressing that, and then also the scams. That would be another common one that we have. So he's created programs like the senior Triad and then the Lunch In with a Sheriff. So they get that education part out there and kind of tell people these are the kind of scams we're seeing, this is what to look out for. The sheriff's office has also been more active on Facebook with posting things like that so definitely the readers should follow the Sheriff's Office Facebook because there's always good tips on there.

Then on the drug thing, the sheriff has started back into the schools the DARE program. So we're teaching DARE in all the elementary schools to help with that education because it's much easier to keep somebody from using drugs than it is to kind of deal with the after math. We're trying to prevent people from using drugs. Then in the middle school and high school, they're also doing programs: Virginia rules and safe surfing in the high school.  …  There's been a big focus on actually apprehending the people that are ruining other people's lives. So the sheriff, those have been two of his major initiatives where 'Let's combat the drugs and try to get it where people aren't dealing with that on a day-to-day basis' and 'let's help educate so we can prevent people from going down that path,' and then also the scan aspect of it because, I mean, that's everywhere.

How can we educate the public on their role in crime prevention in our community?

Just being aware. We see it so much now with technology, I'm amazed at the people that are walking around out in public and they're locked into whatever their technology device is. I think we need, as a society, to be more aware of our surroundings, be more aware of the people that are around us and what's happening, and, you know, report [it] when you see something. It's a whole lot easier for us in law enforcement to gather evidence to, you know, solve a crime if it's reported as opposed to 'oh, well yeah I saw something but, you know, I didn't think about it' and here it is a week later, 'I'm letting you know.' So, just being more aware of what's going on around you and not locked into what's going on on Facebook or TikTok or Instagram, and then making sure that we report things when we see them and give as much detail as you can.

And what can we, as citizens, do to help with some of the common issues our local law enforcement officers grapple with to keep our localities the safest places to live in Virginia? In this interview series, we'll look behind the badge to see people, just like you and me, who choose to serve our communities in ways that make us safer and improve our quality of life. 

This week's interview is with Sergeant Shain Hartbarger. He's a patrol sergeant with the Lexington Police Department. Shain will be celebrating his 9th year in law enforcement career in December and his favorite foods are either his mom's chicken and dumplings or a nice thick steak with potatoes and veggies. 

Did you always want to be in law enforcement? If not, what was your original career path?

I did. There're multiple reasons. So first, far as [my] upbringing and everything, I believe there is a sense of right and wrong. I believe, in this position, there is a sense of upholding what is right. My grandma always told me growing up, 'You should always want to do what's right.' As a kid you kind of cringe at that, but as I've gotten older, the more I appreciated her saying. It's true for me. I love the city of Lexington, love the community. I grew up here. I always wanted to give back to the community and the best way I could see that is by being part of the team that makes a difference in the community. 

Second part of that is I have a vague memory of [an incident]. When I was a very small I was with my parents at the Stanton mall. Being a wanderer, while they were looking at a washing machine, apparently I wandered off, and, who found me was, I believe, it was. a Stanton police officer [who] found me walking by myself and returned me to my parents.

What motivated you to become a police officer?

I spent a lot of time talking with a criminal justice professor at Dabney S. Lancaster Community College. He was a former law enforcement [officer], I believe, in Pennsylvania. [I remember] speaking with him and really doing a lot of research, you know, into the position. To me, it was a respectful position. When I first started college, I had decided I wanted to be … a physical therapist just because at 18 I was thinking about money. But you know after taking a few of those classes, I didn't like it per se and I took a couple of criminology classes and actually I rather enjoyed it, liked learning about it. Law enforcement, you know, it relates a lot to like psychology, sociology. I found this really interesting. So after dipping my feet in it and talking to the professor, I said, 'I think this is definitely the route for me.'

Describe your journey from academy to where you are now.

I began the Police Academy in January of 2018. I was hired in in the middle of December, so I spent two weeks, you know, riding with officers that were working. [Then I] went through the academy. Everything went well up until the end of, I think it was, 24 weeks. The last block of instruction is a week-long training called ‘officer survival.’ Well, coincidentally enough, I failed … on officer survival. So, I came back and the process when you fail a block of instruction is you go back to the following academy class and retake just that block of instruction. So, it was about another four or five months, you know? I was here working in the office, read policy, I got to ride with some officers too, work different shifts, spend a lot of time with the officers and corporals, learned a lot, really focused my time in the gym and everything, just maintained a lot of focus for when I did go back. So I went back through officer survival. I passed everything on my first try and, I mean, I got to come home a day or two earlier than everybody else because I was done. I began field training, from mid-October until December, and I remember I got my letter that I was released from field training, which is where you ride with another officer, on Christmas day. I was told that that was my Christmas present. I began solo patrol after that. A few years later I was promoted to acting corporal before being fully promoted to corporal. I did a few years of that and got promoted to sergeant maybe two years ago.

What has been your favorite position, role or location?

I really enjoyed my time as a corporal. The corporals are the designated field trainers of the up-and-coming recruit officers. Before you are released from a solo patrol officer, you're called a recruit officer. So our corporals are our field trainers. I taught defensive tactics, intermediate weapons, at the police academy. Getting to know some of our recruits, you know, working with them hand-in-hand, while at the academy and then getting to field train them later on. My very first officer … he had his first four weeks of field training with me and then he went off with two other FTOs, and then I think he finished field training with four weeks with me. Just seeing the … growth and development that he got between his first four weeks and his last four weeks and then, you know, getting to write his recommendation for release from field training was just a very rewarding experience for me. It's the same way with all of the recruit officers, watching them develop into an up-and-coming police officer within the department. 

Name a few of your daily tasks:

When I come in in the mornings, I like to sit down with the night shift. Both shifts get together, it's not what you call a roll call meeting or anything, but we sit down and we'll debrief what happened the previous night. If there's anything that is carrying over that we might hear about, they give us a rundown of it. I talk to our guys and then their guys before they head out, you know, what we've got working for the day, if there is anything planned specifically. 

After that, I check emails. That's usually when I grab a cup of coffee. After that we head over to the city schools, Lylburn Downing and Waddell, just have a presence there, getting to talk to the kids, wave at them as they come in and say, 'Hey, I hope you have a good day!' We don't have an SRO position but, you know, we're trying to make sure we do have a presence in the school so the kids get comfortable with us, get familiar with the faces. After all the school drop-off traffic is done, we'll patrol around the city. We'll walk downtown, stop in and talk to some businesses, we'll walk around in the neighborhoods, a lot of patrolling around, trying to engage with the community, you know, going by parks and playgrounds and stuff. After school is let out, similar to what we do in the mornings is we'll go out if we need to assist with the crossing guard duties. We'll always do that morning or afternoon as needed, just being present as kids are getting picked up by their parents or, you know, walking home after school.

Those are the biggest two things – other than school traffic – a lot of patrolling and walking. As a sergeant, my guys I oversee them, you know, just keep a log of what we're doing every day and if they have any questions they always ask me. It's a full day. Then, same as the way we started the day, when the relief shift comes in, we'll sit down together and we'll debrief our day and pass anything along that they may have going on, anything that they have to work on. 

Community policing is very important and I think that's been a trend for several years now, especially in an area like Lexington or Buena Vista, very small communities, almost everybody knows one another. So, getting to know an officer, building a rapport with them is important. You can build a trust with them just by getting to know them and you don't get to know them unless you see them. Otherwise, you know, there's a cop driving around with his windows rolled up – that's just a Lexington cop, that's just a sheriff's department deputy, that's a Buena Vista police officer. But if one of us is walking downtown, they say, 'Hey, that's Cpl. Kegley. That's Cpl. Nick. That's Sgt. Hartbarger, I know him. We talked in the coffee shop.' That's just getting to know them like that. The more they see you, I guess the better they get to know you. It just builds trust and really humanizes the badge, I think.

In your position, what is the hardest part of your job?

I think most police officers would agree – sometimes the things we see and do, we see people and we talk to people at their worst times. It's all about having to make the best [of the] situation, and strive to resolve any issues to the best of your ability that you can, and trying to leave them in a better place than you found them in. 

What is the best part? What motivates you to keep doing your job?

Community engagement. I really like engaging in community policing. It is very rewarding. Like I said earlier, I do love the city and I love being able to give back to it, you know, getting to talk to people and just doing my part in trying to make the community safe, whether it be with traffic enforcement or code enforcement. I enjoy talking to people and getting to know people, especially tourists when they come in and they ask for the best place to eat or some fun things to do around here, what are some good places to see. I really enjoy that aspect.

What do you do to unwind? Do you have any hobbies/unique skills or talents?

I don't know if I would call anything [I do] unique. I think I'm a pretty simple man outside of work. When I'm not working I like to read, I like to watch movies, play video games. I play softball. I play football – it's a first responder football league, full contact. I've been doing that for a few years. Going to the gym. I try to stay active as much as I can. Just doing something physically rather than, you know, just sitting and staring at a TV. Go hiking, go walking, something just to be active, to be able to unwind. Probably my favorite thing to do is just to sit outside and read, especially when the weather's nice.

Based on your professional experience, what is a common call type or complaint you handle in your position? What actions are taken in response and what programs are in place?

That's the interesting thing. I wouldn't necessarily say there's like one common thing, you know? One day is a lot different from the next. Me and the guys on shift, we can each be on a call by ourselves and just go from call to call to call all day with barely even seeing each other. Other days, you know, we'll be out and about and we don't have a call for service all day. It varies, depending on the day. Obviously, weekends are busier. If I did have to say a common call, it's usually minor motor vehicle accidents, especially the city streets [that] are very narrow and some one-way streets. Fortunately they're usually just minor fender-benders.

It is something that has to be kept track of, specifically where the most accidents happen, why are they happening? Is it a speed-related issue? Is it a street issue? It's really just trying to accumulate data, to try and find a solution. For a while one of the most common accents we had were tractor-trailers turning onto Main Street from Nelson. They would knock down the traffic light there. So the solution between us and Public Works was putting up a large sign that says 'wide right turn.' There used to be a 10-minute parking space right there at the corner and they moved that down the street. That was a big one that was addressed. If it comes down to doing traffic control, you know, with a lot of the construction in town, if we have to we'll put traffic vests on and direct traffic to alleviate some of the congestion.

How can we educate the public on their role in crime prevention in our community?

I would encourage engagement – collaboration with your neighbors. If you want to implement a community watch, if you see something, say something, you know? A lot of people will just say, 'I'm just gonna mind my own business' but, you know, like Grandma would say, 'You're better safe than sorry.' It's better to call someone or even if you're calling your neighbors, like 'there's a weird car that's been going through, did you see that?' or 'there's a random door-to-door salesman going around.' Just communication, weather with your neighbors [or] with us. I would much rather get called and it turn out to be nothing than something else going on.

• Nearly half of the front page was taken up with ads, including an adver-story about a cure for "Catarrh of the Pelvic Organs."
• There was a segment about farm news and views, which is featured below.
• Also featured below are some of the poems from the front page.

There were many eye-catching headlines in this issue. For example, what do you think the blurb titled "Volcanic Eruptions" could be about? The answer may not be what you expect. Same goes for the headline "Cold Steel or Death." I don't know about you but I get the feeling this could be the 1900s equivalent of click-bait! 

And what can we, as citizens, do to help with some of the common issues our local law enforcement officers grapple with to keep our localities the safest places to live in Virginia? In this interview series, we'll look behind the badge to see people, just like you and me, who choose to serve our communities in ways that make us safer and improve our quality of life. 

