Newspaper Page Text
MIDWEEK
EDITION
250
Perry & Houston County's
official Legal Organ
WEDNESDAY, MAY 5,1993"
Jim West killed in car accident
BY BRENDA THOMPSON
Staff Writer
The flags in front of Perry City
Hall were flying half mast Tuesday
momin/.
Inside, the employees of the
Perry Police Department, like much
of the city, were numbed by the
news that one of their co-workers,
long-time Police Officer Jim West
had been killed Monday evening in
a one car accident.
According to reports, Sgt. West
Well
blessed
Alice Pitzer loved
by all 60 other
grandchildren
BY BRENDA THOMPSON
Staff Writer
Alice Pitzer sits in her living
room. Ivory skin, rosy cheeks and a
sweet smile.
Everything a grandmother is
supposed to be.
She beams at her newest great
grandchild, nine-month-old Morgan
Strickland, trying to take her first
steps and then chuckles as the little
one, befuddled by the natural force
of gravity, returns to her knees and
gingerly scuttles away.
“Isn’t she sweet,” Mrs. Pitzer, a
Perry resident of 30-plus years, says
in a tone that might lead one to
think this is her very first grand
child.
But, despite her obvious display
of love and pride, Morgan is far
from Mrs. Pitzcr’s first grgnd or
great grandchild. She is number 60
and, as Mrs. Pitzer is quick to point
out, just as special as numbers one
through 59!
On her mantle sit hundreds of
photographs; just what one would
expect to see in the home of some
one with 60 grandchildren—2s
grands and 35 greats.
There are grinning babies, suc
cessful graduates, elegant prom
queens, happy families, brides,
grooms and a soldier or two.
She calls them each by name
and, upon request, can recite their
birthdays, their likes and dislikes
and anything else one might want
to know. She knows them all for
wards and backwards and even has a
pretty good idea which one is the
most likely to present her with
grandchild number 61.
On holidays, and almost every
day in between, she welcomes them
with open arms as they wander in
and out of her home. And, like the
true grandmother that she is, she
Aerospace
program will
train students
By ROBIN BOOKER
Staff Writer
The Houston County School
System, in conjunction with
Middle Georgia Technical Institute
and Macon College, is teaming up
with Northrop, Boeing and
McDonnell Douglas to provide new
and innovative opportunities for
Houston County students.
The school is implementing its
Youth Apprenticeship Program in
Aircraft Structural Technology next
year with a class of 20 juniors who
are committed to following the
program through to graduation. As
part of the program, summer in
ternships with the participating in
dustries will be offered, which may
lead to permanent positions in the
future.
The program is designed for ju
niors exhibiting good work habits
and a willingness to take a demand
ing sequence of high school and
post secondary courses that are re
lated to their future employment in
the aerospace industry. The 20 stu
dents selected to participate include
Perry High School students April
Mobley, Michelle Meadows,
Demetria Johnson, Sherika Hill,
Savoye Lawson and Phatcma
PERRY, GEORGIA’S HOMETQWN NEWSPAPER SINCE 1870--FOR COVERAGE OF YOUR EVENTS, CALL 987-1823
■The Houston Home*
Journal
was traveling south on Valley
Drive in Perry around 7 p.m. when
he apparently lost control of his
vehicle, crossed the center line,
struck a fence and overturned. Early
investigations indicate that he was
ejected and that the most obvious
injury was to his neck. He was
transported to the Perry Hospital
and was pronounced dead shortly
after.
West was off duly and driving a
1
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(HHJ photo by Brenda Thompson)
Four generations of the Alice Pitzer Family pose for the Home Journal. From left to right are:
“Greatmama” Alice Pitzer, nine-month-oid Morgan Strickland, Jody Strickland and Barbara Tyson.
Morgan is “Greatmama” Pitzer’s 60th grandchild. No kidding!
keeps the cookie jar filled, a pot of
her family’s favorite homemade
noodles on the stove and laundry
baskets filled with toys in nearly
every comer.
She smiles modestly when they
tell her how wonderful she is and
that they are so glad she is their
“greatmama”.
“Greatmama”. That’s what all 60
of her grandchildren call her. And
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Twenty Houston County juniors were selected to participate in the Middle Georgia Aerospace
Youth Apprenticeship Program to begin next year in the Houston County schools.
Whitehead, who endured an inten
sive interview process to be selected
for the program.
"This program will provide a
real transition from school to work
for many of our students," said
Vocational Supervisor Toby Hill.
"This will not be a dead end pro
gram, but a step-by-step program
2 SECTIONS—2O PAGES, PLUS SALES CIRCULARS
“Jim was a dedicated law enforcement
professional and will be greatly missed by
all of us. ”
-Perry Police Chief Frank Simons.
personal vehicle, a jeep, at the
time of the accident. The cause of
the accident is unknown and it is
the name, without a doubt, suits
her perfectly.
Alice Pitzer moved to Perry in
1951. A native of Illinois and a
long-time resident of Indiana, she
says she and her husband went
searching for a warmer climate. She
chose Perry and has been here since.
It is her home, and the home of
many of her children, grandchildren
and great grandchildren.
whereby our students work toward
fulfilling career goals while still in
high school."
The students will take normal
courses at their home schools each
morning but will move over to
Warner Robins High each afternoon
for their apprenticeship classes.
