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Newspaper Archive of
The Hinton News
Hinton, West Virginia
February 18, 2003     The Hinton News
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February 18, 2003
 
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| o ,5 gq i o ¢q o The HINT01'( NEWS (Continuing he Hinton Daily Hews 8, The Weekend Leader) Home of the W. Va.' Yater Festival Volume 100 No.. 45 Hinton, West Virginia Tuesday.00=h. ! 2, 2003 50 Cents Members of the newly formed Hinton Depot Restoration Committee (shown on the front row from left to right) are Debbie Darden With the National Park Service, President of the Hinton Woman's Club Betty Jo Basham, Depot Restoration Committee Chair Betty Giles, Director of the Hinton Railroad Museum Dorothy Jean Boley; (shown on the back row from left to right) are Richard Segars with the National Park Service, Hinton Historic Landmarks Commission member Dwight Emrich, City Councilman Bobby Wheeler, Joe Garcia with ManTech, and Ben Borda with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. Committee Organized to Restore the Hinton Depot By Chad Wykle The City of Hinton is pleased to announce the formation of the Hinton Depot Restoration Committee, a dedicated group of volunteers that have agreed to work diligently on the total restoration and design future community uses for one of the most prestigious historic landmarks in Summers County. Over the past two months, members have outlined both the mission and vision statements that will guide the overall work of the Depot Restoration Committee during the various phases of preservation and redevelopment. The mission of the Hinton Depot Restoration Committee is to facilitate and implement the restoration of the Depot and to : develop a master plan for adaptive ; reuse as a vital community facility. The committee members envision a regional destination that will commemorate the railroad history and unique culture of southeastern West Virginia and celebrate Hinton as the gateway to the New River Gorge National Park. Currently, the committee is focusing in four primary areas: t resource development; i the restoration of the exterior of the building; I a cultural usage plan; and I other economic development strategies to ensure building sustainability. If you would like to contribute either time or resources to the restoration of the Hinton Depot, please contact Committee Chair Betty Giles at 466-1448 or Mayor Cleo Mathews at 466-3255. c"m'ntThis and That By Fred Long The unexpected death of Phil Bagdon shocked me, but not nearly as much as what happened afterward. Phil and I had been friends since 1996 and we had worked together on a project to publish my father's stories in book form. No indication of any sickness had been exhibited and then the call came, around 9:30 p.m., he was dead. At 10:20 p.m. I received another call of an anonymous nature. The male voice spoke softly and calmly into the phone. "One Down. Several more to go."; and abruptly hung up. I recovered the phone number, a U. S. Cellular phone, and called 911 to make a Establishment of Hinton Community Distance- Learning Computer Lab The towering mountains surrounding Hinton will become less of a barrier this March as Mission West Virginia, Inc., a statewide not- for-profit organization, and a unique group of southern West Virginia partners unveil a distance-learning and computer lab that will help the community bridge the digital" divide through the Internet. The 15-computer lab is designed to give people access to new computers and the Internet while providing an option for youth and adult learners who would like to attend college or continuing education classes. Now, through the use of distance- learning equipment and partnerships with several area grqups, they can do so without leaving their community. ."This is one of the main goals of Mission West Virginia to use technology to diminish the barriers to education and skill development which aIe so often caused by our sta's geography, said Chris A Wood, Exec:utive Director of Mission West Virginia. "With the help of forward- thinking sponsors like the Hugh I. Shott Jr. Foundation of Bluefield, and other partn, ers including Concord College, Summers County Schools and the Southern West Virginia Technology Association, we are finding ways to overcome isolation, promote communication and encourage the development of new ways of learning," Wood said. The Hinton site is the first of two Mission West Virginia distance- learning labs iw southern West Virginia provided by a grant from the Shott Foundation. The second site, located at Bluefield State College, will be opened in the coming weeks. Both sites are accessible to the public. A ribbon-cutting ceremony for the new distance-learning lab has been set for March 11 at 10:00 am at the Summers County High School. Additional information may be obtained locally by calling Sarah Brown at the Summers County Board of Education or Jim Wallace of the Southern West Virginia Technology Association. report. Patrolman Greg Adkins came and took a statement. He said Phil apparently died of a heart attack. Heart attacks can be induced. I assure you, after receiving that call, and not knowing what caused his death, my heart raced. I took it to the prosecutor, Jim McNeely. He didn't seem that concerned, felt it was a prank call. "It's just a misdemeanor," he said. "Only one call was made," he said, while going through the codebook and telling me that using computers to send a harassing e-mail constitutes an harassing phone call because e-mail is sent over the phone lines. Irritated by his seemingly lack of interest, I informed him that I had given it to the City Police, notified the FBI, and I was now giving it to him. A reasonable person would think the County Prosecutor would be concerned when a newspaper received a call of this nature shorty after the death of someone that his caught the wrath of what Brian Boyle called in his commentary "the Anti-Mayors." A reasonable person would also wonder why this call was termed "just a misdemeanor?" The charge against Councilman A1 Stone in Magistrate Court was just a misdemeanor. The charges against Rex Cyphers in Circuit Court are all just misdemeanors. The traffic citation issued against Phil Bagdon in Sept. by the City Police, and carried with him till his death, was just a misdemeanor. The bogus traffic charge and DUI against me by the City Police are just misdemeanors. And the March 2002, unresolved charge of public intoxication that was filed by City Police against my driver when he was preparing to go into his home, is just a misdemeanor. Why is this misdemeanor, if that is what