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VOLUME XCIV NUMBER XLIVI
‘Walt’ Weaver,
Early Berry
Student Dies
Joseph Walter “Walt"
Weaver,- the oldest known
graduate of Berry College and
a former local resident, died
Saturday at the age of 99.
He was buried in Lyerly
Cemetery Monday.
Born on Feb. 12, 1880, in
Cherokee County, Ala., he was
one of five children born to the
late Franklin Abrose and
Sarah Christian Murphy
Weaver.
He was raised in the local
community of Silver Springs.
According to a news account
published in 1974, in 1902 he
entered Berry School after
buying some land and a
wagon on credit, cutting the
land's trees and selling them
in Rome, allowing him to have
“enough money to pay off all
his debts and build himself a
small house for $35. Then he
had enough to pay the $5 it
took him to enter Berry
School."
“He bought a trunk," the
news account reported,
"small, but big enough to haul
everything he possessed,
hired a fellow to take him and
his trunk in his two-mule
wagon to Berry School. He
got out with his trunk under
his arm and told the man to go
back home. He had made no
application, and nobody knew
he was coming. Nobody knew
him, nor where he came from.
There he stood, a young man
22 years old, entering a
‘school for boys' not knowing
where to go or what to do.
"As luck would have it,
Miss Martha Berry happened
to come along. She began ask
ing questions: who he was,
where he came from, and what
he wanted. He told her he had
heard of her school and had
come to get an education. She
told him that boys who came
to her school couldn't smoke,
chew tocabbo, drink, lie, curse
or swear. He told her the did
not do any of these things, nor
had his daddy before him: that
he was a good boy, a dandy
fellow.'
At a meeting of Lyerly
senior citizens in 1974, The
News reported, "He told how
Miss Berry let him enter, and
took him under her wing and
'did all she could' for him
because he was ‘so green and
silly' he said.
"Mr. Weaver went on to
graduate in 1907," the 1974
article continued. "Os that, he
said, ‘I was head of my class
and won all the high honors.
Then, with a twinkle in his
eye, he added 'I was the only
one in the class of 1907.”
Weaver married Zana
Valrie Crumby in 1908 in
Chicago, 111., where he was at
tending the Moody Bible In
stitute. She died 12 years
later.
He was admitted to the bar
in 1912, and was an attorney
in Atlanta for many years.
He is survived by a son,
Dr. Joseph Walter Weaver Jr„
of Coronado, Calif,; two grand
sons, Dr. Joseph William
Weaver of San Diego, Calif.,
and Dr. James Woodroe
Weaver of Naples, Italy. Two
great-grandsons also survive.
Funeral services were held
at Lane Funeral Home prior to
interment Monday.
City Council
Meeting Is
Rescheduled
The Summerville City
Council meeting which nor
mally would meet Monday has
been rescheduled for Monday,
Dec. 17, according to Mayor
Sewell Cash.
Forged Check Is
Used in Purchase,
Local Police Say
A Trion woman was ar
rested this week and accused
of forging a Summerville
man’s name on a stolen check.
Lisa Wofford, 18, of 922
India Drive was arrested and
charged with forgery. She has
been released on a $5,000
bond.
Ms. Wofford, according to
a warrant at the sheriff s
department, purchased
several records from Ihe
Record Shop in Summerville
Saturday, Nov. 17. She paid
for the records (approximately
$63 worth) with a check drawn
on the account of Jimmy
Leonard of Summerville, said
the warrant. The signature on
the check, the warrant said,
was not that of Leonard.
The incident is still under
investigation by deputies of
the sheriff’s department.
F '
^ummmnlle News
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Q & M■|
Christmas Parade Fun
Pennville Elementary’s entry in the
Summerville Christmas Parade Friday
night consisting of a float and Chinese
dragon (shown above) captured first
{dace and SIOO in prize money. Below, at
est, Jason Espy, 6, laughs and talks with
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Program Gears Up To Help
Eligible Residents To Pay
Their Wintertime Fuel Bills
Low income Chattoogans, parliculary low
income elderly persons, can now apply for help
in paying home heating bills, according to Bob
Walldce, director of the Energy Crisis
Assistance Program of the Georgia Depart
ment of Human Resources (DHR).
“Applications will be available at all coun
ty Departments of Family and Children Ser
vices (DFCS) and Community Action Agency
offices,” Wallace said.
