March was Women’s History Month, and to celebrate, Laura asked for stories about the “women who’ve been role models, inspired you, accomplished the impossible, and have improved the well-being of humanity.” We received several heartwarming stories and we have compiled them here for you to read.
Submitted by Jan Ward:
My grandmother born in 1892 stood up to local citizens that tried to take her bedridden boy, Merritt Levi, incapacitated from meningitis sickness early on as a baby that left him paralyzed. They told her Merritt needed to be removed from their home & placed at Beatrice institute for mentally disadvantaged people because he was to live in a hospital to care for him (where he would have died quickly of a broken heart and neglected soul as well as unloved).
My grandma said, “Over my dead body will your people take my boy Merritt from us!!!” I’m so proud of Grandma Calista for standing up to those people!!! My mom raised 8 kids as well as worked full time as a payroll employee for the city for twenty-five years until forced out of retirement then working 4 more jobs just because she could do it!!!
My 2 sisters were a successful mortgage banker (without a college education), a principal for large elementary school in Greeley co & myself an educator & counselor also the first in my family to receive a college education!!! My mother not only raised 8 children all successful citizens but had 22 grandkids, 17 great grandkids and counting.
My daughter has moved out east and has become a successful insurance agent & granddaughters are becoming extremely well supportive of fellow classmates encouraging their classmates in sports & trailblazing modeling what positive students that support the less advantaged students that they will not put up with bullying anytime or anywhere while standing up to climate change and being recognized by trailblazer Jane Goodall’s efforts while she visited our local schools here in Nebraska!!!
Yes, when I think about my grandmothers’ legacy as well as my mother’s legacy, I am proud to be among such strong women we seldom recognize still today!!
Thank you for bringing this great subject matter up in a seemingly dark moment in history!!!
Submitted by Jordan Hall:
I would like to share the wonderful qualities of my mother, Sharon Hall, with you as a business/community leader. She is also a customer who loves your fine products and mission statement. The healing properties have been invaluable, as she still is recovering from a major spinal infection, and subsequent surgeries, dating back to last August. In this time, she’s not only worked from home, but worked from the hospital. Several times, I carried her massive computer to her hospital room to assemble a makeshift office for her to work as she could tolerate.
Mom has spent tireless hours serving the community’s needs at our local newspaper for many years. But she’s been so humble with what she has done over the years that there are some things I have learned only recently, and surely some yet to learn of. She would be too modest for the recognition, which is all the more reason I’ve presented the following to you.
Sharon has a contagious, affable personality that remains genuine regardless of how many stressful tasks she has in front of her. She doesn’t break under adversity and never loses her temper even in the most trying of circumstances. She has never spoken an ill word about anyone and can find the goodness in things people would not otherwise see.
When she graduated from Hindman High School and later Morehead State University she developed a keen interest in the emerging technology of computers. At that time the closest computer studies were in Texas, and she made the difficult decision to leave her family and go to what is present-day Texas A&M for post-graduate studies. When she returned to the hills of Eastern Kentucky for service, she essentially brought the concept of computers with her.
Sharon was quickly sought to set up the very first computer operations for Hazard Community and Technical College, Thacker-Grigsby Communications, TV Service, and area clinics, coal companies, and businesses. She devised from scratch a blasting program for coal companies to know precisely only the amount of force necessary.
Sharon created a worker’s comp program for LKLP and set up payroll systems for local governments. While setting up computer systems at one local restaurant she essentially invented the timesaving technology for a waiter/waitress to digitally enter the food order for it to go directly to the kitchen, and a drink order with it simultaneously popping up at the bar– a practice used today the world over. There was no patent sought and may have also been invented around the time elsewhere, but she built the system program there on her own mountain-shaped initiative.
She became the local community college’s first computer teacher and established their first computer lab while placing her students in the workforce. Sharon spoke to school assemblies about careers in the then largely unknown computer industry. When the Knott County School System was looking into their first computers, Sharon was the one they turned to as an advisor.
On the birth of her only child, she left her post at Thacker-Grigsby to raise him at home until he started preschool. At that time, she began working as the technology coordinator at Troublesome Creek Times. She grew into a management position at the newspaper and became Co-Owner/Publisher and General Manager in 2000. Her immense devotion has seen her work shifts of over 30 straight hours of never leaving the office to make sure a good quality newspaper reaches the hands of its public. The Troublesome Creek Times is currently taught by a North Carolina university as a representative of how to run a community newspaper.
Through the paper, she has dedicated herself to the people of Knott County in seeing they stay informed of matters that pertain to them, reports on governmental actions that hold them accountable, writes articles that serve as our county’s written record that can be historically referenced back to, has given coverage that brought awareness and stimulated interest in so many great things that have been realized for Knott County, and has worked to facilitate Good Samaritan deeds. Her stories have given voices to people who would otherwise not be heard. She has received state and national recognition in awards given to her work.
Sharon also held a longtime volunteer post as president of PRIDE pollution pickups in Knott County, holding and participating in roadside garbage cleanups, and of the Creeks and Streams Committee, working to improve water quality, recently stepping down due to health. She continues to serve in numerous civic and non-profit organizations. She is actively present in attending every meeting of many civic and governmental entities to relay the happenings to the entirety of the public, informing them on matters that affect their daily lives.
