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Cheer: Ken Jones
We were saddened by the news that Ken Jones, founder of the Cochise College Center for Economic Research, died this week.
Jones left a legacy with the college and this community. He led the way by giving local businesspeople information about the local economy, and he developed a center that acts as a database for local residents and many others wanting to know about the community’s economic aspects. He also was an educator, teaching beyond the classroom and helping local residents understand the economy, including via columns in the Herald/Review.
While the center moves on with its important work, Jones will not be forgotten. As college President Karen Nicodemus said Thursday, Jones’ fingerprints are still all over the center’s everyday work. He laid the foundation for a successful economic center, one that Robert Carreira has ably continued to grow.
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He even left an impact on the state level. On Friday, Gov. Janet Napolitano, in a statement to the Herald/Review, said, “This is a real loss. Ken had an excellent mind and was an excellent economic analyst. He was a real contributor to the economic forums in Sierra Vista. I will miss him.”
There is more to Jones, however. He also can be seen as an inspiration. In 2005, he stepped down as director of the center. He didn’t seek out attention. He went humbly, but he didn’t go quietly.
Despite health problems in the years prior, he showed that being blind and being in a wheelchair shouldn’t stop anyone. He had a vision and he worked to make that become reality.
Jones should be celebrated for the upfront and generous man that he was, and for what he gave the college and Cochise County. Jones left those gifts so that others could succeed.
Jeer: Spitzer
Now former New York Gov. Eliot Spitzer’s demise this week was as stunning as it was quick.
No one would have thought that Spitzer, a Democrat who made his name tackling corruption on Wall Street and even received the title “Crusader of the Year” by Time magazine, would be in the middle of a scandal involving prostitution.
But that’s just what he’s in the middle of.
It’s more than disappointing to see someone who seemed to fight for what is right fall so hard and fast and not fulfill the potential he had as a leader. It’s a political and personal tragedy.
The one thing he did right this week was to not let his resignation linger. After addressing the media on Monday and saying he was sorry for a personal failing, he gave his resignation on Wednesday.
And just like that, a promising political career was over.
Cheer: YES Fair
Science fairs can conjure up all kinds of images, from the types of projects to the types of kids who participate in them.
But if you want to get an idea of what it’s really all about, make sure to attend the Youth Engineering and Science Fair next year. The 25th annual installment took place at the Windemere Hotel and Conference Center this week, and it showcased a variety of projects and showed off the smarts of today’s youth.
Fifth- through 12th-grade students participate in the fair, and judges make their critiques to pick the award winners. They gain money for themselves and their schools if they win. Beyond that, they learn about science and thinking outside the box. That, we believe, is important today and in the future. We need critical thinkers in the next generation, and science fairs can help create that, as well as teach subjects that may go unnoticed although they have real-world impact.
The event, which is co-sponsored by the Sulphur Springs Valley Electric Cooperative and the Armed Forces Communications and Electronics Association, had more than 380 entries this year. And the two organizations and the schools and parents should be applauded for getting kids to participate.
We congratulate the sponsors, judges and all who entered.
Not a crime wrote on Mar 17, 2008 10:17 AM:
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