Newspaper Page Text
ifackstftf Progress-Argus
VOL. 99 —NO. 23
Jackson Man
Drowns At
High Falls
A 21-year old Negro man, Rob-,
ert Lee Shannon, Jr., of Route
4, Jackson, became High Falls
State Park’s first drowning vic
tim since July 4, 1970 when he
went under the water while swim
ming at the beach Sunday after
noon about 4:15 o’clock.
High Falls State Park Superin
tendent S. L. (Shorty) Letson
said that Shannon had come to
the park with a group of friends
and was swimming in water 15
to 18 feet deep well within the
confines of the roped off beach
swimming area when he appa
rently drowned without an out
cry and unobserved though there
were some 300 on the beach at
the time of the mishap.
Superintendent Letson said
that he was missed by a friend
who was swimming with him and
that a search was immediately be
gun by five divers with his body
being recovered by Fritz Alex
ander Cooper, an employee at the
state park and an accomplished
diver. Joining in the search for
the body were Wright Hicks, Jr.
and Bruce Hicks, lifeguards at
the state park.
Despite Shannon’s 15 minute
immersion every effort was made
to resuscitate him but to no
avail. He was taken to Monroe
County Hospital in Forsyth where
Coroner T. E. Grubbs pronounced
his death as “accidental due to
drowning.”
Superintendent Letson said
that over 4,000 people thronged
the park over the weekend with
crowds expected to increase now
that school is out. He reported
that many campers are coming
for stays of two weeks or more
and that camping facilities will
be taxed during the summer
months.
County Is
Operating
In The Black
Fiscal responsibility has been a
watchword of the incumbent com
missioners, Dan Fears, chairman,
D. W. (Dave) Bailey and Ham
mond Barnes, with the county
currently free of debt except for
current operating expenses. The
solvency of the county govern
ment is of much concern and in
terest to every Butts County citi
zen and taxpayer.
In the county audit of Decem
ber 31, 1968, the audit shows
that Butts County had cash on
deposit $166,089.10, uncollected
taxes of $71,991.10 and other
items of a ‘minor nature that
brought the county’s total cur
rent assets to $242,014.72.
As of the same date the audit
showed that Butts County had
total current liabilities of $445,-
966.42, the audit showing that a
deficit of $242,014.74 existed.
A report of examination as of
December 31, 1971 revealed that
Butts County had cash on de
posit in the amount of $42,906.98
with uncollected taxes, which in
cidentally were collected within
the first 15 days of 1972, boost
ing the total assets to $75,425.03.
Liabilities for the same period
showed a bank loan for equip
ment of $30,000 and interest of
$1,500 which brought the ac
counts payable to a total liability
figure of $56,490.88.
Since the audit date of De
cember 31, 1971, the present
commissioners state that the
equipment loan and interest has
been paid off and that the county
is operating in the black except
for current operating expenses
which are being paid by collected
revenues. The commissioners
point with justifiable pride to the
fact that when they took office
in January 1969 they were
faced with a $242,000. deficit
which has been paid off in less
than four years with the county’s
fiscal affairs generally conceded
to be in the best condition of
the last 10-20 years.
Candidates
Are Still
Qualifying
Candidates are still continuing
to qualify with the races for
sheriff and Butts County Com
missioner the only offices con
tested as of noon Wednesday,
June 7, with the qualifying dead
line of 12 o’clock Wednesday,
June 14th, a week away.
Qualifying since last Wednes
day were Billy Sutton, incumbent
county treasurer, who is offering
for re-election; Haywood Hodges,
former Butts County Commis
sioner who has thrown his hat
in the ring in the commissioner’s
race; Thomas Taylor, widely
known colored resident of Jack
son, also has qualified for one
of the three seats in the commis
sioner’s race, while Billy Lev
erette’s entry into the race for
sheriff makes it a five man af
fair.
As of noon June 7th the can
didates for the various county
offices are as follows:
Commissioner—Jimmy (Jim
bo) Darnell, James W. Gilbert,
Thomas N. (Neal) Baker, Ham
mond Barnes, Gery Hoard, D.
W. (Dave) Bailey, Dan Fears,
Haywood Hodges and Thomas
Taylor. Messrs. Fears, Bailey and
Barnes are all incumbents.
Sheriff—Hugh C. Polk, incum
bent; Barney L. Wilder, John L.
