Brother Roy L. Auvenshine, 63, who served as pastor of Bethlehem Baptist Church at Greenfield, died of an apparent heart attack Thursday morning.

    In addition to serving as pastor of Bethlehem Baptist Church, Bro. Auvenshine, who resided at 889 Bynum Road, Greenfield, used his carpentry skills as a homebuilder to help those less fortunate. He was known for his humanitarian efforts in numerous mission trips to Honduras, where he and other local volunteers worked to build a church, as well as church additions.

    Brother Wayne Perkins, who serves as Director of Missions of Weakley County Baptist Association, said of his lifelong friend Roy Auvenshine, “He’s been pastor of Bethlehem Baptist Church since March of 1976. He had one church before that – New Hope Baptist Church at Latham, where he was pastor for about four years.

    “He was born the Fourth of July 1944 (in Dresden),” Perkins said. “His dad (C.D. Auvenshine) also had that same birth date of July 4th.

    “He grew up partially down here and partially up north, because his dad went north for work.

    “Roy and I met each other in 1948 when my dad was an evangelistic singer and so forth. We went to their church and that was when I first met Roy. He was four years old and I was eight. So, we’ve been friends and our families have been close friends through the years.

    “When Roy entered the ministry in 1972, we became fast friends. I mean, we just welded together and we were closer than a lot of blood brothers are.

    “My own brother died last week; and we buried him last Tuesday. This is just like another wave of the same storm, because he was so close to me.

    “Roy was a graduate of Mid-Continent University in Mayfield, where he graduated in 1977.

    “He has played a key role, not only in his family and church, but also in the association of churches – our 44 Southern Baptist churches here in Weakley County – the Weakley County Baptist Association. He’s been a key player in that all of his life.

    “He’s been like a rock to a lot of people, and he’s been admired and respected by everybody that knew him. He was kind and kind-hearted.

    “He had a great commitment to the Lord.

    “He was working for Kellwood when the Lord called him to preach, where he was over quality control. So, he quit that job and took a church. That was quite a move in those days. He had a good job and quit that and began working for the Lord. Then, he worked for Miller Ham Company for awhile. He went full-time after he got out of college.

    “He was also in politics for awhile. He ran against Roy Herron for State Representative when that seat first opened up. He was a staunch Republican. But he was more staunch in what was right against what was wrong. He didn’t even like all of the Republicans.

    Concerning his mission trips, Perkins said, “Roy was the director of our team when we would go. I would direct the logistics of it for our association. But, when we got to the site, Roy was the team leader and head honcho of the construction team. We went not only here in the states to West Virginia, where we’d go every summer, but we’d go to Honduras in January of each year. We were scheduled to go to Honduras three weeks from tonight, and he was to have been the head of our construction team again. We were already making plans and talking about that. He has been there the last three years and this would have been the fourth. He’s also been on mission trips to Iowa and Michigan.” Bro. Perkins stated that Roy also did construction team work here in our area, including the fellowship hall addition at Fuller Street Baptist Church in Dresden.

    “It’s like pulling the plug on one of the main circuits when he was taken out of that role. That’s minor compared to his family and to his church, but he was very involved in volunteer missions.

    As for his secular activities, Bro. Perkins stated that Roy also worked as a contractor building houses in the area, which he did to supplement his income. “It worked well for him. He could manage that and still be a pastor.

    Speaking of the loss of his friend, Bro. Perkins said, “Personally, it hurts me. A lot of people are like me, who depended on him. He was just as strong support. He was sympathetic with you. He had a lot of wisdom. If you thought you knew what you wanted to do, you’d call him and he would help by steering you one way or another in helping you to make up your mind. He was just that kind of person. He was a father figure to a lot of these young preachers. This county is full of Roy Auvenshine want-to-bes. All of these young preachers want to be like Roy. He was an outstanding leader – a key leader – in our entire area. I doubt there is a man more admired, respected, looked up to, or liked in this county than Roy Auvenshine. That’s not just talking about Baptists or the people of Greenfield or Dresden - that’s people from all over the county – they knew him. He preached lots of funerals and visited people in the hospital like a lot of pastors do; but he just went the extra mile with people. He was a strong leader. He didn’t need to take a survey to figure out what was right. He knew what was right, and he’d voice that. That’s the way he walked in his walk (with God). It’s painful for all of us. He somebody we can’t replace. It’s created quite a vacuum, of course, in his family. And his church, he’s been there 31 years plus. An in the association and in my life personally, it’s just a big hole there today.”

