Newspaper Page Text
E VENIN GOOD G
By Quimby Melton
Monday, the 85th birthday
niversary of President
D- Roosevelt, we told in
column several things, with a
cal angle, about the President ’
that probably were not known
many.
After we had written that col
limn here came a release from
Warm Springs that told of a
“curious” reporter, who
dug into records at the Little
White House and found some ad
ditional little known things about
the man who was elected for
four times as chief executive.
Among the finds was this
tation quoting his former
vate secretary, Miss Grace
ly, on his preferences in music:
“He was fond of the
and German operas, the
From the Halls of Mont-zuma,
Anchors Aweigh, The Yellow
Rose of Texas, The Whippenpoff
Song, The Blue Danube and
er Strauss waltzes. He liked
stery plays, slapstick
and got great enjoyment out
Mickey Mouse, Donald Duck
Popeye.”
Another note quoted Irving
Duffie, of Atlanta, for 12
his personal valet, as saying
■ he liked folk songs best; that
favorite singer was John
les Thomas and his favorite, mu
eician Graham Jackson, Atlanta
Negro accordionist, who play
ed 23 “command performances”
for the President.
Another recorded comment
on his personality reveals
he regarded haircuts as a
of time and submitted to them
only on the insistence of Mrs.
Roosevelt.
■ McDuffie, the valet, was quo
ted as telling how the President
often ran short of ready cash
and borrowed from anyone
in reach, but was always prompt
in repayment. He said Roosevelt
kept $10,000 in jewels
cs, tie pins, studs and other ar
tides, and about $300 in spen
ding money in the White House
safe, but never carried much
money with him.
The President’s chief dislikes,
as recalled by John Gunther in
his book, “Roosevelt in
pect,” were “air conditioning,
mollycoddles, gloves, big words,
to be hurried, and the term
'‘bureaucrat.”
Duncan Cannon, now business
executive of the Georgia Warm
Springs Foundation, which Roose
Veit founded in the late 20s not
long after coming there for
treatment for polio, and who was
In charge of the old outdoor pool
in those days, told this story af
ter the President’s death,
Ing his penchant for practical
Jokes:
“I shall never forget one day
at the pool. He was receiving tr
eatment from his physical the
!j rapist, time a Miss Lauer, and at the
was getting exercises of his
right leg. In this particular exer
cise she would ask him to push
up at the same time she would
have his leg placed under her
arm, resisting this movement.
He saw a chance to duck her
end took advantage of the situa
tion. When Miss Lauer came up,
her long hair stringing down her
back, her glasses hanging over
one ear, and sputtering water
everywhere, you could have
heard the President laugh from
100 yards away.”
!•
— ♦ ~
The President’s birthday, many
times observed with special ce
i remonies at Warm Springs, this
year was observed quietly, sin
ce the manager of both the Lit
tle White House and the director
of the Museum were in Wash
ington to attend the unveiling
today, in the White House, of a
new portrait of Roosevelt
l. by Mme. Elizabeth Shoumatoff,
which will be hung among those
of the other Presidents of our
country. Chairman Charles F.
Palmer, of Atlanta; Executive
Director and Manager Frank W.
com, Jr., of Warm Springs,
and Mrs. Ruth Stevens, director
o the museum, all of whom
were close friends and associa
tes of Roosevelt, have receiv
ed invitations from President and
Mrs. Johnson to attend the un
veiling.
Mrs. Shoumatoff painted the
L a “ 0US “ U ° fmished hich Portrait of
‘ ou f 0 a d ,?' fln al she touches, w a s
_ , y as fatal]y
* the stricken in
. Little White , House. This por
trait now stands in the Presi
dents cottage near the spot
where she was working on it,
be seen and admired by visitors.
GRIFFIN
DAILY NEWS
Established 1871
Gasoline Policy
Costs State Some
$100,000 Yearly
ATLANTA (UPI)—State Audi
tor Ernest Davis indicated Mon
day a lack of consistent com
petitive bidding was responsible
for the state’s paying an extra
$100,000 for gasoline in 1965, but
officials said little could be
done about the situation.
