Disabled miner Raymond Dawson has endured lot of hard living in his half century on this earth and he has the white hair and the weathered face to prove it. However, the kindness that shines from his dark orbs testify to the fact that the Jolo resident has made peace with his tempestuous past
“Before I joined the church, I guess I was what you could call a rough character,” he said. “Since I found the Lord, I’ve tried to do better and give something back, instead of taking all the time.”
Dawson’s latest way of giving back involves teaching underground and surface mining classes at a greatly reduced price. The classes will begin February 16, 8 a.m. - 4 p.m. at the old Gary High School. One hundred percent of the money from the classes will be donated to the McDowell County Humane Society Spay/Neuter Fund.
Those who want to enroll in the reduced-price 40-hour surface class or the 80-hour underground class may contact Dawson at 967-5903 or Kenneth Fowler at 383-2528. Enrollment is limited to 25 per class, so the public is encouraged to enroll in the classes as soon as possible.
Dawson said that he would also offer a 03 off-road, eight-hour truck driver class, if there were enough public interest in it.
“It’s not a CDL class,” Dawson said, “but you do have to have a valid driver’s license to enroll in it.
The booming coal industry has created a demand for additional miners and the classes are the way to prepare for a career in the industry. The classes, Dawson said, teach future miners all aspects of the job, including safety.
“In coalmining, safety is a matter of life and death. It’s important to be properly trained. That’s why the government requires it.”
After completing the 40-hour surface class or the 80-hour underground class, the participants visit the WV Mine Health and Safety Office, Stewart Street, Welch, and take a 100-question test. The test is available orally for those who have trouble reading.
“The office works with you to assist you as much as possible,” Dawson said. “You can miss up to 25 questions and still pass. If you fail the test twice, you have to take the training all over again.”
However, Dawson quickly added that 90 percent of the time most people pass the test on the first try.
“I like teaching the classes because it helps people. When they call back and say, ‘Thank you for helping me get a job,’ it’s worth it.

“Young people have too much idle time on their hand. Hopefully, the classes will help them to do something positive and help a little bit with the welfare and unemployment, too.”
Dawson and his wife Barbara are also animal lovers, and that’s the other reason Dawson would like to see the classes completely filled.
“When we read in the paper about animal abuse, it broke our hearts,” he said. “I wanted to do something; that’s part of the reason I’m offering the classes.”
Dawson added that Kenneth Fowler, another retired miner, is a fellow animal lover, which is why Fowler is assisting him with enrollment.
Fowler called later to reiterate his reason for helping Dawson. “We’ve got to do something to help the animals in this county. Getting a lot of them spayed or neutered is a good way to help with the problem,” he said.
Jack Fultz, a local Christian missionary, is donating the use of the old school, as his way of assisting with the fundraiser.
“We appreciate everything that Jack and Kenneth are doing to help with this,” Dawson said.