Thumbs column

File photo
File photo

The Hot Springs Documentary Film Festival (Oct. 18-26), this Friday's 10th anniversary tribute to the Garland County Veterans Memorial and Military Park, and, of course, a host of other happenings and Halloween-related activities will be a collective ode to the eighth month of the year as uniquely celebrated in the resort city.

So, on that upbeat note, let's give a big "Thumbs-up" to National Park College for achieving a 3% increase in enrollment -- the second consecutive year NPC has seen an uptick in the number of new students.

At a time when many state colleges and universities have seen a decrease in their student populations, NPC's continuing investment in new facilities and programs has been rewarded with positive results.

Congratulations to the NPC administration, faculty, and staff for their hard work in making the college a point of pride for Garland County.

By the same token -- and in salute to community service -- here's another "Thumbs-up" to LifeNet's Hannah's Lights program that supplies pre-K through third-grade students with green flashing reflective lights to put on their backpacks to promote bus stop safety.

The program honors the late Hannah Martin, a 7-year-old Lake Hamilton Elementary School student who died after being struck by her school bus in the dim morning light of Sept. 21, 2012. LifeNet paramedic Bobby King responded to the call and in 2013 started the program that now serves Garland County and Hot Spring County schools

Sponsors Farmers Bank & Trust, Windows USA, Allen Tillery Auto Group, Stephens Systems, and area donors contributed to the $7,742 needed to purchase 6,500 lights for this school year.

Many thanks to Bobby King, LifeNet, and everyone who supports this safety initiative.

Meanwhile, a Hot Springs resident sends out her "Thumbs-up" to the Parks and Trails landscape team and the Master Gardeners for the "wonderful job they did in our medians during this long, hot summer."

And she added in a recent email to this columnist, "These areas were truly beautiful. Keeping all the flower beds weeded and watered cannot have been easy -- especially in the heat and dryness we've had in recent months. Their hard work is not taken for granted."

And Amanda Kennedy, a certified public accountant with her own firm in Hot Springs Village, has a "Thumbs-up" to some officers with the Hot Springs Village Police Department and shares an earlier post with our readers so she can again express her sincere appreciation for the recent good deed.

Kennedy wrote that after a tax deadline at work and then when she was rushing off to a board meeting in Little Rock, she had a flat tire. "Shout out to HSV PD who showed up and changed my tire for me. It was like 120 degrees and they, of course, were wearing all their police stuff but they were kind and cheerful and quicker than AAA!

"Thank you, gentlemen!"

Conversely, here's a "Thumbs-down" to the parking lot litterers who persist in leaving their paper trash and even yucky food remnants around for other business customers and managers to have to deal with all too often.

And add to this group, the shopping cart "slingers" who are more than happy to leave the conveyances here and there so shopping center, grocery store, or pharmacy patrons have to dodge them when trying to find a space for their cars.

It doesn't take a lot of time to be considerate of others.

And finally, permit this correspondent to change the subject to literary circles and give a definite "Thumbs-up" to "The Favorite Daughter," the latest novel by Patti Callahan Henry. The prolific author's newest offering relates the story of a family dealing with the heartaches of Alzheimer's disease, the estrangement of two sisters, and a journey toward understanding and forgiveness.

The writing is superb and the lessons learned are universal. Also special are the select chapter heading quotations about "memory," such as this Irish proverb: "May you never forget what is worth remembering, nor ever remember what is best forgotten."

The Thumbs Column appears in The Sentinel-Record the first and third Wednesday of each month. The newspaper welcomes readers' comments and suggestions, which should be submitted with a name, telephone number and home address, for verification and contact purposes. This information is kept confidential.

Editorial on 10/02/2019

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