Newspaper Page Text
Group Pushes
To Oust Books
By LANE GARDNER CAMP
Staff Writer
A group of 10 to 15 people known as
“Concerned Christian Citizens for For
syth County” has recently launched a
campaign to have the display and sale
of “obscene” materials halted at all
area establishments.
The purpose of the campaign,
according to Don Voss, spokesperson
for the group, is to “get rid of material
which we feel is detrimental to the
moral standards of the community.”
Voss says the Concerned Christian
Citizens for Forsyth County “is a group
1 Arrested
In Death
Of Woman
Forsyth County sheriff’s investiga
tors and Henry County authorities have
arrested a 48-year-old Stockbridge man
and charged him with the death of a
woman whose body was found along
Highway 400 on Oct. 13 in Forsyth
County.
Local authorities said Russell Frank
Demoss, of 332 Fairview Road, Stock
bridge was arrested Friday at Fort Gil
lian in Forest Park, where he was
working as a civilian employee.
The woman’s body was discovered in
high grass along Highway 400, approxi
mately eight miles south of Cumming
on the shoulder of the road.
The body was later identified as
Marsha Lynne Fauscett Bradford. She
had been shot once in the head with a
small caliber pistol, according to For
syth County Sheriff Wesley Walraven.
The five-week investigation by For
syth investigators ended with the ar
rest of Demoss, the sheriff said. The
investigation revealed that the alleged
fatal shots were fired in Henry County.
Authorities speculated that the girl’s
body was then rolled out of a car onto
the side of the road in Forsyth County.
Investigators said actual murder
charges were filed in Henry County and
that is where the trial would take place.
Send Us
Your Entry
Entries are beginning to come into
The News office for the best Christmas
story contest.
Less than four weeks remain in the
contest, which will offer a SSO first
prize.
All you have to do to enter, is mail or
bring to The News office your best
Christmas story. It can be true, it can
be made up, it can be funny, sad or just
a good story. However, it cannot be co
pied. It must be original.
Second place winner will receive $25
cash and third place winner will get
$lO.
As a credit to the writers, many of
the stories may appear in The Forsyth
County News’ annual Christmas Greet
ing issue, to be published on Dec. 22.
Stories should be no longer than two
typewritten pages, doubled spaced. If
they are not typed, they should be
neatly printed so they can be easily
read.
The judges will make a decision on
the theme, originality and content. The
decision of the judges will be final.
Entries should be postmarked no
later than Dec. 10. Stories may be
brought by The News office on Dahlo
nega Street up until 5 p.m. on Friday,
Dec. 12.
Send your entries to “Christmas Con
test,” The Forsyth County News, 107
Dahlonega Street, Cumming, Ga. 30130.
Entries should include the writer’s
name, address, age and telephone
number.
Send your’s to us soon.
The News Plans
Early Deadline
The Forsyth County News will pub
lish a day early next week because of
Thanksgiving.
Because of the early publication, the
advertising and copy deadline for next
week’s issue will be Saturday at noon.
The news is asking that advertisers
submit ads and that any news items be
brought or mailed to The News’ office
by Saturday morning for next week’s
issue.
The News will be distributed on Tues
day instead of Wednesday.
COUNTY NEWS
VOLUME LXXI—NUMBER 44
which has banded together to try to
have store owners voluntarily remove
those magazines which depict nudity or
are considered obscene literature
according to Georgia law.
The Concerned Christian Citizens are
visiting all stores in the county which
display obscene materials and request
ing that the Owners voluntarily discon
tinue their sale.
With each visit, the Concerned Citi
zens are leaving a copy of a letter
which states their position and a copy
of the Georgia statute, which deals with
the distribution of obscene materials
(Criminal Code of Georgia: Chapter 26-
21).
The letter states, “We feel it is our
Christian duty to appeal to you in this
fashion rather than commencing some
formal legal proceeding without giving
you an opportunity to clean up this
problem voluntarily.”
Voss commented, “We hope the
stores will voluntarily remove the
material. We are serious about enforc
ing the law according to what it reads.”
The “Concerned Citizens” are ex
pecting to finish contacting all estab
lishments this week. Voss says the
group will check back in about one
month to see what progress has been
made in the removal of the materials.
Voss says there is no full report yet
from his group on the reactions of the
stores beino contacted. Based on the es
tablishments he himself has contacted,
Voss said, “A few have welcomed the
iniative and said they would support it.
Others have said they would review the
law and then decide.”
