[at-l] Friends of GSMNP: Smokies endowment

[jsmith at wate.com (James N. Smith)]

MEDIA RELEASE

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
DATE:  June 7, 2004
SUBJECT:  Louise Barber Endowment
CONTACT:  Ken Voorhis
CONTACT INFO: Ken@gsmit.org, 865-448-6709, ext. 11

NEW ENDOWMENT TO HELP PREVENT BACKCOUNTRY TRAGEDIES
BarberMcMurry Makes Lead Contribution

(Great Smoky Mountains National Park) ? They are separated by four decades,
yet connected by tragedy.  And there is hope that their deaths will mean
life and safety for many years to come.

     In 1962, high school honor student Louise Barber fell to her death at
Ramsey Cascades in Great Smoky Mountains National Park. Last month, Vine
seventh-grader Christopher Drinkard drowned at Abrams Falls while on a
school field trip.  Sadly, in the days and years in between, the park has
seen many other injuries and death, but has also seen some dramatic rescues.

     Friends of Great Smoky Mountains National Park is now seeking a total
of $50,000 to help establish a special endowment fund in memory of Louise
Barber. The annual proceeds of this fund will be used to offer need-based
scholarship assistance and other support for programs related to wilderness
safety and emergency response at Great Smoky Mountains Institute at Tremont.

      Wilderness First Responders are people who have completed
comprehensive training in order to handle life-threatening medical
emergencies in remote areas. Tremont, near Townsend, Tennessee, offers this
training each year to a wide variety of emergency response personnel and
outdoor leaders (including their own staff, who help lead educational
outdoor trips in the Smokies for nearly 5,000 people yearly).

     This comprehensive course focuses on the basic knowledge required to
handle life-threatening medical emergencies and care for trauma injuries in
both the front country and the backcountry. However, the cost of this
76-hour course ($730) can present a significant financial hurdle. Textbooks
can present an additional cost.

     At the present time, individuals and organizations with limited budgets
may choose to skip this important training, risking much greater costs later
on.  But now, several local organizations are banding together to raise
funds to defray these costs.


BarberMcMurry architects: A Donation With a Historical Connection

     Stepping up to the challenge first is Knoxville-based BarberMcMurry
architects, the oldest continuously operating architectural firm in
Tennessee. The firm is initiating the fund-raising drive with a $10,000
donation to the Louise Barber Endowment. Louise Barber, who lived in Fort
Meyers, Fla., was the granddaughter of David West Barber, one of the early
partners of the architectural firm, (then called Barber & McMurry
Architects).

     ?The firm?s leadership is pleased to honor the memory of Louise Barber
by making the lead contribution for this endowment fund,? said Charles
(Chuck) V. Griffin, AIA, BarberMcMurry architects president.

     ?The gift goes beyond Louise Barber?s connection to our business.
Rather, BarberMcMurry feels that a more widely-available first responder
course is a clear public service to our community. The contribution
underscores our firm?s long history with the Smokies and our founders? love
for the park,? Griffin said.

     Louise Barber?s father, David Barber of Sevierville, said his family?s
long history with the park is intertwined with that of BarberMcMurry
architects. BarberMcMurry designed the original Park Headquarters Building
at Sugarlands, which is still in use today. He said his architect father,
David West Barber, ?certainly had a hand in that design.?

     Barber said the endowment in his daughter?s name is a fitting tribute
to a girl who embraced the family tradition of hiking the Smokies? beautiful
trails. ?She loved people of all ages, was active in church and was liked by
everyone. And she loved spending time outdoors,? he said.

     Louise?s uncle said his niece was ?a lovely 15-year-old girl who exuded
personality and loved life.? Dean Barber of Knoxville remembers that people
were happy when they were around Louise. By helping to establish this
endowment, he says BarberMcMurry has truly shown its intent to participate
with generosity in support of the present and future preservation of the
Park, while giving special honor to a precious member of the Barber family.

     Ken Voorhis, GSMIT executive director, said whether it?s a scout troop
leader, a youth group minister, or an educator, the people receiving this
support will all be better prepared to prevent and to treat serious injuries
in the backcountry.

     The Great Smoky Mountains Institute at Tremont believes so strongly in
the importance of this training that it?s board of directors has agreed to
match, dollar-for-dollar, the first $10,000 received by Friends of the
Smokies for this new fund.

     Thus far, BarberMcMurry?s lead gift of $10,000 is matching the Tremont
Board gift of $10,000. Additionally, Gary Wade, presiding judge of the Court
of Criminal Appeals for the State of Tennessee, and Friends of the Smokies
board president, secured a $10,000 anonymous contribution through the
Friends of the Smokies, bringing the total endowment funding raised so far
to $30,000.

     To make a gift to the endowment fund, contributors can send their
checks to ?Friends of the Smokies? PO Box 5650, Sevierville, TN 37864-5650.
For more information, contact Jim Hart, Executive Director, Friends of the
Smokies, at (865) 453-2428, or Ken Voorhis, GSMIT executor director, at
(865) 448-6709.


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