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thedrifter
04-22-07, 08:10 AM
Easter packages sent to our troops appreciated

CAROLYN ALFORD
DAILY NEWS STAFF
Hello, friends and neighbors. It is good to see you here.

Jack McHugh at the VFW has received two replies from the 155 boxes sent to the troops at Easter time by the Salvation Army, United Way and the VFW.

I thought I would share them with you.

"Hey Jack, Another WINNER!! My folks saw the boxes and when I opened them and told them to dive in, it was over. Not a thing left in the boxes. Thank you to all who support our troops and provide us with a smile or two for everything y'all do for us. You make me proud to do what we do. God Bless!" - WO1 Joe Swartout, Iraq.

His e-mail also included a signature, " 'A solder can survive on the battlefield for months without mail, weeks without food, days without water, minutes without air, but not one second without ammo!' - Gen. George Patton."

I hope federal legislators are reading this.

Another letter from Butch Banis stated: "I have received the following packages yesterday and would like to express my thanks and appreciation for them. I passed them out as quickly as possible. Salvation Army, Jacksonville, N.C. five boxes."

So, if you gave or helped pack the boxes, know that your contribution was greatly appreciated by the troops.

Home to the hills

This may or may not be the last week Eric Beam will be the Neighbors' editor at The Daily News. I say that because, being the generous person he is, Eric has consented to work a few more days to help his replacement, Cyndi Brown, who's currently the city editor but will soon move over to Neighbors.

For those of you who may not know, Eric is planning to move back to the western part of the state to be closer to his parents, who live in Lincolnton, located about 28 miles northwest of Charlotte. I sure hate to see him go.

Lincolnton, a town of nearly 11,000, has an annual average temperature of 59.1, 141 churches but only two motels. It has three golf courses and three country clubs, a Theatre Guild, a Cultural Center, and a School of Technology. It is the home of the La-Z-Boy Chair Company, Robert Bosch Tool Corporation, Mohican Mills, Cochrane Furniture Company, and newspaper icon Eric Beam.

It is also home of the Strawberry Festival in May and the Apple Festival in September, Hog Happenin' in June and Battle of Ramsour's Mill Reenactment in June.

There are only 11,393 students in the public school system and only 779 building permits for single family homes issued in 2006. That many or more are probably issued in Onslow County in a month.

Horsedrawn carriage rides around the historic courthouse in the middle of the town square (actually, it's a circle) are offered each weekend during the holidays as a fundraiser for the downtown development committee. Lincolnton does not have a Marine Corps base, but it does have the Veterans Day Cruise in downtown where there is a parade of classic cars and a ceremony honoring veterans. It does not have the beach, but it has Lake Norman. It does not have us but now, it has Eric Beam. Lucky Lincolnton.

So that's where Eric's going and this is where he's been. He's been the editor of Neighbors and Max Magazine for eight years. He has been a good "boss" and we will miss hearing his signature laugh in the newsroom where he has long sat among pyramids of paperwork that only he knows what lurks there.

Eric has always been a Southern gentleman, who I have never heard utter a harsh word. It's easy to tell he has been well brought up by the way he is gracious to everyone and always takes the time to listen to the stories of people that come to the newsroom - even when I know he is pushed for time.

Like Southern men, Eric has always been a fun and funny guy. He has been the perfect choice for entertainment editor because he's so entertaining. He always has a laugh and a funny story. He even laughs at himself.

Eric's humor is Listen Up! editor Timmi Toler's favorite thing.

"There are a boat load of great things to say about Eric Beam, but we don't have enough room in Carolyn's column for them all," Timmi said. "So, I'll go with my favorite thing about him - his humor. I can be having a terrible day, a stressed out moment or just generally feel like crud, and Eric will find the right words to say or tell a silly joke that lifts my spirits. He's kind and he is aware. I appreciate that and I am going to miss him very much. Beams are not easy to come by."

They certainly aren't. I am happy for Eric that he is going home because there is no place like home. I am happy that for these few years, he called Onslow County home. Godspeed Eric, we'll leave the light on.

Thank you for coming.

Contact Carolyn Alford at calford@freedomenc.com.

Ellie