Newspaper Page Text
THE HOUSTON HOME JOURNAL
VIfILSON-
From page 1A
solution for any problem
that came up. Jerry could
always find a positive way to
make things work. He
attracted entrepreneurs to
the ATDC and helped them
succeed.”
Walker, a partner in the
law firm Walker, Hulbert,
Gray Byrd & Christy LLP
described growing up with
Wilson - “the first friend,
outside my family, that I
had.” His voice sometimes
breaking, he read from the
article he published in The
Houston Home Journal
after Wilson’s death.
“We double-dated togeth
er, went to dances and
movies, rode to school
together, sat by each other
in Mrs. Harrison’s twelfth
grade homeroom, stayed in
each other’s homes, ate at
each of our Mother’s tables,
and knew all that there was
to know about each other,”
Walker recalled.
Calvin, who founded a
software company that got
its start in ATDC, said many
of the high-tech companies
now thriving in Middle
Georgia wouldn’t be there
today if Wilson hadn’t
encouraged and supported
them. He listed the compa
nies that were assisted by
the Warner Robins ATDC,
including Star Software,
which was recently included
on Inc. Magazine’s list of the
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HIM Tim Hoskins
Perry Area Chamber of Commerce Chairman Mike Jackson, Councilman Billy Jerles
and other community leaders break ground on the next phase of development at
Houston Springs, a retirement community on Sam Nunn Boulevard.
HOUSTON
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and pro shop facilities.
“This is just one more
thing that makes Perry a
wonderful and unique place
to live,” said Perry City
Councilman Billy Jerles.
“We look forward to its
growth.”
Houston Springs develop
ers hope to complete a swim
ming pool and tennis court
by the end of the summer,
and other projects including
the clubhouse, golf pro shop,
and community garden plots
by the fall. The project also
includes construction of an
entrance road from Sam
Nunn Boulevard.
RADIO
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tower might disrupt the
DDA’s overall vision for
downtown Perry as a shop
ping destination.
“Right now, I can’t visual
ize what effect it will have
downtown,” he said.
Board member Rob
Tuggle said he needed more
time to look at the sites
before moving forward.
Fellow board member Carl
Lumpkin said that radio and
transmission towers are
going to be a part of life for
downtown Perry as down
town businesses continue to
grow.
The board previously gave
Perry businessman and
HHJ publisher Danny
Evans permission to install
a 60-foot transmission tower
on Carroll Street to send
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500 fastest-growing compa
nies in the United States.
Co-founder of the ATDC
program based at Georgia
Tech, Hodges described how
the Warner Robins incuba
tor paved the way for other
programs now operating in
the state.
“Jerry identified and nur
tured companies, and he
never gave up on them,”
Hodges said. “The Warner
Robins ATDC is a model for
what communities can do to
grow new businesses.
Jeffrey Moredock, manag
ing director of Houston
Springs, stressed not only
the benefits the community
has to offer seniors, but also
what Perry might derive
from Houston Springs.
“We are about bringing
national attention to Perry,”
said Moredock, who said
that many resident moved
there from outside Middle
Georgia. “We are currently
the only people promoting
Perry as a retirement desti
nation. That’s one of the
things that make us
unique.”
An influx of seniors - who
wireless Internet signals
between his office down
town and the HHJ’s main
office on Washington Street.
Staton said his company,
Staton Broadcasting Inc.,
owns stations in Cordele,
Hawkinsville, Statesboro,
Albany and Millen, as well
as a studio in Warner Robins
where the company can
record interviews.
The two stations that will
be involved with the new
office and studio broadcast
from a tower in Dooly
County that transmits in a
radius from Warner Robins
to Cordele and from
Cochran and Eastman to
Montezuma and Americus.
Staton, a Macon book pub
lisher, has been in the radio
business for five years.
According to his state
Jerry’s success laid the
foundation for new ATDC
incubators in Savannah and
Columbus.”
Hodges noted that in one
recent year, the companies
in the Warner Robins incu
bator together reported
more revenues than all the
companies in the much larg
er Atlanta ATDC program.
Sherry Giddings, manager
of the Warner Robins ATDC
program and associate direc
tor of the Aerospace
Innovation Center that is
have a higher percentage of
discretionary income - to
Houston County brings rev
enue to everything from
restaurants and RV sales, to
veterinary and medical serv
ices.
The existing homes make
up only one of 10 planned
“villages” which will have
homes ranging from condos
and villas to freestanding
single-family homes. Also
planned is a town center
with retail shops and restau
rants.
“This place is going to be
busting loose,” said
Moredock.
Senate Web site, Staton was
elected in 2004 and serves
on the higher education,
veterans and military
affairs, science and technol
ogy, and transportation com
mittees. A graduate of the
University of Oxford in
England, Staton represents
parts of Bibb, Crawford,
Houston, Jones and Monroe
counties.
The DDA tabled the issue
until Staton could come
back with more information,
but may call a special meet
ing to vote on the issue.
Prime Rib
Seasoned to Perfection
I-75 Exit 136 * 987-8877
LOCAL
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ABOVE: Mike Cassidy, president of the Georgia Research Alliance, speaks at a cere
mony honoring Jerry Wilson at the Advanced Technology Development Center in
Warner Robins.
LEFT: James Calvin, president of software company Microcross, speaks at a ceremo
ny honoring Jerry Wilson at the Advanced Technology Development Center in Warner
Robins.
also based in Warner
Robins, said Wilson’s legacy
continues to benefit Middle
Georgia.
“Jerry’s reputation and
the work he did to encour
age and support entrepre
neurs is well known and
respected in the business
community,” she said. “The
plaque placed in the lobby of
the building reminds us of
our responsibility to contin
ue building the technology
business community in
Middle Georgia.”
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In the same sense that Chicago, Boston and
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A graduate of Perry High
School, Wilson received a
bachelor’s degree in indus
trial engineering from
Georgia Tech and a master’s
degree in business adminis
tration from Georgia College
and State University. After
graduating from Georgia
Tech, Wilson worked in
Florida, Tennessee and
Texas before returning to
Georgia in 1987. He was
working in Georgia Tech’s
Macon Regional Office when
he joined the ATDC pro
478-218-7790
1291 South Houston Lake Rd. Warner Robins
1
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THURSDAY, JUNE 30, 2005
gram.
To honor Wilson, a group
of friends, family and busi
ness associates has estab
lished a scholarship in his
name at Georgia Tech. More
than $43,000 in donations
and pledges have so far been
contributed to the Jerry
Wilson Scholarships, a
needs-based scholarship.
The first Jerry Wilson
Scholarship will be awarded
in the fall of 2006, with a
preference for a student
from Middle Georgia.
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