Newspaper Page Text
WEEKEND
EDITION
250
Perry & Houston County's
official Legal Organ
SATURDAY, JANUARY 15, 1994
Action
packed!
Stars , champions
featured at horse
futurity today
BY BRENDA THOMPSON
Staff Writer
Champions and stars will be
standing out from the rest of the
herd tonight as the Second Annual
Georgia National Cutting Horse
Futurity and Classic culminates in
an action-packed show at the
Georgia National Fairgrounds and
Agricenter.
Slated to begin at 7 p.m.,
tonight’s show is the grand finale
of the six day, $300,000 purse
show and will include both a non
professional and a professional final
competition as well as a special
star-studded Celebrity Cutting Class
to be held just prior to the finals.
Celebrities scheduled to appear
in the Celebrity Cutting Class are
country singer Lynn Anderson,
country music radio broadcaster Bob
Kingsley, country singer Karen
Brooks, race car driver Johnny
Rutherford, football hall of famer
and Pittsburg Steeler Mel Blount
and former Braves coach and
Cincinnati Reds third base and hit
ting coach Dave Bristol.
Tickets for the Saturday evening
performance are $lO for adults and
$3 for children. All events are in
the Agricenter’s Reaves Arena.
Having started on Monday, the
Second Annual Georgia National
Cutting Horse Futurity and Classic
was expected to draw more than
1,000 riders, owners and trainers
from throughout the United States
and Canada for the competitions.
Spectator attendance was ex
pected to surpass the 10,000 mark,
with standing room only crowds
BOE may move to non-partisan elections
By VETO F. ROLEY
Staff Writer
If Houston County Board of Ed
ucation Chairman Zell Blackmon
has his way, the school board will
soon move to non-partisan elec
tions.
"It (a non-partisan election) can
open up the doors to many other
people," said Blackmon, adding
there was a "wealth of talent" that
could be tapped by non-partisan
school board elections. In particu
lar, he said making the school board
elections non-partisan will open the
board up to Robins Air Force Base
employees. "They can not be part
of partisan elections," he noted.
"You don't need to be Republi
can or Democrat to serve on the
school board," said Blackmon.
Blackmon introduced his pro
posal during the board's work ses
sion Tuesday, Jan. 11. The board
tabled until a special called board
WGood
morning, Perry
The community's sympathy is ex
tended to the families of those who
recently died. They include: Mary
Elizabeth Ward, Macon; Willie
James Porter Sr., Macon; Mrs.
Hazel Harris Jones, Newnan;
Henry Clay Thornton Sr., Union
Point. For more information please
see Page 2A.
BILL OVERTON 5A
CLASSIFIED M
DEATHS m
EDITORIALS 4A
PERRY SCRAPBOOK 4A
JIM SHIPLEY 4A
'o ! MM* \ J J k *F
Alan Inks, a horse trainer from Pilot Point, Texas, and champion horse Eatin’ Out prepare for the
showring Friday morning at the Second Annual Georgia National Cutting Horse Futurity and
Classic. The show continues through this evening at the Agricenter.
predicted for the final two nights.
Estimated economic impact on
Perry: $35,000-$75,000 each day of
the event
One of the fastest growing
equine sports in the United States,
cutting offers tremendous excite
ment and drama for horse, rider and
spectators alike, the object being to
select a calf from the herd and then
gently guide it into the center of
the arena. The entire process re
quires lightning fast starts and turns
as the rider attempts to prevent the
meeting Tuesday, Jan. 18.
School board members will also
get a SSO raise to attend school
board meetings. Starting Jan.,
1995, school board members will
receive $l5O a month, up from the
current SIOO a month they currently
receive.
"It's been 30 years since the
school board received a pay in
crease," said Blackmon, who made
the motion to increase the pay. "It
will not affect me," he added, since
he announced that he would not
seek re-election later this year.
In addition to the $l5O a month
for regular meetings, board mem
bers will also receive SSO for each
called meeting, committee meeting
or conference they attend. However,
they will be paid for no more than
four meetings.
Blackmon said the increase in
pay was needed to keep Houston
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Tag office unveils Olympic tag
Houston County Tag Office employees unveiled the new Olympic tag by wearing tee-shirts com
memorating the new tag. The tag, which will be good until 1997, is Issued in conjunction with the
Centennial Olympics, which will be held In Atlanta. Shown are clerics (l-r) Hazel kersey, Wanda
Williamson and Clara Fowler. County residents have until May 1,1994, to purchase or renew their
tags.
PERRY, GEORGIA’S HOMETOWN NEWSPAPER SINCE 1870-FQR COVERAGE OF YOUR £ VENTS.
f The Houston Homef
Journal
1 SECTION—B PAGES, PLUS SALES CIRCULAR
calf from ducking past the horse and
escaping back to the herd.
Cutting has its origins in the
Old West. Ranchers used the cut
ting horse to separate individual cat
tle and move them into corrals or
pens. When the cattle drives were
formed, the cutting horse was in
valuable to the trail boss in form
ing the herd.
Today, the sport of cutting
attracts men and women alike, from
across the nation and from all walks
of life, and, like skating or
County in line with other school
systems.
Beginning in February, the board
decided to hold its regular work ses
sion the Monday evening before
their regular Tuesday meeting. The
work session is an open meeting,
said the board's attorney Tom
Daniel.
In other business, the board
agreed to adopt the recommenda
tions of the Middle School Grading
Committee concerning minimum
six week and semester grades.
The committee came before the
board in December with the rec
ommendation that students in the
middle schools be given a mini
mum grade of 50 for six week and
semester grades. All other grades
would have a minimum grade of
zero.
