Students in Ginger Wead’s Social Studies Methods class at Ohio University assisted with several community service projects in the microregion during Winter Quarter. Several students painted the left side interior of the LCBD Office in Shawnee. Millie Stuthard, a student from Stockport who commutes to Athens each day, undertook raising funds for saving the abandoned house next to the Rendville Town Hall. In her final report she said reported that she established a Facebook Page titled “Donate $1 for Rendville” and wrote a letter to the Morgan County Herald. The Facebook page attracted friends and a few people from Perry County reported Stuthard, some gave but not all. The letter to the Herald was a different story, as she describes in her report:

The response was really great. I received many phone calls, letters, and donations from the people of Morgan County. One woman who called me was born in San Toy in 1920. Her name is Elizabeth (Glaspy) Mcelhiney. She talked about growing up in what was a prosperous town during her childhood. She remembers that there were people of many races and ethnicities there, including African Americans and Asians. Her father worked in the coal mines, and his name was John Glaspy. Her grandparents came to the town during the start of the coal boom, and she remembers hearing them talking about how great it was there. Also, she told me about the first time she ever met a black man. It was winter and work wasn’t very good at the mines. Her father was friends with a black man they called Snowball White. She recalled him walking three miles to their house and that her mother had to force him to come inside until her father got home. Elizabeth’s mother made him breakfast and had him sit at the table and eat with the children. She remembers being confused about why his skin was so dark, and why he had too little clothes on when it was so cold outside. Her parents gave him four “tow sacks” with food, for his family was starving. They also gave him some clothes and let him borrow their horse to get home. After he left, Elizabeth asked why they didn’t give him soap because his skin was so dirty. Elizabeth’s parents explained to her (and her siblings) that he wasn’t dirty, that he just had dark skin, and always remember that color is on the outside and it is to always to help people as much as you possibly can. When she called and told me her story I was enthralled. Being a lover of history, and only having one living grandparent myself, I love being told stories from people who experience history first hand. Elizabeth was so friendly, and I would never had guessed she was almost 90 years old. She told me she remembers growing up in San Toy like it was yesterday and that she wished the LCBD Council would do more work there. On Saturday and Sunday I spent two hours visiting homes and workplaces of friends and neighbors to ask for donations of just $1. It worked really well. Not only did I get to spend some time with people I don’t get to see often, but I also got to talk to them about history that is close to our hometown. I got a great response from these people, especially from my veterinarian. He is older, and gave me a book he has on the LCBD to borrow. Overall, this experience has been a really good one. Not only did I get to help raise money to save a piece of local history, but I got to learn and teach about LCBD. I learned a lot while doing this, especially about the LCBD. I also learned that regular people around her still care about history, even in financially stressful times.