The Ironton Tribune • Generations Fall 2020

Generations MAKING A DIFFERENCE IN THE COMMUNITY

Nancy Carter

A LIFE IN DANCE: Carter has had dance studio for more than 5 decades........................ Page 3

Wednesday, September 30, 2020

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THE TRIBUNE

GENERATIONS

WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 30, 2020

Mike Pemberton, superintendent of the City of Ironton’s Flood Control Department, stands in the front of the flood control pumps. He has worked for the city for over three decades in various departments. (The Ironton Tribune | Mark Shaffer)

Keeping the city going Pemberton is over much of Ironton’s infrastructure

By Mark Shaffer

F

or three decades, Mike Pemberton has been helping to keep Ironton’s infrastructure

going.

As the superintendent of the Flood Control Department, he and his staff do their best to keep the 1940s pumps and other flood devices operational.

Pemberton graduated from Symmes Valley High School in 1975.

He got a job with the City of Ironton in the Flood Control Department because it was a good job.

“I had a wife and family to support,” he said. “But I got interested in serving the public.”

Pemberton has had a couple of different positions within the city.

“I was the city service man for a couple years. Then I moved on up the ladder to city mechanic. Then I was offered a supervisor job over Flood Control, Sanitation and the Street Department in 1990 and I’ve held that position since then,” he said. “With all the duties in the sanitation department and flood protection for the residents, I’ve really enjoyed being a public servant.”

Which is a good thing, especially during flood season when the department has to monitor the level of the Ohio River and make sure the 80-yearold flood control systems are working so sections of Ironton don’t flood.

“We are out here all hours of the night whenever that river comes up,” Pemberton said. The normal level of the river is around 32 feet. “It just takes a couple feet of water and then we’ve got to take action — get these pump stations in action, closing some big sluice gates to keep the river water from coming into our system. That is a challenge sometimes.”

Plus, the flood department has five miles of earthen levies that they have to try to keep mowed.

And department has to go through yearly inspections with the U.S. Corp of Engineers on the flood system for the Rehabilitation and Inspection Program (RIP). As long as the city qualifies for the RIP program, if there is damage to the city’s flood defense system during a flood, the city can apply to receive federal assistance to repair it.

“If you get off the RIP Program and something happens, it comes out of the city’s pocket,” Pemberton said. “If you stay in it, the federal government will pay for 100 percent of the damage.”

As for what is the most difficult part of working in three departments, Pemberton said it just depends.

“I don’t dread any of it, not really,” he said. “If a resident has a complaint we are there to help them. We try to do all our best to keep all the garbage picked up. We haul probably, every day, 20 tons of garbage out of Ironton, five days a week.”

As for the street department, they are responsible for patching holes and keeping alleys clear.

“We just got a new grader, so that makes life easier,” Pemberton said.

The street department does get to do some fun things, like at Christmas time.

“We are in charge of decorations and lighting,” he said. “That always makes the city pretty.”

Pemberton said there are a lot of responsibilities but he enjoys it all.

“It’s been a good life for me, I enjoy working for the city. I enjoy serving the public.” Pemberton said.

He added he will probably being retiring in the next couple of years.

“But I would like to see a few more projects completed before I go,” Pemberton said.

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A life in dance

WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 30, 2020

GENERATIONS

THE TRIBUNE

3

Carter has had a dance studio for more than five decades

By Mark Shaffer

F

or Nancy Carter, dance has been her life.

She began dancing when she was just four years old as part of a touring vaudeville act. She was just a teen when she started Nancy’s School of Dance in 1964 in the same Proctorville school building where she went fourth grade.

After her high school classes were over, she would ride the bus to the old elementary school building and teach others dance.

“All the bus drivers knew me. I had a little cardboard record player and a little mat and I would just stand out there, waiting for them to take me home,” Nancy said.

Over the years, she expanded to have studios in Proctorville, Louisa, Kentucky, Grayson, Kentucky, Hurricane, West Virginia. She moved her main studio from Proctorville to Huntington, West Virginia and spent decades there.

“Then I thought I had to get it all in one spot because I was traveling so much,” Nancy said.

And 57 years after she started, she decided to return to

Proctorville, into a church building that is just a block away from where her first studio was.

“I’ve been trying to get this place for a year,” she said. “I always loved the building.”

She said she returned to Proctorville because she always loved Ohio, but that the move has surprised some of her dancers that she would leave Huntington after decades of being there.

