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Tuesday, February 23,2021 ®ljt l)era(b <©a??tt? 7A
Celebrating Black History Month
Three generations of midwives
Three generations of educators
In keeping with the
2021 Black History
Theme: “The Black Fam
ily” - Three Generations
of Midwives in Lamar
County.
In the early 1900s chil
dren were born at home
with the assistance of a
midwife. In Lamar County
that person was Mrs.
Effie Pearl Owens (1893-
1975). Mrs. Owens was
a Midwife and assisted
in the birth of hundreds
of children whom she
took to heart as her own.
She taught her daughter
Fletcher Mae to deliver
babies and she contin
ued this vocation when
she married and moved
to Culloden, Monroe
County.
JONES
Mrs. Fletcher Mae Ow
ens Jones (1915-2008)
At an early age, Mrs.
Fletcher Mae Owens
Jones (affectionately
known as Nanny) ac
quired
the mid
wifery
skills
of her
mother.
She as
sisted
moth
ers in
the birth of hundreds of
babies in Lamar, Monroe,
and surrounding coun
ties for over 50 years.
Mrs. Jones received her
Registration Certificate
from the state of Georgia
on April 29, 1948.
Based on a note found
after Nanny’s passing,
she began delivering
babies at the age of 16.
She was trained by her
mother, Effie Owens, who
was also a local midwife
in Barnesville, Georgia.
At the time of writing
this note, Nanny was 64
years old. According to
various artifacts, Nanny
delivered thousands
of babies in Lamar and
Monroe County, as well
as in the surrounding
area. Like her Mother,
she also delivered babies
in her home when it was
more convenient for the
mother-to-be. She loved
her calling and took
pride in helping mothers
deliver happy, healthy
babies. Many of “Nanny’s
Babies” still reside in
and around Lamar and
Monroe Counties.
Written by Tammie T. Merritt, daugh
ter of Fletcher Mae Owens Jones.
Mrs. Bessie W. Smith
(1933-2008)
Bessie Woodyard
Smith (1933-2008) was
the third generation of
the first
African
Ameri
can mid
wives
(mother
- Fletcher
Mae
SMITH Jones
and
grandmother - Effie
Owens) of Lamar and
Monroe County. Mrs.
Bessie Smith was trained
by her grandmother, Effie
Owens. She delivered ba
bies throughout Barnes
ville, High Falls, Jackson,
Forsyth, and the state
of Georgia. Mrs. Smith
received her Registration
Certificate from the state
of Georgia.
In 1951 Lamar County
Nurse-Midwifery Project
opened a ten-bed Barnes-
ville-Lamar Maternity
Shelter. The Clinic pro
vided full-scope service
with on-call midwife
always present. Infant &
maternal mortality rates
decreased. All projects
ended due to lack of
funding and shortage of
nurse-midwives. Credit:
(http://georgiamid-
wife.org/wp-content/
uploads/2018/05/A-
Timeline-of-Midwifery-in-
Georgia.pptx.pdf:
The Lamar County
Maternity Shelter opened
in 1951 and Mrs. Smith
was hired as the Food
Service Coordinator and
cook. However, it was
there that she also was
instructed in midwifery
by the nurse Midwives,
Miss Blackmon, RN and
Miss Gyer RN. After
passing the State Board
Exams, Mrs. Smith began
assisting with deliveries.
When the Maternity shel
ter closed in 1965, Mrs.
Smith continued to de
liver hundreds of babies
in their respective homes
and her home. Mrs.
Smith was well known
by local law enforcement
because she didn’t lose
any time when going to
deliver a baby. On some
occasions she was even
escorted by local law
enforcement to “catch a
baby” as she would say.
Throughout the years,
people have commented
to the children and
grandchildren of Mrs.
Smith that they didn’t
know that their mother
or grandmother deliv
ered them until they
obtained a copy of their
birth certificate. Mrs.
Smith’s as well as her
mother and grandmother
fees for delivery ranged
from free to $50.00 de
pending on the patient’s
ability to pay.
Their main concern
was always to assist in
bringing as many healthy
babies into the world as
possible. Which is what
they all viewed as the
Gift that the Lord had
blessed them with to
serve others.
Written by Daughters, Shirley Fluel-
lyn and Mary Smith Fletcher.
Mrs. Bessie’s daugh
ter, Shirley Fluellyn,
was inspired by her
foremothers (mother,
grandmother, and great
grandmother) to become
a nurse. After graduating
from Booker High School
in 1963, Shirley attended
Gillespie-Selden Institute
for Practical Nursing and
graduated in 1965. After
working as a Licensed
Practical Nurse (LPN)
for several years, Shirley
was accepted into the
first Registered Nurse
Class at Gordon Junior
College and graduated in
1975. After passing the
Georgia State Nursing
Board Exam, she became
the first African Ameri
can Registered Nurse in
Lamar County. Shirley
also obtained a Teaching
Certificate in Vocational
Education from Georgia
State College in 1978 and
taught Health Occupa
tions at Lamar County
Comprehensive High
School (LCCHS). Shirley
returned to hospital nurs
ing in 1988 and became a
Practical Nursing Clinical
Instructor at Flint Tech
nical School. Although,
Mrs. Fluellyn officially re
tired in 2008, she contin
ues to work part-time at
Monroe County Hospital.
Written by Shirley Fluellyn, RN.
TONYA WALKER
In keeping with the
2021 Black History
Theme: “The Black Fam
ily”, I thought of Three
Generations of Educators
in Lamar County. Two
were teachers during my
years at Booker. Mrs.
