March-April 1982
The Mountain Spirit The Magazine of the Christian Appalachian Project
The Mountain Spirit Contents From Our President............................................................. 3 Features: Challenge to Youth in Appalaehia.................................... 5 The Hope of the Kingdom.................................................. 8 Vigil at the Topmost Mine................................................... 14 Departments: Letters................................................................................ 4 The CAP Closeup...............................................................10 News of Our Neighbors: David School...................................................................... 12 Around the Project.............................................................17
The Magazine of the Christian Appalachian Project March-April 1982 Volume I, No. 2 Editor-in-Chief........................................... Rev. Ralph Beiting Editor.......................................................... R. Kenton Craven Assistant Editor......................................... J. Randolph Jordan Advisory Board........................ Mike McLaughlin, Bill Begley Subscriptions.....................................................Kathy Stathers Typesetting...........................................................Sheila Helton The Mountain Spirit is published six times a year. The annual subscription price is $5.00. Subscriptions and other correspon dence should be sent to The Mountain Spirit, Christian Ap palachian Project, 322 Crab Orchard Road, Lancaster, Ken tucky 40446. Copyright 1982, The Christian Appalachian Project, Inc. All rights reserved. The Christian Appalachian Project is a non-denominational, non-profit Christian service organization operating throughout Eastern Kentucky. We rely on private donations for over 99ff/o of our funding. The Project operates on the philosophy that “ helping people help themselves” is the best approach to Ap palachian poverty.
The March-April Theme In this issue, we focus on the challenge faced by Appalachian youth, and the challenge put to them by the many programs CAP operates for young people from pre-school days to adulthood. We also take a look at the recent wave ot mine disasters in Appalachia, for that, too, is part of the challenge the young face. On the COVER, a small Garrard County girl enjoys the infinite wonder of the present moment. Below, a small boy in Jackson County looks out on his hollow in the Daniel Boone National Forest. Special thanks to the many people who graciously permitted us to photograph them. Cover photo by Randolph Jordan.
L a s t week, my brother Ray, came down to Martin, Kentucky, to help me with some carpentry work. We spent several enjoyable days working together. A month ago, I suffered a hemorrhage in my left eye and lost considerable vision. When my brothers and sisters learned of this, I received several affectionate long distance calls and before long a number of gifts. It wasn’t always so. When we were kids growing up, we fought a great deal. We shot each other with BB guns and snitched on each other. Through the years, misunderstandings arose and heartaches followed. Now all of that is past, and among the eleven brothers and sisters a deep spirit of love and understanding exists. As I marveled over these events, I was warmed by the memory of fifty-eight years spent in this family. Yet I could not forget other people I meet each day and the stories they have shared with me. O n e day I was sitting at a table jotting down some random thoughts when one of the boys I was caring for sat down beside me. I suppose he was about eleven or twelve years old. “ Father,” he said, “ What do you do when your mother hates you?” I put down the pencil and said, “ Billy, our parents have the task of helping us grow up into good God-fearing people. At times they have to be a little hard on us. I don’t think your mother hates you at all.” “ If this is true,” he said, “ why did she try to kill me?” I looked at him a little sur prised and asked what he meant by that. “ She put my head down in the toilet bowl and tried to drown me,” he cried. “ If it hadn’t been for my grandmother stopping her, I would be dead!” “ What about your father?” I asked. “ What does he think about this?” “ Oh, he’s dead!” the boy said. “ He was killed.” “ How did that hap pen,” I inquired. “ He got into a fight with the man my mom was going out with and he was hit on the head with a bottle. He died two days later.” Billy stutters all the time. He frequently cries and wonders what he did wrong that makes his mother hate him so. I remember a little girl up in Jackson County I met some years back. I’ll call her Diane. She was ten years old at the time. She and four brothers and sisters shared a three room mountain cabin with their father and invalid mother. Diane was the oldest. She hadn’t been to school for two years ever since her mother took to the bed. She had to be the mother of this family. It was about a week after I had been to their house that I heard the tragic news. Diane had put a pillow to her mother’s face and had tried to smother her. The father came in just in time to March-April 1982
From Our President CAP Founder, Rev. Ralph Beiting, visits elderly in Floyd County, Kentucky.
prevent the mother’s death. “ I’m sorry, Pa,” she sobbed, “ but I am so tired I just can’t go on. I never get away from the house. I have no friends. Let them take me to jail. I want to die!” The poor child was given responsibilities far beyond her years and she broke under the pressure. I have studied on these events many times. Despite the awful poverty of the great depression that my brothers and sisters and I experienced and the many quarrels we got into over the years, we are a family at peace with ourselves and one another. What makes our experiences so different from the examples I cited above? I believe the differen ce lies in great part in the hands of our parents, grandparents and our aunts and uncles. We had a strong family tradition to guide and support us. Left to ourselves we would probably have been no different from the youths mentioned above. Children need the love and stability of caring grownups. In this year of 1982 make it your goal to spend some time each week with someone younger than yourself. Take time to know them and listen as they rattle on. Share some of your life with them. It will be the best investment you will ever make. Kids without caring grownups have no hope and grownups without kids to aid have missed some of the greatest joy the world has to give.
