The Mountain Eagle
WHITESBURG WEATHER

Jack Burkich surprised by visitor from the past



Harry Polly surprised Mr. Jack Burkich with a visit to the REC center.

Harry Polly surprised Mr. Jack Burkich with a visit to the REC center.

Whitesburg

I saw these two wonderful posts on Facebook this morning and wanted to share them the very first thing this week. It’s things I have been asking you to pray for what seems like forever.

First, little Laney Webb’s mom, Michelle Webb, posted on Monday the 24th:

Cecilia Swiney and Carol Begley, Sarah Hall, Etta Terry, Jack and Harry Polly,

“Today we found out that her bone marrow transplant is WORKING! 99.8% donor! Praise the Lord, thank you Jesus! Please pray and thank Him for everything He has done for her and everything He will continue to do. Laney tested positive yesterday for a virus and today it’s showing negative!”

Then, Scarlett Coots posted a picture of herself ringing the last cancer treatment bell and posted this:

“We walk by faith not by sight. Today was the end of treatment for me, now on to the next chapter!”

There are so many others in our community that are battling cancer of some sort that also really need our prayers. One of our Letcher County Senior Citizens, Doug Wright, is having lots of problems taking the treatments for his cancer. All the seniors are very worried about him. Another one having problems with the treatments is one of our Letcher Independent Baptist church members, Steve Adams. They are just making him very sick. Please keep these two men in your prayers.

Scarlett Coots ringing the bell.

Scarlett Coots ringing the bell.

We were so sorry to hear that Sarah Hall passed away Sunday morning. One of her daughters, Debbie Baker, is the director over the Letcher County Senior Citizens. Sarah had been sick for a few months but was home when she had a stroke last Monday. She was taken to UK Hospital and then later in the week was taken to Hospice of Lexington. She was one of Mom’s childhood friends from Marlowe Coal Camp.

Also, one of our seniors, Brenda Sue Kincer, lost one of her sisters. Etta Lou Terry passed away after having complications with her blood pressure and her oxygen levels. Her daughter Lesley Terry was one of my Head Start parents many years ago. Please be in prayer for this family.

Pictured is the faculty of Colson Elementary School 1970-1971, (back row, left to right) Mr. Stewart, Mrs. Hammonds, Mr. Isaac, Mrs. Shirley Breeding, Mrs. Cook, Mrs. Creeda Bates, Ms. Maggard, Mrs. Lenora Watts, Mr. Back, Ms. Collins, Mrs. Stewart, (front row) Mr. Dale Collins, Ms. Della Gibson, Mr. Ted Cook, Mrs. Lorraine Kuracka, Ms. Mary Susan Flynn, Mrs. Shirley Sexton, Mrs. Farley and Mr. Bill Whitaker.

Pictured is the faculty of Colson Elementary School 1970-1971, (back row, left to right) Mr. Stewart, Mrs. Hammonds, Mr. Isaac, Mrs. Shirley Breeding, Mrs. Cook, Mrs. Creeda Bates, Ms. Maggard, Mrs. Lenora Watts, Mr. Back, Ms. Collins, Mrs. Stewart, (front row) Mr. Dale Collins, Ms. Della Gibson, Mr. Ted Cook, Mrs. Lorraine Kuracka, Ms. Mary Susan Flynn, Mrs. Shirley Sexton, Mrs. Farley and Mr. Bill Whitaker.

I also heard from one of Juanita Banks’s nieces through Facebook last week. She said that Juanita is doing wonderful and is now in an assisted living facility. She did have knee replacement surgery and it is healing well. She said Juanita is loving it there and can even garden some if she wants to.

Don’t forget about the Cruise-In-Concert this Saturday the 29th from 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. at the Pine Mountain Worship Center. If you have any questions about this you can call James Pennington at 606-634-7800.

I haven’t been able to get Mom to get out and go to the rec center or the seniors program with me. She just wants to stay home and so home is where we’ll stay until she’s ready to go. She does get out and enjoy her flowers around the house and shows me what all needs to be dug up and done away with or moved somewhere for better sunlight or less sunlight. Most of the time Charlene is the one that ends up doing it though. If anybody wants to see or talk to her I guess they’ll have to just come by and visit with her.

Speaking of visits, Harry Polly from Whitesburg High School Class of ‘59 had gotten in touch with me about Jack Burkich because of my comments on a picture he had posted of Mr. Burkich. Well, to make a long story short he wanted to surprise Mr. Burkich by visiting him and finally worked it out to where he could come to the rec center at the time Mr. Burkich was going to be there. He later posted a picture of their visit and this is what he had to say about the picture.

“A visit I’ll never forget. I’m glad I took the time to come to Whitesburg to visit the best High School principle ever.” Harry now lives in Georgetown but made a special visit just to see and talk with Mr. Burkich.

I was talking to Mrs. Kuracka today at senior citizens about a picture she brought of the staff of Colson School in 1970-1971. My middle school math teacher and volleyball coach, Bill Whitaker, was in the picture. That reminded me of something that happened when I was a student there.

I remember one evening in June, after a really rainy morning, Mom had all us kids in the garden helping her get in the cabbages. We of course were all barefoot and that made for a really good time in the mud of the garden. You can just imagine what we all looked like when out of the blue a vehicle pulled down in the driveway. It was Mr. Bill Whitaker. We had no idea what he could want during the summer break. Well, Mom invited him in and I remember I was just amazed at seeing a real life teacher during the summer. So, here we all stand with mud all over our feet throwing one of the cabbage heads back and forth taking bites out of it before we threw it to the next one. He finally told Mom what he was there for. He wanted to know if they would give me permission to play on the volleyball team that fall. Mom asked him about practice times and told him I wouldn’t have a ride home. So, he agreed to haul the team home after practice. Velma Profitt Caldwell, Carolyn Hall, Trenda Sturgill Kincer were others I remember riding with us.

Some Letcher County Senior Citizens’ birthdays I want to mention are for the month of July. They are Claudia Banks on the 6th, Juanita Banks on the 18th, Elisa Craft on the 29th, Janice Foster on the 26th, and Bam-Bam Halberstadt on the 3rd.

Others in the community are William Runyon on the 23rd, and Debbie Baker Jent on the 23rd.

Please remember all the people who have lost loved ones recently, especially our pastor, Bill Jones, and his wife Sandy. And remember how important Oma thought it was to plead with you all to attend church Sunday. If your church has services throughout the week or on Sunday night you should be there then, also.

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