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Evans Newspapers, Inc.
Daniel F. Evans Julie B. Evans
Pnsident/Publisher Vice President
Audrey Evans
Vice President
Connie Irwin Business Manager
Renee Goggins ..... Production Manager
Victor Kulkosky ..... News Editor
* Katie Jones. Contributing Writer
Nathan Mathis _____ Advertising Manager
Lee Posey... ..Circulation Manager
AM. Dorsey Sports Correspondent
Faye Jones. Contributing Writer
Danny GlUeland... Staff Photographer
OUR POLICIES:
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We do edit grammar, spelling and punctuation when necessary.
Libelous, slanderous or profane letters will not be published. • Liability
for errors in advertising will not exceed the space occupied by the error.
• We reserve the right to edit all submitted materials.
The Leader-Tribune, a periodical, Postage pad at Fort Valley, USPS
'(307740) mailed at Fort Valley, Ga. is published weekly for S21.60 per
year by Evans Newspapers, Inc. 109 Anderson Avenue, Fort Valley,
Ga. (478) 825-2432 Fax (478) 825-4130.
POSTMASTER: Send address changes to: 109 Anderson Avenue,
Fort Valley, Ga. 31030
Member of The Georgia Press Association
The National Newspaper Association
HOW TO SUBMIT LETTERS
We encourage readers to submit letters to the editor. Letters should
not exceed 3p0 words and must include the writer's name, address
and telephone number. All letters printed in The Leader Tribune will
appear with the writer's name and hometown - we do not publish
anonymous letters. The newspaper reserves the right to edit or reject
letters for reasons of grammar, punctuation, taste and brevity. Letter
writers are asked to submit no more than two letters per person
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to the editor are published in the order they are received as space
permits. There are three ways to submit a letter to the editor: E-mail
it to ltr.sws@evansnewspapers.com, mail it to The Leader Tribune
at 109 Anderson Ave, Fort Valley, GA 31030, or drop if off at 109
Anderson Ave in Fort Valley- between 8 a.m. and 5 p.m. Monday
Jlutvuj tic SciitdX fo
Wilton's Request
Will be Honored
To the Editor:
A heartfelt thanks to those
who remembered my birthday.
Another thanks to those who
read-my column, and respond
ed with kind and encouraging
comments. And yes, Wilton,
there will be more stories of
Blue Bird.
Frank Posey
County Calling AU Peach
Vietnam
Veterans
Dear Vietnam Veterans of
Peach County:
We need your participation
to start a Vietnam Veterans
organization in Peach County!
As Vietnam Veterans, we are
excited about pursuing a long
time dream of ours - to form
a Vietnam Veterans service
organization for the men and
women in Peach County,
The purpose of the organi
zation is to provide a means
of support for the proud men
and women of Peach County
who have served our country,
Our goal is to provide support
and assistance for all Peach
County civilian veterans and
their families in any way that
we can. As a member, Vietnam
Veterans of Peach County, GA
will assist you in obtaining
your deserved veteran benefits
as well as housing assistance
(if homeless), PTSD and sub
stance abuse counseling and
treatment, and many other ser
vices. It is our desire that every
man or woman who has served
our country is able to hold a
respectable and meaningful
place in society; most impor¬
tantly, in their home, church
and community.
We Want Your Opinion!
Send in Your
Good or Bad!
Let know us
//
Jt
hunt is (a) evansn e u >sp i ipers.com
♦ APRIL 8.2009
Isaac Master Builder
It’s always a pleasure to see
more recognition come to Fort
Valley State’s Cooperative
Developmental Energy
Program. CDEP’s founder and
director, Dr. Isaac J. Crumbly,
recently received a Golden
Torch Award from the National
Society of Black Engineers.
This particular torch was the
society’s“Lifetime Achievement
in Academia Award,” and the
nomination came from Ike’s
own students (see story on the
front page).
I did my first story about
CDEP as a journalism student
at Fort Valley State. Over 10
years ago, I was already 100
percent behind what CDEP was
(and is) doing: providing the
educating, training, mentoring
and support to help minorities
and women enter the engineer¬
ing field (most CDEP alumni
have gone into the energy busi¬
ness, aerospace, and earth sci-
Data from the American
Community Survey for 2005-
2007 reveals the following facts
about civilian veterans in Peach
County. With of a population of
25,672, Peach County as 2,267
civilian veterans. 87.4 percent
are male and 12.6 percent are
female. 42 percent are ages
35-54 years and 28.5 percent of
us are ages 55-64. 74.9 percent
are white and 24.3 percent bare
black. So you see, we have a
diverse population of veterans
in Peach County; therefore, we
have the power to help posi¬
tively change Peach County.