Supported by federal funds, the Energy
Crisis Assistance Program can make
payments of up to S2OO to home fuel suppliers
for a family in need. The S2OO is the total
amount any family can receive over the winter
months. It may cover more than one payment.
Also, special energy supplies are available
to eligible low income families and elderly peo
ple who find themselves in an emergency
situation. Assistance totalling $l5O is this
program's maximum per family.
Eligibility is based on the income of the en
tire household. A non-farm family of four, for
example, is eligible for assistance if the total
annual family income is below $8,375. A rural
family of four has a $7,125 income limitation.
Here is the income range eligibility chart:
Family Unit Non-Farm Family Farm Family
1 $4,250 $3,638
2 $5,625 $4,800
3 $7,000 $5,963
4 $8,375 $7,125
5 $9,750 $8,288
6 $11,125 $9,450
For family units with more than six
members, add $1,375 for each additional
Slide Show Features County
A slide show presentation
on Chattooga County is
scheduled to be shown at a
meeting of the recently
formed Northwest Georgia
Travel Council.
According to Carrie B.
Freeman and Conner Allen,
who are representing the
county on the council, they
will screen the presentation
Wednesday at the council's
monthly meeting, to be held in
Cartersville.
The show's color slides
were taken by Richard Eason
SUMMERVILLE, CHATTOOGA COUNTY, GEORGIA 30747, THURSDAY, DECEMBER 6, 1979
a clown who was distributing candy
before and during the parade. At right,
10-year-old Tregg Smith keeps his
balance on a unicycle he rode in the
parade.
member in a non-farm. and $1,163 for each ad
ditional member in a farm family.
Persons may apply for assistance at their
local County Department of Family and
Children Services or the E.O.A. office.
Arrangements will be made to help people
living in isolated areas or who are unable to
leave their residences to apply," a spokesman
said.
When applying for help, persons should br
ing proof of income of all household members
such as a paycheck stub, letter from employer,
public assistance check stub, unemployment
check slub or pension check stub. Every appli
cant should bring social security number.
"When applying for help with a heating
bill, bring a bill," the spokesman said.
Applications will be accepted as long as
funds are available on a first-come, first
served basis.
For further program information contact
the E.O.A. office at 857-3641 or the Depart
ment of Family and Children Services at
857-3487.
with a 135-mrn camera. The
slides focus on the county s
many outdoor wall murals,
which were painted by a group
of high school students under
the direction of art instructor
John Turner.
Comprehensive Develop
ment Training Act funds were
used to pay the salaries of the
students, while the Chattooga
County Chamber of Com
merce helped to underwrite
the cost of paint used in the
project.
The City of Summerville
j
helped to pay Turner’s salary.
Turner was not eligible to
receive CETA funds.
According to Mrs-
Freeman, the slide show will
have a taped commentary and
musical background, which is
currently in the process of be
ing produced.
"We feel this slide show
will help show off our com
munity to people who may not
be familiar with it," said Mrs.
Freeman.
Thousands Flock To City
For Christmas Parade
If any Scrooges were in
downtown Summerville Fri
day night, they had no trouble
finding the Spirit of
Christmas-for it could be
plainly seen in the faces of the
thousands of youngsters lined
up along the route of the an
nual Christmas parade.
"Look, Mama," squealed
one little girl whose nose was
pink as temperatures dipped
into the 20s, "here comes the
parade." From her vantage
point across from the Cour
thouse on Commerce Street,
she pointed and her eyes grew
big.
The little girl was typical
of the ocean of children who
with their parents jammed the
parade route, eager to see
their friends on floats, get a
piece of candy from a Shriner
clown, and wave at Santa
Claus.
Clear-Vu Seeks
Re-Hearing Os
High Court Case
By TOM KIRWAN
Attorneys for Clear-Vu
Cable, Inc., Friday filed legal
documents asking the Georgia
Supreme Court to rehear a
case in which the high court
affirmed a trial court's deci
sion granting an injunction
against the firm.
The injunction, issued by
Superior Court Judge Paul
Palter early this year after
Jkng sought by the Town of
Trion and a handful of its
residents, ordered Clear-Vu to
discontinue its blackout which
began Feb. 1 of three channels
to Trion customers.
The blackout stemmed
from an ongoing dispute con
cerning customer rates and
the cable-TV contract in
Trion.
F. H. Boney and William
Hyden Jr., representing Clear-
Vu, submitted a three-page
motion seeking the rehearing
before the court, which on
Nov. 22 unanimously affirmed
Judge Painter’s ruling.
