Houston times-journal. (Perry, Ga.) 1994-1999, April 28, 1999, Image 1

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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)