We all pride ourselves on the past histories of the Americans who were ready and willing to sacrifice their lives for their country, but is the dedication to preserving their legacies detrimental to the future. The article I am reviewing is about a school called the York Institute located in Jamestown, TN. This school was named after the World War I hero Sgt. Alvin C. York. Though the article failed to provide a more detailed account of this hero's feats, I have attained some information on the subject. Alvin C. York was born in Pall Mall, present day Jamestown , Tennessee on December 13, 1887 to an impoverished family. In order to provide food for his family York had to help obtain the family's sustenance at an early age, being taught to hunt with exceptional skill. At the age of twenty York's father William York died and the bereaved Alvin was left to take care of his family. However, the stress of both his father's death and the pressure of his new position as primary provider proved to much for him and he began to take to drinking and fighting in local saloons. During the deterioration of York's morals, his younger brother was forced to care for the family. York's mother, an avid Christian, continued pleading with her eldest son to change his ways, but he remained resistant. During an altercation in the local saloon, York's best friend was killed, the shock of which made York assume the role of a pacifist christian that his mother wished him take.

On June 15, 1917 York received a draft notice. It has been found that he applied as a continuous objector, but that his request was never approved. During the Battle of the Argonne Forest on a mission to take the German Decuaville rail-line on October 8, 1918, Corp. York lead an attack on a German machine gun nest after the acting officer Sgt. Bernard Early and another eight of the original seventeen assigned to the mission were wounded during the early part of the attack. York was successful in the attempt with the salvaging of 32 machine guns, 28 deaths of enemy combatants, and capturing 132 others. A feat for which he was awarded the Medal of Honor. In 1926 York established a school in his hometown, a portion of which funding was provided from York's attainment of private sources and solicitation of the Tennessee State Legislature.

The article, though lacking in its historical depth, does maintain its coverage of the current situation. Is the York Institute safe enough to remain standing and does it have the ability to continue as a function facility of education. The article provides its introduction into the situation by saying that eighty years since the establishment of the York Institute, George York the son of the illustrious Sergent is trying to save the school from the emergency demolition the state has called for. This is due to the assessment made by Mark Buchanan a structural engineer who wrote the Tennessee Board of Education prompting them to call for the demolition. While the school board says the school is at present safe for use, Buchanan believes that there are only three scenarios that he perceives as applicable. Repair the building and bring it up to codes, tear down the building and build another school in its place, or demolish the building completely. The article only provides Buchanan's estimate costs for the demolition options, ranging form $500,000 for complete demolishment to $3.7 million for a completely new school. The latter estimate has increased since the added cost of portable facilities has been added while construction is in progress. Buchanan also says for a short-term fix shelling the front wall of the school might be the best option, however this is designed only for several weeks or a few months not the necessary years in order to complete the repairs.

The York Institute Superintendent Phil Brannon comments,"Every time this comes up about tearing down, everybody throws a fit, and the state just walks away." He also says that the building has been empty since 1980 and the 700 students now use an instillation only 9 feet away. He goes on to say that a fifty foot fence has been constructed which disrupts traffic and has closed four classrooms. Brannon also comments that a emergency plan has to be in place in case the building does collapse, which would spew dangerous materials, including asbestos, into the air.

As I read this I can only think of one thing to ask. Why would a war hero want a building he established to be a major hazard to the health of the children he fought for? I mean who would think that this is what a man who sacrificed his life for the future of his country would want. I also would like to know, why would the state allow the institute to fall to that kind of decay if they really wanted to preserve the landmark, why is the state continuing its apathy putting the students in further danger, why when the situation is so critical is the issue of money the main concern, and why would George York be more concerned with the remembrance of his father than the safety of the students? I would also like to hear the concerns of some of the parents who have to witness this apathy, and also what they have tried to do about it? These questions differ greatly form that of a journalist who focuses on the current situation and the factual problems involving it instead of the fieldworker who would try to gain insight into how the people involved perceives the problems.



The best way for a fieldworker to gather resources to answer these questions is by asking the people of the community. To get the best idea of the problem you should ask the people who deal with it. As for the perspective of Sargent York on the matter, you could ask his family, however the pride which these members might have may bias there response. I believe it would be better to observe the thoughts posed by York in his diary, which has been published. From this, you might be able to gather an idea as to the thinking of the late Sargent, and thus form a hypothetical conclusion.