Houston times-journal. (Perry, Ga.) 1994-1999, April 28, 1999, Image 1
Volume 128, No. 17
2 Sections, 18 Pages
Wednesday,
April 28, 1999
50 Cents
Home of the A
Georgia
National Fair ft
and Agricenteiw JH »
At the
Crossroads
This Week
Spring Musical to be
presented at Perry
High School May 7-9
The Spring Musical at
Perry High School will be held
at 7 p.m. on May 7 and 8, and
at 2 p.m. on May 9.
The 1999 production is
“Once Upon a Mattress”, a
musical comedy based on
Hans Christian Anderson’s
story, “The Princess and the
Pea.”
The play deals with a fairy
tale kingdom in a desperate
search to find a suitable bride
for Prince Dauntless, played by
Michael Walenceu.
The prince’s mother, Queen
Aggravain (Laticia Coney) has
set up a series of impossible
feats for each candidate to
overcome, and the process of
finding a bride seems hopeless
until Princess Winnifred
(Megan Strandburg) arrives.
The cast of 25 students,
under the direction of Mary Jo
Zell and Lu Melin, also
includes John Lane, Brett
Copeland, Megan Boyd, Matt
Glaser, Micha Froehlich,
Judson Davis, Jade Prickett,
Jessica Edes, Wendy Tarpely,
Tirzah Collins and Shay
Allmond.
“Ladies, dancers and
knights”, include Marianne
Millander, Heather Whiddon,
Gabriella Smith, Shay
Allmond, Rachel Kinnas,
Nancy Evans, Shauna Collins,
Danny Deal, Michael Brenner
and Kenny Cox.
Time to buy luminaries
for Relay for Life
On May 14, the opening
ceremonies for the annual
Relay for Life will take place at
Perry High School. This sig
nature fund-raising event for
the American Cancer Society
is a celebration of life in the
fight against cancer.
As part of the event, the
track will be lined with lumi
naries lighted candles in
weighted white bags. Each
luminary is lit in honor of
someone who survived cancer
or in memory of someone who
did not. The honorees’ names
are displayed on the bags.
As the participants walk or
run through the night the soft
glow of hundreds of luminaries
reminds them that the fight
against cancer is about real
people in their community.
Each luminary costs 15,
with the proceeds going to the
American Cancer Society.
All those who have a friend
or loved one who has survived
cancer or has lost the battle to
cancer are urged to take part in
this meaningful ceremony.
The luminaries can be pur
chased at the Relay for Life, or
- in advance - by sending 15
(check made payable to the
American Cancer Society) to
Holly Sargent, 205 Woods
Edge Way, Warner Robins,
Ga. 31088. Please provide the
name of the person you are
honoring or remembering.
For more information, call
953-2165.
New Life of Perry will
hear missionaries
The Rev. and Mrs. T.Wynn
Drost, missionaries to Mexico,
will speak at the 10 a.m. and 6
p.m. services, May 2, at the
New Life of Perry United
Pentecostal Church, 2334
Highway 41 South.
Born to missionary parents
in Cali, Colombia, Brother T.
Wynn Drost has spent most of
his life in the mission field. He
has worked as a missionary in
six different ‘-ountries and
founded the LL.itcd
Pentecostal Church of El
Salvador. He is he field super
intendent for the Unitea
Pentecostal Church of Mexico.
- - ■
!
99
A NEWSPAPER PROJE
MAIN LIBRARY
Houston runes-Journal
Old middle school building to become new primary school
By CHARLOTTE PERKINS
Hqiistqn Times-Journal
With the vote that finalized Houston
County’s new public school zones, the
Houston County' Board of Education also
approved a plan to put the old Perry
Middle School building to a brand new
use.
That school, vacated earlier this year
when the new Pern' Middle School opened
along Perry Parkway, will be renovated this
summer. It will open this fall as a school for
all pre-kindergarten through first grade
Bicycles will
pass through
Perry in June
By ROB MEAD
JoURNAI-STAFF
The Bicycle Ride Across
Georgia is rapidly approaching
its 20th anniversary.
