Reflections on Cape Charles and the Eastern Shore
On September 9th ESO will have their biggest fundraiser of the year, The Eastern Shore’s Own Craft Beer and Music Festival. Music this year will be provided by Double Booked, Chris and Grayson English, and Bennett Wales and The Relief. Tickets are available at www.craftbeermusicfestival.eventbrite.com.
The event will take place at : 15293 King St, Belle Haven, VA 23306, the ESO Arts Center.
Special to the Mirror by Charles Landis
In the center of a small town in North Carolina is a monument to the Granville Grays, a company of Confederate soldiers from Granville County who fought for the Confederacy in the Civil War. My grandfather (1833-1892) was the captain and they engaged in many battles throughout the War.
Kirk C. Mariner Collection
Private Collection
1919
He was a very prosperous merchant and, like most in the South, did not own a plantation or slaves. Being of Mennonite heritage, like Quakers, he did not believe in slavery or war. Like General Robert E. Lee, he did not want secession and would only fight for the Confederacy if invaded. He died before I was born but my grandmother, born in 1852, lived until 1947. While a child of 10-12 years of age, I can recall her belief the War was considered an invasion. The needless destruction of property of innocent civilians, including her home, by the Union Army, she could never forget or forgive. Aunts, who were born in the 1880s, lived until the 1980’s, were lifelong Democrats, and could never forgive or forget the Union invasion or what the Republicans did during Reconstruction.
The monument honoring these Confederate soldiers honors their bravery and sacrifice against invaders, not in defense of slavery. And so, I believe, is the reason for other Confederate monuments such as in Parksley and Eastville. Would anyone expect a monument to General Sherman in Georgia?
The accomplishments of Abel Upshur as Secretary of the Navy and Secretary of State, I argue, make him the most important person in Eastern Shore history. He was also Virginia’s architect of nullification and secession. Should his portrait hanging in the hallway of Ker Place be burned and, as well, his writings on meaning of the Constitution, which were required reading for a generation of law students at University of Virginia and William and Mary?
Henry Wise is considered by historians as the most important political figure in Virginia in quarter century leading up to the Civil War and he precipitated Virginia’s secession. Should his exhibit at Kerr Place be taken down?
The Revolutionary War hero, John Cropper, spent forty years and much of his wealth in the cause of independence. He left George Washington on the battlefield to return to the Eastern Shore to defend against the British pillaging property and setting slaves free. Should his exhibit at Ker Place also be destroyed because of his defense of slavery?
Charles A. Landis
Onancock
Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine is Passionate About Patient-Focused Primary Care on the Eastern Shore, from Pediatrics to Geriatrics
PARKSLEY, Va. – Board-certified family physician Daniel Cochran, Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine (D.O.), recently joined Riverside Shore Medical Center at Metompkin, serving patients of all ages in a holistic care model.
Affectionately known as “Dr. Dan” by patients and peers alike, the Pennsylvania native has lived and practiced on the Eastern Shore for nearly a decade, including five years on Chincoteague. He also practiced in Ocean City and Pocomoke.
Dr. Dan Cochran (Riverside Photo)
Dr. Cochran stepped away from medicine for two years to care for an ailing loved one, but was eager to remain on Eastern Shore and return to family practice – two of his passions.
“I was drawn to the sense of community at Riverside and getting back into primary care, which was my love,” said Dr. Cochran. “For me, it’s all about holistic care and being able to treat a variety of age groups, from pediatrics through geriatrics.” [Read more…]
Registration is underway for the Fall semester of the Academy for Lifetime Learning (ALL) and for the first time in the Academy’s history, members can register and pay online for ALL’s usual eclectic selection of fun and interesting classes.
Thanks to the generosity of a few anonymous donors the Academy hired a professional web designer who crafted a handsome and easy to use web site at www.allesva.org with the $25 registration fee accepted through Pay Pal. Registrations and payments are still accepted through snail mail to ALLESVA, P.O. Box 509, Exmore VA 23350.
Many old favorites return for the Fall semester, such as Kayaking, the Bite Size Book Club, Memoir Writing and Watercolor for Beginners, along with some new offerings such as Fun with French, Marine Biology and Eastern Shore History.
The $25 membership fee covers an unlimited number of classes although some courses have extra charges for materials fees. Many courses are held at the Eastern Shore Community College, while others are taught outdoors, at instructors’ homes, or at their shops. Taught by knowledgeable volunteers, classes may last for several weeks or be a one-time presentation.
Read about the courses in detail at the website and print out the registration forms for those who are registering my mail. Printed copies of the course listings and a registration form are also available at all four Eastern Shore public libraries, The Book Bin in Onley, and the ESCC.
Eastern Shore’s Own is ready to begin its Fall Season. Registration for all classes including Karate, Ballet, Music, Fitness, Painting, Modern Dance and more will open after labor day. To get the full schedule of classes, visit them at www.esoartscenter.org.
The dance program is excited to announce the opening its new, beautiful and big dance studio. The studio will host all dance classes including ballet and modern.
Eastern Shore’s Own, Inc. (ESO) is a non-profit community arts center whose mission is to foster the development of the arts through instruction and performance.
Our goal is to provide opportunities for local artists to teach, practice, perform and to make the arts available to all residents of the Eastern Shore of Virginia.
ESOs new dance studio (Photo credit ESO)
Residents of Shore Rehabilitation Center in Parksley – Safely transitioning to new facilities due to multiple building issues.
Eastern Shore –VA- Riverside will operate the Riverside Shore Rehabilitation Center until October 21, 2017. During this period, Riverside will work with the 89 long-term care residents to find a new home with the appropriate level of care. In addition, there are an additional 12 residents that we anticipate to be discharged to home within 60 days. The closure will also affect 128 team members currently working at the facility. Riverside is currently meeting with each team member to help them find employment either within Riverside Health System or other employment opportunities. Support will also be provided for resume writing and job interviewing skills.
