Newspaper Page Text
EARLY COUNTY, GA.
: Garden Spot Os
GOD’S COUNTRY
VOLUME NO. 111—NO. 28
Early County Submits Plan
For Desegregating Local Schools
PLAN OF EARLY COUNTY
BOARD OF EDUCATION FOR
ADMINISTERING THE PUBLIC
SCHCOL SYSTEM OF EARLY
COU.'TY, GEORGIA TO BE
IMPLEMENTED ON SEPT. 1,
1970,
The Georgia State Board of
Education having been ordered,
by the United States District
Court of Georgila, Atlanta Di=-
vision, to withhold funds from
this school district unless a plan
for the operation of a unitary
schoel system is submitted to
said State Board of Education
by March 1, 1970; the Early
County Board of Education pre=-
sents the following plan which is
to be implemented on the opening
of school in September 1970.
The Early County Board of
Education submits for desegre
gating the Early County School
System a plan with the following
reservation. Should the Congress
of the United States by statute
amend the existing laws and po
licles or should the Executive
Branch by Executive Order
change the policies now in ope~
ration under the Department of
Health, Education and Welfare
of the United States of America,
the Early County Board of Edu~
cation reserves the right to
amend, modify, or rescind this
plan to conform to such statutes
4
or exécutive order,
In the ewent this plan is ac=
cepted in part only, the Early
County Board of Education re=
serves the right to rescind the
plan in whole or to amend or
modify said plan.
. RESOLUTION
The following resolution was
approved by the Early County
Board of Education on February
27, 1970;
WHEREAS, the concept of free=
dom of choice has been written
into the laws of certain states,
WHEREAS, recent court de~
cisions indicate that a unitary
school system may be achieved
through the use of a freedom of
choice, N
WHEREAS, the Early County
Board of Education believes the
schools to be operdted for and
by the people of the school dis=
trict, e
o
Funeral Services
@
for Mrs. Grist
held Thursday
Funeral services for Mrs.
Ouida Dunbar’ Grist, 82, promi
nent Blakely resident, were held
Thursday afternoon at the First
United Methodist Church with the
pastor, the Rev. John Quillian,
officiating. Interment Wwas in
the Blakely cemetery, Manry=
Jordan Funeral Home of Blak=-
ely in charge of arrangements.
Pall bearers were Bert Puck
ett, John H, Williams, Jr., Ed=-
ward Sealy, Ted Whitchard, Al
Felder, Hugh L. Martin and
James B. Murdock, Jr.
A native of Beaufort, South
Carolina, Mrs. Grist was born
July 10, 1887 the daughter of
Benjamin Hill Dunbar and Betty
Rountree Dunbar. The family
moved to Americus, Georgia and
later to Valdosta, where Mrs.
Grist spent her childhood and
youth. She attended Shorter Col
lege, Rome, Georgia and came
to Blakely in the fall of 1908
as a teacher.
She married William James
Crist, a native of Blakely, on
June 9, 1909 at the Presbyterian
Church in Valdosta. Mr. Grist
preceded her in death on Nov
ember 25, 1939.
Mrs. Grist was prominent in
the social, civic and church af=-
fairs of the community. She
‘served the First United Metho
dist Church in many capacities,
she was president of the Wo
men’s Society of Christian Ser
vice three different times, ser
ving as president for nine years.
‘A charter member of the Blak
ely Study Club, the first soclal
and study group organized for
(CON'T ON SCHOOL PAGE)
Earlp Countp News
WHEREAS, a majority of the
citizens of Early County favor
a freedom of choice plan for the
desegregation of the schools of
Early County,
BE IT RESOLVED, that the
Early County Board of Education
shall assign students to any
school that they may choose to
attend by completion of a freedom
of choice form to be given each
student during the week of Feb
ruary 16 - February 20, 1970,
THEREFORE, be it further
resolved that the Early County
Board of Education wherever
possible, will assign teachers,
principals and staff members
to schools so that the faculty
and staff is not composed ex
clusively of members of one
race.
This resolution is adopted in
order to indicate the Board’'s
willingness to develop a plan
for the desegregation of the
schools in Early County and to
clarify its policies respecting
desegregation;
ile
FREEDOM OF CHOICE PLAN
(a) Effective with the come
mencement of the school year
1970-71 and thereafter, no per=
son shall be refused admission
into or be excluded from any
public school in Early County,
Georgia on account of race,
creed, color or national origin.
