Newspaper Page Text
liar kann^rngreas-Argus
Volume 103 Number 12
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YARD OF THE WEEK WINNER Members of the BCABC committee to select Beauty Spot and Yard of the Week
winners have chosen the yard of Mr. and Mrs. Morris E. Williams, at 156 N. Mulberry Street, as the first winner in the 1976 Spring
competition.
1975 Retail Sales Show
Dramatic Improvement
Led by a record-busting
Christmas season, retail
sales in Butts County zoomed
to a total of $31,492,000 in
1975.
Showing a $3,352,000 sales
increase over the 1974 totals,
the County’s gain of 11.9 per
cent was one of the best in
middle Georgia. Georgia’s
retail sales gain for 1975 was
only 4.7 per cent above 1974
totals.
Fourth quarter gains in
Butts County accounted for
about 60 per cent of the
increased sales. Fourth
Rev. David R.
Black Accepts
Fayette Call
At a congregational meet
ing Sunday, members of the
Jackson Presbyterian
Church voted to sever the
pastoral relationship be
tween the Church and the
Rev. David R. Black, in
order that Rev. Black might
accept a call to the Fayette
Presbyterian Church of
Fayetteville, Georgia.
Rev. Black came to
Jackson on January 1,1968 to
accept a call from the
Jackson and Fellowship
Churches. He was ordained
into the ministry in the
Jackson Church on February
11, 1968 at a joint ordination
service with officers from
both churches participating.
Under his leadership, the
Jackson Church became a
full-time church on January
1, 1974.
Active in civic as well as
religious activities within the
community, Rev. Black
served as president and Lt.
Gov. of Kiwanis Interna
tional, as Boy Scout troop
leader and as president of the
Butts County Ministerial
Association.
He, his wife, Lynn, and
daughters, Dawna, 7, andi
Susanna, 5, will be moving to
Fayetteville in early April.
Rev. Black’s last sermon in
Jackson will be preached on
Sunday, April 4. He will begin
his ministry in Fayetteville
on the following Sunday.
Named to a pulpit commit
tee to seek a pastor for the
Jackson Church were Jo Ann
Manley, Georgia Schroeder,
Jackie Scarbrough, Bill
Fletcher, Tommy Car
michael and Richard Wat
kins.
quarter sales here were
$8,816,000, or 26.7 per cent
above the 1974 sales for the
same period of $6,957,000.
A booming Christmas
business and increased buyer
confidence in the improving
economy probably accounted
for the dramatic increase in
local sales in the fourth
quarter.
Adjoining counties did not
have it quite so good. Newton
County recorded a 9.4 per
cent annual gain in its sales
from $67,598,000 to $73,963,000
in 1975.
Mac Collins Only Candidate
In Special Commission Race
Through noon Tuesday,
only one candidate had
qualified for the post of
County Commissioner in the
special election called for
Tuesday, April 13, to fill the
unexpired term of Bobby
Taylor, who recently resign
ed this seat.
Probate Judge Luther J.
Washington reports that
Michael A. (Mac) Collins is
the only candidate yet to
qualify and pay the $72
entrance fee.
Collins is a young Jackson
business executive, who
operates a ready-mix con
crete plant and trucking
business.
He was a candidate for a
County Commission seat in
the July 11, 1973 special
election called to fill the post
vacated by the resignation of
Alfred D. Fears.
He survived the original
four-man election and was
defeated by W. A. (Buster)
Duke in the August 1, 1973
run-off election. The vote
count as was 847 for Duke
and 764 for Collins.
Candidates have until
Monday, March 29 at 4 p.m.
to pay the entrance fee of $72
and qualify formally for the
vacant post on the Board of
Commissioners.
In the event a run-off is
necessary, it will be held on
Tuesday, May 4, in conjunc
tion with the state’s presi
dential preferential primary.
The winning candidate in
the April 13th primary will
serve for the rest of calendar
year 1976, but will have to be
a candidate in the August
10th general primary should
they desire a full four-year
term
The sales gain in Henry
County was even poorer.
Sales there gained only three
per cent in 1975, from a 1974
level of $57,123,000 to
$58,83,000.
Lamar County recorded
$23,455,000 sales in 1975, up
from $21,612,000 in 1974 and
Monroe County had a nice
increase from $28,694,000 in
1974 to $32,729,000 in 1975.
Retail sales are usually
interpreted as a fairly
accurate barometer of busi
ness activity in a community.
Perfect Safety Record Earns
Avondale Employees ’Cue
Employees of the Indian
Springs Plant of Avondale
Mills were honored with a
barbecue dinner Wednesday,
March 10, in recognition of
their achieving another acci
dent-free year in 1975.
