Newspaper Page Text
4A
♦ FRIDAY, DECEMBER 29, 2006
Houston Baity journal
OPINION
Daniel F. Evans
President
Editor and Publisher
Julie B. Evans
Vice President *
Group Marketing
Don Moncrief
Managing Editor
Not learning from history
The military takes its history very seri
ously.
Its members have to learn it. Its
members have to know it. In fact they’re
even tested on it (or at least you can bet
there will be at least one or two questions
on the written test that counts toward their
promotion).
Contrast that to an entity like say the
National Automobile of Stock Car Racing.
NASCAR over the past handful of years has
added a whole slew of young - some look
barely old enough for a license - drivers to
its circuit. It has also seen most of its true,
older veterans
(i.e. names like
Rusty Wallace
and Mark
Martin) retire
(although
now they’ve
begun a trend
of coming out
of retirement
whether
temporarily
or long-term
remains to be
seen).
These young
drivers more
than likely
know their
sport origi
nated on the
beaches of
Daytona but
can they tell
you little else
about it? Do
they know
anything
about its pioneers? Will they ever? NASCAR
like most - or is it “all” - sports is driven
by the almighty dollar these days. These
drivers are no exception. Do they even care
about their history, let alone passing it on
down to the next generation?
Let’s look a little closer to home.
How many out there know the history of
Houston County? Warner Robins? Perry?
Even closer to home, the history of the com
pany they work for?
The point is: No matter who we are, no
matter where we work, we could all do with
a little lesson on our history. To borrow a
phrase from someone (presumably someone
said it down through the ages): How can we
know where we’re headed if we don’t know
where we’ve been?
And that applies just as much to us at the
Houston Daily Journal (we have no excuse
for not knowing a lot about history con
sidering we have a whole bookcase of back
issues full of it) as to any employee at a fast
food restaurant to Houston County citizens
to the military to NASCAR.
To those who’ve taken that into consid
eration and have taken steps appropriately
(i.e. looked it up on the web or researched it
or - for company managers - just developed
a simple fact sheet), good on you.
To those who haven’t, there’s no better
day to start than today.
HOW TO SUBMIT LETTERS
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Letters should not exceed 350 words and must include
the writer’s name, address and telephone number. All
letters printed in The Daily Journal will appear with the
writer’s name and hometown - we do not publish anony
mous letters. The newspaper reserves the right to edit or
reject letters for reasons of grammar, punctuation, taste
and brevity. Letter writers are asked to submit no more
than one letter per person per week. We cannot guaran
tee that a letter will be printed on a specific date.
The Daily Journal prefers that letters be typed. Letters
to the editor are published in the order they are received
as space permits.
There are three ways to submit a letter to the editor:
E-mail it to hhj@evansnewspapers.com, mail it to The
Houston Daily Journal at P.O. Box 1910, Perry, GA
31069, or drop it off at 1210 Washington St. in Perry
Audrey Evans
Vice President
Marketing I Advertising
Foy S. Evans
Editor Emeritus
These young
drivers more than
likely know their sport
originated on the
beaches of Daytona but
can they tell you little
else about it? Do they
know anything about
its pioneers? Will they
ever? NASCAR like
most - or is it "all" -
sports is driven by the
almighty dollar these
days. These drivers
are no exception. Do
they even care about
their history, let alone
passing it on down to
the next generation?
Time to reflect and expect
2006 is about to be history and
2007 is soon to be reality. With
this in mind, let me reflect and
expect - which is a sophisticated way of
saying “ramble”.
■ ■■
The little City of Perry never looked
better - physically nor economically A
lady at my church, formerly of Florida
and now a Houston Springs resident,
told me recently that she was “totally
happy here” and compared Perry to
“a Norman Rockwell painting”. How
about that for a compliment? Surely
this pristine village has to be one of the
best places to live in Georgia - maybe
in the whole country.
■ ■■
While bragging on Perry, let me
commend our Houston County
Commissioners on a “job well-done” -
or should it be a “job well-doing”. Keep
up the good work, Commissioners, but
don’t let the views of a handful of ‘con
stant Commission meeting attendees’
be given weight beyond their numbers.
Those who attend are to be commend
ed for their good citizenship, but after
all, please bear in mind that there are
probably about 125,000 people now
calling Houston County “home”.
■ ■■
Kudos to Perry’s Rotary Club, the City
of Perry, the Downtown Development
Authority, and others on the progress
with the ‘Big Indian Creek Project’. So
far, it’s looking good. But to do what
needs to be done will take some ‘seri
ous money’. I believe there’s founda
tion and grant money which could be
tapped. But someone has to pursue
it. Isn’t the City the logical entity to
invest the money and time to make the
quest for needed money to do the job?
■ ■■
Congratulations to The Bank of Perry
on its new branch at Highway 96 and
s** about your^X
<C( state retirement J
y
From obituaries to art to apologies
To quote one of my all-time favor
ite singers Frank Sinatra
crooning one of my all-time
favorite songs, “It Was a Very Good
Year.” Indeed, it was.
The first thing I did every morning
this past year was to check the obitu
aries and see if my name was listed.
I am happy to report that it never
appeared.
The most significant event for me in
2006 was to realize a lifelong dream
to become a bona fide artist. Those
who have seen my paintings say I am
pretty good. I just blush and stammer
“Aw, shucks,” but I must admit I am
amazed at my progress. Thanks be
to one Kristopher Meadows, my art
teacher, who belies the old saw that
“Those who can, do. Those that can’t,
teach.” This guy is a phenomenal artist
and a great instructor. Last year, I was
in Iraq with Georgia’s 48th Brigade
Combat Team, wondering when I was
going to get mortared. This year, I was
in an art studio with a group of women
who made me feel a part of their group,
and an art instructor who thinks I
might have some talent. Life is good.
