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♦ FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 16, 2007
4A
Moustiru djuumal
OPINION
Daniel F. Evans
President
Editor and Publisher
Julie B. Evans
Vice President
Group Marketing
Don Moncrief
Managing Editor
Let's solve this problem
Advocates for the mentally ill, and law
enforcement officials have a problem
in common, and a challenge that has,
at times, seemed insurmountable.
The problem is that too many mentally ill
people - people with profoundly disordered
minds - wind up in jail when they should be
in mental healthcare facilities.
This puts a strain on our already overload
ed jails and prisons, and on the justice sys
tem, as well as failing to provide desperately
needed care, counseling and medication for
people with diagnosed mental illnesses.
At the national level, there have been
alarming
reports of men
tally ill pris
oners dying
while incarcer
ated, in part
because of the
lack of train
ing on the
part of correc
tions officers
and in part
because they
were unable
to communi
cate coher
ently about
their distress.
One died of
thirst and
dehydration
while refusing
water.
The good
news, not only for the mentally ill, but also
for their families, for professional care
givers and for corrections officials is that
somebody is finally really paying attention.
The Georgia Supreme Court has been
chosen by the Council of state Governments
Justice Center to participate in a nation
al project on criminal justice and mental
health issues. Chief Justice Lea Ward Sears
will lead the statewide task force.
According to Georgia House Speaker
Glenn Richardson, who is the chairman of
the CSG’s Southern Legislative Conference,
“This initiative will allow Georgia to create
a partnership across the branches of state
government in order to develop solutions
for delivering public services for mentally ill
persons in the state.”
• Chief justices have clout, which is what is
needed at this point.
• Sears will be able to coordinate with all
three branches of state government, and we
hope that the outcome will be better strate
gies for dealing with mentally ill people in
the justice system - strategies that protect
the public, that protect the mentally dis
abled, and that take the burden off jails and
prisons.
: A study by the Department of State has
shown that while five percent of the United
States’ population suffers from mental ill
nesses, 16 percent of the prison and jail
populations have a serious mental illness.
These are not people who are claiming men
tal illness to avoid the consequences of their
actions, but people who are delusional and
out of touch with reality.
This is a problem that needs to be solved
across the nation and here at home. We are
glad to know that the problem-solving pro
cess is beginning.
We encourage all those who are interested
in knowing more about this important
initiative visit the CSG’s Criminal Justice/
Mental Health Consensus Project website:
http ://www. consensusproj ect. org/
Send your Letters to the Editor to:
The Houston Daily Journal
P.O. Box 1910 • Perry, Ga 31069 or
Email: hhj@evansnewspapers.com
Audrey Evans
Vice President
Marketing I Advertising
Foy S. Evans
Editor Emeritus
At the national level,
there have been
alarming reports
of mentally 111
prisoners dying while
incarcerated, in part
because ol the lack
of training on the
part ol corrections
officers and in part
because they were
unable to communicate
coherently about their
distress. One died of
thirst and dehydration
while refusing water.
A great treasure in Perry
Likely, few, if any, people in
Houston County own a real
antique Tiffany lamp. And what
about a Holland and Holland Shotgun?
I have a Purdey, but not a Holland and
Holland. Does anyone in our area own
a Rolls Royce automobile? If they do,
I haven’t seen them motoring around
Houston County in it. Great treasures,
few in numbers or owners.
But, there are great treasures, fairly
great in number, owned by many in
Houston, Peach, and Pulaski Counties.
The owners might be only subcon
sciously aware of what they have, but
if they think about it, they will realize
they have something special. What it
is: A “John Houser” built home.
For now, enough about the houses.
Let’s talk about the man. The builder
of the houses. He is 86 years old, being
born in Perry, at home, delivered by
Dr. Robert Cater in 1921, and having
graduated from the 11th grade Perry
High School Senior Class in 1938. Still
ramrod straight with sparkling blue
eyes and a quick and infectious laugh,
he traces his lineage to Germans in 800
A.D. who tired of living in tents becom
ing house builders - thus, “Houser”.
John Houser is the son of Samuel
Pooser Houser and Katherine Hodges
Houser. His mother was the sister
of Perry’s General Courtney Hicks
Hodges, four star general of World War
II fame.
This master builder, John Houser,
was not always so prominent. When
he graduated from the Perry schools,
he went to work at Moore’s Dry Goods
for $lO a week. Soon, opportunity
knocked and he started working at
Tolleson Lumber Company for sl2 a
week - a 20 percent increase! The addi
tional pay, while important, was not
the best thing that happened to him at
Tolleson. It was John’s good fortune to
be placed under the tutelage of Hugh
Lawson, Sr., another Tolleson employ
ee. John describes Mr. Lawson as “very
meticulous,” and “one of the most
influential people in my life”. Perhaps
this explains, in part, why John was so
careful in his building.
During John’s time of employment
at Tolleson, he was also courting Ann
Matthews (as Ann, who deserves a
column of her own, says, “we were
Matthews with two “t’s”) of Fort Valley.
This shows, once again, that Perry boys
have been courting and often marrying
pretty Fort Valley girls for many years.
And it was at Georgia State College for
women (GSCW) in Milledgeville that
John was seeing student, Ann, Dec. 7,
1941 - “a day that lives in infamy”.