For the first time since the
inaugural event, one of the
stops along the course includes
Perry.
The news was announced by
CVB Director Jenny Andrew
during the Convention and
Visitors Bureau meeting held at
the Perry Welcome Center
April 22.
The original course the rid
ers navigated 20 years ago is
being duplicated this year.
According to Andrew, the
trip will take seven days, with
riders bicycling 60 miles a day
across primarily rural Georgia
roads.
The riders will travel from
LaGrange to Savannah via
Columbus, Thomaston, Perry,
Dublin, Metter and Statesboro.
Twenty years ago, the first
ride included 120 riders.
During the year 1996, some
2,800 riders participated in the
event.
More than 2,500 riders are
expected to participate in the
1999 event according to
Andrew.
Participants range in age
from a one-vear-old in a child
carrier to senior adults. Riders
typically come from about 34
states and Canada.
Most of the riders are
Georgians with the main body
of the group, 51 percent, com
ing from Atlanta, another 28
percent coming from the rest of
Georgia and the remaining 21
percent are from out of state.
Andrew said the riders are
expected to enter Perry June 22,
stay the night and leave the fol
lowing morning.
Approximately 2,000 of the
riders will camp out at Perry
High School and the rest are
expected to stay in local hotels
and motels.
Two tractor trailers will
arrive ahead of the riders with
support items such as portable
showers and toilets.
The riders and their support
group spend approximately
SIOO,OOO a day wherever they
stop according to Andrew.
Perryan Bill Davis who has
participated in the event said
that many of the BRAG partic
ipants like to patronize estab
lishments that recognize and
welcome the organization.
According to Andrew mem
bers of the Perry wijl put
up signs advertising the event
and suggests that area mer
chants also put up signs wel
coming the group.
Perry claims region 4-AA
golf title
'ssmmsfn prepare to play for state
n two weeks
LCT see page 4A
Official Legal Organ for Houston County, the City of Perry and the State of Georgia
students in the Perry area, Housed at the
building will be all students in those grades
who would otherwise have been attending
Perry, Morningsidc, Kings Chapel and
Tucker elementaries.
Serving as co-principals for the new
school will be veteran educators Van
Rodgers and Dave Crockett. Both have
agreed to postpone retirement to serve at
the new school, according to Board of
Education spokesperson Beth Burris..
For Superintendent of Schools Charles
Holloway, there are a number of benefits to
"X ~ \ \
• j|Mn fl&i . ... - 4 #:
w
warn
J*
■■■■ V.
YOUNG CARPENTER - Roderick Jones
helps with the hard work of building his
neighbor's home. Roderick says that since
Cascade, Tolleson, Diversified
Machining Services win industry awards
By ROB MEAD
Times-Iqurnal Staff
Three area businesses received
awards from the Georgia
Economic Developers
Association during a GEDA lun
cheon held at the World Congress
Center in Atlanta April 19.
The news was announced dur
ing the April 22 Perry Area
Convention and Visitors Bureau
meeting by Chris Kinnas, Perry
Chamber of Commerce
President.
Two Perry businesses
Tolleson Lumber and Diversified
Machining Services received
top honors. The awards were pre
sented by Gov. Roy Barnes.
Tolleson Lumber Co. received
the Region Six Governor’s
Existing Industry Appreciation
Award For large manufacturers.
Diversified Machining
Systems received the Region Six
Governor’s Existing Industry
Appreciation Award for small
manufacturers.
The Cascade Corp., located in
Warner Robins received the
statewide Governor’s Existing
§©o°VooDg !Hi(D)QDStt(3D[JD CdDODDDfty Soddcde !D)®CCo U 7, H®7dD
the plan both for the 600-700 children
who will attend the new primary school
and for the older students who will be in
the established elementary schools.
“As part of the rezoning effort, we start
ed looking at how to divvy up more kids,”
he said, “and the staff came up with this
suggestion. It will mean we can get rid of
the portable class rooms.”
