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Patient
Improving; No New Reports Of Meningitis Cases
meningitis
Parties
try full-court pressure
voting
Politics
not on agenda
Big Four coaches stay out of the race
Fair
shot for rail
traffic problems, fairgounds parking
Army Spc. Bradley Beard
Iraq War, former student
Obituary:
Rober E. Sternloff
retired - Parks, Recreation and Tourism Managment Department
Obituary:
Henry M. Covington
retired - Professor of Horticulture
Chancellor explains ASU acreage proposals
Nov. 1, 2004
Watagua Democrat
By Frank Ruggiero
© Copyright 2004
A sufficient amount of buzz was created on and off the mountain when Appalachian State University Chancellor Ken Peacock announced the university may move its athletic program, including Kidd Brewer Stadium, from campus.
The university purchased land, formerly owned by the Edmisten family and now measured at more than 50 acres located near the Boone Greenway Trail, for $2 million this summer. The former Edmisten property adjoins neighboring ASU property for a combined total of 150 acres in the area.
According to Peacock, though, the possibility of such a move is just that - a possibility.
“The land was bought because we just needed some expansion, not because I'm looking at a large increase in enrollment for Appalachian —that's not it at all,” Peacock said. “We bought it with the idea of 'I don't know what we’re going to do with this.’ We’re thinking about health programs, thinking about more housing for students, thinking about a retirement community.”
Peacock is also considering the idea of a millennium campus, similar to North Carolina State University’s centennial campus, “ways of bringing in research-type business with a research-focused park like that,” he said.
He said he can understand the skeptic’s point of view, as to why he would even mention the concept of athletic facility relocation. The answer lies within the Owens Field House, the decaying state of which has slated it for demolition towards the end of the year.
“I would not be asking this question about refocusing the athletic initiative if it were not for the fact that the Owens Field House is scheduled to come down very soon,” Peacock said. “And the worst thing that can happen is we proceed with that and, four months from now, say, 'You know what we should have done?' And that's what I want to avoid.”
Acknowledging the facilities must be redone, Peacock said the question is rather, “Do we just redo it where it is or do we redo it at the new site?” If the relocation were to proceed, Peacock said he is certain the field house would remain at its current spot until the new facility is completed.
“The athletic program is entitled to better facilities, stands and all,” he said. “It's their time, and I want it to happen.”
Peacock's taking a cautious approach, though, laying cards on the table for all to see to generate feedback before making a decision. The most commonly asked question, he said, concerns the fate of the current stadium's property and what would happen to it were the stadium to move.
“That hasn't even been discussed,” Peacock answered. “I'm certain that just like we can come up with quite a few good needs for the Edmisten property, we can come up with many good needs for the property in the center of campus, there.”
If the athletic relocation were to proceed, Dr. Paul Gates, ASU faculty member and former chair of the faculty senate, would favor the move if it opened space for additional academic buildings on campus.
“If we're just expanding athletic facilities, and if that's all that this accomplishes, then I can't see the wisdom in doing that,” Gates said. “We are so cramped for space here on the main campus that giving over what little space we have, or spending money to build buildings and undertake projects of this nature when we're hurting for academic space — I think that would be a serious mistake.”
Gates expressed concern about the cost of the potential project, remembering when the students were “hit very hard” with student fees to fund the current stadium enhancements, and said he wouldn't want to see student fees increase again.
In terms of funding for the athletic initiative, Peacock said $20 million has already been raised through private contributions and student fees, while the land purchase was funded through the university-operated New River Light and Power Company.
Were potential investors to actually see dirt turned on the project, additional private funding would most likely be generated to finance the project, Peacock said.
Peacock is also exploring the possibility of financial support from the state, as state money was allocated for East Carolina University's stadium a couple of years ago.
“If they could get money for a stadium, why can't we?” Peacock asked. “It's just a question for us to come up and say, 'Why not?'”
Further incentive for state funding could come from economic development, Peacock continued, as development continues to grow along the U.S. 421 corridor.
“If you have a place for more concerts, bigger crowds that could come, some more events, as well, that area out there would develop even more,” he said. Peacock brought the idea before the Watauga County Commissioners, who he said were “receptive to exploring it” as a “point for discussion.”
