Newspaper Page Text
EARLY COUNTY, GA.
Garden Spot of
GOD’S COUNTRY
VOLUME NO. 113 - NO. 20
Mobile Work Lab to Serve Disabled
In Early and Surrounding Counties
Lt . t 4
ME-
The Mobile Work Lab was set up by the State Department of
Education, Office of Rehabilitation Services, on January 3, 1972.
The Lab is located on Robinson Street on the Campus of Early
County Junior High School. The Mobile Work Laboratory will
serve disabled persons in Early and surrounding Counties.
Mrs. Mildred Crabtree, Evaluator and Mr. William Pardue,
Counselor-Evaluator, will evaluate Vocational Rehabilitation
clients to determine their job, educational and training potential.
The Mobile Work Laboratory has been in service in Southwest
Georgia for approximately two years. Georgia is the first
State in the Nation to receive this type of service. The L'nit is
supervised by Mr. Glenn G. Siniard, Assistant District Dir
ector of Vocational Rehabilitation Services from Albany, Georgia.
State Highway Director
To Speak at Rotary
The Director of the State High
way Department of Georgia, Bert
Lance, will speak to the Blakely
Rotary Club Friday, January 7,
1972.
Mr. Lance is a native of Young
Harris, Georgia, the son of Dr.
and Mrs. T. J. Lance.
He received his formal edu
cation at Emory University, the
University of Georgia, the Scho
ol of Banking at Louisiana State
University, and the Stonier
Graduate School of Banking at
Rutgers University .
At the time of his appoint-
PQr . B
B
Bert Lance
Earthen Dike To Replace
Covered Bridge
The Early County Commiss
ioners heard a request from sev
eral farmers of the Sowhatchee
community in Early County that
action be taken to built a bridge
to span Sowatchee Creek to
replace the covered bridge that
burned April 11, 1971.
The commissioners reviewed
the efforts that have been made
to secure materials and monies
for a bridge, they have not been
able to obtain steel. It was agre
ed that three 60 inch corrugated
pipes, 40 feet long, and the sides,
front and back be ripraped, could
be used instead of a bridge.
The commissioners have asked
J. O. Brown, State Highway Re
sident Engineer, to supervise the
building of the earthen dike which
will make this much-needed road
available again for traffic.
(Sarto eaotQ ^ews
ment as Director of the High
way Department, Mr. Lance was
President and Chief Executive
Officer of the Calhoun National
Bank in Calhoun, Georgia, and
was active and well known in
banking circles throughout the
state and in the southeastern
part of the nation.
He is past chairman of the
Official Board of the First Me
thodist Church of Calhoun and
is a member of the Georgia
Methodist Commission Higher
Education. Mr. Lance is a trustee
of Georgia Foundation of Inde
pendent Colleges, a member of
the Board of Trustees of Rein
hardt College; a member of Ad
visory Council Georgi a State
University; Committee of One
Hundred, Emory University, and
Trustee of Cherokee Boy’s Es
tate. Dalton, Georgia.
He is a director in a num
ber of corporations dealing with
carpet, fiber, and yarn indus
tires in northwest Georgia. He
is a member of the Calhoun,
Georgia Rotary Club, and is an
active member of numerous
other clubs and fraternal organ
izations.
Mr. Lance is married to the
former Laßelle David; they have
four sons, and reside in Calhoun.
A larbe number of Rotarians
and guests are expected to hear
Mr. Lance at Friday’s meeting.
Rotarian Mobley Howell ar
ranged the program and will
introduce the speaker.
Four of the commissioners,
Chairman A. D. Wilkerson, Le
muel Tiner, J. O. Evans and
W. H. Balkcom, plan to attend
the Association County Commis
sioners of Georgia convention at
the Marriott Motel in Atlanta,
January 12,23 with County tre
asurer Early (Tige) Pickle ac
companying them.
Foremost on the agenda of the
local delegation is to protest
the effort being made by the
State Revenue Dept, to raise
the value of taxes on farm land
in the county. They do not agree
that the land of a small farmer
in southwest Georgia should be
assessed comparable to indus
trial or commercial sites.
