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% lloiirnal SATURDAY, July 8, 2006 ■lk * B ||j Sherri Martin The Front Porch Evans Newspapers Learning things the hard way When people talk about being a life long learner, I fig ure they’re talking about always being willing to learn about great literature, or economics, or world cul ture. The learning I’ve been doing lately doesn’t fall in any of those categories. I’m afraid the category it would fall in is “things I should have already known but didn’t realize until I got older.” Kind of a depressing category, but there it is all the same. For example, I learned recently that despite how much my five year old begs, I should never, ever, ever take another spin on a slip’n’slide. I figure the more years you are over 15 or so, then that’s how many more places you have to hurt after you belly flop down that wet piece of plastic. And the more days you have to hurt and wonder why you ever thought bouncing up and down on your stomach on the ground was a good idea. I also learned recently that, no matter how bad of a headache I have, get ting up in the middle of the night to drink a Coke is not a good idea. I usually only drink caffeinated beverages when I need help getting rid of a headache or need to stay awake. I suppose as I’ve gotten older and have consumed less and less caffeine, I’m getting more and more sen sitive to it. A few weeks ago, I had been through a long night with sick children. The next day on the way home from the doctor, I figured I need ed a little help for the drive back. I bought one of those chilled coffee drinks. Not only did it keep me awake for the drive, but it also kept me jittery and jumpy for the rest of the afternoon. Perhaps that should have been a clue. Still when I woke up at 2 a.m. with the area behind my right eye throbbing, I was ready for some help. I got one of those little half-sized cans of Coca-Cola and chugged it down. Doesn’t seem like it would have been too potent, does it? Three and a half hours later, after lying awake in bed for an hour trying to solve all the problems of the world and finally getting back up to check e-mail, clean out my inbox and surf the internet, I went back to sleep just in time to get back up to get ready for work. I am also in the midst of another lesson. I am learn ing that I cannot and should not try to pickle and can every single tomato I can get my hands on in one weekend. If I survive this ambitious bout‘of productivity, it will be a lesson learned the hard way. Perhaps when I look at all those jars of cooked tomatoes and green toma to pickles I will forget the work that took me into the wee hours of the morning, See LEFT, page 3C Making a difference Florence Harrison - a teacher to remember By Billy Powell Special to the HHJ On Sunday, February 19, Perry High alumni and local citizens came to the old Perry school to dedicate the building in honor of the revered principal and Hall of Fame basketball coach Eric Staples. The old school had been saved from demolition by Mayor Jim Worrall, reno vated through $2 million in state funding secured by Rep. Larry Walker, and converted into the Houston County Board of Education office complex. It would be named the Eric P Staples Memorial Building. The auditorium was quickly filling to capacity. Former students were greet ing each other and reminisc ing about old times. Moments before the dedi cation ceremony, a sophisti cated, erudite, and attrac tive lady entered the build ing. As Florence Cromartie Harrison strolled down the aisle to take her reserved seat, every eye was trans fixed upon her. She repre sented the personification of academic excellence at old Perry High School. She had taught English, litera ture, and speech to every student who walked the cor ridors of the old school from 1940 to 1970. She had taught such nota bles as U.S. Senator Sam Nunn and Georgia House Majority Leader Larry Walker to speak eloquently and to write correctly. She had equipped former bas ketball players, cheerlead ers, and students with the communication skills - ver bal and writing - to suc ceed in life. Although the spirit of Coach Staples was sweeping through the audi torium and tugging at the heartstrings of everyone F"'* ' v / 1 v H mMwßmm?* r mBpiMI •' '*■ W HHI WEm i 1 liiAi L JSKsMi Special to HHJ Harrison’s husband, Willis, was a star player for Coach Staples in 1938 and 1939. 