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Hickory Daily Record Editorial

Published: October 24, 2009

THUMBS UP to the Guy Hollar Memorial Golf Tournament that will raise money for scholarships to be presented to students at Catawba Valley Community College. Organized by Hollar's wife, Marsha Hollar, and Sara Waugh, tournament coordinator for the Greater Hickory Classic, the tournament at Rock Barn Golf and Spa will honor the longtime grounds manager who died last year. Hollar was considered by many to be the dean of turf managers in North Carolina. He was a consummate professional who shared his expertise and guided many young people into golf course and grounds specialties. Everybody in the business knew Guy Hollar, and he poured his energy into CVCC's turf management program just as he did the two 18-hole championship golf courses at Rock Barn. As Marsha Hollar said, Guy would be pleased that the tournament named in his honor will benefit students. He was, to a great extent, a teacher. Many people called him a brilliant, caring mentor.

THUMBS UP to Gungor and Diana Solmaz for the $3 million gift to Lenoir-Rhyne University to establish the Solmaz Institute for Obesity. The institute will focus on preventing and treating childhood obesity, long recognized as a national malady. Solmaz is from Turkey, but the United States is the home of the naturalized citizen. He wanted to give something back to his country because of the entrepreneurial success he has enjoyed. Three million dollars is giving back in a big way, and the institute will benefit many people. And, it's open to everyone, regardless of their ability to pay. That's a nice touch. We congratulate Solmaz for his generosity, and add that Lenoir-Rhyne is the perfect place for the institute. Gungor and Diana Solmaz chose wisely.

We would give the Iranian government a THUMBS DOWN for sentencing an Iranian-American academic to 12 years in prison for protesting the disputed election that returned President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad to office, but the leadership doesn't pay attention to criticism from abroad. Many people in Iran didn't believe the results of the election, but Ahmadinejad is the darling of Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, so that's that. Protests have been silenced in Iran, and the parade of regime opponents through Iranian courts seems endless. Kian Tajbakhsh has many friends begging the court for leniency, including U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton, but anything or anyone capable of seriously opposing the Iranian theocracy will not be tolerated. We don't expect much compassion in negotiations on nuclear armament, either.