Letters Editor: We enjoyed reading The Mountain Spirit so much, we decided to write and say so. This is a high quality publication that lives up to its name! Articles are well written, photo graphy also very good. The Moun tain Spirit is a credit to CAP and to the Appalachian people. Keep up the good work! David and Jenny Sawyer Disputanta, Ky.
Dear Reverend Beiting: Someone who admires you very much has sent me a copy of your newsletter. I must tell you how uplifted I was to learn of the fine work that is being done at the Christian Appalachian Project. Your attitude toward the budget cuts in the Federal Programs which have directly affected you is one that gives me great encouragement and your fighting spirit must cer tainly be an inspiration to others. 1 want you to know of my deep ap preciation for your willingness to accept the challenge you are now facing.
I believe, as you do, in the good ness of the American people because helping one another is part of our heritage. We seek to rekindle the same spirit of generosity that was prevalent during the time of our forefathers. I am counting on the strength of that generosity to ensure that the needs of our fellow citizens will continue to be met by other caring individuals as we shift responsibility away from the Federal Government. With your prayers and continued support, I know we will succeed. With my best wishes and deep gratitude, Sincerely, Ronald Reagan Washington, D.C. President Reagan’s letter came apparently in response to formereditor Jack L ittle ’s editorial, “Millions, Billions, or ‘One Pair o f Shoes, ’” in the August 1981 issue o f Kentucky River Soundings. Congratulations to Jack, who as new Director o f Purchasing, is put ting his philosophy o f “concrete solutions” to work fo r CAP. — Ed.
Editor: You inadvertently have publicized that a very valuable violin is kept at the home of Johnny Cummins in your January issue. The situation would not be good should someone with a strong desire to secure a Stradivarius violin see your article. I am no expert, but an appraisal might be wise and a more secure location even wiser. It would be so sad for this man to suffer further losses. Jean Wilborn Albany, Oregon Mr. Cummins and the CAP volun teers involved have been advised and special arrangements are being made. Thanks! — Ed.
Letters to the editor are welcome. Address letters to The Mountain Spirit, Christian Appalachian Project, 322 Crab Orchard Road, Lancaster, Kentucky 40446.
outh . . . the word brings a flood of images to the mind: romance, high school dances, football games, crazy practical jokes, and anything else that makes that time of our lives seem magical and wonderful.
Y
Appalachia . . . the word brings a flood of ‘images to the mind: wrinkled faces weathered before their time, bare feet blackened from coal, tattered clothing, decayimg smiles, and anything else that makes this existence seem hellish. Within the hollows of Appalachia, millions of young people are struggling to find the joy of youth which seems to escape their grasp. Because of their love for God and His people, two young men have come to the CAP Family Life Center in Kentucky's Renfro Valley in an attempt to make that joy more accessible. In the middle of the Daniel Boone National Forest, along the Shelltowee Trace, a group of nine young men climb the large land mass overlooking the Cumberland River at Alum ford. The travelers’ haggard appearance is easily under stood once one begins to question the boys on the events surrounding the four days since their jour ney began. It is approximately 4:00 p.m. Today they hive put thirteen more miles behind them. Tonight, the last night of their journey, is one which many of the boys have looked forward to with great anticipation. For others, it is a night
The Challenge to Youth Appalachia
Story and Photos J. Randolph Jordan
Larry Anderson, teacher at the Group Home
Bill Schafer, CAP volunteer from Dayton, Ohio
which fills them with mixed emotions. They are tired and anxious to return to their soft beds, yet they do not want to surrender the beauty with which they have been surrounded these past days.
among the boys. Bill explains that this has been an all too frequent occurence throughout the jour ney.“ Everyday you wake up to bickerin’; you did this, you did that. You’ll hear plenty of war stories!”
