533 research outputs found
Johnny and David Tate
No full textThis undated photograph shows Johnny and David Tate of Cranberry High School playing a "washtub bass" and guitar. Founder and director of the Mountain Youth Jamboree, Hubert H. Hayes (1901-1964) auditioned and directed youth to perform in folk dance, music, and folk and ballad singing. The jamboree was held in the Asheville City Auditorium (now known as Thomas Wolfe Auditorium) from 1948 to 1973, and Hayes’ wife, Leona Trantham Hayes (1913-1989) continued to direct the program after his death in 1964. Hubert Hayes was an author, playwright, and alumni of Duke University
David and Roney Tweed
No full textThis undated photograph taken by photographer Juanita Wilson shows David and Roney Tweed of Marshall, North Carolina performing. Founder and director of the Mountain Youth Jamboree, Hubert H. Hayes (1901-1964) auditioned and directed youth to perform in folk dance, music, and folk and ballad singing. The jamboree was held in the Asheville City Auditorium (now known as Thomas Wolfe Auditorium) from 1948 to 1973, and Hayes’ wife, Leona Trantham Hayes (1913-1989) continued to direct the program after his death in 1964. Hubert Hayes was an author, playwright, and alumni of Duke University
Michael David Loftus and Lydon Burgin
No full textThis 1967 photograph taken by photographer Juanita Wilson shows Michael David Loftus and Lydon Burgin of South Toe River School performing in the Mountain Youth Jamboree. Founder and director of the Mountain Youth Jamboree, Hubert H. Hayes (1901-1964) auditioned and directed youth to perform in folk dance, music, and folk and ballad singing. The jamboree was held in the Asheville City Auditorium (now known as Thomas Wolfe Auditorium) from 1948 to 1973, and Hayes’ wife, Leona Trantham Hayes (1913-1989) continued to direct the program after his death in 1964. Hubert Hayes was an author, playwright, and alumni of Duke University
Cranberry Folk Dancers
No full textThis undated photograph shows the Cranberry Folk Dancers and their instructor winning an award at the Mountain Youth Jamboree. Dance team members from left to right: (first row) David Vance, Ella Richardson, Bob Tate, Judy Pittman, Mrs. W. B. Wilkins (“Miss Kay”, instructor), Darlene Hodges, James Shoemaker, Debbie McGee, Mikey Hobson; (second row) David Tate, Frieda Julian, Baxter Gwyn, Janice Watson, Melinda Buchanan, Johnny Tate (Caller), Rebecca Street, and Tim Brinkley. Founder and director of the Mountain Youth Jamboree, Hubert H. Hayes (1901-1964) auditioned and directed youth to perform in folk dance, music, and folk and ballad singing. The jamboree was held in the Asheville City Auditorium (now known as Thomas Wolfe Auditorium) from 1948 to 1973, and Hayes’ wife, Leona Trantham Hayes (1913-1989) continued to direct the program after his death in 1964. Hubert Hayes was an author, playwright, and alumni of Duke University
The Highland Minstrels
No full textThis 1965 photograph shows the Highland Minstrels of Canton, North Carolina. Members include from left to right: Brenda Holland, Mike Pressley, Freddie Ruth Pressley, David Smothers, Barbara Wilson, Scott Price, Hugh Harvey, and Jean Lipham. Founder and director of the Mountain Youth Jamboree, Hubert H. Hayes (1901-1964) auditioned and directed youth to perform in folk dance, music, and folk and ballad singing. The jamboree was held in the Asheville City Auditorium (now known as Thomas Wolfe Auditorium) from 1948 to 1973, and Hayes’ wife, Leona Trantham Hayes (1913-1989) continued to direct the program after his death in 1964. Hubert Hayes was an author, playwright, and alumni of Duke University
The disenfranchisement of prisoners : Roach v Electoral Commissioner & Anor - modernity v feudalism
No full textDavid Brown takes a road trip to Canberra for the Roach fixture at the High Court where modernity is attempting a fight-back against the resurrection of civil death. With echoes of Hunter S Thompson as rugby league follower, the author recounts a trip to Canberra to observe a case in which Vickie Lee Roach, an Indigenous woman prisoner, challenged (successfully as it later turns out) the Howard government's 2006 legislation disenfranchising all serving prisoners.\ud
\ud
\u
Historic Webster Vol. 2 No. 2
No full textHistoric Webster is a newsletter of the Webster Historical Society, Inc., created at the Society’s founding in 1974. The publication helped to serve the Society's mission of collecting and preserving the history of Webster, North Carolina. Webster, established in 1851, was the original county seat for Jackson County.IICII!IHIIL IIIli
Dear Webster Historical Society Members:
Beginning now, Jackson County will be alive with
American Revolution Bicentennial activities which are
part of those being planned nationwide to "strengthen
the approaching third century of American
independence." The Bicentennial commemoration will
preserve the past and promote the future through the
action areas of HERITAGE, HORIZONS and
FESTIVALS. Jackson County, Webster, Sylva and
Western Carolina University are eligible to official
designation as Bicentennial communities. This means
that each of these communities will be planning special
projects and programs within the areas of
HERITAGE, HORIZONS and FESTIVALS.