This week's interview is with Deputy Emily Fary of the Office Of The Sheriff Rockbridge County and City of Lexington. Her law enforcement career has spanned two decades and her favorite food is homemade macaroni and cheese, and anything from Dottie's. She says Misty is the best cook!

Did you always want to be in law enforcement? If not, what was your original career path?

From childhood I knew I wanted to be a police officer. I loved watching the TV show C.O.P.S., with my German Sheppard by my side, I spent countless hours playing cops and robbers in the backyard. As far as I was concerned, I was well on my way.  

When I was eight years old, my parents took me to a “Women in Public Safety” seminar hoping that it would inspire me. It was there that I saw a Fairfax County sheriff’s office deputy standing at her display table. Her hands were on her hips, her dress uniform pressed and crisp, and her Stetson hat (cover) was angled down low like a drill instructor.

I was completely start struck.

At eight years old, I turned to my mother and, with all the certainty in the world said, “I am going to be a deputy for Fairfax, and I am going to get me one of those hats.”

I did not know then exactly where that dream would take me, but I knew what I wanted to become.

Spoiler alert: I got my hat.

What motivated you to become a deputy?

From the ages of 12 to 18, I was a Police Explorer through Scouts of America and the Fairfax County Police Department. The Explorer program gives young people interested in law enforcement the opportunity to experience the profession firsthand through hands-on training and exposure to criminal justice practices. For me, it was not just an extracurricular activity – it reinforced that this was the career I wanted.

My junior and senior years of high school, I was fortunate enough to attend the Virginia Career and Technical Education Criminal Justice courses where I studied law, public safety, corrections and security. It was there that I met recruiters from the Fairfax County sheriff’s office.

I eagerly told them I wanted to become a deputy. There was just one problem – I was only 16. They told me, “Call us back when you are 18.” I never forgot it. Two years later, on my 18th birthday, I made that call. And the rest, as they say, is history.  

Describe your journey from academy to where you are now.

The road to becoming a deputy certainly required hard work, determination and the support of family and friends. There were challenges along the way, but every step reinforced how much I wanted this career. The people who encouraged me, believed in me and stood beside me played an important part in turning the dream I had as a little girl into a reality.

In Fairfax, I served in several specialty units including Crisis Intervention, Peer Support, Project Lifesaver, Honor Guard and held positions with Fairfax’s Special Project and Reserve Deputy Coordinator, background investigator, recruiter, assistant squad commander and my last tour of duty was spent as the Co-Commander of the Fairfax County Crisis Intervention Team at the Sharon Bulova Center for Community Health. In 2015, I was honored to receive the American Jail Association’s “Top 35 Under 35” award that recognized the top 35 professionals under the age of 35 in the field of law enforcement and corrections throughout the United States. I am incredibly honored to have my story featured in the National Law Enforcement Museum’s “Stand With Honor” exhibit in Washington, D.C.

I retired from Fairfax after 20 years of service as a second lieutenant in March of 2024 and relocated to Rockbridge County. I was honored to be sworn in with the office of the sheriff, Rockbridge County and Lexington city in May of 2024.

What has been your favorite position, role or location?

One of my favorite roles was as the assistant commander of the Fairfax County Sheriff’s Office Honor Guard because it represented something much bigger than myself. I am deeply proud of our country, our flag and all it stands for. There was no greater honor than carrying the colors and having the privilege of representing them with the dignity and respect they deserve.

On May 5, 2012, I had the honor of being part of the first all-female Honor Guard team to compete in the annual COG Honor Guard Competition in Washington, D.C.  I am incredibly proud that our team earned first place, but the experience represented far more than a trophy. We had the opportunity to represent women in law enforcement and demonstrate that female officers could compete, perform and excel at the highest level. Being part of that historic team remains one of the accomplishments I am most proud of in my law enforcement career.

Name a few of your daily tasks:

I currently serve as one of the agency’s Community Liaisons and Property and Evidence Custodian. I maintain my certification as a law enforcement instructor for the Commonwealth of Virginia, a Crisis Intervention Team trainer for both Rockbridge and Bath Regional and Blue Ridge CIT.

No two days look exactly the same. My responsibilities can range from answering emails and processing evidence to planning events, attending community meetings and helping to develop programs that strengthen the relationship between our agency and the people we serve.

One of those initiatives is our newly formed TRIAD/S.A.L.T. Council – a program focused on bringing seniors, law enforcement and community partners together to identify and address safety concerns affecting older adults in our community.

Under Sheriff McFaddin’s leadership, community outreach has become an important part of our agency’s mission. He is a strong proponent of law enforcement being present in the community – not only when someone needs help, but though education, prevention and building relationships. From our involvement in multiple children’s camps throughout the summer and the Sheriff’s Senior Socials to introducing and expanding safety programs and educational initiatives, we continue to look for new ways to serve.

I am also a Project Lifesaver Master Electronic Search Operator and Trainer with over 20 years of experience with the program. I am pleased to have been given the opportunity to continue to serve here in Rockbridge County by assisting with the office of the Sheriff’s Project Lifesaver program and helping provide this vital resource to vulnerable members of our community and their families.

In your position, what is the hardest part of your job?

The hardest part of this job for me is seeing a child or an animal hurt, frightened, or in need. They are among the most innocent and vulnerable members of our community and they depend on others to be their voice and their protection.

Those are the calls and situations that stay with me. No child or animal should have to experience cruelty, neglect, or fear. They deserve to feel safe, to be cared for, and to know kindness. Being in a position where I can help protect them, advocate for them, or simply provide comfort during a difficult moment is both one of the hardest and most meaningful parts of wearing the badge. 

What is the best part? What motivates you to keep doing your job?

The best part of this career for me has been the opportunity to give back, make a difference, and hopefully inspire others. Whether it is providing toothbrushes to children experiencing homelessness, stopping to rescue an animal on the side of the road, or organizing a baby doll drive for seniors living with dementia, I am always looking for ways to do the most good with the badge I have been entrusted to wear.

Some of my favorite moments are the opportunities I have to talk with students and encourage them to follow their dreams and pursue their goals. I still remember being that eight-year-old little girl who looked at a deputy and saw the person she wanted to become. Sometimes a young person simply needs someone to tell them, “You can do this. Your dream is possible, and I believe in you.”

If I can be that person for even one child – if I can inspire them the way others once inspired me – then that is one of the greatest rewards this career could ever give me.

What do you do to unwind? Do you have any hobbies/unique skills or talents?

Outside of work, I am a huge animal advocate and love spending time with my own rescue pups. Animal rescue is something close to my heart, and I am fortunate to volunteer with the Blind Dog Rescue Alliance helping transport dogs along different legs of their journeys to foster families and, ultimately their fur-ever homes.

There is something incredibly rewarding about knowing that, for a few miles, I get to be a small part of changing an animal’s life. Every transport is a reminder that kindness does not have to be a grand gesture to make a difference. Sometimes it is simply giving your time, opening your car door, and helping an animal get one step closer to the safe and loving home they deserve.

Based on your professional experience, what is a common call type or complaint you handle in your position? What actions are taken in response and what programs are in place?

Through our involvement in TRIAD and conversations with community members at the Sheriff’s Senior Socials, we have heard many accounts of attempted scams targeting residents, particularly our senior population.

Sheriff McFaddin continually reminds residents that our office will never call you and demand payment over the phone; we do not accept payments for bail, bond, the magistrate, the jail or the courts. We will never tell you to pay with gift cards, prepaid cards, cryptocurrency or any unusual payment method.

Scammers often create a sense of fear and urgency, hoping someone will act before they have time to question what they are being told. If you receive a suspicious call, do not provide personal or financial information. Hang up and independently contact the appropriate agency to verify the information.

One of the most important things we can do through community outreach is educate our residents before they become victims. When in doubt, stop, hang up and verify.

How can we educate the public on their role in crime prevention in our community?

I believe that crime prevention starts early, with the youth in our community. Some of my favorite opportunities are going into schools for Story Time with a Deputy, serving as a mentor at kid’s camp, or simply offering a hello, a fist bump and a sticker to a child I meet in the community. Those interactions may seem small, but they can have a lasting impact on how a child views law enforcement and our role in their lives.

All too often, I will walk past a child and hear a parent say, “You better behave, or she will arrest you.” I always want to say, do not make us something your child should fear. I am not here to arrest your children. I want them to see the uniform and know that I am a helper – someone they can come to when they are scared, lost, hurt or in need of help.

Every positive interaction gives us an opportunity to build trust. When children know their deputies and officers as people who care about them, we create stronger relationships between law enforcement and the next generation. I truly believe that investing in today’s youth, encouraging them, listening to them and showing them that they matter is one of the most meaningful forms of crime prevention we can provide

“This week's Flashback will be to the special tab printed on Aug. 14, 2019, recalling the devastating power of Hurricane Camille and the aftermath of the flooding on the 50th anniversary. 

“Assistant Editor Ed Smith begins with an introduction and a brief account of the lives lost in Rockbridge County. There are numerous first-person accounts of their experiences and those of people they knew. A short piece about CERT training in Rockbridge County is at the end, followed by a last word from Mohawk Industries.”

We did not print a special edition for this occasion, but 25 year ago we did! For this week's Flashback Friday, we look at the special edition printed for the 200th anniversary of The News-Gazette. There are photos and articles about the history of news in our area, as well as congratulatory ads from local organizations and businesses. 

A video was commissioned for this year's milestone, which can be watched on our YouTube channel HERE. Please enjoy the special print edition from August 2001, celebrating the legacy of local journalism serving Rockbridge County and the cities of Lexington and Buena Vista.

And what can we, as citizens, do to help with some of the common issues our local law enforcement officers grapple with to keep our localities the safest places to live in Virginia? In this interview series, we'll look behind the badge to see people, just like you and me, who choose to serve our communities in ways that make us safer and improve our quality of life. 

We spoke with Cpl. Josh Guttmann, the community resource officer at the Buena Vista Police Department. He's been in law enforcement for 21 years and is a self-proclaimed foodie who loves a unique pizza flavor. He said wood-fired is a big bonus. 

Did you always want to be in law enforcement? If not, what was your original career path?

I have. Honestly my plan all through high school was to get into law enforcement.

What motivated you to become a police officer?

As a child, I was fascinated with history. I've always been a history fan and that was a really popular time, in the 90s and stuff, for like medieval times, Knights of the Round Table, King Arthur. So as a child growing up I was fascinated with knights. In my opinion, my perspective is that law enforcement are modern day knights. We wear shields just like they did back in the old days. Instead of a sword, obviously we carry other tools. So yeah, ever since I was I can't remember what age but since I was a child I wanted to be in law enforcement. First was baseball player. I wanted to be a major league baseball player. That's very hard. That is statistically very, very difficult, so this was my backup option. 

Describe your journey from the academy to where you are now?

I went to school in the Atlanta school system. Back 21 years ago, law enforcement didn't have as many openings as they do now. It was a lot harder process to get into. So I moved here, to Virginia, right out of high school because I had my mom that lived in this area and distant family that were in law enforcement. So that was an open door.

I didn't start on patrol. I was a jailer. I started in the Department of Corrections at the age of 20 because they were the only people who would hire me. I worked for the Department of Corrections and then I transitioned to a regional jail down in Dixie Caverns. I was brought in as a transition team. I worked there for several years. I also became an instructor with the academy, in multiple facets. I kind of found my niche, that I enjoyed teaching 'use of force' stuff. 