All students shall have freedom
of choice, and no student shall
be assigned or compelled to at=
tend any school on account of
race, creed, color or national
origin, or for the purpose of
achieving equality in attendance
or increased attendance or re=-
duced attendance, at any school,
of persons of one or more par=
ticular races, creeds, colors,
or national origins; and no school
district, school zone or atten~
dance unit, by whatever name
known, shall be established, re
organized or maintained for any
such purpose, provided that no
thing contained in this section
shall prevent the assignment of
a pupil or pupils involved, or
to such person standing in loco
parentis to such pupil or pupils
and such freedom of choice must
be exercised atthe time and in the
manner herein specified. Tea
9
T. J. Kimbrell,
Garage operator,
® ®
dies in Tifton
T. J. Kimbrell, 49, garage
and service station operator of
Norman Park, died last Friday
afternoon in Tift General Hos=
pital at Tifton. He had been in
ill health for two years.
Funeral services were held
at 11: a.m. Monday in the Nor=-
man Park Methodist Church with
the Rev. Richard Mitchell, of the
Norman Park Church, and the
Reve Paul Barrett, of Colume
bus, officiating.
Mr. Kimbrell, son of Mrs.
Jo M. Kimbrell of Norman Park
and the late Mr. Kimbrell, was
born on October 23, 1921 in
Dodge County, Ga. He had en=
gaged in automotive operations
for -a number of years. A meme
ber of the Norman Park Metho
dist Church, he also was a mem=
ber of the Moultrie Masonic
Lodge and the Shrine Club.
Surviving are his widow, the
former Miss Goldia Erin Luke,
Norman Park; his mother, Mrs.
J. M. Kimbrell, Norman Park;
four sons, Edward Kimbrell,
Norman Park; Jerry Kimbrell,
Blakely; Michael Kimbrell, with
the Air Force in Vietnam, and
Tony Kimbrell, Norman Park;
two daughters, Mrs. Mary Alice
Cobb and Miss Janette Eliza
beth Kimbrell, Decatur, Ga.;
seven brothers, Hubert, Herbert
and Milton Kimbrell, all of Al=-
bany, Alton Kimbrell, Blakely,
Aubrey Kimbrell, Moultrie, Levy
Kimbrell, Jacksonville, Fla., and
Labron Kimbrell, Valdosta; and
seven sisters, Mrs. Ruby Swan
son, Fitzgerald, Mrs. Gladys U=~
sry, Laios, Vietnam, Mrs. Hattie
(CON'T CN SCHOOL PAGE)
Success to All Who Pay Their Honest Debts
chers, principals and other
school personnel shall notbe per
mitted to advise, recommend or
otherwise influence such deci
sion. Nor will school personnel
either favor or penalize children
because of the choice made.
(b) In the event overcrowding
results at a particular school
from the choices made, priority
of assignments shall be based
solely on proximity without re
gard to racial consideration.
(¢) Those whose choices are
rejected because of overcrowding
will be notified and permitted
to make an effective choice of a
formerly Negro or formerly
white school.
e
REGISTRATION
(a) All pupils attending school
in the Early County School Syse
tem during the school year 1969-
1970 shall register for the school
year 1970-1971 by returning the
registration form to any teacher,
principal or the Office of the Su=
perintendent of Education at any
time during the week of Feb
ruary 16 to February 20, 1970.
Should any student fail to regis
ter during this period, registra=-
tion will be opened again during
.the pre-planning week and the
first day of school, that is, from
August 24 through August 28,
1970. During such registration
periods it shall be mandatory
that the parent or guardian of
pupil registering to attend such
school during the school year
1970-1971 exercise the choice
granted in paragraph 1 (a) here
of. For the school year 1970
1971 and thereafter the time
for returning registration forms
shall be from February 16th
to February 20th of each year.
() All pupils who will be
six (6) years of age before Jan
uvary 1, 1971 and who intend to
commence the first grade for the
school year 1970-1971 in the
-Early County School System shall
by and through their parent or
guardian or other person stand
ing in loco parentis, register
at the pre~school clinic or at
the Superintendent’s office atany
time from June 15 to June 30,
1970, or at the school of their
choice during pre-planning week
and the first day of school, that
Jack Sammons,
®
65, dies suddenly
last Thursday
Jack Sammons, 65, well known
Early County citizen, died sud
denly early last Thursday morn=
ing of an apparent heart attack
at his home in the Colomokee
community. Mr. Sammons was
born in Early County on Octo
ber 9, 1904, the son of William
David Sammons and Annie Cor=
ley Sammons. He was a meme
ber of the Early County Board
of Commissioners, and was ser=
ving the second year of a four
year term. He was manager of
the Trailways bus terminal in
Blakely and was a retired farmer.