There have been two applica
tions for beer licenses in the
CONT ON PAGE 2
Success to AH Who Pay Their Honest Debts - “Be Sure You Are Right, Then Go Ahead”
77 are employed
by City of
Blakely
The City of Blakely has 77
employes in nine departments.
The employes are:
SANITARY DEPARTMENT
Homer Salter, Mitchell Wil
liams, Ulmer Davis, Elder Br
yant, J. T. Leonard, A. T.
Parker, Willie Fleming, Elton
Igles, James Foster, Claude
Owen, Aaron Harris, Willie
Mames Barber, John B. Duke,
Jr., Alonzo Fields, James Of
ton, J. W. Johnson, John M.
Tinsley, Wilkie Homes, Pelmon
Thomas, Burt Lee, Bobby Gene
Farmer, Billy C. Jones, Leon
ard Everett, James L. White,
Roy Hoskins, Johnny B. Griffin,
Charles White, John A. Norris,
Robert W. Johnson, James Oden,
Bernard Hollinger, Henry J.
Williams.
CEMETERY DEPARTMENT
John Wesley Jenkins, Robert
Gentry, R. R. Royals.
FIRE DEPARTMENT
Byron White, J. B. Bowman,
Howard Askew, Willie Jim No
lan,
ADMINISTRATIVE
Alex Howell, Lucile Batchlor,
Merle Buckner, SharynS. Moore,
Jennifer Milliner, Guy Jones,
John Slaton.
LIGHT DEPARTMENT
Jimmy James, Bill McMullen,
Lamar Howard, Durell Lofton,
Willie C. Lindsey.
WATER & SEWER DEPT.
J. A. Bruner, Norman Cox,
Johnny Lee Lindsey, Edward
Good.
GAS DEPARTMENT
Thomas McDonald, James
Reddick.
POLICE DEPARTMENT
Carl Gilbert, Bruce Middle
ton, Robert Freeman, Ollin Go
ocher, Madison Allen, Joseph
S. Freeman, Sr., Jeff Robinson,
Willie B. Smith, Byron E. Hayes,
Julian Moore, C. W. Gowan, T.
S. Chandler, Greg Hudson,
Franklin L. Brown.
STREET DEPARTMENT
Jessie Johnson, Andy Ran
some, Lawyer Neal, Willie James
Smith, Willie Williams, Louie
Lee Henderson, Herman Ofton,
Enoch Norris, H. A. Middleton.
Sgt. Worthy
states Patrol
report for Early
Sergeant C. R. Worthy of the
Donalsonville State Patrol Post
announced today that his post
has investigated 12 traffic ac
cidents, made 17 arrests and
issued 20 warnings in Early
county during December, 1971.
Commenting further Sgt.
Worthy said 3 persons were
injured in the 12 accidents al
ong with 0 others killed.
Estimated property damage a
mounted to $9,625.00.
Remarks: No cases checked
for month of December, 1971.
Acacio wood has characteristics
of red mahogany but is darker
and plainer.
BLAKELY, GA., THURSDAY MORNING, JAN. 6, 1972
Jury List Announced
For January 1972 Term
Early Superior Court
convenes July 17, 1971,
with Judge Walter 1. Geer,
presiding.
GRAND JURY
David Cannon, W. S. Aider
man, G. W. Chandler, Quincey
Bowen, Edgar Tiner, Charles W.
Anderson, Frank Gowan, J. E.
Houston, J. E. Cox, Max
Holman, James F. Holman, Aus
tin Holley, Robert Ellis, John
Harper , C. L. (Charlie) Hous
ton, Noel Haskins, G. C. Davis,
Byron Blackburn, John H. Hayes,
T. T. Daniels, Oren F. Brown,
O. R. Brooks, Jr., George
Lewis, George Pyle, Cecil God
win, Vester Goocher, Lewis
Jones, Lindon Brown, Herman
Smith, Steve Dunning, Jack Wri
ght, C. E. Middleton, Cecil Love,
John H. Williams, Jr., A. P.