Coleman, James Appling and
Billy Leverette.
Clerk of Court—David P.
Ridgeway, incumbent.
Ordinary—Luther J. Washing
ton, incumbent.
Tax Commissioner—Mary Will
Hearn, incumbent Tax Collector.
School Superintendent—Wm.
B. (Bill) Jones, incumbent.
Treasurer—Billy Sutton, in
cumbent.
Coroner—John A. Sherrell, in
cumbent.
Justice of Peace, 612th District
—Donald Montgomery, incum
bent.
Trimble Dogs
Place First
At Daytona
Mr. and Mrs. Jim Trimble of
Route 1, Fincherville Road, Jack
son, breeders of Great Danes,
entered two dogs, a male and
female, in the Daytona Kennel
Club Dog Show, Daytona, Fla.,
on May 28 and won first place
on each dog.
Their son, Tony, who accom
panied them to Daytona, placed
second in Junior Showmanship
with the event being judged on
the handling of the dogs.
Mr. and Mrs. Trimble said
that dogs from over the entire
Southeast were entered, including
all classes of dogs that were
AKC registered. The Trimbles
are receiving congratulations
from their many friends on their
fine showing in the Daytona
show.
Two Charged
With Slax
Shoppe Theft
Two Griffin men, Isaac Weems
and Thomas Berry, were appre
hended in Spalding County Mon
day afternoon and were charged
with armed robbery in the theft
of $276 from The Slax Shoppe at
Ga. 36-1-75 about two o’clock
Monday afternoon.
Butts County Sheriff Hugh C.
Polk said that the two Negro men
held two pistols on employees at
the Slax Shoppe, making off with
about $276. Sheriff Polk said
they were apprehended in Spald
ing County later in the. day and
were brought to Jackson where
charges were to be filed later.
Awards
Winners
Announced
Awards and scholarships were
presented at commencement exer
cises Wednesday night, May
31st, at which 125 Jackson High
School seniors completed high
school.
Recipients of awards and
scholarships included:
Cindy Lee Cook, Jackson B&-
PW Club Award, presented by
Mrs. Imogene Leverette; Gret
chen Wyatt and Glen Maddox,
Rym Company Award, presented
by Jackie Bedsole; Peggy Evans
and Andy St. John, Sylvan Grove
Hospital Auxiliary, by Mrs.
Ulysses Knight; Willie Mae Ad
ams and Maralyn Ridgeway, PTO
Award, by Mrs. Joe Harris; Steve
Fletcher, Butts County Sports
men’s Club by Tom Colwell;
Kim Culberson and Andy St.
John, Jackson High Athletic
Booster Club, by Hal Summers.
Alfred Watkins, Jackson High
Band Booster Club, presented by
Gary Mayfield; Renee Smith, Hal
Barnes Award, by Mrs. Leslie
Johnson; Susan Colwell, Danny
Thomason Award, by Mrs. Roy
Prosser; Saralyn Ridgeway, Fu
ture Teachers of America Award,
by Mrs. David Dover; A1 Gilbert,
Anonymous Award (Scholarship)
by M. C. Paget; Peggy Evans
and Larry Duke, I Dare You
Award, by Mr. Paget.
Scholarship Awards were pre
sented the following: Alfred
Watkins, Florida A&M music
grant-in-aid; Lewis Jones, Her
bert Lehman Education Founda
tion Scholarship; Robert Griffin,
University of Tennessee, Chatta
nooga, Athle ti c Scholarship
(football).
School academic and depart
mental awards were presented
by Mr. Paget, principal in
English, Linda Dianne Lawton;
French, Willie Mae Adams;
Journalism, Rachael Watkins,
Jeffery English; Drama and
Speech, Glen Maddox; Business
Education, Renee Smith; Music,
Gary Mayfield; DCT, Ernest
Gibson; Annual Award, Larry
Duke; Betty Crocker Award, Di
anne Lawton.
Seniors earning an academic
letter for 1971-72 school year
(all grades A all year long) Cin
dy Cook and Maralyn Ridgeway.