From there I moved to the Roanoke County sheriff's office, where I worked inside the jail. Then I moved over to administration while still doing my instructorships, which is actually what I enjoy doing the most. From there, I went to the law enforcement academy. I met an officer that worked in this department [at the Buena Vista Police Department] at a training and he was telling me about a specialized role that the Buena Vista Police Department just funded, and that was the Community Resource Officer position, and that just kind of fell into a lot of stuff that I enjoyed doing at the time, which was a lot of community policing events, crime prevention training, stuff like that. So I came here, met with the then-Chief Wayne Handley, got offered the position and I made the move. 

What has been your favorite position, role or location?

So, I currently love what I'm doing now but my favorite niche that I've had my entire career has been teaching. That is becoming a certified instructor though DCJS (Department of Criminal Justice Services) in 2011. It started with general instructor, because everybody has to have that, but I've always enjoyed martial arts so I became a defensive tactic instructor. I dove headfirst into it. I started training on my own, doing Jiu-Jitsu and Muay Thai, just because if I'm teaching something I need to hold something. I need more than just the basic knowledge. I wanted to become more of an expert in that so I started training on my own, learning on my own but I love to teach that aspect.

Name a few of your daily tasks?

I manage our social media content. It's kind of funny, like you know the old school law enforcement mentality is 'you know we don't use social media' but that is the easiest way to connect with our citizens, the people we serve. It's the easiest way to connect because just about everybody is on social media whether that be Instagram or Facebook. It's a way for us to share updates and safety alerts. Almost daily I have to get on there because it's brand new to me; I'm still learning that kind of stuff. It's way different than normal police work.

We're working on a grant. So grant writing, it's really huge in this area as well because of funding. We don't have the same funding as LA, Richmond, Norfolk, Roanoke; you know [that] have bigger budgets. So grants are like pivotal for us to keep up with modern day policing tactics or equipment. Grant writing is now part of my daily tasks, either checking for grants or updating grants or following up with grants.

Oher than that, it changes. It depends on what is happening. I do a lot of community events. I have to go to meetings with our stakeholders, businesses, other departments and stuff like that to see what's happening in the community. So it varies from day to day. I'm dabbling in a hundred different things which makes it very fun.

In your position, what is the hardest part about the job?

My current capacity would just be trying to take on too much. I feel like there is so much that can be done in our community, so many improvements, more programs and stuff that we can bring to the community to kind of bring us all in together. So I become overwhelmed, personally, with just many different things that we're trying to work on at one time.

What is the best part? What motivates you to keep doing your job?

The same thing. I am constantly learning. I've always thrived in capacities where I have to learn and adapt. When I am stagnant, I get bored very easily and I'll try to create things to bring more stress to myself. 

In previous departments that I worked for, I didn't have that freedom. I was pretty much assigned to a job task, even if I completed that job task in a very short amount of time I wasn't punished but I was not encouraged to expand. So if I completed my daily objective in three or four hours of an eight-hour work day, I didn't know what to do with myself with the rest of the time. So I would be like 'I want to go help with this community event' or 'I want to go help in the schools' or 'I want to do this and that' and it was like 'no, you gotta be at your desk.' So part of my current job is watching what the department can offer the citizens, more than just 'hey, don't speed,' 'how can I help you today?' or 'call 9-1-1 for this and that' but now we're building these programs like Triad. Then I come here and I'm the community resource officer and I'm like, 'what exactly is that?' and they're like, 'whatever you want it to be.' So it’s like, 'alright, let’s do this.' It's just constantly grabbing and finding things to work on. I have grown and my professional resume has grown as I have worked my way out of traditional enforcement to more marking and communications. 

What do you do to unwind? Do you have any hobbies or unique skills/talents?

Obviously Jiu Jitsu has been a mainstay. I've not been able to train as much as I would love to; family life takes precedence over that kind of stuff. But an oddity which you didn't see but people comment when they come in my office is Legos. I enjoy building Legos with my kids. So I get to be my inner nerd. So yeah, building Legos would be my unique hobby. It’s very non-law enforcement related. 

I kind of fell into it. Legos, obviously, have been big forever but as a child I never got into that world. As a child I was a typical sports child: riding bikes, going to play hockey, baseball and basketball, whatever sport the neighborhood kids were playing. 

Collecting baseball cards, I still got a whole bunch of them down in the basement. I still enjoying kind of looking at some of the newer modern cards compared to when I grew up … still occasionally buy one for my collection. But Legos, I guess because of the relationship piece when it comes to like, finding a mutual ground with your kids so you can keep those communication lines open as long as you can. 

Based on your professional experience, what is a common call type or complaint you handle in your position? What kinds of actions are taken in response? What kind of programs are in place? 

I'll cover patrol once in a while, to help with vacations, time offs and stuff. Patrols are the number one foundation of the police department. I will back up the officers on calls whenever I can, for officer safety more than anything. 

A common complaint: speeding in our area. We do target enforcement with our radar trailers or targeted patrols where we have an officer actually sit and run radar in those designated areas, just to monitor traffic, especially when we receive multiple complaints about certain areas, certain street, certain block. 

In my current capacity we do a lot of stuff to address scams. The police department actually has this scam awareness training that I've taught twice so far in the last year. Triad is going to be a big proponent of that when it comes to elderly scams.

How can we educate the public on their role in crime prevention in our community? 

We want the citizens to tell us. Obviously we can't do our job without the citizens so we want them to tell us what they encounter. And when it comes to scams, the shame that comes with it, a lot of people who are scammed, they don't report it to us all the time. They kind of isolate themselves and don't talk to their friends and family about it. 

My big push is like, number one, you should call and tell us. Tell your friends and family. Have that open communication because a lot of times, they might not be aware that this is a potential scamming issue. So you can maybe prevent them from ever being scammed by sharing your personal story. It's not the victim's fault; it's never the victims fault. Don't be afraid, there's no shame in telling your story. Just, you know, obviously share your story with the police department so we can do a formal report and get information that we potentially use to prevent or even issue charges on the scammer. Then also tell your friends and family about scams that you're seeing or that you've heard about or that you've encountered so they're more well-informed. More knowledge is power.

The front page stories for July 13, 1950 were:

• The contract was awarded for the construction of the Adair-Hutton building (on the corner of Washington and Nelson)
• An announcement for two drive-in theaters to open. One in Buena Vista and one just north of Lexington. 
• Two people were arrested in Texas, charged with abandoning their 5-month-old baby on a lawn in Lexington.
• A skating rink opened at the softball field.

Let's look back on some Vacation Bible School photos! Do you see anyone you recognize? And would you try Clover's advertised ice cream flavor of the month? 

We spoke with Jennifer Smith, who is the violence against women and internet crimes against children investigator the Buena Vista Police Department. She's been in law enforcement for 15 years and her favorite foods are steak (rare) and mac and cheese. 

Did you always want to be in law enforcement? If not, what was your original career path?

No. Actually I wanted to go more of the licensed clinician route, like the mental health route because I got my bachelor's in psychology, then I got my master's in forensic psychology. Then it went from being like a licensed clinician to [wanting to] be in the behavioral analysis unit with the FBI, like the show Criminal Minds.

Honestly there's nothing more fascinating to me than the human mind. Decision making, why people are the way that they are, why they do what they do, the diagnoses that are sometimes behind why they do what they do, I just think it's fascinating.

What motivated you to become a police officer?

Oddly enough, I met a guy, he was in one of my classes, and we were just talking and he was an Arlington police officer and he said, 'you should look into going into law enforcement because it's a hiring freeze right now, a federal hiring freeze. You'll already have the degree but then you can get your real world experience.' So I did my internship with the U.S Marshals service in Norfolk and that's how I ended up meeting some of the Norfolk gang squad guys. I did a ride along with them and I loved it, and then I applied and the rest is history I guess.

Describe your journey from the academy to where you  are now?

One of our classes in the academy was responding to sexual assaults and when I took that class I was like, 'I really want to go to what they called Special Crimes' which was sex crimes and then also felony domestic assaults, felony child abuse, internet crimes against children, elder abuse. You know, all of those awful things. In my mind, I don't mean for this to sound bad, but I was like, 'those are some true victims right there.' Obviously if there's a homicide, the person that is killed, you've got their family that is left behind that has to deal with that for the rest of their lives. Then you've got like these sexual assaults and these women that are beaten by the people that are supposed to protect them the most; they have to live with that their whole lives. So I mean, it's like continual victimization almost, living through that trauma over and over again. 

So I knew I wanted to go over there but I made a quick pit stop after I did my two years on the street. I went to vice and narcotics. I did some undercover work there, prostitution stings and things like that. Then I went to special crimes and I was there for about six and a half years. 

But, it’s true what they say when you do that kind of work: there's going to come a time where you're going to need to take a break. It hit me like a ton of bricks one day. I went to my sergeant and was like, 'I need to go back to the street. I need to go back to patrol, I need a break.' And he was so kind about it. He was like, 'yep, absolutely. I'll do my best to get you to wherever you want to go, whatever precinct.' So that's what I did. I was in patrol for a little bit and then I went to the criminal intelligence unit, which was interesting.

And then Wayne Handley, who actually taught me in the police academy 15 years ago. I was at one of my good buddies', it was his retirement party, and Wayne was there. At that time he had already been essentially given the job [of Buena Vista Police Chief] and accepted it but he hadn't started yet. He said, 'do you want to come work for me and basically do what you did in special crimes but do it for me? I know you want to get back to the mountains.' I'm from West Virginia I was tired of the big city. I was kind of miserable and I said, 'yes, please save me. Let's go.' So that's how I got up here.

What has been your favorite position, role, or location?

Kind of tough. I think I would say I like doing the violence against women. I do. Also the internet crimes against children is the toughest thing that I've ever had to work obviously because you see and hear things that you don't ever want to, that you wish you could forget but you can't, some horrible horrible things that people do to children.  

The only reason I'll say my I enjoy working them is because going through and making the arrest after the fact. I might not be saving the poor children that are in the videos or the pictures, because who knows where those came from probably another country and maybe however many years ago I don't know, but at least I still feel like I'm doing my part in a way. You know what I mean? So anything involving children, even though sexual assault cases and the abuse cases, I think those are all my favorite to work, which sounds terrible but I think you know what I'm saying.

Name a few of your daily tasks?

Well obviously you know in the morning I get here, check my email, think in my mind what all I need to do, paperwork wise and what I need to do follow-up wise. So usually I'll take a look at each open case that I have, what do I need to do with this case today and then kind of do a to-do list. I'll do the same thing with every other case so I know what I need to get done and essentially from there, prioritize like, 'okay, well I know this has to be done by Friday, so this is I'm going to be working on now.'  Then I make sure that there are no new ICAC (internet crimes against children) cases. I just want to make sure that all my cases and stuff are taken care of. 

If the guys are busy out there going from call to call, then I'll assist them whenever I can. And there are still some days when I cover patrol shifts as well. I'm also the evidence tech, so the evidence that needs to go to the state lab, I transport that down. Whenever they're finished with a lab, I bring it back. All that stuff and I make sure that our evidence room is in order and all that. Yeah, that's pretty much my daily activities.

In your position, what is the hardest part about the job?

Seeing and hearing a lot of horrible horrible things. People are... They're kind of gross.

What is the best part? What motivates you to keep doing your job?

The very best part is when I hear from a victim that even though they went through something absolutely horrendous and traumatic, that I was a help to them. That's the biggest thing to me, just knowing that I can. Cuz going to court and testifying and doing all of that is a process, and I can't imagine getting up there and talking about the things that they need to in a court case for that. But you know, survivors are so brave to do that. They get up there and they do it and I just try to help through the process, essentially.

And not just me, I work closely with Project Horizon. I adore everyone over there and Michelle Clark down here at the commonwealth attorney's office. You know, we all just try to do what we can do to make their lives a little bit easier when they're going through it.

