The Daily News-Journal from Murfreesboro, Tennessee • 9

Thursday, March 8,2001, Daily News Journal, Murfreesboro, Tenn. 1B su)plemenis under study Staff Columnist Chuck Jones a visionary for Smyrna He works like a Lion. He walks like a Lion. And he does this, you see, as a blind man. That's one of the most inspiring aspects of Smyrna Lions Club President Chuck Jones, who was born without the benefit of sight most people take for granted.

For Chuck, each step he takes in life is a step based on blind faith. i it- i 7 "'-'f 7' sors of academic organizations, such as the Quiz Bowl team and BETA club, according to Gail Tune, assistant superintendent of human resources for the system. "In Williamson county, they approach the process differently," Tune said. "They have determined that each school gets so many slots. The principal has the right to select from those different activities to fill that allocated number of slots." Tune prepared an analysis comparing the Rutherford County system to Williamson County's, as well as the district in Montgomery County, which is similar in size to the one here, Montgomery County pays coaches on a separate salary schedule based on years of experience for particular sports, she said.

Rutherford County pays its coaches a set amount based on a percentage of what a fifth-year teacher makes. Head football coaches are at the top of the scale, making 22 percent. Any supplement changes the board QPayfor athletic, academic activities in teachers9 request By Scott Brodem Staff writer Rutherford County School Board members will review a report on teacher pay supplements for academ- ic and athletic activities. The board's Personnel Finance Committee will meet at 5 p.m. Thursday at Superintendent Hulon Watson's conference room.

At the previous meeting, committee Chairman Gary Patton recommended that the staff study the supplements offered in Williamson County where teachers earn extra pay for sponsoring academic activities as well as coaching sporty Rutherford County offers extra pay for teachers who coach sports teams andcheerleading squads and serve as band directors. It does not offer extra pay for spon feScrPA243 wants to make must be negotiated with the teachers union, Rutherford Education Association, Tune said. The REA has been seeking more supplements fpr years, according to Sue Lee Cain, president of the local union that represents teachers, principals, counselors, librarians and other certified educators. In addition to supplements, the system will review proposed budget cuts for the 2001-2002 budget The staff has trimmed it down to $139.5 million at the committee chairman's request, according to Jeff Sandvig, assistant superintendent for budget and finance, Despite the cuts, the budget proposal still contains money to hire a third-grade educational assistant for every three classes, as well as a seventh-grade technology upgrade that calls for adding a computer for every five students in the classroom, Sandvig said. Today's column is an ode to a man who oversees a major Smyrna civic club, whose members are dedicated to sight DNJ photo by Jim Davis Jtece car driver Shawna Robinson cruises round the Nashville Superspeedway track test tires Monday as workers put the fin-lushing touches on the grandstand.

Dan Whittle Today's Daily Special: Science Technology i smooth- and Drivers give good rating month before first event By Jim Davis gifting writer The new Nashville Superspeedway is on6 step closer 22o its opening next month as drivers started breaking in Jjhe all-concrete track this week. Tun Steele and Shawna Robinson took to the 1.33-Jnile, D-shape oval for tire testing Monday in prepara-vtidn for' the inaugural event, the ARCA PFG Lester 150 1n April tThis hew track is really nice, I'm really surprised, Show smooth the surface is," said Steele. "Usually on a new race track and especially an all-concrete track it can be pretty rough. fZ they have really done a good job. It's really a 1 vy- I jood surface except for a little bump coming out of turn 4wo.

That isn't anything 66 inajor, and a little grind ing will take care of that" 'You have to be smooth and consistent on this DNJ photo by Ames Bailey training assistant Ethel Cobbett teaches Tracy Winton and The major events, on the schedule after the race are the Pepsi 300 BGN race on April In MTSU's new biotech lab, graduate Charles Sissom the latest technology. 14, Indy Racing Northern track. It will be a Lights, July 21, NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series, JITieSSe traCK, ana Aug. 10, and the MBNA that the kind Of All-American Thanksgiv track that Hike. 9 Shawna Robinson Race car driver ing Classic on Nov.

25. "You have to be smooth and consistent on this track," explained preservation. And 'Chuck's visionary leadership to the Lions Club's sight work does not go unnoticed. "Chuck is taking a lemon and making lemonade, and being everything that he can be," Smyrna Mayor Robert Mullins said. "He inspires not only by his willingness to be gainfully employed, but by his willingness to give of himself in a major way by serving as president of one of the town's major civic clubs.

"Chuck must be pulling his weight in the Lions Club, or members of this organization would not have put him at the helm for the year 2001," the mayor added. "The Smyrna Lions Club was very visionary when they installed Chuck Jones, one of our community 's good guys, as president." Who is Chuck Jones? He's more than just a blind man. He's a Christian who recently celebrated his 42nd birthday, not by whining for help, but by walking unassisted into La Vergne's new Southern Belle Restaurant with 25 members of his Sunday school class. Chuck's walk, you see, is all about faith, he says. "I love the Lord," Jones said.

"I love my Smyrna First Baptist Church which has grown by leaps and bounds in recent years to be, perhaps, Rutherford County's largest congregation. "Our church is about individual relationships with the Lord, and individual Sunday school classes where we bond and unite to brace ourselves against the rigors of life's reality- "I'm in what is known as the Claude Cooper Sunday School class," Jones said. "We meet each week for fellowship with our Lord and to help one another. We pray for the sick. We help feed and clothe the homeless.