Isabelle Perdue was
an Elementary School
teacher and Vivian Per
due was my 12th grade
homeroom teacher
1965-66. And now Mrs.
Vivian Perdue Mitchell’s
daughter, Tonya Walker,
is a Counselor at Lamar
County High School.
Tonya submitted the
information about her
family. The photos of
Mrs. Perdue Randall
and Mrs. Vivian Perdue
Mitchell were copied
from a 1968 Booker Year
book and 1966 Booker
Graduating Class Photo.
Booker Yearbooks were
not published every year.
The late Mrs. Isabelle
Perdue Randall’s passion
for teaching and learn
ing expanded for over
30 years. Mrs. Randall
received
her formal
training at
the State
Teachers
and Agri
cultural
College/
Hubbard
Training
School in
Forsyth,
Georgia.
Mrs. Ran
dall went on to attend
Columbia University in
New York during the
summer months to earn
her Master’s degree.
Following in their
mother’s footsteps, Dr.
Robert E. Perdue gradu
ated from Morehouse
College/Atlanta, GA and
earned his doctoral de
gree from the University
of Georgia as one of their
first African American
students to graduate with
a doctorate from their
History Department. Dr.
Perdue has taught at
numerous colleges and
universities throughout
RANDALL
Photo taken
for Booker
Elementary
School Year
book 1968
the state of Georgia and
in South Carolina. Later
in his career, he worked
with our nation’s Federal
Emergency Management
Agency (FEMA) and the
Georgia Emergency Man
agement Agency (GEMA)
until his retirement a few
years ago. To his credit,
Dr. Perdue has writ
ten and published two
novels, organized and
still supports a branch
of Morehouse College’s
Alumnae Association.
Dr. Perdue’s baby
sister, Rev. Dr. Vivian L.
Perdue-Mitchell made
her own contributions to
education and society.
Hailed as a child prodigy,
Dr. Vivian Perdue-Mitch
ell graduated high school
at the tender age of 15
and pursued her goals of
becoming
an educator
at Mor
ris Brown
College,
Atlanta, GA.
Dr. Perdue-
Mitchell not
only earned
her degree
in English;
but majored
in French as
well. In ad
dition to her career pur
suits, Dr. Perdue-Mitchell
is an accomplished
pianist and a licensed,
ordained minister in
two denominations. She
attended and earned
degrees at Morris Brown
College, Atlanta Univer
sity, Columbus State
University, Emmanuel
Bible College, as well as
Fort Valley State College
& University. During the
course of their careers,
both Dr. Vivian Perdue-
Mitchell and her mother,
Mrs. Isabelle Perdue Ran
dall, shared their time
and talents with students
in Lamar County; and
especially with their be
loved students at Booker
Elementary and High
Schools, Barnesville,
Georgia.
Now, as a third genera
tion of educators, Mrs.
Tonya Walker, has joined
the ranks of her family.
MITCHELL
Photo taken
for Booker
High School
Graduating
Class of 1966
Mrs. Tonya Walker serves
as one of the Professional
School Counselors at La
mar County High School.
She has also been privi
leged to work with stu
dents at Lamar County
Middle and Elementary
Schools in the same posi
tion. It is not by chance
nor coincidence that
Mrs. Walker became an
educator. She too began
her formal training at
one of the colleges which
comprise the Atlanta Uni
versity Center in Atlanta,
GA. Mrs. Walker earned
her Bachelor’s degree in
Early Childhood Educa
tion from Morris Brown
College. She later re
ceived a full scholarship
from the University of
Minnesota (Twin Cit
ies). There, Mrs. Walker
earned her Master’s de
gree in Special Education;
with a concentration
in Emotional/Behavior
Disorders. Surely, she is
her mother’s child! Mrs.
Walker is also certified in
Educational Leadership
(Georgia College & State
University-Milledgeville,
GA), School Counseling
(Fort Valley State Univer
sity), and most recently
graduated with a Mas
ter of Ministry Degree
(Luther Rice College
& Seminary, Lithonia,
GA). In addition to her
college and university
training, she has earned
endorsements through
the Georgia Professional
Standards Commission
(Gaps) as a Teacher Sup
port Specialist as well as
a Student Support Team
Coordinator.
Mrs. Walker stated
that she doesn’t believe
being an educator is a
job nor is it a career. It
is indeed a calling. She
often tells her students
to choose their future
plans not based upon
what pays the most
money; but what brings
you the most joy. “Truly,”
she says, “the students in
the Lamar County School
System that she is so
honored to serve, are an
absolute joy!”
Elect Brutz
ENGLISH
CHIEF MAGISTRATE
* Local Farmer, Small Business Owner, & Property Owner
* Valdosta State University, B.S. Criminal Justice, Honors Program Graduate (1997)
* Mercer University, Walter F. George School of Law, juris Doctor (2000)
* Admitted to Georgia Bar 2000-2008 (passed the Bar Exam on 1st attempt)
* Over 20 Years of Relevant & Diverse Legal Experience
- Experienced former courtroom and appellate attorney
- The ONLY candidate with any experience in Magistrate Court other than seeking warrants
- The ONLY candidate with any Civil Law experience in Magistrate Court
* Proud Sponsor of Local Schools, Civic, & Charitable Organizations
* Eagle Scout & Vigil Honor, Boy scouts of America
The Right Training, Experience & Perspective
The Most Qualified Candidate
Election Day is March 16 th
Early Voting Begins Feb. 22 nd
Paid for by Brutz English for Chief Magistrate
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