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Bug Fuzz day named for student recovering from transplant By Nancy Smallwood Staff Writer Students at Sawnee Elementary are all buzzing about a day which they hope will raise several dollars to offset medical costs for one of their classmates. Bug Fuzz day will be held on March 30 at the school and will feature everything from bugfuzz haircuts to a "BMT (Bone Marrow Transplant) walk.” All the proceeds from the day's activities will go to the Josh Wallace fund. Wallace is an 11-year-old student at the school that has leukemia and recently underwent a bone marrow transplant. Wallace is currently recovering from the procedure at Egleston Hospital in Atlanta. Jesi Shannon brought first eye practice into Cumming By Rick Lavender FCN Regional Staff In 1949. Cumming did not have an eye doctor and banker Roy Otwell wanted to do some thing about that. He convinced Dr. Edward Shannon Sr. of Gainesville to spend a day or two each week in Cumming. Shannon made the weekly trek on Browns Bridge Road, which in those days was paved only with dirt. Family and friends are remembering Shannon today. The longtime Gainesville optometrist died Monday morn ing at age 88 following an extended illness. The funeral is scheduled for 2 p.m. today in the sanctuary at First Baptist Church on Green Street. Shannon was a visionary and a "character." a man who loved people and served his community, said his youngest son. Dr. Michael Shannon of Flowery Branch. "He was involved in everything civic you could be involved in." he said. Ed Shannon had been presi dent of clubs ranging from Gainesville Civitan to the cham ber of commerce. He was a Rotarian, the ninth founding member of Chattahoochee Country Club and director of Gainesville National Bank from 1957 to 1975. His professional ties ran as deep. The East Point native was named to the State Board of Examiners, helped lead the Georgia Optometric Associ ation and chaired the Southern College of Optometry for eight years. During World War 11, he served as a weather forecaster for Air Corps missions during the Battle of the Bulge. After the war. Shannon and his wife Kalhryne moved to Gainesville and opened an optometry prac tice in 1946. He worked until he was 84, when ill health forced him to retire. Shannon helped begin the Anglers Adult Sunday school class at First Baptist. He went on to teach the men’s class for more than 30 years. Saturday April 24 from 9 (MBSCKENIIKUV To Make an Appointment, Call 770-396-7995,1 -888-441 -CURE (2873) or Register Online at www.gacancerfoundation.org FORSYTH COUNTY LOCATION 1 North Fulton Family Medicine-Cumming 1100 Northside Forsyth Dr., Ste. 240 AUKlitmite icuawe Marek 16th through April 10th Georgia Cancer FOUNDATION Wallace. Josh's 14-year-old sister, was the donor for the bone marrow. The brother and sister underwent the procedure on March 3 and Jesi already is back in school at Otwell Middle. "It was a two-hour proce dure for Jesi and a four-hour procedure for Josh." said his mother, Samantha Wallace. "It is an amazing process." Since the surgery Josh has been battling nausea and mouth sores but is doing much better than before, according to Samantha. "He is doing good and his counts are up but he still has a long recovery ahead of him." she said. When Josh is released from the hospital the family will still need to remain in a He knew the Bible and spoke without notes, member Ben Carter said. But not without quips. "He'd tell the new president that we needed better leadership in the class." said Carter, a two time Anglers president. On the serious side. Shannon emphasized education and pressed racial equality. At mid-life, the doctor and his wife began attending law school in Atlanta at night. Shannon received his doctorate of law from Emory’ University in 1969. graduating 14th in his class. Michael Shannon said. * Jt it. Dr. Edward Shannon Sr. was much more than a doctor. He was involved in the community in ways that reached out to everyone. [ _ k S— I ■■ — _ k - 7a T . . ( r J A & L Ant kjwes . ™We Offer Real Antiques, At Realistic Prices tJ f J ert ce Interior Decorating & Antique T M Home Accessories, Wedgewood, I ■ Lenox & Vintage Glassware Qffl ID Purchase One Hour of Decorating !■ | lIN Services and Receive an Hour Free ft 770-887-5320 V Wendy Keenan Cell: 770-317-7479 " Circa Style Larry Kohn •JA St I. 15"5 Dahlonega Hwy • Highway 9 North " -JmSESEmMI Cumming 30090 Hours: Monday by Appt. Tues-Sat 10:00 - 6:30 yk lit —a ■ i v f facility within a five-mile radius for a month. Students, parents and teachers at the ele mentary school are combining efforts to give the family some relief from mounting medical costs. Fifth-grade Sawnee Horizon students will be per forming a benefit play for Josh to complete the celebration of Bugfuzz Day. "They wanted to do some thing to help," said Horizon teacher Jane Grebe. Drew Williams, 11, said he is excited about performing as the prince to help out his best friend. The play titled. “The Little Prince.” was adapted from the book by Antonie de Saint-Exupery. Seventeen stu dents of Forsy th Central High School's advanced drama class are helping direct the play. "And he did it for fun." Ed Shannon Sr. died in his sleep before 6:30 a.m. Monday. He is survived by his wife, three children and five grandchildren. Sons Michael and Ed Jr. of Gainesville are optometrists. Michael continues the Cum ming practice started by his father in a location on Hudson Street. His daughter Elaine of Chevy Chase. Md.. is a corre spondent w ith Time magazine. Community editor Harris Blackwood contributed to this story. "We started about a month ago and had to go through the process of choosing just the right plot for the play," said Kimberly Nolan. “We added some scenes and parts just so all the kids could take part.” Tickets are already being sold for the performance and Grebe said the students hope to sell at least 300 tickets. Sixteen special seats for the play already have been set aside for the Wallace family. A video of a typical day for Josh Wallace will be shown prior to the students' performance, according to Grebe. Other students at the school are busy promoting additional activities for the day. Students are encouraging donations to complete a BMT walk. The walk is to commemorate the I 1 Photo/Submitted Louise Clanton, pictured here with Jon Philps of Rural/Metro Ambulance, was a contestant in the Chestnut Ridge Nursing Home Pageant earlier this month. Local elected officials, business leaders and Rural/Metro Ambulance EMTs served as judges and escorts. The winner of the pageant, Myrtle Powell, will go on to a state competition. FORSYTH COUNTY NEWS Thursday, March 2S, 2004 walks Josh Wallace must make every day around the hospital nurses’ station in his therapy treatment program. Pins and cards also are being sold at the school with Josh's picture fea turing his famous Bugfuzz haircut. Two mothers of students at the school that are trained beauticians have agreed to per form Bugfuzz haircuts during the day in honor of the event. Students must receive permis sion before being allowed to receive the $lO haircut. Josh’s father. Gregg Wallace, said the family is very thankful of all the sup port. "We are overwhelmed by the community's outpouring of support." said Wallace. "It has been a great blessing." Gregg Wallace, an arborist with the Forsyth County Planning Department, said other members of the commu nity also have shown their support. The county’s plan ning department staff have planned a barbecue lunch fund-raiser on April 2 for the family. Sunday school classes at First Baptist Church have organized events to support the family. "People show real concern and are offering prayers is just a blessing to have such tremendous support.” said Wallace. For more information’ about Bugfuzz Day at Sawnee Elementary or to purchase tickets for the play contact Jane Grebe at (770) 887-6161. PAGE 3A