Fairmont State University - Mound Yearbook (Fairmont, WV)

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TOP LEFT: Campus at night. TOP RIGHT: Karen Thompson snacks in the Student Center between classes. ABOVE: The New River Gorge Bridge undergoing construction. OPPOSITE PAGE: TOP: Jeff Humphrey and Hannah Hardway enjoy themselves at the freshman orientation dinner. BOTTOM LEFT: New River in southern W. Va. BOTTOM RIGHT: A view from under It.

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' Redneck, redneck ' : The worst thing you can call another is . The worst thing you can call another person is not a series of four letter expletives, nor is it anything to do with the person ' s parentage. The worst thing you can call another is a redneck. Most people not familiar with West Virginia seem to think that every person living in the Mountain State has redneck tendencies. I was visiting in Pennsylvania last summer and got into an enlightening discussion with one of the natives. You-all from West Virginny, are ya? the native asked as he smiled and stuck a wad of tobacco in his jaw. I was down there onced, but there was too damn many rednecks, so I just come on home. I smiled politely and tried to move away with as much dignity as I could muster. I said something cute about having to look for some good copper tubing for my still and tried to hurry away. I ' m glad to see that you people finally got some sense and elected a person with some breeding and education to be you-all ' s governor, he said while picking his teeth with a straw he had pulled from his hat. Jay looks like he ' s going to do a lot for your state, he went on. He just might pave your roads and build you decent schools. voted for Udall myself. At this point, I politely excused myself, telling him that my moonshine was running all over the back woods and I had to go find my copper tubing. One more thing, he yelled, where you from in West Virginny? Clarksburg, I answered. Do you live around here? Hell, no, I ' m just visiting. I ' m from Philadelphia. I smiled and hurried off. I don ' t like being around the natives when they are restless or on vacation. ' ? + t I smiled again and muttered something about Gov. Rockefeller signing into law a bill to sow grass on all state and privately supported cow paths. I told you that Jay was on the ball, he grinned, showing his throat through his gaping green teeth. I wish the rest of the country would show your sense and get that redneck from Georgia out of the White House. I TOP: The Ad. Building in winter. BELOW: Leita Calocia enjoys a football game. OPPOSITE PAGE: A decayed farmhouse. INSET: J. B. actors Jana Neuwirth and Karl Lengel rehearse.

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Statistics and other interesting phenomena: Did you know that the world ' s longest steel-arch bridge is in West Virginia? West Virginia has the world ' s longest steel-arch bridge, the New River Gorge Bridge near Fayetteville spanning 1 ,700 feet across the New River. The geographic center of the state is four miles east of Sutton in Braxton County. West Virginia ' s highest point is Spruce Knob at 4,863 feet, while the Potomac River is its lowest at 240 feet. The largest lake in the state is the man-made Summersville Lake, which measures four square miles in area with a 65-mile shoreline and a maximum depth of 267 feet. The three national forests in the Mountain State are the George Washington, the Jefferson and the Monongahela. West Virginia is the only state located entirely within the Appalachian Mountains. The state ' s ten largest cities in order of population are Huntington, Charleston, Wheeling, Parkersburg, Morgantown, Weirton, Fairmont, Clarksburg, Beckley, and Bluefield. The total population of the state from a July 1 , 1 975, census is 1 ,803,000. You look up at ' If . You stand at the bottom of the New River Gorge in a little place in the road called Fayette Station, and you look up at It. A feeling of awe and wonder passes through you, and perhaps even a touch of fear. It is the New River Gorge Bridge — a man- made marvel, towering over the New River like a pagan idol. Tons of steel and gallons of sweat and blood went into its making, a dream many called impossible. On Sundays, wide-eyed tourists in the ir big fancy cars travel the tortuous road just to get a glimpse of It and maybe a picture or two. Natives to the area shake their heads in amazement, wondering what all the fuss is about. But, secretly, they stare at It in wonder, too. And, the majestic New River, untouched by man, continues to roar beneath it. Perhaps there are some things that shouldn ' t be changed.