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Peach County, Georgia Wednesday, September 30, 1992 Volume 103, Issue 40 14 6 inserts
pages, Single Copy 35c
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Photo by Hallie
Leukemia has led to a greater awareness for the Lee family
Susan and Jack Lee have done a lot of studying that has led to this
end's bone marrow bank
Susan Lee hopes to build
bone marrow donor bank
By Hallie Rigdon
Susan Lee, 39-year-old science
teacher at Windsor Academy, was
told last June that she had chronic
myleocitic leukemia.
"Your life can change totally in a
blink of an eye,” said her husband
Jack Lee of Houser and Lee Insur¬
ance. "You never know when it is
your time.”
One of the projects Susan and
Jack have taken on is in connection
with the National MarrowDonor
Bank in Minneapolis, Minnesota.
"We are trying to get the word
out to the public,” said Susan, "that
there is such a tremendous need for
bone marrow donors. I never knew
it could be so simple to save a hu¬
man life. And yet, there are only
about 600,000 people registered
with the bank."
Saturday, October 3, from 9 a.m.
until 3 p.m. the citizens of Peach
County will have an opportunity to
register as potential marrow donors
to help those in need of a bone mar¬
row transplant The Red Cross will
be drawing blood for typing, match¬
ing, and the other elaborate tests
that need to be made. The event
will be held in the lobby of Middle
Georgia Bank on Camellia Blvd.
Refreshments will be served.
"This is such a simple way to
give the gift of life," said Susan,
"you aren't an organ donor."
She explained that the process of
finding "the right match" is a
highly complicated one when a pa¬
tient has to go outside his or her
own family to find a donor. The
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State _ . visitors Photo by Hallie Rigdon
are treated M well by Fort Valley residents and their Southern hospitality
Pictured above are members of the various state departments and local business people who were involved in the
MainStreet Study as they enjoyed the lovely country estate of Yves Burgand last week. *
When You See News Happen, Call Your Hometown Newspaper, at 825-2432
sophisticated tests go right to a
DNA match; or as closely as it can
come in hope that the marrow
won't be rejected by the recipient
"So much of the hematology re¬
search that is going on in the AIDS
epidemic is indirectly helping can¬
cer and leukemia patients," said
Jack. "Science is learning so
quickly as technology is expand¬
ing."
Susan is qutek"to point out that
her particular kind of leukemia
won't respond favorably to a bone
marrow transplant. But she has
found out from all the research and
study that she and her husband have
done since she was diagnosed that
there is a tremendous need for mar¬
row donors.
"Especially among minorities,"
said Susan. "We are really working
hard to find Hispanics and African
Americans who are willing to be¬
come a part of this program because
only 3% of those in the National
Marrow Bank are minorities. And if
someone is in critical need, there is
a very small pool from which to
draw. The need is critical."
To be considered as a bone mar¬
row donor, you must be between
the ages of 18 and 55 and in good
health. Your blood is HLA typed at
a medical lab to identify your anti¬
gens. Then your HLA type goes
into a computer in the National
Marrow Donor Program. That main
computer is searched internationally
on behalf of patients with fatal
blood diseases.
Only a small number of poten tial
Committee makes recommendations to
MainStreet program
■
* '
Mr. Jim Finch, Department of Community Affairs
By Kevin Osborne
Jim Finch from the Department of
Community Affairs was on hand to
speak to downtown business own¬
ers who are involved in Fort Val¬
ley's MainStreet program. "Main
Street is a comprehensive down¬
town economic program," he said.
He was presenting ideas, with the
help of his staff, to the downtown
business owners on how they could
improve their sales base and buying
power, thereby improving Fort Val¬
ley's economic status. "We tried to
talk to many people in the commu¬
nity and find out just what your per¬
ceptions are and just what you
would like to see."
After going over organizational
structure and economic design
structuring, Dr. Alice Ford, a pro¬
fessor at Mercer College in Atlanta,
discussed usage of the report and
explained what she had seen in Fort
Valley.
”1 saw something I wanted to buy
Tuesday and went back to buy it
Wednesday afternoon," she said. "I
couldn't because the store was
closed. Don't close on Wednesday
afternoon. You can't just close the
doors ] when you feel like going fish
mg
donors receive a call that they are
preliminary matches. If you are a
preliminary match, additional blood
samples will be taken to determine
if you are a precise match for a spe¬
cific patient in need.
"Childhood leukemia responds
very favorably to a bone marrow
transplant," said Susan, "because
children are so responsive. They
generate all the necessary healing
mechanisms in their own bodies in
response." That doesn’t always hap¬
pen in adults.
Many people in the Peach
County area have been working
with Susan and Jack Lee on this
project. There will be more on that
in next week's paper.
The cost of processing the first
150 potential donor blood samples
is $22.50, after that number, the
cost is $45 each.
Barbecue plates will be on sale to
raise some of the money needed for
the processing of the laboratory.
"We know that we won't make
enough money on the barbecue to
meet the expenses," said Jack. "But
Saturday is Oktoberfest in down¬
town Fort Valley. We'd like every¬
one to come to town for the day and
enjoy it and have a barbecue lunch."
What Susan Lee is hoping is that
many more people will become
Cont'd on. Page 2
She went on to explain Fort Val
ley’s retail base and buying power
in some detail. The city is capturing
two percent more retail than would
By Hallie Rigdon
With sole opposition from
Commissioner Jack Taylor, the
Peach County Commission voted
4-1 to terminate the service of
George Brooks who has served as a
member of the Peach County Board
of Tax Assessors since August 10,
1988.
