News from April 14, 2005 issue


Almost 300 attend to veteran service
For Doyle Sherer it wasn't so much appreciation for being recognized himself as it was for an opportunity to be a part of a bigger thank you to a generation he's always admired.

"My heart goes out to those World War II people," said the Marion man, who was 16 when the war ended in 1945. "It worries me that people are starting to forget about what they did."

Sherer and about 260 others last week had the opportunity to share appreciation for all of Crittenden County's veterans. For the second consecutive year, Sis. Lucy Tedrick and the congregation of her church, Marion Church of God, on Saturday hosted an appreciation luncheon and ceremony for veterans, their spouses and the widows of soldiers, sailors and airmen.

"We wanted to be sure we gave all the vets at least one chance to be honored in Crittenden County," Tedrick said. Last year, the church recognized only World War II veterans in honor of the unveiling of that war's new memorial in Washington, D.C.
Sherer was too late for World War II when he was inducted into the Army. He missed Korea, too, but spent two years of his life with a reactivated anti-aircraft battery set up in defense of the nation's capital during the Cold War.

"We encircled the city and were in the suburbs," he said. "We tracked every plane."
Sometimes in Virginia, sometimes in Maryland, Sherer and his fellow soldiers never really knew exactly where they were at a given time.

"It was an ornery two years," he said.

But Sherer shrugs off his service, deferring accolades to the previous generation.
"I was proud to be there with all those veterans," he said.

On a day marking the 140th anniversary of an end to America's bloodiest fight, the Civil War, the veterans, which included four women, were served lunch and entertained with music, anecdotes, gifts and words of appreciation from a host of speakers.

"It's been great," said Carlton Loftis, a former resident of the county who received recognition as being the most distant guest to attend the ceremony. A Korean War veteran who served stateside, he drove in with his wife from a winter stay in Inverness, Fla., en route to his home in Battle Creek, Mich. The trip from Florida was nearly 800 miles.

"It was a great thing to do for those men and their families," said Brenda Underdown, a Crittenden County historian.

Tedrick said the event went smoothly.

"I had a lot of people compliment (the ceremony)," she said.

"I honestly believe nowhere but in Crittenden County would you find something like this," state Rep. Mike Cherry of Princeton, himself an almost 30-year Navy veteran, said in his remarks to the crowd Saturday.

Crittenden County native Barry Enoch, a published author and Navy SEAL veteran of Vietnam, recalled his time growing up here in World War II and later serving in Southeast Asia. He was in Vietnam on a ceremonial visit with the Navy well before the populous back home knew Americans were in the country. Years later in his 20-year career, he would return for combat.

"I always wanted to be a combat swimmer," he said.

He got his wish, visiting war-torn Southeast Asia on several occasions as a SEAL.
With pride in his service as a Vietnam veteran, yet frustration with the military brass and politicians controlling the war, Enoch, like Sherer, paid compliments to his elder generation of veterans.

"We tried to do what you, the greatest generation, tried to do, but the military commanders wouldn't give us the tools we needed," he said.

Feeding and hosting nearly 290 people, including workers, was a huge task for the small church congregation and band of volunteers who set aside their Friday and Saturday to prepare for the event. That's why Tedrick said she needs a year off.

"There's no reason someone else can't pick it up next year," she countered.
Group photos taken by war generations will be made available for purchase from local photographer Sheila Truitt.


Five being interviewed for superintendent
The last of five finalists for superintendent of the Crittenden County School District are meeting with teachers, principals and members of the public this week, and undergoing formal interviews by the Board of Education.

Interviews began Friday and will conclude late this week.

Each candidate is spending a full day in the district, having lunch and visiting each school before attending a 3:30 p.m., reception at the Crittenden County High School library. An opportunity for parents and community members to meet candidates has been scheduled for 5:15 p.m., at the law offices of school attorneys Greenwell & Frazer, followed by dinner at a Marion restaurant.

After dinner, candidates are meeting with the board in formal interviews lasting two to two-and-a-half hours.