What do you do to unwind? Do you have any hobbies or unique skills/talents?

Well, I have a little farm. I have, you know, my chickens and I have a duck and I have two horses and two mini mules and a dog. I've had horses and ridden horses my whole life. 

I've known for a while that I wanted to get into equine assistant learning which is similar to equine therapy, just without the therapist. Essentially the horse is a therapist I'm just there to observe. So I'm starting a non-profit. It's called Steadfast Equine and it's a certified biblically based equine assisted learning. So I will be starting that in very soon. I'm waiting to get my non-profit status. My plan is to work with First Responders because there are so many, as there should be, there are so many different programs out there for like veterans but there aren't many for First Responders. 

There's something about horses that's really magical. I think they're healing because they will mirror you and they will bring to the forefront things that you didn't realize you were feeling, you know? So I want to be able to help first responders. I want to help them with resiliency. I want to help them with recognizing those negative emotions and thoughts before, as we say sometimes, before the house actually catches fire. If you can get to it before and help them carry the load that they're carrying, really teach them how not carry it all on their own, that's my main goal. I just want to make their lives better, that including their families as well. 

Based on your professional experience, what is common call type or complaint you handle in your position? What kinds of actions are taken in response? What kind of programs are in place? 

Two big ones for me. Domestic assault, that's a big one and the other one would be mental health calls, people that are going through a mental health crisis. If they're a danger to themselves or others, we'll have to do an emergency custody order and take them into custody so they don't hurt themselves or anyone else, and take them to the hospital. Then CSB has to come in and find them a bed and go the temporary detention order route. There's a lot of that up here.

I think another thing that is really sad is that a lot of these cases are really exacerbated by methamphetamine use. If you're already paranoid or if you already have some sort of diagnosis and then you're using meth, those two things don't go well together. That's really sad to me. 

Another one that I guess I deal with is internet safety. I will be getting with Corporal [Joshua] Guttmann about maybe putting on some sort of little, I don't even want to call it a class but, like where we meet somewhere downtown and whoever wants to come the community can come and just talk about how to keep yourself safe on the internet, especially the elderly because there are a lot of scams out there and they're getting smart. 

How can we educate the public on their role in crime prevention in our community? 

Like okay, what can you do keep your child safe? Obviously I know you can't watch them 24/7 and some of these kids know how to get past the parental controls. They can do things with phones that I cannot. Especially teaching kids about, 'hey, I understand that you are 15 and you're dating this other 15 year old and he wanted sexually explicit photo of you. Well don't send it. Don't take it. Don't send it because you don't know where it's going to end up.' I've worked many cases where said photo is airdropped during lunch.

I still believe that there are plenty of people that are probably experiencing domestic assault/intimate partner violence and they don't want to come forward either because they don't want to get their partner in trouble or they don't want people to know what's going on because they're embarrassed or it might be for financial reasons too. What I do want people to know is here, at the Buena Vista Police Department, whenever we respond to a domestic violence call and it's intimate partner, if we respond to that then you're gonna always fill out a form that's called a lethality assessment protocol, a LAP. It's basically a list of questions. Jacquelyn [Campbell], because of research that she's done, it's this evidence-based intervention that's obviously used by us and it's a bunch of questions. Things like 'has this person ever strangled you? Have they ever threatened to kill you or kill your children? Are they unemployed?' Research has shown that all of these can be precursors to, essentially, intimate partner homicide. 

I've asked the victim these questions and then if they're considered high danger, then we make sure that they get into contact with Project Horizon right then and there. Even if it's 3 o'clock in the morning because that way we get them services immediately, before they have time to I think more about it like, 'oh, well I'm sure he won't do it again.' Or before the apology texts or calls or whatever start coming, or the flowers or anything. We've already put them in touch with services and got that ball rolling. I just want everyone out there to know that their safety is paramount and that we'll do all that we can to ensure their safety and to get them, whether it be counseling or shelter or whatever the case may be, we'll work with Project Horizon and get them whatever they need to make it through that.

Contact information for Investigator Jennifer Smith: 

jennifer.smith@bvcity.org

540-817-3975 

The front page stories for August 1, 1889 were:

• A story of a nautical adventure (featured below)
• The updates for the Chesapeake and Ohio Railroads.
• Advice from a well-liked man, who passed away (featured below)
• A short story about the best way to do business (featured below)
• General news and agricultural notes.

The size of the newspapers converted to microfilm makes them hard to read in digital format, so articles have been cropped and expanded. The front page story "Leaves from my Log" is in three parts. Paired with the front page story "In a Dead Man's Pocket" is a list of the delinquent land up for auction in the fall of 1889.The front page snippet "How to do Business" is accompanied by three small text ads, as well as an ad for Smith's Bile Beans. There is one more ad, for a closing-out sale, alongside the personal mentions and local news. 

For this series, we'll get to hear from two young citizens every week. They'll tell us about their hobbies and goals for the future. We'll get to know what's on their minds and maybe remember what it was like to be a kid again. 

This week we have 11 year old Makenzi:

What do you like most about school?

Um, probably seeing my friends and math. I just like learning about it. 

What is your favorite food? What about your least favorite?

My favorite food is buffalo chicken wings.

[Least favorite] Um, probably pickles. They're just nasty. 

Do you like to read? What do you like to read?

Um, Junie B. Jones books. 

Do you collect anything / play an instrument / play any sports? If not, what would you like to do?

I play softball, since like first grade. I just like throwing balls and stuff, and hitting. 

What country would you like to visit, and why?

Um, maybe an island? 

What do you want to do when you grow up?

A teacher. I just think it'll be pretty fun. 

Tell me a goal you have in the future?

Um, to be like really good at stuff like school and softball. 

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And 9 year old Charlie: 

What do you like most about school?

Um, playing with friends. We usually like playing on the bars. 

What is your favorite food? What about your least favorite?

I think cantaloupe. Or honeydew. Yeah, honeydew is my favorite. 

Ooh, my least favorite food. Probably lettuce, but I like broccoli.

Do you like to read? What do you like to read?

Yeah, I love reading. Comics, and with my dad we're reading Harry Potter, Eragon, Eldest, and The Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit. 

Do you collect anything / play an instrument / play any sports? If not, what would you like to do?

Well, I like playing soccer and baseball with my friends over in my back yard. One of my everyday hobbies is listening to songs. Songs by Imagine Dragons. 

What country would you like to visit, and why?

Um, Mexico. I don't know, cuz one of my friends. I don't really know but he was either born there or he's lived there for a long time. And also it just looks like a cool place. Plus, I've already been to Canada. I went to Waterton with my family. 

What do you want to do when you grow up?

I could want to be an artist or, like, a professional soccer player because I like drawing and doing art and I like watching soccer and seeing how it goes and I feel like I can make a goal. That's gonna be kinda hard though. 

Tell me a goal you have in the future?

Well maybe, I wanna run a 5k cause I like running. I forgot about that because I haven't been training. And also one of my goals, a goal that I want to do, is to do 12 push-ups in a row. I mean pull-ups. I think my high score is either 6 or 9. 

Like so many folks in our area, I've consistently had a soft spot for the classic, retro charm of the Pink Cadillac Diner in Natural Bridge. I've always thought it's fun to see an actual pink Cadillac parked outside and hints of old fashioned '50s nostalgia inside. However, it has been a while since I've had the opportunity to visit.

With the diner going through a remodel earlier this year, I'm curious to know if it still holds on to that classic feel. I'm crossing my fingers that they maintained the awesome rock-and-roll vibe and kept the great memorabilia intact. 

I hope you will be able to share if the upgrade is an improvement and if the menu has been revamped. Also, is the famous Elvis Burger still everything people hype it up to be? Are there any other goodies on the menu that you'd highly recommend? Any misses that we should steer clear of? 

I look forward to getting your thoughts and opinions on this local diner. 

Thank you so much

The Dining Detective is on the case!

I can remember the first time I ate at The Pink Cadillac Diner. I remember loving the classic 50s diner theme from the outside to the inside. I’ll admit, some things have changed, but I still enjoy eating there. 

Since the remodel, there are fewer decorations on the walls. There are still remnants of local history and nostalgia, but the interior could be described as “uncluttered.” My favorite piece of decoration will always be the jukebox in the larger dining area. I grew up using jukeboxes. I’ve always enjoyed searching through the music catalog, inserting a couple of coins, and hearing a song I picked myself. The selection of music is dated, but more contemporary than in the jukebox’s heyday. On my most recent visit, music from the 50s was playing on the restaurant speakers. 

The menu has changed a bit but I don’t see anything wrong with adding more choices to try. 

You asked about the Elvis Burger being “everything people hype it up to be?” Personally, I don’t feel the hype is warranted. Aside from the size, I felt there was nothing much to write home about. It’s good, but I prefer the Cowboy Burger in terms of flavor and eating experience. 

I can’t stop myself from ordering the classics, like the club sandwich or the country fried steak. My favorite side is their mashed potatoes and gravy. I love my comfort foods. The Pit Fries starter is also a favorite and the yogurt parfait was big enough to share! 

There have been a few menu items that I haven’t gone back to, but I mostly chock that up to personal preference. The one food that has stuck out in my mind, though, was the chicken and biscuits. I’ve found them to be a bit dry. My advice to you is to enjoy their biscuits smothered in country gravy, maybe with a couple of eggs. 

My final word is that you should definitely try to make the trip back to The Pink Cadillac Diner. The decor has changed a bit but the atmosphere is the same. I see people from out of town and local families enjoying the large selection of menu options, and their ice cream! You may not feel like you’ve been transported back in time when you’re there, but drinking a chocolate malt while listening to “Earth Angel” by The Penguins is the next best thing.

The front page stories of the Rockbridge County News on June 6, 1946 were:

• Multiple stories about the area colleges and their end-of-term ceremonies – two for Virginia Military Institute and five for Washington and Lee, including a story about a ceremony to honor W&L men who either died or went missing in WW II.
• Two collection funds to combat cancer took place in May of that year and raised $1,670 collectively. 
• The State Department of Health Bureau of T.B. Outpatient Services x-ray clinic was successful in the City of Lexington.
• Lexington High School bestowed diplomas on 28 graduating seniors. 

Starting next month, a new class of local high school seniors will be experiencing the final stage of adolescence before they are sprung free into the world of young adulthood. Although high school experiences have evolved throughout the decades, the cycle of life continues. The photo of the Lexington High School graduating seniors, class of 1946, shows us that no matter how long it's been since you were in high school, this next generation will be reaching many of the same milestones, standing in the same places we once stood, and learning some hard lessons about growing up. Today's children are raised in a different environment than previous generations, but simply growing up is a constant process, occurring every day we are alive. Let us remember that, as a community and society, all generations are connected through the collective experiences of passing from childhood into adulthood. Congratulations to all incoming high school seniors! 

This week's flashback ends with some ads. Read through the classifieds and an Adair-Hutton ad for Father's Day gifts and outfits “for sunning and swimming.”

For this series, we'll get to hear from two young citizens every week. They'll tell us about their hobbies and goals for the future. We'll get to know what's on their minds and maybe remember what it was like to be a kid again. 

This week we have 10 year old Brigham:

What do you like most about school?

It's probably, like, recess because they're the most physical times at school and I'm a very active boy.

What is your favorite food? What about your least favorite?

It's chicken pot pie. It's basically a crust and everything and it has, like, carrots and peas and chicken inside. And it's really good.

[Least favorite] It's called black bean enchiladas.

Do you like to read? What do you like to read?

I like to read fantasy books like Percy Jackson.

