January 18, 2013 - Athens Now Alabama

January 18 - 31, 2013
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Inside this edition...
Pages 25 - 32
The Chili Challenge
And The
“Silver” Spoons
Publisher’s Point
The Lavorini Letters...
The “point of the Point”
for this edition of Athens
Now, is to celebrate
the life of a dear friend
who just passed away...
Page 3
By Ali Elizabeth Turner
Ok, I know that the spoons with which we always taste the
yummy chili crafted in the kitchens and crockpots of local
“Limestonians” are really made out of plastic, but this year we
get to pretend that they are silver, the color of a 25th anniversary
celebration. It is hard to believe that a quarter of a century has
passed since local residents began to band together in order
Cooking with Shelley
Cpicy Turnips... You
can buy turnips just
about anywhere, in
any shape and any
size...
Page 11
Continued on pages 15
Horse Whispering
Horse and Soul
Tour... With any
area of personal
interest, there is the
opportunity to engage
on an adventurous
journey... Page 20
Athens Rehab Spotlight
George and Jeanne
Clark... George and
Jeanne Clark, who are
currently receiving rehab
care at Athens Rehab and
Senior Care, are what you
would call “long drinks of
water.”... Page 22
January 18 - January 31, 2013
Consign World: Beautiful Clothing,
Home Décor, And Musical Instruments
At Wonderful
Prices
By Ali Elizabeth Turner
During the summer of 2012 I found myself
in a pickle. I had completely forgotten that
I was supposed to be at Athens State University for a political forum, and I didn’t
have time to go home to change clothes.
Continued on page 17
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Consign World Staff (L to R) Misty Tielking,
Asst. Manager, Beth Rickard, Hannah Harris, Brenda
Stapler, Owner, Jessie McAllister, and Mandi Parker
Marching, singing
and celebrating
planned in Athens
for MLK Jr. Holiday
by Holly Hollman
Two separate events in
Athens will offer citizens a
variety of ways to observe
the Martin Luther King
Jr. Holiday on Monday,
Jan. 21, from marching to
singing to celebrating.
The morning will kick-off
with the annual AthensLimestone Martin Luther
King Jr. Holiday March
in
downtown
Athens.
Participants will gather
at 8:50 a.m. and march
around The Square at 9 a.m.
Marchers will march to the
Limestone County Event
Center on Pryor Street for
a program.
The program will start at
9:30 a.m. Local students
will read their winning
essays on this year’s
theme, “A Decision Today,
Impacting
Tomorrow.”
The Round Island Creek
Male Chorus will perform,
and refreshments will be
available after the program.
The march and program
are sponsored by the local
NAACP chapter, City of
Athens
and
Limestone
County Commission.
Another traditional program
is the Lincoln-Bridgeforth
Park Committee’s Martin
Luther King Jr. Holiday
Ceremony. This is the 16th
year for the program, held
at Sweet Home Missionary
Baptist
Church
on
Westmoreland Street.
Committee member and
Athens City Councilman
Jimmy Gill said the program
will start at 11 a.m. and lunch
will be provided afterwards.
This year’s guest speaker
is
Limestone
County
Circuit Court Judge Jimmy
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Woodroof. The title of his
speech is, “The Right Voice
at the Right Time.”
Judge Jimmy Woodroof
“I will be focusing on
taking a stand and making a
difference,” Woodroof said.
He will reference King and
Maxine E. Harris Pulley.
The Round Island Creek
Male Chorus will perform
at this event also.
The program will conclude
with
the
committee’s
naming of its Dr. C. Eric
Lincoln Humanitarian of
the Year award winner. The
committee gives the award
in memory of Lincoln,
who was born in 1924 in
Athens and was the 1939
valedictorian of the former
all-black
Trinity
High
School. Lincoln was an
author, theologian, ordained
Methodist minister and
a professor of religion at
Duke University. His book
“The Avenue, Clayton
City” won the Lillian Smith
Award for best Southern
fiction in 1988.
The public is invited to
participate in both events.
January 18 - January 31, 2013
Publisher’s Point
The Lavorini Letters
Publisher / Editor
Ali Turner
Contributing Writers
Shelley Underhill
Janet Hunt
Lynne Hart
Wanda Campbell
Jeanette Dunnavant Jones
Deb Kitchenmaster
Will Anderson
Brian Black
Holly Hollman
Chad Davis, O.D.
