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i!MBKaSi Ins Volume 125-No. 80 « 18 Pages WEDNESDAY,DECEMBER 7,1994 50 CENTS Perry, Ga. this week In Sympathy The community's sympathy is extended to the families of those who recently died. They include:Robert Lee “Bobby- Cannon, Eatonton; Gertrude Baggett Greer, Perry; Exie P. Rozar, Oregon, III.; Odie Mae Stanley, Perry; Woodrow W. Cannady, Macon; Goldie G. Thomas, Waycross; Mary K. Stone, Perry. See details page 2A. Don't forget! Perry Players are "holding au ditions for “The Sound of Mu sic" on Saturday, Dec. 10 at 10 a.m. for youth and children, on Sunday, Dec. 11 at 2 p.m. and Monday, Dec. 12 at 7 p.m. for adults. The auditions will be held at 909 Main Street. The show dates are Feb. 22 through march 5. For more information call 987-5354 or 987-5097. Mobile home owners warned: display decal or be cited by court All mobile home owners in Hous ton County are being warned that citations will be given for not dis playing a required decal. On Nov. 29, the Warner Robins Magistrate court held a hearing on citations given to mobile home owners who had failed to display the decal required by Georgia code 48 5-492. Sixteen owners who were cited and had been previously notified to display the decal were fined $25 plus SBO for court costs. Fines can reach up to S2OO, but the owners, after being cited, obtained the de ch!*. All mobile homes in the county will be inspected for a decal by the Tax Assessor's office. It is esti mated that over 400 mobile home owners still do not currently have a decal to display. Furthermore, some owners may have to purchase a de cal for two prior years in addition to the current year decai if the owner has failed to purchase one for each of those years. Owners who receive a citation from the Magistrate court and then purchase the decal but do not dis pose of the citation in Lire court, an arrest warnuit could be issued by the court for failing to respond to the court's instruction. For additional information contact the Houston County Tax Assessor office in the courthouse (987-3060). Candlelight service cancelled due to rain; 'no re-scheduling 1 A downpour of rain and lightning Sunday afternoon caused the Rev. A. C. Truluck, president of the Perry Area Ministerial Association, to cancel the Candlelight Service on the Courthouse Square, scheduled for 7 p.m. that night. At a meeting of the Ministerial Association Tuesday morning, the decision was reached, regretfully, the Rev. Glenn Clower, program chairman, said, that there didn't seem to be a time or date when the service could be re-scheduled. So, there will be no Candlelight Service this year - 1994. Sunday afternoon, the city workers brought the truckload of sand, Please see SERVICE, page9A from the parade-5A Houston Times-Journal Houston Lake will have public access areas By BRIGETTE LOUDERMILK Newt Editor It's offlcial-Houston Lake will become a public lake, with parking and public access made available to all county residents. Houston County Commissioners unanimously agreed during their regular meeting Tuesday, Dec. 6, to apply for federal and state funding to repair damage to the dam, take over maintenance of public areas, and approve all rules, fees and regu lations set up by the owners of the hike and add the dam to its General Navy veteran, Perryan W.C. Little, remembers story of orphan (Editor's note: This story has received much attention from the media over the years, but was brought to light again recently when Daniel Edward Keenan met the men who, literally, saved his life.) By BRIGETTE LOUDERMILK News Editor It's a story that bears repeating, especially during the holidays. It's a story of tragedy turned into a happy ending, thanks to miracles and human compassion. It's a story about war, abandon ment and neglect. , .and it's a story about love, luck and life. Perryan Walter "W.C.” Little re members the story well, because he was there. It is a story that has changed his life iq ways he can't begin to describe iff WrifOS ’ ~ And just like the Christmas story of another little child bom unno ticed, who, to this day, is loved by many, Little, who is now 62, tells this story to his children and grand children around this time of year. The story began in Korea, July 1953. An abandoned American child, unheard of in Korea, was found by an American soldier and taken to an orphanage. Amidst the destruction of war, a priest from the U.S.S. Point Cruz, a Navy escort carrier, happened upon this small wonder-an Ameri can infant barely surviving in a for eign land. This was September. The baby, named George at the orphan age, had not fared well. He was covered with a rash, he was mal nourished and he was not receiving the proper human companionship needed to flourish. Little, at the age of 20, was sta Winners announced! Impressions owner Elizabeth Flowers, pictured with daughter Claire, stands in front of her store window that won first place in the Storefront Decorating Contest held in conjunction with Christ mas at the Crossroads. Other win ners were Elegant Designs, sec ond place; and Country Village, third place. Parade judges hand ed out the following awards in the float competition: Schools-Tabor Middle, first; Kings Chapel-sec ond; Thomas Proud Child-third. Industry and Business-Northrop, first; Canine Cleaners, second; Forestry Commission, third. Clubs and organizations-Brownie Troop 231, first; D.A.R.E., second. the Croattrnaite Official Legal Organ for Houston County, City of Perry and the State of Georgia * ' • m. C g%g+* suf i&yiAfTtt Liability insurance policy. The owners of the lake will col lect all fees, retain ownership of the lake and, therefore, be liable for the lake. Commission Chairman J. Sherrill Stafford said that maintenance costs will be paid by the fees collected so no tax dollars will be needed-"only the taxpayers who use the hike will be paying for the maintenance," he added. Because of std'ety precautions, "the public access will include boating and fishing for the general public tioned on the U.S.S. Point Cruz. His commander, Capt. J.T. "Chick” Hayward, and the priest, Lt. Edward O. Riley, decided the American or phan should be saved from certain death. Captain Hayward ordered Fa ther Riley to bring the child aboard the ship and they would take him to America when they returned home in December. But, Father Riley had a major task ahead. Only after Captain Hayward learned Vice President Nixon was in Korea and got the word to him was a visa issued for Baby George. So, the week of Thanksgiving, this young baby finally arrived at his first home, a Navy carrier. Little