Do you collect anything / play an instrument / play any sports? If not, what would you like to do?

I play a lot of sports like basketball and soccer. And I'm hoping to play trumpet when I'm in middle school because my sister plays the French horn and it's like really heavy to carry. But I play it sometimes and it's kind of fun, so I want to play trumpet because it's lighter and it's basically the same thing.

What country would you like to visit, and why?

I would like to visit Ireland. Wow, Ireland, because I want to learn their dances. 

What do you want to do when you grow up?

I would like to be a pro soccer player or pro basketball player because, like I said earlier, I'm a very active kid and I like playing sports.

Tell me a goal you have in the future?

I want to become a millionaire. I would donate some to charity. Then, like, buy a house, buy cars.

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And 12 year old Adelaide: 

What do you like most about school?

I think I probably like band the most and cross country. Like especially volleyball, some sports in our school are like all the girls play it and they're all like really sassy or something, but cross country is like one big family and band too actually. That's what I really like about it. Also, I love music.

What is your favorite food? What about your least favorite?

There's a meal that we make and it's called sausage pasta, that's my favorite. It's this tomato sauce with cream cheese and spices. It's really good. It's very creamy.

[Least favorite] Tomato basil soup. It's kind of similar actually. I don't like it nonetheless. Something about it just grosses me out.

Do you like to read? What do you like to read?

Oh, I love to read. Right now I'm having a race with my dad to finish the Lord of the Rings, all the books. I've already finished the first one. I love fantasy. I like pretty much anything, actually. I mostly like fantasy/adventure, also I like random fact books and riddle books. I like those too.

Do you collect anything / play an instrument / play any sports? If not, what would you like to do?

I play French horn in the band and I play classical piano and then I also play keyboard in the jazz band. I really like music. Cross country, just one year since I just got to middle school. I'm going into seventh grade so I did it for sixth grade, I think I'm gonna do it this year too.

What country would you like to visit, and why?

I'd really like to visit Greece sometime because I'm very interested in all the myths and things and my dad can read Greek. I kind of wish he [taught me] but also I don't because it would take so much work to learn Greek. 

What do you want to do when you grow up?

I want to be an author/illustrator. Just like I enjoy reading it, I really enjoy writing fantasy. I also enjoy writing short scary stories.

Tell me a goal you have in the future?

I would like to publish a book someday which is kind of going along with my other goal.

For this series, we'll get to hear from two young citizens every week. They'll tell us about their hobbies and goals for the future. We'll get to know what's on their minds and maybe remember what it was like to be a kid again. 

This week we have 6 year old Leo:

What do you like most about school?

Probably that I could play with my friends and play games and learn new things. That's fun.

What is your favorite food? What about your least favorite?

I don't have one. Oh, I eat cereal like every day for breakfast. It's just like, the everyday food. That's hard. I like most foods. Probably noodles with sauce. Like, I'm okay with eating it. It's just like, not the best.

Do you like to read? What do you like to read?

Sometimes. I like to eat little things because I'm not that good at reading big things.

Do you collect anything / play an instrument / play any sports? If not, what would you like to do?

Sometimes I collect some things. Sometimes I just like play the piano but not just like people directing me, just like playing what I really want to play. Cuz that's just what makes it fun. I would like to start being better at drawing. 

What country would you like to visit, and why?

I would love to visit Japan because it has a lot of fun celebrations and a lot of good things that you can buy. It’s just like my type of county. I really want to visit.

What do you want to do when you grow up?

A zookeeper so I could, like, work with a lot of animals. I would love to have a really good zoo and work with a lot of animals. That's what I would really love to do.

Tell me a goal you have in the future?

That's a hard one. I would really like to visit new countries, cuz I've never been out of the country. 

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8 1/2 year old Josiah:

What do you like most about school?

Art because I just like feeling, like, how papers moves or I like feeling the texture of the clay. I just like knowing how to do things when I already know how to do things. 

What is your favorite food? What about your least favorite?

I don't really know but if I was gonna pick something that I would always want to eat is definitely sushi.   Probably shrimp. I'm just kidding! I'm just kidding, I love shrimp. Probably broccoli? Oh, no. Not broccoli, celery. It's the worst. Last time I ate celery, I threw up. It's that bad. Whenever I get celery on my lunch plate, I just throw it away.

Do you like to read? What do you like to read?

Not too big of books but I'm working on this big of a book, (shows with hands) music history. I probably would like to read, like, fantasy books, a really good fantasy book. I like fantasy.  

Do you collect anything / play an instrument / play any sports? If not, what would you like to do?

Play the ukulele. I don't play any sports but I would like kickball or baseball. I don't play any sports, well I do play them but I'm not like, on a sports team. The three sports I enjoy are mini golf, baseball and kickball. I love collecting rocks. Like, rocks by the river or seashells or stuff like that. Maybe like, when I see something cool. Or, what I'm making a collection with is stuffies. I have, like, 25 different stuffies in my collection and I just got a new cow plush. My favorite animal is cows. 

What country would you like to visit, and why?

I have two countries in mind. I would like to either visit France or Japan. France, I feel like I wanna eat some French bread or just look at the Eiffel Tower at night, have an apartment at France and right out the window next to my bed is just a nice view of the Eiffel Tower. I think that would be a nice place to be. And I would like to be in Japan because it has so much good stuff and they made such good food. So I would just like to visit Japan. When it comes to going on trips, I'm more of a food person and souvenir person and collecting things person.

What do you want to do when you grow up?

I want to be an artist and a potter. I just love the feeling of doing art and I love the feeling of pottery. 

Tell me a goal you have in the future?

One of my goals is to go to France. No actually my goal is to buy a snow cone maker and its $75! Either $75 or $57. That's my second goal.

The Weekender was a free distribution paper The News-Gazette put out from 1989 to 2015. It went to every home in Rockbridge County, Buena Vista and Lexington by mail and by carriers on Saturdays. It started off being mostly feature stories but as time went on, it ended up carrying some hard news also. Rising costs and advertiser changes were why we stopped it but it was pretty popular. 

July 20, 1991:

An old photo of Downtown Lexington was on the front cover, as the city was celebrating the rededication of the Stonewall Jackson statue. There’s a story about the Historical Lexington Society’s plans and contributions to the town that takes up most of the front page. Along with the story and photo, there were two calendars. One calendar is only for immediate events and the other has key events for the next few months.

The Weekender was a small publication and had large sections dedicated to the Classifieds and TV viewing guide for the local weekend programming. Those are not included in this Flashback. 

Aside from those two sections, this publication was very casual. If The News-Gazette could be seen as the straight-forward, hard working, 9-5 person in the group, The Weekender was the friend who liked to relax and have fun when the work week was over. This issue had puzzles, short stories, trivia, and of course, horoscopes. What's your sign?

The front page stories for that issue were:

• An early big snow caused "more than 90 per cent of BARC's customers" to be without power. It also had unusual snowfall in certain areas, ranging from a few inches to over a foot in depth.
• The county received a framed certificate from the Commissioner of Agriculture and Commerce for getting rid of the "dread cow disease" called Brucellosis.
• Rockbridge County School Superintendent Floyd Kay faced some backlash for installing two window air conditioners in the school board offices "against their express wishes."
• An update on the plan to lower the pigeon population in downtown Lexington.

The sports section boasts a brilliant alliterative title, the Coach's Corner deserves a read, and check out The News-Gazette's Player of the Week!

 The front page stories about the storm and the brucellosis are continued on the page that also features a local man posing for a photo with his banana tree. 

Finish up this week with the section "This and That" and a map that shows the location for the new power line project that would run through Goshen Pass. 

For this series, we'll get to hear from two young citizens every week. They'll tell us about their hobbies and goals for the future. We'll get to know what's on their minds and maybe remember what it was like to be a kid again. 

This week we have 10 year old Caleb:

What do you like most about school?

I like math. I feel like I like knowing that there's only one possible right answer.

What is your favorite food? What about your least favorite?

Um, I like my mom's homemade pizza and her cinnamon rolls. I like pepperoni, pineapple. Um, I've tried Italian sausage and onion, I like that. I hate cheese. I will have it on pizza and that is it okay. I don't like the texture [by itself].

Do you like to read? What do you like to read?

Yes. Um, I like fantasy. Like, I did Harry Potter in a week. I did Lord of the Rings less than a month, and The Hobbit. I like setting goals for myself. 

Do you collect anything / play an instrument / play any sports? If not, what would you like to do?

Um, I play the piano. I kind of play the recorder. I'm gonna be doing precaution in fifth grade band. And I do swim team. I do basketball, I'm doing a basketball camp right now. 

And I collect random things, like, you can say junk. So I have little, they're like, pom-poms and then they have googly eyes attached to them and then they have, like, big foam feet that are stickers but I haven't taken the sticky part off because I don't want them to get stuck to something. And then they have little cute antenna. I have two of them, they're blue. I like them.

What do you want to do when you grow up?

I'm not sure. I was, like, [younger] I wanted to be a scientist who studied bacteria. I went through a phase where I wanted to be an actor. I'm trying to remember. Oh yeah, a professional magician.

Tell me a goal you have in the future?

I want to get better at running because my dad runs a lot and I like running. I just want to get faster. I also like riding my bike.

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 10 year old Kate:

What do you like most about school?

I like typing. It's a new skill that I'm learning

What is your favorite food? What about your least favorite?

Shrimp fettuccine! I don't know. I can't think of a least favorite food. Um, pepperoni pizza. I don't love pepperoni pizza. I like pizza, I just don't like pepperoni pizza. Except for some reason I like pepperoni plain. Don't know why. On pizza, I don't like it.  

Do you like to read? What do you like to read?

Yes. I like when it has animals in it. Like, I'm really into dragons right now so I'm reading a book about dragons called “Wings of Fire.” It's really cool.

Do you collect anything / play an instrument / play any sports? If not, what would you like to do?

I do all three of those things. I collect buttons, I play the piano, and I love soccer. I started sewing and I didn't have very many buttons and so I started collecting them, like finding them on the ground. I'd find then and put them in my button jar and now it's, like, really full.

What country would you like to visit, and why?

Australia, to see the koalas.

What do you want to do when you grow up?

I want to start a business where we will watch your pets while you're on a trip, and like a doggy restaurant where it’s food that dogs can actually eat. I've actually tested some of the recipes that I've made up on dogs and they loved it. Like, there's a doggy parfait where it's just like, a little glass cup with whipped cream and then blueberries and whipped cream and then shredded carrots and then more creams. And he loved it. He just doesn't like blueberries so he didn't eat the blueberries but he ate everything else.

Tell me a goal you have in the future?

I wanna be really good at piano and also really good with animals. And I like to run so I want to be a good runner and exercise.

This week we get to talk to Philip Clayton. He was born in Birmingham, AL but came here when he was four years old. He sold his art through the same agent for 31 years, while he served in the Air Force.

What kind of art do you create?

I do pencil sketches … mostly of architectural renderings like Lexington buildings and things like that. I love ships as well. I've done that and you can probably tell my forte is detail

What inspired you to start creating?

My father had an architectural degree from Clemson but he went from there right into World War II. My mother was English and she was in the British army. They met in England; he was a fighter pilot and she was working with radar. The guy who invented radar, Sir Watson-Watts, she was his right-hand person. She was very bright and did some really neat stuff with that program. 

She always dabbled with painting and my dad was a really good architect, but he never used it because he went right into aviation and stayed in aviation, but their influence had a lot to do with me starting artwork. They gave me a few tips like, Dad showed me how to do perspective and that's one of my fortes – [focusing on] very good perspective. Then my mother was able to teach me a little bit about color combination and the color wheel and stuff like that. So that sort of got me interested in it and when I got my agent, it kind of freed me up to create art. She sold it, so it worked out very well and it all took place when I was in the reserve Air Force, which is a wee bit different than active duty.