“People kept saying ‘I can’t believe you’re moving out of that building,’” Nancy said, but added that all her clients are coming over to the new studio once it is done.

Right now, Nancy is moving in pictures, trophies and costumes and clearing out classrooms and putting down new flooring for the dancers to practice on.

“I am so blessed and I feel so fortunate,” Nancy said.

Nancy’s love of dance came from her father, Bob Carter. He was a star on the Vaudeville circuit and some of his highlights include being the headline act on the ocean liner Queen Mary

and being named as the top Hollywood tap dancer in 1933.

One of his tours took him to Detroit, where he met a waitress at Walgreen’s named Mary Thaxton. The two hit it off and they married.

They had two children, Nancy and Marie.

The elder Carter toured a little less and moved to Miller to be a farmer.

“He named it Bob Carter’s Cured Ham Farm,” Nancy said. “People kept knocking on the door wanting hams. We didn’t have any hams. He had to explain he was the ham! He didn’t know the first thing about farming, all his life he had been an entertainer. But he was quite the comedian and entertainer.”

Bob also had a dance school in Gallipolis and Nancy taught there. She also joined him on his occasional tour.

“I tap danced as part of his act, so I got a lot of experience,” Nancy said. “I started when I was only four

years old.”

Nancy said that for her, teaching was never about winning trophies in dance competitions.

“It was about my love of dance and entertainment,” she said. “It was about being out there and letting the kids, and the adults, get out there and have fun.”

She started her studio when she was 17 and has been teaching for so long now that some of her dancers are third-generation of students.

“They used to say, ‘Oh, my mom took classes from you,’ ‘Now, I have

them saying “My gramma used to take classes from you,’” Nancy said with a laugh. “That was about 50 years ago! Everyone says I should retire, but I love doing it and this is my 57th year of having a studio.”

Her students range from two-year-olds to an 80-yearold.

“We have all ages and all levels,” Nancy said. “We hope to make this a place of happiness and fill it up with fun, fun things,” Nancy said.

Classes include lyrical, jazz, tap, baton and ballet.

Nancy said some people tell her that you work so you can retire but “I say no, as long as God lets me function and keep on going, I am going to keep on going with it.”

Nancy’s Studio will be opening up again on Oct. 20. The phone number is 304697-2840.

GENERATIONS

Enchanting lessons

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THE TRIBUNE

WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 30, 2020

Children’s author draws from family to teach

By Heath Harrison

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rawing from the personalities of those closest to her, an Ironton woman has been dreaming up fairy tales to teach important lessons of life.

Author Vicki Roach finished her first book early in 2019 and, since then, she has written three more of the Christian-based books for children.

Partnered on meaning of Christmas,” each with illustra- she said.

When she’s not writtor Ricardo Ramirez Gallo, who also lives in ing, Roach runs the Tea Lawrence County, she Party Treats & Sweets has self-published the Cottage and Cowboy works through Proving Cabin on Township Press and received Road 32, just off Route a positive reception, 93, though, the venue’s with packed signings business for children’s and events around the parties has been temporarily closed due to release of each.

“My first three books the COVID-19 pandemic were based on true life and limits on mass gathevents turned into fairy erings.

Roach said her goal tales,” Roach said of the works, which are based is to write two books on family members and a year, and she has just finished her latest, teach life lessons.

Roch and Gallo’s “Momma Fox,” based ABOVE: Local author Vicki Roach, seen with her first three books, bases her fairy tales on her family members and partnership began with on her mother.

“I was raised in Pedro uses them to teach life lessons. (Submitted photo) RIGHT: “Fairies Love Oreos,” about her daughter in a little hollow called Local author Vicki Roach and illustrator Ricardo Ramirez Fox Hollow,” she said. Gallo hosted a book launch party for her latest children’s Breana.

She said the message “Our mother taught us work, “Bridget the Queen Bumblebee Finds Happiness in of that book was “about all about God’s love. Sharing,” at her home in November 2019. (The Ironton forgiveness and angels She was the one who Tribune | Heath Harrison) are all around us when introduced us to church and kindness.” you least expect them.”

Roach said her mothIt was obvious the work connected with a er is a breast cancer local audience when she survivor and portions hosted her first signing of this book’s earnings at the Briggs Lawrence will be donated to local County Public Library charities for women and attendees lined up who have breast cancer a good half hour before and need things such as the start of the colorful, wigs and prostheses.

“I wanted to do somefairy and flower-themed thing to honor her,” event.

She followed that up Roach said, She said her goal is later in the year with “Bridget the Queen to have another book by Bumblebee,” about her the end of the year.

