By Sean Dunlap

The educational process has cer-tainly changed through the years— much like the field of physicaltherapy and rehabilitative services— according to Wayne GeneralHospital’s Billy Bynum.

Bynum has successfully com-pleted his physical therapy doctor-ate degree through the Universityof Mississippi — thanks in largepart to the accessibility of coursesthrough distance learning.

“Thirty years ago, the degree youcould earn in physical therapy wentabout as far as the bachelor’s level,”Bynum said. “Through the years, itgrew to master and doctorate lev-els, and I’ve tried to keep pace withthe changes in the field.”

Bynum said today’s distancelearning — notably taking coursework by computer and emailingback and forth with an instructor— is a far cry from his days in theclassroom back in the 1970s.

“There’s a lot to be said aboutdistance learning ... especially forthose who are working during theday and are studying at nights andon weekends like I did,” he contin-ued.

“It certainly made it possible forme to get a doctorate degree while Iwas able to work at the hospitaland have time with my family.”

Jokingly, Bynum said his brandnew degree won’t mean any newduties at the hospital. “If you thinkI’m going to be doing what themedical doctors are doing ... I won’tbecause I’m already pretty busy,” hesaid with a chuckle. “I’m veryhappy to be in physical therapy ...

this degree just gives me the addi-tional credentials so that I can beat my best through my work.”

Another benefit, according toBynum, was his computer profi-ciency, which has grown thanks inlarge part to the course of study.

“Rather than sitting in a deskand chair in a classroom, you canbe in class in front of whatevercomputer you’re sitting at,” he saidwith a laugh. “With a computer, youeither sink or swim ... I had tobecome a lot more proficient than Iwas when I began.”

Starting in June, 2006, Bynumkicked off the process of earning hisdoctorate degree, and over thecourse of two and a half years —taking one and two classes perterm and during the summermonths — he was able to wrap upanother professional milestone.

His newest diploma sits in aplace of honor on his office wallinside the WGH RehabilitationCenter beside his other degrees.

“It was something that I wantedto do ... to try to better myself andwhat I can provide to my patients,”Bynum said. “My family was verysupportive of my efforts, especiallymy wife, Missy.”

He also has two sons — one is anengineer, and the other is studyingto become a physical therapist.

Bynum said he is also apprecia-tive for the support of his peers andcolleagues at Wayne General Hospi-tal, where he has been a part of thestaff since the late 1970s.

“From the administration to thehospital board, and to the doctors,nurses and staff, their support andfriendship over the years helped to

make this possible, too,” he said.“These are some great people towork with, and they genuinely careabout the people they serve ... that’swhat make this feel like home tome.”

Bynum’s road to becominginvolved with physical therapybegan when he was injured playinghigh school football, and the effortto restore mobility in others suffer-ing from a variety of problems tookroot thanks to a physical therapisthe met along the way.

Bynum went on to study in thefield in Meridian, and would eveninterview at Forrest General Hospi-tal in Hattiesburg before he heardabout a possible opening at theWaynesboro community hospital inthe 1970s.

“I thought I would stop by andsee about the job ... I had to getdirections to find it,” he said. “I ulti-mately got the job, and more than30 years later I’m still here.

“Wayne General was one of thefew rural hospitals in Mississippithat saw a need for physical ther-apy services back then ... and thatoutreach has steadily grownthrough the years. They had a realvision of what physical therapyneeds would exist, and they are stilllooking to the future.”

From literally being a one-manshow, Bynum’s operation has grownto include two physical therapists,two PT assistants, three techni-cians, speech and occupational ther-apists as well as the hospital’s pop-ular Wellness Center over theyears.

“We have a really tremendousstaff ... some of the best people you

could ever work with,” he noted.“They really believe in deliveringcare that is second to none any-where ... that’s what makesthis a fun place to work.”

What has also madephysical therapy evenmore of a service indemand undertoday’s medicalumbrella is publiceducation.

“People knowmore about thebenefits of phys-ical therapythan everbefore,” Bynumsaid. “Theyknow that phys-ical therapy canbenefit a numberof health concernsand mobility issues... with an emphasison becoming moreindependent.

“In the past, peopledidn’t know the value of physicaltherapy, but today they see what itcan mean — everything to recover-ing from a sports injury to dealingwith the aftermath of a traffic acci-dent or say a stroke or heartattack.”

That said, Bynum noted this isjust one of the main reasons physi-cal therapists are constantly consid-ered one of the top 10 professions— now and in the future.

“We deal with young people andthe elderly, and everyone inbetween,” he said.

“In an average day, physical ther-apists deal with everything from

joint problems to hip fractures ...the problems are sometimes asunique as the individuals.

“A lot of what we try to do isstructure a course of action thatwill meet the needs of the individ-ual, to help each person back to alevel that can give them back asmuch freedom and mobility as pos-sible.