As the boys reach the summit, they collapse almost simultaneously. The next few moments are filled with moans and groans concerning aching, blistering feet. Well worn shoes and boots im mediately litter the ground around them. Kelvin, one of the more talkative of the group, is the first to offer a solution to their podiatric problems. “ Ya’ gotta have a pair a good hikin’ boots like Larry’s,” he states with pride in Larry Anderson, one of the leaders of the expedition. Anderson, twenty-four years old, works as a teacher at the Family Life Center’s Boys’ Group Home, of which all of the boys on the expedition are resi dents. “ I tell you what, without Bill I wouldn’t have made it!” Larry states emphatically. He is referring to Bill Schafer, the other co-leader of the “ wilderness challenge.” Schafer, twenty-nine, is a CAP volunteer from Dayton, Ohio. Both Bill and Larry came to work at the Group Home in Sep tember of this past year. Quite a change has taken place in the appearance of the two men since their journey began with the boys four days ago. The fatigue that they are experiencing is quite evident on their unshaven faces. “ Why did we do this, Bill?” Larry asks jokingly. The two young men’s conversation is interrupted by a tenting dispute 6
T h e night begins to appear and with it the temperature begins to drop. “ Hey, Kelvin, ya’ don’t have much sunlight left, Buddy,” Bill states with concern. The young Kelvin replies, “ What d’ya’ mean?” “ I mean you don’t have much sunlight left to set your tent up; I mean get on your tent right now!” While the boys pitch their tents, Larry and Bill begin to relate their feelings about the time being spent on the trail. Bill begins, “ The other mornin’ we had difficulty gettin’ rollin’; we’d get five or six miles down the trail and somebody’s pack would fall apart. They just didn’t tie it up, right. This mornin’, man, everybody’s pack was tied up good. We had a little problem maybe two miles out, but that was exceptional; I was really proud of the boys for that!” At this point, Bill’s face gleams with the excitement of knowing that he has been instrumental in helping the boys achieve their new-found skills. He continues, “ The first couple days . . . ‘Ah, we just goin’ a’ be out here for five days; it don’t matter to me none.’ But after they’re out here a couple days, they realize, ‘Hey, wait a minute, we are holdin’ up a lot of time.’ The Mountain Spirit
That first couple of days,” he laughs, “ we stop ped every five minutes, didn’t we, Larry? Larry nods with laughter as he begins to reveal his own feelings concerning the “ wilderness challenge.” “ 1 think it (the trip) does build confidence and if they do make it to the end, it’s victory. That’s the im portant thing. Many of these boys have never won. They’ve failed in school, failed at home, failed with their friends, or they’ve never had too many friends. If they make it to the end of this, they’ve won!” The seven residents of the Home, all of whom are between thirteen and fifteen years of age, come from various parts of the Appalachian region. They have come to the Group Home because of some difficulty they have in interacting with their society. The best of the boys is only able to read on the level of a fifth grade student. Some of the young men were totally illiterate upon their arrival. The “ wilderness challenge” was developed as a learning instrument. States Ander son, “ They have to learn to take care of them selves . . . ; they have no concept of what can hap pen to them if they aren’t careful.”
concentrate on five major methods of sharing their personal growth experiences. These methods: group dynamics, educational discussions, social action, recreation and prayer, are all aimed at helping the girls develop a set of values as well as teaching them how to use these values in their dayto-day living. The outgrowth of this program has been the development of a Summer Camp for the teenage girls of Appalachia. Like the Boys’ Group Home program, the Teenage Girls’ Summer Camp is an attempt to utilize the environment as a learning instrument.
A
full moon illuminates the clear sky. The Milky Way seems to be at the treetops. As the boys lie in their tents, Bill and Larry warm them selves by the open fire continuing to reflect on the occurences of the day. In the distance, a light ap proaches through the trees; behind it walks a man. He is on a search. In the chill of the night, he relates the story of a distraught teenage girl who left her home early in the afternoon. She had spoken of suicide. Someone had seen her earlier in the evening as she stood atop the cliff overlooking Yahoo Falls. The drop was more than a thousand feet. No one had seen her since. The old man feared what the morning light might reveal. The challenge of youth in Appalachia is something which tends to overwhelm not only the mind, but often times the soul. It is a time of decision. Young men face the challenge of whether to enter the coal mines. Young women face the challenge of a culture which often demands young motherhood. Youth in Appalachia . . . “ if they make it to the end, it’s victory . . . ; if they make it to the end, they’ve won!” cap.
Weariness
T h e challenge to youth in Appalachia is not limited to the young men of this region. Young women face comparable difficulties. The ratios of teenage pregnancies and spouse abuse are among the highest in the nation. Ellen Burke, director of the CAP Child Development Centers, also spearheads another CAP project which hopes to offer the teenage girls of Appalachia some prac tical education. The program involves a meeting once every other month at which time the girls March-April 1982
7
JO R D A N
the hope of the Kingdom by Kathleen Ford
A s has often been said, we at CAP rely almost totally on the generous gifts of our friends across the country. These gifts come in the form of financial assistance, food, clothing, building materials, volunteer assistance and prayerful sup port. It is these gift?, bonded with the spirit of Christianity, that allow us to convey the message of hope to Appalachia. “ Hope” connotes a change for the better, and in order to change, we need resources with which to work. All the programs of the Christian Ap palachian Project combine the gifts and prayers of our donors with Appalachian resources such as lumber, land or job skills. In our work at the Child Development Centers, we feel indeed honored to work with Appalachia’s greatest resource: its children. 8
Presently, CAP operates four Child Develop ment Centers in as many counties; a fifth is in the planning stage. The centers serve children from three to five years of age — that is, children in the most critical stage of their psychic formation. The individual structures of the Centers vary, but the goals are identical. Ellen Burke, Coordinator of our Child Development Programs, outlines as our major ob jectives: • to help the children develop a sense of self esteem by discovering the talents and skills God has given them. • to bring to them an understanding that these gifts, when used for others, can change things for the better. The Mountain Spirit