What motivates you to keep making your art?

Oh, I love the challenge of it, to try to capture the essence of a drawing, like that ship. I've had people tell me that that elevates our spirits. The reason it does is they picture themselves standing on that deck, where the ship [is] a tilt with full sails and the waves, the wind. That drawing has had the same effect on me. 

So, it's exciting for me to produce a drawing that evokes emotion, like the old trail railroad station: that mist and the magic of time, you know? I don't know, but it seems like every time you see a horror movie or just a movie of old buildings and there's mist and that I've captured that with that train station. It kind of takes you back to an earlier time. I really love that, seeing if I can produce a work that creates emotion in people. A lot of people have told me if they're feeling down or bad, they look at that ship and it really elevates their spirits.

Are there any artists you take inspiration from?

My father was a really good pencil artist but he didn't do much of it. He would buy an old building or an old farmhouse, or something in Rockbridge County or a building in Lexington, fix it up and sell it. That's what he did for a living when he got out of the Air Force and I got to help him, so that enabled me to learn more about architecture – being able to work with it and then draw it as well. 

I'm trying to think [of what artists influenced me]. There is one that I'll think about: Ernest Watson. The three artists that influence my work are Andrew Wyeth, Norman Rockwell and Ernest Watson. 

What sorts of feelings or ideas do you express in your art?

I think the drawing that most answers that question is the Vietnam Memorial. I'll tell you a quick story that will define what I mean by that. First of all, I'm in that generation where a lot of us went to Vietnam. By the time I got there, the war was pretty much over but I did bring a lot of my fallen comrades back on my airplane. It was a great big airlifter and I can still remember flying back from Vietnam with a whole load of coffins with our fallen, with the American flag over them and I found that very powerful. 

The Vietnam drawing is in honor of those men and women. A sense of honor for our [fallen comrades] like when we were coming back from Vietnam. In those days we [received] no respect from the American people; it was awful. But that drawing really does. I've designed that drawing to evoke sadness and evoke “let's don't ever do this again,” which we've done it again and again and again, [which] blows my mind. But that's essentially the reason – that's why I draw.

How does it feel when someone buys your art?

A sense of “mission accomplished.” They've seen something in the artwork that appeals to them that perhaps I was trying to get them to feel, and as a result, they bought that piece of artwork. In other words, they are feeling what I wanted them to feel and the fact that they bought it, that's a success. So that's the answer to that.

Do you have any advice for aspiring artists, at any stage of their lives?

That's a good question. There's a book that I used to look at and read and study. That's one of the artists: Ernest Watson. I looked at it when I was 10 years old and it's still out there because it's a remarkable teaching guide to be a good pencil sketcher. It teaches you little tricks; for example you can take, like, an ice pick and make little lines on the paper and then when you go over like the window panes you draw a window and you take an ice pick and draw the little window panes in and then when you shade it with a pencil it hops right out – there’s your window panes. Those little lines become the sunlight reflecting on that side, on the sun side of it's so cool. Ernest Watson taught me all those little tricks. Perspective, for example: a brick wall. You don't have to draw every brick. You just draw a few here and there and then shade the rest of it and it pops out.

Find us a good source of instruction whether it be a book, like [by] Ernest Watson, or some artist like myself teaching my grandchildren, and do take lessons because I think it gives you the basics. And then go through a period where you don't take lessons, so that you can develop your own style. If you don't, there's a good chance that [you] imitate this style.

So my advice is to, jump outside the corral, and race away on your own, [on the way] you know and that way you're going to develop your own style.

The front page stories for June 12 were:

• An intro to the Mel Greenberg issue, with a photo taken at the Rockbridge Commonwealth Attorney's office.
• A fire in the basement of the old Lexington Gazette damaged the offices of the Lexington Cable TV Company, which occupied that space.
• The county budget meeting expected many more than the few citizens who showed up, but there was still some participation from attendees.
• Arnolds Valley hoped for a new project to bring water to citizens who needed it.

The main story about Mel Greenberg is continued in the second image.

The front page stories for June 19 were:

• At a "lively budget meeting," the Rockbridge County Board of Supervisors voted to lower the tax levy.
• The Lexington Fire Department was torn about selling their snorkel truck.
• Mel Greenberg made the front page again after he was arrested in Ohio.
• The City of Buena Vista's time crunch to find a new contract for their municipal use of electricity.  

The main story updating the Mel Greenberg "saga" is continued in the third image.

Also included are a couple of letters to the editor about Mel Greenberg, the ad that he put in the paper which called for people to audition for the movie he claimed he was there to film, and an old bumper sticker that was commissioned to be printed by The News-Gazette which reads: "Free Mel Greenberg."

This week, we'll take a look at the bicentennial celebration in Rockbridge County, 1976. 

The front page stories on July 7, 1976 were:

• New school board members were appointed.
• Buena Vista elected a new mayor and vice mayor.
• An article introducing all of the activities celebrated in the community for the bicentennial was written by N-G Staff Members.
• A Rockbridge County Board of Supervisors member, John Miley Whitesell, made firm decisions about his position. 

The entire issue contained photos of the festivities: Street fairs, parades all over Rockbridge County, homemade ice cream and a cow milking contest. 

If you remember being there, let us know by reaching out to our Digital Media Specialist! 

This week we get to talk to Richard Furman. He was born in Japan, but is a true Virginian, spending the last 50 years or so right here. He describes himself as a hobbyist, but woodworking is something he's been doing since he was a kid and the pieces he creates speak for themselves. He taught woodshop for 34 years and has been with Artists in Cahoots for four years.

What kind of art do you create?

The vision or the philosophy that I use when I'm making something follows four basic principles or tenants: form, function, figure and finish. Form means whatever it is that I make; it's got to have a shape that's pleasing. Just to make something, that's one thing. But to make something, if you're going to go through all the trouble, you might as well try to make a form that's going be something that someone says, 'I like the looks of that.' 

The next one's function, it's got to have a purpose. For me to make something out of wood just to be something sitting there on the table you just look at, it doesn't really speak for itself. So, you'll find that the things that I have, they all have a purpose. Whether it's a rolling pin, a bottle opener, a charcuterie board, a coffee table, a pepper grinder or whatever, it has some function. 

Figure: you have two ways you can look at a board. Look at this piece right here, this is pretty plain Jane. The only thing that's interesting about this is maybe two or three knots that are in it and one down at the bottom, but that's about it. If you hunt, you may find a board that's got all this crazy quilting or figuring going on through it, or some inclusion that creates some crevice in here that just causes the grain to go nuts. That's what I look for. So when it comes to looking for the woods, like if I'm gonna turn a bowl, why do I want to turn a bowl out of something that just has no feature to the wood? There needs to be something there to draw you to this peace other than its shape. There needs to be something going on with the wood. So that's where the figure comes in. 

Then the finish: you can work all day long to create a nice piece but if it doesn't feel good to the touch because it's not smooth enough or when you go to examine it you see sanding marks all through it or it's got dust in the finish or something, you kill what you try to create. So the finish is important. 

What inspired you to start creating?

It started as gifts. When I retired, I said, 'I don't have the shop at my access anymore.' So I bought my lathe and figured, 'well, I'm just gonna learn how to make some small little baby bowls.' Just made little knick-knack bowls, giving them to a daughter and daughter-in-law, some friends and the wife, my sisters and all that stuff. And then some ink pens and gave them to all the guys for Christmas. So that's where it just started. 

And then I decided I wanted to start doing some craft shows. That's when I expanded. People just don't want little bowls unless they get it for a cheap price, so if I make a big 12 or 13 inch bowl that's three and a half, four inches deep and if it's got some really crazy figure in it that you just can't find anywhere else, then okay now we're talking. I know they're not going to go to any old shop somewhere and find it. You'll find little baby bowls all day long and you'll find big bowls, but find a big bowl that's got a flame coming through the bottom of it, or something like that, you're gonna hunt a long time. They're there, but you won’t find them in any old shop.

What motivates you to keep making your art?

Age, staying out of my wife's hair and I don't get to fish as much as I used to. It just gives me something to do. I don't do it for a living. I'm retired, got my own social security check, got my retirement check, so I just do this because I enjoy it. I mean, I don't want to work for nothing. 

So why am I doing it? Because I enjoy doing it. I just, you know, I haven't gotten tired of it yet. When I get tired of it, then I'll be done with it. I've been fishing all my life, since I was five/six years old and really fishing hard. Local rivers and so forth, that's where I've always enjoyed [fishing] but my goal when I was in my 20s was to be able to catch the citation, small amount. Once I finally reached that goal and I said, 'well, let's see if we can find a year where I can catch two.'  As time went along I finally got to the point I knew I'd go out here and catch me a citation if I really worked hard and I had some years where I had 10 and 12 of them in one season. So, what's happened is because I've been there and done that, I'm still driven to fish when I get my chance but I'm more driven now to [do] this woodworking than I am to fishing because I'm still learning, still experimenting and I haven't said I've been there and done that. So at this stage of my life, it's a good thing because, you know, I'm 75 years old. When you get old, you got to stay active. You get to where you don't do anything and you become a couch potato, your life is really going to shorten up. So you gotta keep your brain running, try to use your hands as much as you can, try to just be active and this provides a way for me to do that.

Are there any artists you take inspiration from?

I take inspiration from all the ones here, without a doubt. They're all very different; all have different techniques so to speak. I mean what they do, even the people that have the wall art, you'll notice there's no two artists we have on the wall that have the same style. I get inspiration from all them because I'm not afraid to approach them with things. We know each other well enough now. They know they can speak to me honestly. I say, 'don't worry about hurting my feelings; just tell me exactly what you think.' And they do, so that helps. 

The rolling pin that I brought in here today, they got this July 4th thing starting this weekend. The gallery decided that they wanted to find some way to celebrate America 250. This year, they wanted July to feature things that we collectively have created strictly to celebrate America 250. So I got to looking around and saw that rolling pins were something that the colonists wanted here, other than toys. I got to digging around, trying to find out what a 250-year-old rolling pin looked like. That was a struggle. I got on the internet and took me about a couple weeks. Got to dig around looking for vintage historic English rolling pins, 18th century, and boom I got this hit. It was in some Museum Association over there [in England] and had a date on it, 1760, told what it was made from and all this stuff. I'm going, 'that's what I'm gonna do.' 

So that's what I created but to get the inspiration for it was just conversation with the people here in the gallery. And then inspiration also comes from snooping around on the net, see what's out there. You get to looking around at Etsy, just woodworking, you get to see what other people are doing and wow, you can get a lot of really neat ideas [out] of all kinds of stuff.

What sorts of feelings or ideas do you express in your art?

I've got a little thing out there on display; it's a phrase that sits in the back of my head: if the wood speaks to you, then find a way to enjoy and embrace it, and listen to the message and story it tries to send and share it. I laminated it because I felt it was, in a way, a mission statement of how I look at it. So that would probably be it. Look at the piece of wood and see if it talks to you. If you look at it and say, 'I see, I can probably make this out of it or it would be good for this.'

The figure, so to speak, it's all in the grain. The tree is just a natural thing obviously but a tree has several choices as it's growing, you know? If it doesn't get damaged, nothing happens to it then the grain in that log is not really going to be anything exceptional. It's going to go straight up. But you take a tree that's been growing on the side of ridge top around here, where the wind's gotten to it and snow and ice and stuff, it gets damaged. When that tree repairs itself, all those characteristics of grain each species has is really what makes the wood look good. Those are the pieces I try to find personally.

