Jim Bishop: Dusty discs activate cobwebbed recollections
I felt so “blown away” I was glad I was sitting down at the time. I popped the CD in the player and turned back the hands of time 55 years (man alive!). It seemed like only yesterday once more.
There was still background noise that sounded like someone sharpening a knife on a revolving cutting stone and an occasional “hic,” but the overall sound quality was much improved.
Some time back my brother Eric sent me a Soundcraft 45 rpm-speed metal disc that the J. Vernon and Ann Bishop family had made in 1955, wondering if it’s possible to salvage the original recording, in pretty bad condition from years of play and languishing in storage.
I gave the dusty disc to my friend Charles Graves at WSVA radio, who enjoys the challenge of trying to bring back to life that which some would declare near death. He ran the corroded record through a computer software program on to a blank CD.
I listened to the restored copy and almost choked on my feelings – good emotions. In my mind’s eye I can still see our family gathered in the cozy dining room of our domicile next to the Doylestown (PA) Mennonite Church. Dad arranged for someone to come with a one-track reel-to-reel tape recorder as we put together a five-and-a half-minute compilation of representative family activities.
On the recording, I played two short piano selections, one titled “In Church,” sister Becky recited “The Lord’s Prayer,” then brother Bob sang the Malotte version of the same biblical text – reminiscent of Alfalfa’s struggling to hit the high notes in the “Our Gang” comedies. It concludes with the song our family frequently sang around the supper table, “In My Heart There Rings a Melody.”
I still remember traveling into Philadelphia with Dad to load up a Blasius & Sons upright piano that he found at a reduced price; it might have been a giveaway. The massive instrument produced a marvelous sound, even when this young lad sat at the bench and hit wrong notes in practice which I did nightly – whether I felt like it or not. The piano sported genuine ivory keys too, but was dead weight. It didn’t budge once situated in the corner of our dining room.
I think of my weekly visits – some anticipated when I was prepared, dreaded when I hadn’t adequately prepared – to my teacher, Mr. Partch. I liked him. He seemed genuinely interested in me and affirmed my potential as a student of the keyboard even when I wasn’t sure I wanted to stick with it.
I knew that my teacher was biased toward classical music, which is largely what I learned week after week (by the fifth year I was playing heavy duty Tchaikovsky), and Mr. Partch was less than thrilled when I brought sheet music for Roger Williams’ “Autumn Leaves” and Duane Eddy’s “The Lonely One” to class.
My regret to this day is dropping piano lessons when I chose to attend Christopher Dock Mennonite High School, some 25 miles distant, instead of Central Bucks. My parents couldn’t afford to continue the lessons and cover tuition at Dock. Fortunately, the piano background served me well when I took up the baritone ukulele in college and the acoustic guitar shortly after graduation. I still have this six-string companion, get it out and play occasionally.
The homemade recording ends with Mom stating, “This record was made Feb. 28, 1955. The children’s ages are Jimmy, 9, Bobby, 7, Becky, 5.” Eric, now 53, and Mike, 51, were not even a gleam in my parents’ eye then.
“Dr. Charles” went the second mile and performed digital surgery on two more 7-inch, 45 rpm vinyl discs from my collection – Bill Hayes’ “Ballad of Davey Crockett,” introduced on “Disneyland” on TV and soared to No. 1 for weeks in 1955, and a Capitol 45 that I thought too far gone to be resuscitated, “Daffy Duck Flies South.”
The wacky but ingenious story line with Mel Blanc’s voice characterizations and inspired music by Billy May has Daffy flying south for the winter (it sounds like a jet plane with coughing spasms when he takes off and comes in for “a perfect three-point landing – my two knees and my nose”).
Daffy winds up by accident in “Backwards Land,” where the local native says goodbye when he means hello, the cow moos backwards and the children in the little red school house are instructed by the teacher to “Sing we’ll now, children” and they respond collectively, “Clothes our wash we way the is this, clothes our wash, clothes our wash. . .”
Because he’s stuck in Backwards Land, Daffy has to take off flying backwards and winds up right back where he started from. A moral here, perhaps?
