FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Bill Coxton continues to document the history of a community centered high school with his second installation, “GARDEN HIGH SCHOOL:  History – 1968 to 1982.”

OAKWOOD, VA -November, 2007. Origins of Garden High School , Oakwood, VA, has its roots based in the 1920s when Triangular Mountain Mission (TMI) was established by the Methodist Church at the forks of Garden Creek. TMI operated from 1920 to 1936 as a private high school by the Methodist Church. As a result of the depression, the Methodist Church asked the county to take over operations and Garden High School was established as a public high school in 1936.

In his first publication, Bill recorded the memories and history with the publication of “Garden High School: History… to 1967.”  This second publication (Garden High School: History – 1968 to 1982) picks up from the first book and goes to the year 1982, the last graduating class in the old building at the forks of Garden Creek and Levisa River.  The old GHS building, a 1940 Civilian Conservation Corps structure containing over 25,000 square feet, has been renovated and now houses the Main Campus of the University of Appalachia College of  Pharmacy (http://www.uacp.org).

 Bill authored both books by way of a PC desktop publishing system and it is being marketed by Lulu (www.lulu.com), an Internet provider of ”print-on-demand” books.  “Garden High School: History.. to 1967” and  “Garden High School: History – 1968 to 1982” documents a high school history whose identity and name disappeared in a Buchanan County school consolidation plan in 2001. The history of a high school is contained in the memories of the Alumni and documented in yearly annuals. If these annuals are not centrally collected and preserved, then when the Alumni are gone, the high school history vanishes with them.  These publications are sponsored by the Garden High School Alumni Association and they formally document and preserve the school’s history.

Bill came to Lulu.com because he wanted to be in control of the publishing process and found Lulu’s print-on-demand process to easily complement his computer skills.  Both books are available for purchase at www.lulu.com and an electronic book copy can also be downloaded. 

“Independent publishing and print-on-demand is the wave of the future for authors and writers” said Bill Coxton.  “The Lulu process allows me to cut out the middle man (i.e. a separate publisher/printer) and gets my work out there the way I want it without making a significant up-front printing investment and having to manage a book inventory. My book is only printed when someone orders it on the Internet and Lulu.com manages all the marketing and accounting process.”

Internet Link to Publication: http://www.lulu.com/content/372286 and http://www.lulu.com/content/1233211.  Also, a link to the books can be found on the Garden High School Alumni web site (http://www.GardenAlumni.org).

MEDIA CONTACT: Sue Cook Elkins, Country Club Estates, 116 Bogey Drive, Abingdon, VA 24211.  (276) 628-4336. Email: sue5458clay@yahoo.com.  Books can also be ordered  at: (1) Ratliff Service Center, Mount Heron, VA, 276.498.4208 (2) Gift of Love Lighthouse , Oakwood, VA.  276.498.4120

ABOUT AUTHOR: Bill Coxton is a 1957 graduate of Garden High School. He is a former Federal Executive having work for the U.S. Army Computer Systems Selection and Evaluation Command, Washington, DC for his entire 37 year career. He retired as an Acquisition Director in 2001.  He graduated from Concord University, American University and the Advanced Management Program at the National Defense University.  He also serves as Webmaster for the GardenAlumni.org Website and Shopkeeper for the Garden Online Store.  This is his second publication.