“The Riverside Shore Rehabilitation Center infrastructure has outlived its useful life expectancy.” said Ed Heckler, Vice President of Riverside Lifelong Health division “Our most viable alternative is to close the facility.” he continued.
The decision to close is based on multiple building issues primarily caused by age of facility. [Read more…]
166 Scholarships Help Coast Guard Children Pursue the Goal of Higher Education
Stonington, Conn. — The Coast Guard Foundation, a non-profit organization committed to the education and welfare of all Coast Guard members and their families, announced today that in 2017 it has awarded a record 166 new scholarships. Combined with ten multi-year scholarship recipients and three Fallen Heroes Scholars, the Foundation is currently supporting 179 students with a half-million dollars in support this year. In the 27 years of this program, the Coast Guard Foundation has paid out more than $4.7 million to more than 780 college-aged young adults to help the families of Coast Guard members achieve their goals of higher education.
Rachel Fox of Nassawadox, daughter of QM1 Jeffry T. Fox, and Ashley Liddle of Wallops Island, daughter of AMT1 Kevin Liddle, were awarded Coast Guard Foundation Scholarships. In the Fall, Fox and Liddle, both from Virginia, will attend Duke University and Shenandoah University, respectively.
The Coast Guard Foundation Scholarships benefit the children of enlisted men and women who are serving or have served in the U.S. Coast Guard, whether active duty, reserve, retired or deceased.
“The brave men and women of the Coast Guard are the epitome of dedication and commitment,” said Susan Ludwig, president, Coast Guard Foundation. “Their children have again and again demonstrated that they too hold themselves to that same high standard. We are proud to give back to these young individuals by investing in their future. We believe that it is an investment that will benefit these families and ultimately our country.”
To learn more about the Coast Guard Foundation, or to help support its work, please visit www.coastguardfoundation.org or call (860) 535-0786.
Special reader submitted article from the Washington Post Archives
IN DEFENSE OF GENERAL LEE
By Edward C. Smith
Saturday, August 21, 1999
© Copyright 1999 The Washington Post Company
Let me begin on a personal note. I am a 56-year-old, third-generation, African American Washingtonian who is a graduate of the D.C. public schools and who happens also to be a great admirer of Robert E. Lee’s.
Today, Lee, who surrendered his troops to Gen. Ulysses S. Grant at Appomattox Court House 134 years ago, is under attack by people — black and white — who have incorrectly characterized him as a traitorous, slaveholding racist. He was recently besieged in Richmond by those opposed to having his portrait displayed prominently in a new park.
Confederate Memorial at Parksley – Kirk C. Mariner Collection
Private Collection
1919
My first visit to Lee’s former home, now Arlington National Cemetery, came when I was 12 years old, and it had a profound and lasting effect on me. Since then I have visited the cemetery hundreds of times searching for grave sites and conducting study tours for the Smithsonian Institution and various other groups interested in learning more about Lee and his family as well as many others buried at Arlington.
[Read more…]
Over the last several years, the Cape Charles wastewater plant has found itself out of compliance with nutrient loads it dumps in the bay, so much so that the town has had to pay fines to the Department of Environmental Quality for the violations. This last May, the plant once again had a huge spike in phosphorus—the limit is .4, our plant registered a 1.5. From May to July, the plant has been trying to get the phosphorus number under control. Whether the plant will be able to adjust enough to get the year-to-date average below the limit and avoid another fine is still in question.
Town Council met Thursday to get answers from Public Works Director Dave Fauber.
According to Fauber, the major causes of the spike were warmer temperatures and an overtaxed “scum pump”. The temperature theory was dismissed by Councilman Steve Bennett who noted that historical readings in the summer months were superior to the early spring numbers. The scum pump, which is used to process and move waste fluids with high solids content has been operating at maximum capacity, and according to Farber has had trouble getting the job done. The town has rented an additional pump, and is in the process of purchasing two more. The additional, newer pump has been helping to get the phosphorus content down to a manageable number Fauber said.
The town also uses the chemical Alum to mitigate phosphorus and other nutrients in the effluent. Alum has been used for water clarification since the Roman Empire, and is the coagulant of choice for many industrial and sanitary wastewater treatment applications, due to its high efficiency, effectiveness in clarification, and utility as a sludge dewatering agent. Councilman Andy Buchholz questioned how they know how much alum to add and when, “What do you do, just take a sack and dump it in?”
Fauber responded that the plant has a series of valves that release the chemical into the effluent. “But when do you know and how much,” asked Councilman Steve Bennett. “The plant must have some way to get the readings so that it knows how much to release.”
Councilman Buchholz questioned whether the town was testing the effluent enough. Currently, the town tests the effluent twice a month, and sends the samples across the bay to DEQ for analysis. Buchholz suggested that the plant should test once a week just to get a baseline and to stay abreast of when the nutrient load is getting out of range.
Mayor George Proto grilled Fauber on why public works was slow to react. “I’d like to know what you did? When you saw the numbers, what was the plan? We need rules…an action plan for how to address this when this happens again,” Proto said.
Councilman Bennett questioned whether the crew had been properly trained, “This is an expensive, sophisticated plant…it doesn’t appear they have the training to operate it correctly. They need to get the proper training. Three years we have been out of compliance…they need more training.”
Council has tasked Fauber with coming up with an Action Plan in the next weeks.
“I want to see a control plan that will test and take action when something goes off the rails. We need to be able to maintain the plant, not just fix it. We can’t wait until it breaks,” Proto said.
Town Council is scheduled to meet next Thursday to get a progress report from Mr. Fauber.