The master plan for the North Carolina American
Revolution Bicentennial celebration is divided into
four phases:
Phase I --Overture, 1972-1976
Phase 11--Year of Declarations, 1976
Phase III --Competition 200, 1976-1989
Phase IV-··Finale, 1989
The Jackson County American Revolution
Bicentennial Celebration will be planned by a steering
committee and a community council composed of
representatives from all organizations in the county.
The committee and council, appointed by the county
commissioners, will be announced soon. The Webster
Historical Society's past efforts have been a
meaningful beginning to J ackson County's celebration
of the Bicentennial and will be a significant part of the
exciting years to come. The Webster J uly 4th
celebration of 1975 will include the county's
designation ceremony and will be the first event in a
series of bicentennial celebrations county-wide.
"BE A PART OF SOMETHING GREAT."
Betty Price, Chairperson,
Jackson County American Revolution
Bicentennial Commission
President, Webster Historical Society
:;:;:::::::::::::;:;:;:;:;:;:;:;:;:;:;:;:;:;:;:;:;:;:;:;:;:;:;:;:;:;:;:;:;:;:;:;:;:;:;:;:;:;:;:;:;:;:;:;:;:;:;:;:;:;:;:;:;:;:;::;:;:;:;:;:;:;:;:;:
Webster Cookbook Is Selling Well
Requests for copies of lhe Webster Cookbook are far
exceeding expectations. Thanks go to the many Webster
Historical Society members and cooperative businesses who are
participating in these sales. In truth , the cookbook is selling
itself as fr iends of friends and even strangers catch sight of it.
The publishers, Edw.ards and Broughton of Raleigh , North
Carolina have placed full page advertisements in State
Magazine, the Tar Heel Ba nker. and North Carolina Education.
These have already brought favorable response. WMSJ of
:::: generously adding the cause. Great credit goes lo the local sales ::::
:::: chairman, Joe and Kate Rhinehart of Webster who house the :;::
:::: cookbooks, do the bookkeeping, and sell, deliver, package, and ::::
::;: mail copies on request. ::;:
:::: In addition to the Rhineharts, copies of the Webster Cookbook ::::
:::: may be obtained from any of the following individuals or places ::::
::::of business: Betty Price and Marilyn Jody, Webster; Mildred ::::
·:::: Cowan, Webster; Archie and Ruth Crawford, Webster ; and ::::
::::: Mary Morris, Library WCU, Cullowhee; Mrs. Vernon Stroupe, ::::
::::: Sr., Asheville; Joe Parker and Florence Rhinehart, Bethesda, ::;:
::::: Maryland; Anne-Margaret Cloth Shop, Highlands Road, ::::
::::: Franklin, North Carolina; Cheddar Box Cheese and Gourmet ::::
::::: Shop, Dillsboro, North Carolina, Scotties Discount Store, ::::
::::: Simpson Chevrolet, Continental Beauty Shop, all of Sylva, North ::::
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WEilSTEH. :\OHTH CAROLINA
First Jackson County
Court Formed In 1853
Asheville Citizen
May 22, 1932
The first court was organized
by Judge John W. Ellis, afterwards
governor of the State, at
the residence of Daniel Bryson,
Sr. on Scott's Creek, Monday,
March 3, 1853.
