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The Official Legal Organ of Chattooga County Georgia
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Address all mail to: THE SUMMERVILLE NEWS, P. O. Box 310, Summerville GA 30747
TELEPHONE (404) 857-2494
Our Opinion
Welcome Sheriff Kellett
Ralph Kellett worked hard to become
Chattooga County’s new sheriff. He
defeated an experienced law enforcement
investigator, a distant cousin, to fill the
unexpired term of former Sheriff Gary
McConnell.
It was clear from the vote that a
healthy majority of those casting ballots
wanted a change. But what yet isn’t clear
is what type of change they wanted.
Do they want to reduce the number of
patrol deputies on the county’s roads? Or
do they want even more deputies on
patrol?
While they may want to reduce jail
staffing, that probably won't be possible
because it is operated under a 1984 federal
court order.
Or do they want more investigators
and more aggressiveness? But do the
voters want fewer investigators to reduce
overall costs? It's hard to judge at this
elleti has his hands full try
ing to assess the type of changes the
voters want. He certainly received
numerous suggestions and ideas on the
campaign trail. It will be up to him to
develop the useful and progressive con
cepts synthesized from his campaign while
discarding those that may be popular but
Plaudits For Turner
A word of praise is due former interim
Chattooga County Sheriff Ron Turner.
His brief two months in office ended
late last week when Ralph Kellett was
sworn in as sheriff. Turner was thrust
almost unwillingly into the role as interim
sheriff after his friend and former Sheriff
Garg McConnell resigned.
robate Judge Jon Payne made a wise
decision to appoint Turner as interim
sheriff. His integrity, honesty expertise as
McConnell's chief investigator for the
previous nine years were unquestioned. He
also had the advantage of having a level
head and the respect of all members of the
department.
He kept the department on an even
keel during the long campaign to elect
McConnell's successor. If he took any side
in the campaign, it is known only to him.
That was wise under the circumstances.
Many people urged Turner to run when
CHS Probe Needed
The fact that three coaches, including
the head football coach and athletic direc
tor, are leaving Chattooga High School is
disturbing.
All three gave mostly standard
responses to why they are departing. That
is to be expected, given the caliber of men
they are and their desire for better employ
ment in another school system.
But reliable sources have indicated to
The Summerville News that problems with
the high school administration resulted in
Happy Birthday!
This year The American Legion
celebrates the 72nd Anniversary of its
founding, March 15-17, 1919, in Paris,
France.
Through the years, Legionnaires have
deservedly developed a reputation of ser
vice to God and Country. But, the world’s
largest veterans organization did not
develop that reputation by resting on its
laurels and dwelling on yesterdays.
~ The Legion continues to evolve, re
maining an ever changing dynamic
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At Summerville GA 30747
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Opinions Expressed By
Editorial Columnists Are Not
Necessarily Those of This Newspaper
unwise. It won't be an easy job.
He also will have to use his personnel
skills to unite all employees of the depart
ment behind him. It is no secret that some
favored his opponent because of the new
sheriff's lack of law enforcement ex
gerience. Others, of course, supported
heriff Kellett. He will have a narrow line
to walk in retaining the experience and ex
pertise he needs at this point in his career,
along with the loyalty he also needs as
sheriff.
He must be careful to listen to his own
counsel and not be unduly influenced by
those with motives that may not be quite
as pure as his own.
Politics is an unusual and sometimes
difficult path to trod without stumbling
occasionally. Often the stumbling blocks
are caused more by friends than by
perceived enemies.
We wish Sheriff Kellett well during his
term of office. We look forward to keeping
the people of Chattooga County fully in
formed on crime-fighting efforts. That
openness is a long-standing tradition of
the past two decades. Sheriff Kellett, in his
response to a pre-election questionnaire,
indicated that he planned to continue that
policy. We appreciate that.
McConnell resigned. But he resisted the
siren song of politics to remain in the pro
fession he loves — without the political
overtones. He will soon become McCon
nell's right-hand man at the Georgia
Emergency Management Agency
(GEMA). But it speaks well for Turner
that he was seriously wooed to run.
Sheriff Turner kept important in
vestigations going despite a manpower
shortage. And he didn’'t hesitate to
dismiss a deputy charged with drunk driv
ing in a patrol car. He made it public im
mediately despite the potential for depart
mental embarrassment. That takes
courage. s S
Sheriff Turner did an excellent job dur
ing his brief tenure as the county’s top
lawman. We'll miss his expertise and
dedication in Chattooga County, but
Georgia will be well-served by him in his
new duties at GEMA.
the decision for all three to resign.