“Oh, well,” he reasons, “I may not be the first duck south, but I’ll bet I’m the first duck back north.” We Bishop kids participated vicariously in these fantasy adventures for years, courtesy of our heavily-used phonograph player and our vivid imaginations.
That’s NOT all, folks! Thanks to some amazing technological advances, our vintage family recording and other childhood memoirs will live on.
Jim Bishop is public information officer at Eastern Mennonite University. Contact him at bishopj@emu.edu.
Cuccinelli: Ready for ’13
We’re three years out from whatever is going to happen election-wise in 2013. Ken Cuccinelli is ready.
“I am proud this week to announce that we have assembled an extraordinary team of leaders across the Commonwealth to serve as political coordinators and liaisons on behalf of my campaign. These coordinators will serve the essential function of delivering regular updates at their local republican committees, and will help us stay in touch and coordinate our political efforts all across Virginia,” said Cuccinelli, announcing his statewide network of Campaign Coordinators who will serve the dual function of acting as surrogates for the campaign to local Republican committees as well as to local conservative groups around the state.
The goal: “to let the men and women who worked so hard to elect Ken know exactly what he has accomplished so far in the AG’s office and keep our grassroots supporters informed as to what is going on in Richmond,” said Noah Wall, Cuccinelli’s political director.
“This all starts at the local Republican committees and in conservative groups across the Commonwealth,” Wall said.
The Cuccinelli campaign announced that as of this week it had over 100 counties and localities covered by its coordinators. There are 134 counties and localities in the Commonwealth of Virginia. Cuccinelli plans to have the remaining counties assigned coordinators by the end of the year.
Reporting by Chris Graham. Chris can be reached at freepress2@ntelos.net.
Ticket giveaway encourages UVa. fan support
Virginia head men’s basketball coach Tony Bennett announced this week an essay contest to award 50 2010-11 season tickets in section 108 at John Paul Jones Arena. Coach Bennett will give away these season tickets for free to 25 fans. The winners will be a part of Tony Bennett’s Fanatic Cavalier Club.
“I thought the essay contest and fanatic fan club Mike London created leading up to football season was a great idea,” Bennett said. “Our fans really made a difference in some of our home wins last season with their vocal support. I want to help create the best home-court advantage for our team.”
To enter the contest fans must submit an essay that answers these questions: Why are you crazy about Virginia basketball, and how do you show your Cavalier spirit?
Link to the rest of the story on VaSportsOnline.com.
Ticket giveaway encourages UVa. fan support
Virginia head men’s basketball coach Tony Bennett announced this week an essay contest to award 50 2010-11 season tickets in section 108 at John Paul Jones Arena. Coach Bennett will give away these season tickets for free to 25 fans. The winners will be a part of Tony Bennett’s Fanatic Cavalier Club.
“I thought the essay contest and fanatic fan club Mike London created leading up to football season was a great idea,” Bennett said. “Our fans really made a difference in some of our home wins last season with their vocal support. I want to help create the best home-court advantage for our team.”
To enter the contest fans must submit an essay that answers these questions: Why are you crazy about Virginia basketball, and how do you show your Cavalier spirit? Read more
College students to mark change in health-care law
Students will gather across Virginia on Thursday to celebrate the six-month milestone of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act being signed into law. The students will be focusing on the provision that the new law extends coverage for young adults.
Starting Thursday, young adults can stay on a parent’s plan until they turn 26. Educational events will be held at the College of William and Mary, University of Virginia, University of Richmond, University of Mary Washington and Tidewater Community College (Virginia Beach and Norfolk campuses).
On Thursday, students like Rachael Johnson, age 22, a senior at Virginia Tech will now be able to stay on their parents’ health insurance plans until they are 26 years old.
“My parents and I were relieved that I will be able to go back on their insurance. I aged off of my parents plan in June when I turned 22 and had to purchase a plan on the market, which gave me very little coverage for the money. Even though I have insurance, I still rely on the student health center for my care because my insurance covers very little,” said Johnson. “Now, I will be going back on my parents’ plan, which will give me one less thing to worry about while pursuing my master’s, and possibly my PhD, in clinical psychology.”