J. Newton Bryson was appointed
clerk of the court, and Allen
Fisher, c lerk and master in
equity . •
The sureties of these officials
were such men as W. H. Bryson,
John B. Allison, R. V. Welch,
John W. Dav is, Thaddeus D.
Bryson, and E. D. Brendle.
The second Superior Court was
opened Monday, September 19,
1953, at Allen Fisher's store
house, with Judge Dav id F.
Caldwell presiding. (Judge Caldwell
was the grandfather of Fred
C. Fisher, of Swain county, and
Miss Frances Fisher, author of
"The Land of the Sky"). E. D.
Davis was sheriff and J. Newton
Bryson, clerk of the court.
First Jury System
The first grand and petit juries
were composed of such familiar
pioneer names as Keener, Con·
' ley , Queen, Bryson, Brown,
Hooper, Dills , Alley, Allison,
Gibson, Wilson, Smith, Wood ,
Zachary, Hall, Norton, Shelton,
Hedden, Monteith, Sutton, Sherrill
, Henson, Allen, Buchanan,
Farley, Watson , Wike, Enloe,
Owne, Ensley, Ashe, Long, Dillard,
Davis , Parker, Parris,
Painter, Coward, Rogers, Hyatt,
Henderson, Moss , Middleton,
Potts, Parks, Shular, and Gunter.
The first case was placed on
docket for trial in the Superior
Court was State versus Adam
Mathis. The second was John B.
Allison and Woodford Zachary
versus Elisha Holden. The nature
of neither case is stated in the
record.
David Rogers, among the
youngest of these first county
officials, 40 years younger than
some of them was the last to pass
away. He died in the late Twenties
at his home in Cullowhee. At
the age of 94 he was as young and
sprightly in spirit as he was on
that autumnal morning in 1855
when he moved into the new
courthouse at Webster, as the
county's first clerk of the court.
The first State cOurts were six in
number and the judges and
lawyers proceeded from one to
another on horseback. For several
years prior to 1778 there
were no courts in North Carolina
unles they were single magistra·
cies which had jurisdiction of
petty offense and civil actions.
In 1868 these time-honored
though somewhat antiquated
courts were abolished and a
different procedure was adopted
by the state. Jackson county now
has the Superior court, and the
courts of the justices of the peace.
SPRING, 1975
Ottis Self ,
A Distinguished Citizen
By Mildred Cowan
Rubert Ottis Self, eldest child of Dr. William and Octavie Cowan
Self, was a distinguished citizen of Webster, of Jackson County, and
the entire stale of North Carolina. He was born at Franklin, North
Carolina in 1884. His parents returned to live at Webster where Ottis
attended public school. He was later a student at Cullowhee Normal
School, now Western Carolina University, and finished in the class of
1904.
He taught in the public schools of Jackson County in 1005; was
principal of Wakelon High School, Zebulon, North Carolina, in 1906;
and taught at Calvert in Transylvania County in 1907. He was
superintendent of public schools in Jackson County in 1908 and 1909.
During 1910 he was southern representative for the American Book
Company.
In 1911 Mr. Self became Clerk of the North Carolina Senate in
which office he served u,ntil19l9. During this period and until1940, he
held a number of Important positions in civil life and state
governments. He was active in the Kiwanis Club 'the Masonic
Knights of Pythias, and Odd Fellows Orders. Mr. Self's life and
career are further reviewed in a letter written by his daughter, Mrs.
Lura Self Tally, to me, her father's cousin.
Mrs. Tally is presently serving in the North Carolina Legislature
as 20th District Representative from Fayetteville, North Carolina.
Her letter follows:
North Carolina General Assembly
House of Representatives
State Legislative Building
Raleigh, 77611
Lura S. Tally March 18, 1975
20th District
Home Address: 3100 Tallywood Drive, Fayetteville, N. C. 28303
Miss Mildred Cowan
PO Box 116
Webster, North Carolina 28788
Dear Mildred:
Thank you very much for writing to me about my precious father.
shall try to write down a list of information for you.