When we care for the least, we're loving the Lord." Chuck's a hard worker. Until recently, he held not one, but two jobs at restaurants near his Gracy Street residence where street signs in the neighborhood warn motorists to be on the lookout for "blind children." "One of life's biggest blessings is having health good enough to be able to work," noted Chuck. Those old road signs about blind children were put up a long time ago as a result of a mother who obviously loved her two blind boys dearly. "Those road signs are because of the efforts of our mom, who died of a heart attack three years ago," Chuck explained with a smile. 'They're for me and my older brother, Johnny (age 50), who is also genetically blind.

I guess you can see, we're no longer children." Dai Whltdu tolumi cai rad mry Tbinday aid Saturday la Tha Daily Ntws JoanuL highly skilled work force and to develop and facilitate development of new technologies that will strengthen and attract economic growth and prosperity to the region," said Seipelt. The group became a member of the Tennessee Biotechnology Association and along with Vanderbilt, Tennessee Tech and other regional universities formed a Biotechnology Round-table to talk with industries and business people about forming an alliance. Last November, MTSU held a Science and Technology Collaboration Symposium that drew considerable interest from industry and business. Through the program, two MTSU students recently completed internships with the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation. "They were doing DNA Biotech, page 4B) MTSU teams with industry for internships By Susan Bowmer Staff Writer The MTSU's Biotechnology Resource Group has moved from an idea to reality.

Through the combined efforts and skills of the College of Basic and Applied Sciences faculty, the resource group formed last year with plans "to promote the sharing of knowledge and skills among a multi-disciplinary group of said professor Becky Seipelt of the MTSU biology department. "The Biotechnology Resource Group's main objectives are to provide education services which will produce a $Log on to Internet to plan a wedding By Lisa Marchesoni Staff writer Brides and grooms planning a wedding may take a 21st century approach by creating a wedding Web page. The Wed- ding Plan-It, an online ww wedding planner, allows couples to build or edit Web pages and view other couples' wedding Web pages on its Internet site at www.weddingplan-it.com. That site is one of a number of Internet sources allowing couples to plan their dream wedding online. One site with regional appeal may be eWed-ding Shops, a Franklin-based wedding guide at www.eWeddingShops.com.

Tim Molyneux, co-founder of eWedding (See Log, page 4B) Robinson. "It will be a fi- nesse track, and that's the kind of track that I like, 'Turn three and four is easy to get through, but you have to think about what you are doing in one and two. But the track is going to be fast" Speedway general manager CM Hawks was trying to stay warm as a cold wind cut across pit lane. But it did-; n't keep him from having a big smile about what he was seeing in the infield. "Today is a real exciting day for us" commented "We have been out here for almost eight to now see the cars out on the track really makes the complex come alive.

"It brings the track to life and that is what we have hcen waiting for. We will see a lot more activity in the doming weeks with the ultimate premier weekend, April 33th and 14th." I Construction continued on the grandstands as the drivers took turns on the oval. The facility jSs still, in the process of adding the finishing touches with ferews working nearly around the clock to complete the project. "You can't come out on the first day a new track is Ippen and expect everything to be perfect," added Steele. JThere isn't equipment made to get the race surface all gleaned up.

What is needed is a whole bunch of race cars Jj)ut there to blow everything off. when they get all the work done it will be a top-otch facility. From the suites to the infield, it will be -class Chit I ins fuel Eagleville Community Center "We use only the finest of swine innards," Lamb detailed as hands moved expertly in a blur to remove any aftermath of residue. "For the typical dedicated chitlins eaters, such as Smyrna brothers Preacher, Pete, And Mary Alice was -pyr a found up to her elbows Monday, Tuesday and EagiWlHrt Wednesday as she and ChltllltS Supper helpers go through the de- will be held tailed process of cleaning Saturday from 4-7 the mountain of chitlins p.m. at Eagleville scheduled to slide down Community Center, area pallets Saturday 1 2fr -ssea Mary Alice Lamb 'queen9 of fine cuisine By Dam Whittle Staff writer EAGLEVILLE Eagleville Community Center the house that hog guts built.

And when Mary Alice Lamb cooks chitlins, the whole town knows it: Make that region, because an entire region of folks ranging from 500 to 600 annually turns out for Mary Alice Lamb's chitterlings suppers that, over the past 25-year period, have funded the construction, operations and upkeep of Ea-gleville's Community Center. night. Her host of dedicated chitlins cookers and cleaners include her husband, Gordon, who credits chitlins with helping in the continued success of his longtime marriage, along with neighbors Johnny and Nina Merritt, L.R. Edmundson and George Brown. "They're my loyal legion of chitlins helpers," said the head chitlins chef.

Dickie and Robert Lee, chitlins are considered a delicacy, actually." "Robert is perhaps the most loyal, because he now lives in Cheatham County, but doesn't miss one of my chitlins suppers," Lamb noted. "I've known the Lee brothers all my life, since both families go back to Triune during our youth. I'm still cooking up chitlins, and I'm 71. But we regularly have peo-(See Chitlins, page 4B) DNJ photo by Jim Davis driver Tim Steele works on a shock mount Ilmder his hood In the pits of the Nashville before taking his car out on I the new track for tire testing. 1 1.