Publisher’s Point . . . . . . . . . . . . 3
All Things Soldier . . . . . . . . 4
Calendar of Events . . . . . . . . 7
Tourism . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8
Cooking with Shelley . . . . . . 11
Clean and Green . . . . . . . . 12
Learning as a Lifestyle . . . 14
Cover Stories . . . . . . . 15,17
What Makes Ronnie Roll . . 16
Health and Fitness . . . . . . 18
Medical Update . . . . . . . . 19
Horse Whispering . . . . . . 20
World According to Will . . . . 21
The “point of the Point”
for this edition of Athens Now, is to celebrate
the life of a dear friend
who just passed away,
and to underscore the
power of the lost art of
letter writing. My friendship with Julie Lavorini,
who is now safely in the
presence of our Savior, is
a tale of unlikely loyalty
and
unswerving
support. Our lives
were very different.
She was shy, God
knows I am not.
She was famous
for her pies, my pie
crusts stink. She
was a homebody,
I’d just as soon trot
the globe. We did,
however, share several things, a love
for God, our children, flowers, reading great books, and
writing. She called
me
“Hummingbird,” an apt description of someone whose wings beat
‘til they are a blur while
they dart about through
life seeking sweetness.
Her name, in Italian,
meant “little works,”
and her life as an unsung heroine of the faith
was indeed replete with
“little works” that added
up to a veritable trove
of treasure. The lion’s
share of the “loot” was
bequeathed to me in the
form of letters, real live
letters that were written in cursive, put in an
envelope, empowered to
reach their destination
courtesy of the United
States Postal Service, ea-
Athens Rehab Spotlight . . . 22
Security Savvy . . . . . . . . . . 23
January 18 - January 31, 2013
gerly awaited, and always
enjoyed.
She never attempted to be
profound in her writings,
she just was. Her tales of
her life, a life which she
often thought was so lacking in consequence, beautifully illustrated an extraordinary level of grace
and mercy. She had been
dealt a tough hand, one
that could not have been
easily discerned outwardly, but full of relational
anguish. She experienced
a divorce which came as
a total surprise after decades of being a true help
that was meet. The shock
was unspeakable. Seemingly out of nowhere a
particularly vicious brand
of brittle, adult onset Type
1 Diabetes struck her, and
she found herself bereft
on so many levels. The
most pernicious attacks
were not physical, however. They were the lies,
spoken by the enemy in
shrieks and whispers, as
to her worth, and for a
good while she believed
them.
But then this gentle,
bright, articulate woman
fought back in the most
loving way, and God indeed was her shield, her
sword and her buckler. She
forgave, and it wasn’t just
lip service. A young family named Hunter came to
live with her, they indeed
became family, and were
was not used to, and they
became her avatar on facebook. Her appreciation
for the tiniest kindness
was at times unnerving.
She was my most vocal
cheerleader, and I have a
bright blue gift box full
of her letters in my office.
Whenever I am struggling, all I have to do is
look at an example of
her lovely handwriting, and know that
in a sentence or two,
she’ll turn from the
current chapter of her
endearing
personal
story to encouraging
me. I have a permanent, powerful source
of personal strength
at my fingertips, and
I am grateful beyond
words.
Little Works is gone,
but not for long. She
is free, soaring all
Julie Lavorini with son Loren Miller
over heaven, and until I get there, I shall
have her lovely letwith her to the last. She ters and the memory of
wrote her memoirs, using her hearty laugh to keep
the analogy of her life as a me warm. I am an unpie. If a pie is going to be speakably rich woman as
a pie, the crust has to be a result. A letter has lebaked, and the ingredients verage, my friends, and
need to be transformed in my life, the “Lavorini
into deliciousness by way Letters” served to be a
of heat. That was her sto- lever so long and strong
ry, and she was sticking to that it moved my world.
it.
God used everything from
Max Lucado books to a
dog to speak to her of His
love for her, and what got
me was that even though
she could not afford to,
she would purchase and
send me copies of the very
books that had touched
her. We would send her
flowers, something she
Ali Elizabeth Turner
Athens Now
Information & Inspiration
256-468-9425
ali@athensnowal.com
Website:
www.athensnowal.com
athensnowal.com
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Page 3
All Things Soldier
The Marine Corps League
by Ali Elizabeth Turner
There is an understanding
amongst military personnel
and civilians alike that Marines stay Marines as long
as they are six feet above
ground, and that they have
a unique level of camaraderie and commitment
that sets them apart.
but the Corps will NEVER
leave the Marine!” There
are over 3,000 Marines in
Northern Alabama, a number that surprised me, and it
is the desire of the League
to see that those who have
served be served well.