Continued on Page 3
Historic Webster, Spring 1975, Page 2
Probable Date, the late Eighties
By Eliza beth Keys
Miss Margaret Anne Hunter,
our good neighbor on Caney Fork
Creek, is indeed an extraordinary
lady of 94 years <come May 3) ;
much kin d ness and a lov ing
heart. Also, Miss Mag twinkles
with bright wit in recounti ng
marvelous stories which are fond
a nd wonderful memories to her .
For ma ny, many yea rs, Miss
Mag has been a Special Person to
this writ er , but last week was our
firs t li te r a ry e ncount er in a
formal interview, for the "Webster
Hi s toric a l Soc ie ty News·
letter. "
Miss Mag emanates s trength ,
integrity, and in telligence. Her
delightful sophis ticat ion did not
spring from a ttending the Wo·
mens' College of Greensboro. Her
own nat ura l intellectua l curiosity
has kept her current and cognizant
with day to day events
local a nd world wide. Also, she
was an aware and observing li tt le
girl. Her brown eyes da nced as
she said that she and her younger
brother . Ra lph. were not greatly
im pressed with Sylva upon their
a r r iva l from Texas. 80 plus yea rs
ago. Texas. even in those days.
was known as " Big Country". so
the Smoky Mounta in hollows may
The hot el. a t this time. was the home and to right a re the servants Major Wells and Aunt have seemed cramped at first
business of Felix and Annie Ca rt er Leatherwood. Zelia Wells. The next three men are unknown . arrival. " The old g ray ho rse
The latticed banni ste rs and supp.crt-!!'!g cc!~mns.-cf-- Sca-:iX! neao. tli·c--c-o-:umu ·~ .1r-s-:-f' :·i :.: ::.ea ih-er --h~:ch cd :an pas: :ocn; by. n;od r;-o:
the porches were typical. at that time. of a number wood. with daughter Ethel and Ellen on each s ide . many houses in Sy lva then---!"
of houses in the Webster area. Standing as a group are her three older daughters. sti ll last in ~e r me.mo r~.
This picture was published in an early edition of May. Lee. and Belle. Leaning aga inst a column is The beauuful white . f1 ve ga ~l e
llis to1·ic \\'c bs tt·,·. but we th ought it wor th daught er Annie.Seatedwithpropped up fee tis Dr. Hunter H ~ m es t ea d,. where M1ss
1·epubli s hing beca use of the information furn ished Will Tompkins. The ot her people on the porch Mag has lived dunng her years
about the occupants of the porches b~· Mrs. Vernon cannot be identified. here. sta rted as a one room
Strou pe, Sr. , grandd a ughter of the F . H. In close proximity. about twenty fee t away, and cabin. bu ilt before her Daddy
Leatherwood's. Mrs. St roupe says. from what her back of the picket fence on the r ight ca n be seen a went West. That one-hundred-mother
Mrs . Lee Potts told her. most of the people portion of the Coward Hotel. home of Nathan year old cabin , pegged door and
can be identifi ed. Coward and hi s family . Both hotels were a ll. is st ill intact to see as pa rt of
To the left on the ups ta irs porch are Mr. and destroyed in the 19 10 disastrous fire which the Big House w ~ ich was .later
Mrs. Schreiber. On horseback. ha lf hidden by the originated in the Mount a in View. added by the builder , En cson
fence. is Joe Sher rill. On the lower porch from left Lovedahl from Sweden . Some of
:;:;:;:;:;:;:;:;:;:;:;:::::::;:;:;:;:;:;:;:;:;:;::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::=:::::=::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::=::::::::;:;:;:
Robert lee Madison
Education in Western
North Carolina,
Nineteenth Century
By .Joe Parker Rhin eha rt
Educa tion 101 A
December t2. 1 !)5~
At Sylva, a Mr. Page from
Ma ine ta ught the first part of the
t887-1888 year and Mr. Madison
took over at the mid-term . A
sudden and serious illness prevented
hs fini s hi ng the year.
