The Lincoln County Board of Education approved two motionsTuesday in memory of a board member who died April 15 of a lengthyillness.

William Jerry Coon of Ruth had served on the board for 20 yearsand was president of the board this year.

Superintendent Perry Miller recommended the board appoint Coon’swife, Kay Kyzar Coon, to the vacancy.

“I think she would like to serve until a new one is selected,”Miller said.

The recommendation was approved without much discussion andboard members were happy she had agreed to consider theappointment.

Kay Coon will serve on the board until a special election hasbeen held to fill the vacancy.

Lincoln County Circuit Clerk Terry Lynn Watkins said the specialelection will coincide with the general election for statewide andcounty offices on Nov. 4.

The qualifying period for school board candidates will be Aug. 6through Sept. 5, Watkins said. Candidates will need petitions withthe signatures of at least 50 registered voters from EducationalDistrict 1 — Enterprise.

The special election winner will fill the remainder of Coon’sunexpired six-year term, which goes through the end of 2007.

Board Vice President Johnny Hart will preside as actingpresident this year.

The board also quickly approved a motion naming a softball fieldunder construction at Enterprise Attendance Center after the lateboard member. The new field will be called the “Jerry Coon SoftballField.”

“He would have liked that,” Hart said with a smile.

In other matters, the board listened to a report about CPR inthe schools.

Cindy Rollins Smith, a nurse who lives in the school community,approached the board a year ago about introducing CPR to the countyschools, Miller said, and appeared before the board Tuesday toreport on her progress.

“She’s been working diligently for about a year now to get CPRin our local schools,” he said.

Rollins told the board she was able to purchase four CPR dummiesthrough a grant from Entergy and would provide one to each school.Her goal, she said, is to train the staff on how to give CPR sothey would be prepared for an emergency situation. She also hopesthat the dummies could be used once the faculty is trained to teachCPR to students.

The grant and donations are also paying for an automatedexternal defillibrator (AED), a device used to provide an electricshock to a body to restart the heart when it fails.

“Our middle goal is to buy a set of mannequins and AEDs at eachof our schools,” Smith said. “That will be a challenge, butgradually we’re getting there.”

The board also approved the purchase of four buses and a pickuptruck for the transportation department Tuesday. The bus purchasehas been expected.

“I have put them in next year’s budget, so they will not bepurchased until after July 1,” said Cheryl Shelby, the districtbusiness manager.

The four 66-passenger school buses will cost the districtapproximately $45,100 each for a total purchase price of$180,400.

The truck purchase was unexpected. A 1998 Ford Ranger pickuptruck used by the transportation department was damaged when a treefell on it during the tornado that passed through the Loyd Starcommunity earlier this month. The insurance company totaled thepickup for a reimbursement to the district of $4,493.

Board members approved the purchase of a 2003 Ford Ranger at thestate contract price of $10,899 to replace it.