However, Peacock said he's just as open to the other mentioned uses for the property as he is the athletic initiative.
“I think it's up for grabs,” he said. “I would have never brought this conversation up if it were not for the fact that Owens is about to come down, and I wanted to make a decision that this is the right or the wrong thing to do for Appalachian. I can live with either approach, and I will work as hard as I can to make either one as successful as possible.”
Though originally assessed at around 60 acres, the former Edmisten property is home to a family cemetery, and the New River runs along a portion of the tract, reducing the amount of usable space to somewhere in the range of 50 acres and up.
As for the stretch of New River, Peacock emphasized, “We would protect that. We would not in any way build up to the edge of that. We wish to protect that environment, and that's a top priority.”
The decision, he said, will be made “as soon as possible,” and surveyors from the N.C. Department of Transportation have examined the site for roads and accessibility, also taking aerial photos.
Peacock said that towards the beginning of December, an architect recommended by Southern Conference Commissioner Daniel Morrison will examine the property. Peacock said the architect was described by Morrison as “someone who could really walk a piece of property and say, 'You can do this, it's great, or you don't want to do this.”
“At this point, I don't really know whether I'm for it or against it, until we get some more facts,” Peacock said. “But I think that we should have a healthy discussion about it. It's asking the right questions, engaging in debate, and then coming to a conclusion.”
Having already engaged in debate, Peacock drew a list of the pros and cons that could accompany the project. On a positive note, he believes it would aid the traffic situation, on campus and in town on game days, as well as alleviate parking problems on campus.
Another pro is the “game day experience” that allows students to mingle with alumni and other members of the Appalachian community.
The most prominent con, however, is the lack of a stadium in the center of campus.
“Having the stadium showing an athletic program in the center of campus — that’s as good as it gets, because you see in this area that we are is a beautiful setting, it does get people on campus that might not be coming to campus to see how things are changing.”
A couple students admitted to seeing this as a strong deterrent for student attendance at football games.
“I think it's a horrible idea because they're going to lose half the students' attendance from the game,” said Matthew Spencer, a senior advertising major. “I think it would be really inconvenient for students, especially since most people walk to the games,” said Katie Blalock, a sophomore business major. “That's where most of our crowd comes from — students who walk from their dorms.”
However, the capital project at the top of the university's to-do list is still a new college of education building, Peacock said, though there is “nowhere to build it basically until we get a little more space.”
Regarding use of the former Edmisten property, Peacock said, “This is a big decision for Appalachian, and I want people … to have a thorough understanding of all the advantages. The greatest legacy is for people in the year 2050 to look back and say, 'That was a good thing to do. They did it right in the early 2000s, they did it right and they made some tough decisions that have really led the university to even higher levels of greatness.'”
Nov. 1, 2004
WRAL
By staff report
© Copyright 2004
RALEIGH, N.C. -- Health officials said no new cases of bacterial meningitis have been reported in the Triangle since Thursday.
That is when a University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill freshman was diagnosed with the disease. Jonathan Davis, 18, is in fair condition at UNC Hospitals.
Culture results received by the Orange County Health Department on Monday confirm Neisseria meningitidis, serogroup B, as the bacterium responsible for Davis' illness.
Neisseria meningitidis is the second most common cause of bacterial meningitis in the United States. A vaccine for meningococcal disease protects against four serogroups, but not serogroup B. Davis received the vaccine last spring.
Health officials said students at UNC and North Carolina State University may have been exposed at two parties last week.
As many as 1,500 students have already taken a preventative antibiotic.
"Those who believe they may have been exposed, due to close and direct contact with Mr. Davis within the past two weeks, should seek treatment and monitor themselves for signs and symptoms of meningitis regardless of prior vaccination," said Orange County Health Director Dr. Rosemary Summers.
Symptoms may include: fever, nausea and vomiting, severe headache, sensitivity to light, purple-red body rash, a stiff neck, sleepiness or confusion.