Funeral services were held
Friday, 4:30 o’clock in the Colo=-
mokee Baptist Church of which
the deceased was a member,
conducted by the Rev. Howard
Gaston, the Rev. J. L. Loper,
and the Rev. Andy H. Lanier.
Burial followed in the church
cemetery, Manry-Jordan Fune
ral Home in charge and the fol
lowing, all nephews, serving as
pall bearers: Bobby Bostwick,
Ray Bostwick, Sammie Bostwick,
Verna Sammons, Bill Sammons
and Robert Sammons. The fol=
lowing formed an honorary es
cort: Lemuel Tiner, Donald
McArthur, J. O, Evans, A, D
Wilkerson, Norman Alexander,
Earl (Tige) Pickle, Lowrey S,
Stone, Phillip Sheffield, Edwin
Swann.
Survivors are the widow, Mrs.
Melba Balkcom Sammons, one
son, Jackie Sammons, a brother,
Floyd Sammons, 3 sisters, Mrs.
Herman Smith, Mrs., Maurine
Bostwick, all of Blakely, and
Mrs. Trilbey Hardin, Shorter
ville, Ala., and a granddaughter,
Jill Sammons, of Blakely. .
BLAKELY GA.. THURSDAY MORNING MAR. 5, 1970
is, from August 24 through 28,
1970,
(c) Pupils transferring into
the Early County School System
for the school year 1970-1971
who did not attend school in
such system during the school
year 1969-1970 and who are not
commencing the first grade, shall
by and through their parents
or guardian or other person
standing in loco parentis, regis
ter at the Superintendent’'s of=
fice at any time from June 15
to June 30, 1970 or at the school
of their choice during preplan=
ning week and the first day of
school, that is, from August 24
through August 28, 1970.
(d) The foregoing plan, with
applicable dates of registration
will be followed annually.
e
TRANSPORTATION
Bus routes and the assign
ment of students to buses will
be designed to insure the trans
portation of all eligible pupils
to the school of their choice
by the most feasible route.
it
FACULTY AND STAFFt
Faculty Employment. Race or
color shall not be a factor in the
hiring, assignment, reassign=
ment, promotion, demotion, or
dismissal of teachers. Where=
ver possible, teachers, princi=
pals and staff members shall be
assigned to schools so that the
faculty and staff is not com
posed exclusively of members
of one race.
I, Lonnie Chester, hereby cer=
tify that 1 am Secretary of the
Board of Education of Early
County, Georgia; that I am cus=
todian of the minutes of the meet~
ings of said board; that the fore=-
‘going resolution is a true and
correct copy of a resolution a
dopted by said board at a spe=
cial meeting legally held on the
27th day of February, 1970; that
said resolution has not been re
scinded or amended and is in
full force and effect.
Witness my official hand and
seal this 27th day of February,
1970,
Lonnie Chester,
Secretary of Board of Educa
tion of Early County, Georgia
e
Rites for Wayne
Lindsey held
o
here past Friday
William Wayne Lindsey, who
died suddenly in Jacksonville,
Florida, early Wednesday morn=
ing, February 25, was interred
in the Blakely cemetery Friday
afternoon, following services
held at the chapel of Manry=
Jordan Funeral Home conducted
by Dre C, D, Horton. Pall bear=
ers were Fletcher Thompson,
Bernard Herring, Reuben Ro
berts, A. D, Harriss, A. J. Sin
gletary, Charlie Thomas.
Mr. Lindsey, a native of Early
County, the son of the late G, O.
Lindsey and Mattie Lou Cooper
Lindsey, was born February 1,
1909. He moved from Atlanta
to Jacksonville four months ago.
He was a retired salesman with
the Massey Harris Implement
Company. He was a veteran
of World War 11, and saw service
overseas with the United States
Navy.
Survivors include the widow,
Mrs. Vallie Turner Lindsey,
Jacksonville; a brother, Carlton
Lindsey, Criffin, Ga., and a sis=
ter, Mrs. Ira Brunson, and step~
mother, Mrs. G, O, Lindsey,
Blakely.
Patrol Report
Sergeant C. R, Worthy of the
Donalsonville State Patrol Post
announced today that his post
has investigated 7 wraffic ac=
cidents, made 12 arrests and is
sued 14 warnings in Early County
during February.
Commenting further Sgt. Wor
thy said no persons were injured
in the 7 accidents along with no
one killed.
“Be Sure You Are Right, Then Go Ahead”
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BOTH TEAMS
PLAY THURSDAY
P. M. IN MACON
The Boys. and Girls Class A
State Basketball Tournament will
be played this week at the Macon
Coliseum in Macon.
