Newspaper Page Text
The Summeruille News
BN
A NN
Local Talent;
Women In
Money Lust
TALENTED people are ev
erywhere but I think ghattooga
Coun?’ has an extra number of
these folks. One of the fun things
about my job as a newspaper
writer is meeting unique indi
viduals.
How can we say enough
about our wonderful artists such
as Summerville's legendary
Howard Finster, Teloga's
Cynthia White-Wilson,
Cloudland’s Betsy Scott and Carl
McCleskey, Menlo’s Honey
Glover and Berryton's Linda
Espy?
There are too many marvel
ous musicians to even start drop
ping names. You know who you
are. The talented youngsters here
— wow, you blow me away!
Kudo's to the Chattooga
High School musical cast of
“Guys and Dolls.” You were defi
nitely entertaining.
DON'T YOU ever look at
those folks and wonder why you
were never endowed with gifts
they enjoy?
I have always been a doo
dler, scribbling lines, marks,
stars and dots. I have one draw
ing that I do of a zinnia flower in
a pot on atable by a window. The
flower, unfortunately, is more
impressionistic than realistic.
Sometimes people look at it and
incorrectly ask me why I am
drawing a clown.
“What,” I say, “that’s no
clown — it’s a flower.” I always
get a bewildered look. They know
I'm not an artist. If only I was
artistically inclined such as
Jordon Poole or could write po
etry as does his gifted aunt
Sharon Pinion.
PLAY A little music — that
I do. I can strum the old piano
strings with the best of them and
even play a harp. Around
Christmastime, I get invitations
to play my harp often and I do —
if the money is right. Cold
hearted? No. Moving my harp
here and there is a pain and it has
to be tuned every time I take it
somewhere.
Ar:iyway. I want to praise
iv('ou and encourage all of you to
eep up your good work!
NOW, DO you want to
marry a millionaire?
Wasn't that a weird and bi
zarre deal? I watched part of it
and I couldn’t believe it was real.
Obviously it wasn’t. Doesn'’t it
amaze you to see what produc
ers will come up with to get tele
vision ratings?
Now we find out that a pre
nuptial and an annulment agree
ment were included in the origi
nal contracts.
THE SCENARIO of 50
girls all wanting to be brides of
one swarthy-looking rich guy —
all of whom didn’t know each
other from the “git-go"— is too
weird, even for this California
girl! Can gou imagine all those
girls mothers, da§s. grandpar
ents sitting at home with
crossed-fingers that this “yucky”
suy would not choose their lovely
arlißgs?
er the live show was over,
interviewers who talked to more
than 30 of the women said they
were literally praying on stage
that this mifiionaire fellow
wouldn't pick them.
HE CHOSE Darva Conger,
a Dallas, Texas nurse. She told
“Good Morning America’s”
Dianne Sawyer that from the
moment she and her new hubby
Rick Rockwell left the studio she
was very uncomfortable. Of
course, she blames Rockwell for
“leading her astray,” by offering
all that money to marry him. She
was surprised that Rockwell
rlanted a big kiss on her “I do”
ips at the end of the nuptials.
I COULDN'T help wonder
ing what she was feeling as she
said “I do” to a man she Ead met
only five minutes before. Maybe,
it would have been more appro
firiate if the “dingy” Darva would
ave said, “I do, maybe.”
She married for money,
folks. We can’t diss her, though
— lots of women do the same and
it often takes them several
months to make it to the altar.
“I’'M PRETTY sure now
that this world is definitely on a
fast track to “nutsville.” ‘lziiis is
by far one of the weirdest deals I
have seen. I guess everyone in
that groupwasa Fublicity seeker.
This millionaire fellow Rockwell;
does that name sound for real to
you? The Conf,er woman told a
reporter, “Oh, I just wanted tobe
on TV and wave at my friends
and family.”
What? Is she a looneytoon
or what?
This girl is supposed tobe a
college graduate, working in a
Texas hospital operating rooms
see LAAN'S INN, page 3-B
CHS Student Goes For The Design $$
Jordan Poole Hopes To Win Peachtree Road Race T-Shirt Contest Cash
By D. J. LAAN
Staff Writer
Jordan Poole, a Chattooga
High School (CHS) junior, has a
special interest in Atlanta’s
Peachtree Road Race.