• to work with each child’s family to sup plement their efforts to bring their child closer to God. T hese goals are not “ ours.” We have taken them from Christ’s explicit directions to the Kingdom of Heaven: You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul and mind, and you shall love your neighbor as yourself. It is our task to realize each dimension of this commandment throughout our pre-school and kindergarten curriculum. Getting these goals on paper is relatively simple; the challenge lies in bringing them to the under standing of three, four and five year olds. The trick seems to be to keep things on the simplest possible level without losing the impact of the message. One of the first times I realized this challenge was in April of my first year of teaching. I was trying to help the children understand the meaning of Easter. After carefully explaining the events of Good Friday, Holy Saturday and Easter Sunday, I had the following conversation with a four year old: Richard: “ They killed Him on Friday, Kathleen?” Kathleen:“ Yes, they killed Him on Friday.” Richard: “ And He corned back alive on Sunday?” Kathleen: “ That’s right, you understand!” Richard (shaking his head): “ Well, they didn’t kill Him too good, did they, Kathleen?” In my mind, the miracle of the Resurrection was obvious. In the mind of four year old Richard, theological thinking was out of the question. The moral of the story, as he saw it, was: “ If you’re going to do something, do it right!” F o r this reason, we spend much more time building attitudes than working with simple facts alone. As we work to develop academic skills in reading, science, math and the arts, we try to in still in each child a wonder at his ability to discover the world God has given him. More im portantly, we need to build in them a sense of en thusiasm and confidence to use what they learn to make their lives better. One sentence that is used repeatedly in our schools is: “ You can change things — you can make things better!” We believe that the knowledge we give them, combined with an enthusiastic appetite for learning and the con fidence to make things better all add up to the greatest gift we can give them — Hope. Another important criteria for making a better future is self-discipline, one of the greatest needs of Appalachian children. As our children discover their thoughts and feelings, they also learn how to express themselves constructively. As they March-April 1982
discover their own importance and self-worth, they also learn that all people are important and need to be loved. Each child is given the oppor tunity to express his/her love for someone else through visits to hospitals, nursing homes and most powerfully, through prayer. Teaching the children is only half our job. The other half involves working with their families. Father Beiting has always recognized the family as the single most important influence in a child’s life. Each center has a Family Involvement Program in which each parent participates in whatever way he/she feels most comfortable. This participation ranges from serving as a teacher-aide to vacuuming floors. We can think of no better way to nurture the hope of the children than to in volve their families. Knowledge, concern for others, confidence, love, family involvement, hope: these are the ingredients for a better future. But they are useless if we fail to make the children aware that they already possess the most powerful key to realize their hope — and that is God. We must make every child and every parent aware of the vital fact that “ with God all things are possible.” For this reason, every day, every meal, every important school activity and every meeting begins with a prayer. The children are kept aware of our national current events and continually ask for God’s guidance and protection. I firmly believe that Ronald Reagan, Jim Brady, Pope John Paul II, and the hostages in Iran owe their lives in part to our children’s prayers. I will have to admit, however, that upon hearing of the hostages’ release, one five year old raised her hands to heaven and cried: “ Thank you, God, for bringing our sausages home!” Fortunately, it is faith that gives power to the prayer — not the content. P ray er is the reason that our schools, with your support, are making a difference in Ap palachia. In our modern, secular world, miracles do not come easily. For some of the children, achieving the goals we have set in our Centers seems an insurmountable task. But in a Christian school, where the teacher works under the direc tion of Him who made the blind see and the lame walk, we see this miracle every day.
Kathleen Ford serves as Director o f the CAP Child Development Center in Lancaster, Ken tucky. Formerly a CAP volunteer, she is now a full-time employee. The Editors wish to thank her fo r the submission o f this article fo r publication. 9
The CAP Closeup
Kathy Weigand Little World in Lincoln County
I n 1977, Kathy Weigand worked at a good job for the Chrysler Corporation in Pittsburgh, Pa., doing bookkeeping and payroll accounts. “ I had a good job, my own car, and my life was secure.” But like many others, Kate (as she was re-baptized by the CAP Volunteers) was sending part of her paycheck to CAP to help the people of Ap palachia. She hungered for something more. At first she looked into VISTA, and found both that the qualifications excluded her, and that “ there would certainly be no Christian com munity,” which she had begun to desire. The mail from CAP indicated that volunteers were sought and, when accepted, required to live in a com munity of prayer and service. After much prayer and thought, Kate contacted the Rev. Jack Morris, at that time Director of Human Develop ment for the Project, about a possible placement in Kentucky, and soon after visited the CAP office for an interview.
by the CAP News Service
W h e n she went back to Pittsburgh, “ it was real hard trying to make the decision. I went to Mass every day, and prayed an awful lot. I said, ‘Lord, if you want me to do this, you’re going to have to put a sign right in front of my face!’ The biggest worry was security—how was 1 going to give it all up?” CRAVE
JO R D A N
the CAP News Service during a break from her work as Director of Tittle World, one of CAP’S Child Development Centers. After two years of apprenticeship under Kathleen Ford in the Sun shine Center in Lancaster, “ Father Beiting asked me to do Little World in 1981. I said, ‘there’s no way 1 can do it. I don’t have the education for it.’ ” “ Society makes you think you have to have education for everything that you do, and that’s not true,” Father Beiting replied. With that set tled, Kate moved into her present position with all the enthusiasm and verve she demonstrates in every part of her life. On the days we visited, Kate’s plucky per sonality, warmth , and sense of humour filled the brightly colored rooms. The youngest of eight children, Kate looks to her mother and father for the primary human inspiration in her life, and credits them for the faith and gentleness she now imparts to the thirty-two pre-schoolers in her care. Xhroughout the day, the accent falls repeatedly on appreciation for the gifts of God and the presence of God within each person. Kate asks the children to pray in thanksgiving to begin the day. “ What are we thankful for today?” “ For God and Jesus!” “ For my mommy and daddy and my dog!” “ For my mommy and daddy and hot dogs! ” “ For work and all the crackers!” “ For all the people at Little World!”
