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Vol. 136, No. 32 - Waynesboro, Ga. 30830 Established in 1882 Wednesday, September 28, 2016 - $1.00
Strictly Personal
Remembering Arnie
By Roy R Chalker, Jr.
rchalker@bellsouth.net
Those of a certain age who play or enjoy golf in some way
have a special place in their hearts for Arnold Palmer, who
died earlier this week at age 87.
He was already winning tournaments, but it was in 1958
that he won his first Masters title and began a run into the 60s
when he won three more Green Jackets, the U.S. and British
Opens and a total of some 90 tournaments across the world.
It wasn't the number of times he won, it was the way he
won - or lost - that made him special. The passion he dis
played so openly, the joy of winning and the agony of losing,
is what endeared him to fans everywhere.
Okay, the Masters Tournament was already a big deal here
in 1958. But no one can argue that once Arnie won his first
title in Augusta, the popularity of golf in this area, especially
among young men, skyrocketed. I can remember when
tickets to the tournament were plentiful and cost about $20.
Not long after Amie arrived on the scene, the price began
to spiral upward and hasn't stopped. Tickets sold out and a
waiting list was created.
All my friends started taking golf lessons, mostly from
our local professional, Wright North. As soon as they were
available, we were wearing Arnold Palmer shirts, caps, vi
sors, gloves, etc. We watched and copied the way he hitched
his pants as he walked, locked his knees when he putted and
cocked his head after one of his powerful tee shots. (My
brother Phil was especially adept at this maneuver.)
Phil and I attended the Masters one year with Amie's book,
"My Game and Yours" in hand and with hopes of getting it
autographed. We watched him on the practice tee and timidly
approached him as he left for the first tee. He patted me on
the stomach and said, "See me after the round." We did. He
remembered and went out of his way to come over and sign
the book. What a thrill for two teenage boys who were just
beginning to love the game.
After Arnie, the Masters became a bigger attraction than
ever. School systems in the area changed their spring holi
days to coincide with the tournament, probably to avoid high
absenteeism. Hotels and restaurants began to overflow so new
ones were built. The name "Augusta" became synonymous
with golf around the world.
Today it's common to see tourists from distant countries
posing for photos in front of Magnolia Lane. Professional
golf would never be the same after Amie. Television net
works started broadcasting more and more tournaments.
Prize money, which had been pitifully paltry for decades,
turned into big money and drew more and better competitors.
Many of them are the superstars of sports today.
Arnold Palmer was a citizen of the world, but he never lost
touch with his "Army" and the ordinary, everyday people
who admired him so.
He was "King" with a common touch. Whenever Arnie
came to Augusta, friends made sure he had a caramel cake
baked by Mrs. Eunice Hickman of Waynesboro. He loved
her cake and that tradition continued until her death a few
years back.
In the next few months, the professional golf world will
honor Arnold Palmer's memory in numerous ways. Those
of us who were inspired by him will be watching.
Support ers 1 * 1 runEgjia reasflp’
By Elizabeth Billips
lizbillips@yahoo.com
More than 230 runners and
walkers turned out for Satur
day’s Bird Dog Breakaway and
raised an estimated $15,000 for
the Center for New Beginnings.
The non-profit center in
Waynesboro provides treatment
to children with special needs
and challenges, regardless of the
families’ abilities to pay.
The funds raised Saturday
will help provide salaries for
the staff who offer their special
ized care.
“The Bird Dog Breakaway is
our biggest and hardest fund
raiser to put together,” CFNB
director and founder Sarah
Ashe said. “We have a great
core group of volunteers that
just make it happen every year.”
She said that witnessing the
outpouring of community sup
port on race-day is overwhelm
ing.
“The overall spirit of the event
itself is incredible,” Ashe said.
"It is so worth it to see how the
community comes together,
joins hands and gives their best
to help our children and their
families.”
TO SEE LIST OF
THE WINNERS AND PHOTOS,
SEE PAGE IB.
VOTE ‘NO’?
Burke school
board fights
By Elizabeth Billips
lizbillips@yahoo.com
The Burke County Board
of Education has taken a bold
stand against Gov. Nathan Deal
and his initiative to take over
Georgia’s “failing” schools.
The five-person school board
unanimously adopted a resolu
tion in opposition to Consti
tutional Amendment 1, which
is on the ballot for the Nov. 8
General Election.
If Georgia residents vote
“yes,” the legislation will essen
tially allow state bureaucrats to
seize local control of a number
of schools with low-performing
students.
Right now, 139 Georgia
schools are on the radar af
ter receiving Fs on the state’s
College and Career Readiness
Performance Index (CCRPI) for
three years running.
Not one Burke County school
is on that list, but the local board
is still fighting against what it
believes could be a recipe for
disaster.
THE PLAN
Gov. Deal plans to take over
up to 20 schools in the first year
by creating a special “Oppor
tunity School District” (OSD)
which would authorize the
state to temporarily step in “to
assist chronically failing public
schools and rescue children
languishing in them.”
But no additional state monies
have been appropriated for that
“stepping in.”
“Once they take over a
school, local tax dollars would
go directly to the state,” Burke
County Superintendent Rudy
Falana said on Monday. “A
community would no longer
own the school it was paying
for.”
The new school district would
be overseen by a state super
intendent, appointed by Gov.
Deal, and that new superinten
dent could choose several routes
to “turn-around” each of the
failing schools:
(1) to directly run the school
with or without local involve
ment;
(2) to convert it into a charter
school that is managed by a
private company;
(3) or close the school alto
gether.
Falana and other Georgia
superintendents believe the
by-product will be a sweeping
loss of jobs for local educators
as they are replaced by teachers
and administrators brought in by
the state. Even worse, the posi
tions could be filled by private,
out-of-state companies that are
contracted to run the schools.
“Education is a multi-billion
dollar industry,” Falana said,
pointing to the private, for-
profit companies that lurk in the
shadow of the governor’s plan.
"The local community will lose
all control of its school and how
their money is spent to run it.
See Amendment,
continued on page 8A
"Rock & Roll „
Hall of Tamers 1
Urti
. BCHS Auditorium
Doors open at 6 p.m. Tickets: vwN.burkeconcert.org
mm Mffll