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                         Roanoke Times
                 Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.

DATE: WEDNESDAY, January 1, 1992                   TAG: 9201010058
SECTION: EXTRA                    PAGE: 1   EDITION: HOLIDAY 
SOURCE: Jeff DeBell
DATELINE:                                 LENGTH: Short

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NAMES IN '91

When the fiscal crisis hit Center in the Square early this year, the downtown Roanoke cultural center cut expenses in part by eliminating the position of director of communications. Linda Pharis became what she called "an arts poster child" after almost six years in the job she loved.

When the layoff came, Pharis and her teacher husband were in the midst of remodeling their house to make room for his seriously ill parents. "It was so chaotic you just had to decide to have a sense of humor about it," she said.

There had been earlier layoffs at the Arts Council of the Blue Ridge and the Roanoke Museum of Fine Arts. Some of the victims were using the occasion to reassess their lives and look in new directions. Using them as a model, Pharis turned to something she loved but theretofore had done only part time: writing.

She has been building a portfolio of free-lance articles on subjects that are a far cry from her usual field of cultural affairs: subjects like health care costs and solid-waste management. At the same time, she continues the search for a full-time job and takes care of her daughter, who is nearly 3.

"When you lose your job, you lose your way to pay for child care," Pharis said. "I have my days when I wonder if I'm ever going to work again. Then I say of course I will. It took almost a year to get the Center in the Square job."

Keywords:
YEAR 1991

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