There are some people [who] actually are going the extra mile to find some unique pieces of wood to use in their turnings or whatever. I figured that's what I need to do because that's what separates them from everybody else. I go find a piece of wood somewhere; if I see one while I'm just running around and be like, 'oh, I have to have that.' You can take five woodworkers and have them all make a pepper grinder, for example. When it's all said and done, there's only two things, really three things, that'll make one type of grinder stand [out]. One is going to be its shape; the other one's gonna be the figure and lastly it's going to be the finish. So if all of them can do a good job on a finish, all are gonna do a good job on shape, even though they all may be different, what's going to separate the leader from the guy in the back? It's going to be the figure in the piece of the wood.

How does it feel when someone buys your art?

It feels great! It really does. This is gonna sound crazy. The excitement that I get when someone buys one of my pieces, it's like a gift. It's a gift to me in that they took the time to see it and appreciate it for what I felt I saw in that piece of wood or what that function or that finish was on it. It's also a way in that, you know, it's not necessarily a legacy. We all end up on this planet and we'll all sooner or later gonna die, that's just the way it is. You hope that your children and your grandchildren and whatever will remember who you were, what you were, what you did, but as time goes along, as generations pass, what you did in your lifetime as far as a parent will start to diminish. 

I've traced my ancestors back all the way up in New York, all the way back [to the] late 1600s. That's where the Furman family actually came from, but I don't know any of them. So my point is that the pieces I make, hopefully, are gonna last more than a generation. If I make a really really nice bowl, if someone takes care of that bowl and don't burn it up or drop it from the Empire State building and bust it in three pieces, it's going to end up in somebody's hands sooner or later. They'll pass [it] on [to] their kid, or let’s assume there is no kid to pass [it to]; it might end up in an estate sale somewhere, who knows? But it's going to have my initials wood-burned in the back and that's where I feel where I'll leave my mark, so to speak, on this planet, other than my teaching career and everything. 

So that's why I consider it a gift [from] me that when they buy it, that's my gift to that person – I'm giving you a piece of me, but your gift to me is that you've bought and you appreciated [it] enough to where I know now that's going to end up in somebody else's hands. So, like I say, it sounds kind of crazy. 

Do you have any advice for aspiring artists, at any stage of their lives?

Oh my gosh. You gotta realize you're getting this from a guy who creates sawdust, but yeah. You just keep trying. I'm going to approach this from the woodworking angle. With all the kids I had when I was teaching shop, I learned this a long time ago, you can't grade a kid's bird house on it being exactly to spec because everybody's gonna make mistakes, adults included. You have to learn how to work around your mistakes because there is no such thing as a perfect project. Maybe an artist can create a piece on canvas that they finally get to where they feel they got it perfect. I'll just let it dry and I'll just go back and paint over it, fix it. Well, in woodwork, you don't get that choice. So you keep trying. You keep trying because you're going to make mistakes, you're going to have some failures but here's the neat thing: if something fails to some degree, don't give up and trash it unless you have to. You can always find a way to still bring it to life, usually. It may not be what you envisioned when you first started but you can still find a way to make use of it. 

So that's the thing I was trying to get to all my kids when I was teaching. There's always going to be goofs. There's always going to be mistakes. When you have experiences like that and you have some goofs, then that's good because now you can anticipate that when you go on to do the next piece, which is experience

This week we get to talk to Corey Egbert. He's from California and had his first illustration job in 2001 and has been doing full freelance illustration since 2020.

What kind of art do you create?

Mostly illustrations for graphic novels. I've written books and I also do mixed media art. 

What inspired you to start creating?

I was a nerdy kid that liked to read books and watch cartoons. My favorite books growing up were 'Where the Wild Things Are' and the Narnia series. I loved watching Cartoon Network shows. 

I've always liked to draw. My mom kept my early scribbles and stuff. She said, from a young age I didn't do crazy scribbles, I would draw neat little things. I majored in art at Snow College, then I came here to Southern Virginia University and then I did the graduate program at Syracuse University.

What motivates you to keep making your art?

Fear. (laughs) No, that's a good question. There's a lot of crazy psychology there probably. I don't know, it's always kind of felt like part of my identity, kind of how I express myself. I like to think it's fun; sometimes it's fun. You know, I try to get to the place where it's fun and enjoyable and I'm doing it for myself but it is also my job, so there's kind of the commercial aspect of it and so paying the bills is part of it. 

But I also get excited by new ideas that I have. I want to try those out. It's kind of how I work out my thoughts and feelings sometimes too. 

Are there any artists you take inspiration from?

Well like I said, Maurice Sendak, the author of 'Where the Wild Things Are' – big inspiration to me. Other visual artists, I mean, there's a lot. Hayao Miyazaki is a big inspiration for me. Pendleton Ward, the creator of Adventure Time. And then fine artists like Matisse and Picasso.

What sorts of feelings or ideas do you express in your art?

Well, with my illustration work, you know I'm expressing the feelings of characters in stories and stuff. In my graphic novel, 'Visitations,' it's a memoir so I'm literally expressing my own feelings and kind of working out issues with my past and my mom and stuff. This stuff that's on the wall, I'm kind of thinking about the passage of time, death, religion and stuff. So, spirituality. Birds are, like, a symbol I've gravitated towards, like human-bird hybrids and stuff. 

How does it feel when someone buys your art?

Um, good? (laughs) No, it's great. I do Mountain Day and Rockbridge Festival and stuff like that. People will come and look at my art, sometimes they'll talk to me about it or I just overhear them talking to their friends and families and say, 'oh, this is cool.' So yeah, that feels good. I especially love [when] people are like, 'oh, this really speaks to me.' Even if they don't buy anything, that means more to me than just buying something. Hearing that somebody resonates with my artwork is a really cool feeling because I think art is kind of a way to connect, especially for me who's kind of like a quiet person. I'm not extroverted at all. Hearing that somebody relates or connects with my art feels really good. It makes you feel like I'm not just a loner weirdo. Because sometimes, you know, what you have to express is non-verbal. So if somebody can understand what that thing is you're doing, it's cool. 

Do you have any advice for aspiring artists, at any stage of their lives?

I guess I would say, and it's something that I'm still trying to learn myself, is just do the work, just keep making it. I can be a perfectionist, you know? Sometimes I get so caught up in making something great or something that other people will like or be impressed by, and that's actually paralyzing. So being in that mode, don't know like, …  

There's a story. It's like, this pottery teacher divided his class into two parts. One half, he told them, 'You will be graded on the amount of work that you do.' To the other half he said, 'You only need to make one piece, then you will be graded on the quality of that one piece.’ According to this story, the people on the side who made lots of stuff actually made better pieces than the ones who were only graded on one piece. So I guess my advice is just make a lot of stuff. The more you do it, the better stuff you'll make. And yeah, you'll make some crappy stuff but that's all part of the process, you know? And that's advice for me too. I need to get out of my head and just make stuff, you know? 

This week isn't a far look into the past, but we hope you'll enjoy the vibrancy of summer in 2012, after our newspaper went to full color photos throughout.

The front page stories for June 6, 2012 are:

• A storm brought rain and strong winds, resulting in downed trees and flooding.
• The renovation and consolidation for Maury River Middle School had a viable bid for construction.
• An 89 year old man died while driving just west of Arnolds Valley Road. His truck ran off the road and crashed into a house, he was not wearing a seat belt.
• Groundbreaking ceremonies for the "water loop" took place. The project would produce and wholesale water to both the City of Lexington and Rockbridge County. 

Let's see how far The News-Gazette has traveled with our subscribers! In this issue, our paper traveled in the US from Hawaii to Florida, then as far as Rome, Italy and Western Caribbean. If you take a copy of The News-Gazette on vacation with you, send us a photo! Message us on Facebook or send the info to our digital media specialist, because we love seeing subscribers bringing our local news all over the world! 

Having all color in our paper allows us to see the news and events the way we usually see them, and that is definitely true for the SPCA ad for 'Adopt a Cat Month.' Just look at their sweet kitty faces! 

To finish up this week, we get to hear from the Happy Cook! Send us a message or email if you try any of the recipes from the Happy Cook! 

This week we get to talk to Rebecca Worth-Warner. She grew up in Lexington and graduated from Lexington High School. Her mother started the business and she joined her when she was 25. 

What kind of art do you create?

In a nutshell, jewelry and pottery. I will say, my background in college is cultural anthropology and so our little slogan is 'not the what, but the why,' so we do a lot of symbolic jewelry and our products have a lot of symbolism. 

What inspired you to start creating?

Well, absolutely my mother did. She was teaching child psychology in Buena Vista. Before Southern Virginia, there was a women's college there. It was called a junior college – a two-year program for women that would go there and then usually transfer into a four-year program. She taught child psychology. She had gotten her doctorate from UVa and when the school started to go through the transition, becoming Southern Virginia, she became the academic dean. During that time there was a pottery studio at the school. With the academic dean thing, there was kind of a lot on her plate. She went from teaching, to like hiring and firing the people she had worked with. I think it was a lot of stress, so she started making pottery. 

At that time, there was a man who was a painter in Lexington, his name is George Makinson, and he didn't want to sit in a shop all day long to sell his work because he wanted time in the studio. So he gathered together a handful of artists that would share the time to sit in the shop and my mother was one of those people. That was the gallery Artist in Cahoots, that's how that got started. I was watching this all unfold as a teenager when I was growing up. My senior year of high school, I had an independent study where I worked with my mother as part of my high school degree. 

High school is when I started and I went to Hampshire College. I studied how the identity of the Pueblo Americans changed with their pottery because of tourism – they started to make pottery to appeal to Americans that were moving out west and how that changed the culture of their artwork. That was my senior thesis. It was just interesting to apply that to what I had grown up with at my home, with my mother being a potter.

What motivates you to keep making your art?

I was going to get my masters but I started working with my mother, who meanwhile had taken a sabbatical from Southern Virginia to focus on pottery for a year and to have a change. She loved it so much that she never went back. The two of us started working together on the pottery and the jewelry. At that time we started, the Japanese invented a type of material called precious metal clay, where they powdered silver and gold and mixed it with a synthetic binder so that you could make pieces just like you would with clay but when you fired in your pottery kiln, the ending result was the metal would just melt together in exactly the form you'd left it in. It enabled us to make metal pieces. So all of our jewelry had been hand sculpted pottery clay and our pottery was pottery. 

I grew up on Jackson Avenue and the Lexington bricks are right outside on our sidewalk. My mother, she took the back of a Bic pen and a toothpick and just made the circles and put the hashtags around it and did that in that precious metal clay. Doing that brick design sent us on the trajectory of learning about those bricks, the design, the history of them and why they're significant in America. They're a big part of my inspiration.

From the 90s, every law student that would see our brick jewelry would say, 'have you trademarked this?' and I would say no. I didn't understand what a trademark was and a copyright but finally I did understand and we did trademark the brick. So we have five trademarks with that brick design. I'm trying to brand our pieces but I also really want to save the integrity of this design. The Lexington people are very passionate about this brick design; it's been in our history. I'm not claiming I made the bricks and that I made that design. What I'm claiming is for the brick jewelry and the pottery that we make -- that these are the products that I'm doing. I've protected other artists with this trademark, mostly in Artists in Cahoots, but also Cabell Gallery had some artists. I've never charged anybody for the use of that. I don't think people understand that I understand as much about the history of the brick. I don't take it lightly. I certainly need to learn more and research more about it, but I'm in a tight space in Lexington where I want to honor the artists who use that design. I don't own the history of that design but I do want to preserve it and celebrate it. 