No, he doesn’t plan to enter
as a runner in the famous annual
race.
However, he wants to be the
artist chosen whose drawing will
be on the shirts of the thousands
of entrants who do run in the
race.
“I heard about a Peachtree
Road Race art contest through
The Summerville News,” Jordan
said. “The administrators of the
race are offering SI,OOO to an
artist who couFd capture the
spirit of the event in its first run
ning during this new millen
nium,” he indicated.
The winner’s print will be
displayed on the front of the of
ficial Peachtree Road race T
shirt, officials said.
As part of his preparation
for the é)rawing. he went to At
lanta and took photos of Peacht
ree Street. The CHS junior began
his own artistic interpretation
for the drawing using an image
of what a runner mi Et see as Ee
or she raced along tfie street.
CASTLES
Since his early days in kin
dergarten, Jordan said he has
loved to draw. His first drawings
were of castles.
“No one reall( taught me
how to draw a castle — it was in
my psyche somewhere and I
could draw great castles from an
early age,” he said.
He vividly recalls Sally Wil
liams, his art teacher, encourai
ing him and praising his work.
He remembered winning his first
art contest at Summerville El
ementary School (SES). That
winning picture was of a woman
on a horse standing near a tree
that was afire.
“I was trying to draw leaves
but that didn’t work out so I de
cided to burn the tree down in
stead,” he said with a laugh. He
uses his left hand to draw.
When he would have to wait
on his father, Mike Poole, SES
principal, after the school day
ended to finish his official duties,
Jordan would sit in the corner of
his father’s office and pretend to
do homework.
“I would be drawing and
fasesssdih 721«0"\7440” Ao %offlf Koo ' Ploamed Posler Bo?
Photo G I Yoo Ul Lperly SisclenT PHighT tppor Fn 705 Sovithoaseon Sotes
By D. J. LAAN
Staff Writer
Most people who know Ken
neth Thompson of Lyer(l{v will tell
you that the 11-year-ol bor has
“a lot of heart.” They would be
more than correct.
Kenneth has been chosen by
the American Heart Association
(AHA) as the “Heart to Heart”
poster boy for an 11-county area
in Northwest Georgia, including
Chattooga County.
AHA volunteers came out in
large numbers this past Saturday
to honor him, turn in the money
they had collected and to remem
ber more than 60 heart victims
who have fallen to heart disease.
He is the son of Lyerly
Councilman Robert Thompson
Jr. and his wife Carol. Their son
game into the world with a faulty
heart.
BENEFIT
He has turned his malady
into a benefit by encouraging
others — through his story of
surgeries and healini— to sup
port the AHA, which has sup
ported him through three opera
tions.
He was part of Lyerly El
ementary School’s (LES) “Jump
Rope For Heart” in which the
school was a top fundraiser in its
category. It presented the AHA
with $4,150 raised by students.
The top fund-raiser at LES,
fiftl;dgrader Sharon Weaver,
raised $350.
Menlo Elementary School in
its “Jump Rope For Heart” cam
paign raised $2,004.
The to; fundraiser was
Damien Wofford, a fourth grader
who raised about $315.
Cody Abernathy, a Sum
merville Middle ScKool sixth
grader, was the top fundraiser
with S7B of the $1,200 the school
contributed to the AHA.
SCHOOLS
Pennville Elementary
School or Summerville Elemen
tary School did not J)articipate in
a schoolwide AHA drive this year
althoue%h teachers at Pennville
donated S3OO from within their
ranks. Officials at Trion Elemen
ta?' School and North Summer
ville Elementary School said they
are plannir‘lf to do a “Hoops for
Heart” fund-raiser in the spring
for the AHA.
The AHA supporters raised
morethan sl2,oooinit’s “Heart
S, e "
L "’uff{i‘ e . . e# > : :
»-}l’7, '. %¥ h E - §fr _.:TBI_.- _*.,“ l
A ' ‘K\ ’ by OST
s/ /fi ¥ py«h ki g w o%: i
i% B .
