ROANOKE TIMES
Copyright (c) 1997, Roanoke Times
DATE: Saturday, March 8, 1997 TAG: 9703100003
SECTION: CURRENT PAGE: NRV-2 EDITION: NEW RIVER VALLEY
How do you define "citizenship"?
As you're thinking back to civics or government class and all those dull definitions you were supposed to learn, remember that as citizens we don't just "have the rights and privileges" of the status, we also have duties. Some special people seem to enjoy the sacrifices of serving their neighbors as part of those duties.
The Blacksburg Host Lion's Club honored two such people as Citizens of the Year at its meeting on Feb. 24. Beulah Kline and William J. "Bill" Absher were recognized for their service to the people of the Blacksburg community.
Kline and her late husband, Ralph, came to Blacksburg in 1956 with their two children, and she became immediately involved with teaching, which continued until her retirement from Margaret Beeks Elementary School in 1979. She also became involved with the foreign students living in Blacksburg, offering them friendship and a "home away from home," which she continues to do. She still provides a "Friday night dinner" each month for foreign students. She has stayed in contact with many of these students through the years, even traveling to their countries to attend weddings.
Since her retirement, Kline devotes six hours each school day at Margaret Beeks to teaching the children of foreign students to speak and read English. She has done this for the past 18 years.
Absher, lifelong resident of Blacksburg, is also a veteran volunteer. He was a 4-H leader of Community 4-H Club for 10 years. A member of the Lions Club for 17 years, Absher is an active member of Blacksburg Methodist Church, having served on the administrative board, as a trustee and as past president of the men's club. He is involved with visitation and care of the elderly and shut-in members, helping to serve communion to those who are unable to leave their homes.
The Interfaith Food Pantry of Blacksburg counts on Absher's dependability. He picks up all food donations left at Blacksburg Methodist and food from local groceries and delivers it to the pantry for distribution. He purchases and delivers all cereal and powdered milk for that organization, making several trips each week. Alice Wills of the Food Pantry says that the work he does there is "a mission he believes in."
Mary Holliman and Ben Crawford of Blacksburg represented the Mount Tabor Ruritan Club at the 66th Annual Ruritan National Convention in Greensboro, N.C., in January. The Mount Tabor club received a Gold Award for its sponsorship of the annual Fourth of July parade in Blacksburg.
Ashley Lucas, 9, daughter of Ron and Bea Lucas of Riner, was named "Little Miss New River Valley" at a pageant held at New River Valley Mall Feb. 15. The student at Riner Elementary School was one of 29 contestants in the pageant, which was sponsored by Little Miss Productions and the New River Valley Mall.
The February meeting of the Southside Garden Club was held at the home of Dee Baker with Anne Robinson serving as co-hostess. Officers installed for 1997 are: Susan Caceci, president; Joyce Beliveau, vice president; Mary Ellen Moore, recording secretary; and Nancy O'Brien, treasurer.
Blue ribbons for design and/or horticulture were presented to Dee Baker, Norma Bunnell, Delores Hendricks and Donna Ludwig.
Tiffany Poole, president of the Christiansburg Middle School Energizers 4-H Club and Lightning Learners 4-H Club, and Amanda Huff, secretary of the Roanoke Road 4-H Club, attended 4-H Day at the State Capitol in Richmond on Feb. 12. They visited with area delegates and senators and toured the Capitol. Poole also recently attended the 4-H Space Quest Weekend at the Airfield 4-H Center in Wakefield, where she learned about aviation components during a plane flight as part of the Young Eagles Program.
B.R. Culbertson of Blacksburg received a Poet's Choice Award from ROAD Publishers of Painter for his poem, "Autobiography," which was published in "The Poet's Domain" in October. His poem was one of 84 accepted for publication in the book.
Writer and poet Melanie S. Hatter of Christiansburg is a guest columnist in EMERGE Magazine's March issue which features a special report on women. Hatter, a former Roanoke Times staff writer, also has an upcoming publication of her poem, "Rights," in the National Library of Poetry's anthology, "Silence of Yesterday."
Joe Gorman, Blacksburg, chairman of the Montgomery County Board of Supervisors, was in the graduating class of the sixth annual Virginia County Board Chairmen's Institute on Feb. 8. The institute is sponsored by Virginia Cooperative Extension at Virginia Tech in partnership with the Virginia Association of Counties and the University of Virginia Cooper Center for Public Service.
LENGTH: Medium: 90 lines ILLUSTRATION: PHOTO: (headshots) Kline, Absherby CNB