“That’s one of the main reasonsI’ve been in this as long as I have ...helping people deal with their situ-ations. I enjoy working with people,and that has not changed over theyears. I look forward to each day’schallenges.”

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“

This probably means more to our men andwomen than you can imagine because they

sacrifice a lot of time from their jobs, businessesand families to serve their communities — all

without pay, and a lot of times without a thank you.

— Rufus LandrumWayne County Volunteer Fire Department Chief in reference to a

thank you letter and drawings from Beat Four School students

Students share heartfelt thanks with county’s firefightersBy Sean Dunlap

In the scorching heat ofsummer or biting cold of win-ter while fighting a seem-ingly relentless blaze, thethought of whether or notthe efforts of volunteer fire-fighting is appreciated by thecommunity can certainlycross your mind — especiallyif you’re that firefighter.

But a simple letter andsome special handcrafteddrawings from Beat FourSchool kindergarten studentsanswered that question ...without a doubt.

The students sent a thankyou letter and drawings just

to share their appreciation toarea volunteer firefightersfor all they do in the county.

“These are the kinds ofthings that remind us of whywe do this,” said WayneCounty Volunteer FireDepartment Chief RufusLandrum.

“This probably meansmore to our men and womenthan you can imaginebecause they sacrifice a lot oftime from their jobs, busi-nesses and families to servetheir communities — allwithout pay, and a lot oftimes without a thank you.

“Firefighting is more thanjust getting on the truck and

spraying water on a fire ...there’s hours of training,work to keep up the equip-ment and being on callaround the clock ... it’s athankless job sometimes, butwhen the children of ourcounty do something speciallike this, it goes beyond whatmere words can express.

“We thank every BeatFour student for their kind-ness in thinking of us.”

The letter to firefightersand drawings noted BeatFour kindergarten studentshad chosen the volunteersbecause they make a differ-ence every day.

“You give so much to our

community,and we wantedto show youhow much weappreciate it,”the letterread. “Thankyou again foryour serv-ice.”

Landrumsaid countyfirefightershadreceivedthe draw-ings andthey would occupy a place ofhonor for everyone involvedand to show off.

High-tech distance learning, desire to grow play important role in WGH staffer earning new University of Mississippi diploma

Bynum completes PT doctorate degreePage 8B Thursday, November 13, 2008Thrives Because It Serves • To subscribe, call 601-735-4341

WCN submitted report

The Waynesboro-WayneCounty Library will host itspreschool storytime pro-gram — designed to pro-vide children with experi-ences that enrich their earlyliteracy and social develop-ment — for ages 3 to 6years at 10 a.m., Tuesday,November 18.

The program will consistof reading the following sto-ries: “This First Thanksgiv-ing” and “This is theTurkey.” Other activitieswill include finger plays,movement activities, andarts and crafts.

Children of any age canobtain a free library card. Inorder to register for alibrary card, parents mustbring proof of their currentaddress, Social Securitynumber, and two phonenumbers. Parents and/or aguardian must also sign aparental consent form.

Learning to read andwrite is essential for schoolsuccess. Children who readearly and well read a lotmore than children who areslow to learn to read, or whoare having reading difficul-ties.

As a result, successfulreaders become smarter, not

just about how to read, butalso about all those thingsthat can be learned frombooks.

In contrast, children wholag behind in readingreceive less practice in read-ing than other children,miss out on opportunities todevelop strategies forunderstanding what theyread, often encounter read-ing material that is toohard, and may come to dis-like reading and schoolassignments that requirereading.

For more information,contact the library at 601-735-2268.

Library’s preschool storytime set for Nov. 18 Clara students get first-hand view of firefightingSubmitted/The Wayne County NewsOn Friday, Oct. 10, DonnaWalker’s class from ClaraSchool visited the nearby ClaraVolunteer Fire Departmentwhere Capt. Jeff McCarty taughtthe students about fire safetyand how to get out of a burninghouse. Darrell McCarty ofMaynor Creek Volunteer FireDepartment demonstrated howfirefighters dress to protectthemselves when fightingblazes. The students got an up-close look at the different typesof trucks used by Wayne Countyfirefighters, and saw the equip-ment used in various fire andrescue operations. Studentsalso got to hold the water hose,experiencing the water powerused to put out fires.

Sean Dunlap/The WayneCounty News

Wayne GeneralHospital’s BillyBynum hasearned his doc-torate degree in

physical therapyfrom the Univer-

sity of Mississippi.He has been on

staff at WGH for30 years.

Submitted/The Wayne County NewsMembers of the Wayne County Volunteer Fire Department show off drawings they were given by kindergarten students at BeatFour School. The presentation was a “thank you” to the volunteers that make a difference in the community in conjunction withthe observance of “Make A Difference Day,” which was held Saturday, Oct. 25.