After a recovery trip to Alabama
a nd Tennessee, he returned to
SUi f
Editors :
Mrs. Louise Davis
Ms. Alice Harrill
Dr. Marilyn Jody
Circulation
Mana ger :
Mrs. J ennie Lou Hunter
Typists:
Mrs. Sar ah Barrell
Mrs. Jennie Lou Hunter
Contr ibutors:
Mrs. Elizabeth Keys
Mr. Claude Cowan
Dr . Richard W. Jobst
Miss Mildred Cowan
Mrs. Vernon Stroupe , Sr.
Ms. Belly Price
Sylva in time to teach the
t888-t889 term.
The public money of the distr ict
had been spent on patent desks,
(the first in Jackson county), so
the school operated as a subscri
ption school.
Here Professor Madison had
forty pupils, ages 6 to 23, in
classes ranging from ABC's to
F'rench.
The grading system was different
from present day methods.
A one merit card was issued to
each student for being present, on
time, good behavior, good lessons,
and abstention from dis·
turbing others. Five one-merit
cards were exchanged for a
five-merit card ; five five-merit
cards were swapped for a twenty
five-merit card; a nd four twenty
five-marit cards were traded for
a hundred merit certifica te. A
student could acquire a hundr edmer
it cer tificate every month if
his record was excellent every
day of the four school weeks.
After Mr. Madison assumed
duties as editorr of the Tucka·
seigee D emocrat~. in January 9,
1889, he divided his day between
classroom and newspaper duties .
All nights except Friday were
spent in school work . Friday
nights were given to the literary
society at the public hall.
Al the beginning of the fa ll of
1888, Madison had subscribed to
several leading educational jour·
nals. including Sc hool Journa l
and the Teac her's Inst it ute. and
had several leading educa tor 's
writings. Before the fa ll term was
over he had organized a group of
practice teachers. " As fa r as I
know th is was the first attempt
ever made to practice teaching in
this county." It was on a sma ll
scale and participa tion was voluntary
.
Madison stayed at Sylva, but
with an intention of starting a
public school. Here he became
impressed with the needs of a
perm a ne nt in s t it ution for this
mountainous section. The inst i tu~
tion would not only give the young
people better pre pa r at ion or
foundation for their future voca·
tions , but would a nswer the acute
need for preparing teachers for
the county and village schools.
"Fortunately fo r me and for
the educationa l future of th is
region , the genera l assem bl y of
t889 had abo lished the then
existing eight normal schools and
had provided in their stead the
money previously set apar t for
them should be expended for
teacher's ins titutes to be held
annua lly for the duration of a
week or more in each county in
the state.
The teacher 's insti tute lead to
the turning point in Professor
Madison's li fe.
the sta tely trees. as well as the
immense silo, were vict ims of
high wi nds in the past. There is
litt le need now for the ca ttle
fee ding s tation as Miss Mag no
longer continues Ra lph Hunter 's
registered Hereford herds since
his demise two yea rs ago. Ra lph
Hunter was the greatest a uthori
ty on Hereford cattl e and blood
lines in th is region. His da ta and
papers would be a prime acquisition
for the Western Carolina
University Archi ves.
Miss Mag knows so ma ny
things; such as, it is a fact tha t
Caney Fork Creek was so named
because the Master-Cra ftsman
Basket Weavers of the Cherokee
preferred the Caney r vi'k canes
above a ll others for their art
work. The superio rity of these
canes lies in the clim ate of the
Ca ney Fork Valley which is a
therma l pocket tha t protects the
canes from becoming brittle with
heavy freezes. Th us the ca nes
respond in flex ibili ty in working
into the exquis ite des igns and
techniques of basketry of the
Cherokee.
Miss Mag's Daddy, Mr . J ohn
Hunter , was the fi r st Caney Fork
resident to pay for posta l delivery
to his home. Then, the mai l came
by way of the new ra ilroad to
Sylva , was waggoned to Cull owhee
and East LaPorte , and
forwa rded by horseback up Caney
Fork, John 's Creek, and the
Rich Mounta in Section.
