Newspaper Page Text
Jlarksott Brogrgss-Argus
VOL. 99—NO. 16
Plans Being
Made For May
Term Of Court
The May term of Butts Super
ior Court will convene Monday,
May Ist, at 10 o’clock with the
jurors, both Grand and Traverse,
having been drawn last week by
Judge Hugh D. Sosebee of the
Flint Judicial Circuit. Grand Ju
rors and Traverse Jurors for the
first week are asked to report at
10 o’clock May Ist.
Traverse jurors for the second
week of court will report on
Tuesday, May 9th, at 10 o’clock
to consider criminal cases.
A list of jurors, as released by
David Ridgeway, Clerk of Court,
follows:
Grand Jury
Arthur D. Fambro, Charles
W. Carter, Minnie Frank Craw
ford, T. J. Enlow, Eliza Lawson,
Rufus B. Kitchens, Seaborn W.
Maddox Jr., Edward H. Wise,
Hollis Duke, R. A. O’Quinn, Don
ald R. Willard, Marvin B. Mang
ham, M. A. Price, O. J. Morgan,
Elizabeth Powell, Jean E. Sum
mers, E. D. Briscoe, J. B. Kitch
ens, George R. Woodall, Alfred
Frank Eusery, Willie Ruth Green,
Henry Fears, James E. Jones,
G. H. Standard, Edward L.
Houghtaling, Eddie James Berry,
Ennis S. O’Neal, Carl E. Waits,
Curtis L. Gaye, C. L. Sanvidge.
Traverie Jurors—First Week
Virgil Smith, Thomas F. Peek,
Charles M. Daniel Jr., Wayne
King, L. J. Wyatt, Sara Hunter,
Julian W. Fletcher, John Wesley
Cook, R. A. Allen, Tommie Mc-
Daniel, Earl A. Bender, Flora
Jean Head, Franklin Washing
ton, J. W. Pulliam, Mrs. Miller
B. Moelchert, Mrs. Ruth Smith.
John L. Ball, Donald W. Earn
hart, Mrs. Marvin Bennett, Mar
ion L. Britton, John B. Yawn,
Harvey B. Whitehead, B. B.
Campbell, Lucy Watkins, William
A. Duke Jr., Mrs. Jack Ingram,
Robert H. Lane, Nesby Watson,
Cora Lee Slaton, R. L. Glaze,
James Edward Smith, James Ir
vin Williamson.
Henry 0. Higgins, Arthur J.
Cleveland, Mrs. Barbara Maddox,
Robert Paul Goodrum, Elizabeth
A. Shields, O. L. Weaver Jr.,
Jackie Dunn, Valdora Douglas,
Robert M. Jackson, Raymond T.
Plymel, Dorothy Thomas, Anne
M. Nelson, Gerald E. Davis, Mrs.
T. H. Price, Mrs. G. H. Standard,
Herschell Virden, A. G. Cowan,
C. J. Kimbell.
M. L. Powell, Marion D. Todd,
R. C. Banks, Sara Lou Taylor,
Mrs. Ruth Batchelor, Ruby Mae
Lawson, Annie Inez Barlow, Mrs.
Linda F. Rooks, Wilburn T.
Gregg, James Albert Akins.
Traverse Jury—Second Week
Mrs. M. L. Hodges Jr., Charles
Two Men Killed Sunday
When Boat Goes Over Dam
Two men from Riverdale were
killed early Sunday morning when
their semi-cabin cruiser went
over the Lloyd Shoals Dam on
Jackson Lake at 12:26 o’clock,
crashing on the huge rocks and
boulders some 60 to 75 feet be
low, killing one man outright and
inflicting fatal injuries to anoth
er.
Believed killed instantly was
Jack R. Wambles, 29, of 265
Hummingbird Way, Riverdale.
He was pronounced dead on ar
rival at the Jasper Memorial Hos
pital in Monticello, according to
Jasper County Coroner William
A. Kelly. Critically injured was
Lloyd Arnold Chumley, 33, of
267 Valley Hill Road, Riverdale.
Mr. Chumley succumbed to his
injuries Monday morning in a
Macon hospital. Butts County
Coroner John Sherrell said he
was called to the scene about 1:-
30 Sunday morning where the
Sheriff’s Departments of Butts
and Jasper Counties and a num
ber of Game Wardens were on
hand to render whatever assis
tance they could.
Fishing Rodeo
Winners
Announced
The 1972 Fish Rodeo, spon
sored by the Butts Cos. Sports
men’s Club, is over with the fol
lowing persons declared winners.
