Newspaper Page Text
Page 4B
iReporter
April 26, 2023
Happy 100th Birthday, Roberta Smith!
By Diane Glidewell
news@mymcrnet
Roberta Smith retired
from Robins AFB in 1979
at the age of 56 and became
active at Monroe County
Senior Center later that
year. She has helped with
whatever needed to be
done at the Senior Center
over the years and has
participated in many cele
brations and special events,
including being crowned
queen at the Valentines
Day banquet and being
a featured speaker at the
90-100th birthday celebra
tions.
On Wednesday, April
26 it was Roberta Smith
Day at Monroe County
Senior Center as a gath
ering of at least 50 people
celebrated Ms. Robertas
100th birthday with a party
that was possibly the most
fun event ever held at the
Center (or at many other
venues.) Birthday parties
for centenarians are most
often fairly quiet, family
events, but that wasn’t the
case for Ms. Roberta as her
friends at the Senior Center
decided a rockin’ party was
the appropriate way to cele
brate the huge milestone in
her life.
Music was the guideline
for the day, dance music
and love songs that trig
gered memories and filled
the room with energy.
There was a showcase of
local talent as volunteers
took on the persona of
pop music, soul train and
rock stars, including Percy
Sledge, Patsy Cline, Ike &
Tina Turner, Elvis, Gladys
Knight, The Temptations,
Lenny Williams, Aretha
Franklin and Jerry Lee
Lewis with some line danc
ing in between.
“Thank you for coming
out to acknowledge this
wonderful lady; I’m blessed
to have known her,” said
Charlotte Johnson, who
coordinated the event, as
she welcomed everyone.
“This is all about having
fun.”
She invited those who felt
inclined to do so to get up
and dance while the artists
performed.
“How do I follow that?”
asked Mayor Eric Wilson
when it was his turn to
present a letter of recog
nition to Ms. Roberta. “I
tell you they’re not having
this much fun at the Youth
Center. The Senior Center
is the place to be.”
Wilson spoke of the
unique milestone it is to
reach 100 years and the
courage and persever
ance it requires. He noted
Ms. Roberta’s service to
Monroe County Senior
Center and to St. Luke
AME Church and her rec
ognition as Mother of the
Year in 1989. She married
Luther Smith Jan. 14,1945.
They have two daughters
and three grandchildren.
“You have joined an elite
club,” said Wilson.
“You are all wonderful,”
said Ms. Roberta. “I have
enjoyed you all. Thank
you!”
A serenade of Ms. Rober
ta with a Lenny Williams
love song that brought a
smile to her face followed
and then more party
music.
Several administrators
from Middle Georgia
Action Agency, which
oversees Monroe County
Senior Center, spoke of
what a blessing Ms. Rober
ta has been over the years.
“She is our queen,” said
Lreida White, who was
Monroe county Senior
Center director for 14
years. “Her encouragement
and her dedication made
me make those 14 years.
She started at age 56 and
volunteered until age 90;
then I had to sit her down.”
Lriends of Ms. Rober
ta brought her flowers,
includ
ing red,
white
and
yellow
roses.
She had
a special
“money
cake” as
well as
a huge
birthday
cake
made by
the local
Ingles
Bakery.
Lunch
was
served by
Monroe
County
Senior Center volunteers.
Ms. Roberta also had
a birthday celebration
with family members and
friends at Monroe County
Convention Center and
signs decorated her yard.
Her birthday was on April
19. She is the daughter of
Rev. B.T. Goodson and
Mrs. Iris Goodson. She
grew up in Lorsyth.
Those who attended
the 90-100th birthday
celebrations at the Senior
Center each October over
several years fondly recall
Ms. Roberta reciting the
poem, “The Stranger in the
House,” which is a humor
ous take on how unsettling
it is to notice the changes in
the mirror and the things
that seem altered as one
ages.
Ms. Ro
berta’s
friends
say they
can’t
wait to
cele
brate
her
101st
birth
day.
Mayor Eric
Wilson pres
ents Roberta
Smith, left, a
framed letter
of recogni
tion in honor
of her 100th
birthday.
Family
members,
including her
daughter,
Roberta Ho
gan, center,
share the
head table
with Smith
at her April
26th party.
Entertainment at Roberta Smiths birthday party at Monroe County Senior Center featured
many outstanding artists, including Ike & Tina Turner and their backup singers.
The many
many peo
ple who
contributed
to making
Roberta
Smiths
birthday
party a
succes
were
asked to
take a bow
together.
School
By Diane Glidewell
news@mymcr.net
Monroe County Board
of Education held a called
meeting on Tuesday, April
25 to approve personnel for
the 2023-24 school year.
