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By Mayor Sam Hosler, Town of Kearny
Kearny’s loss is Georgia’s gain, in a couple of ways. First and foremost, because the Marine Corps now supports ROTC only in schools which can provide 200 or more cadets each year, Master Sergeant Willie Jordan and his wife, April, began their move to a larger school in Georgia. Willie will have 300 cadets in the program there. Second, Ray High School’s experience is that Willie Jordan and April Jordan were inspired and caring people, so they will continue their good work.
Mayor Sam Hosler, Town of Kearny
Even as I give thanks for all they did, and what ROTC did in the lives of our children over the decades, I grieve that “bigger is better” is still the American credo. I question that belief, because I think small towns have the power to reach deeply into our family and social fabric in a positive way. Small? Yes, in comparison to other places in Arizona and the United States, our ROTC program was small. But it influenced Kearny and the Copper Basin in depth, something not possible in larger places. The program here was smaller, but it was also better.
The fact is that small towns in Arizona are beset on all sides. Our schools are poorer because of our student count, and for no other reason. Our banks are disappearing, taking cash and loan availability with them. Our families suffer because the recession still affect rural Arizona deeply, and because multinational economic influences affect our larger industries, particularly mining and ranching.
We in the Copper Basin have taken some body blows in the past 10 years, and as a result our population has decreased. Our roads, water and sewer systems, and our proportionate loss of political representation are complicating factors.
Yet the whole of America faced similar situations during the Great Depression. Families did not know from where their next meal would come. Banks closed; mines shut down; the stock market was a shadow of its former self.
Things now are not as bad as they were then. It’s just that back then the suffering was a bit more egalitarian, with every family affected.
I don’t want to just put on a happy face. I really do believe in the people here, who have a deep love of family, a desire to educate our children, and to create opportunities for years to come. Let’s remember where we came from, and then set our face for the future of everyone here. Being small can also mean being better.
There are news or informational items frequently written by staff or submitted to the Copper Basin News, San Manuel Miner, Superior Sun, Pinal Nugget or Oracle Towne Crier for inclusion in our print or digital products. These items are not credited with an author.
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