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1970 Was "Newsy” Year In Perry
There was a lot of important news in Perry
during the year 1970. Good and bad news made the
headlines of The Home Journal during the first
year of 70's and a recap of all the big news from
Jan. 1,1970 to Jan. 1,1971, is outlined here.
JANUARY, 1970; Perry’s Magee Carpet Co.
announced plans for a major expansion program
that added some 45,000 square feet to the plant.
The expansion allowed Magee to step up their
production and to realize the final step in their five
year program of expansion. The original Magee
plant began production in Perry in 1967.
The Houston County Legislative Delegation
announced plans to introduce bills in the General
Assembly that would allow the Houston County
Commissioners andthe Perry City officials to set
their own salaries. The two bills, both which
passed, were called the ‘Home Rule Bills!.
Some 35,000 auto tags went on sale in the County
on Jan. 2,
The Dept, of Health, Education and Welfare
(HEW) submitted a plan for the desegration of the
public schools in Houston County and members of
the school board were saying that the plan looked
bad for the county school system. The Perry
schools were hit hardest by the plan which called
for the biggest shifting of students from school to
school here.
Malcolm Reese was sworn in as Perry’s new
Mayor and City Councilman Alton Hardy, John
Barton and Frank Leonard received their oath of
office. Judge Phil Anderson swore in the City
officials.
The County approved the first liquor license for
Lamar Deloach for his liquor store at Henderson
and Alton Tucker was elected Chairman of the
Commission.
Mrs. Bright Harper, Perry’s oldest and most
remarkable lady, celebrated her 103 birthday.
A group of Perryans, concerned with the school
crisis, told of plans to file an intervention suit in
U.S. District Court as an alternative plan to the
HEW school plans ordered to be put into effect in
the schools here. The group, called the Save Our
Schools Committee (SOS) also sponsored a mass
rally that drew about 1,000 people to a meeting at
the Perry Jr. High School with membeers of the
board of education. The meeting was held to
discuss the school crisis here.
The Houston County School Board also filed a
plan for the desegregation of the schools here
under the ‘neighborhood school concept’
In the midst of all the school plans and uproar
over the schools, The Supreme Court of the U.S.
handed a decision here ordering the public schools
here to desegregate by Feb. 1.
A delegation of City and County officials flew to
Washington D.C., to voice their concern to of
ficials in the capital over the school situation in
Houston County.
FEBRUARY 1970: The Perry City Council
adopted a record budget of $1,124,410.10, The
budget was based on an anticipated income in the
City of $1,158,606.
The Houston County School Board was put
under Federal Court orders to desegregate the
schools with a geographical zoning plan by no
later than Feb. 19. The new ruling hit the county
with a shock when news reached the board of
education office.
A concerned group of about 75 Perry parents
went to the board of education meeting to find out
what could be done about putting off the court
order of the schools in the middle of the year. The
board said they knew of nothing else that could be
done. They said they had tried everything
possible.
The Perry United Methodist Church members
held a church conference here and voted to make
the church facilities here available for a Christian
Day School to begin in the fall.
A group calling themselves the ‘Houston County
Citizens For Freedom’ held an organizational
meeting and decided to do what they could about
regaining ‘Freedom of Choice’ in the public
schools. Gov. Lester Maddox was invited to come
here to speak to the group which was made up of
citizens from all over Houston County.
Houston County schools were desegregated
under Federal Court Orders. Perdue said the
schools opened orderly and that there were no
demonstrations.
The congregation of the First Baptist Church of
Perry held a church conference and voted to join
the Methodists here in making their facilities
available for a Christian Day School to begin here
in the fall.
MARCH, 1970: The Board of Trustees of the
Perry Christian Day School announced that they
would hold a registration for classes for the
private school to begin in Sept Officials of the
school said they had financial underwriting of
more than $200,000 to get the school started.