Mr. Donald M. Comer, Sr.,
chairman of the board of the
Alabama-based textile giant
which now operates 21 plants
in Georgia, Alabama and
North Carolina, was present
for the occasion and express
ed his personal appreciation
to the employees for their
excellent safety record.
The Indian Springs Plant
has sustained only one
time-off accident in the past
four years.
Bob Betts, superintendent
of the Indian Springs Plant,
welcomed the employees,
their families, retired em
ployees and a number of
business, civic and political
leaders in his opening
All organizations and indi
viduals working on projects
which can be credited on
Butts County’s entry in the
district and state beautifica
tion contests are asked to
make before and after
photographs of their project.
During the initial planning
stages of the proposed
project, please call Carol
Weaver at 775-3205 to
arrange for photographs to
be taken before the beautifi
cation process begins.
Jackson, Georgia 30233, Thursday, March 18, 1976
COFFEE BREAK
TO BENEFIT
NEEDY FAMILY
The Butts County CB Club
will have a 48-hour coffee
break for a needy family
beginning on Friday evening.
March 19th, at 6:00 o’clock
and ending Sunday, March
21. at 6:00 o’clock.
Everyone is invited to
come out to 1-75 and Highway
16 for a cup of coffee and all
kinds of goodies.
remarks.
Rev. A. L. Price opened the
meeting with an invocation.
The delicious barbecue
brunswick stew meal was
catered by employees of
Fresh Air Barbecue.
In addition to Mr. Comer,
other Avondale officials were
present to enjoy the hospita
lity of Superintendent Betts
and employees of the Indian
Springs Plant.
NOTICE
The Progress-Argus staff is
making plans to publish a
star-studded, All-American issue
on July Ist in honor of the nation’s
200th birthday on July 4, 1776. It
will be the largest issue of any
newspaper ever printed in Butts
County. Included will be historical
items, feature stories, old pictures
of early days in the County, and
reproductions from the first
newspapers. Those having pictures
of churches schools, buildings,
persons taken between the years
1875-1925 are asked to submit them
for use. Copies of this keepsake
edition will be made available to
regular subscribers at no extra
cost.
Citizens Group Asked To
Help Select Tax Assessor
The Butts County Board of
Commissioners on Friday
released the names of a
steering committee appoint
ed to screen applications for
a Tax Assessor, following the
resignation the same day of
Ben H. Dover, Jr.
Named as a committee
to review and recommend
from applications received a
person to be named as a
member of the Butts County
Board of Tax Assessors were
the following:
M.W. Carmichael and L.
W. Moelchert representing
business; Dick O’Hara and
Bob Betts from industry ; O.
L. Weaver, Jr. and George
Martin from the farming
community, and Frank Mil
ler and James McCormick
Local Artist
Has Toronto
Art Exhibit
Jackson’s claim to fame as
the home of several budding
young artists received an
other boost this week.
Homer Moelchert, son of
Mr. and Mrs. Lou W.
Moelchert, is to have an
exhibit of plant studies on
display at the Sisler Gallery
of Toronto, Canada from
March 14 to 31st.
Homer is employed by the
Eric-Jensen Greenhouses of
Toronto where he serves as a
combination salesman, horti
culturist and landscape
adviser.
A graduate of the Univer
sity of Georgia, the young
artist has been widely
acclaimed for his botanical
drawings.
He joins Scott Coleman. Liz
Carmichael Jones, Jerry
McLaurin and other promi
sing young artists who claim
Jackson as their home.
MA BELL IS NOW
100 HOLDS OPEN
HOUSE IN JACKSON
Charles F. Rogers, mana
ger of the Griffin office of
Southern Bell, and his
Jackson staff held an open
house in the local office
Wednesday in memory of the
100th anniversary of the
invention of the telephone.
Many well wishers shared
in the occasion and enjoyed
refreshments while paying
homage to Alexander Gra
ham Bell for his invention
that has so revolutionized
modern life.
representing home owners.
In addition to the above,
the Butts County Protective
Taxpayers Association has
been asked to name two
members to serve on this
committee.
Applications for the posi
tion of Tax Assessor will be
received until Wednesday,
March 24, at noon. An
advertisement outlining the
qualifications for the position
is carried elsewhere in this
issue.
The committee will make
their recommendation to the
Board of Commissioners no
later than 9:00 a.m. on
Monday, March 29th.
The position of Tax
Assessor in Butts County now
carries a salary of $25.00 per
day when the Board of Tax
Glen Mixon To Walk
Again For Mankind
The Pied Piper who will
lead Jackson’s young in
heart and young in the feet to
a 20 mile marathon on April
3rd is Glen (walk a mile)
Mixon. The (sore footed
marathoner) will serve as
honorary chairman of the 4th
annual Walk for Mankind
here, it was announced today
by Walk Chairman Frank
Forehand.
