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Auto Wreck
In Area Kills
Cumming Man
A 56-year-old Cumming man was
killed in an auto accident in Canton
early Sunday, according to the Georgia
State Patrol.
Authorities identified the victim as
Dalton Cline Lower, of Cumming. In
vestigating troopers said Lower died
from injuries when the car he was rid
ing in struck a tree on a state highway .
Lower was one of 11 persons killed in
accidents accross the state during the
holiday period.
The state patrol had predicted 20 tra
ffic fatalities during the 72-hour period,
which began at 6 p.m. Friday and
ended a Monday.
Cumming authorities said the holi
day period was relatively quiet, with no
major accidents reported in the city.
Sgt. M.M. Murray of the state patrol
post in Lawrenceville, said no' acci
dents were investigated in the county
during the holiday period.
Patrolmen did however make 13 tra
ffi cases and issued 12 warning tickets
in the county during the holiday week
end.
Throughout the area they patrol, the
officers made 112 traffic cases, with 12
driving under the influence (DUI)
cases, and issued 209 warnings.
City of Cumming Police Chief Gabe
Dukas said Tuesday morning that his
department investigated only one
small accident over the holiday period.
The chief said the accident was mi
nor and there were no injuries. The
wreck occurred Friday.
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Digger Collects MD Funds
From His Grave In Griffin
By LANE GARDNER
Staff Writer
He’s six feet under in a box, with an
estimated two tons of dirt on top. But
he’s not dead.
Digger O’Dell, or Hubert Smith of
Forsyth County, has buried himself al
ive at Mid-South Auditorium in hopes of
drawing attention to what he calles a
“real good cause” the Muscular
Dystrophy (MD) Association.
Digger stepped into his “grave,”
equipped with a telephone, on Satur
day, Aug. 30, at about 11 a.m. He will
not come out again till Saturday, Sept.
6, at 6:30 p.m. Throughout the week, he
will accept donations and pledges from
people all across the country.
Teenage Pregnancies
Statistics Show Forsyth County Ranks Low, But Has Its Share
By LANE GARDNER
and SCOTT VAUGHAN
Is pregnancy among teenagers in
Forsyth County a problem? Is it a con
cern? Or is it just accepted as some
thing that occurs everywhere?
These are questions that have been
examined in recent weeks by The
News. In talking to a number of differ
ent persons and organizations, it has
become apparent that there are differ
ing views and statistics on the issue of
teenage pregnancy in Forsyth County.
True, It is not unusual for girls aged
17-19 to marry and have children. Such
an arrangement is in no way frowned
upon by society or the medical estab
lishment.
IgftVn FORSYTH Mllflfg
Ansi county JllivvS
VOLUME LXXI—NUMBER 35
m mm
DIRT IS SPREAD OVER DIGGER’S GRAVE
... as the feet of onlookers line the pit
It is estimated that by entombing
himself, Digger will raise more than
$200,000 by the end of the week. When
the News spoke to him on Sunday eve
ning, Aug. 31, he said that several thou
sand dollars had already been donated.
In order to keep money coming in,
Radio Station WGRI in Griffin is broad
casting the event live each day from 6
a.m. to 6 p.m.
For those who would rather “see”
Digger than just talk to him, they can
look through a specially designed win
dow at the site that reveals just his
head in the coffin below. There is also a
tube leading to his underground quar
ters that money can be deposited in.
The Griffin Jaycees are watching
It’s when the younger girls, usually
unmarried 13 to 16-year-olds, become
pregnant that concern is expressed.
These girls, afterall, may still be con
sidered children themselves. Most are
still under the care of their own paren
t(s)/guardian(s). For them to be fac
ing the responsibility of caring for a
new life may leave some questions in
some minds.
Plus, there is concern from the medi
cal establishment for a pregnant girl
under 17 years of age. Such young preg
nancies have a higher rate of prema
ture births, stillbirths, and illness to the
mother.
The question to be answered is
whether or not this situation is occur
DIGGER O’DELL WAVES GOOD-BYE
... as the lid is lowered on his tomb
WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 3,1980- CUMMINS, GA. 30130
over Digger while he is on public exhi
bition 24 hours a day.
Digger, who has been burying him
self alive for charitable causes since
the age of 17, says he’s not trying to set
any records this time. (His record is 78
days, 20 minutes and 10 seconds.) “I
just hope there will be a record number
of people to contribute.”
Digger’s coffin for this 193rd burial is
the smallest one he’s ever been in: 32
inches wide, 32 inches high and four
feet, 11 inches long. “It’s impossible for
me to sit up or straighten out,” he says.
Though his quarters are small, Dig
ger has all the modem conveniences of
home: a radio, a television, a fan, a
Continued on Page 2A
ring at any alarming level in Forsyth
County. What facts are available can
be digested by anyone. What conclu
sions are drawn will depend on the per
son doing the concluding.