Seniors earning academic cer
tificate for ’7l-72 school year
(over-all A average): Steve
Barnes, Dorothy Clemons, Peggy
Evans, Gail Gordon, Julius Head,
Mary Lou Hauser, Debbie Kim
bell, Dianne Lawton, Glen Mad
dox, June Maddox, Sheryl Mere
dith, Connfie Norsworthy, Nita
Norris, Janice Pike, Alison
Spruill, Renee Smith, Laurie
Summers, Saralyn Ridgeway,
Elaine Todd, Gail Williams.
Newton County
Boy Feared
Lake Victim
Dragging operations continued
Wednesday for a 14-year-old
Newton County boy, Tommy
Smith, who is feared to have
drowned in Jackson Lake in the
Waters Bridge area Sunday eve
ning.
Dragging operations are being
conducted by the Newton County
Civil Defense, the Newton Coun
ty Sheriff’s Department and war
dens of the Game and Fish De
partment. According to informa
tion from the Newton County
Sheriff’s office, the boy was seen
about 9 o’clock Sunday night
alone in a boat with the same boys
sighting the boat an hour later
with it empty.
The young boy lived at Jackson
Lake off Norman Road. The New
ton County Sheriff’s office is al
so considering the possibility that
Tommy left home voluntarily and
is not a drowning victim. They
continue to investigate both pos
sibilities with the search of the
lake continuing.
THURSDAY, JUNE 8, 1972
Air-Ground Search for Downed Plane
Continues Near Butts-Monroe Line
Mrs. Butler
Retires
After 46 Years
Mrs. Miriam S. Butler, one of
Southwest Georgia’s most widely
known and accomplished business
executives, retired last week
after 46 years of service with
Schwob Manufacturing Company
in Columbus.
A native of Jackson and born
Miss Miriam Sams, Mrs. Butler
started with the company, then
located at 1037 Broadway, Co
lumbus, as a young graduate just
out of Wesleyan College. Schwo
bilt suits were all hand tailored
in 1926 and the local store served
three other outlets.
Mrs. Butler recalls that her
job then encompassed everything
from greeting customers to tak
ing down measurements as the
tailors called them out. In her
46 years with the company she
has seen the operation grow from
25 to nearly 500 employees, and
from four to 40 outlets located
throughout the southeast.
Mrs. Butler’s responsibilities
have grown to include the title
and duties of secretary-treasurer
of Columbus Square, Inc., Schwob
Realty, Inc. and Simon Schwob
Foundation as well as Schwob
Manufacturing Company. She is
also a member of the Medical
Center Board of Commissioners.
Mrs. Butler says that with a sis
ter, Mrs. J. B. Harrison, and the
original homeplace in Jackson,
and a nephew, Saijjs Harrison in
real estate in Montgomery, she
plans to keep busy after retire
ment. She also has a sister, Miss
Leila Sams, in Atlanta.
Julian Wells
Is Magna Cum
Laude Graduate
Julian H. Wells was graduated
Magna Cum Laude from Georgia
Tech at commencement exercises
June 3rd in the Tech Coliseum.
The brilliant young scholar has
been on the Dean’s List the en
tire four years he has been at
Tech, graduating with a 3.4
average out of a possible 4.
Julian received a Bachelor of
Textile Engineering Degree and
also received the Georgia Textile
Manufacturer’s A s s o c i ation
Award of a gold watch as the top
graduate in the A. French Tex
tile School at Georgia Tech.
Julian was vice president of
Phi Psi, a member of Phi Beta
Sigma and Phi Kappa Phi and
was nominated for membership
in Tau Beta Phi. A 1968 Jack
son High School graduate Julian
was awarded a textile scholar
ship from Avondale Mills for be
ing the top student, in the class
of 1968. Julian has accepted em
ployment with Cone Mills in
Greenville, S. C. as a textile en
gineer.
He is the son of Mrs. S. Paul
Wells of Jenkinsburg. He is mar
red to the former Vicki Ivey,
daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Bobby
J. Ivey of Indian Springs. The
Wells are residing in Greenville,
South Carolina.
BYRD GARLAND CHOSEN
AS ASSISTANT JUSTICE
MACON, Ga. —Byrd Garland
of Macon has been elected as an
assistant justice of the Student
Bar Association of the Valter F.
George School of Law at Mercer
University.
The Student Bar Association
functions as the student govern
ment of the law school. Officers
are elected annually by secret
ballot of the law students.
Garland is the son of Mr. and
Mrs. B. B. Garland of Jackson.
