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A decennial Top Ten -- er, Top Nine list and an Anson County 'Man of the Decade choice
(January 9, 2010) -- Here we are in a new decade of the 21st Century. Where did the past 10 years go so quickly?
Where were you on Dec. 31, 1999? Hiding under the bed from Y2K? Well, some of us were at the Anson High School football field celebrating the end of the world. Celebration 2000, thanks to a lot of dedicated volunteers -- especially Chris Morton and her late husband, Punky -- the new year was rung in with a concert and a sense of relief. We were all still alive at 12:01 a.m. on Jan. 1, 2000.
Looking back at the past decade, there was an obvious non-success story -- no significant economic development outcome that would've provided new jobs to an ever-present, still stagnant environment that has enveloped Anson County since the early 1990s. The county did, however, survive the ought-years -- thanks to companies like Hornwood, Coffing Hoists and Wade Manufacturing that became leaner but continued to provide much-needed jobs in the manufacturing sector.
To make a list of achievements during the ought-years, I had to dig deeply into the memory banks. Although my memory isn't what it used to be, here's my list of Anson's decennial achievements:
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1) The emergence of South Piedmont Community College and its impact on the community.
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2) The significance of the Uptown Wadesboro Revitalization program (mostly done in the late 1990s, but officially dedicated in 2000).
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3) The opening of the Wadesboro Rotary Planetarium and Science Center.
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4) The work by New Ventures Business Development Inc. (NVBDI) in aiding entrepreneurs to start up a business, in providing a modicum of the county's culture through the Olde Mill Gallery, providing help to women at the Anson Women's Center, and unveiling the commercial kitchen at SPCC's Lockhart-Taylor Center.
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5) The straightening of The Curve on the U.S. 74-52 corridor in uptown Wadesboro. (I thought I would never live to see the day.)
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6) The importance of the role that the Anson County Partnership for Children has played in assuring us that the county is "a better place to be a child and to raise a child."
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7) The impact that the Anson County Chamber of Commerce, thanks to a slew of dedicated board members and volunteers, myself (as executive director) and Lynn Edwards (who stepped into my shoes in 2006). The Chamber has become a recognizable advocate for businesses, industries, organizations, and the betterment of Anson County.
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8) The Leadership Anson program -- sponsored by the Chamber, SPCC and Hornwood -- in which the future leaders are given the opportunity learn about all facets of government and infrastructure to aid them in future decision-making.
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9) The Walmart Supercenter, and adjacent Wadesborough Place Shopping Center, opened up the western end of Wadesboro for development.
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10) I have run out of achievements. Have one or two. E-mail them to elbertreble@gmail.com and I'll post them in a future blog.
If we were to select Anson's "Man of the Decade," the honor would go, hands down, to Dr. Don Altieri. As president of SPCC, Don was the nucleus, and taskmaster, of the community college's emergence and sudden impact. His successor at SPCC's helm, Dr. John McKay, has carried the baton admirably with a few accomplishments of his own. As executive director of NVBDI, Don has continually brought grant dollars into the county for a myriad of projects. As Citizen Don, he has served on so many committees that I bet he couldn't list them all. My runners-up would be Don Scarborough (a keen supporter of the Anson County Chamber of Commerce, Anson Economic Development Corp. and Uptown Wadesboro Inc.) and Chuck Horne (a silent partner in so many economic and community avenues).
I had candidates for Anson's "Woman of the Decade," but no surefire winner emerged. Consider Anne Covington, Lois Crumpler, Anna Baucom, Carli Little and Elaine Scarborough, though.
My two cents worth on other matters of import:
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I went to see Avatar with my sons, Kit and John, during Christmas, and we all agreed that the movie was awesome and went beyond our expectations -- way beyond. I had not been to a 3-D movie in 20 years because I never could properly adjust those cardboard glasses with one lens red and and the other one blue to get the full affect. No problem with Avatar and the quality sunshade-like 3-D glasses. Ask Kit when I elbowed him dodging that incoming grenade or when I swatted away those little Pandora critters or ashy flecks. Since about 1968, I have ranked Stanley Kubrick's 2001: A Space Odyssey as the best sci-fi flick ever made. No more. Avatar has taken that top rung on my list. And, James Cameron has joined the likes of Kubrick, Stephen Spillberg, George Lucas and Ridley Scott (for Alien) as sci-fi movie geniuses.
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My No. 1 television show for the new season is ... NCIS. My best new series is ... The Good Wife.
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My advice to the Carolina Panthers' hierachy: Swallow the bullet and dump Jake Delhomme in favor of Matt Moore as the field general come September. In the NFL draft, use a No. 2 or No. 3 pick to choose a promising quarterback, bring him to July's training camp and devote hours of QB training as a back-up to Moore -- or as a replacement for Moore if he does not pan out or becomes injured. Another piece of advice: draft a receiver to complement Moose and Smithy!
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My advice to the NCAA: For every diehard college football fan, please devise a playoff system that fairly determines the No. 1 team in the nation. Alabama appeared to be the best-of-the-best, but what about the other undefeated team -- Boise State. On paper, the Crimson Tide would beat the Broncos 20 or 30 points if a championship game were to be played. That's on paper and not on the gridiron. You just never know what can happen in a real-life game on the field.
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As stated before in my webcolumn, I don't like the month of January. To wit: Near subzero weather for over a week with a promise of continuing cold for another week. The weather-in-the-teens reminds me of when I was stationed at Fort Wainwright, Alaska, in the winters of 1966 and 1967. The dry, yet biting, cold reached 30, 40 or 50 degrees below zero. I thought I was in Alaska the other morning when I stepped out onto the back stoop to let our animals out. Brrrr! Let the January doldrums begin.
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