Dorothy Brush "Random Thoughts" Published June 19, 2002

The rest of the Stafford story

Today's column is following the example of Paul Harvey, who introduced a follow-up to his stories which he called "The Rest of the Story."

Shortly after the column that retold the story of Kathy Frank Stafford and her husband Joe's escape from Iran during the hostage crises, a letter arrived from California. It was from Katherine Kirkeminde Bass, M.D. She graduated from CCHS in 1969 with her classmate, Kathy Frank, and said she had been trying to catch up with her for years. Dr. Bass' business card identifies her as a drug safety scientist for Genetech Inc. in South San Francisco.

The Staffords expected to be reassigned to another post by the State Department, but the Frank family no longer lives here. If anyone has information on Kathy, please call me, 484-7801.

During the golden age of radio, "Mr. Keene, Tracer of Lost Persons" was a popular show. I have been trying for a year to find a person and someone out there might know where she is. Jackie Hall of Crossville was quoted in a story about a neglected old cemetery in Chattanooga.

She was there to place a veteran's memorial at the grave of Clay Hickerson. He had served her family as a slave and then as a Confederate soldier. That sounded as though it would be an interesting column, but when I turned to the phone book the list of Halls was staggering. There was no Jackie but there was a J. Hall. Call after call, but no answer and then about a month ago an operator broke in to say the number was no longer in service.

Last year I did a series of columns on the Coal Creek War, a nasty dispute between the many coal miners and their companies. Coal Creek was renamed Lake City in 1939 to reflect TVA's new Norris Lake.

The war lasted from July 1891 until September 1893 when the militia departed from Fort Anderson which they had built on the crest of Vowell Mountain. To the miners it was Militia Hill. At the end of the conflict most of the men returned to the mines and then in 1902 a terrible explosion took the lives of 184 to 214 miners, many who had been through the Coal Creek War.

On May 19, an article from Lake City told about that tragedy. It was one of the nation's worst mining disasters and widowed 150 women and left almost 1,000 children fatherless. More than 100 descendants from near and far gathered this year to attend a memorial service at the Briceville Community Church on the 100th anniversary. They then visited the 20 different cemeteries where those lost are buried.

One reader told me that after she read about the Coal Creek War she would always think about that time when she passed the sign for Lake City. Now there is even more to think about.

Last month my random thoughts turned to treehouses. Shortly after that column appeared, I learned that a new exhibit has opened at Cheekwood Botanical Gardens in Nashville. Called "Terrific Treehouses," it will be open through Oct. 27. Ten fantasy treehouses were built on the 55-acre grounds. They were chosen from more than 35 designs submitted by architects, landscape designers and artists. Eight are open to enter.

Besides the easy-to-spot treehouses, there are surprises along the Carrell Woodland Sculpture Trail. Several years ago, artists from America and Europe were invited to create sculptures to blend with the natural environment. A mile-long path was cut through the trees, and a dozen pieces of sculpture was woven into the trees.

The hours at Cheekwood are 9:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday and 11 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. on Sunday. It sounds like a fun outing for a family.

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Dorothy Copus Brush is a Fairfield Glade resident and Crossville Chronicle staffwriter whose column is published each Wednesday.