Newspaper Page Text
Inside
f'intss
Women in
Business of
Middle Ga.
See 20-page
section, inside
MP freshman still in ICU
// §i
Everything is very encouraging. The rough part is having to wait. - John Ligeikis, father of Christina Ligeikis
BY WILL DAVIS
Mary Persons fresh
man Christina
Ligeikis remains in an
induced coma at the
Children's Hospital in
Macon after being hit
by a car in front of the
school last Tuesday
morning.
But her father, John
Ligeikis, said there
have been some prom
ising signs as doctors
begin to wean her off of
IV fluids, medication
LIGEIKIS
and the ICU equipment.
"Yesterday she heard
my wife's voice and sat
up," said Mr. Ligeikis,
adding that another
time his daughter tried
to get out of bed.
"Everything is very
encouraging. The rough
part is having to wait."
They're waiting
because doctors have
kept the 14-year-old in
a coma, wanting her to
use as little energy as
possible. Mr. Ligeikis
said they want her to save her
strength to heal and fight off an
infection.
Christina suffered head
injuries after being struck as
she crossed Brooklyn Avenue.
She was on her way to back to
the Freshman Campus at Mary
Persons at around 7:45 p.m.,
said her step-mother, Dusty
Ligeikis. Christina lives with
her mom and step-dad, Mike
and Miniver Roberts, across the
street from MP and walks to
school every day. Mrs. Roberts is
known as a friendly staff mem
ber at the Hong Kong Palace
Restaurant in Forsyth.
Mrs. Ligeikis said Christina
had forgotten something at
home and had returned to get it.
Christina ran into Brooklyn
Avenue toward school but
apparently didn't see Trista
Barkley of 54 Mays Street,
Forsyth, who was driving north
in her 1995 Honda Accord.
Christina's step-mom noted she
was in a hurry — carrying an
umbrella and big purse - and
See ACCIDENT page 7A
Sports
Can the
Bulldogs still
make the
playoffs?
See Page 1B
Trick-or-Treat!
See Halloween
photos on page 8C
Deaths
Ralph Tillman Bagley
Cindy Floyd Diaz
Mary Jones Hammontree
Francis Maddox
See Page 6A
Clownin’
around
with the
canines at
Country
Oaks
Dozens of pet owners dressed
up their beloved dogs (and
one pig) for the Halloween Pa
rade of Pets at Country Oaks
Farm and Pet Supply in Bol-
ingbroke on Saturday. At right
Jasmine Jenkins and Leah
Jenkins won a prize in the
Funniest category with their
clown dog. Below, a deter
mined Caleb Becker enjoyed
bobbing for apples. He didn’t
quit until he pulled one out
with his teeth. Other parade
winners: Most Attractive-Re-
gan Oliver’s “Rybbon”, a
Maltipoo dressed as an angel;
Most Unusual-Martha Smith’s
pig “Gordie” dressed as a
dog; Scariest-Ashley Ricks’
“Moby”, a bulldog/Lab
dressed as a spider witch;
Funniest-Hayden Floyd’s “Bai
ley,” a Jack Russel dressed as
a shark. See more Halloween
pictures on page8C.
College
starts in
Monroe
in 2010
The Monroe
County Board of
Education has
confirmed its
plans for the
former Monroe
Academy cam
pus. Beginning
in January
Central Georgia
Technical
College and
Macon State
College will
begin offering
courses in
Forsyth, as a
joint venture
with the
Monroe County
Board of
Education and
the
Development
Authority of
Monroe County.
School officials
said they’ll con
tinue to explore
College Fair
is Nov. 16
What: College
Fair for
prospective
students to
meet reps
from Central
Georgia Tech
and Macon
State.
When:
11 a.m.-2 p.m.,
6-8 p.m., Mon
day, Nov. 16
Where: Aider-
man Hall at the
Welcome
Center, 5 W.
Adams St.
other ways to
use the campus for educational oppor
tunities for grades pre-k through 12.
In preparation for the campus
opening, the chamber and develop
ment authority will host a College
Fair on Nov. 16 from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m.
See CAMPUS page 6A
TO “O
iS
O CO
S* ® O 8
® ** E _ o
•4- a =
<D O ^ ? 2
> o in oo
1/3 o L w w
V :■ | . 4
Forsyth’s Waldrep flew Nixon and
Eisenhower as an Air Force pilot
BY HILARY HOGG
ver 70 years ago, Monroe
County's George Waldrep
graduated from Mary Persons
High
of high school. Learning from the
professors at Gordon Military College
and using the flight facilities in
Griffin, Waldrep received his pilot's
license.
11.11,09
VETERANS DAY
School
began training
career as a
didn't expect
he'd be fly
ing some of
the
world's
top polit
ical leaders 20 years later.
Grandson of George
Washington Waldrep, Monroe
County's last survivor of the
I Civil War, Waldrep always
' had an interest in service and
began civil pilot training out
Mr. Nixon always liked to come up
to the cockpit and talk to the pilots.
He was real friendly.
- George Waldrep of Forsyth,
Air Force One pilot
After being
called into the Army Air Corps in
September of 1942, Waldrep went to New
Mexico and Arizona for primary and
basic glider flight training. He then
transferred into the Aviation Cadet
Program, and in June of 1944, he was
commissioned to Second Lieutenant and
awarded his Silver Wings.
For the next few months, Waldrep would train as a B-24 Bomber
pilot and join the war effort in Britain. As World War 2 came to its
conclusion, he was sent to Tezpur, India where he would spend
almost a year shipping high octane gasoline from India to bases in
China, flying over the the Himalayas, or "the Hump" as many call
See WALDREP page 7A