Blakely and Early County will
be well represented as our Bobe=
cats and Bobkittens will both be
bidding for the State Crowns.
This is the first year (accord=
ing to memory) that both teams
reached the State Tournament.
For the Bobkittens it is the first
appearance inseveral years, The
Bobcats have played in the State
Tournaments several times in the
past years.
The Girls will play at 5:20
today (Thursday) and the Boys
tipoff at 6:40 P,M,
SUPPORT the Bobcats and
Bobkittens at the State Basket=
ball Tournament, Macon Coli=
seum, Macon, Georgia,
-
Prominent Cancer
Crusader to
0y ®
visit in Blakely
~ J. Arch Avery, Jr., who spends
his full time conducting a one
man crusade against cancer by
offering gifts for examinations
and touches base in Atlanta long
enough ‘to collect his pay from
the Trust Company of Georgia
where he holds the title of Exe
cutive Vice President, will visit
Blakely, March 19 and 20, He
will be the guest speaker at the
Ella Jones PTA Thursday even=
ing, March 19 and guest speaker
at the Rotary Club onMarch2oat
noon. The L&N Rail System
and 16 other industries in
Georgia, are supporting the gifts
for examination crusade by do=
nating their products for prizes.
Operating for over a year this
program has proven its success
by the many lives it has saved.
It is attracting attention all over
the country.
Mr. Avery, acolon-rectal can=
cer victim who was cured by
early detection examination, is a
past president of the American
Cancer Society. He has made
more than 1,100 speeches in the
past four years on the danger
of cancer and what to do about it.
Mr. Avery is a super salesman
and what he is selling is a chance
to save the lives of 5,000 plus
Georglans who die from Cancer
each year.
Rotaryannes to
be honored at
® ®
party Fri. night
e F L
Ben W. Fortson
Ben W. Fortson, Jr., Geor=
gla's Secretary of State, shown
in above photo, will be the prin
cipal speaker at the Blakely Ro
tary Club party Friday night
at the Town & Country Club.
This party is being held to honor
Rotaryannes, and President Pete
Underwood urges all members
to attend.
Ben Fortson was born in
(CON'T ON SCHOOL. PAGE)
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Coach Hilburn Dunahoo is shown with his guards discussing defense for the up coming game.
Front row, (L~R) Gail Johnson, Coach Dunahoo, Pam Jordan, and Sammie Holman. Back row,
(L~R) Kerry Waller, Loyette Stephens, Kathy Tiner, and Debra Ducati.
SUN ECLIPSE HAS POTENTIAL TO
CAUSE MASSIVE EYE DAMAGE
By Amelia Barksdale
The sun will wink at the earth
the spectacle, warns a Univer=-
sity of Georgia astronomer.
Dr. Ernest G, Reuning said
the total eclipse of the sun March
7 has the potential for produce
ing blindness of ‘catastrophic
proportions.”’
Many unwilling spectators, Re=
uning fears may have the pheno
menon permanently burned in a
crescent shape on their retinas.
The safest way to witness the
solar eclipse, he advises, is to
follow the moon's shadow on a
piece of white paper in the bot=-
tom of an oblong box ==~ or
watch it on television.
However, if you are in the
path of totality, in Southeast
Georgla, you cdn observe the
three-minute total eclipse with=
out danger of eye damage. Else=
where, leave skyward viewing
to the experts.
““Those of us to whom the
possibilities of this eclipse are
beginning to assume the dimen
sions of a mightmare feel that to
avoid confusion no exceptions
whatever should be stated to the
rule of not lookingat the partially
eclipsed sun through any device,"’
said Reuning, associate profes=
sor of astronomy at the Athens
university.
Commissioners
hold Memorial
®
Services Tuesda
The board of county comml!-
sioners just prior to the open=-
ing of the regular March meet=
ing Tuesday held a memorial
‘service for the late Jack Same
mons, a member of the board,
who died on Thursday of the
past week. Relatives and court=-
house personnel attended the ser=
vice conducted by the Rev. Andy
Lanier, pastor of Blakely's
Southside Baptist Church.
The commissioners took under
advisement a plan to furnish
garbage collection for residents
of the county, and authorized
Chairman A, D, Wilkerson to
seek professional advice as to
best methods and costs.
James Bryant was appointed
a member of the Blakely-Early
County Planning and Zoning Com
mission, to succeed Edsel Bryan,
who resigned. Mr. Bryan and
his family are moving to At~
lanta,
Other business transacted was
mostly routine such as approve
ing and paying monthly bills.
