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THURSDAY. JULY 12. 2007 PICKENS COUNTY PROGRESS PAGE 3B
Army band delivers memorable performance
By Jeff Warren
Delivering on their pre-con
cert build-up, the United States
Army Ground Forces Concert
Band lavished an outstanding
performance Monday, July 2nd,
on hearers gathered in
Appalachian Tech's Education
Center. Arranged as a concert
hall, the large venue accommo
dated the Army's full concert
orchestra and an audience that
numbered in hundreds.
The players opened with
Summon the Heroes, a piece
powerful with processional
pageantry that sounded like the
opening ceremony for the
Olympic Games. The concert
concluded with Sousa's popular,
familiar Stars and Stripes
Forever, followed by encore
numbers.
In between, the band varied
the menu to include songs out
side of awesome spectacle or
classic march. A Dixieland
ensemble set toes to tapping
with spirited cornet and wailing
clarinet. And gifted vocalist,
Sergeant Katherine Glaeser of
Decatur, paired with her equally
talented civilian brother, Ben
Perkins, to present a medley of
show tunes from West Side
Story.
Later, on the sister-brother
combination Time to Say
Goodbye, a song approaching
opera, Glaeser and Perkins tran
scended the beautiful and
achieved the sublime. The duet
with orchestra accompaniment
was maybe the emotional apex
of the two-hour concert.
But the moment many came
to witness saw the dimming of
lights near the concert close as a
video projector flashed a live
image against the wall. And
there he was, hometown hero,
Army Private Ben Gable, exud
ing strength and confidence via
satellite from Iraq. A knot of
Gable family and friends clus
tered at front row left to see and
hear Gable and to talk with him
over the satellite link.
Young Gable spoke with his
dad first, and then, his fiance".
Gable appeared beside Sergeant
Major Len Harris, highest rank
ing non-commissioned member
of Gable's unit. Gable's father
charged Sergeant Major Harris
to look after his son, and Harris
accepted the responsibility with
apparent assurance.
It appeared Gable could see
into the concert hall as well as
he could hear the conversation,
as he greeted other members of
the Gable family entourage not
at the microphone.
Gable looked to be in good
form and fine spirits. A delay in
the satellite audio on his end of
the conversation resulted at
times in a reverberating echo
audible in the concert hall. But
that technical inconvenience
never dampened the humor of
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Live from Iraq—By satellite, Private Ben Gable
speaks from a war zone to family and friends at home in
Jasper during the July 2nd concert by the Army Ground
Forces Band at Appalachian Tech.
the conversation. It was a glad
family moment if a public one,
and Gable obviously enjoyed it.
His mother, Anita Gable, said
after the concert her son is due
back from Iraq by January or
February at the latest with an
October return now working as
a possibility.
Major Daniel J. Steiger, com
mander and principal conductor
of the Army band, was just three
performances away from retire
ment as he led the concert,
though he is still a young man.
Steiger said the long-distance
video conversation with Gable
was the first such link-up incor
porated into one of the band's
concerts, and he expressed
praise for the labor and technol
ogy that brought it to be.
During an encore number
that closed the concert, listeners
expressed their own praise for
the special event and the Army
band's stirring performance.
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Independence Day emphasis in the A ARP program
By Doug Brooks
The Pickens County chapter
3752 of AARP met Tuesday,
July 3 at 10:30 a.m. in Walker
Hall of the First Baptist Church
with President Mary Ellen
Johnson presiding and 35
members in attendance.
Following the Invocation,
Pledge of Allegiance and
singing of America, the mem
bers enjoyed a covered-dish
picnic lunch with the chapter
providing meats, drinks and
paper goods. The emphasis of
the activities was on
Independence Day and many
members wore patriotic attire.
In the business session, it
was announced that volunteers
are needed to provide hospital
ity when this year’s BRAG
(Bicycles Ride Across Georgia)
August 24-26.
Members of the local AARP chapter waiting for the signal to get to the buffet.
Program Chairman Dick
Sumner announced that the spe
cial guest speaker in August will
be Steve Low of the JOY
House.
The local AARP chapter was
formed in 1984 and member
ship is open to anyone age 50 or
older, retired or still working.
Meetings are held once a month,
but members are very busy dur
ing the months serving as volun
teers in many local civic and
social services activities.
Visitors are always welcome to
the meetings that are generally
held the first Tuesday of each
month.
Pickens Retired Educators plan for next year
By Lawton Baggs
Under the leadership of
President Bobbie Edge, Pickens
Retired Educators Association is
busily preparing for its upcom
ing year of activity. PREA, an
affiliate of the Georgia Retired
Educators Association, began its
new year on July 1, but its first
meeting will not be until
September. However, the leader
ship team is working to have
programs and procedures in
place by that meeting date.
President Edge, Vice
President Lawton Baggs and
Secretary Jean Chastain attend
ed an area planning session at
White, Ga. in mid-June. GREA
units from Areas XV and XVI
were present. Officers of the
state organization brought up-
to-date information and plans to
share with attendees. This year
marks the 50th anniversary of
the Georgia retired Educators
Association, the only organiza
tion existing exclusively for the
benefit of those formerly
employed in education.
Locally, PREA will again
support Hope House, present the
Area XV Unit Presidents attending June planning ses
sion. Pickens Retired Educators President Bobbie E. Edge
is at left.
Golden Deed Award, assist the
Pickens High School Reading
Bowl team, provide scholarship
aid, recognize community lead
ers and promote camaraderie
among former educators, both
professional and non-certified
employees.
Program planned for the
upcoming meetings include:
Pickens County School
System update; demonstration
by PHS Reading Bowl team;
appearance by GREA Area XV
director; Golden Deed Award
presentation; Appalachian
Technical College update; com
munity recognition awards; and
a time of remembering our own
career-related stories.
These programs will be
explained in more detail through
this newspaper prior to each
month’s meeting.
Membership in the Retired
Educators Associations, both
state and local, is open to all for
mer employees of any educa
tional system. It is not limited to
teachers and administrators.
Clerical, maintenance, trans
portation, food, health, para-pro-
fessionals and all staff persons
are eligible. Pickens Retired
Educators invite all such former
employees to check out the ben
efits of membership and to join
both the state and the local
organization. Be looking for the
announcement of the September
meeting and plan to attend. You
will be glad you did.
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JASPER & ELLIJAY YOUTH SHOP FOR FOOD
PANTRY — The Family and Youth Ministry Team from Hope
Lutheran Church, Ellijay, recently went shopping at Food Lion in
Ellijay and purchased canned vegetables and canned meats —
more than $300 worth — to deliver to the Gilmer Community Food
Pantry.
Money for the project was provided by Thrivent Financial for
Lutherans who annually work with congregations through their
"Join Hands"program.
Pictured here are Hope members (l-r) Front Row: Kara
Thornton, Joseph Bates, Nathan Bates, Deb Thornton, Jennifer
Bates, and Emil Harvey; Back Row: Natalie Waid-Givens, Mitchel
Waid, Cole Thornton, and Len Norwillo.
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