Perham, J. R. Puckett, Bert
Puckett, Nobles Ford, Edward
Morton, Jr. Erving Sewell.
TRAVERSE JURY IST WEEK
Carl Erwin, Frank P. Davis,
G. W. Griffin, Harvey Harris,
J. W. Farriss, Eudon Holley,
Willard Houston, Byron Bruner,
Roy Brooks, Ted Whitchard,
J. W. Clower, Warren Cleve
land, James Hobert Johnson,
Otis Johnson, Fred C. Garrett,
Jr., John P. Chambers, Harry
Clifton, Cecil Garrett, Melvin
Jordan, Billy Garrett,
Billy Lewis Charles Fetner,
Sterling McCormick, Clifford
Love, Marion C. Mock, Sterling
McCorkle, W. T. Dowdy, Bill
Knighton, JerryL. McLain, Billy
Curry, Roy Moore, Sterling P.
Jones, W. A. Cox, Roy Morgan,
Clayton Gentry, Harold Cham
bliss, Edwin Swann, Vernon
Evans, Raymond Barron,
J. A. Bruner, Fred Daniels,
Sr., Harvey L. Causey, Richard
(Buck) Grist, Gene Bush, James
Ford, John Rufus Harris, Cecil
Cooper, William E. Collins, Nor-
Escapee & Aid Arrested;
Returned to Early Jail
One of the escapees, freed
November 28 when two young wo
men chopped opened a door of the
Early County jail, has been re
turned to jail following his arrest
■at the home of a brother in
Hamilton, Georgia.
Donald Lamar Faulkner, 24,
was arrested late Friday by the
Hamilton Police and Harris
County Sheriff’s Department, and
was returned to the Early County
jail during the week end accord
ing to Mallie Cleveland, Deputy
Sheriff.
Faulkner and Ted E. Denney
had been held in the Early County
jail since Sept. 9, charged with
ASCS Exec. Director
to Speak to Lions
J. Paul Holmes
J. Paul Holmes, Jr., State
Executive Director of Georgia
State ASCS Office. U. S. Depart
ment of Agriculture, Athens,
Georgia, will be the speaker at
the Blakely Lion s Club here
January 11, 1972, according to
President Lonnie Chester. The
program was arranged by Lion
man Chadwell, Lewis W. Cleve
land, J. W. Cannon, Bridges
Ezell, C. N. Cantrell, J. D. En
glish, Butch Moore, Jim H. Mont
gomery, Ben Moseley, Roscell
Ellis, Silas Love, Freddie F.
Davis.
Don Harper, M. G. Enfinger,
Russell Lovering, Rodney Wil
liams, John David Beasley, Allen
Jones, R.D. Grist, Frank Echols,
R. N. Johnson, J. W. Willis.
TRAVERSE JURY 2ND WEEK
John Golden, Vinson Evans,
Mark Brownlee, Sr., James
JWiley, John Arthur Brown, Wil
liam D. (Pot) Busby, Donald
Busby, Thomas J. Hartley, Way
ne Trawick, Kenneth R. Tiner,
R. L. Swann, Jr., John L. Still,
Coley C. Eldridge, M. H. Rupe,
P. H. Tolar, Don Bowman, Ewell
Jarrett, Garland (Buddy) Cooper,
George Gee 111, Royce E. Al
britton, Willie Joe English,
Abraham Ford, Jr., Paul Wil
liams, Bobby D. Tiner, Vernon
T. Evans, Bernard Herring, Viv
ian Willis, Henry Gordon, Dan
Black, C. W. Felder,
F. E. Davis, D. B. Buckhalter,
Edward E. Hollington, Sam H.
Hicks, Norman Nobles, C. J.
