Newspaper Page Text
PAGE 2B
- FORSYTH COUNTY NEWS Sunday, October 3, ISM
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Book review
Works of writers Sibley, Bisher preserved for future in ‘Atlanta’s Half-Century’
I
■ By Alton Bridges
t Staff writer
)
• Book: Atlanta’s Half-Century
' Authors: Furman Bisher, Celestine
' Sibley
• Publisher: Longstreet Press
I
i Georgians were especially saddened by the
recent death of Celestine Sibley. This genera
tion has always read and learned when
Sibley talked about the legislature, people
and events in Georgia because her writings
•vfcre insightful and powerful.
g&ince 1950, Furman Bisher has covered
major sporting event held in Georgia,
jte has known the great athletes from Ty
<Qobb and Country Brown to Tom Glavine
Ynd John Schmoltz.
• 'Young journalism students want to be the
tjext “Furman Bisher” or “Celestine Sibley.”
Jiowever, when we study their writings we
4£arn they are in a league of their own.
JYoung journalists must write their own sto
res using their own style.
4‘it was more than half a century ago when
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Sibley started writing for the Atlanta
Constitution and just nine years later Bisher
started with the Journal. The book is a collec
tion of articles they wrote during this time.
The book would make an excellent gift for
high school students who want to study
Georgia history. After reading each article,
the students could research the people and
events these two journalists wrote about.
When the book was read and the assign
ments complete, the student would have an
excellent background in the story of Geoigia.
Since Ty Cobb, Bitsy Grant or Bobby
Jones were not Cabbage Patch Dolls or char
acters in a video game, many young people
do not know who they were. Ol’ Gene
Talmadge is not the colorful character he was
to past generations, but someone to study
and learn about from the history books.
Since I never took a journalism course, I
thought I could leam from the writings of
Sibley and Bisher. The articles by Sibley
averaged 586 words and 865 by Bisher. The
articles by Bisher are about the old Atlanta
Crackers and the Atlanta Steeplechase at
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LIBRARY from IB
Forks Library; directions and hours; com
munity links; and job opportunities.
In addition, Forster says, an automated
telephone renewal service has added to the
system. By calling (770) 781-2998, the
customer may: renew library items on loan;
list titles on loan; list or cancel items on
hold; state current fines; or list overdue
items.
Within the walls of the library services are
growing and evolving, as well.
Twenty or so Internet-accessible comput
ers are available to visitors daily, including
four in the youth section. Multi-media
items may be checked out and used at
home, including audio tapes and compact
discs, and CD-ROM programs spanning a
multitude of subject matter. And the
John Wayt’s Seven Branches Farm in
Cumming in 1993, with individuals such as
Ty Cobb, Bitsy Grant, Ted Turner, Bobby
Cox and World Series champion Atlanta
Braves, Bobby Ross, Vince Dooly, Steve
Bartkowski and Herschel Walker.
Sibley told us about the boy who needed
shoes before going to school, but could not
get them because shoes were rationed during
World War 11. The little yellow stucco termi
nal was ail that existed at the Atlanta airport
until Mayor William B. Hartsfield decided to
make Atlanta the airport of the Southeast.
The building of a modem airport probably
had more to do with the growth of Atlanta
than any other event in the 20th century.
It was a time when people would pay their
doctor and hospital bills with food and ani
mals. The John Wallace murder trial that
Sibley covered was made into a movie by
Johnny Cash called “Murder in Coweta
County.”
Sibley described events in the lives of
famous and not-so-famous Georgians.
People like Gene Talmadge, Martin Luther
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• School Groups welcome with story time
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GALILEO database network offers an
overwhelming measure of information.
“I can’t think of a walk of life that we
wouldn’t have some source on, and proba
bly in multiple formats,” says Forster, who
adds she feels technology at the library has
definitely increased the population of
library users, especially when one consid
ers access to the Web site and the phone
renewal service.
As a community-based library, Forster
says, this level of sophistication is impres
sive.
“We’re not exactly a state-of-the-art facili
ty, but we’re pretty close,” she says.
For more information about services
through the Forsyth County Public Library,
call (770) 781-9840.
King Jr., Richard B. Russell and the Rev.
William Holmes Borders, who played Jesus
Christ in “Behold the Man” at Atlanta-
Fulton County Stadium in the late ‘6os.
The kidnapping of Reg Murphy, the editor
of the Constitution, is described. Sibley ana
lyzed the Southern woman in 1975 and sup
ported the Equal Rights Amendment in ‘77,
telling President-elect Jimmy Carter, who did
not support the ERA, that he was wrong
Rosalynn supported it. A few days later, she
saw Carter inaugurated as president.
Sibley understood “Miss Daisy” and the
lessons to be learned from the movie.
“Driving Miss Daisy” had neither sex nor
violence, but she had feelings, something
that both Sibley and Bisher had in every page
of the book. Miss Daisy referred to Black
people as “they” and was upset that her
daughter-in-law would “socialize with
Episcopalians,” noticed Sibley.
Sibley had a lot of respect for Ralph
McGill, the long-time publisher of the
'Atlanta Constitution. McGill is described in
the book. The younger generation does not
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WRITERS from IB
children who read the work of other chil
dren can easily identify with the feelings
of their peers, and perhaps develop a
higher level of social consciousness.
“What an outstanding way,” Cossman
said, “for adults to say to young people,
‘We respect your thoughts and feelings,
and we’re listening to you!”
The 1999 editions of “O, Georgia!” and
“O, Geoigia, Too!” will be released at
two separate galas on Saturday, Oct. 16,
and Sunday, Oct. 17, respectively. Both
galas will be held at Humpus Bumpus ”
Books in Cumming, from 2-5 p.m.
For more information about either "O,
Georgia!" publication, call Humpus
Bumpus Books at (770) 781-9705.
understand the love-hate affair the people of
the South had with McGill, who was among
the first to support in his editorials that equal
opportunities should be afforded all races.
When Sibley moved to the log cabin
“Sweet Apple” in north Fulton County, her
readers moved to the country with her. But
like Forsyth County, the area grew into sub
divisions, small businesses and parking lots.
Both writers described their love for their
mother and in almost every article they
describe their love for Atlanta.
It is too bad that younger generations will
not get to know Sibley, but it will be impossi
ble to describe Atlanta in the last half of the
20th century with out quoting her.
Likewise, the insights of Bisher will be
used to describe the sporting history of
Atlanta from a minor league town with great
athletes and people to a major league city
that has won eight straight division champi
onships.
No other writers could write the story of
Atlanta and call it Atlanta’s Half Century
except Sibley and Bisher.