Are there any artists you take inspiration from?

I was in Sally Mann's book ‘At Twelve.’ I was one of the 12-year-olds that she photographed and so of course I love Sally's work. I feel like I've gotten to be a fly on the wall of her career as a 12-year-old, and then following what I would read. I did have a chance to chat with her. So I'm seeing her be, like, an average normal person (we babysat her kids and she was just our neighbor) and seeing her go to this sort of crazy stardom. When you look at the onion layers and just see her as a really creative, thoughtful person that was moving in that space, it kind of gives you inspiration. She's worldwide famous now and to look at the small steps that became big steps, that became who she is as an artist has been an inspiration for me. 

But my mother, as far as seeing her go from professor and working with schools, and then taking that leap of faith, 'I'm not going to take the six figure job anymore, I'm gonna do art downtown' and to ‘follow her bliss’ kind of thing. It's been an inspiration.

What sorts of feelings or ideas do you express in your art?

Well, I've told you that Lexington brick, that design, growing up with that and kind of celebrating it as a true American symbol that kind of got paved over and is re-emerging.

The other piece that I'm very excited about and proud of is the dyslexia symbol. My son is very dyslexic and, as a parent, I had to really dig in deep to not only help him in academics but his emotional side – when you're neuro-diverse and you're approaching everything from a different space. So I was part of a grassroots movement, Decoding Dyslexia, which was a parent-led grassroots movement. A lot of my friends went on to get degrees and certifications to train dyslexics how to read and my piece with that was, 'I want to create a symbol.' Just like the Lexington brick, or we've worked with other groups like National Cherry Blossom Festival or Martin Luther King Foundation, different groups to brand the message and advocate for something. So the dyslexia symbol is four circles which are the letters p, q, b and d and all the sticks of the letters would be in the center, and they're surrounded in a circle that's kind of like the circle of life, holding them all in. That symbol has been a major part of the last 15 years for me, helping my son and helping other families, to understand dyslexia. That symbolism, advocating and helping other people, and caring as meetings, that's inspires me a lot. 

How does it feel when someone buys your art?

You know, one of the big things that we started, before we got into the metals when we were still doing the clay, was we made hand-sculpted flowers with pottery clay. We did a lot of weddings and, I know this sounds crazy to some people, we also did funeral jewelry. We did some burial pieces, like necklaces for women that they would be buried in. 

So those are super intense examples, like celebrations of mile markers but even now, our jewelry, it's because it's bigger, sculpted and its hand painted, it's colorful – it’s gone through the cycle of 'everything's popular again.' It's coming back around and some of the shows I've done recently, the younger women in their late 20s and early 30s were buying my big colorful flowers and it was making me really happy to see the younger women coming back to it.

I'm always touched when someone buys artwork because to me jewelry is such a personal thing, especially like a wedding piece. The thing that you wear your head when you walk down the aisle, that's kind of major. The dress is major too but anything you're putting on your body. And then the funeral jewelry, that's like, the last thing people are gonna see.

So those, yeah, but it doesn't have to always be such a huge piece. Like, I'll do an art show and the people are like, 'oh, don't you hate when people can't make up their minds?' and I'm like, 'no, I love to see them tormented over which flower and which color, which size because I know they're really thinking it through and they care.'  So that always makes me happy.

Do you have any advice for aspiring artists, at any stage of their lives?

There are so many places to go with that. There's such a business side of it, as far as making it work. I feel very blessed to be able to say that it's my full-time job and I take a great amount of pride in self-employment. When you check those boxes, who your employer is, and I can write 'self,' I just feel immense pride with that and job security.

No doubt it was my mother and I's partnership, but when I had my children, she told me, 'this is gonna be the hardest thing you've ever done' and I'm like 'ah, I'll do it in the evenings. I'll make earrings.' And I was, like, flat on my back asleep in the evenings. So she helped me through with that. Now she's 83 and she can't always do what she wants to do with it and I'm like, 'I got you mom. You had that for me.' We both go to these art shows, work our asses off and divide the money at the end of the night. Sometimes it wouldn't be that much and then she'd go buy my kids all their clothes for school, or something. It sort of seemed like it was almost the same pocketbook. It's so hard to make a living as an artist when you're all by yourself and you don't have another income. If you have a spouse that has an income and they can pay the bills, that helps. It's just hard and I don't want to tell people, 'just follow your bliss and start doing macramé.' I mean, you can't pay the bills. You kind of have to make it a side hustle until it's the main hustle, but I felt blessed where I was doing it with my mom.

I guess I would be like, you really do have to find your village. You have to find your tribe and for me it was with my mother but it was also with Artists in Cahoots. I love the little community. It's a really great group right now. It's about 12 of us and we all kind of have each other's back. We run that shop together so nobody has to sit and work retail day in and day out, which is pretty miserable. We just do a couple times a month and we're on the show together. So, I think it would be to find your tribe, find your people.

This would be another big piece of advice: you cannot wear all the hats in a small business. If you want to make your jewelry and pottery, or your paint your paintings, or take your pictures you might also be a terrible bookkeeper, or you might be a terrible resourcer – to buy your raw materials, or you might hate sitting retail and everybody wants to meet the artist so you have to sit in retail. So hire that out. Don't do it all. Get someone else to help you with it. For my mom and I, it worked really well. We have very different personalities and we were able to divide and conquer, but if you don't have your mom working with you or you don't have a partner, then hire that out. I've watched, with dyslexics, they're so good at some things and so bad at other things. You just simply have to cut bait on the things you don't like to do. It's not even not being good at it. If you don't like it, you're not gonna do it.

These days, the ads we see online are often for large, national or even international companies like car brands or clothing sites. Although these companies may provide important goods and services, and some are even tailored to a person's personal preferences, they are not a representation of our local commerce. 

It's great to look into our past and read about the news and events, but the ads also give us insight - a different side of the human experience. This week, along with the front page, some marriage announcements and Lexington's new rescue vehicle, there are some ads for goods and events.

The front page of the Rockbridge County News on Thursday, June 16, 1960 had these stories:

• A man was fatally stabbed during an argument with another man. The attacker fled the scene but later admitted to the crime after being found close by.
• The area Little League was going to start, with 17 teams in various leagues and 4 teams in the junior girls' league.
• A lawsuit was settled, far below the original filling, for injuries sustained in a car accident.
• Two positions at different Virginia colleges were filled - the dean of college at W&L, and the dean of admissions at the University of Virginia. 

This week we get to talk to Tim McMahon. He is originally from Iowa and was able to create art the entire time he worked as an art teacher for 38 years. He didn't create art full-time until after he retired in 2016.

What kind of art do you create?

Primarily I'm a painter, typically of landscapes. I have family out west so I did a lot of work in the Rocky Mountain area. Then we moved here and I've started to do a lot of Virginia landscapes.

What inspired you to start creating?

Well that's a fairly difficult question. I wanted to do art when I was just a kid. I hadn't planned on majoring in art when I got to school but then I just started doing it. It just grew from there. I had some excellent instructors in college. It seems counterintuitive; I know it did for my parents that, you know, I was studying art instead of business or something like that. But I've been living all these years with art so I think it was the right thing. 

What inspired me? It was album covers. I saw the album covers when [during the] late '60s, early '70s and I was inspired by that, by what they were doing. It made me want to do something and made me want to work at it. The LPs were a large format, not like CD covers, so they were larger and they put stuff on the inside of the album covers. It just was a really interesting and very creative kind of use of color and subject matter. 

What motivates you to keep making your art?

Well, I feel like it's in me, you know, it has to come out. That's really part of it.  I just have this desire to do it, to use our materials, to mix color, to apply it. I can't really explain it but it's almost like I was meant to do this.

One thing I would like to say is that my wife has been very instrumental in encouraging me to continue to paint. She's also a painter; she's also in Artists in Cahoots. We kind of do that for each other, kind of encourage each other. We'll put a half-done piece in front of the other person and say, “Where should I go with this? How am I doing with this?” So we both have the vocabulary to be able to do that, to help the other person make the best of what they're doing. That's been really important for me, especially after I retired.

Are there any artists you take inspiration from?

Cezanne, but I'm also inspired by the abstract expressionist, particularly Willem De Kooning. He's working in non-objective work (no objects, totally abstract) but it's the brush work, it's the action of the brush that I get from him. So really it's Cezanne and De Kooning that are my inspiration.

The thing about those types of art [the Renaissance], they were concerned with form, they were experimenting with the use of oil paint, but it wasn't about expressing, you know? When I paint a landscape, I don't want to just show how it looks. I want to show the viewer how it feels. I want the emotion to come through.

What sorts of feelings or ideas do you express in your art?

Well, a lot of it is about color, color interaction. It's all about making the medium, oil paint or whatever it happens to be, making that into something concrete. Like for instance, if I'm painting a local landscape, I'm concerned with the color but I'm also concerned with the shapes, the form, the 3D forms. And the brush work is really important because it creates a sense of movement in the painting so they're not still. They kind of have some of the energy that you get when you look at a landscape. Obviously I exaggerate the colors because I'm not just concerned with painting a picture but an impression of what that feels like, what it looks like.

How does it feel when someone buys your art?

Well, it's affirming, you know? I liken it to if you're breeding dogs and you find a good home for those puppies. That's kind of how it feels to me. It's a part of me, this thing that I made, but I like it when people respond and want to have it in their house. So in a sense I feel like it'll be with them for a long time. 

Typically, I have paintings that I did 30 years ago and people still have them in their homes.  It's real affirming. It's like, I must be doing something. I do have quite a bit of inventory that hasn't sold but I think it's partly because people haven't been able to see it. In Artists in Cahoots, people come and they're attracted to one or more of the 2D artists that are on the wall. So if somebody comes in and they respond very directly to the work, it's hard to explain, you know? You said that you saw the work and were interested in it and that's it. That's what I want. I want someone to say, 'Oh yeah, I get this, I like this.'

If you read biographies of artists, you get a lot of that, how people came to it, how he was almost genetic in them, to do this thing. I can't really explain it but that's kind of how I feel. It's something that, even if I wanted to stop, I can't really do it. So there's that emotional push to create. 

The more I've gone to museums and the more art I've seen, the more interesting it becomes for me because I know I don't have to reinvent the wheel, I know it's already been done, but I feel like the work that I do is different from what other artists have done. I built on the backs of some of these giants of art but my work is completely different. It's original. I'm looking for someone to have a visceral response to the work. I wanted to speak to them, I wanted to attract them. And it doesn't always mean I sold work but it does mean that people respond in a positive way to it. 

Do you have any advice for aspiring artists, at any stage of their lives?

Yeah, they just have to do it. They just have to spend time doing it. 

What I tell people who are interested is: you have to have a place set up where you don't have to clean it up every time, where you can just walk in and do it. That's a really key thing a lot of people don't have a room, or don't think they have the room, but you need to have that space to be able to go in and work it.

And people say, 'I don't feel like I particularly have talent.' I think it's just dogged determination to do it. It's the repetitions of doing it over and over again that make it possible, and then at some point you start to have some confidence. 

The really interesting part is there's been times when I made these works and it's almost as if someone else did it. Like, when it's done, I don't recognize that I did this thing even though I know I did. It's like it comes from somewhere else, it comes from some psychological place. That's the magic of it. But the main thing I'd say is you just have to do it. Don't talk about it, just do it.

Some of you may remember the local Homemakers School Program. Well, this is the September 30, 1992 print edition which has tips and recipes, as well as advertisements from the program's sponsors. Do you think you'll try some of these recipes this weekend?