Newspaper Page Text
March 9, 2022
tReporter
Page 7A
EVANS
Continued from 1A
a life-long love of sports,
particularly basketball. He
played basketball for the
Hubbard High School Tigers
from 1951-54, played for
Fort Valley State University
and then competed for the
U.S. Air Force Rockets of
Vincent AF in Yuma, Az. On
the Air Force team Evans
played across the U.S. and in
England and Germany dur
ing his four-year tour of duty.
After active duty, Evans
returned to Middle Georgia
and worked as a civilian at
Robins AFB. He was mar
ried to Georgia, who has also
been active in the Monroe
County community. They
have two sons, Lin and
Dwain, and one daughter,
Madelyne.
Evans initially joined the
school board when board
members were appointed
and school superintendents
were elected. But when that
flipped, he continued to
be re-elected to term after
term. He served as chairman
of the board from January
1996-January 2007 and
then served as vice chair.
He always supported the
school systems extracur
ricular activities and was
constantly seen at basketball
games cheering on the Mary
Persons Bulldogs as well as at
football games, track meets
and other events.
In 2008 the Board of Edu
cation named the Mary Per
sons gym in honor of Evans,
and the Reporters camera
captured a genuine smile
of delight on his face at the
re-naming and dedication
of the gym in his honor. He
received a standing ovation
from the fans at the game. In
2009 his family established
the James P. Evans Jr. Schol
arship Fund.
“He was a gentleman and
a good friend,” said No
len Howard, who served
with Evans on the Monroe
County School board from
February 1993 until his pass
ing. “He was well respected
and well loved.”
Howard and Evans
conferred over many school
board matters over the years.
Howard said they didn’t al
ways agree but always came
up with better solutions by
working through things
together. Howard said Evans
had a great sense of humor
and once played a rather in
volved practical joke on him
that he had to admire.
“I never saw it coming,”
said Howard. “It was an all-
time classic.”
Superintendent Dr. Mike
Hickman said he first got
to know Evans in the 1980 s
and 1990 s as one of the
regular players at the Forsyth
Golf Course. From admir
FIGHT
Continued from 1A
allegedly seen on multiple
videos posted to social
media throwing punches
at a Jackson High School
cheerleader in a post
game melee.
The sheriff’s office had
originally said it would
let the schools handle
discipline in the matter.
But sheriff Brad Free
man said there was some
concern that one of the
two schools may handle it
differently than the other
so they decided to let the
sheriff’s office handle it.
Monroe County investiga
tor Sam Leggett worked
with Upson-Lee adminis
trators to identify Perry.
Freeman said that Up
son players complained
that the Jackson cheer
leaders stirred them up,
but said that wasn’t a good
defense.
“Isn’t that their job?”
said Freeman. “I guess
they were successful.”
The videos show Jack-
son cheerleaders trying
to hold back one of their
members and then an
Upson-Lee player, ap
parently Perry, swinging
her hand at the Jackson
cheerleader by the doors
on the gym floor. Chaos
ensued as coaches and
sheriff’s deputies tried to
restrain the girls and keep
them apart. A Jackson
High School female staffer
is seen on the video tak
ing a cheerleader to the
ground to prevent her
from retaliating. Fans
meanwhile, who were
arriving for the MP game
after the Upson-Jackson
contest, were sent fleeing
the floor area to avoid get
ting pulled into the melee.
No MP students were
involved. Upson-Lee lost
the girls game to Jackson.
This video is thought to show the Upson-Lee player assault
ing the Jackson cheerleader after the region tournament
game at the MP gym. (Special to the Reporter)
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ing him as a good golfer,
Hickman came to know
Evans professionally after he
began working for the school
system as a teacher, school
level administrator and then
a member of the central of
fice team in 2011.
“He was always straight
forward,” said Hickman. “He
was always very helpful and
very supportive.”
Hickman said Evans had
a good sense of humor
but was also a stickler for
keeping the board on task,
checking off agenda items as
they were covered at board
meetings.
“He didn’t like long meet
ings,” said Hickman. When
Evans felt there had been
enough discussion, he would
ask, “Are we ready to vote
on it?”
Through the years, Evans
helped different boards and
different superintendents
work through a variety of
issues, some of which went
full circle and came back
to the board repeatedly. He
worked with superinten
dents Charles Dumas, Scott
Cowart, Anthony Pack and
Hickman.
Evans was ordained a
deacon at Mt. Gilead Baptist
Church in Forsyth in 1964.
He coached 12-13-year-old
boys in the basketball league
at Monroe County Rec
reation Department from
1970-79.
“He had a fruitful life and
did a lot of good things,” said
Hickman.
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