The board expects to name a new superintendent on or before April 25.
Candidates already interviewed include former Crittenden County educator Nancy Stallion, Acting Superintendent Janie Tomek and currently retired educator John W. Belt.

On Wednesday, the board interviewed Butler County High School principal Hilbert Hensley, Jr. On Friday, James Turbeville, a superintendent in New Hampshire, is scheduled for an interview.

A sixth finalist recommended by the screening committee withdrew his name from consideration last week.

What follows is a brief summary of the five finalists' educational backgrounds.

Nancy Stalion
Stalion began her career in education in the Crittenden County School System in 1974 as a Title I teacher at Mattoon Elementary. She taught at three other Crittenden County schools, was principal at another and was employed as Director of Pupil Personnel for nine years and Supervisor of Instruction for 13 before leaving here to enroll in the Doctoral program for Instructional Administration at the University of Kentucky.
Stalion holds Rank I, Master's and Bachelor's degrees from Murray State University.
While enrolled as a doctoral student at the University of Kentucky, Stalion has served as a research assistant for a publication called Education Administration Quarterly and coordinator for Principal Excellence Program (PEP), a federally-funded program which provides professional development to principals and aspiring principals.

Janie Tomek
Tomek has served as the Acting Superintendent in Crittenden County for 14 months since Fredericka Hargis was suspended by the Board of Education. Tomek also served as the assistant superintendent for two years.
She has 21 years experience in education, 15 years in Crittenden County. Tomek began teaching in 1982, was principal at Frances Elementary for four years in the early 1990s, and in 1994 became supervisor of grades K-4 while serving as assistant principal at Crittenden County Elementary. In 1999, she was hired by the Kentucky Department of Education for a two-year position as a Highly Skilled Educator. She returned to the Crittenden County School District in 2001 as an instructional supervisor and coordinator of six other programs including preschool, Title I, assessment, family resource center and comprehensive improvement planning.
Tomek holds degrees from Murray State University and Western Kentucky University. She obtained superintendent certification in 1995.

John W. Belt
Belt, who retired as an 11-year assistant superintendent of Union County Schools in 2001, is a Crittenden County native and 1965 graduate of CCHS.
He began his career in 1970 as an English teacher at Union County High School. He taught until 1983 when he became principal of Sturgis Elementary.
As assistant superintendent, Belt oversaw food service, transportation, operation and maintenance departments and was the purchasing agent for the Union County School District.
He holds Bachelor's, Master's and Rank I degrees from Murray State University.
While at Sturgis Elementary he organized a parent/teacher organization, started a monthly newsletter and was principal when Sturgis Elementary received a Flag of Progress recognition in 1986 and 1989.

Hilbert Hensley, Jr.
Since 1996, Hensley has been principal of Butler County High School in Morgantown. He was a biology and chemistry teacher at Bullitt Central High School in Shepherdsville for nine years and at Williamstown High School in Williamstown for six years.
He completed a Rank I at Western Kentucky University, a Master's Degree from Georgetown College and a bachelor's degree from the College of Charleston in Charleston, S.C.
Hensley serves on several committees in Butler County, including safe schools, local planning, Title IX, evaluation advisory, budget, technology and consolidated planning while also serving as a site-based council member.

James H. Turbeville
Turbeville has been the superintendent of schools in Raymond, N.H., since 2001. Prior to that, he served as director of high school curriculum/administration of Metropolitan Nashville Public Schools for seven years.
He is pursuing a doctoral degree at Peabody College of Vanderbilt University in Nashville. He did undergraduate work at Belmont College in Nashville and received his master's degree from Vanderbilt.
Aside from his current position, most all of Turbeville's educational background has been in Nashville. He was co-director of Vanderbilt/Metropolitan Nashville Public Schools Education Professions Collaborative for five years in the late 80s and early 90s and was an adjunct professor at Vanderbilt, Memphis State and Trevecca Nazerene College in Nashville.
He began his career as an English teacher at Hillwood High School in Nashville.