Newspaper Page Text
Hacksc h Brogrsaa-Argus
Volume 102 Number 36
Community Shows It f
About Michael Lee Sp
By Dale Whiten
It’s a long way from
Jackson to Minneapolis. It
must seem even longer for
the family of Michael Lee
Speer, especially for those in
his family who are waiting
for news from Lee.
Lee is the 4-year-old son of
Mr. and Mrs. Michael Speer
of Jackson.
He has blond hair and
brown eyes. He likes fire
trucks and his favorite TV
show is Emergency.
He used to do just about all
the things little boys like to
do. He was so active he was
hard to keep up with.
That was up until about two
months ago. About the time
Lee celebrated his fourth
birthday, his family began to
notice a change in him.
His grandmother, Mrs.
Hesper Stephens, recalls,
“Lee had no energy, no life.
He didn’t seem to care
anything about playing.”
They took him to his doctor
who told them Lee had
contracted renal rickets.
His feet, ankles, knees and
wrists began to show a
deformity. He had to get
braces for his tiny legs and
wrists.
But the real problem with
Lee didn’t begin two months
ago. It began four years ago
and even though his picture
shows a healthy looking little
boy, a lot of his short life has
been spent in and out of the
hospital.
He’s had five operations in
four years.
Mrs. Stephens says when
Lee was born the doctor told
the family he didn’t know if
Lee would make it because
there was so much urinary
damage.
He made it, but when he
was only nine days old, the
doctors operated and found
that Lee didn’t even have a
left kidney.
Unemployment Dallas, Texas
In Butts County Company Buys
Increases Delta Tank
The unemployment rate in
Butts County is once again
the highest in the Mclntosh
Trail Area—B.3 percent ac
cording to figures released
by the Georgia Department
of Labor.
The increase represented
one-tenth of a percentage
point, from 8.2 percent in
July
The number of persons
unemployed in Butts County
dropped by one from 420 in
June to 419 in July.
The total number of
persons employed decreased'
by 51 from 4683 in June to
4632 in July, according to
Jerry Buffington, manager
of the State Employment
Security Agency’s Job Ser
vice Office in Griffin.
During July, the county’s
labor force decreased by 52
from 5103 in June to 5051 in
July. The labor force is the
total number of persons both
employed and unemployed.
At the same time, the area
served by the Griffin office,
of which Butts is one of eight
counties, saw its unemploy
ment rate drop by two-tenths
percent from 6.3 to 6.1.
The total number of
persons unemployed in the
Mclnfosh Trail Area de
creased by 162 during July,
from 4938 to 4776. The
number of persons employed
dropped by 270, from 73,716 to
73,446.
The Griffin area saw its
total labor force drop by 432
persons, from 78,654 to 78,222.
Other counties in the
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The kidney tubes on the left
side were removed and Lee
had to stay in the hospital for
two months.
Mr. and Mrs. Speer were
finally able to bring their new
baby home, but not for long.
In less than two months, they
had to take Lee back to the
hospital.
This time he had to stay a
long time, but once again he
made it and finally came
home again.
Lee led an active and
energetic life until about two
months ago. Then came the
lack of energy and spirit, the
news he had renal rickets,
and the braces.
About two weeks ago Lee
went for his check-up. He
was swollen practically all
over—his face, feet, legs.
His doctor admitted him to
Egleston Hospital for Child
ren in Atlanta. Lee’s other
kidney had failed.
Lee didn’t respond to
treatment, and the doctor’s
suggested dialysis treatment
and referred the family to the
University of Minnesota
hospital in Minneapolis be
cause no facilities in Georgia
are properly equipped to give
the treatment to a child Lee’s
size.
A kidney transplant was
also discussed and Lee’s
father volunteered immedi-
According to officials at
Delta Tank, the company, a
builder and supplier of
storage tanks, has been sold
to Trinity Industries, Inc. of
Dallas, Texas.
Delta will be a wholly
owned subsidiary of Trinity
but will retain its title as
Delta Tank.
Anew plant manager, John
Glover, will assume his
duties next week. He will be
coming to Jackson from West
Memphis, Arkansas.
Trinity Industries is a steel
fabricating company with
net sales in 1976 of $242
million.
It is a diversified industry
manufacturing liquefied pe
troleum gas containers and a
broad range of marine
products such as oil barges,
tug boats and derricks.
In structural fabrication
Trinity has been involved in
projects such as the World
Trade Center in New York
City.
Trinity also builds rail tank
cars and a variety of other
metal products sold through
a subsidiary.
Delta Tank Corporation
opened in Jackson in Febru
ary, 1975 after the Delta plant
in Macon burned. There are
currently about 50 persons
employed by Delta.