As the time for decision drew near, she prayed for an answer. “ There was a visiting pastor that morning. He had no idea of what I was praying about, but the first words out of his mouth were, ‘do we place our faith in material possessions or in God?’ That hit me right in the face. So 1 gave up my job; I just had to step out in faith and decide. And a few months later Chrysler shut the place down!” Now in her third year as a permanent volunteer, Kate looks forward to service with CAP as an em ployee, and looks back at her volunteer service as “ just great. It’s been a growth experience for me as far as my spiritual life goes, and as far as fin ding out I can do things 1 had no idea I could do—and basically this is because of the com munity support, the people 1 live with in Christian community.” ^ lo w head volunteer in Tancaster, one of the four volunteer communities in CAP (the others are in Mt. Vernon, Somerset, and Berea), Kate is relaxed and friendly as she talks to reporters from March-April 1982
They follow the prayer session with a song, “ Ten der Loving Care” — “ God made me with tender loving care.” From her own family experience, Kate ap preciates “ the family raised in a Christian at mosphere,” unified and affirming. “ I see so many families that are closed in on themselves so that' everybody is in their own little world.” The family atmosphere Kate espouses reveals a different kind of “ little world,” a microcosm in which love and encouragement are the keys to enter a wholeness — “ or trying to see the world through the eyes of Jesus.”
*4We teach the children about God in almost, everything we do. From the time they come to school, ‘Wow, look at that sun up there. Isn’t it beautiful? Who gave us that sun?’ Or when they do something nice for somebody, we say, ‘Wow, I can just see God saying now, “ that’s my Jimmy!” One day one of the kids was doing something, and he says, ‘you know what? I bet God is saying, “ that’s my Jimmy!” ’ That’s the spirit of Little World.” CAP. 11
News o f Our Neighbors
Because each child is unique, one structure can not suit every need. The accelerated student must not be held back nor the slow one left behind. Much testing has been done to group students ac cording to their needs.
David School
We have progressed from the two-room school to the consolidated classroom. Could something important have been lost in that evolution?
Alternative for Youth
A total concept of learning must involve the body as well as the mind, the spiritual life as well as the academic. Students will look to their teachers as examples. It is not enough to place the facts in their hands. They need the wisdom to use them.
by Vicky Cantrell
Photos by Combs.
As the population increases and centralizes, the classrooms overflow. A continuous stream of youth must be processed through the educational system. How many won’t make it? How many will never walk up that aisle in their caps and gowns? The teen years are times of conflict and growth. Social or emotional reasons may push them away from their classmates or teachers. Special learning disabilities or problems at home may set them apart. What happens to the hundreds of students who drop out each year? Will there be jobs for them, a place for them with their families and peers? Cultural Background
Students learn the retail trade in the Mini-Mart.
T h e southeastern Appalachian coal field is an area rich in history and human experience. Fluc tuating social and economic conditions have com pounded the need for special education. Lack of industry, other than coal production, and the im mense cultural and economic change that has flooded the mountains for the past thirty years have created special problems for the youth.
In Floyd County, Kentucky, the area in which Rev. Beiting now spearheads new growth for CAP, the David School struggles to provide A p palachian youth along Right Beaver Creek with new skills and horizons. Vicky Cantrell, a native o f the county who teaches music and poetry at the school, has provided us with the following overview o f the history and work o f this unique at tempt to answer the challenge o f Appalachian youth. — Ed.
The southeastern Appalachian mountains run closely together, tangled like ancient tree roots, their steepness, their closeness forms a natural barrier to outlying areas. Until the beginning of the coal industry, they successfully nurtured the people and sheltered them, independent survivors living close to the mountains that held them. They held family ties to be dear, a man’s individuality his most valued possession. They had a richness that would be sought at any price, that shiny black vein. The mountaineer would pay for it.
E very child is special. Each one has the right to the education which will suit his or her abilities, which will determine his/her function and value in the community as they come of age and take their places as working members.
He quit working for himself and went to work for the mines. Money flowed along with the coal, stopped when the mines played out. The barriers had been broken, lives were changed. A pattern of dependency on the coal industry was established, it is repeated with the era of surface mining. So much wealth has been hauled out in railway cars,
12
The Mountain Spirit
but what has been brought back? What will hap pen to the increasing number of youths who find that education has dead-ended for them? Focusing on the Area
I n Floyd County, Kentucky, the roar of a coal truck is a familiar sound. The air brakes hiss and the trains jerk as the engine catches hold. In the town of David a history has slowly begun to un fold. Over thirty years ago the town of David was a model of prosperity. Twenty-five years later the mines played out and the economy bottomed. Recent strip mining development has revived the industry here. Here, in David, where history has begun to repeat itself, it is also being made.
