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Lifestyles
Memories of the New Perry Hotel's past years
As signs announcing the 50th
Anniversary of the New Perry Hotel
are put into place, guests are eager
to reminisce about stories of the
hotel’s history. In the early years
of this century, ninety-one year old
Carl Moore visited the old Perry
Hotel with his parents who traveled
by car between their home in Sault
Saint Marie, Michigan and Florida.
He remembers well the excitement
when the New Hotel was built and
has kept up with its progress, for
he has returned many times during
his ninety-one years.
When Mr. and Mrs. Albert
Hafner of East Lansing, Mi., were
recent guests at the Hotel, they
shopped for a souvenir proclaiming
the New Perry Hotel’s 50th
Anniversary to take back home to
their neighbor, Mr. Moore. Several
years ago he had advised them to
stop at the New Perry Hotel, “Try
the pan broiled chicken and shredded
yams for the best meal you’ll find
from Michigan to Florida.” They
did so and because they agreed with
his critic’s choice, they continue to
stop each year on their way to and
from Florida.
When the Lunch Bunch (a group
of ladies who have met for lunch at
the hotel on Tuesday for more years
than they care to divulge) met
recendy for lunch, the conversation
turned to the upcoming hotel
reception (July 16, 3 p.m. to 5
p.m.). They recalled people and
events of the past and memories of
the New Perry Hotel when it really
was NEW.
Jo (McLendon) Skellie
remembers her mother-in-law
Rochelle (Cheves) Skellie,
proprietor of the old Perry Hotel
when the New Perry was built. It
was Rochelle Skellie who gave the
hotel its name which has stuck
these seventy years. When Jo and
her husband, Albert, came to Perry,
they lived in the new hotel with
Mrs. Skellie for two years. “We
hadn’t intended to stay so long.”
she said, “but there were few houses
to rent in Perry and the hotel was
so comfortable-really the only
place in town with steam heat in
the winter.”
She remembered the fine food
that was served by Mrs. Skellie in
the dining room. The waiter
“Uncle Henry” rang a dinner bell
loudly when the meal was ready;
then people would gather at the
long dining tables to be served
family style. Uncle Henry brought
big bowls of fresh vegetables with
platters of fried chicken, hot
biscuits, and great chocolate
desserts. Everyone pretended not to
notice as he slipped a piece of the
hot crusty chicken in his pocket on
the way to the table.
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GENERAL PRIMARY
ELECTION
COUNTY, STATE
AND FEDERAL
JULY 19, 1994
POLLING PLACES OPEN
7:00 a.m. until 7:00 p.m.
Houston County Board off Elections
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Life was interesting there with
travelers on the road to Honda and
peach buyers in the summer. She
recalled many employees who also
lived at the hotel. Herbert Boswell
(brother of Mattie Lee Matthews)
who worked as desk clerk. He
loved to talk and was full of stories
to entertain anyone who would
listen. Mrs. Mamie Winn looked
after the rooms and linens.
Jo’s son, Albert Cheves Skellie,
was bom in his grandmother’s hotel
with Dr. Lee Evans (Horace Evans’
brother) in attendance. Recently
Albert complimented his
grandmother saying, “She was a
woman way ahead of her time. She
saw the potential in tourism for
Perry and helped begin it.”
Aurelia (Cooper) Evans, whose
memory we might all envy, vividly
recalled the excitement generated
when people in Perry learned that a
$50,000 tourist hotel was to be
built by the Odum Realty
Company of Macon to replace the
old Perry Hotel. Because the New
Perry hotel opened the year she
graduated from college, she could
easily pin point the month and year
of its opening. With that clue we
found the coverage of the event by
the Houston Home Journal in the
June 18 issue of 1925. For the
New Perry Hotel Grand Opening,
Mrs. Skellie entertained 300 guests
with a buffet dinner—followed by
dancing to the music of the
Southern Serenaders band from
Macon. Aurelia remembered
attending the dance and recalled,
“The band was set up in the corner
where the watermelon picture hangs
now.” Asked if dances were held
often after that, she replied with a
laugh, “No, Mrs. Skellie said, we
made too much noise and disturbed
her guests...the place was full of
tourists. That was the only dance I
ever remember there, but I
remember going to dinner many
times with my parents, J.P. and
Martha (Ansley) Cooper.”
Aurelia’s grandson, Jud Green,
was given the bell Uncle Henry
used to call patrons to dinner by
Henry’s daughter. He has agreed to
display it with other hotel
memorabelia during the Hotel open
house on Saturday.
Another who shared early
memories is Elizabeth (Cannon)
Nunn. When she married Sam
Nunn, Sr. in 1935, they too, lived
in the hotel until they found a
house to rent while their home was
being built. (She still lives in the
house they built on Beckham
Circle.) Mr. and Mrs. J.J. Rooney,
whom she had known in Cordele,
were the proprietors then.
Cohen Walker, who came to
Perry in 1937, remembers that the
Craig Mathis
For congress
The high cost of crime is sapping our
nation's strength. Criminals must not
keep the upper hand. Every citizen, urban
or rural, should feel safe in their homes
and communities. Our policy should be...
pull the crime, serve the time.