said the presence of a baby on the ship was wonderful. "George changed our lives. It lifted the spirits of everyone on the ship," he said. The crew was ready for George. A baby bed had been built. There were homemade toys for him to play with. There were diapers made from Navy sheets. Special formula was made. And, this tiny child who just a few months before had no one, suddenly had 1,000 men to care for him. According to Little, the crew was so in awe of George that, during a designated time each day, the men were allowed to forget their uuties and gather in groups to view the baby, take pictures of him and play with him. An American doctor serving in the war had also discovered the baby, and he and his wife decided to adopt George. When the baby arrived in America, his mother was waiting for him. George is grown up now. His par ■L ’- Is ■' ' '&% 'IS _.v ‘ HI 4 -'fflfe- JULIES ' HE’ s i«P% mi fflaSß&m I hr Basketball season begins Full local sports coverage appears on — 6A during the daylight hours each day. Skiing, jet skiing and other similar activities, shall be prohibited" ac cording to an agreement to be signed by the commission and hike owners. All private property around the lake will remain private property. A survey will be conducted to deter mine adequate public access and parking. Stafford said it would be 18-24 months before the hike will be open to the public. In other business, the commission "George changed our lives. It lifted the spirits of everyone on the ship." -W.C. Little ents, Dr. and Mrs. Hugh Keenan, have since passed away. George's name is Daniel Edward Keenan. He's a sportswriter living in Ephrata, Washington with his wife and two daughters. W.C. Little, a native of Hawkinsville, relumed home and soon went to work at Bluebird Body Co. in Fort Valley. He met a young lady named Caroline soon after, and 38 years later they have two daughters, are still happily married, living in Perry and Little still works at Bluebird. One daughter, Dianne Everidge, also lives in Perry. She is married to Bryan Everidge, and they have three children. She drives a school bus for The Westfield Schools. Their other daughter, Sybil Ryan, is a military wife. Her husband, Terry, is in the Navy. They have decided to withdraw the funding they have provided the cities of Warner Robins and Perry for recre ation programs until they can re negotiate an agreement. Commissioner Calvin Maye stated that in an original agreement made four years ago, the county promised to provide funuing if the cities would charge county residents the same fees as city residents for recreation programs. Maye also stated that the county has given the cities parks, vehicles and equipment 1 1 Little saw "George", Daniel Edward Keenan, last summer at a reunion the crew of the USS Port Cruz A reunion is planned for next year and Keenan will attend. Little encourages anyone with the crew to plan to attend. two sons and live in Orange Park, Fla. Little had not set eyes on "George Ascom Cruz" (that's what the crew named him) since December 1953, until a reunion for the crew of the Navy ship was held last year in San Diego, Ca. According to Little, it is exciting to see your old ship mates and share stories and remi nisce. But the 1993 reunion held a special excitement because "George" would be there. Heileman Brewing Co. will re-open the Perry brewery By PAULINE LEWIS Society Editor G. Heileman Brewing Company, of La Crosse, Wis., on Nov. 30 announced that it will re-open its beverage production and packaging facility in Perry. This action re flects the growing demand for its service as a contract producer and packager of non-beer products. The facility, which was built in 1970 but has not been in operation since June 1989, is currently being refurbished for the production and packaging, on a contract basis, of AriZona Brand Beverages, including AriZona Iced Tep, products of Fer olita, Vultaggio & Sons, Inc. of Brooklyn, NY. The Perry facility is scheduled to re-open in the Spring of 1995, at which time it is expected to gener ate at least 100 new, Perry-based jobs. The enthusiastic response to the news of the re-opening of the Heileman facility to make and package iced tea is quite different from the response to the opening of the Pabst facility several years ago to produce and package beer. Jim Worrall, Mayor of the City of Pern,’, upon learning of the re-open ing of Heileman, gave the follow ing comments: "The recent announcement lliat the Index to Features Classified 7B Police report 3A Deaths 2A Sports 6A Phil Clark 6A Tribble 4A Legals 4B Vets column 4A Letters 4A Remember when4A as well as help with paving, land scaping and other projects. Maye stated that both Perry and Warner Robins have requested additional funding from the county for recre ation. Commissioner Larry Snellgrove said that he feels the "county has lived up to its end of the deal and die cities have not." He continued by saying that county residents were still charged more dian city residents for recreation fees, even though the county has provided funding. "This was more special than our first reunion, I think, because we met our baby again, 40 years later," he said. Little added that another reunion is being planned for next year, with Keenan's help. Little urges any of the men hav ing contact with the U.S.S. Point Cruz to attend the 1995 reunion. For information on the reunion, contact Claude Bonner, 3019 40th Ave. W„ Bradenton. Fla. 34205. G. Heileman Brewing Company would be re-opening their Perry- Houston County facility in the spring to produce AriZona Iced Tea is another indication that Houston County is on the move economi cally. The number of jobs that will be available at Heileman will be a stimulus to continued economic growth in the entire Perry area. Be cause some of the former employ ees of Heileman have never found permanent employment since the brewery closed five years ago, we anticipate that they will be given consideration when applications for employment are accepted. "The City of Perry is looking forward to working closely with the management team from AriZona Tea to ensure a smooth transition as the facility begins production." Peggie H. Williams, President of the Perry Area Chamber of Com merce, upon hearing die news, said, "The Perry Area Chamber of Commerce welcomes AriZona Iced Tea to our business community. We look forward to working widi them to ensure their start-up is as smooth as possible." Sherrill Stafford, Chairman of die Houston County Commissioners, enthusiastically said, "I am very pleased. In refurbishing and in- Please see BREWERY, page 9A