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♦ 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 * ! *i* : 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 Cl I TCi R | J\ L i Mm in ii w/LJm m m mwk m mrnmmm • ' 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..." % (j\ Wv) (^owt*r^T VV \'Vou,bi>m X / )\ W/) 7 JXV 1 i/I!> p7m J 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 / ...every day while they're j l stuck in traffic! J cp \\ 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 ()//(' tour ra/t mc/fx'r (t <////('/ <'//< r ip* Wf ■H& wpjpMß m w-5 »- t Kl * isl gife 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.