Newspaper Page Text
Perry Widows Find Life Here Lonely Too!
By Joe Hiett
(Two weeks ago a featured article in the Home
Journal chronicled the travails of life among the
young singles in Perry. The picture that was
painted illustrated a life of frequent loneliness,
and the article drew immediate response from
people of all ages. The following statement came
in a telephone call.)
“Yes, I’m tired of wrestling matches,” said the
mature, obviously cultured telephone caller. The
caller was a Perry widow, aged between 45-50,
who lost her husband within the past few years.
“What you wrote about those young singles
applies to older widows too! Life alone is a living
h—, especially when you’re use to a husband
coming home at five or six o’clock.”
VOL. 106 NO. 30
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The Perry Chamber of Commerce Tuesday
afternoon officially closed the purchase of a home
owned by the Paschal Muse estate on Washington
Street. The sale took place at the law office of Bob
Richardson. Left to right are: Mrs. Paschal
Muse; David Muse; Chamber executive vice
«—■««i ' ' "■ - I “ "L^
Operates From Perry Office
Drinnon Named State
Sanitarian Os The Year
Twenty-seven year old
Houston County Sanitarian
Jim Drinnon has been
named 1976 county
"Sanitarian of the Year"
by the state registered
£ sanitarian association.
Drinnon operates out of the
Houston Health Depart
ment offices in Perry.
There are 450 members
in the association, and
ncn everyone
wnip diiecOon.
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i Jim Drinnon With Plaque
/fe Houston Home Journal
Published Every Thursday At Perry, Georgia- - - A Certified Georgia City
each year two members
are selected for
recognition, one person
employed on a countywide
level, and one under the
auspices of the state. The
other winner is Jesse
Johnson of Augusta, with
the Department of
Agriculture.
James Robert Drinnon,
Jr. is the third Houston
Some Are Disillusioned, Withdrawn
The middleaged widow says she attends church
at a small congregation each Sunday, and adds
that there are other widows in the city too. She
feels that two few ways are available to meet
pleasant, nice men of her age range in Perry.
“Oh, sure, friends introduce me to men. But
blind dates are for the birds. After a while you
wonder who is your friend after all!” The widow is
not a newcomer to Perry, having lived here more
than a decade.
“I’m more withdrawn than I was a year ago at
this time. I’ve seen so many people out with
someone else’s husband or wife. I could tell you a
good bit about who will and who won’t.” (The HHJ
makes no judgment as to the extent of ex-
PERRY, HOUSTON COUNTY. GA„ THURSDAY JULY 22. 1976
president Elwyn McKinney; attorney Bob
Richardson (standing), Tom Holland - Chamber
treasurer; and Chamber president Jim Geiger.
The six room house will soon become the new
offices for the Chamber of Commerce, now
located in City Hall.
County sanitarian ever
selected as "5.0.T.Y.".
The others are Joel
Adkins, who is District
director; and former
Sanitarian Eucle George of
Warner Robins.
Drinnon, his wife
Suzanne, four year old son
Jimmy 111, and four week
old son Steven live on
Camellia Circle in Warner
Robins. Jim was born in
New Jersey, grew up in
Warner Robins, and
graduated from Norfhside
High in 1967. He obtained a
B.S. in Biology from
Mercer in 1971.
After teaching school for
a few months, Drinnon
joined the Sanitarian field
in 1971, and went to Put
nam County, where he
served until 1973. In
Putnam County, Drinnon
set up a rodent control
program for Eatonton, an
animal control program, a
sanitary landfill, and a
bonding program for
sepfic sank contractors.
In 1973 Jim Harden was
transferred from Perry to
Warner Robins, and
Drinnon moved to Perry
from Eatonton, He has
helped establish a better
housing program for
Perry, developed a slide
presentation tor food
service, and engineered o
food sanitation program
here. He supervises the
food program for all
commercial establish
ments, daycare programs,
and tourist ac
commodations.
Jim is presently working
toward a Master's degree
in Administration at
Georgia College, Robins
Graduate Center in
Warner Robins. He is
current president of the
Middle Georgia chapter of
the Environmental Health
Association, and mem
bership committee
chairman tor the state
organization.
The young man is a
Lieutenant in the Army
Reserve, a charter
member of Centerville
First United Methodist,
and a first aid advisor to
the Boy Scouts.
He lists as hobbies
playing tennis, collecting
"black powder" guns,
guitar, and folk music. The
family has two dogs and a
cat.
tramarital activity here, and the opinions and
statements are those of the caller. Pretty ob
viously, some “going out” does occur here.)
The widow says that “nice women” are scared
for her to be around their husbands, as if she is a
bird of prey about to swoop down upon their
spouses.
“Most people, men and women, figure I’m
hungry, and looking. They ask me why I don’t
remarry. But I’m not out to get married again
unless I can find someone who’ll treat me like a
lady. I want neatness in a man. Many middleaged
men get sloppy.”
The widow plaintively adds, “I want to be with a
man I’m not ashamed to introduce to my kids, or
take to church with me. I don’t want to go to a
$350,000 City Expense
Sewage Treatment
Expansion Ordered
The Perry City Council
has learned that the city
sewage treatment plant
must be expanded by at
least one million gallons
per day capacity, by
directive of the En
vironmental Protection
Agency. Tuesday night
city consulting engineer
Elmo Richardson told the
Council that the present
plant on Frank Satterfield
Road "is not meeting state
and E.P.A. standards."