Participating industry representa
tives are excited about the program
hoped that continuing investiga
tions will shed some light on the
matter. An autopsy was conducted
Before he died several years ago,
Pitzcr’s husband owned and operated
a dairy farm in Perry, Pitzer Dairy.
One of their sons, Grubby Pitzer,
and his sons now run it.
Other children responsible for
the growing Pitzer clan are Laura
Long of Ladoga, Indiana, Barbara
Tyson and James Pitzer, both of
Perry, and Floyd Pitzer of Franklin-
Please see PITZER, page 12A
and look forward to working with
the schools to produce employees
for their industry in the future.
"We can buy machines, we can
buy buildings, and we can buy ma
terials," said Jack Quinn of
Northrop. "We can't buy good peo
ple, though, and that's what this
program will produce."
1 %
and results are expected in two to
three weeks, Chief Simons said.
Simons further stated that there
were no indications of alcohol use
found at the scene of the accident.
The son of Evelyn Pius West of
Cordcle and the late Tommy J.
West, the 54-ycar-old Sgt. West had
just celebrated his 20lh anniversary
with the Perry Police Department
on March 15. He had served that
Please see WEST, page 9A
City Hall to close
for West funeral
BY BRENDA THOMPSON
Staff Writer
Perry City Hall will close its
doors for a period of time Wednes
day afternoon to allow its employ
ees to attend the 2 p.m. funeral for
Sgt. Jim West, the Perry police of
ficer killed in a one car accident
Monday evening.
Plans to close the public facility
were announced by City Manager
Marion Hay during the regularly
scheduled meeting of the Perry City
Council Tuesday evening.
In other matters, Councilman
Buddy Roper updated fellow council
members on the progress of the
proposed OAC/Rccrcation facility
Local chamber drive
nets 45 new members
BY BRENDA THOMPSON
Staff Writer
The 1993 Perry Area Chamber
of Commerce’s Membership Drive
was a rousing success, according to
Chamber Executive Director Peggie
Williams.
Held April 26-30, the drive net
ted 45 new chamber members, only
five short of the organization’s 50
member goal. Follow-up calls this
week are expected to meet and per
haps even surpass the goal.
Using the theme, “Battle of the
Ages”, this year’s membership
drive chairman, Jim Sexton, divided
volunteers into three age groups.
The three groups then competed to
see who could solicit the most
County makes payment
after losing court suit
By ROBIN BOOKER
Staff Writer
The Houston County Board of
Commissioners voted Tuesday to
approve the payment of $93,302.35
plus court costs and interest fees to
the Macon-Bibb County Hospital
Authority. The payment comes as a
result of a ruling by the State Court
of Appeals concerning a suit filed
against Houston County for
Good
morning, Perry
Deaths
Sgt. Jim Kenneth West, Perry;
James W. Benford, Eatonton.
For details, please see page
SA.
INDEX
AGRICENTER EVENTS 9A
CLASSIFIED 11A
CALENDAR EVENTS 5A
JANICE KERCE 2B^
DEATH NOTICES _____ 5A
EDITORIALS 4A
BRENDA THOMPSON 4A
LEGAL NOTICES 4B
TIM LEWIS _ 4B
POLICE REPORT 2A
REMEMBER WHEN “ 4A
123RD YEAR—VOLUME 36
wmm: x-vx
Sgt. Jim West
at Rozar Park in Perry.
According to Roper, who chairs
the council’s Community Better
ment Committee, plans are to break
ground on the facility this fall, pro
vided the $400,000 federal grant
which is being applied for is
awarded.
Furthermore, Roper said, his
committee is in the process of or
ganizing a task force of community
leaders and citizens to assist in the
creation of fund-raising activities
for the facility. Letters of request
are expected to be mailed out to
prospective members this Friday.
The possibility of a community
Please see CITY, page 10A
members.
Taking the 1993 membership
drive championship were the “Team
Tccthcrs”, led by Marti Tolleson ,
with 21 new members. Davis
Cosey’s “Team Whcczcrs” and Jim
O’Neal’s “Team Geezers” tied for
second place with 12 new members
each.
The volunteers were saluted at a
victory dinner Friday evening at the
Buzzard’s Roost in Perry.
New members of the Perry Area
Chamber of Commerce include:
Pete Stokes Builders, Inc., First
Franklin Financial Corp., Accurate
Auto Detailing, Amos and
Please see DRIVE, page 10A
payment of medical fees incurred by
a former Houston County inmate.
Bernard Dale Camps was an in
mate in the Houston County jail in
1989 when he attempted to hang
himself. He lapsed into a coma and
was transferred to Bibb County for
medical treatment, where he died
approximately one year later. The
Medical Center of Central Georgia
requested that Houston County pay
the medical bills accrued during
Camps' hospital stay, but Houston
County officials did not feel the
county was legally responsible for
the bills.
Suit was filed against the county
in 1992 for payment, but the judge
Please see COUNTY, page 12A
Rep. Walker
recognized for
his efforts
By ROBIN BOOKER
Staff Writer
Representative Larry Walker was
recognized as one of the state's
most effective legislators by the
Association of County
Commissioners of Georgia and was
awarded a plaque for his efforts at
the Tuesday meeting of the
Houston County Commission.
Walker was given the 1993
Legislative Service Award for his
service during this year's General
Assembly. The association presents
the awards annually to legislators
who have endeavored to help pass
legislation beneficial to counties.
Please see WALKER, page 12A