State Purchasing Department
Director Clayton Turner said
s t a te paid a variety of dif
ferent price s for gasoline, as
much ^ 19 cen ts a gallon, be
cause remote highway patrol
posts do not have personnel
and storage facilities to handle
bulk quantities.
These stations, therefore,
must rely on local distributors
that are often considerably
higher,
It was noted the cost of stor
age facilities and personnel
would offset any saving. Turner
said the cost of traveling to
lower-priced areas would also
be higher than the saving.
He said some gas buying was
done without contracts or bid
ding because the markup on
President Leads
Nation In Tribute
By CHARLES W. CORDDRY
United Press International
ARLINGTON, Va. (UPI) —
Virgil (Gus) Grissom, a gutty,
pioneer astronaut who died on
the ground while reaching for
the stars, was buried today in
Arlington National Cemetery—
proclaimed as “one of the great
heroes of the space age.”
As President Johnson sat
alongside the grieving children,
an( i parents of the 40-year
0 j d astronaut, the Air Force
ij eu t e nant colonel was given
fmal rites on a frosty hillside
0 nly a few hundred yards from
the grave of President John F.
Kennedy.
La ter today, in similar
ceremonies also attended by the
President as the representative
0{ t he American people, Navy
L t. cmdr. Roger C. Chaffee, 31,
one of the other two victims of
the first U.S. space tragedy was
being buried alongside Grissom,
The Chaffee service was
scheduled for 1 p.m. EST.
Air Force Lt. Col. Edward H.
white n, the first American to
walk in space, was being given
hero’s burial honors in separate
services at his beloved West
Point. The White burial was
scheduled at 11 a.m. EST.
Died Friday
The three astronauts—Gris
som was the only member of
the ori & inal se.ven-man Amert
can s P ace team—died Friday
when their Apollo space capsule
was engulfed in flames during a
simulated flight,
Three weeks from today, they
were t0 make ' first U.S.
three-man space flight around
the earth—forerunner of the
S° al of landing on the moon in
tois decade,
As the nati(m watched on live
television and a crowd of about
500 stood bundled against
fr eezing cold in sunny Arlington
Cemetery, Grissom was laid to
rest.
The burial service was simple
but impressive.
Grissom’s hometown minister,
the Rev. Roy Van Tassell of
Mitchell, Ind., spoke briefly
over the casket. He called
Schools Closed Month Because
Wouldn’t Tax Hike
By ANDREW L. ROTHMAN
UMted Press International
VERSAILLES, Ohio (UPI) —
The farms surrounding this
small town in the rolling
country of western Ohio are
well kept,
In town, the houses reflect the
pride of their owners, and the
well-stocked stores show merch
ants wltll an investment in their
community.
But last Friday, officials had
to lock up the public schools for
a one-month “vacation” because
the same people who work the
farms, paint the houses and
mind the stores would not
approve a five-mill tax in
| crease.
The decision had left the
Griffin, Ga., 30223, Tuesday, January 31,1967
gasoline was so small that local
distributors stood nothing to
gain and would not bid.
Turner added no premium
gas was used in patrol or other
state vehicles and no more
than 28 cents a gallon was
spent on gasoline, except pos
sibly when it must be pur
chased from roadside stations
in an emergency.
According to purchasing de
partment records, the average
price for gas at nine of Geor
gia’s 39 patrol posts was 18J4
to 21 ^ cents a gallon in quani
ties from 100,000 to 250,000 gal
lons.
Davis said $100,000 could
have been saved last year if
all gasoline could have been
purchased at the 18 y 2 cents
bulk rate in Atlanta, where bid
ding is strongly competitive.
He said letting bids for one
company to service the entire
state had been considered, but
added the idea was discarded
as “impossible and impracti
cal."
Grissom “one of our great
heroes—one of the pioneers of
the space age—one of the great
heroes of the space age.”