(Read the rest of this story in the January 2nd print edition of the Dresden Enterprise.)

    Another lawsuit was filed in Weakley County Circuit Court on December 20 concerning the alleged mold problem at Westview High School and Martin Middle School, which according to a group of parents, students and teachers at the schools, is causing students to be sick – some severely so.

    The lawsuit, filed by Attorney Larry Parish of Memphis, on behalf of Mrs. Carol Hinman and her biological children – Griffin Pochop, age 17, and Dominique Pochop, age 15, who reside on Jenny Lane in Martin, charges that negligence has led to Westview being a public nuisance, and calls for the plaintiffs being compensated for compensatory and punitive damages and recovery of costs and attorneys fees in prosecuting the case.

    Defendants named in the case are the Weakley County Board of Education and Richard Barber in his official capacity as director of Weakley County Schools, as well in his capacity as an individual.

    The lawsuit recounts some of the pertinent facts concerning Westview High School, where classes began at the newly constructed school on August 25, 1997. It notes that during the summer of 1998, the heating and air conditioning system at the school malfunctioned, causing water to saturate the indoor areas of Westview and generate toxic mold growth inside of the premises. However, it was approximately two weeks before the HVAC malfunction was discovered, by which time vent covers, walls, floors, ceilings, library books, chairs, desks and other fixtures were covered with “slime” (i.e. mold and mildew).

    The lawsuit states that the board of education used school employees to attempt to remedy the conditions inside of Westview caused by the malfunction, including manually removing water and observable mold and use of industrial fans inside the school for a period of weeks. However, since the HVAC malfunction, Westview has continuously been infested with continuously reappearing toxic mold on ceiling tiles, the upper cement blocks of walls, specific areas of tile floor, desks, hot water heaters, cafeteria vents, return ducts and other spaces and places.

    Concerning specific allegations of health hazards caused by the mold problems at the school, Mrs. Hinman states in the lawsuit that in August of 2004, Griffin Pochop commenced classes at Westview as a freshman student (at the old high school building). It states: “Before his attendance at Westview, he had been a person of sound health, activity, athleticism, high moral character, drive, motivation and competitiveness, high intelligence / scholarship, and a person of leadership among peers.” Griffin’s interests in activities included being a member of the student council, yearbook staff, Interact, and Spanish Club, as well as his youth group at church and attention to his studies.

(Read the rest of this story in this week's print edition of the Dresden Enterprise.)

   Governor Phil Bredesen has announced the appointment of State Representative Mark Maddox (D-Dresden) to the Legislative Advisory Council of the Southern Regional Education Board (SREB).  Maddox’s term coincides with the legislative term.

    Founded in 1948, the Southern Regional Education Board is a nonprofit, nonpartisan organization that works with leaders and policy-makers in 16 member states to improve pre-K through postsecondary education.  Through many nationally recognized programs and services, SREB’s mission is helping states achieve 12 Challenge to Lead Goals for Education. 

    The Legislative Advisory Council is the largest standing advisory body to the Board.  Maddox joins House Speaker Pro Tem Lois DeBerry, Representative Eddie Yokley, State Senator Charlotte Burks, and State Senator Reginald Tate, to complete Tennessee’s delegation.

    Maddox said, “Education is a key to economic development for Weakley County, the state of Tennessee and our Southern Region.  I am humbled that Governor Bredesen has placed his confidence in me to help improve education across the region.  I am glad to serve Tennessee’s citizens on the SREB Legislative Advisory Council.”