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GEORGIA NEWSPAPER U. GA. MAIN LIBRAF ATHENS, GA 30602 Volume 125—N0. 81 120 Pages WEDNESDAY,DECEMBER 14,1994 50 CENTS Perry. Ga. this week In Sympathy The community's sympathy is extended to the families of those who recently died. James B. "Jim" Kerce, Perry; Charlie Louise Rumph McGhee, Henderson; Woodrow W. Cannady, Macon; Odie Mae Stanley, Perry; James Edwad Gordon, Pitts; Harold Eugene Lones, Warnrer Robins; Herman William Crumley, Gainesville; Exie P. Rozar, Or egon, III.; Willie R. King, Kathleen. See details page 2A. News New campus update Middle Georgia Technical In stitute President Billy Edenfield presented an update on the plans for the school's soon-to be new campus on Highway 96 at a Legislative Appreciation Brunch last week. For more in formation, please see Page 18. Take a Stand! December is National Drunk and Drugged Prevention Month and the Georgi State Patrol is taking part in the effort to em phasize the of impaired driving. For more in formation and related statis tics, please see Page BA. No more Freeport Perry City Council unani mously voted at their last regu lar meeting to abolish Freeport taxes. For more information, please see Page 3A. Saying farewell... With the sudden death of Jim Kerce, his friends have sent in letters and columns this week as a final farewell. The authors include Teresa Hawk, Bob Tribble, Brigette Loudermilk, Brenda Thompson and Bobby Tuggle. The articles are located on Pages 4A and 10A. . Family Whipple turns 90 The family of Carolyn Whipple invites her friends to join them in a birthday celebration at Perry Country Club in honor of Whipple's 90th birthday. For more information, please see Page 58. Sports Panthers blast Bears The Perry Panthes blew the Houston County Bears away in the first region 3AA South game for both teams Saturday. Stan Gann hit four three-pointers, making him one of six players in double figures. For a com plete update on this game and others, please see Pages 6A. ss plan I seasonal events~sA Houston Times -Journal Official Legal Organ for Houston County, City of Perry and the State of Georgia Times-Joumal editor, Jim Kerce, dead at age 52 By BRIGETTE LOUDERMILK Editor The Perry community mourned the death of Houston Times-Joumal Editor Jim Kerce last week. Kerce was found dead at his residence, 103 Kings Crest Blvd., on Thursday. The cause of death was a self-inflicted gunshot wound. Law enforcement officials discovered the body after concerned friends reported they had not been able to get in touch with Kerce for several days. Kerce had been a reporter, editor and publisher during a journalism career that spanned more than 32 years. His newspaper career in Perry began at The Houston Home Journal where he served as Editor for 13 years. He recently returned to the Houston Titnes-Journal in July 1994 after serving six months as Managing Editor at The Daily Sun in Warner Robins. Bob Tribble, the owner of the Times-Joumal and president of Trib ,1 ■v'CVsjk Brigette Loudermilk Loudermilk steps in as the interim editor of HTJ Brigette Loudermilk has been named temporary editor of the Houston Times-Journal since the recent death of former Editor Jim Kerce. Loudermilk was editor of the Times-Journal during the first six months the newspaper was in oper ation. She recently returned as a temporary News Editor under the leadership of Kerce, who served as the newspaper's editor for four months. "I enjoyed coming back to work in the Perry community as news ed itor. I enjoyed working with Jim Kerce, he was an experienced news paper editor and an old-school jour nalist. I will miss his presence at the newspaper, but tun more than willing to help out in this time of transition. I’m glad Bob Tribble, the newspaper's owner, has the confidence in me,” Loudermilk said this week. Loudermilk also worked for Kerce during his tenure as editor of The Houston Home Journal. She joined the staff in November 1991 as city reporter. Six months later Kerce promoted her to of managing editor, a position she filled until Houston Publications purchased The Home Journal in February 1994. "I'm no stranger to this area. I have many friends ;uid supporters in Perry. I'm glad to have this chance to not only work at the newspaper but, hopefully, live up to the stan dards Jim Kerce set. Perry