The muffled drums that
seemed to echo all across
Washington Nov. 25, 1963, when
Kennedy was buried, sounded
again around the cemetery as
Grissom’s body was brought to
the resting place of 130,000
American heroes and others.
Band Plays
The Air Force band played, in
slow funeral tempo, Onward
Christian Soldiers as a horse
drawn caisson carried the flag
draped body from the cemete
ry’s “depositery” to the grave
side.
The; six men who with
Grissom formed the first
generation American space
team were pall bearers. All but
one are still in the program.
The line exception was most
easily identifiable among the
pall bearers: Former Marine
Col. John H. Glenn, the first
American to orbit the earth. He
walked in heavy overcoat,
hatless. The others were in
uniform.
The. casket was removed from
the caisson as the band played
Faith of Our Fathers. Johnson,
also bundled against the cold
but holding his hat in his hand,
walked to a row of folding
chairs and sat with the family
as the casket was placed on the
gravesite.
The minister’s eulogy lasted
only about five minutes. The
flag bearers briskly folded the
flag for presentation to Betty
Grissom, brave wife of the
astronaut, A short distance
away, under a bare-limbed tree,
a bugler sounded the haunting
notes of “Taps” and an honor
squad of riflemen fired three
volleys over the casket as it
was lowered into the grave.
Jets Pass Over
In these final moments of the
ceremony, lasting barely half
an hour, a flight of Air Force
jets—three planes with a
noticeable gap signifying a
missing member—flashed over
head.
students disturbed, the towns
folk embarrassed and the 68
school administrators and
teachers anguished.
“I think that these people
never sold themselves on the
need for what we call quality
education,” said the high school
Principal Carl Adams, who
joined the system last August.
Blames State Law
He blames the situation on
state law which requires voter
approval to any school tax
increase.
The Versailles district has an
annual budget of about $500,000
—financed by an 18.2 mill tax on
real and personal property—the
only sources available under the
law. Less than half the money,
Adams says, comes from the
Gas Purchase Policies
Different
Blaze Kills
Airman In
Space Cabin
SAN ANTONIO, Tex. (UPI)
— Fire swept through a space
cabin simulator operating with
a 10 per cent oxygen atmos
phere at Brooks Air Force Base
today, killing one Airman and
critically injuring another in
conditions that appeared much
like those in which the three
Apollo —astronauts were killed.
The names of the men were
withheld until their families
could be notified.
Lt. Tom Sullivan of the Office
of Information at Brooks, said
the two men were working in
“routine maintenaance” in the
cabin simulator at the time.
The project has to do with
studying how the blood
blood-forming tissues of rabbits
react to space-like conditions.
The injured airman was taken
to Brooke Army Medical Center
nearby, suffering from bums
over virtually all his body.
Capt. Richard D. Sinclair of
the environmental assistance
branch was in charge of the
project.
The cause of the fire was not
immediately determined.
The pressure and oxygen
atmosphere of the cabin was
simulating an 18,000-foot
tude at the time of the accident.
In 1962, a fire broke out
during an experiment at the
School of Aerospace Medicine at
Brooks AFB.
Ralph Farrar, the school’s
information officer, said it was
a flash fire in pure oxygen
under 5 pounds per square inch
pressure. The 1962 fire put two
air force volunteers into the
hospital with smoke inhalation
and caused $ 10,000 damage to
file test chamber. The school
does pressure chamber tests on
various types of atmospheres
and turns the results over to the
space agency for America’s
space program.
The fire hazard of pure
oxygen atmosphere is well
known to space officials. The
same atmosphere exists in
bombers at high altitude or in
die oxygen tent of a hospital
patient.
The flash fire disaster that
killed astronauts Virgil I.
Grissom, Edward H. White and
Roger B. Chaffee Friday at
Cape Kennedy was the first in
the history of manned space
flight.
Maddox’s Brother
Gets Promotion
ATLANTA (UPI)—The broth
er of Gov. Lester Maddox was
given a big promotion by
Southern Railway System three
days after Maddox took office.
