Book #1: Christiansburg, Virginia: Small Town America at Its Finest
FOREWORD
In the Town Square, a monument bears names of those who were killed in the two World Wars and the Korean War. It stands as a memorial of their courage and the ultimate sacrifice. This book represents another kind of monument compiled with the same spirit. It presents the lives of other brave pioneers who blazed the Wilderness Trail. Their struggles did not result in the ultimate sacrifice that was given by our brave soldiers. But many men and women demonstrated characters of steel when faced with seemingly insurmountable obstacles, and that causes us to swell up with pride.
Through these pages, time and time again, we find that our forefathers were persistent, innovative, and hard working. But yet they took time out for family, church, community, and education. I believe that it is important to pass down to our descendants the people, places, and events of our past. I have endeavored to record and organize the history of Christiansburg beginning with its founding in the eighteenth century. After three years of tedious research, I published the first edition in 2005. Since that time, I have discovered new material, and the original manuscript has now been expanded to include 500 additional images and 65 pages.
ACKNOWLEDGEMENT
I have talked with many citizens who remembered the old town in years gone by, and a gleam appears in their eyes as they describe events of their youth. What is it about the people, the homes, the buildings and institutions that capture the spirit of visitors and residences alike? And what causes us to hold these memories in such high esteem? Our ancestors knew that they must set a good example for us to follow. In the words of Thomas Jefferson, “Those who come after us will fill up the canvas which we begin.” The town’s ancestors were diverse, but yet they were able to merge their energy and skills to improve the community.
The sources of information are lengthy, but much credit goes to the Montgomery News Messenger, the Roanoke Times , local historians, the Virginia Tech Library, and the Montgomery Floyd Regional Library.
The following people granted lengthy interviews that greatly enriched the text: Bill Aldridge, Rev. Nathaniel Bishop, Polly Bessette, Jane Crush Brown, Jim Brumfield, Norma Carroll, Elaine Carter, Curtis Chrisman, Donald and Lilburn Dunlap, Jr., Guy Ellett, Georgia Elliott, Katherine and Robert Freis, Nan Hairston, Spencer Hall, Ann Elisabeth and Frances Hart, Lynn Hickok, Bobbie Creasey Hill, Hazel Hodge, Rosa Holmes, Erma Jones, Louise Jones, Virginia Deal Lawrence, Arnold Linkous, Samuel S. Lucas, Jimmy Mensh, William C. Miller, Catherine Campbell Moore, Connie Moore, Mac Mitchell, Connie Stone Moore, Dan Myers, Tommy Myers, Virginia Myers, Sam and Nancy Nixon, Bob Overstreet, Cora Pack, Wilbert Page, Walter and Carrie Price, Nelson Ridinger, Donna Roberts, Lucy Charlton Sarver, Ruth Wickham Shelor, Frances Shelton, Richard Shelton, Ed Sherman, C. William Smith, David Smith, Harvey Sowers, Rose Sumner, Kathy Shelburne Taylor, Steve Taylor, Lois Carter Teele, Hassell Thompson, Pat Thompson, Cynthis Wagner, Francis Williams, Jack E. Via, and Julie Van de Voort.
In addition, the family papers of Morris C. Miller, Charles Crush, and Virginia Deal Lawrence supplied
valuable information. Special thanks goes to Bob Shelton, who is a very knowledgeable and informative person on Christiansburg history.
Words are never enough to tell the complete story. As you leaf through the pages of this book, you will be struck with the many stunning and vivid photographs. The clarity of the scenes will guide you back in time so that you can experience Christiansburg as our forefathers saw it.
Technology has played a key role in the transformation of these old, faded, and tattered snapshots into dramatic views of buildings, people, and events that have passed into antiquity. But it took the skill of one of Christiansburg’s finest to master the computer software programs now available. Spencer Hall was able to reverse the aging process by making corrections for cracks, tears, stains, bleaching, and fading. Sit back and see how the masterful works of Spencer have saved our heritage.