The Christian Appalachian Project has aided and continues to aid the David School, and Father Ralph Beiting serves on its Board o f Directors. But the needs at present threaten the school’s sur vival — needs in books, equipment, funds. In an area where over 50% o f all entering ninth graders drop out before graduation, and youth unem ployment tops 30°Jo, it is important that the David School continue. I f you would like to help the David School in any way, write directly to the David School, David, Kentucky 41616, or call Terry Keleher at 606-886-8374.
Pride in community living has made a return. The one room school, so well remembered for its individualized structure, has been revived at the David School, a center for alternative education. The David School is an Alternate Learning Cen ter established for academic and vocational training. The School is located in the former Prin cess Elkhorn Coal Company buildings in David, Kentucky. Founded by Danny Greene and Jean Ford in January, 1974, the David School serves those students who have dropped out of the traditional school system. Established in an area where the dropout and unemployment rates are most alar ming, the School offers a second chance for youth who seek alternatives in their lives. The School accepts students aged fourteen through eighteen on referral by parents, teachers and social service agencies. At David a completely individualized academic program of Language Arts, Math, Social Studies, Science and Art is offered. The vocational program offers on-the-job training in the School’s Woodworking Shop, Mini-Mart and Service Station. Students enrolled at David are placed on one of three educational tracts: (1) students preparing to take the GED test, (2) students completing their required curriculum for an elementary or secondary certificate, and (3) students seeking further vocational training and job referral. T h e David School has served over two hun dred students and has been recognized by other educational institutions for its unique and in novative structure. March-April 1982
Top, individual tutoring; above, student learns woodworking; left, David students work with children from handicapped center.
Vigil at the Topmost Mine by R. Kenton Craven
Photos, clockwise: top, a miner registers weariness, two miners wait tensely for news; middle, scoop loaded with inspectors enters mine, and at three AM, the first victim is carried out; bottom, fellow miners anxiously await news, and Kentucky Commissioner o f Mines Willard Stanley fields a reporter’s question.
Photos by Jordan
U n d e r the fierce glare of the tungsten lamps and the white floodlights of the television cameras, the entrance to Adkins Mine No. 18 is not noticeable at first glance. Then it slowly dawns on the viewer that the narrow slit in the shadows, barely thirty-four inches high and about ten feet wide at the mouth, is the place we are seeking. Twenty-four hundred feet beyond that point, twelve hundred feet below the surface of the mountain, eight miners lie dead, victims of an ex plosion. On the right there is a clumsy metal shed for mining equipment, on the left a huge slag heap. The coal black area in front of the mine’s entrance is filled with pools of water and the grimy sludge coal dust makes when wet. There has been no rain. When the blast occurred at 2:30 PM on Decem ber 7, 1981, the force of the explosion threw the water out of the wet mine in a powerful stream that struck the opposite wall of the hollow, one hundred and ninety feet behind us. Now, at 10 PM, the time of our arrival, the pools are the site of milling crowds of black faced miners and mine inspectors and rescue teams, their white safety helmets pinpoints of light against the face of the mountain.
“ oh my daddy, oh my daddy” The air here holds everything, the smell of ex ploded blasting powder, the sweat and grime of the miners and the rescue teams, the fog and mist and coal smoke from the homes, the steady pounding of the exhaust pumps half a mile down the hollow, the murmuring of hundreds of voices trading the latest news. We have heard only one voice clearly through the fetid air. On the muddy road which we stumbled up in darkness two miles past the police cordon, two figures passed us, and one of them cried over and over, “ oh my daddy, oh my daddy, oh my daddy.” T h e last of the immediate families was being evacuated to a schoolhouse in the hollow below Tater Branch, at Topmost, in Knott County, Ken tucky. To experienced observers, that move signaled the worst, that none of the eight below was believed alive. Now the five hour wait for the recovery of the bodies would begin, a grim moun tain vigil common to Appalachia from Penn sylvania to Georgia, wherever there is coal to be found in the earth. We waited in the hushed air. Light gusts of wind snapped up the coal dust in swirls, and the press soon began to look like the miners. And then, in brief communion with their lives, we could taste the coal dust that works its way into everything around the mines, like a grey film of despair. March-April 1982
A familiar vigil
“ When a coal miner goes off to work, his wife never knows if he’ll be cornin’ back,” said a woman in Topmost. When a mine whistle blasts over the hollows of Kentucky, there is a moment of cold fear for every family, followed by hours or even days of waiting for the news. I remember when the whistle blew for my next door neighbor when 1 was in high school in West Virginia. When I carried the morning paper, I would see the men go out at about five-thirty in yellow vans, their safety helmets already donned, their faces ringed with black from the day before. Why bother to clean up until Saturday? And even then, would it ever come off? And one day, when the whistle blew over Island Creek No. 9, the good Christian father of ten did not return. H e r e at Topmost, Robert Slone did not return. His wife, Ora, was expecting their tenth child. Another of the victims, James Gibson, 24, left a wife expecting their first child. Of the eight men dead, six were in their twenties. One had been married two weeks before; another planned to be married during the Christmas holidays. Two, the Perrys, were brothers. One had worked in the mines only five months. David Slone (cousin to Robert) left two brothers working in other mines, and their mother now begs them not to return to their jobs. But, says Ray Slone, 28, “ I’ve got three kids. I have to work.” The vigil ends
