Let’s just call this week’s splattering of words as “hit or miss” Wednesday because as I sit down to write, I have not decided what to write about, and that’s
Perhaps itâs just the advent of springtime or the acknowledgment that the COVID-19 virus is behind me, but for the first time in a long while there is a feeling of optimism within my beleaguered soul. I finally can say, âThere is hope for Logan County,â particularly the town of Logan.
No, I donât mean that there are 10 new coal mines opening throughout the county, nor am I writing to announce the plans for some manufacturing plant that will employ hundreds of our countyâs young citizens. However, things seem to be looking a bit better.
Before delving into the present, it always pays to appreciate the past, both the good and the bad. Take, for instance, the year of 1953 as I drew my first breath of air and screamed when my mother gave birth to me at the old Holden Hospital. For younger folks, I realize it has to be difficult to envision, but even as many people were leaving southern West Virginia at the time because of automation that led to fewer employees
One doesnât have to be in downtown Logan to understand that the past is something that should not only be understood, but also appreciated for what transpired decades ago that could have changed all of what we identify with today. Sound confusing? Allow me to simplify the statement in an example.
What if I told you that all of Logan Senior High Schoolâs Midelburg Island history â including former legendary basketball coach Willie Akersâ four AAA state championships and his 427 coaching victories over a splendid 20-year career â never happened? No fieldhouse overflowing with thousands of cheering fans? No football field? No baseball or softball fields? Indeed, no high school, middle school or elementary school? What if ⦠?