It will also mean more consistency in the
teaching of the basic literacy skills of read
ing and writing, Holloway said. It will give
the system’s youngest children an opportu
Times Journal Photo by Charlotte Perkins
Habitat for Humanity helped build his home,
he's helping with the house next door
Industry Award for Small
Manufacturers.
Cascade was honored for its
substantial economic and social
contribution to the Warner
Robins community by providing
employees with challenging and
rewarding opportunities.
Cascade achieved a total com
mitment to superior product
quality, delivery performance and
continued cost reduction as well
as providing employment for
handicapped individuals accord
ing to Kinnas.
A family owned business,
Tolleson Lumber was founded in
1919 and is now headed bv
President and CEO Rusty Wood.
With plants in both Perry and
Preston, Tolleson is an industry
leader in the production of south
ern yellow pine and pressure
treated lumber, Kinnas said.
Sales and employment have
both continued to climb at the
company, now one of the largest
independent saw-mill operations
in the country.
Tolleson Lumber recently
completed a major expansion and
Help for Vienna
Perryans join host of people offering help and
encouragement to nearby Vienna, damaged by
a tornado
See page 1B
upgrade to their saw-mill, with
another multi-million expansion
planned for later this year.
The company has been proac
tive in offering educational assis
tance and in-house literacy classes
to employees to provide them
with the tools they need to be
successful, not only at work, but
in life.
As one of the outstanding cor
porate citizens in Middle
Georgia, Tolleson has a long his
tory of corporate generosity.
Through recent technology
upgrades, they have also become a
leader in conservation, recycling
and water conservation, Kinnas
said.
Founded in 1992, Diversified
Machining Services provides high
quality, precision machined parts
to both the aerospace and defense
industry.
Founder and owner Richard
Schmucker, a third generation
machinist, has built his business
and reputation by providing a
quality product, commitment and
(See INDUSTRY, Page 3A)
nity to work with excellent computer
equipment, because the Technology Service
Center and InTech training facilities,
already at the school, will remain there.
Holloway said while the middle school
ers had outgrown the building, it is in good
shape “with one of the best roofs in the sys
tem."
He added that the teachers are looking
forward to the larger classrooms in the
facility.
(Sec PRIMARY, Page 3A)
Northrop
apprenticeship
program yields
good results
Special to the Times-Iqurnal
During the early 1990’5, the
Houston County School System
became partners with Middle
Georgia Technical Institute and
Northrop Grumman to begin
one of the first apprenticeship
programs in Georgia.
The apprenticeship program
was designed to meet the needs
of Northrop Grumman for a
highly-skilled, technical work
force through post-secondary
training and hands-on experi
ence, in addition to giving the
students career opportunities.
Students have had very posi
tive responses to the program.
“I’m a hands-on person,” said
Stephen Foote, “so the appren
ticeship program was ideal for
me. I’m very happy at my job."
Chris Moncrief believes this
program has given him the
advantage of good money and
benefits while he gets ready for
college.
“Northrop Grumman
encourages and even pays for
some further education,"
Moncrief said, “I now feel I’m
better prepared for college, both
financially and fundamentally.”
Another apprenticeship stu
dent, Raymond Gonzalex, who
has been at Northrop Grumman
for only a year and a half,
summed up the benefits this way.
“I’m still 19 years old. Thanks
to the great pay and benefits, I
own two cars and just recently
bought a home. I plan to keep on
working out here for quite a
while. They’ve been good to
me.
How does management feel
about the program? They, too,
are complimentary and consider
the Middle Georgia Aerospace
Youth Apprenticeship Program a
success.
Bobby McCorkle, training
specialist, said, “Through inter
action with their mentors and
other employees, these appren
tices are gaining valuable skills
and knowledge of working in a
manufacturing environment.
“I feel this program provides
us with a pool of qualified candi
dates who are not only skilled,
but are already familiar with our
products and require very little
follow up training,” he added.
Northrop Grumman takes
advantage of the experiences of
former apprentices by having
them train new apprentices.
One measure of the success of
he program is that 67 percent of
the apprentices are employed in
the aerospace program.
Seventeen are employed full
(See YOUTH, Page 3A)