Based on a survey Voss said his
group made about a month ago, most of
the establishments involved are conve
nience stores.
Voss maintains the group is taking
action because it feels it needs to “let
the community be aware.” “We’re con
cerned for our young people and adults,
too,” he said.
According to the letter being given to
the store owners, “Children and others
who do not choose to be exposed to
these magazines should not be sub
jected to their display.”
The letter continues, “We know that
you do not depend on the sale of these
magazines for your livelihood and that
the objectionability of such material to
citizens of Forsyth County who patron
ize your establishment will lead you to
remove them without delay.”
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Rec Department Named Best Park
At a recent convention in Augusta,
the Cumming Recreation Department
was named the best park in the state in
cities of under 25,000 by the Georgia
Recreation and Parks Society.
Cumming competed against 102 other
recreation departments across Georgia
to win the prize.
City Recreation Director Gerald
Blackburn attributed the park’s win to
the large number of programs con
ducted with such small facilities and to
his department’s cooperation with the
Forsyth County Board of Education.
“It’s an award for the whole area,”
Blackburn explained. “Not only is it for
the recreation department and city of
ficials, but all the many, many volun
teers that help us out... without the
fianancial support of the city council,
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TOM PETERS PREPARES TO LAUNCH HANG GLIDER
...off the top of Sawnee Mountain
BY STEVE WHITMIRE
The young man checks all his equip
ment for any last minute adjustments
and then, satisfied that all is sage ami
in readiness, he waits patiently for the
right wind gust.
He is standing a few feet in front of a
sheer cliff’s edge, which drops thou
sands of feet straight down to pine for
est below. With one last deep breath, fie
takes two quick steps off the edge and is
airborne, soaring with the birds with
only a 17-foot aituninum set of wings on
his back keeping him from disaster.
Hang gliding is a sport which has
been enjoying a remarkable rise in
popularity in recent years. Although
this sport is thought of as being primar
ily a West Coast phenomenon, Cum
ming has a first rate platform for
A VIEW OF THE DAMAGE
...firom behind Gw underground office
WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER It, IMS- CUMMINS, SA. mil
Smooth Sailing Over Sawnee
we’d be in bad trouble.”
“We were just tickled to death to get
the award, not just for the Recreation
Department, but for the commu
nity...that’s what is so nice about the
award, the people that came out and
helped with the program got the
credit.”
Cumming Mayor Ford Gravitt said
“I fee) like the city has the best park
and recreation department and em
ployees of any city in the state.” The
mayor went on to praise Blackburn’s
work and concluded,” I feel like it (the
award) was well received and well han
dled.”
Recreation Commission Chairman
Clyde Mize said, “We consider this to
be a great honor when you are chosen
launchinr these daring flying ma
chihtifc. This! is Sawnee Mountain,
whick' is just a couple of miles on the
outskirts of Cumming. Sawnee has a
spectacular view as anyone who has
been to the top will attest. From the top
of the fire tower at the summit one can
see one fifth of the state of Georgia,
from Atlanta to Dahlonega to Stone
Mountain. The panorama of the moun
tains on a clear day is stunning.
But, it is the strong thermals and up
drafts coining up the steep western
face of the mountain which are of pri
mary interest to hang gliding entu
siasts. Hang gliding has come a long
way since the wired together, make
your own, seat of the pants flying done
a few years back. Today most gliders
are sleek, colorful, factory made and
tested. They are also surprisingly long
New Underground Office Here
Collapses; No One Is Injured
By LANE GARDNER CAMP
Staff Writer
An underground office for D.F. In
dustries, which has been under con
struction just off Union Hill Road since
June, sufered a major set-back last
week when the back end of the struc
ture fell in, causing nine persons in
side the facility to evacuate.
According to Richard (Dick) Inman,
president of D.F. Industries, at about
4:30 p.m. on Wednesday, a noise was
heard from the back of the building to
indicate that something was about to
happen.
Inman says he yelled for everyone to
get out. As they were exiting, the back
fell in, “blowing” the structure’s glass
front out.
No one was injured in the incident,
according to Inman.
The first of 12 planned underground
structures at Aloha Sunrise Commu
nity in the south end of Forsyth County,
the structure was about 80 percent
complete before Wednesday’s mishap.
by your peers to be the best in the
state.” Credit, Mize said, should go to
the city administration for its firm sup
port, and to the “finest, most dedicated
and loyal staff of any park any place.”
The park was nominated for the
award by the Roswell Recreation De
partment.