Griffin area and their
unemployment rates in
clude: Fayette, 6.4; Henry,
7.6; Lamar, 5.8; Newton, 5.3;
Pike, 7.0; Spalding, 5.5 and
Upson, 5.4.
ately to be the donor and was
cleared by the doctors to
give his son one of his
kidneys.
The news about Lee
became known in the
community last week and
from the outset the response
has been overwhelming.
Through the coordinated
efforts of C & S Bank and
WJGA, a money drive for
Lee and his family was
started.
Don Earnhart, morning
disc jockey on WJGA, began
the pledge drive last Wed
nesday and by Friday about
$6,000 in cash pledges had
been deposited in the bank.
Stanley Maddox, vice pre
sident of C & S, said he
anticipates as much as SB,OOO
may be obtained in pledges
eventually.
Maddox said he is pleased
with the response adding that
those behind the drive were
hoping for just enough to pay
for plane tickets, food and
hotel bills and enough money
for the family to live on until
Lee’s father has recovered
from his surgery.
Maddox said the operation
itself will cost in excess of
SIOO,OOO and that efforts are
being made to get Medicaid
assistance to help defray the
cost of the operation.
Meanwhile, Mr. and Mrs.
Speer and Lee arrived at
Variety Club Heart Hospital
in Minneapolis last Thurs
day, and Lee and his father
are currently undergoing
tests.
Mrs. Stephens said Lee
was given his first dialysis
treatment Friday, another
one Saturday and a third one
Monday and that Mr. Speer
said it’s just “unbelievable”
how much better Lee looks
already.
Mrs. Stephens added that
tests will be run on Mr. Speer
this week after which the
date for surgery for the
transplant would probably be
set.
Baptists Set
Local Clinic
On Evangelism
The annual Evangelism
Clinic of the Kimbell Baptist
Association will be held on
September 12th at Jackson
First Baptist Church. There
will be an afternoon session
beginning at 4:00 o’clock for
church leaders. Everyone is
invited to attend the evening
session which begins at 7:00
o’clock.
Speakers for the clinic will
be Rev. Joe Spain of
Doraville and Rev. Claud
Healan of Watkinsville. Both
of these men are dynamic
speakers and great spiritual
leaders.
There will also be special
music presented in both
sessions, as well as congre
gational singing. Special
music will be brought in the
afternoon by Mr. Don
Thurman of Macedonia Bap
tist Church. Special music in
the evening session will be
presented by Mrs. Frances
Smith of Towaliga Baptist
Church.
This will be a great time of
inspiration for everyone.
Rev. Lannie W. Smith,
Chairman of Evangelism for
Kimbell Baptist Association,
extends a warm welcome to
those who can come.
Jackson, Georgia 30233, Thursday, September 8, 1977
Presbyterian
Revival To
Begin Sunday
Revival services at the
Jackson Presbyterian
Church will begin Sunday,
September 11th, and extend
through Thursday, Septem
ber 15th, with the Rev. Wade
H. Bell, Jr., pastor of the
Wallace Memorial Presby
terian Church, of Panama
City, Florida, as the guest
minister.
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Rev. Bell will also fill the
pulpit at the 11 a.m. service
on Sunday morning.
Services will be held each
evening at 7:30 p.m. and the
song services will feature
special groups, and soloists,
each night of the revival.
Allen Byars will be the song
leader for these special
services.
On Sunday evening, Mrs.
Sylvia Beville, mother of the
Church's pastor, Rev. David
Beville, will be the guest
soloist; Monday evening the
Robert Smith Singers, of
Flovilla, will furnish special
music; Tuesday evening,
Katherine Estes will render
the solos; Wednesday eve
ning the Jackson Presby
terian Church Choir will be
featured, and on Thursday
evening the Jack Little
Singers will delight the
audience.
Rev. Bell served both the
Jackson and Fellowship
Presbyterian Churches for
several years in the mid
-1950's and his ministry left a
definite imprint on the
community.
He was a moving force
behind the organization of
the Butts County Jaycees and
supported that organization
with enthusiasm and the full
measure of his talents.
In March of 1975, Rev. Bell
conducted revival services at
the Jackson Presbyterian
Church while he was pastor
of the First Presbyterian
Church of Valdosta.
The Bell family has a host
of friends here who will
welcome the opportunity of
renewing their friendship
and hearing each evening
some of the most brilliant
and thought-provoking
sermons ever preached in
Butts County.
County School
Enrollment Is
Up This Year
The Butts County System
has enrolled 2,563 students as
of September 1, in grades one
through 12. This compares to
2,532 students at the end of
the first month of school last
term, according to J. M. L.
Comer, Superintendent of
Butts County’s Schools.
The kindergarten enroll
ment is 107 as compared to
157 at the end of the first
month last school term. The
decrease is due to anew law
requiring kindergarten child
ren to be five years of age as
of September 1, whereas last
year they could enter
kindergarten with birthdates
as late as December 31.