All members were present ==
Mr., Wilkerson, the chairman,
Lemuel Tiner, J, O. Evans and
Donald Mc Arthur, ;
The vacancy on the board of
county commissioners, caused by
He says he is especially fear
ful that amateur photographers
will attempt to take pictures of
the partial eclipse. Either the
camera finder or lens can stren
gthen the solar rays as to "fry
the retina’’ of the photographer,
~aid Reuning.
A camera with a one-inch lens
would magnify the 'sun’s rays
256 times which then is con
centrated on the viewer's eye.
“There is no question about
it == it’s lethal,’’ officials warn
ed. Ironically, the eclipse will
be a sight to behold.
In the path of totality == an
89 mile strip running northeast
to southwest in the eastern part
of the state -- the moon will
begin breaking into the sun's
rays about noon Saturday. By
1:15 p.m., complete darkness
will occur -~ except for a ring
of fire around the moon's edges
and will last about three minutes.
Adding to the phenomenon, Re=
uning said, is the difference that
just a few miles makes. The sun
will shine in downtown Brunse
wick, but it will be dark in the
Western part of town. Lyons
also will have nightfall but in
nearby Vidalia, it will be light.
In the sky a black disc will
hide the sun, The fiery red
&
Meeting planned
f ° ®
or registration
of Boy Scouts
The Tro!p Committee of Boy
Scout Troop 91, sponsored by
the Blakely Lions Club, had an
organizational meeting March 2.
Stanley Houston, president of
the club, announced that Jan Jen
kins would be the Scoutmaster.
Organization of Troop 91 will
be completed Monday, March 9,
when the boys will be regise
tered as Boy Scouts. The meet=
ing will be held at the First
Methodist Church at 7:30 p.m.
All parents with boys, ages 11-
14, interested in Scouting, are
urged to attend Monday night’'s
meeting along with their boys.
A very informative program
on Scouting will be presented to
the boys and their parents.
the death of member Jack Same
mons, will be filled by appoint=
ment of Pataula Circuit Superior
Court Judge Walter L Geer. Ac
cording to a special act creating
the present county commission
passed in 1933, provision was
made for any vacancy which might
occur that the judge would ap
point a member to fill the entire
un-expired term. Mr. Sammons
was serving the second year of
a 4-year term to which he was
elected in 1968.
PULL FOR BLAKELY |}
— OR =~ '
PULL OUT
$3.09 PER ANNUM
ring, the chromosphere, will cire
cle the disc and a larger white
halo will appear around the red
ring. The halo is in the sun’s
outer atmosphere, the corona.
‘“This is a strange mixture
of daytime and night,’’ said Re=
uning, ‘‘and it has fired the ima
gination since man became half
civilized."’ ;
The days of smoked glass,
carefully prepared by a ‘‘fat
lightwood’’ fire and blackened
so much a person just couldn’t
see anything thru the glass on an
ordinary sunny day, is a thing of
the past in viewing a total eclipse.
Authorities warn the eye may
be endangered by these ‘“home
made'’ viewing pieces.
A total eclipse Saturday, March
7, at 1:15 p.m. in the southeast
part of the state will cause many
Early Countians to travel the
135 to 200 miles to withess this
phenomenon.
Perry, Florida's Chamber of
Commerce has issued the most
publicity of any one town nearest
Blakely in the total eclipse 89
mile strip. But Tallahassee,
Valdosta and Lyons are others
expecting visitors for the oc=
casion.
Avuthority lets
contract for
Nursing Home
Bates & Associates, a con=
tracting firm from Bainbridge,
was the low bidder on the Early
Memorial Hospital extended care
facility, R. G, Singletary, chair=-
man of the Hospital Authority,
announced following the bid open=
ing Tuesday afternoon. :
Bates’ bid was $517,700, the
chairman saide The extended
care facility to be built onto the
east wing of the hospital calls
for 40 beds, and will be one of
the most modern anywhere in
this area, Mr. Singletary stateds
Actual construction depends =
upon when the contracts are sign=
ed and labor prices are approv=
ed, but is expected to be around
April 1. Time for completion
is set for 15 months, but is
hoped to be sooner, Mr. Single=
tary said. : A
Abreu and Robeson, an Atlanta
firm, is the architect, the same
company which planned the pre
sent hospital. o sl
Hospital Authority members
are Mr. Stagletscy, W. H fhle
dock, vice-cheliman. * SIS
Middleton, Mack Jarrett, John
Golden, V. L. McLendon and
MRS I