For a week after Topmost, the people of Knott County gather on steep hillsides for the services, and teeter with the caskets on hillside paths. Their pastors eulogize the men and entrust them to God’s mercy in the Hollybush Regular Baptist Church, at Rebecca Regular Baptist Church, and at the Kodak Church of the Living God. Others are buried from Ball Branch Regular Baptist, or from the Butterfly Church of the Living God. Families in Dwarf, Feisty, Tater Branch, Pippa Passes, Topmost, Amburgey, Mousie, Beaver Creek, Vicco, Martin, Carrie, Talcum, Soft She, Puncheon, Sassafras, Betty, Handshoe, and Omaha weep, go numb for a few days, pray, and return to their tasks as the coal trucks and trains rumble without interruption. I n homes and hospitals up and down the roads and hollows, miners and their families pause and wonder about it all. It is a terrible price to pay for a “ good livin’ ” but it is the only work to be had. It is the work these ravaged hills have known for eighty years. And while the coal holds out, there will be more of these familiar vigils. CAP. 15
Special Report Youth Faces King Coal W h e n a young man in Appalachia considers the future, the decision to enter the mines must inevitably be considered. Traditionally, Ap palachian youth enter the military service in large numbers, but for most this is a temporary measure. The simple fact is that, for most, mining jobs offer the only jobs which pay a salary suf ficient to support a family. But the choice to go down into the mines is still seen by the people of the hills as a grim one, tinged with fear and fatalism. Mothers pray that their children will never have to go, but once the choice is made, view it as a necessary evil. There is good reason for their apprehension. Two days before the Topmost disaster, three miners died when a slate roof collapsed in Bergoo, W. Va., injuring a number of others, one of whom lost both arms. Two days after Topmost, where eight died, thirteen miners perished in a methane explosion at Whitwell, Tennessee. Finally, on December 10, but a few miles from Topmost, yet another miner was crushed to death between two shuttle cars. Thus in one week across Appalachia, twenty-five miners would be newspaper statistics, while twenty-five families would be without fathers, husbands, wage-earners. Though mining fatalities have declined since the passage of the Coal Mining Health and Safety Act of 1969, the ritual of disaster continues im placably. In 1981, one hundred and fifty-three coal miners died in the United States, a rise of 13% over the previous year. The move to coal and away from oil is beginning to take its toll. Underground, coal miners face hazards from roof falls; from shuttle car accidents; from floods; from explosions of methane gas, coal dust, and faulty charges; and from suffocation and asphyxiation. At Topmost, the suspected cause was the backfiring of a faulty explosive which ignited gas and coal dust in a secondary explosion, but safety procedures in the mine are under in vestigation. Above ground, miners continue to face the hazards of black lung disease, sabotage, and union violence. The communities in which they live are also vulnerable to floods caused by both conventional and strip mining, such as the collapse of a slag dam in Harlan, Ky. in December of 1981, or in the famous disaster of Buffalo Creek, W.Va. in 1972, which cost one hundred lives and left four hundred families homeless. 16
Eighty per cent of the mines in Eastern Ken tucky are small company operations, often owned by a single family, which use conventional mining methods, or “ shooting from the solid.” In this method of mining, the coal face is filled with ex plosives and electrically detonated to blast the coal from the seam. Since many of the shafts in these mines are no more than twenty-four to thirty-six inches high, “ shooting” is, needless to say, a hazardous method. Larger companies use “ con tinuous” mining with machines that eat the coal from the seam, but this technology is too expen sive for the smaller operators and not suitable for the smaller seams of coal. On January 6, 1982, two more miners died in Knox County, Kentucky, suffocated by “ coal damp,” a gas mixture. They were not carrying the oxygen resuscitators required by law. The incident highlighted another hazard: the mine was one of one hundred and eighty illegal mines in Knox County alone. As unemployment soars—the jobless rate is now 34% in Menifee County—the temptation to open bootleg mines is great, as are the dangers of operating with primitive methods and no inspections. Since 1900, over 20,000 coal miners have perished in West Virginia alone. The young men and women who grow up in the hollows of Ap palachia must face the prospect of living with coal mining and the culture of hopelessness it engen ders. Since press time, several other mining accidents have occurred in Kentucky, including a major blast at Craynor, forty miles from Topmost, which claimed seven lives. Between December 1 and January 27, the toll had risen to thirty-eight, twenty-two o f these in Kentucky. — Ed.
Victim of a mine roof fall, a young miner in Floyd County rests in the emergency room of Our Lady of the Way Hospital.
