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Che Summerville News
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LOVE, DETERMINATION SPEED RECOVERY
Doris And J. C. Shelton
‘Grotto’ Predicts
Early Springtime
Grotto the Groundhog, who
keeps a well-worn lair on the
south side of Taylor's Ridge,
didn’t see his shadow Monday,
meaning the area supposed{y
isn't due for six more weeks of
winter.
Overcast skies and rain
kept Grotto in his den during
the day except for a brief mo
ment when he stuck his head
outside to perform the annual
task of looking for his shadow.
Fortunately for Chattooga
County, Grotto didn't see his
shadow. Temperatures soared
to moderate levels Tuesday,
Local Bill Planned
Chattooga County Rep.
Johnny Crawford this week is
advertising a notice that he in
tends to introduce local legisla
tion to provide a fulltime
secretary for the solicitor of
Chattooga State Court.
VITAL RECORDS KEPT IN CHATTOOGA COUNTY
Office Follows You From Birth To Grave
One Chattooga County of
fice can follow ({ou from birth
to the grave and make sure you
leave a record of your having
passed this way for future
generations.
Keeping vital records on
local residents for the state is
one of several hats worn by Jon
Payne, Chattooga probate
jud)ée. He also serves as the
county's chief magistrate.
Becky Duke of Payne's of
fice serves as vital records
registrar while the probate
judge is custodian of those
records.
NOT ALL PUBLIC
The records on file in
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PROBATE JUDGE JON PAYNE GOES OVER VITAL RECORDS
With Records Registrar Becky Duke
seeming to indicate that Grot
to was correct in predicting an
early spring for the county.
Chattooga's own groun
dhog seemed to be in agree
ment with most of his brethren |
across the nation, including his |
famous cousin in Pennsyl- |
vania. [
Even if Grotto's prediction l
proves to be incorrect, he can |
always blame it on a brief l
break in the clouds Monday
that let the sun shine through, '
creating a momentary shadow |
of doubt about the weather. E
Crawford said in an inter
view last December that it was
the only piece of local legisla
tion he expected to introduce
during the current session of
the Georgia General Assembly.
Payne's courthouse office con- |
tain a wealth of information |
but not all of it is open for |
public inspection, Mrs. Duke
pointed out.
Birth and death records are |
not available to the public, she
said, although a listin% of mar
riage licenses is open for view
ing. Payne and Mrs. Duke
E:)inted out that state law pro
ibits public disclosure of birth
and death records, apparently
because of problems in the past
with people using those records |
to assume new identities. |
However, a person born in |
Chattooga County who has no |
birth certificate may apply for |
the document with l‘;ayne s of- l
Love, Determination . ..
.. .Trion Man Fights To Regain Use Of Severed Arm
By KAY ABBOTT
Staff Writer
In the year since a freak accident at Riegel Textile Corp.
severed his left arm, 33-year-old J. C. Shelton of Trion has
engaged in a remarkable battle to regain the use of his arm
and to return to a normal, productive life.
“The way I look at it, this arm is just a tool,”” Shelton said
of the now-reattached limb. “If I can get any use out of it
someday, then all this pain and effort will be worthwhile. 1f
I'm never going to be agle to use my hand again, well, I don't
know, an arm isn't much use without the iand."
WIFE HELPS
In his fight to gain mobility in the once-severed arm,
Shelton cregits his wife, Doris, as the inspiration for his
perseverance.
“‘She just bubbles up whenever I make a small gain,” he
said of his wife. ‘‘She keeps me cheered up and gets me out
of my big bouts of depression. When I see her face light up,
I want to do my best.”
s GOOD HUNTING LIKELY s
Turkey Population Rises
It should be a good turkey hunting
season in Chattooga County this sprin?,
according to Ron Simpson, senior wildlife
biologist for the Georgia Game and Fish
Commission.
At least four flocks have been released
in the immediate area during the last
several years and should have multiplied
to significant numbers, he said. Turkey
hunting season will open March 21 and
Iclosv May 5 this year with a two gobbler
mit.