Besides the recent holiday
service effort of Toys for
Tots, which garnered several boxes of toys as well as a
It was to that end in
1937 that the Marine Corps League
was established by
Congress during the
Roosevelt Administration, and since
that time its basic
mission is to help
Marines
continue
to serve their country and communities, whether they
are still active or are
retired. They have
a saying, and that
is, “A Marine may
leave the Corps...
bike for needy kids in Limestone County, the Marine
Corps League has a scholarship program, an outreach to
wounded Marines, whether
they have just recently been
wounded or their injury occurred in past wars, a
youth physical fitness
program designed to
keep kids off drugs
and to embrace a
healthy lifestyle, and
the Young Marines
Program, which is
described as being a
“youth program emphasizing
honesty,
courage, respect, industry, loyalty, dependability , and a
sense of devotion to
God, country, community and family.”
The Marine League is
the only of the many
veterans’ organization that has a federal
charter.
The MCL also is involved
in other areas of activity,
including a legislative program that keeps an eye on
things that can affect benefits, entitlements of active
duty as well as retired personnel, and military readiness. One of the my favorite
things about their mission
statement is their commitment to aid and render service not only to Marines,
but “to their widows and or-
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phans.” They are also most
interested in preserving the
history and legacy of the
Corps, and those who have
served in it.
Retired USMC Staff Sergeant Skip Ferguson and
Private Tony Grigsby are
the Commandant and Junior
Vice Commandant, respectively of the local chapter.
They are both Viet Nam era
vets, Skip having served for
20 years, and Tony only for
one, due to an injury to his
knee.
They are running into a
problem that is plaguing all
the veterans’ organizations:
the old guard is passing on,
and there is a need for young
blood. Sometimes when
vets have been involved in
combat, they don’t want to
be around other vets, but
that’s when you need the
“Band of Brothers,” (as
William Shakespeare called
them,) the very most.
The Marine Corps League is
different from other vets’ organizations, in that you have
to have been a Marine in order to belong to the MLC.
They do come together with
other vets’ organizations for
joint projects, but if you are
in need of the presence of
other Marines, or have been
“away for awhile,” and
wish to rekindle that fire,
call Skip at 256-529-5907
for more information.
January 18 - January 31, 2013
January 18 - January 31, 2013
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Page 5
Concern Over Proposed
Courthouse Renovation
Are you concerned over the proposal to replace one set of interior steps in
the Limestone County Courthouse with an elevator?
Contact Your Limestone County Commissioner to let them know. The
remodeling project is beginning soon!
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January 18 - January 31, 2013
Calendar of Events
Horse Fair
January 19 and 20
The Alabama Horse Council will be holding the annual Horse
Fair at Garrett Coliseum in Montgomery, AL. Go to www.AlabamaHorseCouncil.org click on the Alabama Horse Fair tab,
scroll to the bottom and click Mini Clinic Entry form, download
and print. Fill out and send in. There is only room for 10 horses
and riders in each mini clinic.
Jim Swanner www.JimSwanner.com
Martin Luther King, Jr Celebration
Jan 21 at 8:50 AM
The local NAACP Chaper and the Lincoln Bridgeforth Park
Committee have events planned to commemorate Dr. King’s
life. Festivities will begin at 8:50 AM when marchers gather on
the south side of the courthouse to pray. From there they will
march around downtown, making their way to Athens Event
Center on Pryor Street. The community is invited to the program. The essays winners will be announced and the Round
Island Creek Missionary Baptist Church men’s chorus will perform.
Optimist Club Pancake Breakfast
Jan 26 at 7:00 - 11:00 AM
Come and enjoy the delicious pancakes at the First Christian
Church at the corner of Madison and Market Streets. Takeout and delivery available. Treat your family, firends and/or
employees and support the youth activities in your community.
Tickets are $5.00 per person. Contact Jim Miner at 256-2327977 or 256-777-7937.