Shortly after the Japanese bombed
Pearl Harbor, John resigned from
Tolleson and joined the Army Air
Corps (he couldn’t get into the regular
Army because he had flat feet). He
was an enlisted man. But, after being
chided by Ann that “all my girlfriends
have boyfriends who are officers,”
John applied for and was accepted for
officers’ school. He graduated as a 2nd
Lieutenant, and shortly thereafter flew
a plane from Sacramento, California to
New Guinea, where he served in the
Pacific until the end of the war.
The war was over, and John was
back home and returned to work at
Tolleson. When he was transferred by
the company to Ben Hill County, his
unhappiness at being away from home
prompted his resignation. He was back
in Perry, but, with no job and no idea
as to what he was going to do.
John and Ann were by this time
living on Gilmer Street across from
Mr. J. C. Mathews (one ‘t’ accord
ing to John and Ann) when John
was approached by Mr. Mathews with
a proposition that John remodel his
garage. John, despite knowing nothing
about building, accepted. Apparently,
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OPINION
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Contributed
John and Ann Matthews Houser at their home on 803 Evergreen Street in
Perry.
Larry
Walker
Columnist
lwalker@whgb-law.com
his beginning work was satisfactory as
Mr. Mathews next asked John to assist
J. C. Hardy and him “with a job in Fort
Valley”. John was on his way with all
types of odd jobs including porches,
steps, bathrooms, and even a fireplace
for Dr. Cliff Graham, which he had to
“tear out and build over because the
first one wouldn’t draw”. Then it was
his first house: The “Gunter House”
on Third Street in Perry, which in its
small, simple neatness, still stands as a
proud monument to John’s work.
“Who built your house?” If you can
answer “John Houser,” they know, and
you know, that you have a treasure.
You’ve heard the old saw (no pun
intended): “Measure twice, saw once”.
John Houser measured six, eight or
10 times before he sawed. Everything
fit. It was stout. His finish work was
very pretty. It was smooth. It was well
stained or painted. I am reminded
of the story by Dr. John North in
Tim McCord's lent book, “Adventures
in Contentment,” when the good doc
tor questions Charles Baxter: “Baxter,
why do you spend so much time at that
table? Who’s going to know whether or
not the last touch has been put on the
under side of it”? Baxter looked up in
surprise. “Why, I will,” he said. Truly, a
John Houser house is a fine, well-built
house. A treasure.
John thinks he built “about a hun
dred houses” in our area. There might
not be a Tiffany lamp in our area, but
there are many John Houser treasures.
Other things you need to know about
John:
■ 1) He is an excellent draftsman
drawing his own house plans. You
would think he was a Georgia Tech
graduate.
■ 2) He was the Commander of the
National Guard Armory in Perry for
many years and was instrumental in
getting the Armory built in the “50s”.
■ 3) He was on the Perry-Houston
County Airport Authority for several
years and became the Airport Manager
and having nine years of exemplary
service which included the designing
and overseeing of construction of the
Airport terminal.
■ 4) He and Ann have two sons:
Johnny and Charles Matthews (Matt).
Now, in his own words:
M 1) What people have been the most
influential in your life? “First, my wife,
Ann. Then, Hugh Lawson - my father
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3 ‘
HOUSTON DAILY JOURNAL
and Hugh’s father were best friends.
Also, Ann’s father, Charlie Matthews,
a fine man, Mr. J. C. Matthews, and
my high school English teacher, Mary
Dillard.”
■ 2) What was the most interest
ing house you ever built? “Mansfield
and Genelle Jenning’s house in
Hawkinsville. They were nice people to
work for. In fact, I enjoyed every house
I ever built.”
■ 3) How did you learn to draw house
plans? “I just picked it up. Anyone can
do it.” Really?
■ 4) Good advice you received? “Mr.
Rhodes Sewell told me onee that every
nail you drive, you are building a mon
ument to yourself.”
■ 5) What historic figure do you
most admire? “Winston Churchill. He
had so much determination.”
■ 6) What’s the biggest change you
have seen in your lifetime? “Technical
changes - computers.”
S 7) You are a happy man. Why?
“I’ve had a great life. The secret is,
when things are past, they’re gone.
Move on.”
A personal “John Houser” story: John
built our house in 1974. Almost 30
years later, we actually had to repaint
some of the rooms! I telephoned him
and said: “John, we are doing some
remodeling and are having to repaint
some of the rooms you painted 30 years
ago. Are you going to stand behind
your work and make it good? There
was a long pause, and then a big John
Houser laugh. He was tickled, and I
was, too! I was also relieved when he
laughed!
When I interviewed John for this
story, I asked him about the pipe he
used to smoke. “Larry, it is in the wall
of one of your and Janice’s bedrooms. I
quit smoking and put the pipe in your
wall.” I was astounded. I made the
mistake of telling Janice what John
said. Janice, who loves John and Ann,
proposed that we put a hole in the wall
and get it out!
I have one regret about this col
umn. There is not nearly enough in
here about Ann Matthews (“two t’s”)
Houser. She is a gem - smart, spunky,
witty and very much her own person,
and John’s rock. I'll say again, she
deserves her own column.
Yes, Perry and Middle Georgia have
treasures in the “John Houser houses”.
But, the real treasure is the man him
self, John Houser. John told me that
Ann once told him: “Perry has done so
much for you, you need to give some
thing back”. Well, Mr. John Houser,
you have. Thanks for your treasures
and thanks for being our ‘Treasure’.