Newspaper Page Text
November 4, 2009
^Reporter
PAGE 7A
Accident
continued from the front
probably just didn't see
anyone coming. Barkley
tried to avoid Ligeikis,
but was unable to do so,
said a sheriffs accident
report. Two witnesses
told school resource offi
cer Clay Maddox that the
nearby crossing guard
had not stopped traffic
and had not given
Ligeikis permission to
cross, according to the
report.
No one was cited in the
accident.
Christina underwent
two surgeries last week,
one to remove a blood
clot and another to
remove a piece of her
skull to allow the
swelling in her brain.
She came through the
surgeries well and doc
tors have told the family
that she is doing as well
as can be expected, said
Mrs. Ligeikis. She did
have some bleeding and
bruising on her brain.
But Christina is respond
ing to the sound of peo
ple's voices and seems to
understand.
Mr. Ligeikis said they
deeply appreciate the
overwhelming response
from friends, family and
church members to
Christina's injuries.
"It has taken me away
how people have stepped
forward and have eased
the burden quite a bit,"
said Mr. Ligeikis. "There
are too many people to
name."
Christina has been an
active member of the
First Baptist Church
youth choir. The First
Baptist Youth are having
a benefit yard sale for
Christina on Saturday,
Nov. 7 from 8 a.m. to 4
p.m. in the fellowship
hall of the church. To
donate items or for more
information, please call
Donna Sandusky at 478-
954-6846.
Mrs. Ligeikis said they
especially are thankful
for the love, the thoughts
and prayers of friends.
On Monday, Mr.
Ligeikis said doctors
were hoping Christina
could come off the venti
lator, perhaps later in the
day. That, said Mr.
Ligeikis, would be a big
step. He said doctors
then want to check for
the possibility of any
other injuries which they
haven't been able to
detect yet.
A fund has been set up
at Monroe County Bank
to help the family with
expenses.
Wald rep
continued from the front
them, 22 times.
After spending a few
years in the U.S.,
Waldrep returned to
Europe in 1952 as a
member of the Air
Rescue Service and was
stationed in France and
Germany. He primarily
flew cargo and passen
gers to and from military
bases in England, Spain,
France and Germany.
In 1956, he returned to
the states and was
assigned to the 89th Air
Transport Wing at the
Washington National
Airport. And while
Waldrep humbly insists
that his job wasn't a big
deal, the official mission
of his crew was "to pro
vide safe, reliable and
efficient transportation
for the President of the
United States, members
of the Cabinet,
members of
Congress,
Joint Chief of
Staff, and
other high
ranking
domestic and
foreign digni
taries."
Waldrep says
that safety
was the pri
mary concern
when training
for Air Force One flights.
"You can imagine the
consequences if we would
have failed our mission,"
he said.
From 1956-73, Waldrep
served as a pilot for peo
ple like Presidents Nixon
and Dwight Eisenhower,
Secretaries of State Dean
Rusk and John Foster
Dulles and many others.
"Dean Rusk was my
most frequent flyer, but I
carried Mr. Nixon pretty
often when he was the
Vice President," Waldrep
said. "Mr. Nixon always
liked to come up to the
cockpit and talk to the
pilots. He was real
friendly. We'd talk about
the weather, but we did
n't talk about politics
much, just normal con
versations."
Soon!
Kool Beans Coffee
&
Warthen Hall 1921
Diner & Gifts
211 Tift College Drive
Forsyth, GA
(Next to State
Farm Insurance)
You’ll read it here first.
m
Eeporter
One of the planes Waldrep flew in the Air Force.
d
Waldrep often flew
Eisenhower to his vaca
tion home in Gettysburg
or flew Nixon to various
events in New York. "I'd
pick [Nixon] up in
Washington at 4 p.m.
and he'd have his busi
ness suit on. When I
dropped him off at 10
p.m., he'd have his tuxe
do on. But you better
believe that by
the time we
were back in
Washington,
he'd have his
suit on again."
Waldrep said
with a grin.
"You can
imagine they
stayed in nice
places," he
said as he
WALDREP described the
luxurious
lifestyles led by
the politicians he flew.
"They'd put the crew up
too," he added as he
laughed. "It was a pretty
nice job, but it was a lot
of work, too."
A letter addressed to
Waldrep from President
Eisenhower thanking
him for his service con
cluded, "At any rate, I
want to make a record,
by means of this note, of
my appreciation to all of
you." But even as
Waldrep shared letter
after letter from the
numerous dignitaries he
flew, he firmly argued, "I
am not a hero. I was just
doing my job."
Waldrep remained in
the Air Force for six
more years, serving as a
rescue pilot. Stationed in
Japan, Waldrep's crew
was responsible for locat
ing and retrieving air
craft, specifically from
space missions, that had
missed their planned
landing. Waldrep's
planes provided support
for missions destined for
anywhere from Hong
Kong to Australia.
After over 12,000 flying
hours and 400 water
landings, Waldrep retired
in November of 1969, 40
years ago this month. He
and his wife, Dewildar B.
Waldrep, better known
as Dee Waldrep,
returned to Forsyth and
established their
home.Today, George and
Dee Waldrep have been
married for 58 years.
They are the only sur
vivors of their immediate
families and have no
children. At 88 years of
age, George is battling
cancer but says he’s
“looking forward to a
longer life.”
Mt. Zion United Methodist Church
U.M.W. Presents Their Annual
HOLIDAY MARKETPLACE
Saturday • Nouember i am - 3 pm
m
Rumble Road • Smarr.GA • 478-994-5897 or 994-5322
The last of their class - sort of
The last class of probation officers to take basic training at the
Georgia Public Safety Training Center graduated on Monday.
Forty-eight men and women took their oaths as new Georgia pro
bation officers. The next basic probation officer school will take
place at the new Department of Corrections facility at Tift College.
The graduating class collected about $250 for the Georgia Sher
iffs' Youth Homes and class president Gary Bell (middle, gray
suit) who will work out of the Jackson probation office, presented
the funds to Stan Reaves, director of development for the sheriffs'
youth homes.
PUBLIC NOTICE FROM YOUR LOCAL HOSPITALS
New Visitation Policy during Flu Season
EFFECTIVE
Monday, November 2, 2009
With H1N1 influenza circulating in the community and primarily affecting young
people, along with the onset of seasonal flu, local hospitals have joined together to
implement a new youth visitation policy for the protection of patients and visitors
to their facilities.
According to the CDC (Centers for Disease Control), those between the ages of 0-
16 are more likely to acquire and spread the flu and are more likely to be
hospitalized. Therefore, effective Monday, November 2, 2009, visitors to the
following hospitals must be 17 years of age or older to visit any area of the
facilities:
Coliseum Medical Centers
+ Coliseum Northside Hospital
+ Houston Medical Center
+ Perry Hospital
+ The Medical Center of Central Georgia
The new youth visitation policy will remain in effect throughout the current flu
season, or until further notice.
Hospital officials express their appreciation to the community for their
understanding and cooperation with these efforts to minimize exposure during this
active flu season.
(OLISEUM
Medical Centers
(a
OLISEUM
Northside Hospital
Houston Healthcare
North Central
ioJ Health District
Public Health for Middle Georgia
The Medical Center
of Central Georgia