Data from the 2000 Census
tells that there are several folks
that are foreign war veterans
in Peach County. 15.8 percent
are Persian Gulf War veterans,
36.8 percent of us are Vietnam
veterans, 13.6 percent served in
the Korean War and 12 percent
served in World War II. These
are definitely statistics we are
proud to have accomplished for
our country,
Organizational meetings will
be held every Thursday at 6
pm. at the Burger King in Fort
Valley. Please come and bring
any Vietnam Veterans who
reside in Peach County with
you.
We hope you will come and
join us in forming this orga
nization in the Peach County
community. If you have ques
tions, please do not hesitate to
contact us: Arthur “Candyman”
Gibson (478) 925-0410, or
Jimmy Yancey (478) 825-3876.
I look forward to meeting and
serving you.
Sincerely,
Arthur “Candyman” Gibson,
Founder
Jimmy Yancey, Founder
Vietnam Veterans of Peach
County, GA
ences, and some have gone into
the medical technology busi¬
ness). This does three main
things: gives minorities and
women high-paying, high-status
jobs; proves they can succeed in
those fields; and provides those
industries with highly qualified
employees.
But Crumbly doesn’t couch
CDEP’s mission in civil rights
terms. For him, CDEP’s
mission is patriotic, a matter of
national security and the future
of America as a great nation.
Quite simply, America needs
scientists and engineers, espe¬
cially home-grown ones. Dr.
Crumbly simply does the math:
add up blacks, Hispanics and
women, and you get about 80
to 85 percent of the population,
yet the vast majority of engi¬
neers is still white and male.
Together, they make up a little
over a third of non-academic
positions in science and engi¬
neering (with women taking up
31 percent), according to the
National Science Foundation.
As a nation, we’re drawing from
too small a pool.
Also according the NSF, 25
percent of S&E (science and
engineering) workers in this
country in 2003 were foreign
born, but the percentage of
foreign-born people in S&E
rose to 40 percent for those with
doctoral degrees. About half of
S&E doctorate holders in post¬
doctoral positions in the U.S.
may have earned their Ph.D. in
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FRANK POSEY
Tribune Columnist
The month of March slipped
by without any acknowledge¬
ment on my part of a most
important event. March is
designated Women’s History
Month. To me, doling out only
one month to recognize the
accomplishments of the fairer
sex is akin to slinging a single
glass of water across the Sahara
Desert. There haven’t been
enough days since the begin¬
ning of time to honor women’s
contributions. For starters,
there would be no human race
without them. The mothers of
the human race deserve more
gratitude than we’re capable of
extending.
When God extracted one of
Adam’s ribs to create Eve, He
delivered something much more
exciting than barbecue. The
oft-used expression “woe man”
is completely understandable.
No other creation on Earth
maintains the ability to tanta¬
lize, excite, fulfill and frustrate.
God’s creation of Adam’s help¬
mate not only made arrange¬
ments for the continuation of
One For The Ladies
the species, but also opened the
door to the magic phenomenon
called love.
Downtrodden, abused and
exploited in a male-dominated
environment, they’ve managed
to rise to admirable heights
in every category of human
endeavor. Every woman I’ve
ever seen manages somehow
to display a beauty and queen
liness apparent to the obser¬
vant eye. Simply stated, life
without them wouldn’t be worth
a tinker’s damn.
Our mother is the first woman
in our lives. She nurtures us
with love, warmth and food.
primates of the world,
with man the dominant species,
of ' mothering.
years
these years of
growth, mothers are
Central figures who ensure
and entry into the next
of our lives.
My mother was a sturdy,
type lady. She acquired
traits through necessity
not by choice. She would’ve
a life with more rewards
less work more acceptable
enjoyable. She accepted
lot in life with a smile and
indomitable attitude, refus¬
to let the rigors of work
poverty drag her down into
Always smiling, always
sick or well, she was
unrecognized heroine. No
of gratitude would
her contributions to her
She was not only the
woman of my life, but the
a foreign country.
So, we’re already import¬
ing a lot of scientists, engi¬
neers and S&E researchers.
