WAR HERO, COMMUNITARIAN, RETAILER DIES
BLUEFIELD WV 3-9-10
One of Bluefield’s leading citizens, 89 year old Max Kammer, died Monday morning at BRMC from a heart related ailment. Kammer began working for his father at Kammer Furnture on Bland Street just after returning from World War Two as an Army Captain with 2 Bronze Stars and 1 Purple Heart. In the year’s since, Max Kammer oversaw construction of Bluefield National Guard Unit as a Lieutenant Colonel while acting as American Legion Post Commander for Riley Vest Post Number 9.
Max Kammer was named furniture Retailer of the year from the National Home Furnishing Association and received a distinguished Citizen Award from both the Boy Scouts and the American legion. But it was his war experience that perhaps most shaped Max Kammer’s character as his son Harry Kammer explains.
HARRY KAMMER
“He never talked much about the war at all William. But he did tell me something one day. I said I was stressed out because this lady wanted to take her furniture back. He’d heard my generation say ‘I’m stressed out and he said, let me tell you about stress, son. Stress is being 20 something and being a Captain, behind enemy lines in the Battle of the Bulge. Stresscaught behind enemy lines with no water resistant clothes in freezing weather, not knowing if left, right, straight or behind was the right way to go, with a Dog Tag that said Jewish, knowing that if he’s caught, he’d be shot. He said now that’s stress. We can always make Mrs. Jones happy and that made me feel that as bad as something might seem, it’s not really severe enough to stress about when compared to the life or death challenges he had to go through.”
Captain Max Kammer was with General Patton when the 3rd army liberated emaciated , mostly Jewish captives at concentration camps.
BOARD VOTES TO LENGTHEN SCHOOL DAY
TAZEWELL VA 3-9-10
At this week’s meeting, the Tazewell County School Board unanimously voted to lengthen the school day by 35 minutes beginning on Monday March 15th. The school year ends on June 10th in Tazewell County, as previously planned and will again begin in the third week of August on Thursday the 19th. These measures were taken in large part because of numerous missed instructional days due to this winter’s record snowfall.
West Virginia schools do not yet have flexibility to significantly extend the year but will request that students attend school until Tuesday June 8th which is longer than expected. The teacher work day of Monday April 2nd will also likely be transformed into a normal instructional day.
According to Kellan Sarles of the Mercer County Board of Education, Mercer County school’s already exceed the state’s minimum instructional time requirements by keeping High Schoolers in class till 3:30.
Legislation passed in West Virginia just this last month will allow public schools to begin earlier and though it’s not yet set, look for Mercer County schools to begin as early as the third week in August with a schedule similar to that of Virginia schools.
These school dates will be set in the near future.
The Tazewell County school Board recessed their session until March 23rd when the school year budget will be addressed.
ADVENTURE RADIO WINS BIG AT WVBA BANQUET
Broadcasting awards were dispensed again this year at this week’s annual meeting of the West Virginia Broadcasters Association. At the end of the night’s ceremony Bluefield based Adventure Radio came away with five broadcasting awards including: Station of the year won by J104.5, Doug Dillon of Kicks Country won The Best Morning Show award. Adventure Radio news won for Best News Coverage and Adventure Radio Sports won the award for the Best Sportscast. J104.5 won the night’s most prestigious award for Legendary Station which is bestowed to only one West Virginia radio station each year.
I asked Vice President Danny Clemons how Adventure Radio managed to garner so many awards this year.
“It’s total teamwork. From the programming department all the way down to engineering, sales and administrative in order for an award of this magnitude to be received. Our original mission statement was provide a product for the community and service the community we live in and that’s what we do.”
Bluefield based WVVA won the award for best TV station in West Virginia.
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