Newspaper Page Text
As Os June 1975
Perry, Warner Robins Both
\Now Georgia Certified Cities
YV
hi
Houston County has the
distinction of having two
certified cifles, Warner
Robins and Perry, within
its boundaries. Both cities
were certified in June 1975.
This was the first time In
the eleven year history of
the Georgia Certified City
Program that two cities in
the,.same county were
designated as fully cer
titled. This means that
both cities have the
physical resources and
seryice capabilities to
attract and sustain In
dustry.
Tfoa Perry Chamber of
Corqmerce succeeded in
getting Armco Steel
Corporation, the nation's
largest steel maker,
tn
ot
Medusa Cement Co.
Large Local Industry
AWdusa purchased the
Cllt <|»field Cement Plant
fronn Penn Dixie in
dustries in 1972. Clinchfield
Tuggle, Jennings
Insurance Grows
The general insurance
agency that is operated
now as Tuggle and Jen
nings, Insurance at 1013
Main Street had Its
beginning in 1922 as Cater
and Andrew Insurance.
L.F. Cater and C.E. An
drew, officials of the Perry
Loan and Savings Bank,
now Bank of Perry, were
the owners.
The Insurance Agency
was operated in the Bank
building until 1971 when it
was moved to 1015 Jer
nigan Street and then in
April 1972 to its present
location.
In 1935, Vernon Tuggle
became a partner with Mr.
Andrew after the death of
Mr, Cater and the name of
the agency was changed to
Andrew and Tuggle. M.M.
Dean was taken into
partnership in 1950 but his
name did not appear in the
business title until 1964
when Mr. Andrew retired
as president of the Bank of
Perry and sold his in
surance Interest to Harold
Overton Jewelers
Complete Service
Overton Jewelers at 905
Carroll Street specializes
in watch repair service.
The store has a complete
line of jewelry, china,
glassware, silverware,
stainless steel ttatware,
pewter, luggage and gifts
of all kinds. The firm also
has a bridal register.
Owner of the store is
W.F. Overton, native of
Houslon County, who lived
with jhis parents, the late
J.T. I Overtons, at Clin
Ufnion Motor Co.
(frganized In 1926
Ts» Union Motor
Company, a Chevrolet
agerfcy, has been
operating continuously for
fifty 'years, having been
organized In 1926 by
Charles P. Gray and J,
Harper Short. In a short
while, Mr. Gray became
sole owner.
The present owners are
Thomas D. Mason, Jr. and
Norman M. Parker, Jr.
who acquired the business
in 1961 after the death of
Mr. Gray, their father-in
law.
to choose Perry for the
location of its new plant.
The corporation, based In
Middletown, Ohio, an
nounced on May 8, 1975 its
plans to build a 140,000 sq.
ft. plant on 40 acres pur
chased In the Perry In
dustrial Park. Con
struction of the plant is
expected to being the last
Payroll Os $291 Million
Robins AFB Area's Leader
A report on the economic
impact of Robins Air
Force Base on Middle
is one of six Medusa
Cement plants located in
the United States. Medusa
cement products include
Jennings, cashier of the
Bank of Perry, and the
other partners. The agency
then became Tuggle, Dean
and Jennings. After Mr.
Dean's death in 1965, the
name was changed to
Tuggle and Jennings.
Vernon Tuggle, one of
the partners, died in 1971.
His nephew, Robert T.
Tuggle, Jr., who was
associated with the
agency, purchased Mrs.
Vernon Tuggle's interest In
1972. The present owner,
belter known as Bobby
Tuggle, and Mr. Jennings
took Larry Mosteller into
partnership in 1974.
The bookkeeper of the
Tuggle and Jennings In
surance Agency Is Mrs.
Patricia Rentz.
For 54 years this in
surance agency has been
one of the largest in Perry.
Regardless of the many
changes that have taken
place in its operation, the
agency has grown and
prospered through the
years.
chfield. Mrs. Overton, the
former Ruby White,
assists her husband in the
operation of the business.
Overton Jewelers moved
to their present location in
May 1968 from Ball Street
where the business began
in 1952.
Miss Winifred Davis is
♦he full-time clerk. Part
time employees are Miss
Mary Cawthon, Miss Beth
Whitworth, and Miss Robin
Gray.
The company gives
complete automotive
service and sells Gulf
products.
Employees are Mrs.
Settle Griffin,
bookkeeper; Miss Denise
Sandefur, assistant
bookkeeper; Hugh Beatty,
salesman; Eugene Stocks,
service station; Curtis
Terry, body foreman; C.R.
Brackett, shop foreman;
Ernest Wright, Will Sutton,
Washington Willis and Alf
Burnam, mechanics.
quarter of 1976. The plant
will employ 200 people
when completed.
Warner Robins, site of
the state's largest em
ployer, Robins AFB, has
two new plants. Midland
Glass Company, Inc. of
Cllffwood, New Jersey
built a $6,000,000 plant on
100 acres In the Industrial
Georgia was released in
June from the office of
Major General William R.
