CCHS to graduate 77 Friday
Sugar and spice and everything nice... and they’re pretty smart, too.
This year, the five valedictorians and sole salutatorian of Crittenden County High School’s graduating class will all be female. It will be the second straight year that the girls – three valedictorians and one salutatorian – have shut out the boys for top academic honors. Not since the Class of 2007 has a male earned either honor.
Molly Beavers, Kayla Buntin, Mary Hollamon, Anna Palmer and Andrea Travis have all maintained perfect 4.0 grade-point averages to earn valedictory honors. Four straight years of nothing but A’s has earned them the right to address their classmates during commencement Friday. The ceremony begins at 7 p.m., at Rocket Arena.
Kara Berry will give her salutatory address tonight (Thursday), during class night ceremonies at the arena. Class night begins at 6 p.m.
But the guys have earned their own measure of academic achievement during the last four years. Matthew Brasher is the first Crittenden Countian to have ever graduated the prestigious Carol Martin Gatton Academy of Mathematics and Science in Kentucky at Western Kentucky University. And Janson James is one of three seniors to achieve a Commonwealth Diploma, which requires that the student take Advanced Placement courses (one English, one science or math, one foreign language and one elective) and sit for the Advanced Placement exam in at least three of the four areas.
First-year Superintendent of Schools Dr. Rachel Yarbrough is excited about the young adults the school has produced this year.
“The 2009 graduation class of Crittenden County High School certainly possesses the talent, leadership and intelligence to be successful in whatever life endeavor they pursue,” she said. “We are proud of the accomplishments of this particular class and certainly know that they will represent Crittenden County well in the future.”
Almost one third of of the class of 77 will graduate with some type of academic honor, including:
n College Prep Diploma: Beavers, Berry, Brasher, Buntin, Hollamon, Nancy Maclin, Palmer and Saundra Winn.
n Commonwealth Diploma: Hollamon, James and Travis.
n Honor graduates: James Artist, Beavers, Berry, Miranda Binkley, Brasher, Buntin, Ashley Cinkovich, David Drennan, Sarah Harvey, Tiffany Hearell, Hollamon, James Howton, Jesse Imboden, James, Kari Joyce, Seth Keene, Maclin, Anthony McDonald, Palmer, Colby Phillips, Cassidy Pinson, Tiera Taylor and Travis.
“What a great class to represent my first year as superintendent of schools,” Dr. Yarbrough said.

Edwards turns a vibrant 100
Her secret to long life?
She eats what she wants, which includes indulging a sweet tooth. She never drank nor smoked. Mix in a strong and dedicated spiritual life, and that is Lois Edwards’ recipe for good, clean living at 100.
“But I won’t say I haven’t played some cards,” she demurely said Tuesday with her trademarked sense of humor.
Celebrating her 100th birthday has been an ongoing event for Edwards. A celebration with friends and family Tuesday at the senior citizens center in Marion was at least her third such event in the last few days. First was her church women’s group, next came a birthday party at Crittenden County Health and Rehab where she has lived the last year, and then came the public celebration at the senior center she was a big part of launching in the 1970s. Even two days after she officially hit the century-mark on Sunday, she was still celebrating. And Tuesday’s party at the center wasn’t the last.
“She’s still got to come over and eat some pie at my house,” said her sister, Mildred Cullen, who had planned the private event to give her own children time to spend with their aunt.
At 90, Cullen calls herself Edwards’ “kid sister.” The two have been nearly inseparable since each of their husbands died, spending much of their time together. Edwards, who quit driving about five years ago, was chauffeur for Cullen, who did not drive.
“And you’d better stay out of her way,” said senior center director Mona Manley. “She didn’t drive slow.”
Though Edwards no longer drives and moved herself into the retirement center in July of last year, by appearances and conversation, you would hardly recognize her as a centenarian. She remains in good humor, sharp mind and good health, having never had major surgery of any type. Her only complaint about the body that has carried her for the last 100 years is her eyes. Macular degeneration is slowly claiming her sight, making reading difficult.
“I still read the Upper Room,” she said of the monthly Presbyterian Church publication. “It’s large print.”
Church is one of Edwards’ regular outings. She still goes to First Presbyterian Church in Marion every Sunday, with her longtime friend Ann Cooper picking her up for services. Afterward, she often enjoys a meal at one of Marion’s restaurants with other women from the church.
Church has always played a huge part in her life, something to which she attributes as part of her longevity.
“I’m sure it is,” she said, reinforcing the notion.
She’s never been an exercise nut and has never been selective about the food she eats.
“We just always ate what was available,” she said.
Sometimes, that wasn’t much. Born in 1909 in a home near where Enon Church now stands in Crittenden County, she was the oldest of eight children born to her parents. She lived through The Great Depression, calling that the most difficult period of her life.
She married in 1928, meeting Hubert in Detroit where her family had moved from Crittenden County. In 1931, she moved back to Crittenden County with her husband, but three years later headed back north. They endured the rest of the Depression in Detroit. During World War II, she worked building military aircraft in a converted auto assembly plant.
She and Hubert moved back to Crittenden County to stay in 1943, with him just missing a military assignment fighting overseas in the war. They lived in the Mattoon community, maintaining a farm, before moving to Marion about 40 years ago. While in Mattoon, she worked in the community’s school kitchen.
Hubert died in 1984, and Edwards has been on her own since, palling around with her only remaining sibling, Mildred, and her friends at church and the senior center.
At the center, she’s played a lot of cards. Rook was her game of choice, though she no longer plays.
“I quit playing when I thought it wasn’t fair for the competition,” she joked.
As for how many more birthdays she wants to celebrate.
“I’ll take as many as God gives me,” she said.

Body of missing Livingston boater found Saturday
The body of a missing Livingston County man was discovered in the Ohio River over the weekend, more than five miles downstream from the site of a boating accident four days earlier.
Greg Stephen Chittenden, 47, of Smithland was presumed drowned May 19 after he and Patrick Kohagen, also of Smithland, were thrown from their jon boat near Berry's Ferry in Livingston County after making a sharp turn to avoid an object in the river. Kohagen was able to swim to shore and was not injured, but searchers spent four days scouring the river for Chittenden. His body was not located until 11:30 a.m., Saturday.
A Livingston County crew located the man's body, according Emergency Management director Brent Stringer. Volunteers from Crittenden County joined the search with a boat last Thursday and Saturday, assisting crews from the U.S. Coast Guard, Salem, Burna and Smithland fire and rescue squads, Livingston County EMS and southern Illinois authorities. At one point on the day of the accident, a helicopter was called in for an aerial search.
Crittenden County Rescue Squad Chief Donnie Arflack said the county's mobile command center was also used by volunteers heading up the multiple-agency search effort.
Chittenden was the second area drowning on the Ohio River in the last two months. On April 1, David Rust of Indiana drowned in a boating accident near the Dam 50 Recreational Area in Crittenden County. His body was discovered April 23 by workers at Smithland Lock and Dam.
Funeral services for Chittenden will be at 1 p.m., Friday at Boyd Funeral Directors in Salem. See obituary on Page 6.