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5A
Peaches and Screams
What’s Happening In The Valley
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l-R: Stacie Barrett, First Lady Betty Rivers, and Fort Valley’s own star of stage
md screen, Karan Kendrick, celebrating Karan Kendrick Day on March 22. Also,
celebrating Karan's roll in the new movie “The Hunger Games.”
1
Last Tuesday's Study Club
meeting hosted by Betty Gilley
and Patsy Thomas was a huge
success! Crylene Cantrell was
the program chair and intro¬
duced Ellie Loudermilk. histo¬
rian from Perry, who is also the
keeper of the Perry Historical
Society. Mrs. Loudermilk sin¬
gle-handedly (it appears to us)
ptanaged to get a house, get it
painted by the church, secure
the paint and oversee many such
miracles.
The historical museum is in
a lovely house on Northside
Drive and looks as though most
every group in Perry is knock¬
ing themselves out to help with
this worthy cause ... even the
Boy Scouts! Ellie is now offer¬
ing tours for the school children
and it is amazing how much
even the very young enjoy their
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♦ MARCH 28, 2012
trips. Needless to say, Mrs.
Loudermilk is a retired school
teacher.
This is certainly worthy
day trip. The Museum is open
Tuesday and Thursday from 10
a m. to 12 p.m. and from 2 p.m.
to 4 p.m. and Saturday from 9
a.m. to 12 p.m.
On Saturday, March 24,
Barbara Ray and family held
a Centennial Celebration on
the old William Slocumb
Plantation. Approximately,
200 guests were invited.
“A Celebration of Dreams”
was held in honor of Karan
Kendrick last Thursday night
at the Austin Theater. We have
a real movie star in our midst,
as Karan has a part in the
just recently-released movie;
“The Hunger Games.” which
just premiered at midnight,
Thursday.
Karen plays the role of Atala,
a trainer who welcomes the 24
tributes and then explains to
them about the different sta¬
tions set up around the train¬
ing center. The movie is set
in a post-apocalyptic world
in a country called Panem,
where the countries of North
America once existed.
Mayor John Stumbo pro¬
claimed March 22 as Karan
Kendrick Day and many of her
Country Living
family and friends spoke of
their pride for Karan and all of
her accomplishments. Several
said they knew it would happen
for her. Her sister Carol Perry
said, “There is a long, long
list of people who helped this
dreamer live her dream!”
Xaviour Tucker intro¬
duced Karan and her parents
during the ceremony and her
Wesleyan friend, Stacie Barrett
(EMBA Program Coordinator
at Wesleyan) was standing by.
Mr. Alfred Ellis was intro¬
duced as her steadfast mentor,
and one of her teachers. Mrs.
Burdell Jackson, spoke. One
of her colleagues said; “I told
you, you were going to do
this!” And she also predicted
she will get a nomination for
an Oscar.
Karan has already had a
taste of life in Hollywood and
her first walk on the red carpet.
Heretofore, she appeared on
“Madea Goes to Jail,” a wacky
flick that was made in Macon.
If the dream continues to
the Oscars, Karan Kendrick
already has her speech planned
for the Academy Awards. She
is quite demure, but also quite
proud, as Fort Valley is to have
her as one of our own!
Birth Announcements
Austin Lee Rollen
Kayla Rollen (Cogswell)
and Brian Rollen of Byron,
Georgia, announce the birth
of a son, Austin Lee Rollen,
born at Houston Medical
Center on February 27, 2012.
Grandparents of the baby
are John Cogswell and Joan
Cogswell of Warner Robins,
Georgia, and Richard Rollen
and Janet Rollen of Byron,
Georgia.
Robert Tripp Gregory
leisha Tripp of Fort Valley,
Georgia, announces the birth
of a son, Robert Gregory Tripp,
born at Houston Medical
Center on March 2, 2012.
Grandparents of the baby are
Kimberly Williams of Warner
Robins. Georgia, Ricardo Tripp
of Warner Robins, Georgia.
Carline Carter of Augusta,
Georgia, and Gregory Simmons
of Fort Valley. Georgia.
Rha’ Zacnary Niyah Jayne
Jayn£ Zachary (Howard)
and Ronnie Zachary of Byron.
Georgia, announce the birth of
a daughter, Rha’Niyah Jayne,
born at Houston Medical
Center on March 5, 2012.
Grandparents of the baby are
Bettye Howard, James May, Sr.,
and Ronnie and Mary Zachary,
all of Atlanta, Georgia.
Colton Reno
Maleania Steadman and Ray
Reno III, of Byron, Georgia,
announce the birth of a son,
To Kill or Not to Kill?
n
•
ORLANDO RODRIGUEZ
ITl alumni *t
The fatal shooting of a 17 year
old unarmed black boy named
Trayvon Martin in the town of
Sanford, Florida has fueled pro¬
test rallies all over the country
because the man who killed him
wasn’t arrested or charged in the
case. Florida’s flawed and con¬
troversial “Stand Your Ground”
law which allows for the use of
deadly force against an attacker
in self defense is being used to
justify the killing. At this point,
the overwhelming majority of
people believe that the shooter
should be charged with murder.
Governor Rick Scott of
Florida has appointed a State
Attorney as special prosecu¬
tor for the case and has also
asked the Lieutenant Governor
to head a special task force cre¬
ated for review of the law at
the core of this tragedy. The
FBI, the Justice Department's
Civil Rights Division and U.S.
Attorney’s office for the middle
district of Florida are all inves¬
tigating this case as well so all
the facts on what happened will
soon be brought to light and a
decision made on whether the
shooter will be arrested.
