January 8th, 2004 issue #0301

January 8th, 2004

  • Bye-bye, Staunton: Daytrip quashed by NYC extension

    While Roanoke will soon gain a railroad dream in the form of the new O. Winston Link Museum, Charlottesville rail buffs recently experienced a sort of nightmare. In May, train-lovin' families lost one of the best afternoon rail activities Charlottesville had to offer: the round-trip to Staunton. "It may change," says Charlottesville station master Bob Aycock of the train schedule, "but I don't have any information that it will." Aycock says the roundtrip to Staunton was "just a coincidental thing that worked out well for us."

    read more

  • COVER SIDEBOX- Station celebration: O. Winston Link Museum

    Organizing curator: Tom Garver, an art historian and former Link agent who assisted Link on three photo/sound junkets in the late 1950s Museum manager: John M. "Jay" Saunders Jr. Location: Former N&W passenger station next to famed Hotel Roanoke Size: 15,000 in a 27,000-sq.-ft. building Built: 1905 Re-built: 1947 by renowned industrial designer Raymond Loewy in the art moderne style Heyday: 1950s when passengers could board five main rail lines in all directions

    read more

  • COVER SIDEBOX- Winston himself: Portrait of the artist

    O. Winston Link; the "O" stands for Ogle Born: December 16, 1914, in Brooklyn, New York Died: January 30, 2001, outside a train station (really!) in Katonah, New York. Driving to a doctor's office, he pulled over and suffered a heart attack. Trained: As a civil engineer Hint o' future: Served as photo editor of both the student newspaper and the yearbook at the Polytechnic Institute of Brooklyn Career: Public relations; commercial photography

    read more

  • Hell-mates: Sad tale of Winston and Conchita

    The final years of the world's foremost railroad photographer were not all peaceful. O. Winston Link, the man who chronicled rural life and steam trains, spent nearly a year in the early 1990s as a prisoner, a slave, or both, according to some of the late photographer's associates. "I'm surprised no one's written a screenplay yet," says New York gallery owner Robert Mann. "It's an amazing story."

    read more

  • Linked up: Museum adds sparkle to Star City

    The Star City is about to get a jewel. On January 10, Roanoke officials will join railroad buffs in cutting the opening ribbon for a new museum showcasing the stunning photographic achievements of the late O. Winston Link.

    read more

  • Maybe someday: Amtrak disses Roanoke (for now)

    A railroad helped turn a little town called Big Lick into a major rail city called Roanoke. But one thing is still missing: passengers. After the Norfolk & Western Railway was born from the merger of two major railroads in the 1880s, Roanoke became not just the headquarters for N&W, but also the nexus of a burgeoning passenger system whose famed trains included the Cavalier, the Pocahontas, and the Powhatan Arrow.

    read more

4Better Or Worse

  • The two weeks in review

    Worst present for the beef industry: Just as Americans are sitting down to their Christmas roasts, the first case of bovine spongiform encephalopathy mad cow disease is rep...

The Dish

Essays

  • Black holes: Illusion of health melts

    Lying on my right side on the examining table, I gaze at the monitor next to me. As the technician guides a palm-sized plastic probe over my breast, the ultrasound records ...

Question of the Week

  • Who was O. Winston Link?

    Calvin Dodd: "Is he a person in Charlottesville? I don't know him. I do know a lot of Links in town, but I don't know that name." Brandon Kier: "I don't know. Sounds li...

Real Estate - $old

  • $old

    ALBEMARLE 9/2  Timothy D. and Sherri L. Cotton to Bradley T. and Heidi C. Brown, 3.079 acre lot in Rivanna district, $27,000. Konchady G. Shenoy to Travis L. Turner,...

Real Estate - On the Block

Real Estate - Update

  • Update

    What happened to "On the Blocks" of the past? APPEARED IN THE HOOK: August 28, 2003 in issue #0234 ADDRESS: 305 Cedar Bluff Road, Rivanwood ASKING PRICE: $349,000 SELLING P...

Real Estate Property auctions

  • Foreclosure auctions

    January 6, 2004 at 10am at the Madison County Courthouse Property: 4.0 acres on State Route 230, Orange Debtor: Kevin L. Armour and Tonya L. Turner Amount owing: $104,548 ...

Movie Reviews

  • Nice enough: No hooks in Big Fish

    Tall tales are Tim Burton's stock in trade, so a movie about tall tales isn't too big a departure as he tries to bounce back from Planet of the Apes by showing his two hand...

Music Reviews

  • 2003's best: I'll take it on the Shins

    I'm a dork, a dweeb, a nerd, sorely in need of a dose of cool, but fairly happy with my profound love of the unhip, the lame, the unvarnished side of life. Yeah, I like pop...

  • Getting lucky: Two locals scheme for fame

    SC on the Boombox 91.9 WNRN January 3, 2004 If talent were the deciding factor in who became the next radio mega star, I probably would listen to the radio more often. It...

News

The Brazen Careerist

  • Negotiate: Get the salary you deserve

    Sure, jobs are scarce, but if you're lucky enough to land one, don't be afraid to negotiate your paycheck. Once a hiring manager chooses you from what is probably the large...

Strange But True

Hotseat

  • Frank McCue: Sports doc to the stars

    Ralph Sampson, Sissy Spacek, and "Nature Boy" Ric Flair have at least one thing in common: They share the same legendary doctor. As well known as Dr. Frank McCue is, he's i...

Letters

  • The bomb bombed morality

    Hmmmm. I don't know in what conscience you sought out, paid for, and printed the opinion piece about the Enola Gay ["No apology: Japan deserved Enola Gay's visit," Essay, D...

Cultural preview