January 11, 2007
Edition
Sylva, NC
Volume 81, No. 42

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Back then

Members of the Cullowhee Fire Department in 1956 included, from left (standing) Captain Charley Bishop, Chief Harley Shelton, Captain Winfred Ashe, Captain Julian Hirt, Tom Worley, Captain Stedman Mitchell, Dave Harris, Hugh Battle, Cecil Ward, J.E. Wheatley, (back) Claude Taylor and Avery Mashburn. Organized in the 1950s to serve the Western Carolina University campus, the department separated from the university in the late 1970s and moved off campus in 1981, according to current Chief Richard Frady. In those days, Cullowhee firefighters occasionally made calls in the surrounding community or provided back-up to other departments but mostly stayed on campus, Frady said. The original members were all WCU employees, he said. The photo was loaned to The Herald by Carolyn Taylor, whose father-in-law, Claude Taylor, is in the picture. The Sylva Herald publishes either a “Then and Now” or “Back Then” feature on a weekly basis. Readers who have photos taken in Jackson County that are at least 25 years old and include a recognizable feature (such as an existing building, highway, mountaintop or ridgeline) are invited to submit them for use in “Then and Now.” Other interesting photos will be considered for “Back Then.” Photos can be dropped off or mailed to the newspaper office. As a convenience to those who would prefer not to let their cherished photos out of their sight, Herald photographer Nick Breedlove will scan photos Tuesday and Wedesday mornings between 10 and 11 a.m. Those with questions about potential “Then and Now” or “Back Then” photos may contact Breedlove at 586-2611, ext. 310, or nick@thesylvaherald.com.