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Vol. 126 Issue No. 500 Peach County’s^ Newspaper December28.2011
Legal Organ For Peach County, City of Fort Valley and City Of Byron
2012 in
Review:
Education
By Victor Kulkosky
Sews Editor
The Peach County Board of
Education opened the calendar year
with a new chairman wielding the
gavel: Board Member Jamie Johnson.
Late January saw a milestone for
Fort Valley State University. FVSU's
Cooperative Developmental Energy
Program and CDEP director Dr. Isaac
J. Crumbly received the Presidential
Award for Excellence In Science,
Mathematics and Engineering
Mentoring. The award included a
ceremony at the White House and
Crumbly shaking hands with President
Barack Obama. The only program
of its kind, CDEP grooms promis¬
ing minority and female students for
careers in engineering, earth science
and medical technology by partnering
with several research universities, cor¬
porations and government agencies.
April saw a major announcement for
the Peach County Schools. Dr. Susan
Clark announced her retirement from
the Peach County Schools after three
years on the job. Clark presided over
full restoration of the school district's
accreditation, spearheaded an ambi¬
tious overhaul of the high school, and
also made the controversial decision to
move the school's to a four-day week
following several rounds of sharp bud¬
get cuts. She said she was retiring to
spend more time with her grandchil¬
dren.
Another significant retirement came
in May as Dr. Judy Carter announced
her retirement as FVSU's Dean of
the College of Education. Dr. Carter
started her tenure overseeing a teacher
ed program on the brink of extinction
and earned out a top-to-bottom over¬
haul. National officials announced
full restoration and re-activation of
the teacher ed program in May, which
gave Dr. Carter her cue to retire.
In June, FVSU's Department of
Fine Arts, Humanities and Mass
Communications held its annual Fine
Arts & Media Experience, a two week
event for middle grades and high
school students to develop skills in
music, fine arts, dance, drama and
broadcasting. FAME culminated in
a gala exhibit and performance, all of
which department chair Bobby Dickey
dubbed “extraordinary” and "unbe¬
lievable.”
In July, the Board of Education
announced its selection of Joe Anne
Denning as the next Superintendent
of Schools. Denning has spent over
20 years in special education in Peach
County and was serving as Director
of Student Services before the BOE
selected her. Her elevation was fol¬
lowed quickly by news that the Peach
Schools had missed AYP again, with
only Byron Middle School making
AYP among six schools.
The Peach Schools continued to
reap the rewards of Denning's labors
as the district in August received a
S50JXX) Title 1 grant for its progress
in narrowing the achievement gap for
disadvantaged students.
INSIDE
Peach la & Out, .2
Police Beat...... 3
Opinion............ .4
Country Living.. 8
Faith Matter* 6
Sports.......... 7
9-11
Classifieds 12
Hew Tears 13-14
I Pear h Pub 91
i
Byron History Enshrined in Glass
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Mayor Larry Collins stands before the new stained glass window at the Byron Municipal Complex, created
by Ralph and Kathie Lambert of Fort Valley. The eight panels depict aspects of the city's history, including
agriculture, commerce, religion and leading citizens. The green lettering recalls the green and white colors
of the old School. Photo Victor
By Victor Kulkosky
Sews Editor
Stained glass has a long history
of telling complex stories with a few
simptr -and colorful inrages. From (lie
magnificent Rose Window of Notre
Dame Cathedral to the humbler produc¬
tions of local churches and public build¬
ings, stained glass has worked its iconic
magic on people around the world for
centuries. The latest modern addition
to this ancient tradition was recently
installed at the top of the main staircase
in the Byron Municipal Complex. Like
most examples of the medium, this one
tells a rich and complex story in a few
simple images.
Byron Mayor Larry Collins recently
stood by the window and filled in the
stories told on the multiple panels.
Spreading across two panels on the
bottom tier of the window is a locomo¬
tive and coal car. The number “630"
on the coal car is the number of an
actual train that ran through the city for
several decades, Collins said.
Byron grew up around the railroad
and agriculture. The first line to pass
through what is now Byron was estab¬
lished in 1851 and became known as
the Southwestern Railroad. James
Everett, the founder of Fort Valley,
was one of the original investors in the
Southwestern Railroad.
In the following decades, the
area south of Macon was settled by
people from what is often called the
Orangeburg Migration. People from
South Carolina near Augusta came to
the area in search of better and more
abundant farmland, and cleared large
tracts of land purchased from the Creek
Indians, Collins said.
Among the most prominent of those
families was the Richardsons, the most
distinguished of which was Charles
Hyatt Richardson. A graduate of the
Municipal Complex Decorations
H
The wreath near the main entrance of the By¬
ron Municipal Complex is the handiwork and
donation of the ladies of the Magnolia Gar¬
den Club. Photo Victor
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The red brick and classical white columns of the Byron Municipal Com¬
plex deliberately recall the architecture of Byron High School, which
sat on the same spot. Photo by Victor Kulkosky
Medical College of Charleston, Dr.