After a 50-minute closed
door session, the board,
with all seven members
present, approved contracts
for returning certified em
ployees as well as approv
ing new personnel actions
recommended by school
administrators.
In addition to board
SLOAN
Continued from page 5A
Adding further insult to
women, Thomas was nom
inated for the 2022 NCAA
Woman of the Year Award,
again denying a nomination
to an actual woman.
A FINAL point, if an
8-year old child asked for a
beer, tequila shot, or cocaine
snort; a parent could be ar
rested for child abuse/endan-
germent if they gave alcohol
or dangerous drugs to that
child. Why? Because a child’s
body is still developing and
such drugs are much more
dangerous to young chil
dren than they are to adults.
Also, research has shown
that the human mind isn’t
fully developed until around
age 25. (That’s one reason
so many teens and young
adults make stupid decisions
- their brains haven’t fully
developed.) So, if society says
it’s illegal to give alcohol, nar
cotics, and dangerous drugs
to developing youths, why
would anyone agree to inject
irreversible hormones and
board splits vote on some teachers
member, assistant superin
tendents Alicia Elder and
Dr. Jim Linch and BOE
local attorney Natalie Sun-
deen were included in the
closed door session.
In approving contracts for
returning certified employ
ees, three individuals were
voted on separately because
of their relationship with
a school board member,
which necessitated that
board member abstain.
Those are Laurie Pippin at
Monroe County Achieve
ment Center, wife of Stuart
Pippin; Jessica Price at
Hubbard Elementary, sister
of Dr. Jeremy Goodwin;
and Katherine Fletcher
at Hubbard Elementary
at Hubbard Elementary,
daughter of Dr. Priscilla
Fletcher.
Board member Greg
Head said that he wished
to abstain on renewing
Price’s contract and board
member Eva Bilderback
voted against for a 4-2-1
vote. Votes on Pippin and
Fletcher were both 6-1-0.
Head asked that Aman
da Turner be removed
from the retiring certified
chemicals into the same?
And please don’t use the
parental rights argument as
a reason to allow young boys
to mutilate their genitals.
With rights come responsi
bilities. No parent or doctor
would amputate a child’s
perfectly healthy leg or arm
but it’s OK to amputate a
penis or teen girl’s breasts?
Doing so is truly evil and
calling it good is even worse.
Dems, you’ve been warned.
FEBRUARY IS Black
History Month. March is
Women’s History Month.
May is both Asian/Pacific
Heritage Month and Older
Americans Month. We have
Gay Pride Month, Hispanic
Heritage Month, Italian
Heritage Month, Disability
Awareness Month, and
American Indian Heritage
Month. All those diversity
months are being shoved
down our throats with an
attitude of “you better accept
and promote my diversity
or else.” If you thought an
entire month of pandering to
gays and homosexuals wasn’t
enough, think again. Last
week, we learned about Les
bian Visibility Week. Oh yes,
Karine Jean-Pierre (KLP),
the White House’s incompe
tent diversity hire for press
secretary, made the Lesbo
Visibility Week announce
ment during a recent press
briefing. Please raise your
hand if you’ve had enough of
these “privileged” minorities
lecturing us on accepting
their depravity while calling
us every name imaginable
and telling us they’re the
most tolerant people to ever
walk the planet. KJP is the
perfect example. Daily, she
brags about being a queer,
black woman (her words)
and demands that we care
about her sexual orientation.
She’s insufferable. In reality,
they’re intolerant unless you
agree with them; otherwise
you’re belittled, cancelled,
and silenced.
FINAL THOUGHT:
With all these various heri
tages being recognized and
celebrated, is it too much to
ask for a White European
Heritage Month or is that
considered racist?
Sloan Oliver ofBolingbroke
is a retired Army officer who
employee fist and voted
on separately. The motion
to do so was defeated, 4-3,
with Pippin, Doster, Sher-
rye Battle and Goodwin
against voting on Turner
separately and Head,
Bilderback and Robert
Jenkins in favor of voting
on her separately.
Other personnel actions
were approved unani
mously, 7-0. They included
accepting the resignations
effective May 26 of teachers
Asia Buckner (T.G. Scott
Elementary) and Michael
Johnson (Mary Persons)
writes a weekly column in
the Reporter. Email him at
sloanoliver@earthlink. net.
and approving changes of
position for Tyeisha Colley
from a teacher at Mary
Persons to a teacher at T.G.
Scott effective July 26 and
for Michael Day from a
bus driver trainee to a bus
driver effective May 2.
The board approved
hiring six new employees
effective July 26. Five of
them will be teachers at
Mary Persons: Dallas Hall,
John Swain, Tamontray
Tucker and Chris Wade.
Jamie Calloway will be a
paraprofessional at Mary
Persons, and Tracey Yates
will be a teacher at T.G.
Scott Elementary.
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