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HOUSTON DAILY JOURNAL
Nell Leaptrot Woodruff was a true Perry ambassador
Editor’s note: This col
umn is excerpted from Billy
Powell’s remarks at Nell
Woodruff ’s funeral at Perry’s
First Baptist Church on
Monday.
Nell Leaptrot Woodruff
was my lifelong dear friend.
We grew up together on Ball
Street, two blocks south of
the New Perry Hotel. As
young children, we shared
many common hopes,
dreams and aspirations.
Nell was an eye-witness
to the greatest basketball
dynasty in Georgia his
tory. She married Horace
Woodruff, a star on Coach
Staples’ 1938 team. Nell and
Horace were two of Perry’s
High’s most loyal and sup
portive fans.
One day, Nell said, “Billy,
I wouldn’t take anything
for growing up in Perry and
being a part of the glory
years of Perry High School
and this community.” Nell
was an important part of
our rich heritage, and it was
Whatever the challenge
e not thou far from
me, 0 Lord: O my
M-J strength, haste
thee to help me.” - Psalm
22:19
A blank shot was fired
into the air and the race
was on.
Nearby, ready to give help
to anyone who might “run
into trouble” was a Rescue
Mission attendant.
As the runners made their
way along the designated
three-mile route, one lad
suffered a fall. Having a lead
over the other participants
made it possible for him to
gain control over the situ
ation and get back into the
race.
Rejoining the racers, the
youngster courageously
commented, “There’s no use
starting something if you
don’t finish!”
Making his way down a
steep hill, his foot slipped.
Down he went for a second
time.
Not to be defeated, he
brushed himself off and
insisted, “I think I can make
it, I’ll try!”
Church Briefs
Crossroads UMC
plans revival
Crossroads Methodist
Church of Perry announces
revival services Feb. 25-28,
at 7 p.m. each night. The
Rev. James Smith, former
conference evangelist, will
be preaching each night and
a nursery is provided.
Smith is pastor of Villa
Rica First Methodist
Church, co-host of TV pro
gram “Christians Have The
Most Fun”, and a former
full-time evangelist.
Music for the revival will
include numbers from the
Old Cokesbury Hymnal as
well as best loved hymns and
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ambassadors like Nell who
have made Perry the great
town it is. In recent times
we have lost such pioneers
as Dot Roughton, Deryle
Whipple, and now Nell. I
cannot
imagine
Perry
without
Nell.
Nell had
a winsome
personali
ty. She was
a joy to be
around.
She never
met a
Hilly Powell
Columnist
stranger. She always wore a
radiant smile, so contagious
that it would draw out the
most reserved individuals.
When I found myself engag
ing in a conversation with
Nell, 1 lost all contact with
time and had to be pried
away.
When Horace’s grand
daughter Tiffany called me to
tell me that Nell was gravely
With little persuasion
from the compassionate
Rescue Mission attendant,
the determined lad agreed to
take another break.
Bless his heart; it seemed
not to be his day for run
ning. However, unknown to
SKIP'
r
Earline Cole
Reflections
our best effort. We must also
be willing to admit a need
and be receptive to help.
Whatever the challenge,
as we go forth with the atti
tude of the young racer, there
is always a Compassionate
Attendant nearby who will
help us reach out goal. No
doubt, He was instrumental
in that determined little fel
low crossing the finish line
and receiving his reward.
praise music.
The church is located at
1600 Main Street. Highway
341 South at the corner of
Main Street and Glenwood
Avenue. For more infor
mation, call the church at
987-3721. Pastor George
Durham and the congrega
tion cordially invite anyone
in the community to attend.
Greater Union to
honor pastor
The Greater Union Baptist
Church, 1006 Marion Street,
Perry, will observe its 10th
Appreciation Day for Pastor
Keith Anderson, and his
See BRIEFS, page 6B
gk 1 THE BANK
W OF PERRY
Please worship at the
church of your choice
1006 Main St. • Perry
987-2552
Member FDIC
[00043344
ill and that her life hung in
the balance, I immediately
prayed that God’s perfect
will for Nell be done. Soon
thereafter, God’s holy angels
were speeding earthward to
usher Nell into His eternal
kingdom.
Nell is in a better place
today. To describe it, I must
relate this story: My grand
father Powell was doing
carpentry work and became
overheated. He sat down in
a swing to cool off and rest.
He suddenly grew light
headed and feinted. While
unconscious, Granddaddy
was transported to a place of
indescribable beauty where
peaceful music filled the air.
Before his eyes was a pan
oramic scene of unimagi
nable splendor, a virtual
Garden of Eden - lush green
vegetation, flowers and trees
of every hue, and meander
ing streams of sparkling
water. Fluttering around him
were majestic butterflies;
their wings displaying every
Parents must screen influences on kids
Question: You have
talked about how Barbie
dolls place undue empha
sis on clothing, possession
and appearance. But Barbie
isn’t the only example of
this adolescent influence in
our culture, is it?
Dobson: No, our children
are saturated with commer
cial stuff that has the same
impact. More and more,
we see adolescent clothes,
attitudes and values being
marketed to younger and
younger children. And rock
and rap music, with ado
lescent and adult themes,
finds eager listeners among i
the very young.
I believe it is desirable
to postpone the adoles
cent experience until
it is summoned by your
child’s happy hormones.
Therefore, I strongly rec
ommend that parents I
screen the influences to
which their children are
exposed, keeping activities
appropriate for each age.