However, in the meantime
some people are turning this
into a racial issue which it is not.
The media has fueled a percep¬
tion of the shooter as a preju¬
diced white man. but he is half
Peruvian. Many who use inci-
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Colton Reno, bom at Houston
Medical Center on March 6,
2012. Grandparents of the baby
are Sharon Steadman of Byron,
Georgia, Michael Steadman of
Pierson, Florida, and Roy Reno, •*
II of Ypsilanti. Michigan.
Bentley Walker Hayes ‘
Tiffany Walker (Poole)
and Forrest Walker of Byron,
Georgia, announce the birth of
a son, Bentley Hayes Walker,
born at Houston Medical Center
on March 9,2012. Grandparents
of the baby are Jimmy and Jane
Walker of Byron. Georgia, and
Rick and Janice Poole of Ideal,
Georgia.
Sianna Melise
Patrick
April Patrick (NeeSmith) and
Phillip Patrick of Fort Valley,
Georgia, announce the birth
of a daughter. Sianna Melise
Patrick, born at Houston
Medical Center on March 5,
2012. Grandparents of the baby
are Tommy and Carla Moss
of Fort Valley. Georgia. Tony
and Tanya NeeSmith of Uvalda,
Georgia, and Dwayne and Lisa
Graham of Lyons, Georgia.
Trevontae Laron
Thomas
Mesha Hammock and
Trelvis Thomas of Fort Valley
and Perry. Georgia, announce
the birth of a son, Trevontae
Laron Thomas, born at Houston
Medical Center on March 13,
2012. Grandparents of the baby
are Eddie and Kathy Ham mock
dents like this to gain a national
spotlight for themselves and
promote their personal agendas
at the cost of promoting racial
disharmony in our country are
now appearing at the rallies.
Even the New Black Panthers
are involved, offering a reward
of $10,000.00 for the “capture"
of the shooter.
The police in Sanford should
have arrested the shooter
immediately and at least held
him in custody until they were
able to investigate exactly what
happened, especially since a
death was involved. An inno¬
cent young man lost his life
for no good reason, a horrible
incident being twisted to create
hatred between the races. Die
real issue is whether anyone
should have the “legal right” to
kill anyone else
just because they might feel
threatened. Recently my fam¬
ily had reason to consider this
question. *
A little over two weeks ago
my son Joey and his girlfriend
went to a Seafood Festival in
the Florida Keys and after¬
wards decided to stay the night
at our family’s apartment on
Key Largo. They decided to
go to sleep early and when they
turned in for the night they for¬
got to lock the front door. Key
Largo is a small town where
nothing usually ever happens,
but at 3 a.m. Joey suddenly
woke up when he heard a noise
and in the darkness saw the
shadow of someone standing at
the foot of his bed.
Joey has used guns for
most of his life and even as
a very young boy in Fort
Valley he hunted with BB
guns. He served in the Army
as a Paratrooper with the 82nd
Airborne, is a member of the
THE LEADER-TRIBUNE
of Perry, Georgia, Roddie
Thomas, Natalie and Michael
Tripp of Fort Valley, Georgia.
McKenzie Nicole
Halstead
Pamela Ralston and Philip
Halstead of Fort Valley,
Georgia, announce the birth of
a daughter, McKenzie Nicole
Halstead, bom at Houston
Medical Center on March 14.
2012. Grandparents of the baby
are Robert Ralston of Macon.
Georgia, Greg and Debbie
Hobbs of Fort Valley. Georgia,
and Don and Mary Graves of
Warner Robins, Georgia.
Abby Jayne Hall
v
Jason and April Hall of Fort
Valley announce the birth of
their daughter, Abby Jayne
bom on November 2, 2011 at
Medical Center in Macon.
The grandparents are Gary
and Kathi Hall of Fort Valley,
and Gene Barnes of Fort Valley
and grandmother Diane Barnes
of Byron. Abby has a big broth¬
er, Max, who is 4-years-old.
NR A and when he moved to
Florida he obtained the neces¬
sary legal permit to carry a
firearm for personal protection.
So when he saw the intruder in
his room in the middle of the
night his first natural instinct
was to pick up his loaded .357
revolver, shoot whoever it was
and ask any questions later.
In the dark there was no
way of knowing who it was,
their ethnicity or their motives.
But instead of shooting Joey
jumped out of his bed and tack¬
led the intruder, guiding the
ensuing fight out of the bed¬
room. They tumbled down
a steep staircase to the lower
floor where Joey threw the guy
out the front door and the fight
finally ended in the carport.
Along with some broken fur¬
niture and a few holes in the
walls there was a lot of blood
everywhere, but thankfully
none of it was Joey’s.
By that time the neighbors
had woken up so one of them
held the guy down while Joey
went to put on some clothes
before the police arrived. The
man was arrested, but after
learning all the facts on what
had happened and who the
intruder was Joey decided not
to press charges against him.
He was a 23 year old boy who
had recently graduated from
college and moved in with his
mother, a school teacher from
Montana who rents another
apartmeni two doors down in
the same building.
The school teacher had lost
her husband to cancer and her
other son had been killed in
a motorcycle accident. That
night her son had gone to a
party with some college friends
and got very drunk, so when
they dropped him off in front
of the complex he went into
the open door of our apartment
by mistake thinking it was his
mother's place. Joey would
have been justified by the law
if he had shot the intruder, but
would have been bothered for
the rest of his life when he
found out it was just a kid.
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