Starr, Bobby Ready, A. H. Tem
ples, Jr., Ronald Bruner, Way
man F. Thomas, E. A. Cannon,
David Still, William (Jack) Ric
ketson, Rueben Roberts, Jack
Messer, T. M. Pullen, Billy
Roberts, George W. Sasser,
James W. Richardson, Gaynor
E. Tedder, H. G. Killebrew,
Dennis Johnson, Lamar Lump
kin, R. E. (Bobby) King, H. W.
Rollins, Rex Jones,
James N. Revels, Melvin C.
Mulkey, Dwight Harris, Marvell
Smith. Randall McDowell, Homer
E. Bush, Jr., E. L. McLendon,
Charles Roberts, S. A. Williams,
C. R. Sheffield, Homer White,
Jr., M. H. Bundy, Owen Fus
sell, Forest Middleton.
burglarizing homes in Early
County and Clay County. Fau
lkner has been charged with es
cape in addition to the burglary
charge.
Sybil Denney, 19, one of the two
women charged with aiding the
escape of the two prisoners was
arrested Thursday in Columbus
and has been transferred to the
Early County jail.
Denney and a woman identi
fied as Carol Miller, who
allegedly helped chop open the
jail door are still at large and
are being sought by the local
authorities.
Warren Cleveland, Manager of
the Early County ASCS Office.
Serving as State Director since
October 13, 1969, Mr. Holmes
has displayed excellent leader
ship in supervising the activities
of over 600 State and county
office personnel and 1,900 com
mitteemen engaged in ad
ministering a vast array of farm
programs dealing with con
servation, supply adjustment,
price support, storage loans, na
tional defense planning, and farm
disaster assistance.
He has for two consecutive
years been given the outstand
ing performance award in re
cognition of his administrative
and managerial abilities. The
Georgia Association of County
Office Employees, consisting of
over 500 members, presented
him an appreciation award at
the 1971 convention for outstand
ing accomplishments.
Personal appearances and
presentations made before farm,
trade and civic groups and other
public and governmental organi
zations have resulted in a highly
successful cooperative effort be
tween these groups and ASCS.
A native of Goldsboro, N.C.,
CONT ON PAGE 2
1971 Highlights
One of the most outstanding
events in 1971 in the City of
Blakely was the construction of
106 houses, five new commercial
buildings and many renovated
houses and stores in two new sub
divisions and construction inother
areas where sub standard frame
houses were moved to afford lots
for new brick homes on some of
the old established and well popu
lated streets.
One of the big stories of the
year was a referendum requested
by approximately 2,000 voters
which resulted in Early County
voters voting in the taxing, le
galizing and controlling of the
sale of liquors and alcoholic be
verages in Early County. This
will go into effect in January
1972 after the officials of the
county and cities rule on the eli
gibility of the prospective
dealers.
The Blakely Retail Merchants
heard a report on a retail study
on January 6, 1971, conducted
by Georgia Tech’s Industrial
Development Division under con
tract with the Lower Chattaho
ochee Valley Area Planning and
Development Commission when
ten suggestions were made con
cerning desirable improvements
in the City of Blakely including:
an enlarged shoe dept, or a
family shoe store; improve trash
collections truck-loading zones
developed on sides or rears of
establishments; Parking situa
tion improved; a bypass route
around Blakely; improvement of
facades of stores; clinics on
customer courtesy, etc. build
Blakely’s image as “the Place
to Shop” and catering to rural
shopping by adjusting Saturday
closing hours to 9:30 or 10 p.m.
The only suggestion, not put
into proper prospective in the
Jan. 14 issue of the News was
the report that local people were
going out-of-town to buy liquor.
It is the one suggestion of which
the Blakely citizens are sure
that action has been taken.
NEW FACILITIES
A new Nursing Home facility,
built at the estimated cost of
$637,000 on the east side of
Early Memorial Hospital was
completed in September, 1971.
Early County’s $103,000 Health
Center was completed in March,
1971; open house was held in
June. The Early County Court
house was renovated at the cost
of $26,000. The Courtroom was
painted, carpeted, refurnished,
the balcony was removed, new
lighting fixtures installed and the
halls painted and refinished, both
upstairs and downstairs. The
office buildings both upstairs and
downstairs were painted and tile
floors laid.