it is, different? Was this a personal threat, or was this a threat against the Mayor ofHinton, Cleo Mathews, and Councilman A1 Stone? What would a reasonable person conjecture after hearing the words- "One Down. Several more to go." And what about the anonymous "hate mail" sent to some that are Continued on page 10 Hinton Railroad Historian Dies By Fred Long IIinton railroad historian, Philip Vincent Bagdon, 50, was found dead at his 6th Ave. home, Tuesday night, of an apparent heart attack, police said. City police were summoned to his home around 9 p.m. where they found his body fully clothed slumped over the computer at his desk. Preliminary reports suggests that he had been dead for at least 36-hours. His remains have been sent to South Charleston for a autopsy. Bagdon, born in Alexandria, Va., Nov. 1, 1952, the son of Vincent J. and Phyllis Bagdon, moved to Hinton in 1'994 to continue a writing career, that began in 1968 while attending Fort Hunt High School in Alexandria. His commentaries in the Hinton News made him a controversial figure that sparked hatred for him in some corners as he exercised his First Amendment right to free speech: "An acquaintance remarked that she hadn't seen my column in quite a while and asked what was up," Bagdon said in a commentary on Sept. 24. "I didn't get into the cursing and physical threats from last time (the truth about Mayor Mathews' provoked some doozy phone calls, let's say). Only noted to this person: I had opted to "lay low." Bagdon received a traffic citation shortly after this commentary hit the streets for allegedly failing tO stop at a stop sign and for carryittff an unsigned registration card. 'q'his was the first such violation," he said in his last commentary on Oct. 1, "received in my 34 years of driving." The ticket was never resolved by the court system. "I was bitten by the Cass history bug" in 1964 while on a vacation to the State Park with his parents, he once said. But the year 1971 was the pivotal point in his life. "I had just graduated from high school, and obtained a summer job as reporter and photographer with my mentor, Jim Comstock at the West Virginia Hillbilly. I had the summer job and was preparing to enter college." It was also the year of his first visit to Hinton as a member of the safety staff for the Collis P. Huntington Chapter of the National Railroad Historical Society, the New River Train excursion between Huntington and Hinton. 'rhe train's destination struck me as almost mythical," he said in Oct. 2001. 'Thirty years have passed and instead of heading for age 19, I'm just shy of being one year away from 50. SeeingHinton for the first time stands out among treasured memories from the fall of 1971 when the C&O history bug bit in a new and wonderful way." Bagdon earned a degree at West Virginia Institute of Technology in 1976 (B.S. printing management) Philip Bagdon poses next to Cass Scenic Railroad No. 5, with the first of his two books. Photo by David Kinchen and Was a member of Sigma Phi Epsilon and Pi Alpha Psi (National Honorary Printing Fraternity). Following graduation, in 1976, he worked a summer job at Cass Scenic Railroad as a train commentator and afterwards moved to New York City to begin his career as a writer, editor, graphic designer and print/ promotions consultant. He worked for two national magazine publications and also began his self- employment business, Dog and Pony Show Productions, holding down a part-time job as a New York City taxicab driver between engagements. In 1992 he returned toAlexandria for a job position with USA Today, leaving that position in 1993 and after the death of his mother, moved to Hinton. In 1996 and 1997 he was employed as the seasonal historian at Cass Scenic Railroad and in 1998 assisted in Smithsonian Associates' first study tour of Cass in 15 years. He was the author of two booklets: "Essential Cass: An Overview of Cass Scenic Railroad State Park" (color guide) and "The Cass Roster: All-time Cass Scenic Railroad Locomotives and Rolling Stock" (detailed equipment reference). He wrote two books, "Shay Logging Locomotives At Cass, West Virginia, 1900-60" and "West Virginia's Last Logging Railroad Meadow River Lumber Company." He also provided articles for -ginia Hillbilly,. The Log Train; The Hinton News and the Appalachian Regional Commission's journal.- He also served as managing editor for The Log Train (Mountain State Railroad & Logging Hi'storical Association's quarterly journal). He attended the Nazarene Church and was a member of the Mountain State Railroad & Logging Historical Association. He is survived by a distant cousin, Jane Wait of Ashland, Va. A memorial service will be held at the First Christian Church, corner of 7th Ave. and Temple Street, at 1 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 22. He requested that his remains be cremated and the ashes spread at Cass. Attend Library Appreciation Day at the State Legislature January 27th. was Library Appreciation Day Union, welcomed employees from Summers at the State Legislature. Delegates Ron and Raleigh County Libraries to Charleston. Thompson (D) Beckley; Sally Matz Susman Following the Floor Session the Members (D), Beckley; Virginia Mahan (D), Green welcomed them to the podium for a different Sulphur Springs and Gerald Crosier (D), view oft he House Chamber. 1 0000BAnnounce00 Senior Trz00t Officer First Community Bank, N.A. announced that Michael J. Earle has recently joined the Trust and Financial Services Division as Senior Vice President, Senior Trust Officer. With one banking location in Hinton, on Stokes Drive, Earle comes to First Community Bank from First Commonwealth Financial Corporation in Greensburg, PA, where he served as Senior Vice President and Associate Counsel. Earle has extensive experience in the Trust area, and has also worked in the fields of investment management, auditing manage- ment, and employee benefit services. John M. Mendez, Chief Executive Officer of First Community Bancshares, Inc., said, "We are pleased to welcome Mr. Earle to his new position at First Community Bank. His leadership experience and managerial skills, combined with his investing and financial planning knowledge, will be of great benefit to our Trust and Financial Services Division, and will further assist our delivery of the best in financial services." Earle is a graduate of the University of Pittsburgh with a J.D., George Washington University with an M.B.A. degree, and Rider. University with a B.S. degree in Business Administration. He is also a Licensed Attorney in the state of Pennsylvania. Earle resides in Bluefield, Virginia, with his wife, Mary Helen, and their three children.