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Inspiring creativity and social change

Elkins is so fortunate to have a history of fostering creative, intelligent and productive people who keep the spirit of innovation and social change alive.

At Kump Education Center we are constantly inspired by the muse of history and the spirit of change.

“The Ghost of a Good Guy” celebration of Gov. H.G. Kump’s 140th birthday last Sunday was a time to think about the important changes that took place in the early 20th Century.

During the life of Gov. Kump, the great social issues were Women’s Suffrage in 1920 and Prohibition passed in 1920 and repealed in 1933.

In his 1933 “Inaugural Address” Gov. Kump said that laws should be made “in accord with the traditions of our people and the values of our day.”

Kump knew that change should come for those who did not have equal rights and for those who fell into a life of crime by way of natural human appetites and weaknesses.

Thanks to Cindy Gunning’s acting talent and understanding of comedy our “Ghost of a Good Guy” was fun.

Cindy added Halloween puns with bona fide humor to my skeleton interview full of historic quotations.

She made an otherwise dry oral history interview come alive. Our radio interview on “Magic Air” from RIP Broadcasting may be continued next year.

Andrew Carroll is another talented young person who makes life more interesting in Elkins.

He teaches English and coaches the Elkins High School debate team.

At Kump Center on Sunday, two young members of his team debated the resolution: Humans are fundamentally different from other animals.

This topic offered a philosophical tone suitable for the idea of social change.

Another creative person who made our “The Ghost of a Good Guy” event possible is Jo Rockwell.

She is a talented local seamstress who can make anything from curtains to ghosts.

Jo helped me find old clothing from the Kump family to dress our ghosts and skeleton.

Sharell Harmon, our part-time Preservation Alliance AmeriCorps member, planned and directed the children’s activities.

She helped the kids decorate their own cupcakes and to put together little paper skeletons.

Thanks to theses creative individuals, we are working to build a brighter future.

We try to be faithful to the best motivations of the generations who went before us to ensure that we leave our community with tools to support appropriate educational opportunities for the next generation.

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