Janie Williams graduated from the University of Virginia in May and found herself kicked off of her parents’ health insurance plan. Unable to find work in her field, she has been waiting tables at a job without affordable insurance.
“I watched the health care debate particularly because I knew that I would be affected by the provision about young people staying on their parents’ insurance. I am thankful that the bill passed and that I am now back on my parents’ plan,” said Williams.
Lacey McClear of Richmond, like many college graduates, is waiting tables without insurance. She lost her insurance due to aging off her parents’ plan earlier this year. She went without insurance until going back on this week due to the new health care law.
“I would not have realized how hard it is to get insurance until I was dropped from my parents’ plan. I looked for insurance and was told I would not qualify due to pre-existing conditions,” said McClear. “I have been living my life in fear of getting sick, until this week when thankfully, I can go back on my parents’ plan.”"
The Stanley family of Virginia Beach has anxiously waited for the health care law to go into effect for their youngest daughter Amber to have coverage through their insurance. Amber is a social work student at University of North Carolina and was close to aging off her parents’ plan. Now she will be able to stay in school and not worry about health care coverage. Unfortunately the law was too late for Amber’s older sister, Amy.
Amy Stanley, age 26, now finds herself uninsured and in deep medical debt because she aged off per parents’ plan and found herself without insurance. After having an abnormal pap smear that turned up pre-cancerous cells, she was turned down by many health insurance companies on the private market due to pre-existing conditions.
“I could not afford the insurance that was available to me, and now I just go without and hope for the best. Getting healthy was the easy part of my ordeal. Dealing with insurance denials and the medical bills is the hard part,” said Stanley.
Edited by Chris Graham. Chris can be reached at freepress2@ntelos.net.
Bridgewater College to mark debut of new pedestrian mall
Where once there was nothing but asphalt and parking spaces, there now exists a visually appealing concourse of brick and benches – a warm and welcoming space for visitors to the Bridgewater College campus.
A pedestrian mall that will enable the BC community to gather – particularly before and after home football games – has been realized thanks to the generosity of Kenneth D. Bowman, BC class of 1963, and his wife, Nancy M. Bowman, who is a trustee of the college.
The Bowmans provided the lead gift for the construction of the plaza. Some 103 other donations from friends and alumni of the college also contributed.
Bowman Community Plaza will be officially dedicated in a ribbon-cutting ceremony on Saturday.
The Bowman Community Plaza is located behind Flory and Memorial halls, and features landscaping and new handicapped-accessible restrooms and concession stands, all located behind the stadium press box. The plaza itself is composed of two-toned pavers and was designed by Van Yahres Associates of Charlottesville, Va. Construction was completed by Lantz Construction of Broadway.
“The community plaza helps bring students, alumni and friends together in a pleasant setting that connects academics and sports at Bridgewater College,” said the Bowmans in a joint statement. “We feel honored and privileged to bring this community area to completion and make the vision a reality.”
The loyalty of the Bowmans to the Eagles has made them not only faithful supporters at game time, but has also inspired them to join in efforts to improve the facilities at the Jopson Athletic Complex. The Bowmans were instrumental in contributing to the 2007 addition of the stadium press box, which expanded media facilities and created reserved covered seating for Eagles fans.
Edited by Chris Graham. Chris can be reached at freepress2@ntelos.net.
Maury River Bridge opens
The newly constructed Maury River Bridge on Route 130 in the Town of Glasgow in Rockbridge County opened to traffic on Wednesday.
Work will continue at the construction site, which will include completion of guardrail installation and the removal of the old bridge. Traffic will be able to use the new bridge, but motorists should be aware of construction activities within the work zone and drive with caution.
The project was awarded to Haymes Brothers Inc. of Chatham by the Commonwealth Transportation Board on May 15, 2008. The contract value is $11,234,027.40.