Glen was the first to put his
signature on a sponsor sheet
at Walk headquarters at
American Mills to start the
campaign to raise funds
through the Walk for 24
medical and dental aid
programs maintained by
Project Concern in im
poverished areas of the
United States and six other
countries.
“This will be a ‘Give as you
can and Come as you are’
event," Glen Mixon said.
“Come with shoes, without
shoes, on foot or in
wheelchairs if you’re a
walker. Give cash, checks,
dimes or dollars if you’re a
sponsor. We want everybody
in on this. There are sick,
hungry kids out there who
need us all.”
With some 200 cities and
towns taking part this year in
the national Walk for
Mankind. Glen Mixon com
mented that he would be
disappointed if 199 of them
didn't finish behind the
Jackson walkers when the
records are tallied. He’ll be
at the starting point on April
3rd. he promised, to shake
hands with the 20 mile
walkers starting out “and
who knows, I might even be
leading the way!”
The amazing thing about
Glen Mixon is that he is going
to walk a mile, just as he did
last year, and he is now’ at
work soliciting sponsors all
over the state. Last year he
brought in more than $300.00
for Walk for Mankind
singlehanded.
Glen Mixon is a quadrap
legic and lives at Worthville
and does most of his
traveling in a wheelchair.
In a statement to the
Jackson Progress-Argus,
Glen said, “I have already
issued a challenge to the kids
in the schools of Butts County
to walk, but my real concern
is the adults. Last year the
walk was filled with chil
dren; I know that they’ll be
back this year and I'm proud
of them. But I challenge the
adults of Butts County to get
$6.18 Per Year In Advance
Assessors are in session.
Allmon Washington and Roy
Staples are the two present
members of the Tax Asses
sors Board.
According to W. A. Duke,
Jr., member, the County
Commission is trying to meet
the April Ist deadline, set by
the state for filling the tax
assessor post.
Ben H. Dover. Jr. resigned
Friday, March 12, from the
twin posts he held, that of
member of Butts County Tax
Assessors and as Butts
County Tax Appraiser.
Dover had just recently
been named a Tax Assessor,
replacing Byron Britt of
Indian Springs who served
for one year.
The Commissioners will
‘i
“ . *.'jk -'*• ' —*
GLEN MIXON, QI’ADRAPLEGIC.
WILL WALK FOR MANKIND
sponsors and to come out
and enjoy the walk.
“Most organizations pro
bably know that they can
qualify for a share of 40
percent of the money made
by the Walk for Mankind by
walking as a group, whether
they be a garden club, church
choir or whatever. This is an
excellent way to combine a
money making project with
helping the community for
these organizations.
“I am walking a mile for
the Georgia Paraplegics
Association as a group of one
because I am the only one in
the group that can walk. I am
walking because of the many
benefits gained through
research. The people at
centers such as Warm
Springs are specialists and
they have gained a know
ledge that is exclusive of any
other medical centers in the
world. They have gained this
knowledge as the result of
research financed by pro
grams such as the Walk for
Mankind. Some day you may
need the product that the
research that these pro
grams are financing, can
not move to fill the Tax
Appraiser vacancy immedi
ately, Duke advised. Tax
Appraiser jobs have criteria
established by the State,
which pays approximately 75
per cent of the salary costs,
Duke said.
Butts County now has an
incumbent, James H. Wal
lace, Jr. in the Appraiser I
slot where the salary range is
from $5,646 to $7,434 per year.
The Appraiser 111 position,
vacated by Dover, carries a
salary level of from $9,824 to
$13,014 per year.
The County Commission
will fill the Apraiser 111 job
later this year, and will
accept applications for it at
any time, but is under no
compulsion to fill it immedi
ately, Duke pointed out.
produce.
“I would like to ask all
those adults that can't walk
as an individual or as a group
to sponsor me for a mile that
I am going to walk. I want to
get as many sponsors as
possible. Please call me at
775-3664.
For further information
about the Walk for Mankind
contact Joe Brown, Jr.,
Frank Forehand or Glen
Mixon.
Ann Landers To
Speak Friday At
Atlanta Church
The First Baptist Church of
Atlanta, 754 Peachtree
Street, N.E., will have Ann
Landers, nationally known
columnist, as guest speaker
on Friday evening, March 19,
at 7:30 p.m.
Mrs. Landers is the most
widely syndicated columnist
in the world, appearing in 812
papers with over 60 million
daily readers.
The First Baptist Church
has a seating capacity of
3,000. The public is cordially
invited to attend this service.