Vol. 1 No. 8 AUGUST 2019 FREE Schools set to open for 2019-2020 term City schools’ mentors County schools expanding Opening day positive behavior approach Schools in Henry County and help teachers teach By Ginny Wray onstrates good behavior Martinsville soon will welcome By Ginny Wray least her first year on the A Rich Acres Elemen- in the hallways could be students for the 2019-20 school Kathleen Clerc moved to job. tary School class that be- awarded the “golden yard- year. Martinsville from Oklaho- “Even with 10 years of ex- haves well in the school stick,” also with jewels. Classes will begin as follows: ma where she taught for 10 perience, I feel like a first- cafeteria could receive the And a class that is well • Henry County, Aug. 12 years. There, she was con- year teacher,” she said, bejeweled “golden spatu- behaved in the restrooms • Martinsville, Aug. 7 sidered a veteran teacher. because she is finding that la” award. and keeps those rooms • Carlisle School, Aug. 20 But in the Martinsville policies and procedures in Students who are well- neat could be rewarded For full school system calen- schools, she is a new teach- Virginia are different than behaved on the school bus with — you guessed it dars and other information, see er. As a result, she will be they were in Oklahoma. could earn a small “golden — the “golden plunger” Pages 10-11. paired with a mentor for at (See Mentor p. 11) bus,” and a class that dem- (See Positive p. 10) Digging Short ride Dino Day is Aug. 10 A friendly dinosaur makes a great seat, espe- The 17th annual Jennifer Short cially during Dino Day at Memorial Scholarship Bike/Car Ride the Virginia Museum of will be held Saturday, Aug. 10. Natural History in Mar- Jennifer Short was 9 years of age tinsville. Here, Avana in August 2002 when her parents, Giordano (left), 7, and Mary and Michael Short, were killed Corbin Askew, 3, the chil- in their Oak Level home and she was dren of Kristin Elliott of missing. After a massive search, Jen- Radford, find a comfort- nifer’s remains were found several able seat at the foot of weeks later in Rockingham County, an inflatable dinosaur N.C. outside the museum on All three had been shot in the July 27. The two-day Dino head. Day event drew a total of No arrests have ever been made 3,535 people, 74 percent of in the case. However, it still is con- whom were from outside sidered an active case and any leads Henry County and Mar- are investigated, according to Hen- tinsville, according to the ry County Sheriff’s Lt. Col. Steve museum. Sixteen states Eanes. were represented in the Now, 17 years after the deaths, crowd. (See Short p. 6) FIELDALE A century of change in Henry County Places in 2008, the (Editor’s note: The register recognized the following information town’s significance for comes from records, “its association with articles and documents broad patterns of 20th at the Bassett Histori- century American tex- cal Center as well as tile mill production interviews with area in the Southern Pied- residents.) mont.” This year, as the For much of its 100- town marks its 100th year history, the town anniversary, it is part of Fieldale and Field- of the Smith River crest Mills were insep- Small Towns Business arable. The company is District Revitalization gone now, but Fieldale Project along with Bas- remains a prime ex- sett, Stanleytown and ample of a textile mill Koehler. The project town. involves improvements When Fieldale was that are designed to named to the National help the corridor at- Register of Historic (See Fieldale p. 4) Randolph Scott, a popular western movie star in the 1950s, toured the Fieldcrest hosiery mill in 1951. TEDDY COMPTON His life story charts the changes in the textile mill town For all but 19 of Fieldale’s it. I’ve known just about ev- ation Center — to play base- Compton said he often went years before Fieldale had its 100 years, Teddy Compton ery family that lived here. I ball, softball and basketball to the Dale Theater in Fiel- own water system. has watched as it changed knew who was trustworthy. and on the playgrounds. He dale and loved westerns, es- Compton went to Fieldale from a textile mill town to I knew who I could depend made the 10-minute walk pecially those starring Roy Elementary School and then a victim of changing busi- on for help. I knew who I from his home rain or shine. Rogers. Fieldale High School in the ness conditions and now was going to assist if they “If I had a bicycle, my Compton grew up in a seventh grade because they to a town looking for ways