The new bridge features two 12-foot lanes and 10-foot graded shoulders. The old bridge was built in 1931, is no longer able to handle modern day traffic and is posted, which means only lighter weight vehicles can use it.
A groundbreaking ceremony was held at the bridge site on June 25, 2008.
Edited by Chris Graham. Chris can be reached at freepress2@ntelos.net.
Harrisonburg Chamber encourages local spending
The Harrisonburg-Rockingham Chamber of Commerce is pleased to announce the launch of a new Member-2-Member (M2M) program. The program encourages Chamber members to save money and help support our local economy by choosing Chamber members for their business and personal needs.
Since the beginning of August, the Member-2-Member campaign has attracted more than 30 businesses that are offering valuable discounts to Chamber members, from local restaurants and accommodations to attractions and services.
“The Member-2-Member program encourages residents and businesses to support our local business community through their consumer habits,” said Steve Turner, vice chair of member services at the Harrisonburg-Rockingham Chamber of Commerce.
The program is an effort to get Chamber members and the local community thinking about where they spend their dollars and the fact that it does make a difference.
“Money spent at local businesses is reinvested in our community,” said Frank Tamberrino, president of the Harrisonburg-Rockingham Chamber of Commerce. An upward mark of a few percentage points in how much is spent locally can make a big difference in the economy.
Although the program reminds everyone to shop local, the discounts are designed exclusively for Harrisonburg-Rockingham Chamber of Commerce members and their employees. The M2M Program has its own branded look, making it easy for businesses and consumers to recognize. At the launch of the program, Chamber members and their employees were given an M2M card that must be presented at the time of purchase in order to receive the discounts. Chamber members also display a small plaque in their business location to identify their participation in the program.
For more information about the Member-2-Member program, including a list of participating businesses, visit the Chamber’s website at http://hrchamber.org/v.php?pg=120.
Edited by Chris Graham. Chris can be reached at freepress2@ntelos.net.
United Way names campaign leaders
The United Way of Greater Augusta has tapped on three community leaders to head up its 2010 fundraising campaign.
Joseph and Lisa Rosenberger will serve as co-chairs of the campaign, and G. Leonard Pittman Jr. will serve as the leadership chair for the campaign.
Joseph Rosenberger is the founder of Rosenberger Financial Services located in Waynesboro, and Lisa Rosenberger the owner of Augusta Interiors located in Downtown Waynesboro. G. Leonard Pittman Jr. is commercial banking manager for StellarOne Bank in the Augusta/Staunton/Waynesboro region.
Joseph Rosenberger graduated from Virginia Military Institute with a BA in economics. He was a member of the Budget and Allocations Committee for the United Way of Waynesboro East Augusta from 1990-1996. He was a member of the Waynesboro Rotary Club from 1989 through 2006 and presided as president in 1999-2000. He was a board member for the Daily Living Center from 2002-2009 and also served as chairman in 2008.
Lisa Rosenberger earned a BS degree in interior design and a minor in business from Radford University. For over 25 years she has provided interior design serves for both residential and commercial clients. Lisa served as loaned executive for the United Way of Waynesboro East Augusta campaign during the years of 1992-1997. She was a member of the Budget and Allocations Committee from 1995-1997 as well as a member of the Waynesboro Rotary Club from 1991 through 2006 and chaired various committees.
G. Leonard Pittman Jr. has more than 26 years of banking experience in both Virginia and in North Carolina, with 17 years in the commercial and business banking field specializing in commercial, small business, and industrial finance. He is a graduate of the Graduate School of Banking at Louisiana State University and a graduate of North Carolina State University, where he majored in economics and business management. Leonard served as the 2006 United Way of Greater Augusta Campaign Chairman. Pittman is Involved in leadership positions with numerous civic and charitable organizations throughout his banking career. He presently serves on the board of directors of the Staunton area Salvation Army and Vector Industries in Waynesboro. He also serves as a director and officer of the Greater Augusta Regional Chamber of Commerce.
Edited by Chris Graham. Chris can be reached at freepress2@ntelos.net.