The City Council raised gas rates. The increase
"We Can Save You Money
When You Finance
Your Next Car”
Now is the time for you to get a bargain on a new
automobile. We can also give you a good rate on
the financing.
Low monthly payments, friendly people with
whom to do business and sensible rates are only
a few of the reasons why more and more people
turn to our bank for help in buying a new car.
KEEP U 8 IN IfflND -WE RE EASY TO FIND!
in rates amounted to about $5 a year to the
average residential gas subscriber in the City.
Jim Worrall, Principal of Perry Grammar
School, was hired as Headmaster of the newly
organized Perry Christian Day School here.
Miss Martha Cooper of Perry was elected
Regent of the State Society of the National Society
of the Daughters of the American Revolution.
The County Commissioners voted to cut the
County Dept, of Family and Children’s Services
budget of $7,500 a month by a SI,OOO unless the
Warner Robins office was reopened.
Cold weather knocked about 50 per cent of the
Middle Georgia peach crop this year. The cold
wave hit the peach orchards as the peach trees
were blooming.
AP R1L1970: Gov. Lester Maddox granted funds
in the amount of $25,000 to the Perry-Fort Valley
Airport Commission to be used for the paving of
additional aircraft parking spaces.
The Perry City Council voted against taking
part in a proposed county recreation program
here during the summer. The Recreation Dept,
from Warner Robins requested about $l5O a
month from the city to help with Perry’s
recreation program, but were turned down.
Rev. J. B. Smith, associate pastor of the Perry
Methodist Church, was chosen as the Perry
Rotary Club’s Man of the Year.
Perry’s Continental Can Co. began producing
Pabst Blue Ribbon Beer cans for use by other
Pabst Breweries until the brewery here is com
pleted.
City Council voted to set the tax millage rate at
14 mills which will give the City an additional
$9,000 in tax revenue during 1970.
A group of about 600 Negroes marched from the
Spring St. Baptist Church, through the downtown
area and on to the County Board of Education in
protest march on what they termed ‘more and
equal rights’ for Perry blacks.
Black students at Perry High School held a
demonstration in the halls and on the football
field that disrupted classes. School officials soon
got the demonstration under control and there
were no arrests.
May, 1970: Perry City Council decided for the
first time in history to attack the mosquito
problem fromthe air. They hired a crop duster to
spray the City for the insects every four weeks
until the end of the summer. The cost will be about
S4OO for each spraying.
A light vote by Houston County voters changed
the method by which members of the board of
education will now be elected. They have been
elected from districts in the county in the past
The Mossy Creek Line, which has in the past
divided the county in many elections, was wiped
out by the vote.
Perry High School was making plans to
graduate its’ largest class ever. Some 218 seniors
were to receive diplomas.
Perry’s Billy Ethridge was elected president of
the Georgia Pharmaceutical Association.
L.C. (Cohen) Walker, member of the board of
education from Perry for the past 20 years, an
nounced his plans of retirement from the board.
He has also served as chairman of the board for 20
years.
The City Council announced that racial disor
ders during the month of May alone costs the City
more than SIO,OOO.
JUNE, 1970: The Perry Area Chamber of
Commerce announced plans to sponsor the Miss
Central Georgia Pageant from Perry live and in
color on WMAZ TV. The show, which would have
commercial spots about Perry, was slated to run
90 minutes.
City Council called a special referendum for the
voters of Perry to vote on a $150,000 bond issue for
a new library.
Gardner and Draper Watson annouunced plans
to construct a 600 unit retirement village in Perry.
The U.S. Census figures showed that Perry
experienced a growth of more than 30 percent in
population during the 60’s.
The Houston County board of education
released figures for their record budget for the
1970-71 school year of $7,990,071.23.
JULY, 1970: Estimates as high as 300,000 were
given by officials as rock music fans clogged the
highways in the Middle Georgia area trying to get
to the big rock festival at Byron. It lasted four
days.
