Upcoming book to feature selections from 12 years of Tom Orr’s 'Ridge Lines' columns
A book featuring selections of Tom Orr’s weekly “Ridge Lines” columns focusing on local history is expected to be released in August. “Ridge Lines: Steps in Time” will include numerous photos from the historic Baker-Barber Collection as well as a foreword by author Robert Morgan.
According to Orr’s wishes before his passing in 2021, all net proceeds from sales of this soft-cover coffee table book will go to the Community Foundation of Henderson County, which oversees the Baker-Barber Collection. A fundraising campaign is now underway to cover publication costs, and levels of giving include a chance to have a name, dedication, or logo printed within the book, along with copies of “Ridge Lines: Steps in Time.”
Information about a book launch party in downtown Hendersonville will be announced after a date is set.
“Ridge Lines: Steps in Time” is the result of a collaboration between Orr and former Times-News reporter Beth Beasley. The book includes sections on Henderson County pioneers, notable downtown businesses, prominent local families, county schools and educators through the years, local hangouts, and fun pastimes, as well as Tom’s personal recollections from his years growing up near downtown Hendersonville and his decades of teaching high school.
“I think Tom would have been thrilled that this collection of his ‘Ridge Lines’ columns is now ready to put into the hands of his many fans,” said Beasley, editor of “Ridge Lines: Steps in Time.” “The book was a labor of love, many years in the making.”
Morgan remarks in his foreword for “Ridge Lines: Steps in Time”: “Tom’s knowledge and affection for the people of Henderson County and Hendersonville were unparalleled and contagious. His writing is a window on a world many of us have forgotten, giving us a new appreciation of our own community and heritage.”
In a cover quote, local author Betty Reed notes: “‘Ridge Lines’ reveals Tom Orr's love for the people and places of his hometown. Readers will take away remarkable stories about Henderson County. This is local history at its best.”
More: Hendersonville High auditorium stage to be named in honor of the late Tom Orr
Orr, who taught English for 32 years at Hendersonville High School, was also an avid playwright and director. He is included in the Hendersonville High School Hall of Fame and served as chairman of the Historic Courthouse Centennial committee and was founder of the Henderson County Walk of Fame. He will be honored on Saturday in the dedication of the Hendersonville High auditorium stage as the Thomas E. Orr Stage. The event is set to begin at 11 a.m.
Orr wrote the weekly “Ridge Lines” column for 12 years, between 2009 and 2021. “Ridge Lines: Steps in Time” features professional formatting by Maggie Powell Designs.
A Ridge Lines Book GoFundMe page details levels of giving; support the campaign in person (using cash or a check) at Wild Birds Unlimited in the Harris Teeter shopping complex on Spartanburg Highway. Learn more about “Ridge Lines: Steps in Time” and the campaign for publication funds at ridgelinesbook.com.
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What: Fundraising campaign to cover publication costs of Tom Orr’s “Ridge Lines: Steps in Time” book
How much: Levels of fundraising support range from $75 and up
Where: Give by credit card at gofundme.com/f/support-ridge-lines-book-sales or donate in person with cash or check at Wild Birds Unlimited
Information: ridgelinesbook.com
This article originally appeared on Hendersonville Times-News: Upcoming book to feature selections from 12 years of Tom Orr’s 'Ridge Lines' columns