Man wanted on rape, sodomy involving local teen
The Waynesboro Police Department is asking for the public’s help in tracking down a man wanted in connection with the sexual assault of a 15-year-old Augusta County female.
Anthony Duane Martin, 24, is wanted on five felony warrants in relation to the Sept. 18 incident in a northeast Waynesboro residence.
Police do not have a current address for Martin.
Martin is an acquaintance of the victim and is believed to have fled the city.
He faces warrants on three counts of forcible rape and two counts of forcible sodomy.
Reporting by Chris Graham. Chris can be reached at freepress2@ntelos.net.
Zeus: Important ‘piece of the puzzle’ in Waynesboro economic development
Waynesboro has waited 11 years for its next night at the movies. It’s going to have to wait an additional week.
“We could’ve pushed for an Oct. 1 opening. We didn’t want to open and then maybe be in a position to get some things done off the punch list after the opening,” said Brett Hayes, the developer and owner of the Zeus Digital Theaters eight-screen movieplex that is now set for an Oct. 8 opening night.
Sitting in the 235-seat Theater 3 at the complex Wednesday morning, Hayes tracked the journey from 2007, when he hired an engineering firm to do a conceptual design for a movie-theater building on the Dewitt Crossing property in Waynesboro’s West End that he used to pitch to theater companies to his decision late last year to undertake the project himself.
“People told me they’d run the numbers and didn’t see it. They ran the numbers? I ran the numbers, too. This is an ideal location,” said Hayes, who projects 300,000 moviegoers and $5 million in revenues in Zeus’ first year of operations.
The business model for Zeus is similar to the models used by companies like Wal-Mart, Target, Home Depot and Lowe’s, all of whom have set up operations in the West End in the past eight years. Waynesboro is fast becoming the center of a regional economy that draws in consumers from Staunton and Fishersville to the west, Stuarts Draft to the south and significantly Crozet and Western Albemarle from east of the Blue Ridge.
Hayes thinks the addition of a movie theater to the economic tableau in Waynesboro, which last had big-screen movies in 1999, the year the Wayne Theatre downtown closed up shop, will be an important piece of the economic puzzle.
“When people come over from Crozet to get groceries, typically there’s one person in the car. Mom or dad comes over, does the grocery shopping, goes home,” Hayes said. “When they go to the movies, they come and they spend the evening. They get dinner. They come in to see the movie. They look for ice cream, coffee – they look for other things to do while they’re in town. What we in Waynesboro have been doing the last 10 years in Harrisonburg. We drive up to Harrisonburg and go to the movie and go to dinner and go to the bookstore. We’ve done that for 10 years.”
“Now we have people driving to us to do that,” Hayes said from Theater 3. “This is one more piece of the puzzle that flushes out the West End.”
Online
Access Zeus Digital Theaters on the web.
Story by Chris Graham. Chris can be reached at freepress2@ntelos.net.
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Chris Dewald: Hematuria/CAT scan
Posted on September 22, 2010 · 1 Comment
CT scanning combines special X-ray equipment with sophisticated computers to produce multiple images or pictures of the inside of the body. These cross-sectional images of the area being studied can then be examined on a computer monitor, printed or transferred to a CD.
CT scans of internal organs, bones, soft tissue and blood vessels provide greater clarity and reveal more details than regular x-ray exams. Using specialized equipment and expertise to create and interpret CT scans of the body, radiologists can more easily diagnose problems such as cancers, cardiovascular disease, infectious disease, appendicitis, trauma and muscleoskeletal disorders.
CT imaging is one of the best and fastest tools for studying the chest, abdomen and pelvis because it provides detailed, cross-sectional views of all types of tissue often the preferred method for diagnosing many different cancers, including lung, liver and pancreatic cancer, since the image allows a physician to confirm the presence of a tumor and measure its size, precise location and the extent of the tumor’s involvement with other nearby tissue.
