Newspaper Page Text
♦ SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 29, 2007
4A
Daniel F. Evans
President
Editor and Publisher
Julie B. Evans
Vice President
The Chamber vote
Should the Perry Area Chamber of Commerce
and the Warner Robins Area Chamber of
Commerce unite to become the
Houston County Chamber of
Commerce? That’s the question
that Chamber members in both
organizations will be voting on in
the days ahead.
As with most issues of consoli
dation, reasonable people can
disagree. Those who support the
unified chamber have the best of
intentions, and, I believe, want to
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Danny Evans
Publisher
make the organization stronger.
There are also benefits for some business
people in terms of more countywide networking,
and benefits for some businesses and agencies
that serve the whole county, in that they would
have one membership rather than two.
On the other hand, the benefits to the cities
of Perry and Warner Robins are far from clear.
Each city has traditionally had its own cham
ber as a booster organization. Each chamber
has had its own traditions, its own yearly local
events, its own officers and awards.
Chambers everywhere, across the country,
have traditionally been hometown organizations,
fostering leadership and community pride at the
city level and serving as the “welcoming commit
tee” for newcomers.
There are many ways that the two chambers
can work together and foster county-wide unity,
but it is my firm belief that combining the two
organizations under a single name will weaken
the chambers’ roles and their relevance in their
respective cities.
Moreover, there is the simple reality that while
Perry has just passed the 10,000 mark in popula
tion, Warner Robins is heading toward 60,000.
Perry, which is the smaller of the two, is at a
critical point of growth, and needs an effective
and focused chamber more than ever. While
those who are supporting the proposal now,
clearly plan to make sure Perry is adequately
served, none of us have any guarantee that this
will remain the case with future leadership, and
even if it did, it is hard to see how it would be the
best deal for either city.
Warner Robins is a unique city historically and
economically, also in a period of rapid growth
and efforts to revitalize its central city area. It
also needs its own dynamic chamber.
I urge the members to vote no on this proposal
and to look for creative ways to work togeth
er countywide while keeping their hometown
focus.
Letters to the editor
Perry community urged to vote
Dear Perry community,
An important issue is before the Perry Chamber of
Commerce membership Tuesday regarding whether the Perry
Chamber of Commerce and the Warner Robins Chamber of
Commerce should dissolve and re-form as one chamber for
Houston County. I strongly encourage the Perry Chamber of
Commerce Members to cast their vote because the final decision
will be based upon how the Perry Chamber Members vote.
The Perry Chamber Board of Directors HAVE NOT already
voted on this issue. It is not for the Board to decide; it for the
Membership to decide. The Perry Chamber Board will only act
as directed by the votes cast by the Perry Chamber members
Tuesday. I cannot emphasize strongly enough that if you are
See VOTE, page 11A
Countywide Chamber the right thing
A countywide Chamber of Commerce in Houston County is
the right thing to do for our future. There are several reasons
I believe this to be true.
1. Collaboration is a major business success factor for the 21st
Century. The business community in Houston County has far
more to gain through collaboration than competition. Many busi
nesses serve both communities and markets that are not defined
by either city or county boundaries.
2. A coordinated and balanced development effort in the
industrial, commercial and residential sector is important to
our economic future and quality of life. Fragmented or unbal
anced development efforts result in over crowed schools,
See CHAMBER, page 11A
Foy S. Evans
Editor Emeritus
Don Moncrief
Managing Editor
BELIEF
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Saying goodbye to Jeff
Ecclesiastes 3.20. “All go unto one
place; all are of the dust, and all turn
to dust again. ”
The singing group Kansas. “Dust
in the wind, all they are is dust in the
wind. ”
As I write this, on September
23, it has been exactly one
week, today - a week ago on
Sunday afternoon. And, he said it to
Janice, his sister, just as he had several
times before over the years, as to how
he was in awe of me and my ability to
sit down and write - an article, or a let
ter, or whatever - with the appearance
to him of great ease. And she told me
what he said, and I guess I smiled, and
that was it. No acknowledgment or
response. Just a nod and a smile.
The next day, a Monday, he was dead.
Dead by his own hands. Suicide. Gone
from this earth.
The hurt seems greater when it’s
suicide. And you ask yourself, “why”?
But, with Jeff, you kinda’ knew
“why”. You knew it’s been going on a
long time - maybe 15 years or more.
And, you knew of his frailties and what
society would nicely call “short-com
ings”. And, you knew of the alcohol
demons and the drug demons and the
deep depression that he faced. And,
you knew that except for Janice, and
“In the South folks
really get to know
one another..."
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Two have great influence at the capital, other notes
As the week goes by interesting
subjects come along, too.