Flocks of around 12 birds, including
three or four gobblers each, have been
released in the area since the program
began in 1973, Simpson said. They were
released in the Chattooga-Gordon-Floyd
area, a bit further south on the Chattooga-
Fioyd County line, in south Chattooga
County and just north of Chattooga in
Walker County.
NEW AREAS
This month through the first part of
March is when most flocks are released in
new areas, Simpson-added: For example,
when turkeys are to be released in Cl'}x)at
tooga County, wild birds are trapped
elsewhere in the North Georgia mountains
and transferred immediately to their new
fice. Conclusive proof as to the
person'’s identity must be pro
vided at the time of appfica
tion. Mrs. Duke then sends the
application to the state, which
will forward a copy of the
delayed certificate back to
Payne's office. The certificate
also will be on permanent file |
in the Georgia Vital Records =
Service, which is a unit of the |
Department of Human |
Resources. |
APPLICATION |
Mrs. Duke said a current |
resident of Chattooga who was |
born in another Georgia coun
ty may also complete an ap
plication for a delayed birth ]
location.
The Game and Fish Commission tried
years a%:) to raise turkeys in pens and
release them in new areas but the project
failed, Simpson said, because *'it was about
like releasing a chicken in the wild — they
were fair game for whatever wanted a meal
that night.”” So the Commission then began
trapping existing wild turkeys and releas
ing them in a similar habitat and
geografihical area. :
Turkeys in South Georgia, for example,
are not transferred to North Georgia
because *‘it would be about like you or 1 %)e
ing taken to the Arctic Circle and turned
loose with Eskimos,”” Simpson said.
When the relocation program began in
1973, the state had a maximum turkey
population of 17,400, Simpson said. A total
of 2,960 turkeys has been relocated during
the last 13 years and they have multiplied
so that the state turkey population now is
around 200,000 birds.
During a r;(!)lxgpal hunting season, bet
ween 13,500 14,000 birds are killed,
Snm(fson said, representing almost what
used to be the entire state turkey popula
tion. The state has around 4,000 to 4,500
turkey hunters.
certificate at Payne’s office but |
the state will send a copy of the |
certificate to the probate judge
or health department in thet
county where the person was |
born, and not back to Payne’s [
office. ‘A lot of people get con- ’
fused about that,” she added.
A lot of people born at ‘
home as late as the 1940 s or
1950 don’t have birth cer
tificates, Mrs. Duke added.
Parents of an illegitimate 1
child may also have tile birth |
made legitimate, Payne's office !
said. The child of an unmarried |
mother is given the maiden |
name of the mother, Payne and |
Mrs. Duke said. If the mother |
and father later marry and !
want to give the child the same |
name as the father, they may |
apply for a new birth certificate |
at Payne's office. ‘
Both parents have to cer- |
tify with an affidavit that they |
are the child’s natural parents, |
AT SESQUICENTENNIAL MEETING
New Society Recognized
By BUDDY ROBERTS
Formation of the Chattooga
County Historical Society was
the main topic at last Friday’s
quarterly meeting of the Chat
tooga Sesquicentennial Com
mission. The session was held
in the community room of
Farmers and Merchants Bank.
Although not fully
established, the Society held a
membershi? meeting in the
Summerville Presfiyterian
Church Sunday afternoon in
what one Commission member
called *‘a long overdue effort.”
Robert Baker, who is cur
rently writing a book on the
county’s history, spoke to the
Commission Friday, and com
mittees for the sesquicenten
nial celebration were set up.
QUARTERLY MEET
The Historical Society will
hold quarterly meetings, and
these may be held in some of
' LXY T ‘
Shelton is now able to move his arm at the shoulder and
elbow and has regained a slight motion in his wrist. His rapid
progress has surprised his doctors, who initially thought there
was no hope for reattachment of the mangled and crushed left
arm. The only apparent indication of Shelton’s disability is
the black pressure glove he wears on his left hand.