The brother, Wesley Maddox,
was promoted from yard con
ductor to terminal supervisor
Jan. 14, Wesley Maddox said
the promotion “had been in the
works several months.”
He said his new job meant
he would supervise all of South
ern’s yards and terminals.
"It’s a good promotion but I
had one of the best records on
the Southern Railroad,” the
brother said.
He said he had been with.
Southern since 1942.
state treasury.
The rest Is from special local
levies which run for four-year
terms but have different
millage values and different
expiration dates.
Each time a levy expires, it
must be renewed by referen
dum. That is no problem,
Adams says. But when finances
run short, the school board
must go to the public for new
levies. A two-mill hike was
approved in the May 1966
primary.
Called Special Election
Last fall, teachers’ salaries
were raised and the school
board called a special election
on a five-mill tax boost which
would have brought In $75,000.
It was denied and the board had
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(Griffin Daily News Staff Photo)
New Quarters
The speech and drama departments at Griffin High moved into new quarters at
the beginning of the school year. They are housed in the former offices of Super
intendent George Patrick. Diane Searcy, a speech student, shows some of the art
on the office wall. The art is used to depict some of the feelings in the plays read
and acted out by the classes under Miss Julia Elliott.
Revamp
Doesn't
Of Special
By MARCIA RASMUSSEN
United Press International
ATLANTA (UPI)—Thomaston
Rep. Jimmy Caldwell, chair
man of the House Reapportion
ment Committee, announced to
day the committee did not want
a special session of the Legis
lature on reapportionment.
Caldwell said the committee
wanted reapportionment done
during the current regular ses
sion.
Gov. Lester Maddox in his
inaugural address said he
would call a special session but
later said he hoped reapportion
ment could be worked out dur
ing the regular session.
Georgia is under federal court
order to reapportion the Legis
lature strictly according to pop
ulation by May 1.
to borrow $36,000 to meet
December expenses, then just
made it through January.
The levy was defeated again
in another special election this
month and the schools closed
'heir doors.
Forty-six per cent of the
voters approved it, but a 55 per
cent majority was needed.
The Board of Education
ordered classes suspended for
one month to allow time for tax
revenues and state subsidies to
accumulate so that operating
expenses could be met. *
Stoner said there will be
enough money to extend classes
through the end of June to
make up for lost time and the
levy will be put before voters
again in May.
Vol. 96 No. 25
Call
Session
Caldwell said the committee
hoped to have the reapportion
ment plan ready by Feb. 13 for
the General Assembly to act.
Caldwell made the announce
ment at a news conference. His
15-member committee had been
meeting secretly the past week.
Caldwell said the committee
also wanted to maintain the
current size of the House of
Representatives at 205 and keep
county lines and political sub
divisions intact.
"We have decided it would be
in the best interests of all if
we stay within the figure of 205,
though various plans have
ranged from 160 to 211 .”
Caldwell said the committee
felt it would be all right to
bunch counties together but did
not want to split counties.
“We have no objection to
multi-county districting,” Cald
well said, “as long as they stay
within the limits we want.”
He said the committee was
working to come up with a plan
that would not have any area
of representation 10 per cent
more or less than any other
area.
Country Parson
“Every man ought to find
something , important t o
worry about—it’ll keep him
from worrying about some
thing unimportant.”
Maddox Takes
Personal Hand In
Athens Strike
By DON PHILLIPS
United Press International
ATLANTA (UPI)—Gov. Les
ter Maddox declared today he
would meet with Westinghouse
and union representatives as
long as necessary to settle the
12-week-old strike at the Wes
tinghouse plant in Athens.
Maddox emerged from a 5J/>
hour negotiating session in the
governor’s office with the two
factions and federal mediators
shortly after midnight, but said
no settlement had been reach
ed.
The governor announced he
would hold another bargaining
session beginning at 4 p.m. to
day and declared, “We will
meet till after midnight again
if necessary.”
