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WIDEOPEN
Bobby Burum makes 1,000-yard history at West Georgia
While Bobby had already made a name for himself as one
of Burke County’s most productive receivers, he was a no
body when he walked on at West Georgia his freshman year.
He spent the first half of the season proving himself on
special teams. During the sixth game he got a shot at wide
receiver and never looked
back.
The advice he’d gotten
from former Bears receiving
coach Jamie Epps became his
mantra:
“In your position you’re
going to get hit whether you
catch the ball or not,” the 6-
foot-1, 200-pound go-to
said, quoting the coach’s hu
morous warning not to short-
arm the ball in anticipation
of the pain. “It will hurt a
lot less if you catch it.”
But quick-to-laugh Bobby
is pretty serious when it comes to his Burke County roots.
After Friday night practice, you can find him following his
alma mater on their online radio show. He’ll be crowded around
the computer with his roommates, former Burke County
standouts Brandon “Breezy” Brown and Or
lando Howard, who’s turning heads as a
sophomore running back.
“Being a Bear is who I am,” Bobby
said matter-of-factly. “Coach (Eric)
Parker never let us get away with ex
cuses. We weren’t brought up to be
whiny babies. We were taught to get
out there and do what needs to be
done... no matter what. I flaunt that.”
And with only eight games left in
his last year of college ball, the 22-
year-old first-year senior carries that
same attitude into the classroom. He believes
middle and high school sports play a big part in
that.
"Sports, in general, build character. For me, the
biggest thing by far has been time management,”
Bobby said, citing his daily grind from morning class
to five-hour practice and then back home to study.
“Even as a student athlete it can be difficult; but once
you’re in college you have to learn to manage your
time. If you don’t stay on top of it, you’ll have a short
career.”
But Bobby’s career is well in the making. Just shy of a
bachelor’s in sports management, he plans to go straight to
work on his master’s degree and make good on his dream to
become a high school football coach.
“I spend a lot of time thinking about Coach Parker and Coach
(Steve) Summers ... and at the end of the day I know they
made me the player I am today,” Bobby said, describing the
football field as an unspoiled setting for learning about life.
“They helped instill my values and my work ethic.”
“I want to be that kind of person,” he said. “I want to be the
kind of man a kid can look up to.”
By Elizabeth Billips
lizbillips@yahoo.com
Bobby Burum had no idea he was 60 yards from school
history.
All the University of West Georgia wide receiver knew Sat
urday night was that he’d just punched past the goal line of
12 th ranked Midwestern State when a turnover sent the offense
back on the field just 58 seconds later. The Mustangs were
looking to settle the score with 19.8 seconds in the half, and
Bobby was their man.
The Carrollton crowd went crazy as he tucked in a smooth
23-yard pass at the seam and broke through a tackle. He spun
out of another then broke a third and barreled into the end
zone.
“I came to West Georgia to win,” the former Burke County
Bears standout said, still stinging from the 38-28 setback. He
was lamenting that loss when the college’s sports information
director called him from the locker room for an interview with
the Times-Georgian.
He’d done more than break three tackles on his dynamic
touchdown run. He’d sealed his name in the record book as
one of only 10 West Georgia receivers to break 1,000 yards.
“Nobody told me ... I didn’t even know I’d broken a record
until after the game.” Bobby mused with his easy laugh. “But
it felt great. It means a lot to know I’ll always be remembered
at West Georgia for that."
Fired deputy chief
claims harassment
By Elizabeth Billips
lizbillips@yahoo.com
A witch hunt.
That’s what Waynesboro’s recently fired deputy police chief
called his Sept. 13 ousting.
Roosevelt Lodge hand-delivered a five-page formal appeal to
city administrator Jerry Coalson late Thursday.
He alleges Police Chief Augustus
Palmer III has a “personal vendetta”
against him and has systematically
tried to strip him of his authority with
the agency. He maintains it is
retaliation for hiring three
investigators before Chief Palmer
came on board four months ago.
“This has been an ongoing
harassment and hostile work
environment brought on by the chief
since his arrival,” Lodge wrote in the
appeal, which was requested under the Georgia Open Records
Act. "His whole focus has been to undermine my abilities as a
manager.”
Chief Palmer had fired his second-in-command after a hostile
meeting in which Lodge refused to answer questions stemming
from complaints that he was using his badge and city resources
while moonlighting for a home rental business.
Lodge had apparently become the subject of an internal
investigation after the chief received those complaints. During
the Sept. 11 meeting, he asked Lodge to respond in writing to
eight specific questions about working an unapproved job with
-Continued, see Lodge, page 7
Burke County grad
rate to top 80 percent
By Anne Marie Kyzer
annemariek@thetruecitizen.com
Performance targets set for Georgia called for the statewide
graduation rate to break 80 percent by 2016.
That’s happened three years ahead of schedule in Burke
County, according to projections just released by the local
school system.
According to principal Sam Adkins, Burke County High
School’s graduation rate for 2013 has been projected at 80.87
percent, a more than 6-percent gain over last year’s rate and
far above the 72.8 percent target set by the state.
“If it remains constant, it will be the highest rate we have
ever achieved," Adkins said, noting official rates are not set to
be released by the Georgia Department of Education until at
least December. “We feel that when the official graduation
rate is released that our graduation rate may climb a little
higher.”
Adkins said a number of interventions have been useful to
helping students stay on track and he credited work at the
Burke County Life Center (formerly the alternative school
for BCHS) for helping 23 students complete the requirements
for graduation.
“But with all the various interventions we put in place it
-Continued, see graduation rate, page 13
Roosevelt Lodge
Community turns out to
support center’s services for
children facing challenges
By Anne Marie Kyzer
annemariek@thetruecitizen.com
Nearly 300 runners helped
raise thousands of dollars for
children with special needs.
They pounded the pavement
at the sixth annual Bird Dog
Breakaway 5K last Saturday to
benefit the Center for New Be
ginnings in Waynesboro.
After the main event and a
one-mile Derby Dash for kids,
the crowd gathered for the high
light of the morning-an adap
tive race for children served by
the center.
Sarah Ashe, founder and di
rector of the CFNB, said the
event raised nearly $14,000,
sorely needed funds that will
further efforts to provide ser
vices to special needs children,
whether their parents can afford
them or not.
The faith-based non-profit
operates on a donation basis,
turning no one away and rely
ing mostly on grants and con
tributions. Some 150 children
go there each month on aver
age to receive top-notch therapy,
counseling and other services to
help them face challenges rang
ing from Asberger’s Syndrome
to autism and developmental
delays to Down Syndrome.
Though Ashe said grants go a
long way toward paying for the
facility’s needs, she stressed that
very few grants actually cover
salaries for the therapists and
other professionals who work
with the children.
“We are truly a non-profit.
We stay pretty close to budget,
and throughout the year it’s these
events that allow us to provide
the services we do," she ex
plained.
These events not only fill in
the funding gaps, but Ashe said
the best part is that they allow
supporters a chance to get to
know the children they’re help
ing.
-Continued, see Breakaway,
page 16
A number of children served by the Center for New Beginnings participated in an
adaptive race and were awarded medals and trophies for their effort. See page 16
for more photos from the event.