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4A ®lj 11) era lb <©a??tt? Tuesday, October 26,2021
Opinions
Grandson's memorial tribute
to Elizabeth Bush Sellers
BY BEN SELLERS
sellersjcb@gmail.com
As I walked around
the rows of socially
distanced booths during
a recent visit that over-
r***- .-.jw lapped
TH with
'ffij Buggy
Da y s . m y
|f- V ® mother’s
's a obser-
vations
swiried
around my head: “Every
thing’s different here,”
she had taken to saying.
Her memory had
begun to fade, and words
often failed her, but she
recognized that even in
Barnesville, a community
that coursed through her
blood and marrow, the
world she now occupied
was not her own.
Although 100 seems a
nice, round number - the
perfect bookend to a life
well lived - Grandma Eliz
abeth had been ready for
her number to be called
a few years before.
Unable to make her
usual rounds to the
library, the church, the
bank and The Herald Ga
zette office, she remained
largely homebound, even
deeding over her car to
her trusted friend and
care provider, Belinda.
But still, despite the
pandemic, she was
buoyed by regular visits
from special people in
her life - in particular,
Betty Esco, who main
tained a routine of bring
ing her Sunday lunch
from her favorite restau
rant, the Garden Patch;
neighbors like Joyce Da
vis, who kept a close eye
on her and attended to
my grandmother’s well
being even while dealing
with the grief of her own
husband’s passing; and
Laura Geiger (the daugh
ter of Grandma’s dear
UGA friends, Quimby and
May Melton), who would
bring beautiful roses to
liven up her living room.
Although it pained her
family in the Carolinas
to be too far away for
regular visits, Grandma
was adamant about stay
ing in Barnesville, just a
few doors down from the
iconic house where she
and her sister, Jacolyn,
spent their girlhood
days while their father,
Jackson Bush,served
as mayor and town
pharmacist, and their
mother, Evelyn, became
a beloved town social
ite who wrote a regular
newspaper column and
was head librarian.
Elizabeth, who began
her career in the US
Navy, breaking codes
as part of the historic
WAVES program that
helped win World War
11, explored the world
before settling down as
a teacher in
Front Royal,
Va., where
she and her
husband,
Edgar, raised
their sons,
David and
Walter.
But her
family legacy
always beck
oned her
back to her
hometown.
The Grandma
I best re
member
comes from
a composite
sketch of her
august years,
at their house
on College
Street, when
she would
cook scram
bled eggs for
breakfast and
spend her
afternoons
walking the
well-worn trails that cut
through the yard to call
on friends and neighbors.
She prided herself on
the Bush family name
(her maiden name),
oftentimes poring over a
genealogy chart on loan
to her from her distant
cousin Leila, whom she
had met by chance when
the latter worked as a
local pharmacist.
After Edgar’s 2001
passing, she turned over
a new leaf, pur
chasing a house
on Stafford Av
enue, just down
the road from
her old family
home, and spent
her widowed
years maintain
ing the garden
and receiving
company.
A visit from
her grandson
for a summer
internship at The
Herald Gazette
led to the role
that many may
remember her
for: her longtime
compiling of the
local “Flashback”
column, which
she continued
to do for more
than a decade,
researching the
local history on
microfiche at
the library, then
typing it up on an
electric typewriter.
As the years pro
gressed, her body and
mind began to fail her,
but her kindness and
selflessness remained
the defining qualities for
most all who encoun
tered her.
Although less able to
entertain, she still looked
forward to receiving
visitors and was excited
about the preparations
for her 100th birthday
celebration on Oct. 19 in
cluding the opportunity
to see a 5-year-old great-
granddaughter, Evie, who
bears the names of both
her and her mother.
Increasingly, 1 looked
forward to those visits
also. As life grew more
complex, the sleepy,
Southern town of Barnes
ville, moored in its
traditions, was always
a welcome respite from
the turmoil of the world
surrounding it.
A few special memo
ries came in recent years
when we were able to
coax Grandma from the
house for a summertime
trip to buy peaches at
Dickey’s Farm and an
Easter-time visit to see
the Stations of the Cross
displayed at First United
Methodist Church, where
she was a longtime mem
ber.
Beautification proj
ects, including the depot
and Summers Field,
attracted film crews like
HBO’s “Sharp Objects”
series, who - much to
Grandma’s consternation
- filled her yard full of
toys one day when they
came to shoot scenes of
Windy Gap.
But the experiences of
sitting on the porch with
a morning cup of coffee
or an afternoon cocktail,
listening to the crowing
of the free-range roost
ers and waving at people
passing by on golf carts,
always brought a par
ticular level of peace and
comfort.