£ ty °® * 3 ':v ) :'.: ;
R s e L
NA\J 'rfi‘igWN : ; e \‘l
; ML ee NI i R Rt
i i ;
g '»: i
T | 7
8 #* ;;\;‘_‘_,_; ~ ;
Staff Photo By D. J. Laan
JORDAN POOLE, CHS ARTIST
Poole Entering Atlanta Art Contest
sketching and then [ would draw
a little more but I don’t think
daddy ever knew,” he said.
Jordan said he thinks he
must have inherited some of his
artistic talent from his aunt
Sharon Pinion, Summerville.
“She’s a very talented artist
and a poet,” he said. “Most
fieoele don’t know that about
er.
CARDS
Jordan said that he is so im
pressed with his aunt’s ability to
create goetic verse that he plans
to ask her to create a Christmas
poem with Chattooga County as
its topic.
“People are always suggest
ing to me that I do drawings of
the county courthouse,” he said.
“It just seems to be a popular
landmark with local residents.”
The CHS junior plans to
draw the courthouse and possi
bly some other county ?and
marks, using a Christmas theme
and have h(fiiday cards and en
velops to sell.
“This will be my first ven
ture of this kind with greeting
cards although I have srfid some
paintings and posters,” he said.
CAREER
“I really don’t know if my
To Heart” drive in Chattooia
County, said Julianne Roach,
field director.
A team at Tips, Toes and
Tans, Summerville, was the top
fund-raiser in the business divi
sion with more than $1,600 in
donations.
“HEART TO HEART”
KID
Kenneth “is serving as the
official representative from our
area for several different events,”
Ms. Roach said.
She said his photo and story
might be on posters that are dis
tributed in Louisiana, Alabama,
Y g
i
A 'fii " 4 ’
G b .
go PO il T b ’ W
BR L .
N . ,_ P
§. Tl T
yl%: . & H
‘) 3 8 ' F U‘ A ‘
%:& s s :«i;’» 4 ’
L 7; ’ " ~
.“,I & ' “
‘: ' i, ~_v
‘ (,ulfl(' 101 N o
the fun ar SHeB
the e
R 2200 Chattooga County
el \Merican Heart Walk L.
ba 5 5
. j
surday, February 26, 3000
!_‘"-‘. ™M ““fl'“lmion v IPy Walk ,“v"; i“
by High %H.M“ %»#y
b" £ “;" ’:;l hean drcse stridk, : wf% %
the #} Killer in ""fi"m the gty s | «'f 7%
faond v T MC&% \503 ”2,2
bean G gl - l;;’:
g o
Staff Photo by D. J. Laan
KENNETH THOMPSON, POSTER BOY
Lyerly Student AHA Champion
Thursday, March 2, 2000
folks had ideas about what I
would be doing for a career when
I grew up,” he said, “but it sure
looks as if I will be moving to
ward art.”
He said he seemed to sim
ply “come into his own talent,” a
couple years ago. Although he
never had formal training in art
other than in a school setting,
Jordan said he read alot of “how
to” books and studied the work
of famous artists.
Jordan said each room of
the Poole home is filled with at
least one or two pieces of his art.
EXHIBITS
The blond-headed artist has
exhibited his artwork by invita
tion and through his own inven
tion for the last couple years at
various shows.
His exhibits have been on
display at the Howard Finster
Art Festival, Sum Nelly, Chat
tooga High School’s “Old South”
Day, the Summerville class re
union and the SES Career Day
2000. He is displaying his work
in the main lobby at Farmers and
Merchants Bank in Summerville.
He said several artists in the
county have encouraged him.
“Linda Espy, a family friend
and professional artist, gave me
a magazine to look at t%’lflt had
Tennessee, Mississippi and
Georgia.
Near the end of this sum
mer, Kenneth and some other
children who help the AHA in its
efforts to educate and raise funds
for research, will be honored at
a reception at Six Flags Over
Georgia.
“Kenneth is a natural with
his winning smile and a heart
that’s really strong these days,”
Ms. Roach added.
