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Remembrance of Heralds past
Anytime we need to look up something in the pages of our past issues, we always find more than we anticipate.
This week’s travel back into Herald history was no exception. It began because someone asked me when this newspaper first ran a full-color picture on the first page.
Thinking it was sometime in the early 1990s, I checked a few places but came up short. Then I remembered that first foray into color was a shot of fall leaves (that narrowed it to October) and that it was the same year Charlie McConnell became superintendent of schools. A quick check of our favorite reference book, “The History of Jackson County,” revealed that Charlie came home from Haywood County in 1990.
Turning to the October Sylva Heralds from that year, I discovered that our first color photograph ran exactly 15 years ago this week, in the Oct. 18, 1990 edition. Thinking to have history repeat, Nick headed out to capture some fall leaves for this week’s cover only to find himself stymied by Mother Nature’s 2005 reluctance to paint the mountains red, orange and gold. He located some man-made fall displays, though, and we’re trusting our friends at the press in Franklin will work their magic to bring those vibrant colors to life on our front page.
The unexpected personal treat I found in that one-score-minus-five-year-old newspaper was an image of two of my children, Ellen and Scott, when they were 6 and 4. I had completely forgotten that they once served as models to advertise some Halloween sweatshirts Ann Gray, our publisher’s daughter, had for sale at The Bookstore, her card and gift shop that was located just down the street.
That week’s news seemed familiar as well. Front page headlines included one about an ongoing issue – solid waste. A citizen asked commissioners to form a task force or advisory board composed of citizens and government officials. It was not until several years later that such a group was formed, but a Solid Waste Advisory Board currently exists to advise commissioners on trash-related concerns. Another interesting story dealt with the approval of a “Resolution of Cooperation” by county and town governments. That legislation led to the formation of the Tuckaseigee Water and Sewer Authority two years later. TWSA, now a household word in Jackson County, held its regular third-Tuesday meeting two days ago.
It was a political season as well, and the Letters to the Editor in that 1990 newspaper reflect the frustration of many with that particular school board – that was the group that consolidated Cullowhee and Sylva-Webster high schools to form Smoky Mountain and fired football coach Babe Howell. We don’t have school board elections this year, but another football coaching change looms on the horizon. We do have contested mayors’ races in all four of the county’s towns – Sylva, Webster, Dillsboro and Forest Hills – as well as contested board seats in three. We’re not seeing much in the way of political advertising or letters so far in this election cycle, though.
Turning the page we find another headline that has a familiar ring: “Higher gas prices don’t affect Smoky Park visits.” Skyrocketing gas prices have certainly generated their share of headlines in recent weeks.
Another inside page features news of Boy Scouts in Troop 914 and a canoeing experience. The scoutmaster in the photo is Sam Fowlkes of Dillsboro, who was again featured in The Herald earlier this year when Boy Scout training manuals containing chapters he has written were published.
A sports headline “Smoky Mountain earns top seed in volleyball playoffs” was a predictor of good things to come, for the Lady Mustangs took the state title the following year and then won twice more for a “three-peat.”
Even some of the names are the same. Tonya Wilson (now Snider), Smoky Mountain’s current volleyball coach, was a member of that 1990 team. In the win over Franklin reported on Oct. 18, 1990, Tonya served for three points and was successful on 18 of 21 service receptions.
All this delving into the past makes me wonder what the Herald’s headlines will be in an October 15 years from now. It will be a presidential election year, so politics are likely to play a role. Gas prices will probably be much higher, but steep energy costs may be matter of fact by then and not generate headlines. With Jackson County’s projected growth, TWSA doubtless will remain a major player in local news. I’m sure school coverage – including volleyball and other sports – will remain a Herald mainstay.
And I’ll bet we’ll still be looking for a perfect photo to reflect the beauty of yet another fall in the mountains. After all, we’ll be seeing more clearly with our 2020 vision.
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