Earlier , John Hunte r had removed
to Texas a fter four year s '
active duty with the Confederate
Army . With his young wife ,
Minerva Brown Hunter , he esta·
blished his home is Sage, Texas,
where their three children were
born. The cat tle bus iness prospered
and all was well until Miss
Minerva came down with " Deser
t Feve r ". So, her hu s ba nd
brought her home, with their
little ones, to the beautiful Blue
Ridge to recover. For Minerva , it
was too late , but her three
children flouri shed - . the two
daughters pa ssed 90 years each,
a nd the son, Ra lph, atta ined 86.
Miss Mag reca lls her Grandmother
Brown's food preserving
from those ea r ly years. Little
gray, glazed ceramic jars were
the con ta iners. Hot cooked food
was poured into the hot. scalded
jars . and sea led with tissue pa per
soa ked in hot bees wax . This was
snugged down ta ut ov er the
mouth of the ja r with a str ing
winding a round the wa xed paper
overha nd at the top of each jar .
Sounds delicious. doesn't it ?
Miss Mag has greeted me so
oft en a t he r ever- hos pit ab le
home. I ca nnot count the times. It
is mostly the summer season
though. when I ride horseback up
that \Vav a nd vis it with my
wonderflil fri end. But. never unt il
our recent int erview. had Miss
I\ lag shown me the anc ient. hand
appliqued quilt. a fam ily heirloom.
It so im pressed me tha t I
inq uired about it at the Tryon
Pa lace Sympos ium which I re-
•ti a-ii cnded i11 '~c ' Be .
Nor tli Ca rolina . The discussions
of the Sympos ium we re con cerned
with Eighteenth Cent ury
deco r a ti ve Art s in the Early
Ame ri can Homes . T he Celebrated
a utho rity on Eight eenth
and Nineteenth Century Text iles.
Miss Mil dred B. Lan.icr of the
\Vill iamsburg Hcst orat ion Staff.
gave marvelous lec tures on Textiles
in the Southern Homes in the
sevent eenth and eighteen th centuries.
As I descr ibed as fully as
possi ble 1\liss Mag's qui lt. Miss
La nier and the class were very
much interested . Miss La nier .
without hav ing seen it. could give
only an educat ed guess rega rding
the. qui lt. However. it seems to be
one of the priceless sur vivors of
the age when glazed cott on chintz
was sti ll being imported from
Engla nd . The Rose Madder. and
brown India P rints were pre-cut
for quilting and a lso expor ted to
Ame ri ca f rom England. Miss
Mag's quil t is enha nced in value
on account of the hand woven
linen back ing. the " Mint Condition"
(a ter m meaning extremely
va luable J and " Made in Amer ica"
. A conservat ive guess would
place the quilt as t20 to t30 yea rs
old. Perhaps Webster Histo rica l
Society can help us to further
identify this ma rvelous treasure.
a nd oth ers which a re tucked
away in brides ' chests from long
ago. We need photographs in
detai l to submit for appraisa l.
We are certa in ly indebted to
MisS Mag for the interview---.
maybe there will be more.
Hlsloric Webster, Spring 1975, P age 3
The North Carolina Senate Is Pictured In Session in 1917. The inset is Robert OHis Self.
The Felix H. Leatherwood Family at Webster, North Carolina
September, 1891
Left to right and standing: Mrs. F. H.
Leatherwood, who before her ma rriage was Annie
Lavenia Cartsr ; da ughter Laura Belle, (Mrs.
Marcellus Buchana n, Sr. ), daughter F lorence
May (Mr s . J . E. Divelbiss, Sr .), daughter Lillian
Lee <Mrs. R. P . Potts. Sr. ), seated : daughter
Ellen Elvira (Mrs. G. C. Picklesimer), daughter
Ethel La vinia <Mrs . Coleman Cowan ), daughter
Anna Carter <Mrs . M. Donaldson Cowan ). In
front : only son, Roy F . Leatherwood.
Absent from the picture is the husband and
father, Felix Ha rrison Leatherwood, who was a
tra veling salesman for Sanford, Chambers, and
Alber s, drug wholesalers of Knoxville, Tennessee.