Colored Masonry used with
brick for overall color
harmony; Chem Comp, a
durable expansive cement
used for flooring in
warehouses and parking
garages; Brikset, a
neutral gray mortar for
color uniformity, and
Stoneset, a white masonry
for color distinction and
purity. Medusa is par
ticularly proud that it was
the first company to
produce a successful white
cement. These products
are sold to wholesale
dealers and can be pur
chased through local
dealers.
When Medusa purchased
the Clinchfield Plant, this
facility then involved three
small, old 10' x 150' waste
heat kilns, and a 11-Va' x
450' unit installed in 1962;
plus a 4-Mill Raw
Department and a 5-Mill
Finish Grind section. That
wet process Installation
had the capacity of about
2.2 million bbls yr. To
modernize and expand this
facility using energy
sources wisely and
economically, Medusa
decided to convert the
process to dry. Present
installed capacity is about
4.4 Million bbls/yr.
At present Medusa's
Clinchfield Plant which
operates 24 hours a day,
seven days a week, has an
employment of 165.
Richard P. Klstler Is plant
manager.
The cement plant at
Clinchfield began in 1925.
It was built by the Clin
chtield Portland Cement
Company of Tennessee and
later acquired by Penn-
Dixie Industries in 1926.
The town was named for
the original company since
the plant was the first
major employer in the
immediate area and most
of Its employees lived In
Clinchfield.
This plant was located in
this area because of
abundant limestone
deposits and accessible
railway transportation.
Practically all the raw
materials which go into the
cement manufactured at
Medusa's Clinchfield Plant
are local products ex
tracted by local labor.-
Limestone, Fuller's Earth,
and Sand are obtained
near the plant and Kaolin
clay from only a few miles
away.
First County
Officers Named
The first county officers,
which were elected Jan. 7,
1822 tor two years, were
the tollowlng: Edmond C.
Beard, sheriff; Alexander
McCants, clerk Superior
Court; Lawson J. Keener,
clerk Inferior Court;
Henry AuJuif, coroner;
Simon Harrell, surveyor.
Park in 1973. Three hun
dred people are employed
by Midland. Con Chemo, a
modular home
manufacturer, has built a
new manufacturing plant
in 1976 and employs 150
people.
Twenty-three new
businesses opened in
Warner Robins in 1975.
Hayes, commander of the
Warner Robins Air
Logistics Center.
In the release, General
Hayes said the base's
impact was greater than
ever before in 1975 and that
he expects that trend to
continue through 1976.
The 4,101 military em
ployees at the 35-year-old
base averaged an annual
income of $12,316 and the
15,799 civilians averaged
Jacobs Insurance
Is General Agent
Jacobs Insurance
Agency of Houston County,
Inc. was incorporated in
1972 by Mike Jacobs, Lewis
Hunt Jacobs, and Mrs.
Betty Jacobs. This
business had been
operated as a company
from 1969-72.
Mr. and Mrs. L.H.
Jacobs were in charge of
insurance for the Houston
County Farm Bureau from
1958 1969.
The Jacobs Agency write
general insurance, in
cluding tire, casualty,
surety, life, hospitalization
and disability.
Whipple-
Parkinson
Insurance
"Specialists"
Wendell K. Whipple
started in the life in
surance business in Perry
in 1941 as district
representative for Con
necticut Mutual Lite In
surance Company.
In 1966 he was joined by
J. Don Parkinson.
Connecticut Mutual,
established in 1846, is the
oldest life insurance
company in Connecticut
and the sth oldest in the
United States. It has
operated in Georgia since
before the turn of the
century and has been
represented in Perry since
1918.
Mr. Parkinson and Mr.
Whipple are specialists in
business insurance,
pensions and estate
planning.
They also offer a wide
variety of brokerage
services including group
life and hospitalization.
W.K. Whipple is a past
president of the Perry
Kiwanis Club and was
named "Man of the Year"
in 1958. Mr. Whipple is a
past president of the
Chamber of Commerce
and is a member of the
Perry Development
Authority. He is chairman
of the Pension Fund
Crusade of the United
Methodist Church of
Perry.
Don Parkinson is a
member of the Hospital
Authority and also of the
Perry Development
Authority. Mr. Parkinson
is vice-president of the
Kiwanis Club and a deacon
in the First Baptist
Church. He is a former
member of City Council.
Warner Robins has been
working to get the
government's Solar
Energy Research In
stitute, a multl-million
dollar venture, located in
that city.
Perry's Industries in
clude Pabst Brewery,
Continental Can Company,
Georgia Decor of Kell wood
$15,237, according to the
report. About 78 percent of
the civilian payroll goes
into Bibb and Houston
Counties, it added.
in addition to payroll
impact, the report pginted
to other areas of Middle
Georgia growth affected
by the base. These in
cluded education,
business, counstruction
and charities.