At the Extension Office Build
ing on Magnolia Street, the parti
tions in two offices have been
removed and turned into an as
sembly room for Homemakers
Clubs, 4-H Clubs and county
farmer interest groups. Located
on the west side of the building,
the room is 28 by 40 and has been
requested by these groups for
several years. It has been made
available since the County Health
offices moved to the new Health
Center. Other county buildings
which have been painted, re
roofed and renovated are the
Supt. of Roads house and other
buildings at the county camp.
A Planning Commission was
formed early in 1971, made up
of four men named by the county
and four selected by the city.
This commission has secured
information, costs , and laid out
plans for a county-wide garbage
collection.
Early County roads have been
reworked, paved and/or resur
faced for a total of over forty
miles the past year. Georgia
Hwy. 363; Burkett Store Road;
Damascus-Miller County Road;
Georgia Hwy. 200, east of
Damascus; the Rock Hill Road,
and from Kolomoki State Park
to Clay County have been paved
or are nearing completion.
CITY OF BLAKELY
Blakely and Early County en-
A A A
tered the Stay & See Georgia
Program and received an award
for Cleanup and Beautification
with emphasis on the removal
of 2,500 old abandoned cars from
the county. Blakely entered the
Certified City Program and the
county entered Beautification
Through Conservation, winning
recognition in the district.
The City of Blakely began a
$510,000 Sewage Improvement
and Extension Program in Sept
ember, 1971, starting with the
building of oxidation ponds. The
city installed a chlorination sys
tem in January, 1971 wherein
the water from three deep wells
will be chlorinated; these 3 wells
amply supply the city, the aver
age daily usage is about 800,000
gallons.
The death of Blakely’s City
Clerk on April 27, led to the
mayor resigning this position
in order to be appointed to fill
this vacancy; an election was
held June 1, Lysle McNeal was
elected mayor; in the August
city election, a woman was a
candidate for councilman, Mrs.
R. W. Mueller was the first
woman candidate in a city elec
tion; and Oren Brown, owner of
a plumbing company, was the
first negro candidate in a city
election. The two incumbents
Guy Dunaway and A. J. Gentry
were re-elected. L. E. Wallis
retired as Supt. of the Water
and Light Dept.; Bennett Smith
retired last week as Supt. of
Streets.
TITLE I - sl/2 MILLION
The Emergency School Assis
tance Program has brought to
the Early County Public Schools
System-$108,500 through Title I.
The Disadvantaged and Handi
capped Project will furnish S4O,
000 for students who fall in this
group and will extend over a
period of ten years; the Instruc
tional Assistance Program has
received $8,600 of materialsand
aids; SI,OOO was received for
Guidance and Counseling. Title
I funds have lent assistance to
the local schools since 1970;
a majority of the projects were
put into effect early in 1971. The
Early County Elementary School
received $20,000 worth of equip
ment; 270 students benefited
from the new reading laboratory
and ultra-modern learning situa
tions; 26 teacher aides were
employed through Title I; 53
teacher aides assist the
teachers; over 700 economically
deprived students in Early
County received dental carefree
of charge.
Over 3,000 students are en
rolled in the Early County Pub
lic Schools; 166 seniors gradu
ated from ECHS, May 31.
Southermost Covered Bridge
One of Early County’s covered
bridges, the SowhatcheeCovered
Bridge, was destroyed by fire
April 11. This leaves only the
Coheelee Creek Covered Bridge
in the country; it is the south
ernmost covered bridge in the
United States.
Lt. Gov. Lester Maddox was
the speaker at the annual Blak
ely-Early County Chamber of
Commerce Membership Ban
quet, when members were brou
ght up-to-date on the industrial
growth along the river valley
area. Great Northern Paper Co.,
a division of Great Northern
Nekoosa Corp, continues to up
greade production, GNN is the
country’s leading independent
producer of newsprint and con
tainer-board andthe world’s lar
gest manufacturer of lightweight
groundwood printing grades.