This family group picture, evidently made by a
traveling photographer (quite common in that
era) was taken just below the Mountain View
Hotel, home of Felix and Annie Carter Leatherwood.
In the background and enclosed with a fence
is the rose garden of Mrs. Leatherwood. On the
opposite side of the street is the home of Dr. W. C.
Tompkins, and above it is the Spake house, later
occupied by Garey and Ellen Picklesimer. and
still later by the Andy Allisons.
Picture and information furnished by Mrs.
Vernon Stroup, Sr. of Asheville, North Carolina.
Mrs. Stroup is a granddaughter of Mr. and Mrs. F.
H. Leatherwood.
Ottis Self, cont.
-Continued irom page I
As you probably know, after his father died, my father taught in
the one-room school house there in Webster. - He received his
education from Western Carolina, during which lime he often ta ught
since a school master was needed; and he, evidently. was a most
alert and intelligent young man.
He later worked with the Wachovia Bank in Wilmington, often
commuting on weekends back to his beloved mountains and to his
widowed mother. A little later, he served with Wachovia Bank in
Statesville, North Carolina where he mel my mother , Sarah Cowles,
who was the local teacher of music. They were ma rried on the
Cowles family farm in the summer of 1918. During this lime, my
father was also serving in the Nor th Carolina Stale Senate as chief
clerk.(! have his gold cane). I am now having a picture copied which
included him in the legislative body of 1917. He was chairman for the
entire Stale for the sale of Liberty Bonds from 1917 through the end of
the war. Aboull920, he and my mother came to Raleigh. He, to begin
his career with the old North Carolina Corpora tion Commission
Oa ter, the North C~"oli na Utili ties Commission) with which he
stayed 30 years.
He and my mother had five children, of which four a re living. My
older brother, Bobby, died in infa ncy. My s ister s a r e Eleanor Self
McCall (Mrs. J. A. McCall) of Stone Mountain, Geor gi a and Mrs.
Nancy Self Stanley (Mrs. Lester Stanley) of Smithfi eld , North
Carolina, my brother is Capt. USN William Cowles Self, of Panama
Canal Zone and, of course, me, Lura Self Ta lly, from Fayetteville,
North Carolina. There are 14 grandchildren a
Recommended from our members
The Wrong Man
No full textAgent David Melnik is sent to the U.S. to prevent the assassination of Gottfried Waldner, the German chancellor, by Dachau survivor and Nazi hunter Walter Naman. By the author of Hostage One. 50,000 first printing.https://scholarship.law.ua.edu/harper_lee_prize_books_2013/1008/thumbnail.jp
The Wrong Man
No full textAgent David Melnik is sent to the U.S. to prevent the assassination of Gottfried Waldner, the German chancellor, by Dachau survivor and Nazi hunter Walter Naman. By the author of Hostage One. 50,000 first printing.https://scholarship.law.ua.edu/harper_lee_prize_books_2013/1008/thumbnail.jp
Occupational Health in U.S. Transit Agencies: Trends in OSHA-Reportable Illnesses and Injuries (2016–2023)
No full textThesis (Master's)--University of Washington, 2025Introduction: Transit workers in the United States face a host of occupational health hazards including chronic exposure to physical, chemical, and psychosocial agents. A systematic review of 187 studies identified that all workers suffering hazardous occupational noise exposure can cause permanent auditory threshold shifts, though the evidence for elevated risk among railway workers is mixed, with some studies showing minimal or no increased loss relative to reference populations. Respiratory illness is a recognized occupational concern for transit workers, driven in part by elevated exposures to airborne pollutants in enclosed and high-density transit environments. Measured concentrations of fine particulate matter (PM₂.₅) inside buses and subways, coupled with inadequate ventilation or filtration, contribute to inflammation and increased risk of chronic respiratory conditions, and musculoskeletal disorders driven by static postures and vibration.1,2,3,4,5 These exposures may contribute to a higher prevalence of hypertension, diabetes, and mental health conditions among transit employees compared to the general workforce.6 Despite the severity and persistence of these conditions, occupational health surveillance and regulatory prioritization in the transit sector remain fragmented and underdeveloped.6,7,8 Efforts to quantify these burdens are further complicated by systemic underreporting, definitional inconsistencies, and jurisdictional barriers to case recognition.8,9,10 This thesis explores these gaps by examining national Occupational Safety and Health Administration’s (OSHA’s) Injury Tracking Application (ITA) data from 2016–202311, with analyses by agency size, North American Industry Classification System (NAICS) classification12, and geographic context. The ITA dataset offers establishment-level detail enabling trend analysis by agency characteristics. The findings aim to inform targeted policy responses and advance data-driven protections for transit workers across the country.Our hypothesis is that OSHA-reportable rates of hearing loss, poisonings, respiratory disorders, skin disorders, days away from work, other illnesses, deaths, and total illness, differ significantly over time and by agency subgroup, particularly size and geographic classification. This will be evaluated through:
Aim 1: Assess temporal trends in illness rates across the study period (2016–2023).