deserves a quality newspaper and if the staff follows the guidelines he set for us, we'll do Perry justice," Loudermilk said. Loudermilk, a native of Eastman, lives in Warner Robins with her husband, Burl, and their 19 month old daughter, Lauren. B;irt Louder milk is employed with Paul Davis Systems in Macon. Loudermilk is the daughter of Please see LOUDERMILK, page 11A LiOOdl Publications, commented on Kerce's tragic death and praised his achievements as a journalist. "He knew the inside and outside of what it took to make a good newspaper," Tribble said. "His heart was really in Perry. He did a very good job and we're just devastated at this point that something like that would happen. All the people at the newspaper are sorry it surfaced as it did." n. i nomas rsccu, puoiisiici oi me Daily Sun, who worked with Kerce for many years for Park Communications, stated, "I have lost a very close friend and colleague. I'm especially sad because I wasn't wise enough to see that my friend needed me. "I extend my condolences to Jim's family and his community. He was one of the most talented newspaper editors I've ever worked with. Perry has lost a leader who probably cared too much for his adopted home town." * « fiL r wf ii liiiiß Getting ready ... Phillip Thomas tells Santa Claus what he wants for Christmas this year. If you haven't been able to talk to the "big guy" in person this year, don't worry. The Houston Times-Journal will print all Letters to Santa in next week's edition. Veteran journalist Larry Hitchcock joins the HTJ staff as News Editor A veteran newsman with 33 years experience in daily and weekly newspapers, radio and television news, marketing and public relations has joined the Houston Times-Journal. Larry Hitchcock joined the Times- Journal staff this week as news editior, succeeding Veto Roley, who joined the staff of the Warner Robins Daily Sun. Hitchcock, who is 54 today, returned to Middle Georgia after a 31-year absence. He worked as a sportswriter for the Macon Telegraph in 1963. "It is a pleasure to return to Middle Georgia," Hitchcock said. "I enjoyed my previous work here and have long wanted to come back to the area. I am looking forward to working with the people of Perry and Houston County." "Larry is a welcome addition to the Times-Journal staff. His vast experience will help us in our goal to produce a quality newspaper for this community," Editor Brigette Loudermilk said. Prior to joining the Times- Journal, Hitchcock was with the Perry blasts Houston Co. Full local sports coverage appears on — 6-7A Prior to coming to Perry, Kerce worked at newspapers in Atlanta, Tallahassee, Fla., Poughkeepsie, N.Y. and Hamxlsburg, Ky. His striving for journalistic excellence was recognized and awards were given to him at the state and national levels for writing, layout and photography. The Houston Home Journal, under Kerce's leadership from 1981-1994, won 60 association awards, r?—„n , IUV.IUUIIIS UIC V.IUIUUI L>ALUIUILL award in 1988 and 1989. The Georgia Press Association's General Excellence award honors papers judged to be the "best of the best" in state journalism each year. No other publisher and newspaper in the association's history has won the honor for two consecutive years. Kerce's friends and current and former employees of were shocked to hear die news of his untimely death. Bobby Tuggle said said although «f ■■ • sJplp t Tj| k . Larry Hitchcock Country News Weekly, a features oriented publication in Winchester, Tenn. Hitchcock has also worked as a sportswriter with the Chattanooga, Tenn., Times; as sports editor and night city editor of die Billings, Mont., Gazette; make-up editor of the Atlanta Constitution; regional news editor and farm editor of die Please see HITCHCOCK, page 11A Kerce was a loner, he was a close friend of his. "He inspired me to write outdoor articles for The Home Journal. I will always be appreciative of him for making me write." Houston County Sheriff Cullen Talton remembered his friend as a "fair person in printing the news. "He told it like it was," he said, "he was a good friend of mine and a big part of the community." Houston County Probate Judge Frances Annis said he had always been "honest and straightforward" with her about the legal ads which the Times-Joumal publishes. "If anything ever went wrong, he took full