FOUR DAYS
Four days after Kenneth'’s
birthday on Aug. 27, 1988, he
several tips on technique and my
mom Dianne Poole eventually
ordered it,” he said. “The con
tents of that magazine has helped
me a lot.”
TRION ART
Jordan said he began a spe
cial art project a couple years ago
that resulted in a dprofessional
poster of Trion landmarks being
created.
Avanelle Weaver, Ar
muchee, his grandmother, had
lived in Trion mai:iy fg'ears and
had snapshots of different old
buildings such as the YMCA, old
school buildings and other
scenes.
“I was at her house one day
just doing some sketches and she
gave me some old pictures of
uildinf todraw,” he said. “That
was at the first of the summer of
1998. My family and I spent a few
weeks vacation in Oreson later
and I worked on the drawings
there.”
GIFTS
When the Poole family re
turned, Jordan took the draw
ings to his grandmother as a gift.
She was so amazed at the qual
ity of the work that she suggested
he make a poster.
“I went to The Summerville
News at the su%gestion of my
grandmother and got Mr. Gene
Espy to help me (fut the project
together,” he said.
The finished poster can be
seen in many Trion homes and
offices. “I get a lot of calls from
people who want to buy that
print,” he added.
PLANS
Jordan said he was nomi
nated by the CHS faculty tobe a
candidate for Georgia’'s
Governor’s Honors Program
2000 earlier this year. He at
tended an interview at Clayton
College for consideration.
I% he is chosen, Jordan said
he would spend six weeks at
Valdosta State College, where he
would be exposed to many art
disciplines. About 400 other
GeorFia students who have
qualified in various academic
and art fields will attend the pro
%ram, whichis tauEht bgl some of
seorgia’s and other outhern
states’ finest educators.
“I'm waiting along with
three other CHS students to find
see CHS STUDENT, page 5-B
went into cardiac distress and
suffered four heart attacks in a
Rome hospital’s emergency
room. Doctors there told his par
ents that the ailing infant must
have heart surgery.
“That was one of the scari
est days of my life,” Mrs. Thomp
son said.
She said her husband Rob
ert was devastated.
“He’s always so strong and
I thought he might just Ereak
when he heard the news,” Mrs.
Thompson said. “Like most par
ents, we were afraid our cgild
might die.”
Unfortunately, nodoctors in
Georgia or in the Southern
United States had been success
ful in performing the compli
cated surgery that the Lyerly in
fant needed. Medical teams who
had previously undertaken the
extreme operation had lost their
infant patients to one complica
tion or another.
The Thompsons’ tiny baby
boy was diagnosed with hypo
glastic left-heart syndreme and
eart-valve atresia, the latter re
ferring to a valve refusing to open
to allow blood to flow into and
out of the heart.
PHILADELPHIA
The Thompsons were re
ferred to a heart surgeon in
Philadelfihia, Penn. and within
hours the family was there,
awaiting the procedure that
could save their baby boy’s life.
“After his surgery, he was in
the children’s ward with many
other babies and younger chil
dren who had the same prob
lem,” Mrs. Thomgson said. “I
began to realize that this heart
:}{Tent was not so unique, after
The surgery went well for
Kenneth and the family returned
to Lyerly. About I'2 years later,
Kenneth again became ill and a
second surgery was scheduled to
repair problems with his heart.
In addition, that og:ration re
guired Kenneth to be placed on
ialfisis after the surgery, his
mother said.