The Mountain Spirit
around the project
JO R D A N
by the CAP News Service
Deep freeze hits CAP LANCASTER — The “ Deep Freeze of ’82’’ which brought record low temperatures to more than thirty-six states took its toll on CAP Headquarters in Lancaster, Kentucky, during the second week of January. At approximately 4:00 p.m. on January 11, 1982, a main water supply pipe burst above the Ad ministrative Office Section of the Crab Orchard Road complex. The control valve was quickly shut off and any major destruction was aver ted. The accident repeated itself later that evening around 10:00 p.m. when another pipe broke, this time above the main computer room.
discovered the water only after it had begun to seep through various parts of the building. Once the flooding was discovered the cleanup process began.
Late shift Mail Room employees
The total cost of the “ flood of
Ed Wardle, CAP’s Director of Planned Giving, surveys flood damage.
’82’’ was estimated at $3,000.00. In view of what more serious com plications could have resulted, the damage can be seen as minimal. We continue to thank God for keeping us in His loving care.
Volunteers re-assigned RENFRO VALLEY — This year’s CAP Volunteer Winter Orientation, held at the Family Life Center in Renfro Valley, Kentucky, has resulted in a reshuffling of volunteer work assignments. Abiding by his philosophy that “ happiness in a job is essential,” Fr. Ralph Beiting transferred ten of forty-four volunteers to new assignments.
Rev. Beiting jokes with volunteers at Winter Orientation.
March-April 1982
January also brought two new volunteers to the CAP Family: Sr. Barbara Walsh, S.U.S.C., who will be heading a pilot program designed to minister directly to the educational needs of the families with children involved with the various CAP Child Development Centers, and Mrs. Veronica Amelia, who will be working in the various Attic stores. 17
around the project. . . continued
CRAVEN
Special weekends build family ties CAMP NELSON — A new program at the Camp Nelson Group Home on the bluffs of the Kentucky River brings brothers and sisters together for a weekend of recreation and serious discussion aimed at building family ties. According to Maurice “ Moe” Mercier, Director of the home for the last seven and one-half years, the new program builds on the family visitation day, already held once a month. “ We’ve had the family thing now for years, chiefly organized around the theme of celebration of the family, with potluck dinners around the four or five major Christian feasts, such as Christmas and Easter. And that’s the key to the new idea as well. “ One of the things we’ve learned about our boys over the years is that they have spent very little time with their own brothers and sisters. The ties have never really been established. It seemed to me that on four or five weekends a year, it would be good to have just the brothers and sisters present, without parents, so that the boys could share what they’re learning about them selves and life, and could begin to know their own family in a new way.” The first of these weekends, held late last fall, provided opportunities for quiet talks, preparing meals together (a new experience for most), supervised hikes, and a touch football game. “ The recreation is important,” Moe said, “ because it loosens things up. But the heart of the program is the formal discussion on how family 18
Special Weekend participants enjoy a game of touch football
Urgent Plea ties can be rebuilt, on what can be done to improve their family lives. Over the next year, that’s what we’ll be looking at to evaluate the success of the program.”
The Attic Stores of the Christian Appalachian Project are in need of the following types of donations: bedding, small appliances, dishes, and household wares.
Going to the World’s Fair? Try it Our Way . . . RENFRO VALLEY — According to a spokesman for the American Automobile Association in Lexington, Kentucky, fairgoers bound for Knoxville, Tennessee, may find reservations hard to come by, especially during to the summer months. Motels and hotels in the Knoxville area are beginning to fill up with advance reservations, and AAA expects the trend to continue, until the May 1—October 31 period is filled. The Rev. Jack Morris, Director of the Family Life Center, offers a suggestion to prospective tourists.
“ Stay with us in Renfro Valley. We’re only two hours drive from Knoxville on 1-75. See the World’s Fair as many days as you like, and spend some time getting to know the Christian Appalachian Project as well.” The Family Life Center of Ap palachia is located in Renfro Valley, fifty miles south of Lexington on I75. For room and meal rates and reservations for individuals or groups, call Mr. Ralph Anderson, 606-256-5612.
The Mountain Spirit
Dear Friends of the Christian Appalachian Project: The greatest resource we have in Appalachia is children. They are our hope for the future and our wisest investment. Will you help us with the care, nurture, and education of our great gift from God? Listed are a few of the needs our young people have right now. Home teaching for a handicapped pre-schooler (includes teacher trans portation and educational materials)
$15.00
One week at Camp Andrew Jackson for an underprivileged child
$20.00
New school shoes for one child
$25.00
Tuition for one week for one child at one of our Child Development Centers
$25.00
Remedial education materials for the Mt. Vernon Group Home
$75.00
Expenses for one month’s activities for one of our clubs for teenage boys
$100.00
Linens for our special needs foster home
$150.00
Groceries for one week for the Home for handicapped foster children at Mt. Vernon (10 kids!)
$200.00
Specialized playground equipment for handicapped pre-schoolers
$300.00
To sponsor one of these special needs, please in dicate your program of interest, and mail your donation in the envelope provided in the fold of the magazine. May God bless you richly for your generosity! Sincerely, Mike McLaughlin Vice President Christian Appalachian Project
The Mountain Spirit Christian Appalachian Project Lancaster, Kentucky 40446
NON-PROFIT ORGANIZATION U.S. POSTAGE PAID Christian Appalachian Project