The Town of Bramwell is hosting a ceremony to dedicate the Phoebe Goodwill Memorial Bridge crossing the Bluestone River on Mercer County Route 120 near the Bramwell Presbyterian Church at 2 p.m. today. The public is invited and a reception will follow. The home of Phillip and Phoebe Goodwill, a blue Queen Anne structure, overlooks the bridge and is a photo icon for tourism in this area.
Special guest for the ceremony, Senate Majority Leader H. Truman Chafin, introduced the Senate Concurrent Resolution to name the bridge in honor of Mrs. Goodwill. She and her husband, Philip, were early pioneers in the coalfields of southern West Virginia. They owned Goodwill Coal & Coke Company.
Phoebe and Philip built a mansion overlooking Bluestone, and they played an important role in making Bramwell the booming business capitol of the coalfields. The bill recognized her as representative of the strong women of the pioneer coal mining days.
The first Governor’s Summit on Young Talent will convene today at the Governor’s Mansion in Charleston. More than 100 young West Virginians from various backgrounds and occupations are expected to participate. “It is important to give young people an opportunity to voice their opinions and suggestions on how to take our state to the next level,” Gov. Joe Manchin said. “A few of years ago, I created the Governor’s Council of Young Professionals to give young people a voice in state government as we chart our state’s future. This summit is a direct result of those council meetings.”
Gov. Manchin identified one of the challenges that West Virginia has faced — retaining and attracting young and talented people.
Last Saturday night there was enough excitement and drama in the emergency department at Bluefield Regional Hospital to fill a seasons worth of episodes for “ER.” Strokes, broken bones, accidents, sudden illness, and a menu full of other problems kept the emergency room staff hopping. A family member of mine was extremely ill.
When I first arrived on the grounds near the emergency entrance I was stopped by a nurse doing traffic duty for an emergency medical helicopter flight. She sent me on through. Once inside I found the staff basically in a “lockdown” mode because they were expecting trauma cases involved in a local accident.
I remained glued to my station as a fleet of emergency vehicles arrived and departed throughout the evening. Meanwhile, the BRMC’s ER staff was at the pinnacle of professionalism taking care of everyone in a timely and orderly manner.
In any event the staff at the trauma unit (emergency room) in Bluefield performed an amazing job, saved several lives and took it all in stride as another day’s work. Nurse Jackie couldn’t hold a candle to the people on the ER staff at the Bluefield Regional Medical Center. Yes, we sometimes complain about the wait or whatever, but only they and the patients whose lives are entrusted to their judgment know the real story beyond the ER doors. And thanks.
Delegate John R. Frazier (25th District) has received an endorsement from the West Virginians for Life Political Action Committee. Frazier was given the endorsement for the work he did to help pass the pro-life Ultrasound Option Law.
Gov. Joe Manchin said he’d like to see West Virginias other 54 counties follow Mercer County’s lead and offer classes during spring break.
U.S. Rep. Nick Rahall said he worked to pass the Improper Payments Elimination and Recovery Act, which will reduce waste, fraud and abuse and protect U.S. taxpayer dollars by holding federal agencies accountable. “Federal agencies must be responsible for every taxpayer dollar they spend,” Rahall said. “We must ensure program funds are improving the life and well being of Americans, building and improving infrastructure, while at the same time, reducing the deficit — this is exactly the type of legislation that corrects an accountability problem and protects tax dollars of hard-working West Virginians.”
There you have it, a few comments on items of interest to the area. I hope you are having a blue sky day. The May 11 primary election is just a few days away. Please vote. And one more thing ... Mercer County has lost a friend. The passing of Don Caruth has left a void in our hearts.
Wilson Butt, a resident of Bluefield, is a retired Department of Highways official.
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May 5, 2010
Bramwell to honor pioneer woman
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