A-B Tech Provides Assistance to Weather-Weary Mountain Residents
A-B Tech Maintenance Mechanic/Safety Technician Marty Rice tears sheetrock out of the flood-damaged home of an 83-year-old widow in Clyde who received assistance from the Buncombe Baptist Men's Association after Hurricane Frances.
When remnants of Hurricanes Frances and Ivan struck Western North Carolina last month, the assistance A-B Tech provided the community was as far-reaching as the floodwaters themselves.
Steve Jones, Coordinator of Fire Services for Continuing Education, was working at the Black Mountain Fire Station on the evening of Sept. 7 when a call came in about a woman trapped by the river's rising waters and clinging to a tree. Steve and others responded, and after several attempts, firefighters rescued the woman by backing a fire truck into the water and extending the ladder far enough to reach her. The following weekend, Steve, himself, suffered the effects of Hurricane Ivan when his home was damaged by flooding and high winds.
The weekend after Frances found Maintenance Mechanic/Safety Technician Marty Rice volunteering with the Buncombe Baptist Men's Association in Clyde. Marty helped clean out and begin repairs on the flood-damaged home of an 83-year-old widow, only to discover a week later that the house was so badly damaged it had to be condemned. Still, the woman, known as "Aunt Pauline,' was able to recover some of her belongings with the group's help, including one of her prize possessions, a well-worn Bible she left on her kitchen table. Less than a week later, Marty worked with the Leicester Volunteer Fire Department on the rescue and recovery efforts that followed Hurricane Ivan.
Students and graduates also volunteered with area fire departments. Mac McElwee, a student of Dianne Hughes, worked with the Swannanoa Fire Department, fielding calls from the public, keeping track of road closings, and dispatching crews to people who needed assistance. Landon Davis, one of Marlene Roden's students, volunteered with the Reynolds department, clearing roads of downed trees to allow emergency vehicles to pass and evacuating people and animals from low-lying areas. Others logged hours with the Asheville Fire Department, including Fire Protection students Mike Cogdill and Jeremy Knighten, recent graduates David McFee, Darren McElreath, Gary Cornett, and Chris Morgan and instructor Robert Griffin.
Following Hurricane Frances, retired Dental Assisting Instructor Betty Finnegan volunteered with an American Red Cross Disaster Response Team, and Library Clerk Madalyn Rogers and her 11-year-old daughter handed out water at the East Asheville Community Center. Student Mark Howell, husband of Student Services' Becca Howell, responded to a middle-of-the-night call from UNC Asheville, where he works, to unload a shipment of water from Raleigh for the dining hall so the university could continue to provide hot food and clean water to students still on campus.
Marty Rice (back row , left) and the Baptist Men's Association helped repair the flood damaged home of a woman the group affectionately dubbed "Aunt Pauline" (middle).
As Ivan approached, Baron Advanced Meteorological Systems, a company housed at A-B Tech's Enka Site, offered emergency officials across the Southeast free downloads of a computer model to monitor floodwaters. BAMS develops prediction models for TV weather forecasters, and accurately predicted Hurricane Charley would hit Fort Myers, FL., rather than Tampa, as some had said.
After the storms passed, the college immediately began identifying students, faculty, and staff who experienced losses and providing assistance to them and others. Hospitality Education students asked guests for contributions and donated half the tips they collected in the lunch and dinner productions of Sept. 23, raising $410 for the Mountain Area Chapter of the American Red Cross. Compensatory Education students Randy Dehond and Mitzi Holcombe conceived and coordinated a plan to send food through Hearts with Hands to the Caribbean nations hit by Ivan.
Phi Beta Lambda worked with the Salvation Army to plan a furniture drive from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. Oct. 9 in the parking lot of the Birch Building, while Phi Theta Kappa sponsored a collection of non-perishable food for Manna Food Bank. The Practical Nursing Club collected personal care items, and the Surgical Technology Club, school supplies. The college's Foundation set up a special flood relief account for donations to help students cover tuition and deposits on rental housing, and the college opened the showers in the gym for faculty, staff and students.
The outpouring of assistance prompted thanks from many people, even those who weren't in need themselves. As student Rhonda Harris wrote to Instructor Sue Olesiuk: "ABTCC is definitely a supportive college. The offer from the president to provide assistance to those in need from the flood is commendable. Thankfully, I have no flooding or water problems and do not need the assistance, but for those who do, the college may be a wonderful help. Thank you, A-B Tech, for reaching out to the students."
House Co-Speaker: Community Colleges Give 'Bang for our Buck'
Allied Health and Public Service Education Dean Ned Fowler greets Rep. Wilma Sherrill and N.C. House Co-Speaker Richard Morgan during their visit to the Law Enforcement Academy's firing range in the Hemlock Building.
North Carolina House Co-Speaker Richard Morgan told Trustees during a visit to A-B Tech Sept. 20 he knows the value of community colleges because he, himself, is a product of the Community College System.
"I don't hesitate to say we get the greatest bang for our buck from this system," he told the board during his final stop on the Asheville Campus.
"Other community colleges are envious of this campus and what you do," added Rep. Wilma Sherrill, who accompanied Morgan. "The enthusiasm of the students and instructors is overwhelming."
Earlier, Morgan and Sherrill visited the Digital Media lab in the new Balsam Computer Technology Center, where Business Computer Technologies Chair Pam Silvers showed them how each computer is equipped with two flat panel monitors. "It's encouraging to know there's still only one keyboard," Morgan joked.
The legislators also visited a food science class under way in the kitchen of the Birch Building and a Middle College Senior English class in Hemlock, where they heard from Principal Rob Curtis and his students about the partnership between the Buncombe County School System and A-B Tech that targets high schoolers at risk of dropping out.
In the Law Enforcement Academy's firing range and crime scene lab, Director Scott Bissinger showed off recent advances in technology like a "bullet catcher" that never wears out and a foam core that allows officers to make impressions of tire treads and footprints.
The legislators also visited briefly with the President's Council, and Vice President of Continuing Education Max Queen thanked them during that stop for the recent salary increase approved by the General Assembly. "We appreciate what you do, helping people find their niche," Morgan replied.
Leaving a Legacy
Square D Plant Manager Neil Tollas, left, and Richard Hurley, the plant's Human Resources Manager and an A-B Tech Trustee, present A-B Tech President K. Ray Bailey with a check for $25,000 for the A-B Tech Foundation to create an endowed scholarship fund for students in the Division of Engineering and Applied Technology. The presentation came during a picnic Sept. 24 for employees and retirees at the Bingham Road plant, which is scheduled to close at the end of 2005. A-B Tech and Square D, a maker of electrical switches, have partnered for many years, with the plant providing instructors and advisory committee members for college programs and the college helping train Square D's workforce.