The examination plays a significant role in the detection, diagnosis and treatment of vascular diseases that can lead to stroke, kidney failure or even death. CT is commonly used to assess for pulmonary embolism (a blood clot in the lung vessels) as well as for abdominal aortic aneurysms (AAA). It is invaluable in diagnosing and treating spinal problems and injuries to the hands, feet and other skeletal structures because it can clearly show even very small bones as well as surrounding tissues such as muscle and blood vessels.
How should I prepare?
You should wear comfortable, loose-fitting clothing to your exam. You may be given a gown to wear during the procedure.
Metal objects, including jewelry, eyeglasses, dentures and hairpins, may affect the CT images and should be left at home or removed prior to your exam. You may also be asked to remove hearing aids and removable dental work.
You may be asked not to eat or drink anything for several hours beforehand, especially if a contrast material will be used in your exam. You should inform your physician of any medications you are taking and if you have any allergies. If you have a known allergy to contrast material, or “dye,” your doctor may prescribe medications to reduce the risk of an allergic reaction.
Also inform your doctor of any recent illnesses or other medical conditions, and if you have a history of heart disease, asthma, diabetes, kidney disease or thyroid problems. Any of these conditions may increase the risk of an unusual adverse effect.
Women should always inform their physician and the CT technologist if there is any possibility that they are pregnant.
What does the equipment look like?
The CT scanner is typically a large, box like machine with a hole, or short tunnel, in the center. You will lie on a narrow examination table that slides into and out of this tunnel. Rotating around you, the x-ray tube and electronic X-ray detectors are located opposite each other in a ring, called a gantry. The computer workstation that processes the imaging information is located in a separate room, where the technologist operates the scanner and monitors your examination.
What will I experience during and after the procedure?
CT exams are generally painless, fast and easy. With helical CT, the amount of time that the patient needs to lie still is reduced.
Though the scanning itself causes no pain, there may be some discomfort from having to remain still for several minutes. If you have a hard time staying still, are claustrophobic or have chronic pain, you may find a CT exam to be stressful. The technologist or nurse, under the direction of a physician, may offer you a mild sedative to help you tolerate the CT scanning procedure.
If an intravenous contrast material is used, you will feel a slight pin prick when the needle is inserted into your vein. You may have a warm, flushed sensation during the injection of the contrast materials and a metallic taste in your mouth that lasts for a few minutes. Some patients may experience a sensation like they have to urinate but this subsides quickly.
If the contrast material is swallowed, you may find the taste mildly unpleasant; however, most patients can easily tolerate it. You can expect to experience a sense of abdominal fullness and an increasing need to expel the liquid if your contrast material is given by enema. In this case, be patient, as the mild discomfort will not last long.
When you enter the CT scanner, special lights may be used to ensure that you are properly positioned. With modern CT scanners, you will hear only slight buzzing, clicking and whirring sounds as the CT scanner revolves around you during the imaging process.
You will be alone in the exam room during the CT scan. However, the technologist will be able to see, hear and speak with you at all times.
With pediatric patients, a parent may be allowed in the room but will be required to wear a lead apron to minimize radiation exposure.
After a CT exam, you can return to your normal activities. If you received contrast material, you may be given special instructions
I had my appointment at my the area hospital know as Augusta Health Center in Fishersville, Virginia. I had an expert staff attend to my needs from reception to the CT Staff. When I was brought back to the prep room, I was administered an intervenous line for the specialized dye. This was painless as it was done with precision and care.
Please read how to dress. If weather permits, wear a pair of pull on shorts or a bathing pair of trunks for problems as I have. This eliminates the need to put on those wacky gowns where your leaves your fanny perpendicular exposed. The test did not last more than 15 minutes. If you have ever been in for an MRI, this is a piece of cake. The CT scan looks like a cake donut that your body can enter. No closed in feeling was experienced as you can see daylight within reach.
I did receive the news that I do not have cancer, but do have kidney stones in each kidney that are too large to leave their respective growth areas. It seems to have aggravated the surrounding tissues and being on a medication to thin my blood, causes me to bleed internally.
The next step will be a trip to the urologist for the final determination of disposal. Join me again on that venture. Thanks.
Column by Chris DeWald.
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