The enrollment should be
back to normal next school
term when birthdates for
enrollees will be for a full
year. September to Septem
ber. Comer said.
Judges Named
For Microwave
Macon Cookoff
Judy Kane Jeanson, a
graduate of the Cordon Bleu
School of Cooking in Paris
and one of the most respected
caterers in Beverly Hills, will
be one of the judges in the
Georgia Electrification
Council’s Microwave Cook-
Off to be held in Macon
September 17th.
Serving as judges with Ms.
Jeanson will be Adrey
Stahley, a free-iance micro
wave specialist and author of
Woman’s Day Microwave
Cooking, Chesapeake, Vir
ginia; Judy Sherrard, food
editor, Atlanta Journal, and
Clara Eschmann, food edi
tor, the Macon Telegraph.
Recognized as one of
America’s finest gourmet
cooks, Ms. Jeanson while in
Paris catered for the
American, Australian and
Canadian Embassies. She
now teaches classes in
Provincial alid Classical
French Cooking, Cuisine de
Minceur (diet French cook
ing) and French Gourmet
Microwave cooking, as well
as maintaining her catering
business.
Two Butts Countians, Mrs.
Thelma Williamson and
Beverly O’Neal, will be
competing for prizes in the
Macon Cook-Off.
Mrs. Williamson, the su
pervisor of the service order
department at the Central
Georgia EMC, won first
place in the main dish and
vegetable casserole category
and received a $50.00 prize.
Miss O'Neal, a senior at
Indian Springs Academy and
the daughter of Mr. and Mrs.
Ennis O’Neal, won a $25.00
prize for her recipe on grated
sweet potato pudding.
Mrs. Williamson will have
a dish on exhibit at the
Macon contest, while Miss
O’Neal will actually have to
prepare her specialty during
the Cook-Off.
The Cook-Off will begin at
10:00 a.m. on Saturday,
September 17th, at the
Macon Mall near the en
trance to Sears.
Incumbents Are
Qualified For
Council Seats
Through noon Tuesday,
Jackson’s three veteran
councilmen were unchal
lenged in their bids for
reelection in the City of
Jackson’s October 4th pri
mary.
Paying their qualification
fees and making bids for
endorsement terms were
Dawson Bryant, first ward,
John L. Coleman, fourth
ward, and John Robert
Pulliam, fifth ward.
Candidates for City Council
seats have until Friday,
September 16th, at 5:00 p.m.
to qualify with Hugh Glide
well, Jr., secretary of the
City Democratic Executive
Committee, at his office at
229 E. Third Street.
The qualifying fee for a
City Council seat is SIOO.OO.
In the call for the City
primary election of October
4th, provision was made for a
run-off, if needed, two weeks
later, on October 18th.
In addition to the three
council posts to be filled,
voters will name members of
the City Democratic Execu
tive Committee in the
October election. Present
members include Levi Ball,
A. V. Maddox. Hugh Glide
well, Jr., Mrs Mary Lee
Martin, J. O. King and
Vincent Jones.
Bloodmobile To Visit Armory
Monday ; Goal Is 175 Pints
Revenue From
Sales Tax
Remains High
Revenue from the one-cent
sales tax, plus the tax on beer
and wine, for June and July
indicate that Butts Countians
were both buying and
drinking more.
County Treasurer Billy
Sutton reports that the local
sales tax generated $17,158.40
in revenue for the County
during the month of June.
This represents an increase
of $735.47 over the previous
month, when the tax netted
the County $16,422.93.
Income from beer and wine
sales in July was good,
although not quite as high as
those recorded in the torrid
month of June. Sutton
reports that beer and wine
wholesalers, who collect and
then remit the tax to the
County, sent in collections of
$6,159.89 for the month of
July. Revenues from this
source was above normal,
but not up to record levels.
Income received by the
County and its three munici
pal governments from the
sales-tax source has already
resulted in ad valorem tax
relief being granted by each
of the governmental units.
FARMERS ASKED TO
REPORT ON COYOTES
For the past several years,
the Game and Fish Division
has received reports of losses
of livestock and crops to
coyotes. Game and Fish
biologists would like to
document any coyote depra
dation.
Persons knowing of any
effects coyotes may have had
on Georgia farming or
livestock operations should
notify the Department of
Natural Resources.
Those with information on
coyote depradations may
write to Thagard R. Colvin,
Rural Route 1, Fitzgerald.
Georgia 31750 or phone him
at (912) 423-2988.
Butts Mutual Fire Insurer Is
Entering 104th Year of Service
Strength is one of the
characteristics required of
living to be a hundred years
old, whether it be an
individual or a business.
Good character and good
habits help and, in the case of
the Butts County Farmers
Co-Operative Fire Insurance
Company, good direction is
the one ingredient most vital
to the Company’s 103-year
history of successful opera
tion.