Close contact means people who shared a household with the student or had direct contact with oral secretions. Examples of close contact include kissing, sharing a drink, sharing food from the same plate, sharing a cigarette, or being coughed or sneezed upon.
On average, Orange County experiences one bacterial meningitis case per year, according to the health department.
Candidates get set for auditor election
Nov. 2, 2004
The Daily Tar Heel
By BROOKE ERICSON
© Copyright 2004
Republican Les Merritt will once again challenge Democrat Ralph Campbell today for Campbell's position as state auditor.
Merritt lost to Campbell in 2000 after receiving 49.5 percent of the votes, but this year his campaign director, Frank Williams, says the team is more organized and prepared to win.
Campbell was first inaugurated as state auditor Jan. 9, 1993, and became the first black man to win a statewide elected office. He was re-elected in 1996 and 2000.
The state auditor serves as the public's watchdog because it is his or her job to make sure tax money is being spent well.
This involves examining and publishing findings and recommendations for every state department and agency, including the UNC system, the community college system and Superior Court clerks.
Grace Beaman, Campbell's campaign director, said Campbell has done his duty as the state auditor, even in difficult situations.
"He has gone into an agency, regardless of who the person is, done what he's had to do and made some tough audits," she said. "He's done what he was required, expected to do and played no favorites."
She said Campbell's honesty and determination have made him a great auditor.
"I personally am proud of the fact that he has been so honest, so up-front, so intent on doing his duty and that he has not let anything deter him from that," Beaman said. "I'm just proud of the whole 12 years, to be honest."
But Williams said he is less impressed with Campbell's work as auditor and said more needs to be done.
If people are completely satisfied with the way the government is spending its money, he said, they should re-elect the current auditor. But if not, new leadership must be brought to the table.
"The current auditor has been more reactive then proactive," Williams said.
One of Merritt's major goals is to prevent problems from happening in the first place.
His other campaign promises include following through with his recommendations and taking politics completely out of the process.
Williams said Merritt is working to make sure tax dollars are being spent more effectively. He said Merritt has written a business plan that will make the state auditor's role more like a business and less like a political scene.
"Merritt wants a position where he can make a difference," he said.
While both candidates have different platforms and approaches to the position, their qualifications make them strong candidates for state auditor.
Campbell received his bachelor's degree in business administration from Saint Augustine's College in 1968 and attended the business graduate program at N.C. Central University. After graduating from school, he served as a Raleigh city councilman and mayor pro tem.
"He has 12 years of experience as state auditor and has been an auditor almost all his life," Beaman said. "I think people recognize he has done a good job."
Merritt attended N.C. State University, where he went on to earn degrees in economics and accounting, which he used to open his own small business in 1984.
"Les has been in the business world and part of a small business," Williams said.
He added that having a small-business perspective was an important aspect of being state auditor.
The candidates currently are wrapping up their campaigns, both confident in a positive end result.
Contact the State & National Editor at stntdesk@unc.edu.
Parties try full-court pressure
Nov. 2, 2004
News and Observer
By ANNE SAKER AND JOSH SHAFFER
© Copyright 2004
Years, months and weeks of campaigning came down to the one final day to push voters to the polls.
Across the Triangle, political professionals and volunteers reveled in the expectation that the thousands of phone calls they made and thousands of doors they approached would pay off for their candidates.
Some volunteers, such as Whit Scott, 22, a senior at N.C. State University, happened to wander by and got caught up in the vortex of activity. Scott, from Greensboro, stopped by the Kerry-Edwards campaign offices on Hillsborough Street on Monday afternoon hoping just to pick up a button.
"Then someone said, 'Hey, would you like to do some canvassing?' " he said. "I thought, sure, why not?"
A moment later, he got swept into a conference room with a dozen other volunteers getting briefed on what to say to voters. He was paired with Lori Gould, 31, a battle-tested campaign veteran compared with Scott, having come aboard after the presidential debates.
"It's wonderful!" said Gould, a computer programmer for EDS who lives in Wendell. "I am having so much fun."
Around the state, candidates squeezed in one more round of campaign appearances, but for the most part, they urged people to vote today. If the record turnout for early voting -- at least 1 million ballots already cast in North Carolina -- is any indication, polling places will be busy.