WORKS HARD
“‘He works so hard on his therapy,”” Mrs. Shelton said. ‘I
want everyone to know how prouc{) { am of my hushand and
how much I love him. He is a wonderful, brave person.™
The accident occurred in the shop maintenance gepartmem
of Riegel Textile Corp. in January, 1986 when Shelton was
pulled into a rapidly spinning metal lathe. Caught between
metal rollers, his lef‘; arm was crushed and twisted. Shelton,
fully conscious, landed on top of the machine, his arm torn
from his body at the shoulder.
He recalls experiencing the ‘phantom limb" phenomenon
until the arm was reattached by surgery hours later.
ARM WAS GONE
“My arm was gone,”’ he recounts with some difficulty.
“But it felt like my hand was still right there in front of my
face. I suppose that was the very last position it was in before
Payne emphasized. The forms
for the name change may be
obtained from 516 Vital
Records department on the
state level, Mrs. Duke said.
LAST NAME
The date of the child's birth
isn't changed, they emphasiz
ed, merely the last name on the
birth certificate.
In the past, records of il
legitimate births were kept on
ly on the state level, Mrs. Duke
said, but the law has been
changed so that a copy of the
record of an illegitimate birth
will also be sent to the probate
judge where the birth took
place. For example, she said, if
an unmarried Chattooga resi
dent had a baby in Rome, a
record of that birth would be
sent to Floyd County, not to
Chattooga.
Superior Court may also
see OFFICE, page 2-B
the various churches in the
county. Membership fees for
the society will be $4 per year.
At the Commission meeting
Friday night, it was brought
out that several more sites in
Chattooga County may go on
the National Register of
Historical Places. Tie federal
government recently sent a
special task force to the area,
which found many places of
historical significance that may
be added to the national
register.
BAKER'S BOOK
Baker told the Commission
about progress on his history
of Chattooga County. Baker
said he must have the
manuscript ready and to the
publisher in five months. He
also mentioned that instead of
it beix;fi 1,000 pages as was
ori¥in y planned, the volume
will be 600 to 750 pages long.
It will have around 31
chagters.
he prospective price for
BY MAYOR CASH
Four-Lane Pushed
Summerville Mayor Sewell
Cash received support Monday
for his proposal that U.S.
Highway 27 ge four-laned into
Summerville before a bypass is
built from Taylor's Ridge nor
thward to near Trion.
He provided a secret ballot
on the two alternatives at the
weekly meeting of the
Summerville-Trion Rotary
Club. The mayor made it plain
in his address that he favored
a direct route into the city.
MOST FAVOR
When the ballots were
counted. 25 members favored
Cash's proposal and five
wanted tEe bypass built first.
He said residents should write
Tom Moreland, Georgia
Department of Transportation
commissioner, at 2 Capitol
Square, Atlanta 30334, to ex
press their views on the
roadway.
Transportation was only
one of the topics covered by
Cash in his *‘state of the city”
address.
A contract is expected to be
let next October to five-lane
Highway 27 from its current
end near Richard B. Russell
Airport in Floyd County to
Highway 156 at Armuchee, he
said.
CHOICES
The next phase would then
be a four-lane from Highway
156 to Summerville, the mayor
said. If the roadway comes
straight into the city, work
couldg be only two to three
years away, he indicated, but if
citizens push for construction
of a bypass first, it could be
five to 10 years before it is
build and, in the meantime, ‘it
would be hard to get a four-lane
from Taylor’s Rnge into Sum
merville.”
A bypass will likely be built
in the future, the mayor said,
because of the traffic volume
on a widened U. S. 27. But not
widening U. S. 27 into Sum
merville and waiting on a
bypass would also be more ex
pensive in the long run, he said,
pointing out that costs
escalated dramatically in eight
years on the Summerville to
Trion widening project that is
now under way.
Good transportation is
needed for two primary
the book is $27.50. Seven hun
dred copies of the book must be
sold just to pay the publisher,
Baker said. He also told that
the folio should be available
before Christmas of this year.
In addition to the book, Baker
is compiling an index of the
almost 70 cemeteries in the
county.