Organized in 1974, the
Company was the first
mutual fire insurance com
pany in this area and,
therefore, the parent or
motivator for the many
mutual companies in middle
Georgia that followed in its
lead.
Excellent leadership has
been the keynote of the
Company's success since its
founding. The late Capt.
McCord, father of the late
Miss Annie Lou McCord who
taught school in Butts
County for over 50 years of
the first agent hired by the
Company.
In its 103 years of
operation, the Company has
had only four others. S. B.
A Bob Long
Employee Wins
Inp lo apam
pi
t
Richard Stripling, parts
and service manager at Bob
Long Chevrolet, has won a
General Motors-sponsored
trip to Madrid and the
surrounding countryside. He
and his wife, Wanda, will be
leaving soon on the trip.
The contest was held
among all GM dealers to
determine which dealer had
achieved the highest per cent
of improvement in the
service and parts field.
The Bob Long Chevrolet
service department, led by
Stripling, led all other
service departments by a
large margin.
In winning the award.
Stripling promised even
further improvement in their
service to customers, saving,
“This does not mean we can
stop now. We still have a long
way to go and we will
continue to improve the
service to our customers as
the years go by."
FINAL WEEK
FOR FOOTBALL
SIGN-l’P
Friday, September 9th.
will be the last day for
signing up for youth football.
The Recreation Department
office will be open Monday -
Friday from 9 A.M. to 5 P.M.
The Pee Wee League
consists of ages 8-10 and
Junior League 11-13. The fee
is $12.00 per child which
amount also covers insur
ance.
Cheerleaders are needed
for ages 8-13 with a fee of
SI.OO. Sign up NOW!
Kinard. J. Matt McMichael
and J. H. Pope served the
Company well as agents, the
latter for 32 years.
The present agent, E. H.
Cook, has logged 25 years
with the Company, having
begun his duties with the
mutual fire insuror in 1952.
Jim McMichael heads the
governing body of the
co-operative as its president,
with H. G. Harris, secretary
treasurer, and E. H. Cook,
agent.
Serving as members of the
board of directors of the
Butts County Farmers Co
s Fire Insurance
Company are W. L. White,
Jim McMichael, Fred Ham
mond. H G Harris, A F.
Moncrief, Ralph Evans.
Robert Franklin and L. J.
Washington.
The local Co-Operative has
over $2,000,000 of fire
insurance in force, repre
senting coverage on over 500
homes. The maximum insur
ance written for any one
dwelling is SB,OOO
Agent E. H. Cook says that
a number of policies have
been in effect continuously
for over 60 years. He also
15c Per Copy
Butts Countians will roll up
their sleeves Monday, Sep
tember 12th, to share one of
their most precious gifts,
blood, when the Red Cross
Bloodmobile parks at the
National Guard Armory
between the hours of 1:00 and
5:30 p.m.
With a goal of 175 pints, one
of the largest ever, every
effort is being made to secure
at least 200 donors to donate
one-half hour of their time
and one pint of blood to aid
this great cause.
Upon the last occasion of
the Bloodmobile’s visit to the
County, 143 pints of blood
were given, or eight more
than the goal of 135 pints for
that particular visit.
Bill Crum is serving as the
blood drive chairman this
year for the Red Cross blood
program, with Cheryl Long
as co-chairman. Perry
Ridgeway is directing the
publicity campaign, assisted
by Charlie Brown.
As usual, most of the civic
and fraternal organizations
in the County will lend their
wholehearted support. The
Jackson B&PW Club mem
bers. as well as others from
the Lion's Club, will volun
teer their assistance in
handling the many adminis
trative chores associated
with the Bloodmobile visit.
Other individuals, and
groups, will volunteer their
service as nurses and
canteen workers.
The donation of a pint of
blood requires only a few
minutes and employers have
been most cooperative in
giving their employees time
off to make their donations.
Health checks are given
before and after the donation
and most donors report no
noticeable ill effects from
sharing a pint of blood with
those in need.
NAZARENES TO HAVE
FILM ON SUNDAY
The Jackson Church of the
Nazarene will show Time to
Run. a film dealing with a
mixture of problems and
solutions, on • Sunday, Sep
tember 11th. at 6:00 p.m.
Time to Run is the deeply
moving drama of the
conflicts that are tearing a
family apart—conflicts that
develop between husband
and wife, and between father
and son.
said there would be an
assessment this year of 50
cents per SIOO, or $5.00 per
SI,OOO for all policy holders.
Assessments are based on
losses and, in years when
there are no losses, no
assessments are made.
Cook said that fire losses to
Company ’s policy holders for
the past two years would
total less than SIO,OOO.
JOE. THE HOBO, SEZ:
,w if
Watching Bert Lance
squirm in Washington just
supports a premise we have
long held: that when a
banker gets into a pickle, it’s
usually larger than a
gherkin.