At a noon rally in downtown Raleigh, at least a dozen Democratic candidates crowded a stage and pumped up hundreds of hard-core Democrats who bobbed signs in the warm afternoon air and shouted cheers over the deafening tunes of the Shaw University Platinum Sound Marching Band.
"OK, that's it for the rally!" shouted former Gov. Jim Hunt, the state party's consummate cheerleader. "Now let's go win this election!"
At state Republican Party headquarters on Hillsborough Street, four hours later, the basement was jammed with about two dozen volunteers working the phones -- including U.S. Sen. Elizabeth Dole, who had just finished a speech.
"Of course the race is close, and we need your vote," she said, working from a list from behind a tiny desk. "Oh, you've already voted? That's grand."
Ruth McCaffrey, 74, of Wake Forest, has worked phones for the past four weeks, so by Monday, she said, "I'm dreaming about this, talking in my sleep."
Priming voters
At 5 p.m., Matt Bales and Stephanie Evans teamed up at the Republican headquarters and headed to North Raleigh in a silver Nissan armed with voter lists, Bush campaign brochures, a flashlight and all their courage.
At 6 p.m., Bales, a UNC-Chapel Hill sophomore, trudged up a driveway on Collingswood Drive and peeked in an open door. A man poked out his head.
"Hello, I'm here on behalf of President Bush," Bales said. "Can he expect your vote tomorrow?"
"You bet your boots!" said the man. "Of course! Is he going to win or what? Definitely! Just to let you know, we are from the Middle East, and we are non-Muslims. Bush all the way."
Even with the election 12 hours away, they ran across voters who were still scratching their heads.
"We'll see," John Embree told them, taking a handout. "We'll see."
The Democrats, for their part, applied all the muscle available.
On Hillsborough Street at the Kerry-Edwards office, the canvassers' meeting broke up. Scott and Gould collected a dozen addresses in Wake Forest, and Scott plastered a Kerry-Edwards bumper sticker across the front of his white T-shirt. The sun was beginning to slip toward the horizon as they set out to knock on doors.
They split up to cover more ground. Gould first knocked on the door of Janet Blake.
"I'm Lori from the Wake County Democratic Party," Gould said. "Have you voted yet?"
"No," Blake said.
"Are you voting tomorrow?"
"Yes."
"Do you understand the ballot?"
"I just cut it out of the newspaper," Blake said.
Scott approached one house, rang the bell and greeted the woman who answered. He asked if she was voting, and she said yes. Scott paused, then asked, "Are you going to vote for someone else?"
"Yes," she replied. Scott thanked her and walked away, smiling.
"I don't think she's voting for Kerry," he said. "She was looking at my shirt as if she was saying, 'You poor, poor soul.' Maybe she's voting for Nader."
When no one answered his knock, Scott wrote on a door card, "Please don't forget to vote tomorrow. Thanks," and hung it on the knob.
Scott and Gould finished their list as the last light of the sun painted the sky. Gould recalled with a little awe that over the weekend, she worked with another Democratic canvasser who boldly approached homes with yard signs indicating that the residents were obviously Republican.
Scott said, "I don't care; I hope everyone votes, even if they are Republicans."
Darkness fell. The next light would bring Election Day.
(Staff writer Amy Gardner contributed to this report.)
Staff writer Anne Saker can be reached at 829-8955 or asaker@newsobserver.com.
Staff writer Amy Gardner contributed to this report.
UNC-CH student with meningitis in fair condition
Nov. 2, 2004
News 14 Caroina, The Associated Press
By staff report
© Copyright 2004
CHAPEL HILL) - Officials say a freshman at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill was in fair condition, recovering from a case of bacterial meningitis.
They say no additional cases of meningitis have emerged since Jonathan Parker Davis was diagnosed with the disease last week.
UNC and North Carolina State University have issued thousands of doses of antibiotics as a precaution to people who may have come into contact with Parker.
Nov. 2, 2004
News and Observer
By LORENZO PEREZ
© Copyright 2004
George W. Bush claims Boston Red Sox pitcher Curt Schilling and his gimpy ankle. John Kerry has rocker Jon Bon Jovi and his feathered hair.