Spirit Awards Luncheon
Jan. 31 at 11:30 AM
Spirit of Athens is hosting their annual Spirit Awards Luncheon
Thursday, Jan 31st at 11:30am. It will be held in the Rogers
Center at First Presbyterian Church on the downtown square.
There is limited seating for this very popular event which will
feature a Greek Menu this year. Tickets are $25 and can be purchased at www.athensspirit.blogspot.com. For more information, call Pam at 256-729-1160.
The Brett Family Concert
Feb 1 at 6:00 PM
Feb 2 at 12:00 PM
Athens Middle School Auditorium
Branson’s #1 show is coming to Athens. Tickets are $35 adults,
$15 for 13 and under, 2 and under free, $45 at the door. Contact
Shelli Waggoner at Athens-Limestone Hospital for more information.
Spoon & Croon Valentine Luncheon
Feb 14 at 11:30 AM - 1:00 PM
Make your reservation early for this luncheon with musical
January 18 - January 31, 2013
entertainment. Tickets are $13 each or $25 per couple. The
luncheon will be in the Athens State University Sandridge Hall
Ballroom. Contact 256-233-8260, email CLL@athens.edu, www.
athens.edu/cll.
25th Annual Hospice of Limestone County
Chili Challenge
Feb 23 at 10:00 AM – 2:00 PM
Join the fun at Athens High School. Tickets are $10.00 each.
Children 10 and under free. Over 30 groups will be competing
for the winning chili. Bid on hundreds of silent auction items.
Live entertainment and much more. Contact 256-232-5017.
2nd Annual Storybook Ball
Mar 2 at 7:00 PM
Athens-Limestone Public Library Foundation invites you to attend this library fund raiser. Tickets go on sale Jan 28th for $20
each for adults and $15 for ages 3-18 years. Sponsorships are
available and the deadline is Feb 15th. Visit www.alcpl.org for
more information.
Polk Sallet Follies
Mar 7, 8 & 9 at 7:00 PM
Enjoy this dinner musical at the Athens Senior Center. Local
residents entertain with skits and songs. It’s a night to remember. Tickets sell out fast, so purchase yours early. Contact 256233-6412.
Home and Garden Show
Mar 16 & 17
It’s time to start planning that garden and this is the perfect
place to get your plants and lots of ideas. The event is hosted
by the Greater Limestone County Chamber of Commerce at the
Limestone County Event Center. Contact 256-232-2600.
ONGOING EVENTS
The Friends of the Athens-Limestone Public Library hold used
book sales on the 2nd and 4th Tuesdays of each month from 10:00
am to 4:00 pm and on the 1st Saturday of each month from 10:00
am to 2:00 pm. The sale is held at the library, 405 E. South St.
For further information, please call (256) 232-1233.
The Alabama Veterans’ Museum needs volunteers! If you have
a few hours per week and would like to help out, please call the
museum at 256.771.7578. Pick the days and hours you would like
to volunteer.
The Shirts-n-Skirts square dance club would like to invite anyone who would like to stop by. The 1st & 3rd Thursdays of the
month we meet at The Dance Factory on Freeman Ave then on
the 2nd & 4th Thursdays we meet at the Athens Recreation Center on Hwy 31. Call Kay 256-423-4141 www.shirts-n-skirts.com
for more information.
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Page 7
Tourism
Hospice Chili Challenge is
Just Around the Corner!
By Jeanette Dunnavant Jones, President, Athens-Limestone County Tourism Association
Teams are now signing
up to compete in the 25th
Annual Hospice Chili
Challenge and Silent
Auction. They are practicing their favorite recipes. Each cook wants to
ensure that their recipe
will be delicious not only
to the judges, but to the attendees also. All the chili
varieties will be delicious
whether hot, spicy, mild,
beef, chicken, vegetable
or other interesting concoctions.
certificates, home décor,
jewelry and accessories,
lessons and services, sporting goods, prints, lawn and
garden items, children’s
items, antiques and collectibles, fine art and more.
Live entertainment by local artists will be provided
all day. Tickets are
$10. Children 10 and under get in free. Lunch will
be available at 11am.
Sorry, no take out on
lunch. Bring the entire family. It’s fun!
The organization is a care
system for the terminally
Proceeds from this
project go to Hospice of Limestone
County.
Hundreds of residents and visitors
will gather at Athens High School
on February 25th
to taste all the
chili and support their favorite
group. Over 30
groups and individuals will be
competing for the
title of Best Chili,
People’s
Choice
and other categories.
