Newspaper Page Text
MIDWEEK
EDITION
250
Perry & Houston County's
official Legal Organ
WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 8, 1993
Reunited
Jackson reunited
with his brother
after 53 years
BY BRENDA THOMPSON
Staff Writer
“Hi. I’d like you to meet my
brother.”
While these words may not sug
gest anything out of the ordinary
when uttered by the average person,
they signified something very spe
cial when they were spoken by
Perry’s Jerry Jackson last week.
They signified the culmination
of an extensive search which has
spanned most of the United States
and more than a half a century.
They signified the very emo
tional, long-awaited reunion of two
brothers that have been lost from
each other for 53 years.
They signified a very happy end
ing and the promise of an even
happier future.
Jerry Jackson and his younger
brother, Loring Sands of Danville,
111., now ages 60 and 59, respec
tively, were separated more than 50
years ago when, upon the death of
both of their parents, they were sent
to an orphanage and adopted out to
different families.
Neither had been told where the
other one was and neither, until this
week, had seen nor heard from the
other since.
But, both, especially Jackson,
had always wondered.
“As soon as I got old enough to
really realize what had happened, I
began searching for Loring. I tried
everything I could think of to find
him. I made repeated trips to the
orphanage where we were sent, the
state capitol of South Carolina, the
state in which we lived, and every
place in between,” Jerry said in a
special interview this week. “I even
went back to our old homeplace and
talked with older people in the area
to see if they could remember any
thing. For more than 50 years I’ve
been searching for him. I just
couldn’t get any leads. I didn’t even
know his adopted name.”
According to Jerry, who was
adopted at the age of seven by a
couple in New York, he began seri
ously searching for his little brother
in 1948 when he returned to South
Carolina in search of a birth certifi
cate or other official documents that
would help him attain his driver’s
license. What he found, however,
were a lot of dead ends.
“After my initial trip, I made re
peated trips to South Carolina. I
had little luck at the court house
because most of the records they
had were destroyed in a fire and the
orphanage, for whatever reason,
would not help. Back in those days
they simply wouldn’t tell anyone
anything,” Jackson continued.
Good
morning, Perry
In Sympathy
The community's sympathy is
extended to the families of
those who recently died. They
include Hgh Lawson 111, Perry;
Glaptys Sewel Leverette, Perry;
Bre-awnnaa Myshal & Bre-one
Maurice Jackson, Perryl. For
more information, please see
page 2A
INDEX
JOYCE COMPTON 4A
JAN KERCE 2B
BETH JONES 1B
VETO F. HOLEY 4A
DEATH NOTICES 2A
CLASSIFIED A
EDITORIALS 4A
LEGAL NOTICES 4B
BILL OVERTON 6A
■ The Houston Homef
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Loring Sands of Danville, Illinois, left, and Jerry Jackson of Perry, biological brothers separated
as youngsters, reunited here this week after more than a half century.
“Finally, by chance, a few weeks
ago I was on my way home from
North Carolina and decided to stop
by the orphanage once more. It had
since closed and the building had
been sold and I talked with the new
owner. The new owner told me that
he had found lots of records strewn
all over the house and yard and that
he had already taken them to the
archives. Since it was Sunday,
however, I had to wait until I got
home to call anyone.”
Like clock work, Jerry said he
rose early on Monday and made the
call. The archive employees were
very helpful and agreed to send him
copies of all the orphanage records
that had been collected. Two weeks
later, the package arrived in the
mail.
“There it was. Loring’s adoption
papers. His adopted last name and
the address to which he went, every
thing,” Jerry said, his voice break
ing as he gazed across the room at
his brother who had arrived in Perry
the previous Sunday for a reunion.
“As it turned out, Loring had
been adopted by a family with the
last name of Sands in Melrose,
Massachusetts. I got on the phone
and started calling. I started with the
operator who gave me all the Sands
in the area. I called all eight of
them, but nothing hit home until
the last gentleman I reached
suggested that I call his father. I
called him and he gave me some
additional phone numbers in several
outlying areas of Melrose.”