Aim 1A: Identify statistically significant differences between individual years.
Aim 1B: Examine whether respiratory illness rates increased during the COVID-19 pandemic (2020–2021).
Aim 2: Compare illness rates across transit agency subgroups.
Aim 2A: Assess statistically significant differences in illness rates by establishment (agency) size classification.
Methods:
A retrospective descriptive study design was applied using OSHA’s ITA data by NAICS codes 4851 for urban transit systems and 4852 for interurban and rural bus transportation and establishment level information such as, total hours worked at the agency in the previous year, agency size, and geographic location. The ITA is composed of OSHA-reportable cases, which include any work-related fatality, loss of consciousness, days away from work, restricted duty, job transfer, or injuries and illnesses requiring medical treatment beyond first aid. Also included are diagnosed cases of cancer, chronic irreversible diseases, fractured bones or teeth, punctured eardrums, and cases meeting specific recording criteria such as needlestick injuries, medical removal, hearing loss, tuberculosis, and work-related Covid-19 reported as respiratory conditions.13 Rates were calculated per full-time equivalent (FTE) employees to normalize across agency size based on hours worked. Variables such as geographic region, agency size, and transit classification based on NAICS codes for urban transit vs. interurban and rural bus transportation, were incorporated into the analysis. Analytical methods included Mann-Kendall trend tests to assess changes in illness and injury rates from 2016 to 2023. Year-to-year differences were evaluated using Kruskal-Wallis tests, and one-way ANOVA was used to compare rates across pandemic periods. Linear regression models were applied to examine associations between illness rates and agency-level characteristics such as size, region, and NAICS classification. A hierarchical clustering method was used to normalize and merge establishment records across years by grouping similar company names and addresses, improving consistency in longitudinal analysis. Results: OSHA-reportable illness and injury rates in U.S. transit agencies remained largely stable between 2016 and 2023, with no apparent trends observed. While respiratory conditions and poisonings showed increases in 2021 and 2022 respectively, these increases were not statistically significance. Only injury rates varied significantly by year, spiking in 2021, though these were not statistically significant after adjustment. Linear regression models, excluding state-level predictors, identified agency size was a modest but statistically significant predictor of hearing loss (β = 0.0925, 95% CI [0.0667, 0.1183]), though the overall model fit was poor (adjusted R² = 0.026). Conclusion: This thesis presents a national, retrospective multi-year assessment of OSHA-reportable illness and injury trends among reporting U.S. transit employers from 2016 to 2023. While rates remained generally stable over the study period, the ability to predict illness and injury patterns based on agency-level characteristics captured in ITA data was limited. This limitation likely reflects the narrow scope of available variables, which exclude key factors such as worker demographics, job classifications, and exposure conditions. These limitations emphasize the need for improved occupational health surveillance in both urban and rural transit sectors. A more robust and integrated surveillance system would better equip health and safety practitioners to identify patterns early and implement preventive strategies. Future research should incorporate workers’ compensation records, Federal Transit Administration (FTA) datasets, and proactive hazard monitoring, with a focus on high-risk roles and standardized reporting practices
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