Richardson was the first Mayor of
Byron after the city was chartered in
1874. He had extensive farmland and
commercial interests aside from his
medical practice. His house, which
sat on the land that is now home to
Byron United Methodist Church, is
depicted in the upper left panel. The
home was built by Thomas Duncan
Warren in 1873. Collins said it is
likely Dr. Richardson and Warren
knew each other and were among the
very civic-minded leading citizens of
early Byron. Among Dr. Richardson's
contributions to the city were the land
for the Methodist church and property
for the old jail and city cemetery.
Dr. Richardson's brother C.C.
Richardson, was also a Mayor of
Byron. The land for the current
Municipal Complex is part of what
was once C.C. Richardson's estate,
Collins said.
Dr. Richardson's home was origi
nally on the plot where the Methodist
Church now sits. When the current
church building, depicted in the lower
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Para Vinson decorated the Christmas tree
that graces the lobby of the Byron Munici¬
pal Center. Photo by Victor Kulkosky
left panel, was built in the 1920s, the
Richardson home was rotated on its
axis and re-established at the approxi¬
mate location of the church's current
Youth Center, Collins said.
Next to the Richardson home on the
window is a pecan tree. The extensive
pecan groves that are still visible in
and around the city owe much to C.C.
Lowe, a horticulturist who planted
many pecan seedlings intended for
grafting to plant more trees. Byron's
other major agricultural product is
represented by the peach basket in the
lower right panel.
Collins said he clearly remembers
his childhood and seeing trains stop¬
ping in Byron loading peaches and
pecans. The trains also picked up
passengers.
“You could get on a train and be in
New York in about 18 hours," Collins
said.
Third from the right on the upper
half of the stained glass window is a
modest three-gabled house that Collins
Continued to page 2 __
called a "truly historic structure.’
A Year In
Review:
Around
County
By Victor Kulkosky
Sews Editor
Early in 2012, long-time Fort Valley
City Councilwoman Florine Statham
passed after a long battle with can¬
cer. Around the same time, news
came from Development Authority of
Peach County that a new tenant had
begun moving into the former Step 2
building. Plastics manufacturer Valley
Industrial Products began installing its
first machine in the 100,000-square
foot building in the South Peach
Industrial Park. There has been little
further information and no news about
when the company might start hiring.
January also saw the passing in Byron
of Dr. R.C. Barnes, partner of the
renowned Dr. James B. Kay as well as
a civic and church leader.
February saw an historic occasion
as Khoury's Men’s Wear celebrated
their 75th anniversary. The store on
Main Street in Fort Valley became
the last of the old-time businesses
after Avera Drugs closed later in the
year. February also saw the election of
Crawford County farm owner Robert
Dickey to Georgia House District 136.
Dickey was elected to fill the unex¬
pired term of the late Tony Sellier.
In March, the first of a few discus¬
sions took place between Byron offi¬
cials and developers involved in the
Peach Hil project around Chapman
and Boy Scout roads. The dispute over
who owes how much to whom contin¬
ues. Byron also kicked off its ongoing
Peach County Mural Project, which
intends to cover a 600-foot wall of the
Peach Shops with images of significant
places and activity around the county.
In April, an outbreak of unusually
high winds destroyed the iconic Big
Peach in Byron, as well as a number
of trees in North Peach Park. The
Big Peach has since been replaced
by a sign. Also in Byron, the City
Council voted to cut the city’s part
time firefighter budget in half after
some testy discussion. The month also
saw heated discussion at the Board
of Commissioners meeting, as former
Commissioner Jimmy Walker present¬
ed findings about questionable spend¬
ing by sitting Commissioner Michael
Dinkins and Commissioner Roy Lewis
responded angrily to Dinkins' prepared
answer.
In May, the 2011 Relay for Life set
a local fundraising record as Peach
County resident came together in sup¬
port of cancer research and to honor
cancer survivors and those who died
from the disease. The month also
saw Peach County unveil a plaque
in honor of veterans in front of the
new County Commissioners' offices on
Persons Street in Fort Valley. May also
featured the annual Battle of Byron,
which this year returned to its roots
with creative contests. The month also
saw commissioners vote to revise their
policy on travel spending and set strict
limits, with Michael Dinkins making
the motion to set a $2,400 annual cap.
In June, local festivities reached
their peak as the annual Georgia Peach
Festival was held in Byron and Fort
Valley, kicking off with a hard-rocking
performance by the Chris Hicks Band
and concluding with an all-day musical
extravaganza in Fort Valley, culminat¬
ing with an eclectic concert of pop and
rock classics by the Missin Links show
band.
June also saw the final significant
turn in the tortuous saga of Peach
Regional Medical Center and its quest
for a sorely needed new hospital.
PRMC and the Medical Center of
Central Georgia announced a part
C ontinued to page 2_