Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: SUNDAY, August 6, 1995 TAG: 9508070010
SECTION: CURRENT PAGE: NRV-8 EDITION: NEW RIVER VALLEY
SOURCE:
DATELINE: LENGTH: Medium
WYTHEVILLE - Robert French, a driver and sales representative for Con-Way Southern Express in Wytheville, has been designated Virginia's top truck driver for twin trailers.
He competed at Roanoke in March for the company honor and at Fredericksburg in May at the state level. From Aug. 9 through 12, he will compete in the 58th National Truck Driving Championships in New Orleans. The top overall winner will receive a diamond ring and a $10,000 bond.
French, 49, lives in Bland. Last year, he placed second in the state in the three-axle competition.
"As a company that prides itself on having the safest and most professional drivers on the road, CSE is proud to have Robert French represent us at this year's prestigious national competition," said John T. Hickerson, company president. French has worked for CSE for five years and logged 800,000 accident-free miles.
Wythe principals play musical schools
WYTHEVILLE - Wythe County has switched around several principals' positions for the coming school year.
Ted Phillips, who had served as principal at Scott Memorial Elementary School, becomes the principal at George Wythe High School. He succeeds Danny McDaniel, who becomes principal at the Wythe County Vocational School, a position he held before moving to George Wythe.
Mike Neal is the new principal at Speedwell Elementary, succeeding Sid Crockett, who becomes principal at Scott Memorial. Other new principals are Doug Brewer at Max Meadows Elementary and Nancy Jackson at Austinville Elementary.
The School Board also named Ernestine Dalton as director of vocational education and personnel and David Bockes as lead teacher for Title I math and science.
Dessert and Concert in the Park Aug. 25
WYTHEVILLE - The third annual Dessert and Concert in the Park has been set for Aug. 25 with gourmet desserts offered at 6:30 p.m., followed by an auction and a concert at 8:30.
Convivo and Carl Hamm will be the performers at Elizabeth Brown Memorial Park. Tickets are $15, with benefits going to the Family Resource Center for victims of domestic violence and sexual assault. Further information is available by calling 228-8431.
Development group looking for land
WYTHEVILLE - The Wythe County Joint Industrial Development Authority wants to buy land for a new industrial park, despite an offer by a private prison company to give the county 300 acres for such a purpose.
Corrections Corporation of America has agreed to give 300 acres around its proposed 1,500-bed prison site to the county if the state chooses its prison project for a contract.
But IDA board member William Snyder called the offer "pie in the sky" and said the authority should move on its own to acquire industrial acreage. Richard Phillippi agreed that the IDA needs to find a suitable site and recommend it to the Board of Supervisors.
Wytheville Mayor Trent Crewe said Wythe County recently lost a major industry to North Carolina, at least in part because a site was not ready.
College gets $100,000 grant
WYTHEVILLE - The Hugh Shott Jr. Foundation of Bluefield, W.Va., has awarded a $100,000 grant to Wytheville Community College to design and install a computer network.
The network will help the college link up with the Virginia Community College System and other state, national and international communication networks. Faculty and staff will also be linked with other employees on campus through desktop computers. Students will eventually be able to access a local area network through the college's computer laboratories.
The backbone of the network will be a new fiber-optic telephone system on campus completed in April. The total project will cost an estimated $689,953.
Smyth-Wythe joint venture possible
WYTHEVILLE - Smyth County officials have asked for a meeting with the Wythe County Joint Industrial Development Authority to discuss development of a joint industrial park.
Wythe County Administrator Bill Branson said such a park could be established near the Wythe-Smyth line, where the two counties already cooperate on projects at the Mountain Empire Airport.
Smyth County is also looking into a joint water project with the town of Rural Retreat.
Members of the Wythe County Board of Supervisors have expressed interest in sharing construction costs for a water line extension to the area where a new Food Country grocery is being built just outside the Rural Retreat town limits.
by CNB