Carol Henry

Carol Henry--mother, teacher, musician, keen-eyed amateur naturalist, genius of friendship--slipped away on Sunday, March 4. In my experience, Carol was not a complicated person, but there's no simple way to explain the impact she had on our community or on my life. Her legacy includes Spruce Pine Montessori School, Yancey-Mitchell Habitat for Humanity, hundreds of lives touched by her gracious and generous nature, and her marvelous family, which includes some of my essential friends. There was never a more cheerful greeting nor a more welcoming house than Carol's. Thanks, Carol.

Interesting to note that the smoke in the air early this week was from a controlled burn on Singecat Ridge, which was done to preserve the habitat of a rare flowering plant, hudsonia montana, that was discovered there by Carol Henry. The only other place this plant has been found is Linville Gorge, and when Carol found it on Singecat, she had a hard time convincing the botanists that she had identified the plant correctly. She led the experts to the spot and now it's being protected by the Forest Service.