In North Carolina, however, neither the president nor his Democratic opponent drew any campaign endorsements from those who claim celebrity status in ACC country: the football and men's basketball coaches at N.C. State, North Carolina, Duke and Wake Forest.
They command the rapt attention of their sprawling fan bases and the sports media, but they guard their voting preferences as closely as their playbooks. Most of them remain politically unaffiliated, according to state voter registration records. Federal Election Commission filings indicate that none of those coaches contributed this election season to either presidential campaign, any state or federal candidates or either political party.
Those filings track federal contributions of $200 or more and state contributions of $100 or more.
North Carolina men's basketball coach Roy Williams said he is occasionally asked to host or appear at political fund-raisers, but he chooses to limit his political activity to voting.
"I don't think that someone would ask me to do it if I was not Roy Williams, the basketball coach at North Carolina," he said Sunday.
Two of Williams' predecessors at Chapel Hill, coaches Dean Smith and Bill Guthridge, have been actively campaigning for Democrat Erskine Bowles, a North Carolina candidate for the Senate.
Duke basketball coach Mike Krzyzewski said last week he may choose to make his political beliefs more public after he retires from coaching. A politically unaffiliated voter, according to voting registration records, Krzyzewski hosted a fund-raiser for Duke graduate Elizabeth Dole during her successful Republican campaign for the U.S. Senate in 2002.
"But I'm neither Republican nor Democrat. I'm an American," Krzyzewski said. "I'll vote for who I think is best. Elizabeth Dole, I love Elizabeth Dole, and she's been a friend. If you were a good friend, I might host something for you."
Some coaches said that they stay away from campaign endorsements because there's no sense in upsetting fans with different political views.
"I'm not getting involved in that. That's the last thing I need," said N.C. State football coach Chuck Amato, a registered Republican according to Wake County voting registration records. "That's all I have to do, to say, 'Hey, we need to back so-and-so,' and half the people out there would be happy and half of them would be sad."
N.C. State men's basketball coach Herb Sendek, the reigning ACC coach of the year, said he's never been approached to deliver a fiery Zell Miller turn on the campaign stump for anyone.
"And if I was, I think like many people, I'd prefer to keep some of those matters private," said Sendek, an unaffiliated voter.
Wake Forest basketball Skip Prosser is another unaffiliated voter who said he hasn't been approached, at least not by the national campaigns criss-crossing the country.
"Not at the national level. Maybe the guy who takes care of our trees and stuff like that," Prosser joked. "I care a lot about that, I vote, and I have an opinion. But people would be seeking that opinion not because of any innate wisdom they might think I have. It's just because I'm the coach of Wake Forest, so I think it would improper for me to make any public political stance, because it might not reflect Wake Forest."
(Staff writer Luciana Chavez and news researcher David Raynor contributed to this report.)
Staff writer Lorenzo Perez can be reached at 829-4643 or lperez@newsobserver.com
Staff writer Luciana Chavez and news researcher David Raynor contributed to
this report.
Nov. 2, 2004
News and Observer
By staff report
© Copyright 2004
Oct. 23 was a grim reminder
of exactly why the Triangle Transit Authority's proposed rail system is a
must for this region.
The State Fair and N.C. State football game did one heck of a job tying the
roadways up in knots and frustrating thousands of motorists. Waits of up to
two hours were common just for exiting parking lots, not to mention fighting
the traffic home.
Now picture TTA's rail service, with one of its 12 stations right at the fairgrounds' front door and a short distance to Carter-Finley Stadium. Get the picture?
Without rail, the scene will become nothing but worse in the years to come, as the region's population is expected to grow in leaps and bounds. I had even read that because of congestion in the area, up to 20,000 people decided not to attend the fair. Now we're talking about a direct hit on our local economy.
How many more reasons do we need to move forward and implement this mass transit system? More roads are simply not the answer. Will the rail system fit everyone's needs? Absolutely not. No mass transit system does. But it will provide options. In time, businesses will thrive around the system just as they have in countless other cities.
