The Good Samaritan is alive and well and lives in Polk County, Tenn.
I live near U.S. 64 and Highway 411 in a small camper and have a truck box as a storage/work shop. When the tornado hit, I did not think I would survive, but God was gracious.
On Friday, my first Good Samaritan appeared. The family of Denny and Tracey Trew own property nearby. She and her boys helped me empty the box (now on its side). Denny and Luke determined they could move the items with Denny's backhoe.
That is when Good Samaritan No. 2 showed up: Chuck and his wife, Haia. They helped unload the box. Later, Chuck brought supplies and tools to temporarily patch holes in the box. Haia brought food I could eat (being on a gluten-free diet).
On Saturday, the Trews and Chuck and Haia came back: They reset the camper and flipped the box upright. The truck door was destroyed, but Chuck said he will build a framework and put a double-wide door in it so I can again use it at least temporarily.
I thank Jesus Christ for sending those people to help me.
Joyce Walsh
UTC teacher prep program is better
Thank you for the Nov. 21 front-page article "UTC Ready for Day 1."
As a 1977 UTC alumna and 39-year teacher, I was saddened by the front-page article on July 24 about the poor performance of the UTC teacher preparation program. Had the teacher prep program changed so much that viable teachers were no longer being trained?
Because of that article, I made a decision to get more involved in teacher prep. I had viewed student teachers as an interruption in my classroom because of the short time they were there.
Reading UTC's plans for improvement shows student teachers are being trained and prepared - the student teacher mentor program increasing to 14 weeks and back-to-back semesters for student teachers - like a doctor's residency. Give them a year's residency with a seasoned teacher of excellence, then student teaching is not an interruption! It is vested involvement in the education of student teachers.
I am impressed with Dr. Renee Murley. Using information from the SCORE report on teacher preparation, she is building a quality program and seeking solutions for quick relief and lasting results as UTC partners with education stakeholders in Chattanooga!
Charlene Schwenk
Spring City, Tenn.
Put prayer, God back in schools
Prayers were requested everywhere after the Woodmore bus crash. So why can't we have prayer in schools? Perhaps from this terrible tragedy, God will bring good. The Lord belongs in our schools and our institutions. Who is making the rules? We are a nation under God, so we need to respect and follow him. To deny our young people the wonderful privilege of knowing and loving our creator is inexcusable. We need a chapel to attend every morning in every school and institution. And our government needs the same thing!
We can do this. Let's stand up and make it happen. Jesus said, "I am the way, the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father but by me" (John 14:6).
Marge McNutt
Signal Mountain
Police should not be on patrol alone
Given Chattanooga's "war zone" with shootings becoming a daily hazard, someone should wake up to the fact that policemen and policewomen should never be patrolling alone.
Common sense dictates that when a routine domestic violence or other complaint is being investigated, or an unoccupied building is being checked out, there should always be a back-up for the officer performing the duty.
If it is a matter of policy for a policeman or policewoman to patrol alone, it is time for Fred Fletcher, or whoever is in the position to change it, to do so. If it is a matter of funding to hire more peace officers, then the Chattanooga City Council should take this hazard into consideration and allocate funds to protect our police force. We are thankful the wounds received by the policeman in the recent shooting were non-life threatening, but they could have been fatal. It is time to close the gate before the horse gets out.
Gary Bell
Trenton, Ga.
Hickory Valley tree is uplifting
Re: the annual appearance of the Christmas tree at the Hickory Valley Road railroad crossing.
Once again, I thank the anonymous soul who places this tree there each Christmas season.Your efforts are greatly appreciated. It is uplifting for me and others who pass this way. We need more kind, unselfish acts such as this to help heal our country.
Jim Collis
Confusion easy to understand
For all my adult life I have considered myself an informed and engaged citizen. Now I feel as if I'm living in a total state of confusion. Why?
I am fearful the following issues are on the chopping block, and they could impact me, and us, in detrimental ways. I am a senior covered by Medicare. Privatization of a plan that has a long, positive history is now being discussed in an environment totally dominated by insurance companies.
Medicaid, an insurance program for the most vulnerable among us, is a particular target of short-sighted proponents aiming at reductions.
Climate change is under attack while it has been found scientifically to be a human-impacted phenomenon.
Public education, an absolute pillar of democracy, is at grave risk with the introduction of government supported "private" charter schools.
Finally the press. The press is our friend unless you have something to hide.
Do not let your personal and community well-being be determined by those who vote against our collective best interest. We need to figure out a way to get our elected representatives to represent us and not themselves.
Irwin Ginsburg
Buried treasure stories abound
The Nov. 27 local history column (page F2) about buried treasure in this area was interesting despite none being found. Another failed attempt to recover silver may be visited at Audubon Acres alongside a trail on the north side of Chickamauga Creek.
O'Dell's silver mine resulted when a man sought to recover silver hidden by Indians. He dug a pit to some depth then lined it with timbers crib-style to prevent a cave-in. The timbers have rotted but a depression can be observed.
There is silver in those hills. Or at least some silver was once there. To be precise, in Julian Gap, the water gap east of Ooltewah cut by Little Wolftever Creek. Today this is known as "Dead Man's Cut" because of the murder of a constable in October 1919 by highwaymen.
When the Hiwassee Railroad (now Norfork Southern) was being constructed about 1849, an engineer noted a small amount of rock that held silver ore. He gave it to a Mrs. Stone, who lived just east of the gap. She sent it to the U.S. Mint, which processed it and returned a silver dollar to her. A descendant has the silver dollar today.
David Knisley
Ooltewah
Thieves stole man's livelihood
We were gone for awhile. When we came back home, our house had been broken into. All that was taken was my husband's Craftsman toolbox. It was full of tools, including a metric set. My husband mows grass for people. If they don't have money, he mows it for free. He regularly charges $20 per yard but no more.
When grass season starts up, he won't have the tools to keep his lawn mower up. You see, we are both in our 60s, and it is hard for us to replace the tools. A few years ago, our house burned to the ground. One more payment and it would have been ours.
I'm just saying to the thieves, you stole from a very good man who would give you the shirt off his back.
Nora C. Cook