News

Tom Orr's 'Ridgelines' collection has book launch Saturday

By Lightning Reports, Published: August 24, 2022

“Ridge Lines: Steps in Time,” featuring selections of the late Tom Orr’s weekly column in the Times-News, will have its launch from 3 to 5 p.m. Saturday at Woodlands Gallery, 419 N. Main St.

The book includes 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. Copies from the first printing of the book will be available to purchase at the book launch event but supplies will be limited. A second printing (with possible online sales of the book) will be forthcoming. “Ridge Lines: Steps in Time” will be available for purchase following the launch event at the Henderson County Heritage Museum and the Genealogical & Historical Society.
The book is the result of a collaboration between Orr and former Times-News reporter Beth Beasley. The indexed book with glossy pages 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 growing up near downtown and his decades of teaching at Hendersonville High School.

“I think Tom would have been proud of this book. It’s turned out beautifully,” said Beasley, who edited the book. “The book makes great use of photos from the Baker-Barber Collection. There are some real gems included on the pages.”
In a cover quote, local author and Henderson County Genealogical & Historical Society President Patrick Gallagher wrote: “Reading Tom Orr's ‘Ridge Lines’ columns is a walk back in time as he skillfully paints word pictures of Hendersonville and Henderson County's past.”
Orr, who taught English for 32 years at Hendersonville High School, was also an avid playwright and director. He was inducted into the Hendersonville High School Hall of Fame, served as chairman of the Historic Courthouse Centennial Committee and was founder of the Henderson County Walk of Fame. Orr wrote the weekly “Ridge Lines” column for the Hendersonville Times-News for 12 years, from 2009 until 2021. “Ridge Lines: Steps in Time” features professional formatting by Maggie Powell Designs.
Contributions to support a second printing of the book can be made through the Ridge Lines Book Project’s GoFundMe page or by cash or check at Wild Birds Unlimited in the Harris Teeter shopping center on Spartanburg Highway. To learn more about “Ridge Lines: Steps in Time” and the campaign for publication visit ridgelinesbook.com.