He is currently trying to
locate old photographs of
places aroung the county. He
is limited to 150 illustrations or
;;lictures and has many already.
owever, Baker said he is still
searching for a black and white
hotograph of Chattooga
FC)ount;y‘s pre-1909 brick
courthouse.
Also at the meeting, it was
announced that the new ses
quicentennial headquarters will
be located in the courthouse
annex.
The next Commission
meeting will be held Friday,
April 24, in the community
room at the Farmers and Mer
chants Bank, Summerville.
it came off, and my brain recorded that sensation.”
Shelton explained the circumstances of his accident.
1 was using the lathe to sand the chemical residue off a
roller, using a sanding belt by hand,” he said. ‘*‘Somehow, the
sanding belt, instead of slipping like it was supposed to, dragg
ed me into the machine, f)did%'t have time to jerk my hand
out of the belt, so when it started rolling, it jerked me into
it. The next thing | knew, | was wrapped around the lathe
facing the other way. | felt my shirt tenrin%;
“Robert Gilmer caught me coming off the lathe. Ricky
Jones cut the machine off and had someone call an ambulance.
They elevated my head so | wouldn't go into shock.
“JUST SURVIVAL”
“Ricky helped me stay calm. I got panicky for a second,
but then | reafized if I panicked 1 woulg go into shock. From
there, it was just survival.”
Shelton refused to let the ambulance stog at the local
hospital for painkillers and was transported to Floyd Medical
Center IFMBD where he was stabilize(fo Mrs. Shelton was able
to reach FMC in time to see her husband before he was
transported to Piedmont Hospital in Atlanta.
“The first time | saw him at Floyd, he looked at me and
see TRION MAN, page 6-B
reasons, Cash said. Existing in- |
dustry needs four and five-%ane i
roadways connecting to an in- |
terstate highway, and the area
can attract new industry and
growth better with improved
streets and highway connec
tors. He said Summerville ap
pears to have lost a couple of
industries because of its loca
tion and the transportation
situation.
He acknowledged that |
Postman Bring
Christ J
He doesn't have a white beard or a red suit.
Nevertheless, Summerville Postmaster Robert Bilbrew
played Santa Claus last Christmas Eve to several local
families.
Post Office personnel, like most folks in the area, were at
tempting to get away from work a bit early to prepare for the
holiday. Bilbrew and one clerk were left in the Post Office while
all three city and four rural carriers were still out on their
routes.
TRUCK ARRIVAL
A postal truck from Chattanooga, Tenn., arrived around
2 p.m. and, in addition to the regular load of mail, there were
several packages that appeared to be Christmas gifts. Since
the carriers had already left, it would be the day after
Christmas before they would be delivered.
But the postmaster had a different view of the situation.
I didn't have anybody else here so I got the map out and
went out and delivered them,” the postmaster said, seeming
ly surprised that anyone would tgink his actions unusuafi.
“There's nothing happened that we don’t normally do.”
Everyone receiving the packages seemed both pleased and
surprised that the postmaster would be out delivering the mail,
especially on Christmas Eve, Bilbrew said. *‘l normally don’t
do it (deliver mail),” he explained.
FAMILY HAPPY
One family, in particular, seemed very happy that the
packages were delivered before Christmas. The family was in
difficult financial straits and had recently lost almost
everything in a house fire, he said. Without the mailed gifts,
they may have had a bleak Christmas.
The mother ‘‘kept thanking me,” Bilbrew said. ‘**She was
so glad I brought it to her. I was glad to do it. I knew people
would be looking for those packages.”
No, postmaster Bilbrew isn't Santa Claus. But you'd have
a difficult time convincing several Summerville families of that
fact.
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SUMMERVILLE POSTMASTER ROBERT BILBREW
Played Santa Claus Last Christmas Eve
' transportation won't solve all
~ the area’s problems, adding
| that ‘*harmonious cooperation”
| between local officials and the
community is needed, along
with recreation and other
needs.
New construction valued at
‘ at least $35-million has either
| been comFlet,ed, is now under
![ way or planned in Chattooga
| County, Cash said. That figure
| see FOUR-LANE, page 2-B