One thing very much in Forsyth
County’s favor is its ranking among
Georgia school systems in terms of Uve
births to teenaged (10-19) mothers by
percent of total births in the county. In
1978, 18.7 per cent of the total births in
the county were to 10 to 19-year-olds.
That per cent figure ranks Forsyth
County 164 out of 187 school systems.
Being so far down the line, it is clear
that Forsyth County’s teenage birth
rate is not in any way high or abnor
mal. Bill Whitworth, social worker at
Locals Spend Holiday
Giving Funds To MDA
BY SCOTT VAUGHAN
Staff Writer
The 15th annual Jerry Urns Labor
Day Telethon against Muscular Dystro
phy was broadcast in the North Central
Georgia area by WAGA-TV, Atlanta on
Labor Day and Forsyth Countians re
sponded with a contribution of more
than $4,500.
The local participation in the telethon
was organized by the Cumming Kiwa
nis club and the Cumming branch of
Spier Insurance Agency.
The Kiwanis club raised $3,940 in a
call-in telethon station headquartered
at Pendley Realty on Sunday and Mon
day. The phone lines were opened at 9
a.m. on Sunday, Aug. 31 and closed at
6:30 p.m. on Labor Day, 1980. Last
year’s total figure came to over $4,400.
The Forsyth County News and local
area governments also raised funds for
Muscular Dystrophy by hosting the an
nual softball game for charity on Sun
day, Aug. 31 at the Cumming Park.
Gilbert And Glover Winners
Over Incumbents In Runoff
Challengers swept incumbents out of
county commission seats in the Demo
cratic primary runoff Aug. 26.
In the Forsyth County Commission
Post Five race, challenger David Gil
bert defeated incumbent Garland Bar
ron 3,107 to 1,613. Gilbert must still face
Republican James Weatherby in No
vember.
In the post two race, incumbent
James C. Harrington was defeated by
Donald Glover 2,698 to 2,109.
The runoff between U.S. Sen. Her
man Talmadge and Lt. Gov.'Zell Miller
for the U.S. Senate also drew the atten
tion of Forsyth County voters. Tal
madge took Miller nearly two to one,
Hospital Work Expected
To Be Finished October
By LANE GARDNER
- Staff Writer
At last week’s meeting of the Forsyth
County Hospital Authority, it was an
nounced that Palaflox, Inc., a general
contractor for a major renovation and
expansion project under way in the
older section of the hospital, is ex
pected to “finish its work and close
out” by Oct. 1.
The renovation and expansion pro
ject includes 7,000 square feet of space
and will bring the hospital up to a total
of 41,000 square feet.
In other construction related busi
ness, the board accepted a low bid of
$57,200 for the remodeling of seven pri
vate and nine semi-private rooms not
included in the current renovation and
expansion project. The rooms are ex
pected to be brought up to the same
standards as the new area of the hospi
tal.
The authority agreed to purchase a
new food service system for use in the
hospital. Hospital administrator Joe
Brandon explained that “dietary” was
one area that needed to be included in
the hospital’s current improvements.
The new food service system, specially
designed to keep hot foods hot and cold
foods cold, will cost $2,380.04, plus S2OO
per month for tray inserts.
Brandon announced to the authoirty
that a meeting has been scheduled for
Sept'. 9 between the hospital and Dr.
Forsyth County High School, says,
“It’s no worse here (in Forsyth County
schools) than in any other school sys
tem.”
Yet, even though Forsyth County’s
teenage pregnancy rate is not high by
comparison, it does still exist. There
are cases every year of young girls be
coming pregnant.
One set of figures for 1978, provided
by the State Board of Education’s
Home Economics Division, says that
there were 62 live births to teenagers
(aged 10-19) in Forsyth County in 1978.
Of that total, 35 were to 18 to 19-year
olds, 26 were to 15 to 17-year-olds, and
one was to a mother under the age of
15.
22 PAGES, 2 SECTIONS—2S CENTS
Spier Insurance Agency provided re
freshments and a donation fish bowl in
front of their office on Labor Day. The
Junior Optimist club from Otwell Mid
dle School collected donations in can
nisters for the drive. The Cumming
Shrine Club clown unit provided enter
tainment on the square from noon till 5
p.m. on Labor Day.
Originating from Las Vegas, the TV
spectacular is held to benefit the medi
cal services and research programs of
the Muscular Dystrophy Association.
The entertainment marathon was car
ried by a “love network” of more than
200 stations in the continental U. S., Ha
waii, Alaska and Puerto Rico. Ed Mc-
Mahon served as Jerry Lewis’s
anchorman.
Last year the 21 and one-half hour su
pershow produced a record pledge of
over S3O million for the national health
agency’s work, and was seen by an es
timated 93 million persons. The show’s
unduplicated total audience included 50
with 3,222 votes to 1,682.
Complete returns are in a chart on
Page 2-A.