On slightly less than 10 acres on Pil
grim Mill Road, the Cumming park has
a swimming pod, two tennis courts,
two baseball fields and a picnic area.
There is also a small wooden building
which serves as an office and class
room. There Is also a very small park
with playground equipment on Kelly
Mill Road.
With these facilities and a staff of six
fulltime employees and four mainte
« PAGES, 4 SECTIONS—2S CENTS
and heavy. Even though hang gliding is
definitly a high risk sport, as long as
the pilots obey the basic safety laws
and wear the proper protective gear,
the sport is relatively safe.
Still, only very experienced, ad
vanced pilots should attempt the Saw
nee Mountain flight. The pilot in the
photo accompanying this story is Tom
Peters of Stone Mountain, and Tom, an
employee of Delta Airlines, is a mem
ber of the U. S. Hang Gliding Associa
tion. Tom holds the Association’s
Advanced raiting. He also has flown off
Yonah Mountain.
Gene Bennett, of Cumming, likes to
talk about the hang gliders he has
watched go off the mountain. As a mat
ter of fact, Gene likes to talk about just
about anything. As we watched Tom
circling overhead one fine October
Damage to the structure was notice
ably extensive. Inman, though, was un
able to estimate the loss in terms of
dollars.
At this point in time, Inman says he
will rebuild. “There is nothing wrong
with the design,” he maintains.
The main part of the facility consis
ted of two steel arches, manufactured
by Republic Steel, which were con
nected to form one “maxi-arch.” This
particular project constitutes the first
time two of the steel arches have ever
been put together.
The back had been closed up with ce
ment and a glass front had been in
stalled before the back of the structure
gave way. Dirt had been piled up
around three sides, but not on top.
Alpha Sunrise, a project which In
man conceived of because of his engi
neering/manufacturing firm’s
increasing energy costs, is planned to
be the country’s first underground of
fice community.
nace workers, the park puts on 54 dif
ferent programs. Some 38 parttime
staffers work over 12 weeks each year.
The park has a written agreement
with the school board to share facili
ties. The park gets the use of certain
athletic facilites, such as the old gym
nasium on School Street, while the park
works with Forsyth County High School
to sponsor night classes to provide bet
ter job opportunities for local people.
For 1980, the list of programs in
cludes such varried fare as a summer
day camp, sport karate, women’s self
defense, scuba diving, softball, needle
point, clogging, soccer, pottery, picture
framing, volleyball, and flag football.
Special events included a Fourth of
July Festival, a hoola hoop contest and
morning Gene said, “Yeah, I’ve been
up here on this windy old mountain 24
years with the forest service. I’ve
watched a lot of these boys go off
here.”
Asked if he had seen anybody crash,
he said, “Yes, this one fella went off
and had a really good flight seemed
like. But then as he was about to land,
right down there by that red barn a
strong updraft got him and caused his
glider to nose over and come down real
hard. He wound up with a broke jaw,
fractured skull and broken pelvis. He
ain’t been back since.”
Still, even if it might be a little risky,
it sure is pretty to watch. And, if it’s
that beautiful to watch, imagine what it
must be like up there strapped to that
glider!
The now crippled building, which
was being built in conjunction with En
ergy Efficient Environments, Inc., spe
cialists in passive solar energy design,
has an architectural design which inte
grates building materials to achieve
heating and cooling by natural (non
mechanical) methods.
Provided Inman does rebuild, the
completed facility is expected to re
duce fossil-fuel consumption by ap
proximately 80 percent allowing the
natural environment to work to its ut
most capabilities in heating and cool
ing.
Construction of this first 7,320
square-foot structure was estimated at
$300,000 back in June. The 38-acre Al
pha Sunrise Park has a projected cost
0f56.5-million. .
General contractor for the disabled
building is the Hugh F. Lambert Com
pany out of Gainesville. The Bank of
Cumming is doing the financing.
D.F. Industries has located in tempo
rary offices in the county.
a wilderness canoe trip.
The 1979 operating budget was SIBO,-
833 and $40,000 was set aside for capital
improvements.
But the park was not always so large.
The recreation commission was
formed in 1968 and 1970 received a fed
eral grant to build the park. The park
began operations in 1973 with a staff of
two. Programs consisted of swimming
tennis and nothing more.
Softball, baseball and basketball
were added over the next few years
and in 1975, the park had its first spe
cial events. The year 1971 saw the first
Fourth of July celebration. By then, the
park was offering courses in ballet and
belly dancing, not to mention weapon
safety.