Again according to the NSF,
the number of S&E degrees
awarded in other countries is
on the rise. The number of
first college degrees awarded
in S&E fields more than tripled
in China and South Korea in
20 years. Obviously, not all
those scientists and engineers
are coming here. Many are
building their own countries.
And "building" is just the
right word. Dr. Crumbly has an
interesting take on education.
He considers education to be
part of the national infrastruc¬
ture. We’re used to thinking
of “infrastructure” as the basic
stuff that holds a society togeth¬
er and allows it to function:
roads, bridges, water and sewer,
communications, electricity
and so on. But how do we get
all that stuff in the first place?
We need educated people to
design, build, maintain, finance,
manage and improve it.
More than the “wire and
glue,” a nation needs scientists
and engineers to renew the
economy. The Internet was
originally created by scientists
and engineers, for scientists and
engineers; today the national
and global economies can’t do
without it. Just read the head¬
lines: the U.S. auto industry is
up against the ropes; it needs sci¬
entists and engineers to design,
biological and spiritual link to
life itself.
The next woman in my life
was not a single individual, but
a group. These women with dif¬
ferent names and personalities
have coalesced in my memory
as an entity of love and wisdom.
Mrs. Ruth Jones, a resident of
the Jamestown Home in Fort
Valley, is representative of the
teachers of Reynolds High
School. I praise you with love
for your contributions to my life
and hundreds of others.
I can say with absolute cer¬
tainty, if my clay had been of
better quality, you would’ve
been able to shape a better
vessel. I now better understand
the obstacles you faced, trying
to lure a country boy’s mind
away from shotgun shells and
fishing poles long enough to
instill a little knowledge. The
efforts of all my schoolteachers,
living fend dead, reside in my
memory with love and honor.
I had a few girlfriends along
the way, but none who affected
me like my wife of almost 47
years. From our first meeting,
she was the reincarnation of
Eve. Not only did I become
conscious of my missing rib,
but of other physical things.
Visions of her danced across
my sleeping eyes and filled my
daily thoughts. Thank God we
had a short courtship. If a
longer courtship had ensued, I
probably would’ve been killed
in an accident.
After 47 years, Phoebie has
THE LEADER TRIBUNE
test and build new vehicles.
Alternative energy, and better
use of existing energy sources,
is vital for our economy, envi¬
ronment and national security
- scientists and engineers will
lead the way. Better agriculture
and food, better medicine - the
geeks shall inherit the earth,
or at least save it. Don’t forget
national defense - like it or not,
w t gotta have it. Need I say
whom we need to make that
better?
The Soviet Union launched
Sputnik in 1957. A stunned
America went hog wild on edu¬
cation, science and technology.
By 1969, we’d landed a man on
the moon and left the Soviets,
and the rest of the world, in the
S&E dust. It really does matter
who “gets there” first. We’re
facing a Sputnik moment right
now.
Looking at this big picture,
Isaac Crumbly can’t stand it
when politicians lump education
together with assorted “social
programs,” that spend too much
to do too little. He has it right:
education is infrastructure, and
with it we build bridges, not
to nowhere, but to the future.
And right here in Fort Valley,
Dr. Isaac J. Crumbly, master
builder, is forging the nuts and
bolts of that shining bridge.
This year. The Golden Torch,
next year, The Presidential
Medal of Freedom?
Cast it in the form of a
bridge.
finally subdued (whipped would
be a better word) me into a pretty
good husband. Not perfect by
any means, but almost tolerable.
She’s living proof that a loving,
patient wife is a blessing to
mankind, especially this man.
Like the song says, “Thanks for
the good times/You’ve brought
me so much sunshine.” Phoebie,
I love you, woman!
When I married Phoebie, I
luckily acquired another mother.
The late Mary Joiner was unre¬
lated to my mother in blood and
looks. But, she possessed many
of my birth mother’s traits,
visible and admirable. She was
hardworking and tireless in her
efforts to care for her family.
From day one, I was accepted
and loved by my mother-in-law.
Her only fault she ever exhibited
was a mean streak she developed
when she embarked on a house
cleaning mission. Only our
family members can remember
and appreciate this comment.
Mary, my memory will always
reconstruct your contributions
to my life with love and honor.
The ladies of my life, from
my mother to my youngest
great-granddaughter, have all
written a chapter in my book of
hearts. The roles they’ve played
across the stage of my life have
all been worthwhile, meaning¬
ful and irreplaceable. They are
the very core of life itself. Only
God could’ve taken an unsightly
rib and transformed it into such
a creature of beauty and love
called woman....