The high school has already gone
through too many head football coaches,
in particular, and it is on its third principal
in a few years. Clearly, something is amiss.
It is time for the Chattooga County
Board of Education to get to the bottom
of the disharmony at the high school once
and for all. If the underlying problems
aren’t resolved, student-athletes and
school spirit will deteriorate into the gloom
of a couple of years ago.
organization that accommodates the
changing needs of our country from the
strong foundation established by its
founders after World War 1.
As the Legion approaches the 21st cen
tury it continues its quest for better ways
to serve America and a new generation of
veterans. In this group rests not only
America’s future but the Legion’s as well.
At 72, The American Legion continues
an exemplary tradition of service to com
munity, state and nation.
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Pl
ST
Smelling Roses
A GOOD FRIEND gave me her
Jackson & Perkins rose and garden
catalog the other day. Flipping through its
colorful pages made me realize how much
I miss gardening.
Roses require a lot of attention, from
careful pruning to regular spraying to
fight off black spot, aphids and other in
sects. Few people working at a weekly
newspaper have a lot of time to spare for
roses.
* * *
BUT I'VE always loved roses; maybe
I get that from mother. She adored roses
and, for that matter, most other flowers.
My sister, Helen, is in the process of hur
riedly acquiring a green thumb to take
care of the many beautiful rose bushes
mother left us in Jefferson. Mother will
soon be gone a year, but she left a lot of
love, memories and beauty behind, in
cluding her roses and house plants.
My house is on a well-shaded lot and
it is difficult to grow roses, which generally
need a lot of sun. I love the summer shade
from the tall hardwoods, but the beauty
of roses is hard to beat.
* * *
THERE ARE all kinds of roses, rang
ing from those with tiny blooms to the
huge tea roses. Fragrant roses are my
favorites. Who could resist a rose fitting
On The Funny Side
By Gary Solomon
‘Get Smart’ Back
WANT SOME good news for a
change?
Here's some: ‘“Get Smart”’ is back.
Yes, Agent 86 Maxwell Smart, that
bumbling CONTROL agent assigned to
protect America from the evil KAOS, is
back, along with Agent 99, the Chief,
%ymie, Fang the Dog, and Charlie
atkins.
* * *
THE ORIGINAL episodes are airing
— where else? — on Nickelodeon, the same
zany cable channel that brings us ‘“Mr.
Ed”’ and “The Best of Saturday Night
Live’ every evening.
In case you were asleep at the wheel,
“Get Smart’’ was the ‘6os’ equivalent of
“The Simpsons,” at least for kids I knew.
“Batman’’ was fun for two weeks, tops.
That got old fast, though, especially the
dumb fights and Robin’s idiotic puns.
‘“Holy Kleenex! It was right in front of
my nose and I blew it!” Groan.
But “Get Smart’’ was a show we could
laugh about for days. i
* # *
THERE WAS MAX, kneeling beside a
dying friend, straining to hear his last
words.
“What'd he say, Max?"’ someone would
ask.
“Uh, he asked me to get my knee off
his chest.” =
There was Max, having to scream top
secret information at the Chief under the
burdensome Cone of Silence, or infiltrating
KAOS headquarters, only to have his
shoe-phone ring and give him away.
Viewpoint
By Tommy Toles, Editor
this description? ‘““Blooms have buttery
yellow centers blending to white and are
edged in cherry red. The beauty of the
blooms is enhanced by an exotic, spicy
fragrance.”
Every year, Jackson & Perkins offers
one or two All-American rose winners.
This year they are Shining Hour, a bright
yellow rose, and Perfect Moment, a bright
red rose with yellow center.
* e
ROSES COME in all colors, ranging
from plum shades to combinations of pink,
white and yellow. There are solid-colored
roses and multi-hued roses. Tree roses are
in vogue, as are miniatures and hedge
roses. , ‘
If the time were available, I'd have an
entire garden of roses and a huge patch of
vegetables. It would be nice to be able to
give away dozens upon dozens of long
stemmed roses and bushel baskets of
vegetables. After all, one guy doesn’t eat
that much and the beauty should be
shared.
; * * *
ON OCCASION, people tell me to slow
down and “smell the roses.”” By and large,
that hasn’t been possible very much in my
lifetime.
Maybe, one day, I will.
James Bond-like gadgetry gone crazi
ly awry.
* * *
THERE WAS MAX, boasting smug
ly about the invisible protective shield that
separated him and his enemy and rendered
their weapons useless, only to turn and run
nose-first into the shield behind him.
* * *
MAX ALSO GAVE us several classic
quips that stuck around for years (and still
rear their ancient heads now and then).