In addition to those listed above, the following people provided valuable resource information for the second edition: Robin Adair, Louise Akers, Sarah Akers, Tommy Beeken, Josie Bishop, Dubby Charlton, John Eanes, Leah Gillie, Susan Henderson, Richard Horne, Wayne Kirk, Harold Linkous, V. C. and Allie Martin, Essie Moore, Bob Overstreet, Frank Page, Lucy Reed, Don Teel, Pete Tolley, and Bob Williams. Important source information was obtained from the Sadie Earheart scrapbook, George A. Chrisman scrapbook, and the Bob Overstreet postcard collection.
Joyce Williams-Kanode and Bob Shelton played key roles in the book development. Joyce spent endless hours editing the text and directing the book layout. Bob gave research direction and shared his knowledge, manuscripts, and photographs. Without their help, this edition would not have been possible.
Book #2: Heroes Among Us: World War II Veterans of Montgomery County and Radford, Virginia
Each day in the U.S., some men and women of the “greatest generation” pass away, and many of them take their stories of their experiences in World War II with them. These stories are lost forever.
The thought of this history being lost to future generations was the genesis for a newly published book titled, “Heroes Among Us: World War II Veterans of Montgomery County and Radford, Virginia.”
Gene Morrell, the author of the book, is a veteran journalist with more than 30 years of experience as a reporter and editor with the News Messenger in Christiansburg and The Southwest Times in Pulaski.
Roy Kanode of Christiansburg did the layout and design and also contributed a number of stories to the book.
The hard-back book has more than 300 pages, and contains about 100 stories of local men and women who served in WWII, along with more than 800 photos, most them never before published.
In his preface to the book, Morrell explains how the book came about.
He states, “The year 2005 was the 60 th anniversary of the end of World War II, and I began to realize that many members of the ‘greatest generation’ were passing away and taking their unique stories with them.”
“In my role as a reporter with the News, I began an effort to help preserve the memories of some of the local veterans in Montgomery County and the City of Radford of their roles in the war,”
Each week throughout 2005, the News Messenger published a story on a WWII veteran, and these and many other stories are recorded in the new book.
Morrell said, “Almost every time, when I first approached one of these men or women about interviewing them for a story, he or she would say something like, ‘Why would you want to interview me? I didn’t really do anything in the war. I wasn’t a hero.’ And yet they were. Each and every one of them were heroes.”
“When their country called them to serve, they answered the call. They went where they were sent, and they did what they were told. In short, they did their duty, and they did it honorably. This book is a tribute to all of those brave, dedicated men and women who served in World War II. They are truly the heroes among us,” Morrell said.
Some of those included in the book are:
-- Ralph Long who was among the first soldiers to hit the beach on D-Day and later fought in the Battle of the Bulge;
-- Madison Marye, who, at age 19, found himself on the Army’s front lines in Europe;
-- Percy Duncan who fought his way through the sweltering jungles in the Pacific;
-- Paul Jearls who served with General Patton’s famed 3 rd Army;
-- Red Phillips who supported his fellow Marines on the home front;
-- Evans Guynn who was a crack shot with an M-1 rifle and wreaked havoc among the Germans;
-- Tommy Myers who patrolled the icy waters of the Aleutians aboard a Coast Guard ship;
-- Ted Hayman who, as a Navy corpsman, helped save the lives of wounded Marines;
-- Bill Skelton who, as a young Army lieutenant, served in the war from beginning to end;
-- James Flinchum who faced daily dangers in an Air Corps crash and rescue unit;
-- John Hairston who survived both World War II and the Korean War; and
-- Frances Rice who, as an Army nurse, eased the pain and suffering of wounded soldiers;
The book is now on sale at Heavener Hardware in Blacksburg, Cambria Emporium in Christiansburg, Antiques on Main in Christiansburg, Montgomery Museum in Christiansburg, Sherman’s in Christiansburg, Encore in Radford, and Montgomery Museum in Shawsville.
For more information, contact Kanode at 540 382-6741.