Trustees of the Perry Christian Day School
announced that they had purchased a 28 acre site
on highway 41 south of Perry for the construction
of a school.
Systems Structures announced plans to build a
SIOO,OOO modular home plant in Perry.
AUGUST, 1970: Perry City Council voted to
have the Middle Georgia Area Planning Com
mission prepare an urban renewal plan for the
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CALL ONE OF US
Gary P- Hall
W. V. Tuggle
Harold J. Jennings
Uwli M. Meeks fIH
987-2554 \^B
City at the cost of $4,000.
Perry’s new Eastgate Shopping Center opened.
The stores in the new center included Piggly
Wiggly, Elliott’s Drugs, Elmore Variety, Sears
and Jaynes Cleaners.
Officials of the Miss Central Georgia Pageant
said the pageant was facing a financial crisis
because of the lack of ticket sales.
Houston County public schools opened with
16,000 students and 735 teachers.
The $150,000 library bond issue passed here by a
vote of 691 for and 301 against It means the City
will build a new library here.
Miss Melanie Henson of Perry was crowned the
new Miss Central Georgia at the televised pageant
here.
The dreaded southern corn blight hit Houston
County and destroyed a large percentage of the
county’s corn crop.
Perry’s new Eastgate Shopping Center was
ravaged by a fire which began in the Elmore
Variety Store in the early morning hours.
Elmore’s was completely destroyed and Sears
and Piggly Wiggly suffered smoke and water
damage. Fire fighting units from all over Middle
Georgia helped knock out the blaze.
Decomcrat Jimmy Carter swept Houston
County in the Primary voting and Republican
Jimmy Bentley got the GOP nod here.
Mayor Malcolm Reese issued orders for all the
old junked cars in the City to be towed away to the
City Dump, in a city wide clean up drive.
The Commissioners added an additional 2,25
mills to the tax digest to take care of the recom
mendations made the county school board for
more funds. It means taxes will rise here.
Perry’s General Telephone Co. announced that
phone rates would take about 50 per cent jump
here.
Mrs. W. J. Tyson of Perry was named Third
District Homemaker of the year.
OCTOBER, 1970: Perry Chamber of Commerce
elected a new slate of officers for 1971. Wendell
Whipple was named president; Joe Poole as
president-elect; Dave O’Sullivan as vice
president; Harold Jennings as treasurer.
City Council set Dec 3, as the date for the
election of three City Councilmen. Up for grabs
are posts held by James McKinley, Gene Smith
and Dan Britton.
Councilman James McKinley went to Gov.
Lester Maddox about the increased telephone
rates in Perry, to see what can be done about the
high rates here.
The City received a check from the Federal
Government for $27,000 to pay off the remaining
debt on the Houston Recreation Park here, a
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ON ALL BRAND NAME
WINTER MERCHANDISE
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The Vanity Shop
I Village Square Shopping Center
black recreational development
The Perry Chamber of Commerce was makinc
plans for the biggest Christmas parade in Perry’s
history. The world famous Monroe Girls’ Corp will
be here.
NOVEMBER, 1970: Decomcrat Jimmv Carter
took Houston County right along with the rest of
the state in his bid for Governor.
Two Negroes entered the race here City
Council, opposing D. K. Roughton and ‘Dan
Britton.
Gov. Lester Maddox was honored at a dinner at
Holiday Inn here by a number of his Perry sun
porters and friends.
DECEMBER, 1970: Just about everyone
remembers what has happened during December
The biggest stories were, of course, the election of
three City Councilmen and the successful
Christmas parade.
James McKinley, D. K. Roughton and Dan
Britton were elected to the Council posts and will
be sworn in on Jan. 5.
GROW WITH PERRY
TONE MORE STRIKE OUT] lV <,
AND YOU RE THROUGH in'* r „
Results couirl! We're dedicated to serv
ing your health needs.
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7
by
Emmltt
Akin, RPH
and
Billy
Ethrldga,
RPH