THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1996, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Sunday, May 12, 1996 TAG: 9605100198
SECTION: SUFFOLK SUN PAGE: 02 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: Frank Roberts
LENGTH: Medium: 73 lines
Ah-h-h, shirt sleeve weather. Signs of spring abound: the birds that sing, the fresh greenery, the bright sunshine, the high price of gas.
In our neck of the woods, the lowest prices are offered by stations along Carolina Road - about $1.17. Some of the highest prices are in Corapeake, usually about a dime per gallon more.
It was a gas of a far different kind visiting Elephant's Fork Elementary School for Career Days. One thing that bugs the school, and me, are the people who sign up to participate, don't show up, don't even have the courtesy to call.
One of the teachers told me how disappointed the children are as they sit around and wait for the people with no class who say they will visit their class - then don't.
I had the four fourth-grade classes. The way it works - the visitors go from classroom to classroom so there is always something supposedly happening. Three of the four people scheduled to talk to the fourth-graders did not show up, so the kids just sat.
My thanks to Janice Holland, the principal, for her nice note. More thanks to some of the kids in Mrs. Moore's class who wrote notes of appreciation.
``Writing for a newspaper sounds like a cool job,'' Natasha Phillips said in her letter. ``I hope you have as much fun writing for a newspaper and will when I grow up.''
If so, I will be the first 109-year-old reporter in the history of The Pilot.
After my spiel I hand out miniature newspapers showing replicas of front pages of The Virginian-Pilot over the years. They go as far back as volume 1, number 3, dated 1865.
They replicate such editions as those that covered the first man walking on the moon, Truman sending troops to Korea, Japan attacking Hawaii and, the Pilot exclusive with this headline: ``Flying machine soars 3 miles in teeth of high wind over sand hills and waves at Kitty Hawk on Carolina coast.'' A sub-headline let us know there was ``no balloon attached to it.''
I also hand out rulers of all colors. Pink is the favorite so, naturally, we have an abundance of orange.
A comment like this one from Zachary Carr makes the school visit worthwhile: ``I want to thank you for all the thing you told us about Virginian-Pilot. I learned a lot from you.''
Joshua learned that it can be fun being in the paper. He wrote, ``I hope you come to interview me. I wish you would take pictures of us. We may want to be a reporter some day.''
Matthew W. Lambert is now leaning in that direction, something else that makes you feel like the time spent is worthwhile.
``I think you made me want to become a newspaper writer because you made it sound like it was great,'' he penned. ``I read The Sun and it was a great article.
``After school that day, I went to buy a newspaper and you right about how much they went up,'' Matthew said, referring to my general comment about everything costing more these days, including The Pilot. ``It was a dollar fifty. I only bought 75 cents so I could not get one.''
Let me speak to the Circulation Department.
If I had to pick a most memorable letter it would have to be the one from Lee Abernathy - and I quote: ``Is it fun working with the newspaper? Well I'm sure you have fun. You don't have to answer that question.''
I got a note from Rosa Lee Felton of Eure who enclosed a contribution she had in Country Music Magazine, a national publication dealing with the public's favorite kind of music.
She penned a sketch of Billy Joe Royal, one of her favorite singers. It stood out on a page that features poems and sketches sent in by readers.
It's nice to hear from people in the neighborhood. by CNB