4». * Lffistyle 4 ~ SPr f | j§ & . ' Wmm r A JL ' Mm l n m SW A i. . M , m i ..||p' " \ I wm % 4, »• Jl ‘ ' Florence Harrison with one of her students, William Harrison. assembled there, Harrison’s presence provided a tangible link to our glorious past and a reminder of how much we loved the old school and its teachers. Decades ago, she and other outstanding teach ers had forged a superior academic team that made Perry High a school where a diploma meant something to its recipients and pre pared them to succeed in life’s journey. Florence Harrison was born in Macon, grew up near Atlanta, and graduat ed from Russell High School in East Point. From a small child, she aspired to be a teacher. Although offered a scholar ship to Wesleyan College, she opted to attend Georgia State College for Women, where she earned her teaching credentials. Her teaching career spanned an amazing and meritorious 50 years: 30 at Perry High School (1940-1970) and 20 at Westfield Schools (1970- 1990). She was equally loved and venerated by her Westfield students. As emcee, when introduc ing Harrison at the dedica tion ceremony, I disclosed that I was her favorite sum mer school student, attrib uting it to the fact that I majored in basketball 101 at the expense of habitually failing English. I told the assemblage that Harrison’s admonitions to ftnprove my composition still reverberate through my mind: “Billy, don’t split infinitives, don’t dangle participles, and achieve sub ject-verb agreement in your sentences.” She never gave up on me. And because she didn’t, I was pleased to inform her that I have just published my first book, “Pride of the Panthers.” (To make her doubly proud, my sec ond book, ‘Echoes from the Valley” will be published in September). When I held my first book signing at Barnes and Noble in Macon, she was there at my side. She and her husband, Willis Harrison, a star bas ketball player on Coach Staples’l937-39 Perry teams, had driven from Perry in a rainstorm to sup port me. She would do no less for any of her other students. Florence Harrison was indeed a teacher’s teacher, who inspired, edified, and enlightened those around her. Attesting that she was genuinely loved, respect ed, and admired by all her students are the following glowing commentaries: Mary Kathryn Duggan Thornton, PHS class of 1954: “Mrs. Harrison was a favorite among Perry’s students. She had high standards and expected our best, but she also made the classes interesting. Though we respected her authority, we genuinely liked her. She certainly prepared me well for my classes after high school. I remember wishing in college and even in graduate school that Mrs. Harrison were teaching the course. After I made an exceedingly poor grade on one of her quizzes, she gave me a les son on ‘who, whom, who ever, and whomever’ that I continue to use in my own writing and in teaching. She had me diagram the sen tences to see just where the word fit and to which clause it belonged. In speech class, she helped me with pronunciations of the “wh” words such as New officers installed The Pilot Club of Perry installed a new slate of offi cers for the 2006-07 club year at a ceremony on June 20 at the Ochlahatchee Club House in Perry. Members and their guests enjoyed a salad supper following the program. West Central Lt. Gov. Louise Shiver, a member of the Pilot Club of Macon, was the installing officer. From left, Shiver, Joyce Green, president; Betty Nelson, president-elect; Linda Jones, secretary, and Hattie Flemings, treasurer. The Pilot Club of Perry meets on the third Tuesday of each month at the Ochlahatchee Club House. submitted PAGE 1C Special to HHJ “where,” “when,” “why,” and “whistle” and prepared me to stand before groups with confidence. Her play practices were fun as well as disciplined. "She was always neatly dressed and well-man nered.” *** Em ■ HI Wi* Jngr ''''■kl * .jV Bp* -• I s m- T M H gflfa. - A §9 Special to the HHJ Florence Harrison as a young Perry High School teacher. William Harrison, class of 1955: “Sam Nunn once said, ‘lf there’s abetter basketball coach than Eric Staples, you could never convince me.’ The same can be said of PHS teacher Florence Harrison on the subjects of English and speech. She taught us in a way that wasn’t conde scending or belittling. She treated us as individu als, not merely as students. She knew our strengths and weak nesses and constantly strove to help us improve. She not only opened our eyes to See MAKE, page 3C