THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1994, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Thursday, September 22, 1994 TAG: 9409210150
SECTION: SUFFOLK SUN PAGE: 03 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY SHIRLEY BRINKLEY, STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: SUFFOLK LENGTH: Medium: 89 lines
MARTHA LYNCH STILL remembers the day about eight years ago when she was too shy to knock on a neighbor's door to inquire if the owner would like to buy some strawberry plants.
However, Martha's twin sister, Margaret, squared her shoulders, stepped up and rang the doorbell. The girls were cordially invited inside the home, but they didn't meet the owner, Mills E. Godwin Jr., former governor of Virginia.
Last Sunday, 16-year-old Martha finally had an opportunity to meet the former governor - at the opening reception of the Mills E. Godwin Permanent Exhibit at Riddick's Folly, 510 N. Main St. The exhibit opened to the public Tuesday.
While most teens enjoyed summertime activities or earned money working summer jobs, Martha and 16-year-old Heather Warren volunteered to categorize and laminate sheets of paper containing more than 300 speeches delivered by Godwin. Both are juniors and honor students at Nansemond-Suffolk Academy.
``I typed on the computer and Martha preserved,'' Heather said. ``We organized the speeches in chronological order so that in the future someone can find a particular speech.''
Heather assisted in the creation of a Finders' Guide. The young women arranged the 10 boxes of documents chronologically from 1966 to the present and carefully preserved them for posterity.
``Most of the speeches were on onion-skin paper and some were as long as 17 pages each,'' Martha said. ``After finishing, we had to number all of the acid-free file folders and file them in acid-free boxes. It was very tedious and we thought we would never finish, but it was real interesting.''
Working with board member Sandra Babb, Martha began her duties in late June, working from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m., three days a week until late August. Heather joined Martha in July.
``Martha was so committed to the task and far more mature than her age would indicate,'' Babb said. ``I only had to explain the procedure once and she was able to carry on with little additional guidance.''
Babb, Martha and Heather were presented with a brass medallion in recognition of their work by Godwin at last Sunday's opening reception.
A native of Portsmouth and a Suffolk resident, Martha is the daughter of Benjamin and Diane Lynch. She learned of the temporary volunteer job when a board member of Riddick's Folly mentioned it to her older sister, Anne Lynch. Martha promptly applied and was hired.
A member of the girls' soccer team at N-SA, Martha had torn a ligament in her knee in April and had surgery four days after school closed. With her leg in a brace, she accomplished her task even though she had to climb the stairs to the work area on the fourth floor at Riddick's Folly. She also attended therapy sessions every day for seven weeks.
Because she will be unable to play soccer for a year, Martha plans to keep the scorebook for the N-SA basketball team. She is a member of the Happy Club, which works with Operation Smile in fund-raising for the purchase of medical supplies.
``To raise money, we sponsor a student-teacher basketball game and work the concession stand at basketball games,'' she said.
Martha was secretary of the Student Council Organization and president of her class for two years. She also is a member of the Co-Ed Hi-Y and attended the Model General Assembly last year in Richmond.
A member of St. John's Episcopal Church, Martha's favorite subjects are math and science. She plans to become a genetic engineer.
Heather is a native of Norfolk, but has been a resident of Suffolk since birth. Her parents are Russell and Linda Warren. She has a brother, Russ, who is in the third grade.
``Sandra Babb knew my parents and asked if I would like to volunteer,'' Heather said. ``I wanted to do something constructive that would help people in the future.''
She is a member of the Happy Club, Peer Club, and plays the flute and piccolo in the N-SA Band. She also attended the NASA Explorers Program last year at Langley Air Force Base in Hampton.
Like Martha, Heather's favorite subjects are math and science. She is considering a career as a genetic or aeronautical engineer. ILLUSTRATION: Staff photo by MICHAEL KESTNER
Heather Warren, left, and Martha Lynch, honor students at
Nansemond-Suffolk Academy, helped categorize and laminate more than
300 speeches for the Mills E. Godwin Permanent Exhibit at Riddick's
Folly.
COMING SUNDAY
The dedication of the Mills E. Godwin Permanent Exhibit at
Riddick's Folly will be the cover story in the Sunday Sun.
by CNB