SURGERY
“This time, the suriery was
much harder on Kenneth and on
us,” she said. “The heart sur
geons told us that they were us
ing a new ex%enmental proce
dure on our on’s heart.” The
procedure, which had been de
Fecisiwres cwidi News
‘,,v
T P
: T ¥ 4
“; kL
et LV
. % K. " L L
4 v P 8 kL 5 % 7
F xOT 3 2 A
L 1 k£ ¢
: L Sgr ; B -
P i o 3 s A
i ] & %
3 g % % 7 5 [ |
’ 2 ™ % i.,v,g__ Pl |
2™ o g UEN M N HAED’ & Tt T 57
" eAR i P REs" ?. 4 o
Y ens . =N e i;3 i Uih e i ‘
> SRR ¥ N /. SL WE p - a
e ) SRY LA 3 ! TRGY £Y ; %
i y % 2 By ‘ Wi PR EWE YR 3 s
b 4 B LBl 4 vX 2 o #'A ] -.fz, ‘,3 : 1 A 4 *'Q
p > 5 *L'. }& e ‘\% }t : B ;é ‘ i yvl
&7 o bML NIVA, s’ ‘ =z : 1 , R
e T e T . vl & 3 L
o 7 e 5w 2 2 G
.f;,‘ ‘ g b A % G :4%
§y j B 3 E ' 4 e
35i#wi%1 E 2 A : e ¥
5 e . ./ Ve ¢
: . I % 2 Tirh y oy i
: ¥ BT, TR W L T B TREEe b e
Voo AT R T e il e |
%d B : 0e B ™ ] |
: 5 b : ; e &
FN,a2&- B ; . g T
o ¢ 4 v ! - e
[ Y 1 o BT
i gt -l 4;' &5 N
I T gt O W T,
AR il e o
e?£ & s
s % . e P “'s”',fifi‘u
- s A
B e
W, j T
i
Jordan Poole, a Chattooga High School jun
ior, sgent many hours creating this drawing,
which he entered in competition to be the
official emblem for the Peachtree Road Race
-2000. He said he wanted to create a possible
veloped by the AHA research di
vision, involved the use of venti
lators and dialysis (removal,
cleaning and reinsertion of
blood). b
“Everything horribly imag
inable happeneg during t{iis sur
-sery to Kenneth, including car
iac arrest, lung deterioration
and later reflux problems,” his
mother said.
Reflux is when anything
taken through the mouth is
thrown up by a person.
When he was finally stabi
lized, he was moved to a private
room. That was when the reflux
problems began.
The me%ical staff said the
continual reflux reaction was
“psychological” and Kenneth was
not improving because he was
“just being bafi.“
Mr. and Mrs. Thompson
said they couldn’t take the stress
and what seemed to be a lack of
caring for their son so they de
cided to move him to Egleston
Children’s Hospital, Atlanta.
wRE n 4
G |
F '
. /
P ‘ -
‘ Jumping For ‘The Heart Of IV’
Justin Foster, left front, a Lyerly Elementary
School fifth frader, was one of 180 students
at the school who volunteered to help raise
funds for the American Heart Association’s
Poole’s Peachtree Road Race Entry
“We finally got Kenneth
moved back to Georgia and we
vowed we would never take him
back to Pennsylvania,” Mrs. Th
ompson recalled.
MORE SURGERY
Young Kenneth would again
go under a scalpel for his con
tinuing heart problems in June,
1990.
“At that time, Kenneth was
old enough to be afraid of what
would happen when the doctors
operated and probably he had
some psychological scars deep
down that no one knew about
from the previous surgeries,”
said his mother.
The family said that surgery,
which helped to correct two con
ditions cafif:d aortic stenosis and
aortic sf?)tic defect, went much
more efficiently than what they
remembered K‘om the earlier
su‘rgeries in the northern hospi
tal.
“I told my son that he would
be asleep during the procedure
image that a runner would see as he sprinted
down Peachtree Street while participating in
the famous race. (Contributed Artwork By
Jordan Poole).
but if he felt nervous, to remem
ber to reach upward toward God
with his hand and that God
would reach down, clasp his
hand and be with him all the way
through it,” the Lyerly mother
said.
LAST ORDEAL
Three and one-half years
later, Kenneth underwent a
fourth surgery.
“He had more understand
ins since he was almost 10 years
old that people do die sometimes
when they go to the hospital,”
Mrs. Thompson said. “And he
knew of eogle with heart con
ditions W%O idn't survive.”
It was right before that last
surgery when Kenneth seemed
the most vulnerable, his mother
said. As his tears fell, he asked
his mother why this had hap
pened to him.
“Is there an answer that a
child can understand to that
question?” Mrs. Thompson
see KENNETH, page 5-B
“Heart To Heart 2000,” fund-raiser by jump
ing roge. Others in the photo are not identi
fied. (Staff Photo By D. J. Laan).