The tasting will be
from 10am until 2pm.
comfortably as possible
during the lifetime remaining, through pain
and symptom control,
counseling and spiritual support.
Hospice
recognizes
that we cannot cure
the dying person, nor
remove the pain and
grief, but, we can care
enough to be there.
Hospice offers the
healing grace of compassionate presence.
ill patient and their
families. Care is
provided by a team
of professional and
trained volunteers.
The goal of Hospice of Limestone
County is to help
the terminally ill
patient and family live as fully and
For more information, contact Hospice
at 256-232-5017 or
email hospice@hiwaay.
net. If you need information about other events
and attractions in AthensLimestone, visit the Athens Visitors Center located
at 100 North Beaty Street
or call 256-232-5411. Information is also posted
on our websites - www.
visitathensal.com.
Be sure and bid on hundreds of items in the Silent Auction. There are
beautiful paintings, gift
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January 18 - January 31, 2013
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January 18 - January 31, 2013
Cooking with Shelley
Spicy Turnips
by Shelley Underhill
You can buy turnips just about anywhere, in any shape
and any size. I personally prefer the baseball size ones. If
you have never tried them, then you are in for a treat.
Some people call them mock potatoes! I will agree with
them! They are quite tasty and very easy to prepare.
Because it’s the beginning of the new year and everyone
at my house has set some kind of goal to lose weight or
to eat better in 2013, I came up with
this recipe that I hope you will try.
I enjoyed them so much that I fixed
them again several days later.
Send your questions and recipes to
shelleysdesk@gmail.com.
What you will need:
3 to 4 turnips (peel off outer skin) cut into fourths
1/2 tablespoon dehydrated garlic
1/2 tablespoon dehydrated onion
1 teaspoon Dale’s Seasoning
1/2 tablespoon powdered Ranch
dressing mix
1/2 tablespoon Maggi instant
chicken bouillon
4 cups water
Tony Chachere’s seasoning to taste
Bring water to a boil and add all remaining
ingredients. Bring back to a boil and boil
until liquid is reduced to a light sauce.
Enjoy.
January 18 - January 31, 2013
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Page 11
Clean and Green
Robotics Students Take on
the Future
by Lynne Hart
On Thursday, January 10,
2013, 41 students from
Athens Middle School
accompanied their robotics teacher, Mrs. Jennifer
Kennedy, on a search for
knowledge about plastics
recycling.
That search for information took them to the Athens-Limestone Recycling
Center where they toured
the plant. The students
and Mrs. Kennedy all left
with a new appreciation
for the work that takes
place at the recycling center, especially the sorting
that must be done when
Seth Hughes, an 8th grader wrote, “I didn’t realize,
first of all, plastic bags are
recycling’s worst enemy.
Second, I never realized
how much work went into
sorting the plastic.” Lexi
Donahue, a 7th grader said
she was surprised at how
messy the plastic sorting
process can be and was
impressed at how quickly
the employees could do
the job. The seemingly
endless mountain of plastic that was waiting to be
sorted loomed high over
their heads and appeared
to be an impossible task.
The students then contin-
Mac Fairbanks, Camryn Flowers, Lexi Donahue
CJ Hamilton, Carter McCain, Lexi Donahue
the public is not careful
about what is placed in
the recycling containers.
Every student on the tour
took their turn at the plastics sorting table, deciding what type of plastic
they were handling and
into what baler it was to
be tossed. Every piece of
plastic is handled, as well
as some pretty nasty garbage that ends up in with
the recycled materials.
Page 12
ued on to see the next step
of the plastics recycling
process that takes place at
Custom Polymers PET, located here in Athens. PET
plastic pellets are made
from the bales of plastic
Custom Polymers purchases from recycling centers
like ours in Athens. These
pellets are sold to companies that use them to create
new products such as new
bottles, carpeting, cloth-
ing, food-grade
containers, and
much more.
“I
had no idea there
was so much need
for the plastic
pellets, or what
could be made
from them,” said
Lexi
Donahue.
“This has made
me think about recycling in a very
different way.”