How did we apologize, for instance,
when we'd just screwed up royally?
“Uh, sorry about that, Chief.”
What did we say when we bragged
about scoring 100 on the math test, only
to have knowing friends cackle in
disbelief?
“Would you believe . . . 837"
More cackling.
“Would you believe . . .45, give or take
10 points?”’
* * * ;
THEN THERE WAS Max’s romance
with the lovely, long-suffering 99, which
renewed hope in every high school klutz
that there might be someone out there for
them, too.
Like most fresh and inventive shows,
“Get Smart” eventually lost its comedic
edge, relying too heavily on the same gags
that had worked in seasons past.
But for a couple of years in the 19605,
it gave those of us who grew up under a
cloud of increasing East-West tension a
chance to laugh at warmer, lighter images
of the Cold War.
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Guest Column
By Brenda Henson
From Us At Home
JAN. 16 — THEN On Dec. 28, we watched film clips
of the USS America leaving her home port of Newport
News. This film footage was repeated hourly and for those
of us with loved ones aboard, it became more than we could
bear to watch.
Unable to deal with these repetitions, my mother
sought the solace of her favorite haunt, a fabric store. She
carefully selected material for a wedding ring quilt to be
hand-stitched, intricately quilted and bound with all the
love a grandmother can have for a first-born grandson. At
nine stitches to the inch, that's a lot of love.
* * *
MY FATHER, the stalwart foundation of our family,
fled to the solitude of his barn and the quiet consolation
of his small herd of cattle. Tennessee rain does not taste
of salt, but tears do.
My sister, stoic as only a woman who has endured more
trials than Job can be, walked the shores of the Tennessee
River that day, unmindful of the driving rain. For cen
turies mothers have been watching sons go to war, but
the uncertainty of that December morning was impossi
ble for her to share. Not just the uncertainty of what her
son would face, but at that point in December, the uncer
tainty of how our political leaders would act, also.
* * *
I SPENT THE day weeping and turning my hands to
mindless tasks. Hands that were helpless to wield “smart”
weapons or the controls of billion dollar airplanes. At last
I sat down to write a letter to my nephew’s bride of 11
days.
The new bride and naval wife refused to watch the news
at all on Dec. 28, choosing to remember the farewells said
in Jacksonville two days before. Love letters instead found
their way to an FPO address.
* * *
I’LL NEVER FORGET the silhouette of men lining the
decks of the USS America that day. Legs spread in a
balancing stance, arms folded behind their backs, they
slowly sailed away from us. Time and circumstances are
melded. It could have been December 1940. May we have
the grace and unfaltering strength of our forebearers. The
“‘singleness of purpose.”’ The ‘‘might of right.” May God
%Tant us the ways to show the magnitude of the love we
eel for all the men and women of Desert Storm.
* * *
NOW — MARCH — The war in the Persian Gulf is win
ding down. We are still anxious for news and longing for
letters that bear the words ‘‘combat zone’” instead of
postage stamps.
My mother is working on the 14th hoop of her “peac
ed” quilt. The symbolism of those yellow corner blocks will
not be lost over the years.
* * *
MY FATHER is back at the barn with calves that bear
names like Patriot, Tomahawk and his favorite, Stormin’
Norman. He’s making plans that include a freckled-faced
man who'll bring home a sweet-faced girl.
= The sun shines on the Tennessee River these days. The
ilt in my sister’s voice and the gladness in h
wonderful to behold. . oy
Our little bride is marking the days on the calendar —
projected return date, June 28. Forty-two days of fervent
prayers have been answered. Questions for the future loom
large, but are placed aside in anticipation of a long awaited
honeymoon.
* * *
FOR THE FUTURE — We have a habit in our family
of big gatherings around Mom and Dad’s old, round oak
table. A certain sailor and his new bride are sure to be the
center of the next reunion we hold. My heart aches for
those families whose gathering place will be a granite
marker and the small comfort of a star-spangled flag. You
have suffered our worst dread. You were our compar.lions
on long sleepless nights. My simple pennings don’t carry
the impressive force of a long black wall, but are dedicated
to you and to all of those who have served as the arbiters
of pfiace in the Persian Gulf. ‘
y prayer is that all the 520,000 soldiers o
Storm will know the unparalleled love and gratitutfit?oefs:;:
American people. You have changed the way the world
looks at us and the way we look at ourselves,
* * *
Brenda Henson is a resident of Menlo.
x *x * e
Sl 5 GOOD ADVICE
wise man doesn’t expect to find li ivi
makes it that way. — Gante. Rs el Hving b