Newspaper Page Text
More award winners inside this week
A look at Jackie Robinson and your Letters to the Editor
™ Wireorass Farmer
Wednesday, January 29,2014
ASHBURN,GA, 31714
VOL 109 - No. 5 • 500
www.thewiregrassfarmer.com
7Around Town\
Subscribe to
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Farmer
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Call 567-3655 for
information.
Rec basketball
The Turner County
Recreation Dept. Basketball
signups will run thru Jan.
31 at the gym on Cleveland
Ave. Time: 4-6 p.m. daily.
Cost: $25 per child. Boys &
girls ages 4-14 are encour
aged to participate. For
more info contact Mike
Coker 229-567-5223.
Archery range
Turner County Recre
ation Dept, will open it's 3-
D Archery Range beginning
Feb. 1. The course will be
open from 9am-2pm each
1st and 3rd Saturdays at no
cost to the participants. For
more info contact Mike
Coker, 229-567-5223.
Coat distribution
The Turner County Mid
dle School Y-Club and
Youth Leadership team will
be distributing coats to the
needy. The coats were col
lected during the Share the
Warmth Coat Collection.
Pick up will be Saturday,
Feb. 1, 2014 from 9:00 -
11:00 a.m. (no earlybirds,
please) at the Elrod Wel
come Center located on
Washington Ave., Ashburn.
Park benches
The recent expansion at
Elrod Park has created
room for 15-18 more mar
ble benches. If you are in
terested call Edgar Perry at
567-3366. If you are inter
ested in ordering a bench in
honor of or in memory of
someone who served in the
military, this is your chance.
Call Edgar Perry at 567-
3366.
Obituaries
Clovis Amelia Kelley Ray,
81, Sycamore
Tammy Pate Dalrymple,
55, Sycamore
Larry E. Wright, 68, Ash-
bum
Arthur Riddick Smith Jr.,
91, Valdosta
Complete obituary
information is on Page 5
Serving Turner County Since 1902
Dr. Greene is Citizen of Year
Other award winners from Chamber Banquet inside this week
Longtime Ashburn resident
Dr. Jack Greene was tapped as
the Turner County Citizen of
the Year at the annual Chamber
of Commerce Banquet last
week.
Previous Citizen of the Year
recipients select the newest
member to join their ranks.
The Chamber Banquet pro
vides a setting to announce and
honor the recipient.
“I am speechless. This is the
second time in my life I have
been speechless,” he said. The
first time was during his time
as an optometrist here. A pa
tient came in and was diag
nosed with glaucoma. The man
returned the next day, saying
he’d discovered what was
causing the glaucoma.
‘“My hemorrhoids are caus
ing my eye problems,”’ Dr.
Greene recounted. He then
thanked those who selected
(See GREENE Page 2)
From left, Bill Cohn, Brad Christian, Blake Christian, Dr. J.C. (Jack) Greene, Betty Jo Greene, John Greene,
Lynn Greene Christian and Shirley Cohn.
Geoghagan plots course for the Chamber
Interim Chamber of Com
merce president Mike Geogha
gan delivered a wide-ranging
speech at the annual member
ship banquet last week.
He touched on his vision for
the chamber, recent develop
ments in Turner County and
some things that are coming.
Speech excerpts:
Our theme for 2014. Your
Chamber is here for you. We
mean that we exist to serve so
just tell us what you need and
we will try to deliver.
Before we get started I
would like to thank all of you
for attending tonight.
The Ashburn Turner
County Chamber is
blessed with the com
munity support we
are given.
Odis Reese, our
Board Chairman and
the entire board are
providing me
strong, stable plat
form so I can work.
Our Church leadership is
proving to be our best cheer
leaders and tonight they are
ably represented by Rev Alan
Miller of the First United
Methodist Church. I
have to say if you
feel the need to be
uplifted stop by one
Sunday. You will be
better for the experi
ence of one of his
sermons.
The City of Ash
burn under the lead
ership of Mayor
Hedges has created a veteran’s
park in honor of the only
Turner County resident to be
awarded the Medal of Honor.
When he partnered with Post
(See SPEECH Page 3)
a Geoghagan
4 new programs announced
• Cash Mob
• Job Match
• Business of the Week
• Outreach
New solar project on way
Airport expansion
Eureka Heights development
RSAT holds graduation
DOMINATION
Fire truck may go on auction block
His voice break
ing and tears in his
eyes one of the
GED graduates at
the Turner RSAT
apologized to his
family for the pain
he’s caused her
over the years.
RSAT stands for
Residential Sub
stance Abuse Treat
ment. This is the
state facility at the
south end of
Sycamore.
His name is
being withheld per
RSAT and State
Department of Cor
rection policies.
The man was one of eight
men who graduated last week
with GED diplomas.
The RSAT holds such grad
uation ceremonies periodically.
Grads are feted and wear caps
and gowns. Their actual GED
is mailed to them.
“My momma, will you
please stand up. (She did.) I put
her through a lot of pain and
she don’t deserve it. None of
them deserve it,” he said. After
a pause, he contin
ued, “We need to
make something of
ourselves. Momma
said, ‘You’ve got
goals. Achieve
them.’ Y’all (the
prison choir) sang
that song about the
Devil. I put it in the
ground.
“I put my
momma and family
through trouble, but
they have always
been behind me.”
He looked at the
other grads and a
number of other
men who also at
tended the morning
ceremony.
“All of us are here together.
(After I leave) my heart is still
going to be here,” he said. “I
was here two weeks and peo
ple left. I teared up.”
Two other grads spoke dur
ing the ceremony.
One man thanked those who
supported him and have
worked to help him.
“This has been a long road.
(See GED Page 6)
Sycamore may hold a sur
plus auction sometime soon.
Among the items under con
sideration for the auction is a
1969 American LaFrance fire
engine.
The old truck needs some
work and does not presently
run.
Mayor Wayne Woodruff
presented a partial inventory
list to the Council at a called
meeting earlier this month. In
cludes some office furniture, a
chlorine booster pump, a Ford
5000 tractor, thumb aim for a
backhoe which was never used
and two vehicles.
He said there may be more
which he'll bring before the
Council for disposition.
If the Council decides to sell
these items and other things,
they must advertise it.
Wiregrass Farmer Editor
Ben Baker suggested the
Council hire the newspaper to
advertise the fire truck across
the nation. Old trucks like that
are often considered collectors
and can fetch premium prices.
My momma,
will you please
stand up. I put
her through a
lot of pain and
she don’t de
serve it. None
of them de
serve it.
This has been
a long road.
I’m glad I
have this to
help me when
I get back.
Rebel wrestler Demetrice Smith gets a pin last week in the wrestling matches
against Dougherty County. More in sports.
A community is like a ship; everyone ought to be prepared to take the helm.
Henrik Ibsen
PARKER
Find new roads.
Luxury as it should be.
BU.ICK
Chevrolet, Buick, GMC Inc. 567-3306 • 517 Gorday Drive
www.parkerchevrolet.com
Professional Grade.