In the Bass Division: W. A.
Smith, Jackson, Ist, 10 lb.; Geo-
Brooks, Atlanta, 2nd, 8 lb; P. H.
Weaver, Jackson, 3rd, 6 lb. 4 oz.
In the Crappie Division: Geo.
Brooks, Atlanta, Ist, 2 lb. 12 oz.;
Joel Crane, Jackson, 2nd, 2 lb.
4 oz.; C. L. Wilde, College Park,
3rd, 1 lb. 12 oz.
In the Bream Division: Mrs.
C. D. Moore, Jackson, Ist, 1 lb.
11 oz.; Bobby Browning, Jackson,
2nd, 12 oz.; Michael Phillips,
Riverdale, 3rd, 4 oz.
Sponsors of the Fishing Rodeo
were Western Auto, Jackson
Drug Cos., Jinks Cash Store, Beck
ham’s, Deraney’s, Parrish Drug
Cos., Billy Leverette, Hodges
Hardware, Martin’s Marina, Ker
sey’s Boat Service, Duke’s Store,
Troy’s Place, C&S Bank of Jack
son, and Mclntosh State Bank.
R. Bennett, H. M. Hooten, Mattie
L. Clark, Mary Lou Walker,
Albert Dupree, James Henry Ber
ry, W. L. Sealey, Charlotte Odes
sa Watts, Ralph E. Evans, Mrs.
W. L. Corley, Charles E. Rooks
111, Dollie Ann Cleveland, Ora
Mae Wilson, E. T. Foster, Dulane
F. Maddox, James R. Pitts.
Horace Cawthon, Harrell Wal
dron, Donald L. Folsom, Ruth
Folds, M. H. Edwards, Richard
H. Britton, J. R. Bedsole, Mrs.
Margaret Carmichael, Mrs. L. H.
Perdue, Clementine Thomas, Guy
H. Howard, Herbert Barnes, John
B. Barnes, Paulette Seckinger,
James Brown, Jesse J. Nutt.
David R. Cook, J. W. Shadrix,
Emerson L. Burford, Richard L.
Brown, Mrs. G. L. Potts, Charlie
L. Clark, Annie Mae Clark, Car
olyn A. Smith Douglas, Margaret
Newton, Felton Roberts, John W.
Webb, Willie B. Thompson, Mrs.
Mary Ann Stevenson, Prentice
Cash, Edgar B. Duke, Ida Ruth
Taylor, Myra Green, Essie Mae
Foster.
Geannette Trimble, Rosa Bell
Barlow, John A. Chiappetta Jr.,
John F. Morris, Bennie Jessie
Brooks, Lurline Price, Harold G.
Spruill, Dorothy Ann Head, Re
becca Wise, Linda W. Cleveland,
Tyrone Williamson, Peggy J.
Norton, A. A. Brittain, John L.
Coleman, Mary Lee Clark, Mal
vin W. Redman, Johnnie Lee
Smith, Willie Avery Cook.
L. W. May, Charlie Jordan,
Robert Lee Worley, Jackie Lee
Bedsole, Hiram L. Smith, Mrs.
Dickie Moore, Mildred Myrick,
James G. Giddens, Jack K. Goff.
Coroner Kelly said both men
suffered severe head injuries and
that he felt Mr. Wambles was kill
ed on impact. Both were taken to
Jasper Memorial Hospital where
doctors worked with Mr. Chumley
several hours before transferring
him to the Medical Center of
Central Georgia in Macon .
A spokesman at the Jasper Cos.
Sheriff’s office said Mr. Wam
bles’ watch stopped at 12:26 a.
m. Sunday, this believed to be
the time of the accident.
The boat plunged over the east
side of the dam, the Jasper Cos.
side, onto rocks below where
there is little water. The area in
and around the dam was well
marked with buoys with no reas
on given for the accident by the
Sheriff’s Departments.
Campers and fishermen in the
area heard the boat as it crash
ed onto the rocks and notified
law officials in the two counties.
The two men were reported to
have been fishing and apparent
ly came onto the edge of the
dam before realizing the danger.
Both men were employees of
Georgia Highway Express.
APRIL 20, 1972 JACKSON, GEORGIA 30233
Oh
Grc/hd Opening Hodges Ace Home
Center Be Held On April 20-22
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April 20th, 1972 is a day that
M. L. Hodges, Jr. will never for
get. You might say that he had
waited all his life—49 years—
for it. For it is on April 20-21-22
that Hodges Ace Home Center
will have the Grand Opening of
the new, handsome and commo
dious building at 922 East Third
Street, near the intersection of
Georgia Highways 16 and 42.