Speaking of Iraq, I made a trip over
to UGA and apologized to journalism
professor Conrad Fink for a public
feud I instigated a few years back.
After almost getting my fanny blown
off during my short stay with the
troops, I realized that Professor Fink
had spent a lot more time covering the
war in Vietnam than I had in Iraq. He
deserves more respect than I gave him.
Almost getting one’s fanny blown off
seems to give one a clearer perspective
OPINION
Lake Joy Road and to Planter’s First
on the near-completion of its build
ing on Sam Nunn Boulevard. These
investments bode well for our county.
Show me communities with aggressive
banks, and I will show you prosperity.
It used to be that the only people who
could borrow money were those who
didn’t need to borrow any! No more,
and our community is better for it.
■ ■■
Prediction: Houston County will
have big economic news in 2007.
The Houston County Development
Authority under the leadership of
its Chairman, Neal Rearden, and its
Executive Director, Morgan Law, are
working hard. I’ll bet it will pay off,
and soon.
■ ■■
My freshman granddaughter, Haley
Way, plays on Westfield’s girls’ bas
ketball team. What’s significant: Not
a single Junior or Senior on the team!
I’ve never seen that, before. Hang in
there, Coach Eubanks. If you can keep
their spirits up (and yours), it will get
better (winning more) in a year or
two.
■ ■■
In 2006, why are they the ‘Lady
Hornets’ or the ‘Lady Panthers’? Why
not just the ‘Hornets’? Perhaps we
should start referring to the men as
the ‘Man Bulldogs’ or the ‘Gentleman
Bulldogs’. It doesn’t make sense to
me. If I were in charge, both men and
women would just be called by the
on things.
Plus, it was the right thing to do.
No question that it was a good year
to write a column. With some meticu
lous planning and much malice afore
thought, I managed at one time or the
other to anger liberal weenies, Bible
thumpers, flaggers, Atlanta blow
hard boosters, racists both black
and white loud-talking Yankee
transplants, Georgia Tech supporters,
President Peanut’s sycophants, hockey
fans, almost any special interest group
you can name, a gaggle of self-impor
tant politicians and even a few newspa
per editors. My cup runneth over.
You, dear reader, made the year
even better. At my request, you sent
thousands of messages to the Georgia
troops in Iraq. When I asked for ques
tions to pose to the Muslim panel I con
vened this summer, you supplied some
500 responses. You also found time
to send me compliments when I said
something you liked, and more than a
few brickbats when I didn’t.
A lot of people who we too often
take for granted also helped make it
a good year: The men and women in
law enforcement who protect us from
Larry
Walker
Columnist
lwalker@wtigb-law.com
Dick
Yarbrough
Columnist
yarb24oo@bellsouth.net
Miir ’ vH
Ml %
Br. ‘I
l| 1
HOUSTON DAILY JOURNAL
mascot name, and that would be it!
■ ■■
Congratulations to the Northside
Eagles on being the best football team
in the state. And to the Warner Robins
Demons and the Houston County Bears
on very good years. And to the Perry
Panthers who are “getting there”. My
bet: The Panthers will be in the title
hunts in a year or two.
■ ■■
Did you know that Brian Ellis, the
outstanding Fort Valley Trojan quar
terback and Middle Georgia Player of
the Year, is the grandson of Grovania’s
Jack and Glynnis Ellis? This boy can
play! Some Division 1-A school (like
the Dawgs or Vols) would do well to
sign young Mr. Ellis. He has brains,
character, and ability. Doesn’t that
usually equate to winning?
■ ■■
Our outstanding United States
Senator, Johnny Isakson, telephoned
me just before Christmas. We had a
good conversation that ended with talk
of our grandchildren (I have seven
and he has six, with one on the way).
Johnny told me what a friend told
him, which was: “Grandchildren are
your justification for not killing your
children”! Amen, brother Johnny. I
understand what your friend meant.
Just kidding, Larry, Wendy, Russell,
and John Gray.
■ ■■
Let me conclude my ramblings with
this: 2006 was great, and I believe
2007 will be even better. I am excited
about where we live and what we do
and where I think we are going. About
as excited as a man my age should be.
Thanks to God for letting me live in
this place and at this time. Like the
Chinese proverb: Thanks for letting
me live in interesting times. Amen and
Amen.
the bad guys and sometimes from our
selves. The unsung heroes who put
out fires. The people who deliver our
mail and our newspaper, who pick up
our trash and provide us electricity.
Those who volunteer at soup kitchens,
visit shut-ins, sing in the choir Sunday
after Sunday or repair homes and
lives destroyed by Hurricane Katrina.
Schoolteachers, of which I have two
in the family. The selfless souls in our
military. Those who heal us, physically
and spiritually. Those who feed us.
Those who care about us when we least
deserve it. Bless them all.
How about 2007? More columns.
More paintings. And as is my long
standing custom, frequent visits to the
exquisite little Georgia Sea Grill on St.
Simons Island to devour large amounts
of corn-fried shrimp. Also ahead is
what I hope will be a memorable trip.
In March, I am taking youngest grand
son, Thomas, to Normandy to see first
hand what D-Day was all about. I want
him to appreciate the enormous sacri
fices made by the Greatest Generation
whose likes we shall not see again
and to understand that the free
doms we take for granted did not come
cheaply. That is a lesson of which we
all need to be reminded. And, yes, I
will continue to peruse the obituaries
on a daily basis. Assuming I don’t see
my name, it should be another very
good year.
You can reach Dick Yarbrough at
yarb24oo@bellsouth.net, P.O. Box
725373, Atlanta, Georgia 31139, or
Web site: www.dickyarbrough.com.