For Barnesville,
Elizabeth Sellers was a
lifeline to a bygone time,
representing all of the at
tributes that led her and
her peers to be dubbed
the “Greatest Genera
tion.”
And no matter what
else grows to be “differ
ent” in the world she
leaves behind, Barnes
ville itself will always
be that lifeline for me,
rooted in the memories
of those special times
and the indelible imprint
that Grandma Elizabeth
left on the community.
Elizabeth Sellers is
survived by her two
sons, David (Pam) and
Walter (Jerri), both of
North Carolina; four
grandchildren: Jack
(Sarah), Ben, Matthew
and Ryann Elizabeth, all
of North Carolina; one
great-granddaughter,
Evie; a sister, Jacolyn, of
Columbia, SC; and sev
eral nieces and nephews;
as well as her Barnesville
family, who - whether
related by blood or not -
played an integral role in
her day-to-day livelihood,
offering her the joie de
vivre that helped her
reach her 100th birthday
Ben Sellers is editor of
Headl ine USA. com.
...her Barnes
ville family,
who - whether
related by blood
or not - played
an integral role
in her day-to-
day livelihood,
offering her the
joie de vivre
that helped her
reach her 100th
birthday.
These things
annoy folks who
act with courtesy
RUFFIN’S
RENDERINGS
theory of everything
KAV S. PEDR0TTI
kayspedrotti@gmail.cam
There are so many
people out there today
who seem to have no re
gard for anyone besides
themselves. They are
especially noticed when
driving, or in a parking
lot on which the custom
ers’ purchases may be
rolled to their cars in
buggies.
Just an example - the
handicap parking spaces
on the south side of In
gles. The yellow-striped
area is supposed to be
clear so that people who
need to walk in a safe
area, or have to walk
slowly, can be shielded
from drivers. At least
two of every three times
1 visit that grocery, those
areas are speckled with
carts. Not all people who
use the spaces legally
are so debilitated they
can’t roll a cart 50 feet
back into the store, or
to a cart corral, instead
of leaving it in the
walkways. Many times
the carts are dumped
by people who are not
parked in a restricted
space. Sometimes the
carts are abandoned in
the driveways, too - mo
torists, beware of dents
and dings!
On the road - because
I believe in law enforce
ment, and also believe
that our law officers in
Lamar County, Barnes
ville and Milner are
among the best any
where, 1 do not exceed
5 mph over the posted
speed, anywhere from
the interstates to town
roads. Most of the time, 1
will use cruise control to
stay on the speed limit -
because 1 have so much
respect for the cops, and
because they have more
important things to do
than having to chase
down excessive speed
ers.
Also, many road idjits
(look under southern
slang for eejits, or idiots)
do not seem to under
stand that big-rig trucks
are indeed many tons
bigger than four-wheel
ers. They will ignore a
big truck’s need to move
over into the middle or
left lane to avoid some
one who is not as big
or as fast as they are. 1
can’t count how many
times I’ve reduced speed
to let a big truck to get
in front of me to make
a pass around a slow-
mover. Some of these
slow-movers also do not
understand that too-slow
driving on an interstate
can cause a wreck just as
rapidly as speeding.
Another annoyance
happening on a lot of
city and county roads is
trash thrown from cars.
My car may sometimes
look like too much trash
has accumulated on the
floors, but 1 will NOT
throw it out the window.
Somebody has to mow
the rights-of-way and
clean out the curb gut
ters. Chances are those
people are underpaid,
overworked and subject
to getting run over by
distracted drivers. Or
maybe some poor home-
owner cannot get the
roadside on his property
mowed properly without
having to pick up trash.
That often includes the
worst offenders (beer
cans), followed by soda
cans and beer bottles,
Styrofoam containers,
greasy papers, etc., etc.
Since the six-foot-dis-
tance ruling during the
height of the pandemic,
most folks are better
about not crowding in
grocery store or other
SEE KAY PEDR0TTI, PAGE 2B
A
MIKE RUFFIN
ruffinml@gmail.com
Hebrews 1:14; 2:5-12
Some scientists
dream of and work on
developing a theory of
everything. According to
Space.com,
A theory of everything
(TOE) is a hypothetical
framework explaining all
known physical phenom
ena in the universe. Re
searchers have searched
for such a model ever
since the development of
quantum mechanics and
Albert Einstein’s theory of
relativity in the early 20th
century.
Each of these pillars of
modern physics describes
its respective area of
inquiry — the very small
est and the most massive
things in the cosmos —
with astounding accu
racy, but both quantum
mechanics and relativity
fail when applied to each
other’s subject matter. So
far, an overarching theory
of everything has eluded
scientists, and some be
lieve the ultimate goal is
unrealistic.