Gilbert’s victory over Barron was
complete. Barron took only one of 13
precincts, Barkers, as Gilbert polled
nearly twice as many votes.
Harrington ran a much closer race to
Glover, losing by about 600. Harrington
received 43 percent of the vote; Glover
57 percent.
Harrington took only Rolands and
Coal Mountain precincts.
Lines at the polls during the runoff
were apparently slight to non-existant,
In contrast, some voters waited well
over an hour during the Aug. 5 pri-
Paul Behrmann, medical preceptor at
the George Wilson Clinic in Cumming,
to discuss the formal association of the
hospital and clinic.
When giving the financial report for
the month of July, Terry Grizzard, hos
pital controller, stated that the hospital
is over its budget in net income year
to-date. Net income for the month of
July was $5,762, with year-to-date net
income at $88,297.00.
Brandon reported to the authority
that long-range plans for the hospital
were begun at the hospital’s last ad
ministrative meeting. The hospital is
sending out questionaires to its doctors
Authorities Arrest 15
The Forsyth County Sheriff’s Depart
ment arrested 15 persons in connection
with a drag racing and “clowning” in
cident at 2 a.m. Sunday morning on
McGinnis Ferry Road, according to
sheriff Wesley Walraven.
Sheriff Walraven said the incident
occurred in the church yard of Cross
Plains Baptist Church located in the
Big Creek Community.
The department also investigated six
accidents during the holiday weekend
period, and made eight arrests on driv
ing under the influence (DUI) charges.
Another set of statistics, made avail
able by Elizabeth Riggs, nursing pro
gram specialist with the State
Department of Human Resources, re
veals that in 1978, Forsyth County had
16 live births to 15 to 19-year-olds and
one live birth to a mother under the age
of 15.
These, however, are not the final to
tals for Forsyth County female teen
agers who become pregnant. The totals
grow by adding the number of reported
abortions received by mothers who re
side in the county.
The Induced Abortion Report for
Georgia, reveals that in 1978, 27 girls
aged 15 to 19 had abortions and three
girls under age 15 had abortions.
percent of the households with TV sets
in the U. S.
Robert Considine, the show’s pro
ducer, promised that'this year’s show
would be better than ever. The local
segments were orginating from the
Marriott Hotel at Interstate North in
Cobb County, with WAGA-TV “cutting
away” from the network show approxi
mately 15 minutes every hour to pre
sent firsthand reports of MDA
activities in the North Central Georgia
area supported by proceeds from the
telethon and other of the health agen
cy’s fund-raising events.
MDA maintains clinics at the Emory
University center for rehabilitative
medicine in Atlanta and at the Medical
Center of Central Georgia in Macon,
operates a summer camp for children
with muscular dystrophy and related
neuromuscular diseases at Camp Will-
A-Way in Winder, and supports re
search projects at the University of
Georgia, Emory University and More
house College.
mary.
Some 5,002 voters turned out during
the runoff. Some 6,266 cast ballots dur
ing the primary. There are 11,376 regis
tered voters in the county, Forsyth
County Probate Judge Joyce Hawkins
said.
“It was an exceptionally large turn
out, for which we are very grateful,”
the judge said. By a reporter’s calcula
tion, some 43 percent of the voters
turned out. State officials had forecast
42 percent, the judge said.
The vote counting in the courthouse
after the polls closed at 7 p.m. ap
peared to be orderly and was done rap
idly. Totals were in by about 10 p.m.
and physicians. Brookwood Health
Services, Inc., an Alabama firm which
operates the hospital, is sending out
consumer questionaires. Also, the hos
pital is planning more community rela
tions programs.
The authority also:
Agreed to make an offer of $15,000
for two acres of land which adjoins the
hospital property.
Heard a summary of the new Med
icaid/Medicare program which is be
ing proposed by the state.
Heard a report of the purchase of a
fetal monitor and new centrifuge, at a
cost of $7,490 and S6OO, respectively.
Sheriff Walraven said the weekend
was busy, but that complaints were
normal for a weekend period.
The Forsyth County Volunteer Fire
Department responded to one house
fire during the week of Aug. 26 through
Sept. 1.
Stations one and five answered a call
to a fire at the Joe Wheeler resident on
Driftwood Court at 5:45 p.m. on Friday,
Aug. 29.
The house suffered heavy smoke
damage.
Five grass fires also were responded
to during the week, firemen said.
It should be remembered that these
are only reported births and abortions.
Jerrie Gober, caseworker principal for
the Forsyth County Department of
Family and Children Services (DFCS),
says that her office learns, through the
AFDC (Aide to Families with Depen
dent Children) rolls, of about 10 minor
girls per year who have had babies.
These girls don’t have to go through
the health department because they’re
covered by Medicaid. (A family on
AFDC rolls must have one parent to
tally disabled, missing or dead.)
Ms. Gober also hears of “four, five or
six” pregnancies a year that are never
documented. And she hears estimates
Continued oo Page 2A