responsibility of it," she said. "He was a very dear friend, and I'll miss him very badly." Perry Presbyterian Church Pastor Jim Shipley said he thought Kerce was a "good newspaper man who was hard driving and demanded excellence. He took a stand on an issue and let the chips fall where City Council narrows list of city manager candidates to 3 By BRIGETTE LOUDERMILK News Editor Perry City Council expects to name a new City Manger before the end of 1994 according to Mayor Jim Worrall. After announcing the position, die city received 38 resumes. According to Worrall, applications came from Connecticut, Florida, Virginia and several applicants are from the Mid dle Georgia area. The council reviewed each resume and narrowed the list to seven choices. The council then inter viewed those seven and have again narrowed the list, this time to three names. Those in the running for the posi tion are: •Janice Williams, current interim city manager, and finance director Trendline acquires fashions division of Kellwood Comp. Trendline Home Fashions, Inc., of Perry has acquired the Home Fashions Divisions of Kellwood Co. Trendline Inc., which employs approximately 280 people at its Perry plant, designs, manufactures and markets a wide range of decorative bedding products and window treatments. "We hope to increase our line of decorative pillows and other products," said Mark Schlag, chief financial officer for Trendline. "Our production has declined since Sears closed its catalog sales and we are looking to this acquisition to increase production at the Perry facility." Introsul announces plans to move into Perry small business park Introsul, Inc., manufacturer of cultured marble vanity tops and wall materials, will be moving into a new plant by die first of March. Don Svoboda, president of Introsul, said die company will be breaking ground of the new 15,000 square foot facility in the Perry Allied Small Business Park in about three weeks. "We have taken on Holiday Inn as a major corporate account and we have several other major motel and hotel chains as customers on a regional basis," Svoboda said, "and the new facility will enable us to expand our product line and produce more of our existing products. With the new operation, we will be able to grow and prosper at an increasing Index to Features Classified 8B Deaths 2A Phil Clark 6A Legals 5B Letters 4A PflH r tH gF | 1 1 Jim Kerce diey may." "As an editor and newspaper man, he was definitely the best. People who worked for Jim worked as hard Please see KERCE, pagel 1A for die City of Perry. •Phillip Clark of Hayes, Kansas. A native of the Middle Georgia area, Hayes is the business manager for Pick Marketing, Inc. •Charles Dubyak, who is currently city manager in Mary Ester, Fla. (near Fort Walton), which is one of die 10 fastest growing areas in the nation. The new City Manager will replace Marion Hay, who resigned from the position in June after serving 17 years with the City of Perry, nine of those years were as City Manager. "All three finalists are very well qualified. The council is in the middle of a final interviewing process right now," Worrall stated last week. "We are very pleased by the announcement," said Peggie Williams, president of the Perry Area Chamber of Commerce. "It's a positive step forward for Trendline and the Perry area." Trendline Home Fashions is a company formed by Vitale Holdings, Inc., a Charlotte, N.C.- based investment company with interests in home furnishings, furniture and related industries. "The Vitale group brings marketing expertise to our company," Schlag said. "Through this acquisition, we hope to grow sales, increase the number of employees in Perry and at our Please see TRENDLINE, page 11A rate." Introsul, a Perry-based corporadon since it started in 1972, currently employs 14 people. Svoboda said the expansion will enable the firm to add up to 20 new jobs. "The Houston County De velopment Authority is proud .of Don Svoboda and all the people at Introsul," Steve Byrd, chairman of die authority, said. "It is great to see the confidence they have placed in our area." "We are excited about having Introsul grow and move into our industrial park," Perry Mayor Jim Worrall said. "We are looking forward to continued cooperation and friendship." B. Loudermilk 3A Sports 6A Tribble 4A Potopurri 2B Remember when4A