Tube-Tech is a new Early
County, Georgia corporation at
the plant formerly operated by
Jacking Tubing Tube-Tech is
converting steel into conduit for
Southwire Corp., Carrolton, Ga.
1971 Sensational Stories
Two convicts escaped from a
work detail on Georgia Highway
363, May 5; one was captured
May 7; the second was nabbed
one week later, May 12 above
Cuthbert, Ga.
A A A A
PULL FOR BLAKELY
- OR -
PULL OUT
$3.09 PER ANNUM
Two Columbus men, charged
with burglary, escaped from the
jail here Nov. 28 when two young
women chopped open the office
door, obtained the keys to the
prison part of the jail, unlocked
the cell doors and freed them.
One of the men and one of the
women have been apprehended
and are now in the local jail.
Two men are being held in
the Early County jail charged
with murder. Abram Wade was
arrested July 19 and charged
with the murder of Johnny Jac
kson; Alfred Stapleton was ar
rested December 23, charged
with the murder of his wife,
Essie (Icy) Mae Stapleton.
HISTORICAL COLLECTIONS
The book, “Collections of the
Early County Historical Society”
went on sale September 7, 1971,
the first book to be published
by the Society, it has received
many favorable comments.
Mrs. Eugene Tolbert of Bluf
fton, was named officer in charge
of the Blakely Post Office, July
3, 1971; James Dußose had ser
ved as Officer in Charge for Six
months.
J. J. Hewitt was elected Early
County Ordinary on May 18.
The Little Theatre presented
their third annual summer pro
duction. The local Drum and
Bugle Corp, marched in two
parades at the 97th Imperial
Council Session in Miami in
July; and in Albany at the Fall
Ceremonial Oct. 16. Anagene
Barham, winner of a National
Recipe Contest, made an ex
pense paid trip to Denver to
receive a $2500 scholarship.
The Early County Rescue
Unit was re-organized; a panel
truck was donated by the County
commissioners; a 16 foot rescue
boat and motor were donated by
the City of Blakely.
The Rotary Club is pursuing
the possibility of establishing an
Area Vocational School in Bla
kely and has the backing of the
local civic clubs and the Early
County Board of Education and
School officials.
The Early County Extension
Service office personnel edited,
published and printed a cook
book and a copy was sent free
of charge, to all whose recipes
were accepted and appeared in
the cookbook. The first Peanut
Recipe Cook-Off was held at the
1971 Early County Peanut Fes
tival Fair. Denise Killebrew was
named “Queen” and Cathy Zip
perer was named Little Miss
Peanut at the Fair.
Mary Clinkscales was chosen
Southwest Georgia Forestry
Queen for 1971-72.
Among the Blakely Beauties to
compete in area and state con
tests were: Phyllis Causey,
“Peanut Princess.” Tifton: Ann
Aline Pickle, “Miss Lake Eu
faula", Eufaula: Beth Owen, Na
tional Peanut Festival Beauty
Pageant, Dothan: Kelly Hendley.
Little Miss Peanut Contest. Na
tional Peanut Festival, Dothan.
Beth and Kelly rode the float in
the Festival Parade which placed
third in the Community Divi
sion, it was sponsored by the
Inter-Club Council: The Inter-
Club Council sponsored the Stay
& See Georgia Program in Early-
County and will sponsor the
STAR Student - Teacher Pro
gram.
Early County Bobcats football
team was named 1 AA West
Champions: the Bobkittens won
the Christmas Tournament, de
feating both the Miller County
and Calhoun County girls.
The civic Clubs, patriotic or
ganizations and fraternal organi
zations have made outstanding
contributions to the welfare of
the people and the community
through the Fair, Flower Show.
All-Night Sing, Empty Stocking
Fund, etc; many Early Countians
have served as District. State
and National officers, over one
thousand names should have been
mentioned in the 1971 Story for
they are a part of the Highlights
of ‘7l.