Because of the traffic congestion, our family went to the State Fair only once this year. With a rail system right at its entrance, I might think about going twice.
James Wittenborg
Cary
Nov. 1, 2004
Rocklin and Roseville Today, CA
By JONATHAN B. COX
© Copyright 2004
Offshoring, always an option for companies, could become a necessity. IBM, Dell and other high-tech corporations have come under fire in recent years for shifting jobs overseas.They say it helps them cut costs and be closer to customers in growing markets such as India and China.
Soon, they might have a more urgent reason. U.S. universities are producing fewer graduates in computer science, the foundation of many technology jobs. It's an alarming trend to some in the industry, one that they say could force companies to look offshore to meet demand.
"Especially if the quality goes down, companies will feel they're better off going to other countries," said Pankaj K. Agarwal, chairman of the computer science department at Duke University. "We cannot afford that."
The number of new undergraduate majors in U.S. computer science programs has fallen 28 percent since 2000, reports the Computing Research Association, a group of more than 200 North American computer science, computer engineering and related academic departments.
Duke has seen undergraduate enrollment in its computer science department fall by a fourth during the past three years. N.C. State University has seen roughly a 22 percent decline. Enrollment at the University of North Carolina has risen since it started an undergraduate computer science major in 2001, though it, too, has logged noticeable declines of late.
One reason, say those in the field, is that technology jobs appear less lucrative than they did during the dot-com boom. Then, students thought a computer science degree would lead to riches and a quick retirement. Many took on the major.
Even those with minimal skills made it into the industry because demand was so high that companies had to hire almost anyone available. When the tech bubble burst, the promise of fast money evaporated.
The value of stock options plummeted. Companies cut thousands of jobs to trim costs and stay viable. They moved work to countries where labor is cheaper.
The industry lost its luster. Students were discouraged by difficult programs full of math with no quick path to success.
"Computer science is seen as a rather challenging major," said Kevin Jeffay, director of undergraduate studies for the University of North Carolina's computer science department. "If you're going to work your butt off and have this Dilbert-like life, you don't want it."
Even those students who do want it have had trouble, he said. Parents, after seeing reports of software and other tech jobs moving overseas, have steered their children away from computer science.
"They go back to other useful fields like English and history," said Harris Miller, president of the Information Technology Association of America, a trade group of 500 tech companies, including large Triangle employers IBM and SAS. "We are concerned that the student population in this country seems to react almost instantly to the headlines.
"You get into a downward spiral where you need the best and brightest, and it's not coming out in the quality and quantity that you need," Miller said. That prompts companies to look elsewhere for employees.
Some temper the doomsday prediction. Undergraduate students now are likely of higher quality and thus more attractive to employers, because they have pursued computer science degrees despite the industry downturn.
And just because there are fewer undergrads, that doesn't mean the labor pool will suffer. After the layoffs of the past few years, experienced workers returned to earn graduate degrees. Their decisions increase the number of qualified employees.
Colleges have also begun to integrate computer instruction into other majors such as e-commerce programs in business schools. A computer science degree, therefore, can be unnecessary.
One thing's almost certain, though: Those with the necessary skills could relive a bit of the dot-com fever as tech spending rebounds.
Eric Glass, a sophomore at the University of North Carolina, is optimistic. He watched as his father lost his position to a worker in India, and as his mother, also a high-tech worker, struggled to find a job.
Even so, he will pursue a computer science major because he enjoys programming and figures the market will only improve.
"I definitely don't think it will ever be the way it was before in the dot-com era," he said. "It will get better, I think."
Nov. 2, 2004
The Charlotte Observer, The Associated Press
By staff report
© Copyright 2004
Bradley Beard could keep a room in stitches with his jokes and impressions of famous people. But the former engineering student took service to his country seriously.A few months after the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, Beard dropped out of N.C. State University to enlist in the Army. Beard, 22, of Chapel Hill, was one of three soldiers killed Oct. 14 when a bomb exploded near their convoy in Ar Ramadi, Iraq. He was based at Camp Red Cloud, South Korea.
Beard was a fan of football and video games and a technology whiz who once built his own computer.