JACKSON, GEORGIA 30233
Palmer Hamil
Named CGEMC
Director
* V ; JPP;
.->"***; _
PALMER HAMIL
Palmer Hamil has been ap
! pointed by the Board of Direc
tors of The Central Georgia Elec-
I trie Membership Corporation as
; one of the directors from the
I Spalding-Lamar area to fill the
j vacancy created by the recent
resignation of G. C. Bell.
Mr. Hamil, a native of Spald
ing County, lives in the Ring
gold Community. He is a promi
nent cattle and dairy farmer and
businessman in Spalding.
Mr. Hamil attended North
Georgia College for three years
and graduated from the Univer
sity of Georgia in 1934. He was
a County Agent from 1935 to
1942, first in Schley County,
| then in Pike. He resigned to serve
as an Army Captain during
World War II and saw overseas
duty at Guadalcanal. After re
turning from the war, he settled
in Ringgold Community where he
has led a very active life in the
field of agri-business. At present,
he is in partnership with his
nephews, Bobby and Danny Ham
il, in the beef cattle and dairy
business. They cultivate about
250 acres in soybeans in addi
tion to growing all of their food
for the cattle.
Mr. Hamil serves as president
of the Spalding County Farm Bu
reau. He is supervisor of the
District of Towaliga Soil and
Water Conservation, chairman of
the House Committee of the
Griffin Post of the American
Legion, which has 500 members.
It is rated as one of the most
outstanding Legion Posts in Geor
gia. He serves as chairman of the
Spalding County Board of Tax
Assessors.
Mrs. Hamil, the former Sara
Walton from Peach County, is a
registered nurse and is employed
at the Griffin-Spalding County-
Hospital.
The Hamils are active in the
Ringgold Christian Church.
One Arrested
Here On
Marijuana Charge
Roy Lee Crowder, 17-year-old
Negro boy. was arrested Satur
day evening about 7:30 o’clock
on First Street in Jackson and
charged with possessing six bags
of marijuana.
The arrest was made by- Jack
son policemen Thomas Stewart
and Eddie James Berry, both also
colored. The local police officers
were conducting an investigation
on information received from a
reliable source. The Police De
partment is continuing investiga
tion into further drug violations
with more arrests anticipated.
Crowder, who lives on Walker
Street with his mother, has been
released on bond.
A limited but coordinated air
ground search is continuing for a
plane believed downed in an area
southeast of Indian Springs near
the Butts-Monroe County line. As
of noon Wednesday the search
had thus far proven futile.
The plane search was triggered
by two events, one occurring
about 11:30 Saturday morning,
the other late Sunday afternoon.
An aircraft over the area, ob
viously in distress, was heard and
seen by several residents of the
sparsely settled area near the
county lines but with witnesses
giving contradictory reports on
the course of the plane and
where it was suspected ■to have
crashed.
The possibility of a downed
aircraft was heightened Sunday
afternoon when Mr. and Mrs Hu
bert Torbett, who live about
three miles southeast of Indian
Springs, discovered pieces of
plexiglass, believed to have come
from a plane’s canopy or wind
shield, a small portion of a
plane’s wing or tail section, a
clipboard and pen holder of the
type generally used by pilots, a
man’s black sock, and a piece of
a toy airplane, in their pasture
almost directly across from their
home and on a small knoll. Mr.
and Mrs. Torbett were looking for
a cow when they discovered the
items from the plane that many
believe heralded the disaster of
the plane in distress heard about
noon Saturday. Mr. Torbett re
ported his find to Butts County
Sheriff Hugh C. Polk with the
search beginning late Monday
afternoon on a limited basis.
The search for the downed
plane is being coordinated by
Major Chris Harris of a Civil
Air Patrol unit from Atlanta
with the active assistance of
Butts County- law enforcement
officers, some few volunteers,
and a Civil Air Patrol unit from
Griffin.