“We’re still discussing,” said
Maddox. “We’ve got some
areas that might bare fruit.
We’re hopeful. Both sides have
been very cooperative.”
“If they’ll meet with me, we
will work until we work some
thing out."
The governor then took the
entire union delegation to a
small 12 -cent hamburger estab
lishment for a midnight snack,
explaining there was no place
at that time of morning to get
a steak.
Maddox and federal negotiat
ors had high praise for each
other after the meeting.
"The governor is a real gutty
individual,” said Robert Baker
of the federal mediation serv
ice, “He’s a man of great cour
age. I’m high on the gover
nor.”
Although both sides expressed
hope of a settlement, they
seemed to be as stalemated as
ever after the meeting.”
“Everything is just like be
fore it got like what it was,”
said union business manager
M. W. Epps, throwing his hands
in the air.
J County
Alternate
Among Outlets
Governmental bodies purchas
ing gasoline in Griffin and Spal
ding County use several differ
ent systems and policies, a che
ck with officials here today show
ed.
Discussion of gasoline purchas
es at the state level in the capi
tol Monday prompted the Grif
fin Daily News to make the in
quiries today.
The city and county alternate
monthly purchases of gasoline
among the nine local distribu
tors. However, the city has to
pay a higher rate because of its
limited tank capacities, accor
ding to City Manager Jack
Langford.
The city has four tanks and
each has a capacity of 500 gal
lons. One is at the city hall, one
at the Light and Water Depart
ment, one at the cemetery office
and one at the city garage.
Because the city cannot pur
chase gasoline in larger quan
tities, it must pay a higher rate,
the city manager said.
Mr. Langford said that the
city has considered installing two
6,000 gallon tanks to increase its
purchasing capacity. The in
stallation would cost an estima
ted $6,000 to $7,000. It is esti
mated the city could save some
$ 10,000 per year if it could pur
chase gasoline in greater quan
tities.
The city follows the policy of
having each of the nine distri
butors here supply it gasoline
for one month at a time until the
nine all have had a month. Then
the cycle starts over.
The county follows a similar
policy of rotating among the nine
local distributors.
Thomas Lane, purchasing ag
ent for the county, explained
that the county has four fuel
pumps, three for gasoline and
one for diesel. One at the Spald
ing County jail for the sheriff’s
department is used for premium
gasoline and has a 500 gallon ca
pacity. One premium tank at
the Spalding stockade has a
500 gallon capacity. Another re
gular gasoline tank has a cap
acity of 5,000 gallons.
A diesel fuel tank has a capa
city of 5,000 gallons at the stock
ade, also.
Lane said the county is able
to purchase gasoline at the
same rate service stations pay
wholesale.
The Griffin State Patrol’s gaso
line purchases are handled throu
gh the State Treasury Depart
ment. The state handles the pur
chases on a yearly contract low
bid basis. When the tank at t h e
State Patrol barracks here is
empty, a purchase order for
more is handled through the
treasurer’s department at the
capitol.
The Griffm-Spalding School
System has purchased gasoline
under a yearly contract, low
bid basis since 1955, according
to Supt. George Patrick, Jr.
The school system has a 10,000
gallon tank. Mr. Patrick said
bids from the major gasoline
companies are received each
September when school opens.
The bids are submitted through
local distributors. The contract
goes to the low bidder each year,
Mr. Patrick explained.
The 10,000-gallon tank will run
the system about three weeks,
said. The current rate for
the school system is 18.99 cents
per gallon for premium gasoline,
Mr. Patrick said. He said that
experience has shown the school
system comes out better using
the premium gasoline.
The city, county and school sy
stems all pay state taxes on gas
line, but no federal taxes.
Weather:
FORECAST FOR GRIFFIN
— Partly cloudy and
tonight and Wednesday.
LOCAL WEATHER — High
66 , low today 43, high
67, low Monday 37; sun
rise Wednesday 7:37, sunset
6:13.