A total of $8,584,000 was
Mike Jacobs is the
recording secretary of the
administrative board of
the First United Methodist
Church of Perry. Mike is
the president-elect of the
Rotary Club and will take
office July 2. He is also the
secretary of the Oaky
Woods Hunting Club, Inc.
The Jacobs Insurance
Agency is located at 1009
Jernigan Street.
I Connecticut Mutual |
I Lite I
| “The Blue Chip Company” |
«i i «
ft I £
ii America jjj||
•■ • Since 1846 > w ■ ■il
mmm s*
VIKING MARS LANDING
| In Georgia Since 1866 |
■fii ... In Perry Since 1918 1
I $
Wendell K. Whipple J. Don Parkinson
$ 987-1152
Corp., and Medusa Cement
Corp.
In 1975 the Perry- Fort
Valley Airport had a
$853,408 expansion from a
2,500 foot asphalt strip to a
modern 5,200 foot runway
equipped to land DC 9's
and C ISO's.
In addition to these in
dustries and Im
provements, Perry, the
Crossroads of Georgia, has
a tourist park with a new
attraction called the Perry
Pottery Factory and a new
convention center complex
being built by Holiday Inn
of Perry off U.S. 341 N.
Also, Perry's central
business district is being
revitalized at a cost of
$125,000.
With Warner Robins and
Perry as certified cities,
Houston County may look
forward to future growth
and prosperity.
spent for construction at
Robins AFB for a new NCO
Open Mess Hall, con
venience store, mobile
home park and logistics
processing facility.
Funds for education
were awarded to 18 Middle
Georgia county school
systems based upon the
average daily attendance
of both military and
civilian federal employees'
children. A total of
$2,500,000 was released to
area schools by the U.S.
Department of Health,
Education and Welfare
with Houston County
receiving $1,500,000.
Seven Middle Georgia
Counties received $258,280
from the base for their
United Way campaigns.
The combined military
and civilian payroll at
Robins totaled $291,237,000
in 1975, a 5.5 percent in
crease over 1974 for the
state's largest employer.
For 35 years, Warner
Robins Air Logistic Center
has had a decided impact
on the area's economy.
HOUSTON HOME JOURNAL THURS., JULY 1,
Home Office Here
Central Ga. PCA
Serves Farmers
The Central of Georgia
Production Credit
Association, which had its
beginning in 1933, has its
home office in Perry and
branch offices in Gray and
Hawkinsville. The
association is a member
institution which provides
loans for farmers and
farmer-related businesses.
This "co-op" serves nine
counties- Houston, Jones,
Bibb, Pulaski, Jasper,
Wilkinson, Peach, Twiggs,
and Macon.
McKinley Franklin is the
president and secretary
treasurer of this bank for
farmers. Sanford Davis is
vice-president.
The directors are Robert
Dickey of Lizella, chair
Watson-Hunt
Funeral Home Here
Fifty Year Servant
Watson Hunt Funeral
Home was incorporated in
January 1973 by Draper
Watson, Riley Hunt, and
Mrs. Laura May Watson.
The two-story home at
1208 Main Street is the
location of the funeral
business. This home was
built in 1852 by the late
Judge Dodderidge Killen.
it was bought in 1955 by
Gardner Watson from
Penn-Dixie Cement
Company which had owned
the home since 1925. Mr.
Watson remodeled the
interior to make it suitable
for the funeral business.
The exterior of the home
was remodeled in 1976.
Draper Watson is the
immediate past president
of the Exchange Club and
is a member of the City
Council. Draper is on the
Council on Ministries of the
First United Methodist
man of the Board; Houser
Gilbert of Elko, vice
chairman; Richard-
Johnson of Perry, Calvin
Mays of Hawkinsville, and
C.B. Skipper of Macon.
Employees include Jim
Pritchett, representative;
Mrs. Lillian Posey,
bookkeeper; Miss Debbie
Lamb, Mrs. AnnLeath,
Mrs. Martha Bridges, and
Mrs. Joyce Chapman,
secretaries.
The brick office building
of the Central of Georgia
Production Credit
Association is located on
U.S. 41 north in the city
limits of Perry. Recently,
an attractive new addition
has been added to the
building.
Church of Perry and is
chairman of Ecumenical
Affairs. He is also
president of the United
Methodist Men. Draper is
a Mason and a Shriner.
Riley Hunt became an
employee of the Gardner
Watson Funeral Home in
1960 and a partner in the
business in 1968. Mr. Hunt
is president of the Rotary
Club and president-elect of
the Perry Chamber of
Commerce. Riley is a
deacon and treasurer of
the First Baptist Church
and a trustee of Westfield
School. Riley is a Mason
and a Shriner.
Mrs. Gardner (Laura
Mae) Watson is the lady
attendant.
The Watson-Hunt
Funeral Home has
developed Perry Memorial
Garden on U.S. 41 North.