Thumbs column

OPINION

Hot Springs and Garland County citizens will continue to salute the service and sacrifices of Arkansas and American veterans and applaud recent community events and Monday's Memorial Day tributes that publicly recognized all who have defended our nation's values and freedoms and all who remain committed to those causes.

On the subject of giving back, we begin today's column with a "Thumbs-up" and "Thank you" to Hot Springs Village resident Shari Koch for her role in assisting members of the Colonel John Washington Chapter Colonial Dames 17th Century, with making Braille American flags that will be given to students at the Arkansas School for the Blind.

For her pivotal part in joining with Judy Robbins, chapter president, and others, in turning out 210 of these special flags, as well as helping the chapter with numerous other projects, Koch was conferred with the title of honorary member, a new classification created by CD17C.

"Your good works are most appreciated, Sharon."

Here is a "Thumbs-up" to the city of Hot Springs for honoring Henry Glover, an accomplished African American musician and music executive with a Malvern Avenue parklet that now bears his name.

The parklet, located in the 300 block of Malvern, was dedicated on the 100th anniversary of Glover's birth and commemorates the Hot Springs native's numerous contributions to the music industry.

The dedication ceremony was attended by his daughter, Sherry Glover Thompson, of Laurel, Md., and his niece, Helen Ruth Collins, of Coden, Ala.

By the same token, here is another "Thumbs-up" to all of the Norma Lampert Memorial Lupus Springers 5K Race participants for coming out to support the event and raising $4,790 for the Lupus Foundation of Arkansas, Inc.

Foundation president Jamesetta Smith noted that while this year's attendance was lower than usual and included "mainly new faces," the event is still one of the organization's largest fundraisers.

Anne Perry, of Glenwood, won the Women's Division with a time of 22:12 and James Helms, of Royal, was first in the Men's Division with a time of 19:11.

Meanwhile, we give a "Thumbs-up" to the Unitarian Universalist Village Church for its recent gift of $2,985 to the Imagination Library of the Ouachitas.

Imagination Library of the Ouachitas is an affiliate of Dolly Parton's Imagination Library program through which registered children -- up to their fifth birthday -- receive by monthly mail an age-appropriate book to bolster their early reading habits. More than 4,000 children are registered in Garland, Montgomery and Pike counties.

UUVC donations came from church members and friends as part of its "Share the Plate" offering.

And while we are on the "upside," here is a big "Thumbs-up" to the Lakeside fishing team for reeling in some impressive seasonal stats -- its 15 pairings bringing home eight first-place finishes, nine second-place finishes, and 36 top-five finishes over 17 tournaments and three trails.

The Rams' success also qualified Kanon Goss and Cole Martin, last year's Trader Bill's Junior Angler of the Year, for competition in the 2021 Mossy Oak Fishing Bassmaster High School National Championship from July 29-31 on Lake Chickamauga in Dayton, Tenn.

Congratulations to head fishing coach Christy Culbreath and her anglers, not only for their fishing achievements but for also learning more about good environmental conservation practices.

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 in writing with a telephone number and home address for verification purposes. This information is kept confidential.

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