HOW TO GO
What: Miami University Middletown presents Verity Traditions, “An Evening of Appalachian Reflections” with Ercel Eaton
When: 6 p.m., Tuesday, March 17, Complimentary light meal will be served 15 minutes prior to start of the program.
Where: Miami University Middletown, Verity Lodge, 4200 N. University.
Cost: Free and open to the public. Donations are always welcome. Donate online at http://www.forloveandhonor.org/verity.
More info: www.Regionals.MiamiOh.edu/verity/events.htm, or call Ruth Orth at (513) 320-2444.
MIDDLETOWN — Miami University Middletown’s Verity Traditions program will present “An Evening of Appalachian Reflections” with Ercel Eaton Tuesday, March 17 at 6 p.m. at Verity Lodge. The event is free and open to the public.
“I wanted to balance the history programs at Verity Traditions out from the heavy WWII focus to a more diverse area and thought culture experiences such as Appalachian studies would achieve this,” said Ruth Orth, Verity Traditions program coordinator and public affairs and marketing, Miami University Middletown.
“Ercel Eaton was suggested to me by a regular patron of Verity Traditions. She has given talks at Miami Hamilton and offered a course through Miami University’s Lifelong Learning program. I think learning about others’ heritage makes us all more understanding of each other and open in our communication,” Orth said.
During “An Evening of Appalachian Reflections” Eaton, 85, of Fairfield will share some of her own experiences about growing up in the mountains of Kentucky.
“I spent most of my young life growing up in the mountains, in a poverty stricken time. My father worked a lot, but we still struggled,” Eaton said. “I have 11 brothers and sisters, so that was a lot of fun. We had a stone house that my father built himself, in the inside of a mountain. I could climb to the top of the mountain when I was just big enough to walk. That had a great influence on my life, because I was there until I was out of high school. I went to high school at Leslie County High School.”
Graduating high school at the age of 15, the same year her parents moved to Laurel County from Leslie County, Eaton said she always wanted to write.
“The first thing I ever had published was a poem in my high school paper,” she said.
Eaton went on to write award-winning columns. Although, she said she has heard a lot of Kentucky jokes, it was a good life. In leading the program, she desires to teach others respect.
“I always want people to show respect for mountain people, and not think because you grew up in the mountains, and you were not privileged to go to college, maybe, or to do a lot of things that you would if you grew up in a city. I wanted that leveled out. I still do,” Eaton said.
One of the Appalachian principles she hopes to communicate is how to do without, she said.
“One of the basic things we learned was how to get by with practically nothing, without being cynical or sad about it. We had a good time. We invented what we didn’t have. It was just a good way to live and I have always been grateful for it,” Eaton said. “I think that is one of the most useful things that my brothers, sisters and I learned.”
Eaton is a native of Southeastern Kentucky. She is the author of two books, a poet and a recently retired journalist, after spending 43 years at the Journal-News (Hamilton Journal News). She started working at the newspaper in 1964. Her first book is a compilation of her work on life in the Appalachians entitled Appalachian Yesterdays, which is in its fifth printing. Her latest book, Caramels, is a collection of poetry. At the Journal-News, Eaton covered diverse “beats,” such as police and fire, entertainment and fashion. Most recently, she has been recognized for her columns and opinion pieces.
In 2006, she was named to the Cincinnati Chapter of the Society of Professional Journalists. Among numerous awards and accolades, Eaton was the first woman to win the “Outstanding Kentuckian Award,” which was presented by the O’Tucks organization in recognition of Appalachian Yesterdays. Eaton was also the recipient of a second place honor in the Associated Press Award of Merit for a column titled “Paragraphs That Were Not Written,” and a she received a first place award in Harte Hanks’ editorial competition in general interest columns, among others.
Additionally, Eaton’s work has appeared in the Louisville Journal and Times Magazine, the Catholic Digest, among other publications. In 1999, she was named “Woman of the Year” by the YWCA of Hamilton.
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