“There are more in the other daughter, Bridget, who she said she always works,” she said, addreferred to with the ing that the next one, nickname “Queen Bee.” a panda-themed book, “This book teaches will center around one how giving and shar- of her grandsons.

She is quick to share ing can be a blessing to others,” Roach said. credit for the success of “Sometimes, in life, the tales with her illusyou’re not always treat- trator.

“Without illustration, ed fair, but you should a story is just words,” Local author Vicki Roach, left, based the title character of still share.”

After the two books she said of Gallo’s con- her book “Bridget the Queen Bumblebee Finds Happiness about her daugh- tributions. “He’s amaz- in Sharing,” on her daughter, Bridget Adams, right. (The ters were relased, ing and brings the sto- Ironton Tribune | Heath Harrison) Roach’s next work, ries to life.” tales,” Roach says in The books are avail- www.vickiroach.com.

“Gingerbread Smash,” “I was always encour- her biography on her was based on her sons, able through Amazon Bruce and Brice, and and Barnes and Noble’s aged as a child to use website. “Life was and N AT I O N A L H O S P I C E & PA L L I AT I V E C A R E M O N T H | N O V E M B E R came out in the 2019 hol- websites and more my imagination, and is a big, beautiful place information on the it was always OK to of enchanting, and suriday season.

“It teaches the true works can be found at believe in magical fairy prising moments.”

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GENERATIONS

Serving his community

WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 30, 2020

THE TRIBUNE

5

Former mayor stays involved in Chesapeake civic life

By Heath Harrison

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HESAPEAKE — It’s been almost five years since Dick Gilpin served as mayor of Chesapeake, but he is still deeply involved with his community.

A resident of the village since 1982, he is a member of several civic groups, including the Chesapeake Area Citizens Coalition, for which he has been president in the past and chairs its Octoberfest committee; the ChesapeakeProctorville-Rome Lions Club, for which he has also served as president; the American Legion, for which he has been financial advisor; as well as being a board member for the Chesapeake Community Center and the Lawrence County Airpark in Chesapeake.

He has been operating Gilpin’s Creative Trophies, located at 101 2nd Ave. in Chesapeake, since 1998.

“We had the hardware store, which we obtained in 1982,” he said of the business, Gilpin’s True Value, which he ran for 16 years. “Then when the hardware was producing income, we had an opportunity to purchase the trophy business next door.”

He said the business’s

DICK GILPIN clients include schools and sports teams, as well as churches.

“We provide awards for sports and for the end of the year,” he said, noting the demand comes seasonally.

Gilpin, who was born in Cheboygan, Michigan, said he did not meet his dad, who was serving in World War II, until he was a year and half old and he returned to go back to work on the railroad.

The family lived in several places, such as Tiffin, Detroit and Columbus.

Gilpin graduated from the Ohio State University and went into the Army for four years, deployed to Korea and Vietnam.

From there, he went to Madison, West Virginia, where he acquired a store and ran it for nine years, until he and his father acquired the hardware store in Chesapeake in 1982.

He served as

Dick Gilpin, who served as mayor of Chesapeake from 2008-2016, has operated Gilpin’s Creative Trophies in the village since 1998. (The Ironton Tribune | Jessica St. James) Chesapeake’s mayor from 2008-2016, and recalls his biggest accomplishments as financing two retaining walls and working with the state.

“And we paved some streets,” he said.

Gilpin and his wife, of 52 years, Marla, have four children.

Gilpin is also a member of the Lawrence County Republican Party’s central committee and served last year as interim county auditor when Jason Stephens resigned the position to take a seat in the Ohio House.

One son, Bryan, is director of communications for Hospice of Huntington, while another, Todd, is an independent film-

Dick Gilpin runs Gilpin’s Creative Trophies, located at 101 Second Ave. in Chesapeake.

(The Ironton Tribune | Mark Shaffer) maker. A daughter, Carrie Dixon, works for Lawrence County Common Pleas Judge Christen Finley, while another, Paige Ford, works in a psychiatrist’s office in Huntington.

He has seven grand-

children and one great grandson.

Of his civic involvement, Gilpin said it’s something he has tried to keep up.

“I always volunteer, when I could,” he said.

“It’s just part of being

a citizen in a community.”

He describes it as a “synergistic thing.”

“I like working with groups of people,” he said. “You get more done with a group than working by yourself.”

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GENERATIONS

THE TRIBUNE

WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 30, 2020

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