He'd only recently requested to be moved to Iraq because "he thought it was important," said his father, Randall. He volunteered to find explosive devices in the field.
"I've never met a more sacrificing, dedicated man all my life," said his friend, Adam McKee. "He was the poster child for being an all-American kid."
Army Capt. Eric Allton
One recent weekend, Eric Allton's wife and her mother got a flat tire. At first, they worried they wouldn't have the right equipment to fix it. But then they remembered that before Eric left for war, he made sure his wife would be OK in any situation.
Sure enough, "There was the right sized lug nut wrench, and a full-sized spare," said his wife, Christina.
Allton, 34, of Houston, died Sept. 26 in a mortar attack in Ramadi, Iraq. He was stationed in South Korea.
Eric and Christina met in Germany when she was working as a cashier at a base store and he was a soldier who kept showing up every day, even though it was pretty clear he wasn't there to buy anything. Soon they were exploring castles on the Rhine River together and sharing pizzas.
Allton got a bachelor's degree at the University of Maryland. He loved mint chocolate chip ice cream, made delicious grilled cheese sandwiches and had a good ear when it came to playing the guitar.
He also is survived by his two sons, Harrison and Hunter.
Army Pfc. Mark Barbret
When the job market got tight, Mark Barbret joined the Army to help provide for his 3-year-old son, Christian.Explaining Barbret's death to the boy has been difficult. When a sergeant came to deliver the news, Christian thought the visitor was "daddy."
"He doesn't really understand," said the boy's mother, Nicole Hale. "I've told him that Daddy is watching over him and he will see him again one day."
Barbret, 22, of Shelby Township, Mich., died Oct. 14 when his Humvee was hit by a bomb. He was based at Camp Howze, South Korea.
Marine Sgt. Douglas Bascom
Douglas Bascom's wife doesn't know the details of how he died in Iraq, but she's certain he was out in front of the men he was leading.
"He took care of his men, and I always knew he would do anything for them, even if it meant dying," Jolene Bascom said.
Douglas Bascom, 25, died Oct. 20 when a makeshift bomb exploded near him in the Anbar province. He was based at Camp Pendleton, Calif.
Described as outgoing, generous and fun-loving, Bascom worked three jobs and attended college with his sights on a degree in computer engineering.
That changed when his future wife walked into the clothing store where he worked.
"I just knew that he was the person I wanted to be with for the rest of my life," Jolene Bascom said.
Douglas Bascom joined the Marines to support his new bride. He completed his hitch but re-enlisted to volunteer for Iraq, where he felt he could protect other Marines.
"He knew people in the service who were over there and he felt a strong urge to be over there protecting them," said his father-in-law, Clair Doughty.
Nov. 2, 2004
The Charlotte Observer
By KEN TYSIAC
© Copyright 2004
Dean Smith stood under a white canopy Wednesday afternoon, addressing a crowd in front of the Morehead Planetarium on the University of North Carolina campus.
Supporters of the Democratic Party, mostly college students, held signs supporting David Price for Congress and Erskine Bowles for U.S. Senate. Smith criticized President Bush's administration for the war in Iraq and its cost.
"Your children and grandchildren are going to be paying for that," Smith told the crowd.
Smith retired as North Carolina's men's basketball coach in 1997 after setting an NCAA record with 879 victories. He said he gets more involved in politics now that he's not coaching.
Active college coaches walk a delicate line with regard to politics. As representatives of their schools they are reluctant to express views for fear of creating the misconception that Heels or Dookies need to support a particular candidate.
Some will tell you who will get their vote. Some only will discuss their philosophical leanings, whether conservative or liberal. Others don't say much at all.
Mike Krzyzewski said he won't use his public forum for a candidate's political gain.
"My political beliefs are private," he said. "When I become a non-head coach at Duke University, I might make them more public. ...I'm neither a Republican nor a Democrat. I'm an American, and I'll vote for who I think is best."
At the rally in Chapel Hill, Smith supported John Kerry for president and praised Bowles and Price. Bill Guthridge, who succeeded Smith and coached three seasons at North Carolina after 30 years as Smith's assistant, also spoke on behalf of the Democrats.