• Houston County
swings more weight in the Georgia
capitol than most of us realize. Two
local elected officials head important
statewide organizations that are lis
tened to by legislators. Houston County
school board member Skip Dawkins is
president of the Georgia School Boards
Association. County commissioner
Tom McMichael is president of the
Association County Commissioners of
Georgia. Both men have great influ
ence in the capitol because they repre
sent influential elected officials from
all over the state. Legislators listen to
them.
■ The federal government came out
recently with statistics on the amount
of time motorists spend tied up in
traffic. Certainly someone doing the
study got lost. The average amount of
time wasted in heavy traffic in major
cities is 38 hours a year, according to
the study. That comes out at about 45
minutes a week.
Anyone familiar with Atlanta traffic
knows that figure is far short of reality.
Don’t bring up Warner Robins or you’ll
say an 45 minutes a week in some areas
is conservative. On some days I would
agree, especially at some intersections
with those traffic lights that keep you
waiting so long.
■ Jesse Jackson said that Barak
Obama is acting “too white.” A 1
Sharpton said that Barak Obama is
Larry
Walker
Columnist
lwalker@whgb-law.com
at least during the last few years, he
largely battled his foes, alone. Having
lost his father 18 years ago, and
with his mother’s drifting off into an
Alzheimer’s fog. So, in all honesty, you
kinda’ knew the “why”.
So then, the blaming starts. Oh, not
blaming others, but blaming yourself. I
should’ve done this, or I shouldn’t have
said this, or why did I not say this. And
the well-intentioned say “don’t beat
yourself up over this,” or “don’t blame
yourself”. But, you know that there is
some blame. Yes, there are failures and
there is some blame. Blame for all, save
Janice.
But even in the darkness, even in the
despair, even in the despondency, there
is hope. There are lessons. There is
some brightness. There are those who
give comfort. There are the assurances
of the words of God.
Really, Jeff had almost nothing of
monetary or worldly value when he
died on Sept. 17. Oh, he had a few
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Foy
Evans
Columnist
foyevansl9@cox.net
"These boys have their
heads on straight and are
the same today as they
were alter their victory,
when they consoled the
players they had defeated.
That's a tribute to their
upbringing."
not black enough. Both of them say
that they will vote for Obama. I won
der why.
■ Water - or the lack of it - is becom
ing a serious issue in Georgia. Lake
Lanier, which provides most of the
water used in metropolitan Atlanta, is
dangerously low. Marietta has placed
a ban on outdoor watering of any kind
every day. Atlanta has limited outdoor
watering to Saturday and Sunday. So
far there has been no indication that
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HOUSTON HOME JOURNAL
tools and some work clothes and an
old antique radio, but it all wouldn’t
have been worth a thousand dollars
except there was a tract of land on
the Flint River in Worth County that
he doggedly held onto over the years
with the help of his mother’s money
and Janice and much to the family’s
consternation. But, that was about it.
And, yet, Jeff did have something. Let
me explain.
Jeff had a flair and an exuberance
and a flamboyance. He was a world
class welder and a master pipefitter
and could read a set of blueprints and
build anything at any height and under
any conditions no matter how danger
ous. He was the best water skier I ever
saw - could ski on a boat paddle or
barefooted - yes, the best I ever saw.
And, he loved his mother, dearly.
- And, she loved him - just like the
prodigal son in the Bible. You could see
it and feel it, even in her Alzheimer’s
altered mental state. He was the one
child of the four who seemed to bright
en her day the most.
Yes, Jeff had something special. And
Rev. Jenny Jackson-Adams captured it
for the large crowd that gathered at his
gravesite in Albany, Georgia. She really
“hit it on the head” as she explained
that “sometimes life is good and goes
right, and sometimes it’s just bad”
See WALKER, page 6A
the aquifer, which provides us with
water, is a problem.
■ Some Oregon high schools have
bowed to the inevitable. They are
teaching a Mexican curriculum. How
long before this spreads throughout
the United States?
■ In view of all the adulation that is
being heaped on members of the World
Champion Little League players I won
dered if it would go to their heads. One
of my friends, who is close to Coach
Mickey Lay and the players, tells me
that the answer is no.
These boys have their heads on
straight and are the same today as they
were after their victory, when they
consoled the players they had defeated.
That’s a tribute to their upbringing.
■ I’m told that Mickey Lay will not
be back to coach a Little League team
next year. His son moves to an older
league and Mickey is expected to go
there, too.
■ I read somewhere that Mercer
University may field a football team
in the near future. Mercer has a proud
football history that few people alive
today recall. Mercer played against
the University of Georgia in UGAs
first football game ever. Georgia won
50-0 on Jan. 15, 1892. The same year
Mercer played Georgia Tech in Tech’s
first football game ever and Mercer
won 12-6.
Wally Butts, the legendary coach
at the University of Georgia, played
i r See EVANS.