In a letter dated September 24,
1992, Commission Chairman
Glenwood Hill cited Georgia Code
48-5-291 (A6) advising Brooks that
he had not met the required 40
hours training certification required
McCord fights for MainStreet funding
during the City Council budget hearing
By Hallie Rigdon
The MainStreet program for Fort
Valley received a 67% cut in the
City of Fort Valley's proposed '92
93 $3,118,070 fiscal year budget.
This information was given during
the formal budget hearing last
Wednesday night.
"I cannot believe that the City
Council would vote to support the
program for three years and renig on
it six months later," said Tim Me
Cord, "that's not how you do busi
ness."
McCord had been the chairman of
fundraising for the MainStreet pro¬
gram at its inception.
"Countless volunteers have put
in hundreds of hours at their own
expense to get Fort Valley approved
for this program. Susan Swift went
to Atlanta time and again, filled out
the 100 page application, and we all
fought to get the program approved
for our city. Now you are cutting
your support," he said. "The next
time you all have a bright idea and
be expected from a community our
size,
Automotive parts sales are
almost twice what would be expect-
Half million to be spent on
new
By Hallie Rigdon
$500,000 of taxpayer monies
were allocated for new construction
as the Peach County Commission
held another budget hearing Monday
night,
$350,000 was allocated to build
the Byron Annex. $75,000 was al
located to build a new senior citizen
center where the old community
center stands on Boy Scout Road in
George Brooks dismissed as member of
Peach Board of Tax Assessors
to be a member of the board. Hill's
letter told Brooks that a hearing
would be held at 6 p.m. on
September 28 to hear his reply.
County Attorney Jeff Liipfert had
obtained training records from the
Board of Revenue which indicated
that the last training session Brooks
had attended was on February 23,
1990.
Brooks told the commission dur¬
ing their called meeting Monday
night that he had planned to attend
the training session in November
and had been waiting for "local"
need volunteer help from the com
munity, people are not going to be
willing to support you. They are
not going to forget this."
"I own two businesses here,"
McCord continued, "and my profits
are down, too. But if I had to go to
Mr. Evans' (referring to Council
man Joe Evans) bank and borrow
the money to meet my commit
ment to MainStreet, I'd go to the
bank and I'd make that commit
ment. That’s how I do business. I
carry through with my commit
ments."
Finance Chairman John Ezell
stated budget decisions were very
difficult and that no program wants
to be cut; that prioritizing was nec
essary.
"MainStreet is one program that
holds hope of building the tax base
you keep telling us is disappear
ing," said McCord, "you are cutting
off the one thing that can help
you."
Evans suggested that they might
Byron. S25,0C0 each was allocated
to build three new voting precincts
to replace the polling places of
Spruce Street, the courthouse and
the armory. Sites are still under dis¬
cussion. One is to be built next to
the county courthouse, the fire de
partment on State College Drive
may be another site.
Peach County Hospital Authority
made their presentation to the
consider paying the appropriated
$5,000 sum over a quarter rather
than a year. "That would help the
cash flow shock," said Evans.
Councilman Marvin Crafter asked
if there was an alternative proposal,
something they could work toward.
A discussion ensued which at¬
tempted to address the needs of the
MainStreet program.
It ended, however, with only a
promise to, look at the budget "next
quarter" and "see what it looks
like."
Chairman of the Clean Commu¬
nity Commission Ed Hamilton
made his presentation and budget
request but was informed that the
city had cut all funding for the
commission.
Hamilton, too, pleaded his case
and another discussion of what
could be done to support the efforts
begun by the commission took
place. However, no funding was
forthcoming.
ed, but general merchandise is only
15 percent of what you should be
seeing, " she continued. "Apparel
sales are only about 45 percent of
what we should see, and on the
average you are about $2,000 under
the state average."
She tried to remind the people,
though, that the state average is
based on the sales of large cities,
like Atlanta, where the average
income is around $30,000. She
explained that the state, on a whole,
has more "disposable cash " than
Fort Valley does.
She also discussed interesting and
pertinent facts that Fort Valley mer¬
chants need to be aware of: the ages
in Fort Valley, as compared with
the state average; 20.1 percent of
our population is over the age of 65,
whereas the state average is 17.8
percent. She also said that we have
about 2.3 percent less people under
the age of 25 per capita than the
state.
"All this leads up to the fact that
you (the merchants) may be target¬
ing the wrong buyers," she conclud¬
ed. She also said that downtown
merchants "...are not meeting the
needs of the black market and the
tourist market."
commission, asking for $418,000.
The commission tentatively funded
$375,000. Peach Public Libraries
was tentatively funded for $71,000.
The commission will meet one
more time this week to finalize the
proposed budget. The public hear
ing on the budget will be Wednes
day, October 7 at 7 p.m. in the
courthouse.
training.
He was asked 'if there had been
training that he could have attended
and he replied that there had been.
Citing Georgia Code 48-5-295
giving the County Commission the
authority to remove a member of
the Board of Tax Assessors, Brooks
was terminated with Commission¬
ers Johnny Smith, Ira Hicks,
Glenwood Hill and Rosetti Yates
voting in the affirmative. Commis¬
sioner Jack Taylor voted in opposi¬
tion, citing "the spirit of the law."