[Nfbwv-talk] Third Article

[Smyth, Charlene R]

Subject: Article from Hampshire Review Section B 2013 02 06
Date: 
Wed, 6 Feb 2013 17:01:25 -0500 (EST)

Nora Kimble A Weekly Chat To be or not to be Not only this newspaper,
but
others in West Virginia and the state of Maryland have been running
articles on the future of the state schools for the deaf and the blind
to
renovate the existing ones or build new ones in another location. I
realize
news people have to report the news, even debatable issues, but before
everyone gets in an uproar, let's hope those in decision-making
positions
use sound judgment. Most people would agree that it is only reasonable
that
it would take a lot more money to relocate and rebuild than to renovate
the
existing schools. And then, there's the cost of purchasing property that
hasn't even been figured in the equation. I hope the schools remain here
for many reasons and I'm not going to elaborate on them. But, I have
some
fond memories of the schools, having had a cousin who attended the blind
school, but also of my years of growing up on the farm on Jersey
Mountain.
In those days, the two schools were often referred to as institutions,
but
it was certainly a gracious move on the part of the state when it was
renamed the West Virginia Schools for the Deaf and the Blind. To be
labeled
a student in an institution is demoralizing. Beginning with my school
years, the state schools had a whistle that blew at set times each day.
Those whistles actually became a part of our daily lives, although we
lived
five miles from Romney. My parents never needed an alarm clock to get up
by
at 6:15 a.m. the first whistle of the day could be heard clearly. It
just
happened to be the wake up call for the students at the schools as well
as
staff members. The next whistle to blow was at 11:45 when their classes
dismissed for lunch. Many times when Dad and I were out in the big
patches
plowing with the horses, we knew it was about time for us to take our
own
break. And in the afternoon, after sitting astride Fred to keep him off
the
rows for three or four hours, the dismissal class for the evening was a
welcome sound. Not that I got to get off the horse just then, but I knew
within an hour I could ride him to the barn and quit for the day. Not
only
did the evening whistle alert the students and staff, but in those
years,
the schools also grew their own vegetables and raised beef and pork. The
field workers knew when it was time to quit. The last whistle of the day
was at 9 p.m., reminding everyone that it was bedtime and soon-to-be
lights
out. It was our bedtime signal as well. The two schools have a lot of
history. Originally, the schools used gaslights with their manufacturing
being done in the school's main house located on what is known as Antigo
Place. About 1910-11, this source of energy or power was replaced with a
new central heating system that called for the construction of a
coal-fired
boiler room and dynamo for electricity. A steam whistle was placed in
the
high tower connected to the boiler room. It was the height of this tower
and the strength of the whistle that we heard it blow five miles from
town.
Sometime between 1975-76, when the schools converted from steam to
electricity, the boiler room was obsolete and the whistle was no longer
available. Seldon Brannon told me that to his knowledge, the whistle
blew
for the last time at 10:30 a.m. on June 13, 1975, signaling the end of a
part of the school's history. It was a solemn end to an old friend and
an
invaluable timepiece for many of us. Long may the West Virginia Schools
for
the Deaf and Blind remain right where they are with a face-lifting and
renovations.