While we can’t isolate our
kids from the world as it is,
we don’t have to turn our
babies into teenyboppers.
Question: Talk about
a father’s impact on his
daughter and what he
should hope to accomplish
through that relationship.
Dobson:Fathers have
an incalculable impact on
their daughters. Most psy
chologists believe, and I am
one of them, that all future
romantic relationships that
occur in a girl’s life will
be influenced positively or
negatively by the way she
perceives and interacts with
her dad.
If he rejects and ignores
her, she will spend her life
trying to replace him in her
heart. If he is warm and
nurturing, she will look for
a lover to equal him. If he
thinks she is beautiful, wor
thy and feminine, she will
be inclined to see herself
him, he
was being
used in
a special
way. He
was dem
onstrating
a valuable
lesson in
life. We
must be
willing to
put forth
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RELIGION
color in the rainbow. When
I pressed Granddaddy for
more details, he responded
that words were incapable of
describing what he had seen.
He would only say, “I believe
I went to heaven.”
John the Revelator
describes a heavenly city
made of pure gold where
death, sorrow, crying, and
pain are nort-existent. It is a
place of perpetual daylight.
There is no need for a sun
or moon for the glory of
God will illuminate the city.
Whatever heaven looks like,
we can say with certainly
that when Jesus promised,
“I go to prepare a place for
you, a place of many man
sions,” I am sure He had in
mind a place so wonderful
that, in our wildest imagi
nation, we could never con
ceive of its splendor. That is
where Nell is today.
Nell, Horace and I have
speculated that two former
Perry structures were in
heaven. The beloved bas-
that way. But if he thinks
she is unattractive and
uninteresting, she is likely
to carry self-esteem prob
lems into her adult years.
I have also observed that
a woman’s respect for her
husband is significantly
influenced by the way she
perceived her father. If he
was overbearing, uncaring
or capricious during her
developmental years, she
may disrespect her husband
and question his judgment.
But if dad blended love and
leadership in a way that
conveyed
sL.
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inRA ■
Dr. James
Dobson
Focus on the Family
Individual differences can
always produce exceptions
and contradictions. But
this statement will be hard
to refute: A good father
will leave his imprint on
his daughter for the rest of
her life.
Question: My children
are still young and are
doing fine now, but I worry
a lot about the adolescent
years that loom ahead.
I’ve seen other parents go
through some pretty ter
rible things when their
teenagers began to rebel.
How can I help my sons
avoid that turmoil 10 years
from now?
Dobson: The apprehen
sion that you describe is
well-founded, and many
parents feel something
similar today. The most
important suggestion I can
make is for you to redouble
your efforts to build good
relationships with your
Perry
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WOODRUFF
ketball gym, built in 1927,
that burned to the ground in
1969, is located at 101 Pearly
Gates Boulevard. Next door
at 102 Pearly Gates is the
beautiful Baptist Church
building, built in 1878. When
it was torn down in 1972, a
part of us went with it.
kids while they are young.
That is the key to surviv
ing the adolescent years. If
they emerge from childhood
with doubts about whether
you really love and care for
them, anything is possible
during the turbulent teens.
Boundaries, restrictions and
threats will be no match for
adolescent anger, frustra
tion and resentment.
Author Josh McDowell
has said that “rules without
relationship leads to rebel
lion.”
He is right. That’s why
parents can’t afford to get
preoccupied with business
and other pursuits that
interfere with the task of
raising children. Kids are
young for such a brief peri
od. During that short win
dow, they must be given
priority.
Once you’ve done what
you can to lay the prop
er foundation, I urge you
to approach your parent
ing duties with confidence.
strength,
she will be
more likely
to live har
moniously
with her
husband.
These
tendencies
and trends
are not
absolute,
of course.
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FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 16, 2007 ♦
soul has taken
flight. It came from God and
it went back to God. It is
He who made her. It is He
who gave her life. And it is
He who has her in His lov
ing arms today. I thank Him
for sharing Nell with us for
so many wonderful years.
We cling to the blessed hope
that we will see our pre
cious loved ones again. And
what a grand and glorious
reunion day it will be.
I saw victory in Nell’s life,
and now I see victory in her
death. The tears we shed
should not be tears of grief,
but tears of joy for the victo
rious life Nell lived and for
the blessed assurance that
she was a child of God who
is snug and secure in the lov
ing arms of the Almighty.
In closing, the next time
you pass by the New Perry
Hotel and travel down Ball
Street where Nell grew up,
please ignore the street sign,
it should read Nell Woodruff
Lane.
Anxiety about the future is
risky in itself. It can make
parents tentative and inse
cure in dealing with their
youngsters.
They don’t dare cross
them or deny their wishes
for fear of being hated in
the teen years. Teenagers
pick up those vibes intui
tively, which often gener
ates disrespect in return.
Don’t make that mistake.
You have been placed in a
position of authority over
your young children. Lead
them with confidence and
care.
Dr. Dobson is founder and
chairman of the board of
the nonprofit organization
Focus on the Family, P.O.
Box 444, Colorado Springs,
CO. 80903; or www.family,
org. Questions and answers
are excerpted from “The
Complete Marriage and
Family Home Reference
Guide” and “Bringing Up
Boys,” both published by
Tyndale House.
/PERRY FLORIST
734 Main Street
Perry, Georgia 31069
987-1656
800-516-1004
00043365
143825
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