The roughness of the terrain in
which the plane is believed to
have crashed makes ground
search torturous and slow. The
swamps with their tangled growth
of vines, mud and w-ater make
penetration almost impossible
w-hile the wooded* areas, literal
thickets with matted under
growth, also prove nearly im
passable. A reporter from a Ma
con newspaper who visited the
scene Tuesday, and well versed
through numerous visits to the
Okefenokee Swamp, said that this
terrain reminds him of the Big
Thicket country of Texas and
Girl Scouts
Attending
Day Camp
Brownie Girl Scouts of Butts
county are enjoying a week of
day camp experiences, June 6-9,
at Camp Cecil Jackson near Grif
fin. The camp is under the' di
rection of Mrs. Mary Day-, local
Brownie Leader. She is being as
sisted by Miss Connie McCrary
as business manager, Mrs. Lucy
Mae Grier as first aider. Miss
Edna Murray, Mrs. Ruth Ash,
Mrs. Gwen Meredith, Mrs. Mary
Ledford and Mrs. Thelma Stokes
as unit leaders.
Activities of the week include
crafts, nature hikes, learning the
skills of outdoor cooking, knot
tying, games. The girls leave
Jackson each morning at 9 a. m.
and return at 3:30 p. m.
Brownies attending from Jack
son are Portia Grier, Marie Vick
ers, Melissa Bristol, Lee Ann
Bunn, Sheila Ash, Debbie Mere
dith, Leisa Clark, Jacqueline
Keith. Eugenia Grier, Janice
Watkins, Cynthia Berry, Jacque
line Scott, Vickie Price, Audrey
Price, Kimberley Day, Cynthia
Roberts, Lonnie Coleman, Ber
nadette King.
SS, PER YEAR IN ADVANCE
that he felt it would take a
thousand men on foot to have a
chance of discovering the plane.
Wednesday morning the swamp
formed by the confluence of
Rocky Creek and Castleberry
Creek was the principal search
area since a nearby resident be
i lieved she saw the plane crash
in that general area.
Quite naturally everyone
\ talked to has his own version of
the supposed crash. The skeptics,
and there are many, contend that
the debris found thus far could
have been caused by a plane los
: ing its canopy without the plane
having crashed. They feel that
the onrushing of air might have
j sucked out the sock, the toy
plane, the clipboard and the pen.
Credence is lent to their opinion
:by the absence of any evidence
| of an explosion or fire to the ob-
Ijects thus found.
The cynical, who may or may
j not believe a plane crashed, hold
that the area is far too desolate
and the terrain too rough for
the wreckage to be discovered
| unless a massive search is begun
with manpower of a thousand or
more searchers. They feel that
! if the plane is down that in all
[ probability deer hunters in the
:Fall or Winter will discover the
wreckage and skeletons of the
occupant or occupants when such
sighting would be made easier
by- the defoliation of trees and
: undergrowth. Others feel that if
the plane is not discovered within
the next day or so that perhaps
vultures will direct rescuers to
the scene through the smell of
death, much as the same birds of
; carrion were used to locate mis
sing persons in the mountains
and deserts of the Old West.
The realists believe that evi
dence from those who saw or
heard the plane in trouble, plus
the discovery- of the objects on
the Torbett farm, means a plane
crashed and despite tremendous
natural obstacles they feel an all
out search should be made in the
unlikely event that any aboard
the plane are still living.
A report Wednesday morning
by Sheriff Polk from information
received by his office was to
the effect that a plane from Co
lumbus is missing on a flight to
South Carolina, though no other
details are available. It is sup
posed that such a flight would
traverse this area with the like
lihood being that this missing
plane is, in all probability, the
downed aircraft that is being
searched for.
Butts 4-H'ers
Cop 8 Places
In District
Butts County- 4-H’ers claimed
eight winners at District Project
achievement at Rock Eagle this
weekend.
Butts County extension agents,
Millard Daniel and Rachel Tor
rance, carried 12 boys and 16
girls to participate in the dis
trict contest.
The winners were: Bonnie Kin
ard and Lynne Duke, Ist place;
Debra Ault, Melinda Ault, and
Ricky Cook. 2nd place; and Neva
Williams, Thomas Scott, apd
Wayne Hoard, 3rd place.
Others attending were: Carey
Rivenbark, Nancy Holder, Martha
Henry, Donna Lane, Melissa
Gaye, Myra Manley, Cecelia Dep
tula, Sylvia Taylor, Frankie Mad
dox, Rhonda Hutcheson, Michelle
Deptula, Randall Morgan, Byrd
Wyatt, Douglas Bristol, Cedric
Evans, Gary Washington, Jimmy
Lawson, Danny Trimble, Chuck
Williams, and Carey Maddox.
Saralyn Ridgeway, senior 4-
H’er, attended as a Junior Lead
er.