Thread: WV Coal Mine Disaster

Originally Posted by Buster

Just a thread to memorialize and recognize the 25 lost souls and to their bereaved families
God Bless these hard working Americans..Working to keep us from being entirely dependent on foreign energy.
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20100406/...mine_explosion

Mine workers have to have some special inner grit to do that type of work. There have been many songs & stories written - either glorifying it, or damning it, yet feeling that was all there was for them.
Thank you, Buster, for the thread for them.

Originally Posted by grandma

Thank you, Buster, for the thread for them.

+1 on thanking you for the thread. I was beginning to wonder if anybody cared.

RIP...

Originally Posted by KevinD

+1 on thanking you for the thread. I was beginning to wonder if anybody cared.

RIP...

Oh I care, my grandfather fought in the Blair Mountain war and helped form the UMWA. He later died of black lung. Being from WV, these disasters always hit close to home, but sometimes you just suffer in silence. Thanks Buster.

I just finished a book about a fellow named Bob Childress - born, grew up, lived in the Blue Ridge Mtns. It made mention of him doing what he could to get the mountain boys into schools so they would have another choice besides `the mines or the stills.' `The Man Who moved a Mountain' c1970 - Quite good, certainly gave me a better picture of growing up somewhere besides open range & wheat lands....

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/us_mine_e...ctim_vignettes

Originally Posted by grandma

I just finished a book about a fellow named Bob Childress - born, grew up, lived in the Blue Ridge Mtns. It made mention of him doing what he could to get the mountain boys into schools so they would have another choice besides `the mines or the stills.' `The Man Who moved a Mountain' c1970 - Quite good, certainly gave me a better picture of growing up somewhere besides open range & wheat lands....

Grandma, if you want to read another true story about educators in appalachia-one of the best ever written was Christy, by Katherine Marshall, (she married Peter Marshall who became chaplain of the senate for many long years later in life). Her book was written about the time she spent in Appalachia as single teacher before she met Peter and married him.

Originally Posted by alevin

Grandma, if you want to read another true story about educators in appalachia-one of the best ever written was Christy, by Katherine Marshall, (she married Peter Marshall who became chaplain of the senate for many long years later in life). Her book was written about the time she spent in Appalachia as single teacher before she met Peter and married him.

Yes, I'll say! Christy has been a very popular book since written - the film & then the series helped it live on. Her book on Peter still lives on, also. Seems like he died about the time his Senate career was taking off, still a fairly young man?

G'ma, you could be right. I read Man Called Peter while in college many years ago now. My memories a little fuzzy, thought he spent a number of years as chaplain. The book about him is one of my alltime faves also. especially the part about how he made decisions about taking new positions. he knew when he was called to something new, but had to also know when it was time to leave what he was already doing. sometimes he knew what the new thing would be before it was time to leave the current situation , but he waited to move into the new situation until he was absolutely sure it was time to leave the old situation. Life lesson there-has applied very widely in my life so far.

Originally Posted by alevin

... especially the part about how he made decisions about taking new positions. he knew when he was called to something new, but had to also know when it was time to leave what he was already doing. sometimes he knew what the new thing would be before it was time to leave the current situation , but he waited to move into the new situation until he was absolutely sure it was time to leave the old situation. Life lesson there-has applied very widely in my life so far.

Aaaah! - methinks it may be time to reread it myself!