"Paid for by lots of good people wno want to see
Craig Matnis in Congress’
m* m I Wn kxM
si ■MV.-KumJl il
...... • v.ll
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The signs go up, announcing fifty years of Southern
hospitality at the New Perry Hotel. Be sure to look In next
Wednesday's edition of the Houston Tlmes-Journal for
photos from the anniversary celebration to be held this
weekend.
Kiwanis Club, organized in 1938,
has enjoyed the New Perry Hotel
lunches for the last half a century.
After the hotel was remodeled, they
moved their meeting place from the
American Legion Hall to the new
banquet room which provided
plenty of space for the club to
grow...and it has. Now, proceeds
from their very successful annual
Farm-City Day project go toward
college scholarships and scholastic
incentives for high school students.
People who travel hear similar
Hammock selected to attend AMDA training
The American Musical and
Dramatic Academy in New York
City is pleased to announce that
Wendi Hammock has been selected
for admission into the professional
training program for 1994. AMDA
“ In these times of natural
disaster, when our homes, lands,
and roads have been destroyed
k| flooding . . .
Pudding Prldges in Houston
Counti) for a new tomorrow is
Bridges to Boost Economic Development
• Bringing together local and state officials to bring in new industry and
expand existing business
• Bringing together the northern and southern areas of the county to
coordinate economic expansion throughout the county
• Bringing together local business leaders to create a strategy for
county-wide economic expansion
Bridges to Improve Roads, Schools and Public Safety
• Bringing together city, county and state officials to push for more state funding for
highways to speed traffic and improve roads throughout the county
• Working with state legislators to bring in increased state support for public
schools and public safety
• Bringing together law enforcement personnel to develop tougher anti-crime
programs and boost police protection for all citizens regardless of where
they live and work
Bridges to Bring Together All Citizens
• Involving all citizens in county government decisions
• Boosting dialogue between various communities
• Helping people in Houston County serve the needs of others
• Bringing together people of different personalities, talents and skills to
improve the quality of life in our county
stories often repeated, Jackie (Ward)
Marshall wrote, “In our travels
around the states we make many
new friends. In conversations about
our hometowns, when we mention
Perry, they will say, “Oh yes, we
know exactly where it is. We have
dinner at the hotel there each time
we pass through.” This happened
over and over, on Fisherman’s
Wharf in San Francisco, in the
mountains of Colorado, and on a
boat on the Potomac River last
summer.”
auditions students throughout the
United States and Canada as well as
students from many international
countries.
Wendi is the daughter of Jackie
and Shirley Hammock of Perry.
'““Wayne
Ragin
Building Bridges in
Houston County
Houston County Commission, Post 2, At-Large
Democratic Primary, July 19, 1994
Advertisement Paid For By Candidate
Houston Times-Journal
Wednesday, July 13,1994 Houston Times -Journal
Mr. and Mrs. Richard W. Helms,
Sr. of Snellville, Georgia, and Mr.
and Mrs. William F. Bledsoe, Sr.
of Perry, Ga., announce the
forthcoming marriage of their
children, Barbara Helms Goodwin
and William Franklin Bledsoe, Jr.
The wedding is planned for July 31,
1994, in Snellville
Ik ' -4BV juir 91
lap, w
Miss Helms, Mr. Bledsoe
to become man and wife
What's the attraction
at Middle Georgia College?
Why...
• is enrollment up 10% in one year on the Cochran
campus?
• is dormitory occupancy up 26% in one year?
• is combined enrollment for Cochran and Dublin cam
puses up 37% in four years?
Come to Visitation Day on Saturday July 16,
and get some answers. High school students
and their families are invited. Registration
begins at 9:30 a.m. in Russell Hall on the
Cochran campus. The program begins at
10:00 a.m.
Please let us know you're coming.
Call (912) 934-3103
COLLEGE
If
Admissions Office • Middle Georgia College
1100 Second Street, SE • Cochran, Georgia 31014
A Two-Year Residential Unit of the University System of Georgia
An AOlnnative Action/Equal Employment and Educational Opportunity Institution.
Wayne Ragin Personal Profile:
• Husband, Father, Church Leader
• Personnel Manager, local major manufacturer
• Certified Volunteer Mediator / Houston County Juvenile
Court System
• Perry Chamber of Commerce
• Leader in local civic organizations
- American Cancer Society, President, Perry Unit
- Perry Evening Optimist Club, board member
- United Way, Corporate Giving Campaign
- Efficiency in Government Committee, member
- Boy Scouts of America
- DAE Citizenship Award
• Leadership Perry
• Coach, Perry Recreation
• Former Legislative Assistant, U.S. Senator Sam Nunn
• Education
- Graduate, Perry High School, President, Senior Class
-8. A., Howard University
Page 1B
The bride is employed as a
dispatcher with the police
department in Lawrenceville, Ga.
The groom is a correctional officer
at Phillips Correctional Institution
in Buford, Ga.
After the wedding, the couple will
reside in Lawrenceville.