In an exclusive interview with
the Progress-Argus, Mr. Hodges
told in his own words how be be
came interested in the hardware
business from the date of Janu
ary 15, 1959 when he purchased
Carmichael Hardware Company
from Mr. Robert Carmichael at
20 Oak Street, on the square in
Jackson, for a $2,500 price with
an operating capital of SI,OOO in
the bank, until the culmination
of his dream became a reality
with the Grand Opening of
Hodges Ace Home Center today,
Friday and Saturday.
Of his early days, Mr. Hodges
wrote:
“We had two employees to be
gin the operation of the business
—myself and my wife, Elizabeth.
In three months time I thought
we were going to starve to death;
after all, like Elizabeth said, I
had given up a District Sales
man’s job at S6OO a month, plus
an expense account, to buy a
hardware store.
“But the hardware business
David Black
Will Head
Kiwanis Club
David Black, pastor of the
Jackson and Fellowship Presby
terian Churches, was elected
president of the Jackson Kiwanis
Club Tuesday night at the club’s
regular meeting.
Other officers elected were C.
L. (Sandy) Sanvidge, Ist vice
president; Y. C. Hudson, 2nd vice
president; Lou Moelchert, treas
urer.
The seven directors elected in
cluded Randy Hudgins, Lewis
Weldon, Hugh Glidewell, Ralph
W. Carr Jr., Bob Pinckney, A. V.
Maddox, Denny O’Neal.
The program Tuesday night
was given by Miss Rachel Tor
rance, home economist for Butts
County, who talked about the 4-
H Club programs in the county.
Bob Pinckney presented the
speaker.
was my first love since the first
job I had at the age of 19 was
with Denkins-Davisons Wholesale
Hardware in Atlanta, where I be
gan work as an Order Clerk to a
Shipping Clerk before entering
service with the U. S. Navy in
World War 11. After three years
in service, I returned home and
worked two years in retail hard
ware for Jackson Hardware Com
pany, leaving them for a sales job
with Gordon Foods. I spent nine
years with Gordon, not ever
dreaming that I would some day
own a hardware store of my own,
but all of a sudden I had one and
so much for that. ...
“Well, at this tfihe* Elizabeth
had taken an outside job so we
could buy groceries and I didn’t
know what I was going to do with
the store. Soon after I purchas
ed the store from Mr. Carmichael,
it began raining for two months,
leading Wayne Barnes to say one
day as we were having breakfast
up town in a local restaurant
that I had put a jinx on business
with it raining ever since I start
ed, with business slow all over.
Wayne didn’t know how I already
felt or he wouldn’t have said it.
Along about this time Cousin
Brack Hodges came in the store
one day and asked me if he could
come up and sit around the heat
er with me, and of course, him
being a retired grocery merchant
and the very fine Christian man
that he was and is, he gave me
some wonderful advice, and lift
ed me up out of the depressing
state that I was in. Well, the
rains had about stopped now and
Spring was just around the cor
ner, when old L. J. Wyatt came
along and he said, Mr. Hodges,
you need me around here to help
you on Saturdays and after 4:30
in the afternoons; I know a good
bit about plumbing and electri
cal and can help you get up or
ders on this type merchandise, and
also keep the store cleaned up. I
told him he could if he wanted to
but I didn’t have any money to
pay him or Cousin Brack with and
he said don’t worry about that—
I am going to help you get started
and make us some money, so I
told Cousin Brack for him to wait
on the few customers that came
in, that I was going to start mak
ing that store look like a hard
ware store wanting to do busi
ness.
“I started cleaning that store
and pulling merchandise from
under the counters and displaying
it on top of them. L. J. and I
painted at night, moved counters,
and built counters until it began
to look like a store in business.
But by this time my SI,OOO was
gone and I didn’t have enough
merchandise to load up a wheel
barrow. I knew then I had to get
some merchandise or go out.
“I went to Atlanta to Beck &
Gregg and King Wholesale Hard
ware Cos., went into the Credit
Department of each of these
places, sat down and told them
what I had done, each credit man
ager asked me how much mer
chandise I needed. I said just
enough to get started; well they
believed my story and fulfilled
my need and I bought hardware
that day and brought it home
with me, and from that day on
the sky has been the limit with
B&G. Of course, King Wholesale
Hdwe. Cos. went out of business.