The students were
shocked to learn
that the plastic baled at
the recycling center each
month only keeps Custom
Polymers’ lines operating
for about 2 hours! “We
love the plastic that comes
from the Athens-Lime-
Become a Fan
stone Recycling Center because it’s hand sorted and
very clean,” said Byron
Geiger, President of Custom Polymers. Because
Custom Polymers simply
does not get enough PET
plastic bottles and containers from Limestone County or the State of Alabama,
they must purchase baled
PET plastic from across
the United States and some
foreign countries just to
keep their plant operating.
their new found knowledge to build a virtual
neighborhood with a robot
that will pick up and sort
plastic as a way to bring
math and science together
to solve an environmental
problem.
We at KALB will be rooting for them big time!
If you would like information on how to schedule a tour, please contact
KALB.
Mrs. Kennedy and her robotics students have progressed to the semi-finals
in an attempt to win a
$110,000 grant from the
Samsung Corporation. To
complete the competition,
these students will use
(256) 233-8728
KeepALBeautiful@att.net
www.KeepAthensLimestoneBeautiful.com
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January 18 - January 31, 2013
BILL of RIGHTS
AFFIRMATION RALLY
SATURDAY, JANUARY 19th @ 9 A:M
LIMESTONE COUNTY COURTHOUSE SQUARE
WE RECOGNIZE THAT WITHOUT THESE TEN BONDING
AMENDMENTS, DEFENDED BY THE SECOND AMENDMENT,
WE HAVE NO CONSTITUTION AND NO GOVERNMENT!
THESE RIGHTS ARE NON-NEGOTIABLE!
THIS DEMONSTRATION COINCIDES WITH A STATEWIDE AND NATIONAL CITIZEN
DEMAND TO BE HEARD WITH OUR CONCERNS REGARDING THE VERY REAL
ATTACKS ON OUR CONSTITUTIONAL RIGHTS, OUR FREEDOMS, AND THE VERY
FABRIC OF OUR SOCIETY.
WE THE PEOPLE ARE DETERMINED TO DEMONSTRATE TO THE POWER AND
FREEDOM GRABBERS IN WASHINGTON AND WHEREVER ELSE THAT ILK RESIDES
THAT WE ARE FED-UP, THAT UNDER NO CIRCUMSTANCES WILL WE BE DEPRIVED
OF OUR BASIC RIGHT TO BEAR ARMS, OF OUR VERY MEANS TO DEFEND
OURSELVES AND OUR LOVED ONES AND OUR FREEDOMS FROM A TYRANNICAL
GOVERNMENT.
WE WILL BE HEARD!
THIS WILL BE A PEACEFUL, RESPECTFUL, NON-PARTISAN, AND FAMILY-FRIENDLY
DEMONSTRATION.
BRING YOUR FAMILY, YOUR NEIGHBORS, YOUR FRIENDS AND SHOW YOUR LOVE
OF THIS COUNTRY!
BE THERE!
January 18 - January 31, 2013
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Page 13
Learning As A Lifestyle
Has It Been That Long?
by Wanda Campbell
Last night we had a family discussion about “lifetimes” while sitting around
the dinner table. We talked about Aunt Ruby being
97 when she died and all
the things that happened
in her lifetime.
Ben, my oldest son, said
that there weren’t even 50
stars on the flag when I was
born. Everyone laughed.
But then I realized there
were not 50 stars on the
flag when I was born there were only 48. This
realization made me start
thinking about what else
happened the year I was
born.
The internet is a great and
powerful thing when you
want to know about what
was happening a long
time ago. I looked up my
birth year and found out
the cost of a gallon of gas
was $0.22; a new car cost
about $1700; the average
rent was $85/month; and
movie tickets were $0.70.
to do is call 256-2338260. You don’t have
to be a professional to
enter, just a fan of Elvis
and willing to get up in
front of people. You can
come in your blue suede
shoes or in your blue
jeans because it is all in
fun. We’ve already had
a couple of Elvis sightings at the CLL.
(http://www.thepeoplehistory.com/) I remember going to the
Saturday matinee with
an RC bottle cap and a
quarter.
I remember listening to
The Shadow and The
Lone Ranger on AFN
Radio while we were
stationed in Germany.
I remember Maynard
G. Krebs (Bob Denver) on Dobie Gillis
(1959 to 1963) before
he became the famous
Gilligan of Gilligan’s
Island (1964 to 1967).
Maybe you remember
this stuff too!
All Right (Mama) at Sun
Studios in July 1954 and
before too long, Elvis
was the King of Rock and
Roll.