Guthridge has been canvassing door to door in hopes of persuading voters.
"I think we should care for other people, and I think the Democratic Party cares for people better than the Republicans do," Guthridge said.
Bowden for Bush
Florida State football coach Bobby Bowden wanted to campaign for a candidate for public office in Florida recently. Then he was reminded that the candidate's opponent was a Florida State alumnus and decided not to campaign.But Bowden believes he has the right to tell people who will get his vote, and emphatically endorses President Bush for a second term.
"I don't think I can go out and actively campaign," Bowden said. "I don't think I should. But I definitely have my feelings on the president of the United States."
Bowden doesn't have personal political aspirations, but applauds Tom Osborne, who coached Nebraska for 25 years and now serves Nebraska in the U.S. House of Representatives.
Osborne began his political career after winning three national titles and retiring in 1997.
"For him to get out (of coaching) and not do anything would have been a waste of talent," Bowden said. "He's right where I'm glad he is right now, where he can have an effect on our nation."
Bobby's son, Clemson coach Tommy Bowden, is more cautious. He would like to make a political stand but won't endorse candidates or a party.
He simply calls himself "ultra-Conservative" and says he believes in a platform that shows his commitment to moral clarity.
"I think I can make a big enough statement by saying that," Tommy Bowden said. "But as far as favoring a political party and my position, it's not, as they say, politically correct."
The contracts of coaches at North Carolina and N.C. State make no mention of whether coaches are allowed to endorse political candidates. A few employees have asked N.C. State athletics director Lee Fowler whether coaches are allowed to support candidates.
Fowler advised them not to make public endorsements because N.C. State is in the business of pleasing everybody.
"You can support whoever you want to and vote for whoever you want to," Fowler said, "but it's not good to do it in a public forum."
Dueling fundraisers
Krzyzewski took a political stand in 2002, when he hosted a fundraiser for Duke alumna Elizabeth Dole in her bid for election to the U.S. Senate.
"I love Elizabeth Dole, and she has been a friend," Krzyzewski said recently.
It became a race with undertones steeped in the Duke-Carolina rivalry, as Smith hosted a fundraiser at the Carolina Inn on North Carolina's campus. The beneficiary was North Carolina alumnus Bowles, who was running against Dole.
Dole won that race, but Krzyzewski isn't trying to build a winning streak. He is pursuing a less political agenda as this election approaches.
Bob Brown, who played for Krzyzewski at Army, is a brigade commander taking 6,000 men and women to Iraq. Krzyzewski plans to raise funds for Brown and his troops.
"I will be public in my support of that," Krzyzewski said. "My view on that war or whatever, I'm not going to talk about that. But I will always be in support of the people who are fighting for me and for you."
Before Smith retired, he was more inclined to support causes than candidates. He was a leader in the civil rights movement in Chapel Hill in the 1960s and made a public service advertisement supporting a verifiable nuclear freeze during the cold war.
One North Carolina alumnus called to disagree with Smith, using a basketball allegory to say the Soviet Union was taking the lead in the arms race. The alumnus said Russia had a three-point shot and the United States had only a two-point shot.
"One (shot) will kill you," Smith replied.
Retirement frees Smith and Guthridge from fear of upsetting North Carolina supporters who aren't Democratic Party supporters. Although they are consultants to the North Carolina athletics department, they no longer are the public spokesmen for the program.
Guthridge said it's great to live in a country where he is able to express his convictions. After talking with a reporter before the rally, Guthridge expressed loyalty to another longtime cause.
"Go Tar Heels," he said.
Clad in a North Carolina blue dress shirt, he walked toward the canopy to join Smith.
Ken Tysiac: ktysiac@charlotteobserver.com
Obituary: Robert Elmer Sternloff
Nov. 2, 2004
News and Observer
ROBERT E. STERNLOFF, 81, Cary, Oct. 31. Arrangements by Mitchell Funeral Home, Raleigh.
For a copy of the entire obituary, contact News Services at 515-3470.
Nov. 2, 2004
News and Observer
For a copy of the obituary, contact News Services at 515-3470.