“Spring had broke by this time,
grass growing, plenty gardens
and farming, fishing and hard
ware was on the move and I could
for the first time take a deep
breath of relief. I believed I had
passed the test.
“It was a wonderful year; I
■hadn't '“ made any money to
amount to anything but I was
happy building my inventory and
having such wonderful people
start buying from me.
“By the Spring of 1960 we
began to really look like a pros
perous hardware store, so one day
Marvin Brownlee, the sales repre
sentative from Hotpoint Cos. stop
ped in to see me about putting
the Hotpoint appliance line in, so
after several trips to the store
about this, I decided I would try
to sell appliances. Maybe I should
have taken Mayor C. B. Brown’s
advice, my hair might not be as
gray as it is today. I told Mr.
Brownlee I didn’t have that kind
of money to buy appliances with.
Oh, he said, you don’t have to
pay for the appliances now; I will
get them floor planned for you,
pay after you sell. Well, this
sounded real good, so we decided
to try three pieces, 1 range, 1
refrigerator and 1 -washer. Well
lo and behold the finance com
pany out of Atlanta that was go
ing to floor plan the merchandise
turned me down. They said I
would never make it. Well, after
about six weeks of persuasion
from him and the Hotpoint Cos.
the finance company decided to
give me a try.
“We got the range, refrigera
tor and washer in and displayed
on the floor; well this was right
up Cousin Brack’s alley; he got
busy selling appliances. I had to
borrow a truck to make our first
deliveries in, then by luck I found
a good used delivery truck and
talked the bank into loaning me
money to buy it
“Things were getting on the
move with us now. Cousin Brack
and I were selling and stocking
during the day and good ole L. J.
and I were delivering at night;
he never complained regardless
of how late we worked or what
he had to do; he said we got to
make our store go.
“Luck was with me again.
About this time we needed a ser
vice man, and I had gotten tired
of doing my own book work. Two
other fine people came with me—
Russell Cawthon took the worry
out of service on appliances, well
pumps, etc. and Mrs. Lillian
Evans kept me from burning mid
night oil.
“Things were really beginning
to jump now. I needed more
room, the Busy Corner Store be
came vacant and for rent and I
was fortunate enough to expand
over into that building.
“Our help situation was begin
ning to be critical at this point.
Russell needed a helper and who
did we get other than Johnnie
Redding, one of the best, just
works all time without grumbling.
I have two of the best employees
a business coulld ever have. Philip
Bunch, my side-kick, and Mrs.
Sara McClure, my sister, came
with us in the same year.
“We really began to expand
now; we put Television and a line
;of furniture in. Book work was
1 really getting heavy when Mrs.
: Walter Bennett, an outstanding
bookkeeper, came to take Mrs.
Evans place. She had to retire be
cause of ill health. Arthur Gil
more came at the time of Cousin
Brack’s retirement.
“Our business had grown by
leaps and bounds by this time and
we bought out James Gilbert
Furniture Cos. which was located
in the Farmers Exchange Build
ing, directly in back of our other
stores, moving all of our furni
ture department out into this
building. Needing a furniture
manager, we were fortunate to
get John Moore, a man of many
talents, smiling, getting the job
done.
“For our television headaches
we have had Dr. James Lamar
for the past four years, taking
care of all the ailments in the
-rjj, /■l’S.A.a.' ,
M. L. HODGES, JR.
$5 PER YEAR IN ADVANCE
TV Dept., helping make it one of
the best departments in the store.
Dr. Lamar is the most capable TV
technician Jackson and Butts Cos.
has ever had.
Next came James Moore, train
ed under Russell Cawthon to as
sist in the service department.
“Well, our last expansion on
the square was the renting of
the Tommy Thurston building,
moving into it our plumbing fix
ture department.
“At this point we were run
ning out of space again, and with
the heavy congestion and parking
problem up town on the square,
we were forced to make plans to
build anew building on the edge
of town, large enough to take
care of present needs with ample
parking facilities.
“Our latest employees, coming
at the beginning of our move,
are Bill Kinsey, furniture mana
ger, and Ronald Dean, assistant
TV technician.’’
The Home Center, Jackson’s
largest, finest, and most modern
retail business, is owned and op
erated by local men, a fact of
which Mr. Hodges is inordinately
proud. Mr. Hodges Jr. is presi
dent; John H. Moore, Ist vice
president and secretary; Philip
Bunch, vice president and treas
urer; Russell Cawthon, 2nd vice
president.
The new full-service Home
Center offers complete sales and
(Continued on page 4, col. 1)