Best of all, for me, I
was born in the dawn
of Rock and Roll music. Common on the
radio were such legends as, Buddy Holly
and the Crickets, Bo
Diddley, Bill Haley
and the Comets, Chuck
Berry, Little Richard,
Jerry Lee Lewis, and, of
course, Elvis Presley.
Today, the Center for
Lifelong Learning is looking for Elvis fans. We
will have an Elvis Impersonator contest on Friday,
January 25 at our
ALL SHOOK UP
Kick Off Party.
To enter the contest all you have
Also happening at the
CLL is Retrobics Dance
Fitness led by Pam
Hartmann.
Retrobics
is offered Tuesday and
Thursday, January 22 –
February 14 (no class Feb
7), from 9am to 10am.
The fee is $30. I know
you will enjoy this new
fitness class.
Guitar Lessons with Barry
Kay will also start Mondays, January 28. His lessons are by appointment,
so call 256-233-8260
to set up your time
slot. The fee is $80
for four 30-minute
lessons a month.
Bill Haley and the Comets
recorded Rock Around
the Clock (Happy Days
theme) in 1954. Buddy
Holly recorded Maybe
Baby in 1957.
Little
Richard recorded Good
Golly Miss Molly in 1956.
And Elvis recorded That’s
You can Like us on Facebook – Center for Lifelong
Learning at Athens State
– for pictures and flyers. You can register for
classes on the web page
– www.athens.edu/CLL.
And you can always call
us at 256-233-8260. We
love to hear from you.
Page 14
www.athensnowal.com
January 18 - January 31, 2013
Cover Story
The Chili Challenge And The “Silver” Spoons
by Ali Elizabeth Turner
Chris is going to be one
of this year’s judges, and
there are several categories
of competition. There is
a Critics’ Choice for an
individual entry, Critics’
Choice for a group entry,
the Peoples’ Choice, and an
award for the Best Booth.
Names for booths and chili
can be as varied as “Crime
Scene”
and
“Dragon
Breath,” and the creativity,
hard work and team efforts
that go into chili and the
“cribs” are one of the things
that makes the Challenge so
fun. As of this printing, there
are still slots available for
those who wish to compete
in the 2013 Challenge, but
you’d better move fast,
because they always fill up.
continued from page 1
to support an organization
whose purpose is to make
the passage from life to
death less difficult for all.
I am, of course, speaking
of the mission of Hospice
of Limestone County, and
I have personally seen
them in action. They are
wonderful, and I am glad
we come together once
a year to make sure they
can continue to do their
job well. In these times of
uncertainty regarding health
care, and when our culture
is increasingly encouraged
to look to government to
provide all our needs, it is
a healthy statement that the
private citizens of Limestone
County are of a mind to see
to it that excellent, highly
professional end of life inhome care is provided for
all those in need, as well as
their families.
In addition, Hospice of
Limestone County sees to it
that bereaved families have
access to professionally
trained counselors and
support long after the initial
shock of losing a loved one
has passed. Their focus is
not just adult children who
have lost their parents or
other loved ones. Camp
Hope is operated specifically
for grieving kids aged 5-12
in order to give them the
help and tools they need
to cope with tremendous
loss at such a vulnerable
age, have a chance to
build
community
with
their peers and adults who
understand their situation,
and even manage to have
some fun in the process.
Between hospice in-home
care and Camp Hope, over
300 families in Limestone
County were touched by
the care that Hospice of
Limestone County extends
Athens Police Capt. Trevor Harris and his
wife Carol at the police booth last year
to the community. Pat King,
the Executive Director
for Hospice of Limestone
County, says that the actual
number of families that
are helped by non-hospice
related counseling as well
as indigent care is greater
than what is reflected by
their records.
On February 23rd, we will
once again have a chance
to enjoy great chili, music,
homemade goodies, and
each other, as well as bid
on everything from art to
antiques to lawn care at
the Silent Auction. Athens
High School will again be
the site where we go for
the “gastronomical gusto,”
and we will leave with full
tummies and hearts. Tickets
are $10, kids 10 and under
get in free, and last year
over 3,000 people attended.
More than $50,000 was
raised; there’s no reason
why we can’t beat that
amount in 2013. Amanda
Speegle is this year’s chair,
January 18 - January 31, 2013
and says that it is fascinating
to see what the cooks come
up with, especially when
you consider that they use
everything from pumpkin to
venison for their ingredients.
