To Succeed…Believe!

“If you want to lift yourself up, lift up someone else.”  by Booker T. Washington

I have been off my normal schedule for a week and if you did not notice, there was not a weekly Post prepared last weekend. I was part of a host group for a conference held in town and my schedule was extremely busy. The conference lasted until late Wednesday and it required a few days for me to recover.

I am back on track now and my engines are roaring. The news from the Learning Center confirms that classes will resume tomorrow. However, this has not been much of a break for the Learning Center staff. Angela has been extremely busy during the break with a variety of activities. She has been developing formal presentations to be given to their local business community requesting support as sponsors for their educational efforts. Other work has been preparing the curriculum and course content for the second half of the school year.  The Learning Center has also been the focal point during the break for local high school students who are doing community service work to help develop their business and professional skills.

Volunteers have completed their assignment at the Learning Center and have departed the small community. The new volunteer replacements are now arriving. As I frequently indicate, the Learning Center is a hotbed of activity most of the time even when the regular students are on break. I am looking forward to much more news coming soon about the progress the students are making and keeping you updated.

Recall that I raised some questions about the apparent lack of classroom equipment to support the educational effort. Some of us are working on this issue. I will provide more details in next week’s Post on our progress.

Other News

In my June 29th Post I mentioned the passing of my dear friend Betty Jean Ganaway. I should have also pointed out that she was the step-daughter of the late Mr. Lee. My “Friends” from Emory & Henry College may recall Mr. Lee. He was a very well-loved and respected employee in the college’s Food Service area for many many years.

Also, in my November 9th, 2014 Post, I highlighted Curtis (Duck) Montgomery in my Veteran’s Day message.

This week, “Duck” will celebrate his 100th birthday. For the record “Duck” was also employed in the college’s Food Service area along with Mr. Lee for many years. I am proud to say that I worked with both of these men in the dining room kitchen to help pay for my college education.

Both Mr. Lee and “Duck” took great care of me while I attended college. They were both like honorary uncles in my life. Needless to say, I ate very well each day and the advice and guidance they both provided me proved as important as the great education I received in those college classrooms. “Duck”…Happy 100th Birthday from all the “Friends of Copey“.

NASCAR UPDATE

Jeff Gordon finishes 9th in the NASCAR race in New Hampshire. Some may wonder if I had abandoned my favorite driver.  I have not reported on his progress over the past few Posts. No…I have not. But I have had to lower my expectations for Jeff and his final year of racing. I thought, as many others, this would be a memorable year of racing for him. The reality has not been fun. He has finished in the top 10 several times but no winner yet.  We still have half a season to go.