One of the new numbers given
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Kiwanis memorial program
Perry Klwanls Club held a memorial program Tuesday, Dec. 7 for the four Kiwanlans
who passed away this year. Attending the program were three of the four wives of
the members honored. Pictured are Dot Hardy, front left, Coralee Nunn and Elolse
Gallemore. Speakers at the program were Kiwanlans Dr. Deryle Whipple, back row
left, Rev. John Yarbrough, Rev. Jim Shipley and former Perry Klwanlan Rev. Billy
Key. Those honored were Alton Hardy, Hugh Lawson Sr., G. Francis Nunn and Dr.
Johnnie L. Gallemore. Ms. Louise Lawson was unable to attend.
2 SECTIONS—I 6 PAGES, PLUS SALES CIRCULARS
to Jerry was a fellow by the name
of Ben Sands, Jr., who turned out
to be Loring’s adopted brother.
Sands listened to Jerry’s story and
agreed to contact Loring.
“Ben called me and asked me if I
was sitting down and then he told
me about Jerry,” Loring said, his
now beginning to show.
“I knew everything he was saying
was true, but I had never wanted to
hurt my adoptive parents or my
adopted brother. I asked Ben if I
should call him and he told me def
initely yes. Jerry has been searching
for you for more than 50 years and
you owe him that, Ben told me.
Jerry sent me some pictures and it
really began to hit me. We look a
lot alike. This is my brother. I
knew I had to come see him.”
According to Loring, who
brought his wife along for the 800-
mile, 12-hour car trip to Perry, he,
too, had tried to locate his biologi
cal family while in service. How
ever, when he didn’t have any luck,
he says he dropped the subject for
fear of hurting his adopted family.
Today, he says he is ecstatic that
his brother kept trying.
“What I’m feeling is just so hard
to describe,” Loring said, tears of
joy streaming down his face. “I was
so happy walking into the house.
And, then, when I saw him I just
said ‘wow’ and we gave each other a
hug. I have two families now; I
just can’t believe it.”
During his week-long stay in
Perry, which ended this past Satur
day, Loring says he and Jerry have
been busy catching up and filling in
on each other’s lives. They’ve
talked about their past and growing
up years. They’ve talked about their
six older brothers and sisters, two
of which have since passed away,
two of which Jerry had tracked
down prior to finding Loring and
who are now living in Nevada and
Florida, and two of which he is yet
to have any success in finding.
And, they talked about their own
lives and families.
Among Jerry’s family members
that Loring met while in Perry were
Jerry’s wife, Ruby, a parapro
fessional at Tucker Elementary
School, and their three children,
Connie Lockerman of Bonaire,
Deborah Combs of Macon and Su
san “Sissy” Black of Perry. Jerry,
who moved to Perry with his fam
ily in 1971, is a retired maintenance
worker with the Houston County
Board of Education.
Loring, a pressman for the
Champaign News Gazette in
Champaign, 111., in turn, has intro
duced Jerry to his wife, Sara, and
says he can’t wait to introduce him
to his children, John Sands and Lori
Bott, both of Danville, 111. and
Stephen Sands of Winter Park, Fla.
When asked if they plan on
seeing each other again, both
brothers said that they can’t wait to
get their families together next
summer.
“This is my brother,” Jerry
smiled. “You bet we’re gonna get
together again. And, again. And,
again.”
PERRYGAj
newspaper since 1870 |
Fort Valley no
longer a part
of the airport
Perry and county will ask
legislature for change
By VETO F. ROLEY
Staff Writer
Fort Valley is no longer a mem
ber of the Perry-Fort Valley Airport
Authority. However, it will take an
act of the state legislature to make
that change official.
Since Peach County indicated
earlier in the year it no longer
wanted to remain a part of the au
thority, the withdrawal of Fort Val
ley leaves the authority with only
two active members, Perry and
Houston County.
"We are not trying to get rid of
Fort Valley and Peach County,"
said authority member Ralph
Dorsett, "they are trying to get rid
of us."
"We've lost half of our funding,"
said said Ken Thomas, chairman of
the airport authority, at the author
ity's regular meeting Monday, Dec.