Now, 1 readily admit
that 1 don’t understand
what most of that means.
But 1 appreciate and
admire the goal. It would
be great to have a theory
that explains everything
that exists—from the tini
est to the largest—in the
created world. 1 also ap
preciate and admire both
the persistence of those
scientists who keep
pushing toward develop
ing such a theory and the
humility of those who
don’t think it possible to
The Herald Gazette
welcomes letters to the
editor. For a letter to be
considered for publica
tion, please include the
find one.
I write about the
Bible rather than about
science. And while 1 am
not claiming that the
Scripture passage I’m
writing about here—He
brews 1:1-4; 2:5-12—is
trying to offer a theory of
everything, 1 am saying
that it pulls together and
presents some of the
central elements of God’s
plan of salvation. We can
look at what the author
of Hebrews says and
think, “Well, that doesn’t
say everything we need
to know, but it sure says
a lot of it.”
For one thing, the
writer of the book of
Hebrews says that God
created the universe
through God’s Son
(1:2). So, God’s Son has
been involved in God’s
creative work from the
beginning. This means
that he has always been
involved in God’s pur
poses, plans, and ac
tions. And since the Son
also “sustains all things”
(v. 3), he continues to be
involved in the ongoing
work of creation.
The writer also says
that Jesus is the culmina
tion of what God wants
us to know. God had pre
viously spoken through
the prophets—and
people needed to hear
and heed the prophets’
words, which came from
God (1:1)—“but in these
last days he has spoken
to us by a Son.(v. 2a).
The prophets spoke and
lived the word of God.
Their words and actions
helped bring about God’s
will and purposes in the
writer’s actual name,
address and telephone
number. All letters are
subject to editing.
Send letters to RO.
world. The preaching of
the prophets paved the
way for the coming of
God’s Son into the world.
But the Son of God is the
Word of God who was
with God and was God
(Jn 1:1). He is the Word
of God who was made
flesh and dwelled among
us. He was filled with
God’s grace and truth (Jn
1:14). The Son shows us
everything we need to
know about who God is
(Heb 1:3a).
The writer also says
that God’s Son has ac
complished the work of
salvation (1:3). He “made
purification for sins”
(1:3b) by dying on the
cross. He suffered and
died to make God’s grace
available to everyone
(2:9). Having perfectly
accomplished his saving
work through his suf
fering and death, God’s
Son entered his glory
(2:9) and took his place
at God’s right hand (1:3).
And because of what the
Son has accomplished,
we too will enter glory
(2:10).
So, perhaps you can
see why I suggest think
ing about Hebrews 1:1-4;
2:5-12 as a Christian
theory of everything. Our
writer covers the sweep
of God’s plan of salvation
from creation to glori
fication, with the cross
of Christ standing at the
center of it all.
It isn’t just a theory.
It’s the Gospel truth.
Mike Ruffin is a Barnesville native
who lives and works in Macon. His
new book, Praying with Matthew,
is available at helwys.com and at
Amazon.
Box 220, Barnesville,
30204, email it to news@
barnesville.com or drop
it by 509 Greenwood
Street, Barnesville.
Guidelines for sending letters to the editor
Zi)t Umltr #a^tte
barnesville.com
770.358.NEWS
P.0. Box 220
509 Greenwood Street
Barnesville, Ga. 30204
770-358-NEWS
barnesville.com
E-mail: news@barnesville.com
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Walter Geiger Nolan George
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Oct. 24-30
10 years ago
Lee Milby of the
Georgia Forestry Com
mission reported that
the April tornado had
decimated about 4,000
acres of forest in the
Lamar County area. Fire
chief Steve Andrews lost
110 acres of forest at
his Rainbow Ranch just
west of Barnesville, some
of it with a 70-foot plus
canopy
25 years ago
After eight years here,
school superintendent
Dr. Jim Jenkins resigned
effective Jan. 1, 1997. He
was planning a move to
White County to become
the first ever appointed
school superintendent in
that district.
50 years ago
The Miss Lamar
County Pageant was
held at the Kiwanis
Fairgrounds. Mr. Au
brey Jackson served as
emcee. Mary Beth Ellis
was crowned Miss Lamar
County. Laura Sue Usery
was 1st runner-up while
Patricia Rogers was 2nd
runner-up.
100 years ago
Well over 150 citizens
signed a petition deliv
ered to the News-Gazette
and the city council
speaking out against the
licensing of pool rooms.
The petition read in
part: The presence of
pool rooms in the town
is subversive to the best
and highest in our social
life. The history of pool
rooms has always con
nected them intimately
with the disintegrating
and disrupting influences
in life.