The motion, in part, said
that the Supreme Court
“misapplied the provisions of
law” concerning contracts “in
that these provisions can only
be applied where some am
biguity or doubt exists as to
the meaning of an agreement
or terms thereof, i. e., where
there is more than one
reasonable meaning for the
agreement or term in ques
tion. In the case at bar, the
language of the franchise is
clear and unambiguous.
Hence, the provisions of law
relied on by the Court are in
applicable. In this case no con-
Gifts Needed For
Mayors’ Motorcade
The Town of Trion and
cities of Menlo and Summer
ville will again participate in
the statewide program spon
sored annually by the Georgia
Municipal Association to col
lect Christmas gifts for pa
tients in the state’s mental
hospitals.
In the past years, the
mayors of Georgia have par
ticipated in a motorcycle to
carry locally collected gifts to
the institutions.
All ^ifts for many years
from this area were taken to
Milledgeville. This year,
however, the gifts will be
taken to Northwest Georgia
Regional Hospital in Rome.
The gifts will be carried to
Rome Thursday, Dec. 13.
All citizens of Summerville
are being asked to deliver
their packages to City Hall of
Summerville between 9 a.m.
and 5 p.m. each weekday. In
Trion, residents there can take
their gifts to the Town Hall by
4:30 p.m. Wednesday. In
Menlo, residents can bring
their packages to the Gulf Ser
vice Station between 9 a.m.
and 5 p.m.
Wrapped packages should
be labeled as to their contents,
sex and age category, as well
as the name and address of
the donor.
Some gift suggestions for
the female patients/residents
Most youngsters seemed
virtually oblivious to the cold,
but their parents could be
seen stamping their feet and
patting their arms in an effort
to stay warm. A few lucky
families were crowded into
parked cars and pickups along
the route, their heaters war
ding off the biting cold.
Some grumbling could be
heard along the parade route,
though, as the bone-chilling
wind made a 20-minute delay
in the parade uncomfortable
for unfortunates who hadn’t
dressed warmly enough. But
the grumbling stopped when
the parade started, the long
procession of walking units,
floats, dignitaries in
automobiles, bands, Shriners
and a large assortment of
others entertaining the large
crowd that turned out for the
parade.
struction is even permissible
because the language of the
franchise is plain, unam
biguous, and capable of only
one reasonable interpre
tation.”
Clear-Vu’s contention all
along has been that its con
tract with Trion spelled out
that it was required only to
provide four channels to Trion
customers and that as a result
its curtailment of service (to
nine channels) in Trion was
therefore in compliance with
the contract. But the High
Court dismissed this argu
ment, indicating that the com
pany had advertised 12 sta
tions would be offered and
that in the context of the en
tire contract the curtailment
was not permissible.
The motion also charges
that the Supreme Court
“overlooked” other facts
which Clear-Vu says show
that its three-channel
blackout in Trion is legal.
Trion Town Attorney Ed
Surles yesterday filed an
answer to the Clear-Vu motion
asking the High Court to deny
it. Surles’ brief charges that
the motion for rehearing
“does nothing more than
repeat again” Clear-Vu’s
arguments made in the
original appeal “which have
been fully refuted in the opi
nion issued by this Court, and,
by claiming as ‘overlooked
facts’ alleged inconsistencies
contained in previous com
promise offers, which are im
proper for present considera
tion under long-established
statutory law and rulings of
this Court...”
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XL—
are: pantyhose, knee high
stockings, bath powder,
deodorant, shampoo, hand lo
tion, body lotion, combs,
brushes, footies, handker
chiefs, scarves and jewelry.
Suggestions for the male
patients/residents includes:
stretch socks, shave cream,
deodorant, shampoo, combs,
toothpaste, toothbrushes,
handkerchiefs, stretch slip
pers, undershorts and tee
shirts.
Suggestions for gifts in
general include: fresh fruit,
shelled nuts, baked goods,
cigarettes, tobacco, ana play
ing cards. Toy suggestions in
clude playskool blocks and
Child Guidance toys. All gifts
must be new.
Much interest of the
parade typically focuses on
the homemade floats put
together by local groups,
businesses, and organizations,
and this year was no different.
Students and teachers of
Pennville Elementary School
captured the first place, SIOO
prize with their novel entry
that included a Chinese
dragon that snaked along the
parade route after the school’s
float.