needed help,” Compton said neighbor had a bicycle,” three-room house that ran out of room for the two to bring people back to its in a recent interview. he said, explaining that no Fieldcrest provided to em- seventh-grade classes in the homes and businesses. Also, his father was one of one quibbled about who a ployees, and his father elementary school, he said. Compton was born in his 15 children and his mother bike belonged to. If a child bought it when the company Compton played on the Fieldale home on Jan. 3, was one of seven, and all needed to get home quickly offered it for sale. It had a Fieldale High School Blue 1938, one of three children their siblings remained in and a bike was available, he kitchen and two bedrooms, Devils basketball team. He of Luther Marshall and Vir- the area. So as Compton put would take it and return it and “you used the bedroom played center against Eu- ginia Merriman Compton. it, “I’m related to much of later, no questions asked. for a living room just about,” gene Eanes in the first bas- Other than time in college the town.” They played games such he said with a laugh. ketball game on the court at and the Army, he never has ••••• as Stick Peggy, in which a There was no plumbing — what was then Drewry Ma- lived anywhere else. He Compton grew up in a player hit a short stick with indoors or out. Instead, they son High School. The Dre- never wanted to and never simpler time. Families were a longer one and then others had a bath tub and “johnny wry Mason Spartans won plans to. closer then, he said, and guessed how many jumps it house” outside. The family the game, he recalled. “My grandparents came children all gathered at would take to retrieve the dug a well by hand in the Compton also remem- here before it (the town) the YMCA — which later stick, and Old Dead Mule, back yard and put in their bered a team in the late started; they helped start became the Fieldale Recre- a version of hide and seek. own water supply in the (See Compton p. 6A) Page 2 - The Henry County Enterprise, August 2019 Harvest creates $5 million pool Press Glass starts hiring with two for development incentives openings; more are likely this fall The Harvest Foundation has table for using the $5 million in Press Glass has be- created a $5 million incentive the pool. “We’ll start with that gun hiring for two posi- pool program to fund economic and see how it goes,” she said. tions in its new Henry development projects in Martins- This fund will be another tool County plant. ville and Henry County. for economic developers and/or The company’s web- The initial amount of $5 million localities to provide incentives to site, pressglass.us, lists included in the pool will be used bring businesses and industries openings for a manu- to fund grants to Martinsville here. facturing maintenance and Henry County on a case-by- “Henry County’s relationship technician and an oc- case basis for development initia- with the Harvest Foundation cupational health and The Press Glass plant is under construction in the tives. helps us separate ourselves from safety specialist for the Commonwealth Crossing Business Center in Henry County. “The demand is rising for high- other localities,” Hall said. “Eco- plant at the Common- er-paying, living wage careers in nomic development is a never- wealth Crossing Busi- ille, N.C., plants. The specialist will Martinsville and Henry County,” ceasing endeavor, and know- ness Centre (CCBC). review, evaluate and analyze work Allyson Rothrock, president of ing that Harvest is a part of the They will be among the 212 jobs environments and design programs The Harvest Foundation, stated team allows us to do things we that Press Glass said it would create and procedures to control, eliminate in a press release. “Our commu- otherwise may not be able to ac- at its new 280,000-square-foot man- and prevent injury caused by physi- nity members are increasingly complish. We all have the same ufacturing operation at CCBC. The cal or ergonomic factors. better educated and acquiring goal — to make Henry County company is investing $43.55 million The specialist also will conduct additional skillsets that support and Martinsville better tomorrow to build what will be the first indus- safety training and education pro- the growth of advanced manu- than it is today.” try to locate in the business center. grams, demonstrate use of safety facturing and highly technical The Harvest funding reflects lo- Press Glass of Poczesna, Poland, is equipment, identify hazards in the trades.