6. He added that Perry and Houston
County would have to make up the
difference in the funding. "It's the
only option we’ve got.
"The airport is a very vital part
of the community with the industry
that is around us," Thomas added.
Even if the funding does not go
through, Thomas said the airport
had to remain open since it accepted
federal funds for some projects.
"That (accepting the funds) requires
that we have to stay open for 20
years."
Firearm dealers
give views on bill
By VETO F. ROLEY
Staff Writer
Local firearm dealers are report
ing an increase in business in the
wake of Brady Bill.
The Brady Bill puts a five day
waiting period on handguns sold
throughout the United States. Cur
rently in Georgia, handgun sales
require a positive photo ID. Mi
nors are prohibited from buying
guns, and felons are prohibited from
having firearms in their possession.
The Brady Bill will go into effect at
the end of February.
Even though Clarence Little,
owner of Little's Bait and Tackle
and Pawn Shop, said gun sales have
increased in recent days because of
the bill, he expects the Brady Bill
to hurt his business.
Little said that customers came
to Perry from as far away as Atlanta
and Savannah because guns "don’t
cost quite the price" they did in the
Community unites to aid
the victim of recent fire
By VETO F. ROLEY
Staff Writer
Community and church friends
of Annie Maye Johnson are coming
together to assist her after fires de
stroyed her home the night of Nov.
30.
Johnson said that she lost every
thing in the fires.
Perry Church of Christ, where
Johnson is a member, has started
collecting items and money for her.
Robert Morris, minister of the
church, said anyone wanting to do
nate items can contact him at 987-
5443. He added that checks could
be made out to the Annie Maye
Johnson fund, care of the Perry
Church of Christ
The address of the church, which
is located on the Macon Highway,
is P.O. Box 16, Perry, Ga., 31069.
Morris said that Johnson's
123RD YEAR-VOLUME 98
Thomas said the airport should
gain from the loss of Fort Valley
and Peach County. "We are going
to know where our money is com
ing from," he said. "It should elim
inate some of the unknowns."
Authority member Archie
Thompson, who is also a member
of the Houston County Board of
Commissioners, told the authority
that the commission realized at the
beginning of the budget year that
the authority would probably lose
Fort Valley and Peach County as
members.
Thompson added that plans were
made to enable the authority to
come back before the commission
after the first of the year to get addi
tional funding from the county's
contingency budget.
At its November meeting, the
authority sent the city of Fort Val
ley a letter advising the city that
they had until Nov. 22 to decide if
they wanted to remain a member of
the authority.
Because of difficulties in getting
a reply from the city, the authority
informed Fort Valley that if no re
sponse was made, the authority
would assume the city no longer
wished to remain a member.
"We've not gotten any re
sponse," Thomas .
Please see AIRPORT, page 9A
larger cities. However, he said that
business would be hurt since the
buyers would be unlikely to pur
chase a handgun in Perry only to
have to return a week later to pick
the weapon up.
Little added that the law would
impact the trade at gun shows like
those held at the Georgia National
Fairgrounds. He said the dealers at
those shows would be limited to
selling ammunition, shotguns, and
rifles.
Jerry Whitney, owner of the
Perry Pawn Shop, also sees an in
crease in the sale of guns. "People
are buying guns now to avoid it
(the waiting period)."
While Little does not support
the Brady Bill, Whitney does.
"I think there should be some
type of waiting period," said
Whitney. He added that a waiting
Please see DEALERS, page 9A
olouse size was a 38 and that she
wore a dress size 16-18. He added
that she said she could alter larger
clothes to fit her.
Perry Hospital, where Johnson
works in the cafeteria, is also col
lecting items for her, said Marti
Tolleson, director of public rela
tions for the hospital.
"Being part of the holiday sea
son, we thought it was important
that we step out and help part of the
hospital team," said Tolleson.
Donations can be brought by the
hospital, which is located on Mom
ingside Drive, said Tolleson. She
added that people interested in do
nating can contact the hospital at
987-3600.
Johnson's house burned in two
separate, but related, fires said
James Adams, deputy chief of the
Houston County Fire Department.