Capturing second
place —and $75 in prize
money—was the Farmers and
Merchants float showing a
quaint “old-fashioned '
Christmas at home before a
crackling fire.
The Summerville Elemen
tary School entry—a festive
Volkswagen carrying the
Kathryn Mac Vane
Is Reelected Menlo
Mayor By 2 Votes
Incumbent Menlo Mayor
Kathryn Mac Vane held on to
her office by only a two-vote
margin in a city election
Saturday.
Mrs. Mac Vane received 72
of the 142 votes cast, while
former Menlo mayor and
councilman Hester Hurtt
received 70 votes. Ironically,
two years ago Mrs. Mac Vane
first won the office of mayor
for the first time over Coun
cilman Lonnie Ward by two
vote margin. In that race, she
polled 72 votes to Ward's 70,
the exact total of Saturday’s
race.
In other offices up for
grabs in the election William
G. A. Long polled 100 votes in
his bid for the council seat cur
rently held by William Robert
King, and Jeanne Mincey
received 101 votes in her bid
for Barry Brown's council
seat. Both candidates were
unopposed.
City Recorder Theresa
Canada was re-elected to her
office with 106 votes. She also
was unopposed.
5 Races In Trion
So Far See Only 6
Candidates Qualify
With a little over a week left to qualify, only six candidates
have signed up to run in the Jan. 3 election in Trion for the of
fices of mayor, city recorder and three council seats.
The qualifying deadline is Friday, Dec. 14. at 5 p.m. Persons
wishing to qualify to run for an office can do so in person at the
Town Hall in Trion or in writing to the Trion City Recorder.
Incumbent Mayor Jake Woods has qualified to run for re
election. He is opposed by Councilman Donnie Hayes.
M. D. Brewster has qualified to run for his current office of
city recorder. He was appointed earlier this year to fill the unex
pired term of the late Tom Grubbs. Opposing Brewster is Carl
“Chesty" Ragland.
Steve Dyer, a former Trion policeman, has qualified to run
for the council seat currently held by Hayes. He is unopposed in
his bid for the seat.
Councilman Don Henderson has qualified to run for his cur
rent seat on the council. He is also unopposed.
No one has qualified to run for the council seat currently
held by Hoyt Williams.
Former Trionite
Drowns In Rome
The body of a former i non
man was found floating in
Dye Creek in Rome near the
east end of East Glover’s
Street Saturday by several
unidentified Rome residents.
Authorities identified the
man as Walter Dewitt Chas
tain, 37, of 117 East Main St.
He was pronounced dead on
arrival at the Floyd Medical
Center around 3:40 p.m.
Saturday. When he was pulled
from the water, he was still
clutching a small testament in
his hand, said reports.
According to Floyd Coun
ty Coroner Fred Talley, Chas
tain had been in the water
from 48 to 72 hours. Following
a police investigation and
medical examination of the
body, Talley ruled the death
as an accidental drowning. No
foul play is suspected, he said.
Chastain, a self-employed
painting contractor, had left
his home sometime Wednes-
PRICE 20c
theme "Babes In
Toyland — took third place
and prize money of SSO.
Waterville Baptist Church
captured fourth place—and
$35 with its trainlike entry,
and Brownie Troop No. 127 of
Menlo won fifth place and $25
for its float featuring St. Nick
and his elves.
Grand marshals of the
parade, sponsored by the
Chattooga County Chamber
of Commerce, were the
Hallelujah Players of Sum
merville Junior High School.
Both local high school
bands were in the parade. Also
in the parade was the
149-member Pepperell High
Dragon Band of Lindale. The
chamber awarded the band
trophies for their participa
tion.
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V** IM
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KATHRYN MacVANE
The new council members
will take office the first Tues
day in January, al the first
council meeting of the new
year.
day, Talley said. The creek
where Chastain was found is a
half to three quarters of a mile
from his residence, said
Talley.
Talley said that the body
was found below a pipeline
that goes across the creek.
The pipeline is often used by
people to cross the creek.
From all indications, Talley
said, it appeared Chastain ap
parently started across the
pipeline and fell. The water
there is anywhere from four to
seven feet deep, said Talley.
"The shock could easily
have caused him to drown,
said Talley.
Funeral services were held
for Chastain Monday at 2 p.m.
from the chapel of Erwin-
Petitt Funeral Home with the
Rev. Roy Smith and the Rev.
Bobby Tinney officiating. In
terment was in Greenhills
Memory Gardens.
(Continued On Page 3)