The board sent the committee
back to take another look at the
gymnastics, is judged by a panel of
experts who rate the horses’
performances in points. Each
judge’s point rating may range from
60 to 80 points.
This week’s show in Perry is
presented by the Peach State Cut
ting Horse Association headquar
tered in Americus and is sanctioned
by the National Cutting Horse As
sociation in Fort Worth, Texas.
Local and area sponsors include,
the City of Perry, Sooner Trailers,
Please see FUTURITY, page 8A
recommendations before the January
meeting. Dr. Bill Adams told the
board Jan. 11 that the committee's
recommendations had not changed.
However, the committee did rec
ommend that the grading procedure
be adopted as an administrative pro
cedure’rather than a board policy.
Committee member Mary Mantiply
said the difference was that hoard
policy set the direction for the
school system, while administrative
procedure "is more specific than
policy is."
The board also voted to accept
Gary McLure to fill out Eddie
Causey's unexpired term on the
board. McLure, a vice president
with C.B.&T. Bank in Warner
Robins was chosen after Causey
was forced to resign because he
moved his residence outside of his
post's boundaries.
PERRY, GA.
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GEORGIA NEWSPAPER PROJECT
U. GA MAIN LIBRARY
ATHENS GA 30602
Blackmon
reflects on
BOE tenure
Board chairman Zell Blackmon
discusses past and future of BOE
By VETO F. ROLEY
Staff Writer
When Zell Blackmon ends his
term this year, the Houston County
Board of Education will lose eight
years of experience, the last two
coming as chairman of the board.
Blackmon surprised his col
leagues on the board announcing
Jan. 11 that he would not run for
re-election. "It's been a complete
joy for me to serve," he said. "I
don't believe that I should be jelfish
for those years (four more should he
win re-election). There are other
people out there who have the en
ergy and who would like to con
tribute. Eight years is enough."
Contributing to his decision not
to seek re-election was the fact he
has three children in college next
year. Also his business. National
Bank Products, was expanding
beyond its current 14 states. "It’s a
huge responsibility," he said. "I feel
like I've got to give more (the
business)."
In addition to serving on the
school board, Blackmon serves as
the Chairman of the Georgia Pro
fessional Standards Commission, a
position where he reports directly to
the governor. As the chairman,
Blackmon signs every teaching cer
tificate awarded in the state.
"We had great teachers and
staffs," said Blackmon of his seven
years on the board. "We had a good
basis and foundation for a good
education system."
Blackmon said one of the first
challenges faced by the school board
when he was first elected in 1986
was the passage of and underfunding
Just a call away...
Contact representatives on important issues
•Johnny W. Floyd (D) represents the 138th House District
which includes parts of Houston, Crisp and Dooly counties and
Pulaski County.
Elected in 1989, Floyd is a member of the following committees:
Natural Resources & Environment, Retirement and Agriculture &
Consumer Affairs of which he is a vice-chairman.
A businessman from Cordele, Floyd's capitol address is 401D
Legislative Office Bldg., Atlanta 30334 and his phone number at the
capitol is (404)656-0152.
•Robert Ray (D) represents the 128th House District which
includes parts of Houston, Bibb, Peach and Crawford counties.
Elected in 1982, Ray is a member of the following committees:
Appropriations, Industry of which he is secretary; Agriculture &
Consumer Affairs.
A farmer from Fort Valley, Ray's capitol address is 601 H
Legislative Office Bldg., Atlanta 30334 and his phone number at
the capfiol is (404)656-0254.
•Larry Walker (D) represents the 141st House District which
includes parts of Houston, Crisp and Dooly counties.
Elected in 1972, Walker, besides having the distinction of House
Majority Leader, is a member of the following committees:
Judiciary, Appropriations, Ethics, Rules and Special Rules (policy).
An attorney from Perry, Walker's capitol address is 415 Capitol
Bldg., Atlanta 30334 and his phone number at the capitol is
(404)656-5024.
•Roy. H. "Sonny” Watson Jr. (D) represents the
139th House District which includes part of Houston County.
Elected in 1975, Watson is a member of the following commit
tees: Industry, of which he is chairman; Appropriations and Rules.
From Warner Robins, Watson's occupation is insurance, real es
tate. His capitol address is 226 Capitol Bldg., Atlanta 30334 and his
phone number at the capitol is (404)656-5115.
•Sonny Perdue (D) represents the 18th Senate District
which includes Houston, Bleckley and Pulaski counties and part of
Bibb County.
Elected in 1990, Perdue is a member of the following commit
tees: Finance & Public Utilities, Appropriations, Economic
Development, Tourism & Cultural Affairs and Higher Education of
which he is the chairman.
A Bonaire resident, Perdue's occupation is Agribusiness. His capi
tol address is 327A Legislative Office Bldg., Atlanta 30334 and his
phone number at the capitol is (404)656-6892.
124TH YEAR—VOLUME 5
HJR Wjgm
I
Zell Blackmon
of QBE. He said the county had not
built any new schools in two
decades.
One of the mandates of QBE,
said Blackmon, was smaller class
room sizes. That combined with the
growth of the county forced the
board to build new schools and
renovate existing classrooms and
schools.
While the board was building the
new schools, Blackmon said the
board was also able to work on air
conditioning the schools in the sys
tem.
Blackmon said the board paid
special attention to the need "to
teach technology and using tech
nology to teach." He said the board
put a sizable portion of the budget
into technology.
"The board has evolved to a
point where we try to stay out of
administration," said Blackmon. He
added that the board tried to set
policies, while letting the superin-
Please see BLACKMON, page 8A