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DO IT NOW! L a w n m o w e r S e rvice < ^ - * 79 - Scenes from a hiker's paradise FOCUS ^ » .J L j Mercedes-Benz Q .E .W . & D o r v a l D r. w w w .o akvillebea ve r.com N O R T H A M E R IC A Vol w i No, j \R D E D C O M M U N IT Y BEAVER N E W S P A P E R IS I \ij4< \s s I .( K ) if >h is ( ;.s I ) A M n r< >l«in< I r u h l k .n io n . J ( M). Ford Windstar plant should re-open Monday Kentucky plantfire causes parts shortage Ford of Canada's Oakville Windstar plant is dark this week after an explo sion and fire at a Kentucky factory choked off the supply of insulation to the facility. According to Ford Manager of Public Affairs John Amone, the temporary shut-down went into effect last Friday and will continue all this week. The plant is scheduled to re-open on Monday. The closure follows an explosion and fire that killed one worker and injured 43 others at the CTA Acoustics plant in Corbin, KY. on Feb. 20. The plant sup plies some Ford assembly operations with sound-deadening insulation for under the hood and between the engine and passenger compartments. In addition to the local Windstar facility. Ford of Canada was forced to slow production at its St. Thomas assembly plant, where output of Crown Victoria and Grand Marquis full-size passenger cars has slowed to about 50 per cent and will stop next week. The St. Thomas plant will stay down next week to reduce inventories in view of lower demand. The Kentucky fire also forced the shutdown of two Ford plants in Chicago and Atlanta. The closure of the Oakville plant affects 3,175 workers, who will receive about 65 per cent of their gross income through a combination of company ben efits and federal employment insurance. The halt at St. Thomas idles 2,670 work ers. who are also eligible for the same benefits. Amone explained that after the fire there was enough insulation "in the pipeline" to last a short time but said that by the middle of last week Ford was well aware the impact would be felt north of the border. The result is the production loss of approximately 6,000 Windstars. Amone also said a team is working "very hard" to find another source of the insulation but maintains the company's objective is still to resume production on Monday. Ford will also schedule additional production in subsequent weeks, Amone explained, to meet demand. Carol Hamilton Goodale loses battle against cancer By Norm Nelson B E A V E R S P O R T S ED IT O R Chantal Ayotte · Special to the Oakville Beaver SIGN OF THE TIMES: This snow m an at 460 Sherin Drive holds a sign bearing the question m any people are asking afte r this long cold winter. However, the b rief respite from w in ter's cold on S atu rd ay did m ake for some excellent snow m an m aking weather. To view some of these results, see page A8. Carol Hamilton Goodale who cap tured the heart of Oakville with her courageous battle against cancer has died. The former national team basketball star was bom and raised in Sud bury, but set tled down in Oakville -- the hometown of her univer sity sweetheart-tu rn ed husband. Bill Carol Hamilton Goodale Goodale, a lifelong Oakville resident. Bill, who was at her side when she died, met Carol at Laurentian University in Sudbury where Carol was also a bas ketball star. Her trophy mantle includes two OFSAA gold, two national university sil ver medals and a bronze medal at the 1986 world cup. She earned several WNBA try-outs and was told she had the talent, but was just bom a couple of years too soon: they were looking for younger players. Nevertheless, she still had a lengthy pro fessional career in Europe. All the while, she became an integral part of the Oakville sports scene with Home Court Basketball, created with husband Bill, which has run leagues and camps for Oakville youth. Funeral services are scheduled for Friday, 11 a.m. at Walton Memorial United Church in Bronte. Visitation is being held at the Kopriva Taylor Funeral Home, 64 Lakeshore Road West today (Wednesday) and Thursday, 2-4 p.m. and 7-9 p.m. Cathy Goodale, Bill Goodale's older sister, was close to Carol. "She and I were briefly roommates before her and Bill got married," she said."We had a place together here in Oakville while he finished university and she was traveling with the national (bas ketball) team." While her sister-in-law was obviously always crazy about basketball, she said that Carol "is a die hard romantic." "She loved her romantic comedies. She's very much a lady." (See 'Ham ilton Goodale' page A4) A personal touch of black history Local historian Alvin Duncan helps keep an important part o f Canadian history alive By Melanie Cummings SPECIAL TO THE BEAVER James Wesley Hill. Captain Robert Wilson. Ira Johnson. Isabel Jones. Local historically significant names and, hope fully. not forgotten ones. For a brief time, the contributions of each were revived at Erchless Estate during the museum's recent tribute to black history. Keeping them alive as best he can is 87-yearold Oakville resident Alvin Duncan. For his part, the historian offered intriguing narrative during two films aired at the museum last Sunday -- Sing Out Freedom Train and History's Courtroom. Duncan himself has his own connections to each of the four names listed above. First, he is a direct descendent of James Wesley Hill, also known as `Canada Jim '. Hill was one of the many American slaves who made their way onto Canadian soil aboard a grain ship. It was a well used, but secretive escape route, provided , by merchant sailors such as Oakvillebased Captain Robert Wilson, who carried many stowaways on board his ship The Baltic. Hill quickly settled himself in town. But despite his success as a strawberry farmer, he often left his home (at 457 Maple Grove Drive) and became one o f southern Ontario's most successful `conductors' in the Underground Railway. He brought 700-800 people to freedom in Oakville facing dangerous odds -- he was wanted dead or alive for his efforts in guiding those enslaved to Canada. Hill would make his way to the plantations and sing songs in code. A well-known song or `spiritu al' such as Get on Board and Deep River were cues to slaves that the Underground Railway would be in motion that night, descending from the nearby river. As the movie Sing Out Freedom Train details, the road to a better life via the Underground Railroad was a weeks long journey through dense forest, waterways, and in and out of safe houses or `stations'. Often the travellers went hungry and (See 'Duncan's' page A3) Editorials......... .......A6 March Break...... .......B1 ArtScene.......... ......B4 Focus............... Cl Classifieds........ ......C5 Auto................. ......C8 1 Sports.............. ......D Business.......... ......D4 Partial Delivery: Sjxirt Chek. West of the City. Outta here, News 4 Kids, The Bay, Staples Business Depot, Emisclare Interiors, Home Depot, Mississauga Booster, Hopecltile Mall. Ikea, Mark's Work Warehouse, Good Life White Rose, Cogeco, Canadian Tire, P roduct R AM ADA* IN N & CONVENTION CENTRE "O A K V I L L E Peter C. McCusker · Oakville Beaver Come See The Difference Local historian Alvin Duncan 905-845-7561 E lis a b e th H ib b e r t B.Sc., D.Ch. Chiropodist Foot Specialist · Corns · Calluses · Warts · Heel & Arch Pain · Orthotic Management · Pediatric Assessment · Diabetic & Arthritic Footcare · Surgical Care · Nail Care I P e t e r W atson II I N V E S I M E N T S 331 Sheddon Avenue, Oakville 905- 815-0971 · * '· * " ·*-. · * '>5 V- « >= R E T IR E M E N T P L A N N IN G S P E C IA L IS T S Free C o n s u l t a t io n 842-2100 C-FJP-, ILFJP- #·**