He and an associate, Joe
Wright, of the Macon firm
of Tribble and Richardson,
were in Perry for the last
of three public hearings on
the matter. Richardson
revealed that while the
city's permit calls for
dumping one million
gallons a day of treated
sewage into Big Indian
Creek, at present between
1.3 and 1.5 million gallons
go into the creek each day.
He said the city can get a
federal sewage treatment
grant that will pay 75
percent of any expansion
necessary. The city must
choose to either expand its
plant to two million
gallons, or as Richardson
suggests, expand to a three
million gallons a day
capacity. If the first option
is selected, Richardson
estimated construction
cost at SBOO-850,000. Should
the second option be
selected, total construction
cost will be about 20 per
cent higher, or around a
million dollars.
Richardson stated, "The
city has to meet state and
federal wastewater
standards. Suspended
solids in the present plant
are above the desired level
of the E.P.A. And your
hydraulic flow into the
plant is 150 percent of
suggested capacity."
Richardson and Wright
are working on an "in
filtration- inflow
analysis". The study
shows that large amounts
of storm water somehow
finds its way into sewage
lines in Perry. Citing
figures, Richardson said
that the expected flow of
sewage, based on water
usage, should be about
735,000 gallons a day.
instead 1,378,000 gallons
was recently measured
here. This is almost twice
above expected flow.,
The study currently
underway is trying to
determine exactly where
problem areas are, and
has already to some ex
tent. But Richardson said
that further work will be
required, including exact
pinpointing of leaks in
sewage lines by placing a
TV camera into the lines.
Manhole inspections will
also be necessary.
Nature of the problem is
seen by knowledge that
"inflow" into the sewage
lines from outside sources
is over 700,000 gallons a
day in normal wet
weather. This is one major
reason the plant is
overloaded.
"With a two inch rain,
you will have an Inflow of
4.5 million gallons a day.
One area for instance, just
off U.S. 341, around Forest
Avenue, an Inch rain
raised inflow from 100,000
To Accept Thomasville Post
Westfield Headmaster
Aaron Turner Resigns
Aaron W. Turner, 41,
Headmaster at Westfield
Schools the past two years
has resigned his position
effective July 31 to accept
the Headmaster's position
at Brook wood School In
Thomasville.
Turner came to West
field from Woodward
Academy In College Park
in July, 1974. He and his
wife, Betty, and son Jim,
presently live on Kenwood
Drive, but will move to
Thomasville, along with
daughter Nena, 19, a
sophomore at Georgia
Southwestern.
Brook wood School is a
Class A SEAIS member
school, with about 375
students. Turner added
that Brookwood is fully
accredited by the Southern
Association of Colleges and
Schools, and the Georgia
Accrediting Association.
In addition, the school is a
member of the National
motel, I’m looking for something more lasting and
fulfilling.”
That woman obviously spoke from experience,
and was growing progressively disillusioned and
disheartened. Most Perryans would be surprised
to learn that such lives are present in this city.
Most likely not all and perhaps no more than just a
few widows, and widowers are so depressed, but
the call brings to the surface the needs of nearly
forgotten segments of life here.
Dating, marriage, divorce, death of a mate- all
are traumatic in one sense or another. These are
the times of stress, according to psychologists,
and these are the areas where not much
assistance is available.
- -
gallons to over one million
gallons!" Richardson said.
He suggested in some
instances manholes are
being submerged in dit
ches, and also broken pipes
almost certainly exist in
some places. The E.P.A.
will also fund 75 percent
costs of the required
surveys, and that survey
plus repairs is estimated
to cost about $200,000.
Once the current inflow
problems are eliminated,
Richardson said the
E.P.A. estimates that by
1998, the city will be
dumping 2,039,000 gallons
of sewage a day into its
treatment plant. But he
added, "This is based on
just a 10 percent growth in
industrial facilities, or no
more than 185,000 gallons
industrial plus normal
population expansion."
Richardson suggested
that if a single major
company locates here, it
Association of Independent
Schools (N.A.1.5.), and the
Mid South A.I.S. Turner
said, "This was an op
portunity I felt that I
couldn't refuse. I've en
joyed my time here and
wish Westfield well In the
future."
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Aaron Turner
24 PAGES
alone may well add mote
than 185,000 gallons a day
of sewage. Magee Carpet,
which treats Its own
sewage, provides more
than 300,000 gallons a day.
A little over a year ago
the Council studied the
sewage situation and
proposed building a plant
with total capacity of three
million gallons a day. But
the idea was tabled
because no hope seemed to
exist for gefting any kind
of grant.
"A little pressure"
resulted In the city being
placed on the priority list,
and now the city can
receive the 75-25 federal
grant for expansion. But if
the city builds a plant
larger than the E.P.A.
recommends, everything
above the recommended
level must be paid entirely
locally.
In other words, the
(Cont. on page 2-A.)
Asked what he con
sidered major
achievements at Westfield
in the last two years.
Turner answered with a
list that Includes the
vocational Interest
program for seniors,
science trips to Osslbaw
Island, the school gaining
accreditation by the
G.A.A. for the first time, In
1975-76; other educational
trips; expansion of
business courses; and the
attracting of foundation
grants for Westfield.
Turner has a Master of
Arts degree from Furman
University In Greenville,
South Carolina. He was at
Woodward over 15 years,
and was associate
academy headmaster and
high school principal. He
taught Latin several years,
served as a guidance
counselor, academic dean,
and director of admissions
at various times.