Many recipes are kept
secret, but in honor of the
25th anniversary of Chili
Challenge, Chris Spann, the
original winner from the first
Challenge, has graciously
shared his first place prize
winner with us below:
Tickets are available at
the Hospice headquarters,
located in Athens at 405 S.
Marion, as well as at the
door. The Hospice phone is
256-232-5017, and they can
give you more information,
whether you want to
compete or only to attend.
See you at the Challenge!
Chris Spann’s
Winning Recipe
Ingredients:
3 pounds ground chuck
2 cans Rotel whole tomatoes
3 cans tomato soup
28 oz. can whole tomatoes
1 1/2 cans Bush’s chili beans (31 oz.)
1 cans pork and beans (31 oz.)
5 onions blended
5 diced chili peppers
5 cloves diced garlic
1 tablespoon cumin
5 tablespoon chili powder
1 tablespoon black pepper
2 tablespoon sugar
3 cups diced bell peppers
Brown meat and garlic. Add all ingredients except beans. Cook 1 hour. Add
beans. Cook 15 minutes. Makes 7 quarts.
www.athensnowal.com
Page 15
What Makes Ronnie Roll
Teenagers, Trucks And Tile
by Ali Elizabeth Turner
Per usual, we had way
more to talk about than
we had time, but, as always, we made time for
prayer, my favorite part
of our bi-weekly meetings. “So much is happening in our city and
county, and so much of
it is positive,” said the
Mayor. We have corporations seriously courting
us, we have an up and
coming group of leaders
in the form of the Mayor’s Youth Commission,
a plan for getting the old
clay tile sewer pipe system replaced, and much
more.
So let’s start with the
teens.
The
Mayor’s
Youth Commission has
been a rousing success,
inspiring both the kids
as well as those who are
mentoring them. In fact,
more schools than just
AHS and Athens Bible
School are showing an
interest in the program,
and brainstorming is ongoing as to how that can
be accommodated. Both
Holly Hollman and Jackie Warner are being kept
busy by these teens, and
Congressman Mo Brooks
came and spoke to the
Youth Commission the
first week of this month.
The kids peppered him
with some questions that
showed wisdom beyond
their years, not the least
of which was, “What
would have happened if we had
gone over the fiscal cliff?” Personally, I’d like to ask
Speaker Boehner
the same question.
them with tales of local
Athens WWII vets who
were in the same German POW camp. There
is nothing to make history come alive like a local story, and the students
loved it.
The “trucks” spoken of in
the title have to do with
fleet management with
specific regard to garbage
trucks. The City of
Athens is in need of
three new garbage
trucks, and they are
not cheap. Because
running a city is
very much like running a household
or a corporation, finding
ways to fund a major and
necessary
investment
which is as important as
The members of
the Youth Commission are not
just learning what
makes things tick
in government, the
Constitution, and
the Bill of Rights,
they are also taught
how to dress for
an interview, are
given projects and
homework,
and
most recently Jerry
Barksdale regaled
waste
management
is important, and the
City Council is hard
at work doing so.
Did you know that
there are literally 34
miles of old, decaying, clay tile pipes
under our city? We
have cameras that
are able to get an accurate idea of what is
going on down there,
and it ain’t pretty.
There are roots that
have clogged them up
or broken them down
completely, and while
they have had more
Page 16
than one go around with
an aggressive auger to
get them cleared out, the
fact is, they need to be
replaced. The city has a
www.athensnowal.com
plan to replace them over
the next five years, and
given the kind of demand
the recent successive
rainy days have put on
the sewer system and the
water treatment plant, it
is a good thing it is going
to get underway soon.
“We’ve got to find a way
to streamline, and to
meet the needs of a growing population,” said the
Mayor. That is no small
task, and I for one am
glad that we have a Mayor who understands the
need for wisdom to accomplish the task that can
only come from above.
January 18 - January 31, 2013
Cover Story
Consign World: Beautiful Clothing, Home
Décor, And Musical Instruments At
Wonderful Prices
by Ali Elizabeth Turner
continued from page 1
I came flying in to Consign
World, explained my dilemma, and the crew snapped
into action. They found me
something that was stylish,
professional, summery, appropriate, and I got out of
there truly “on time and under budget.” My wallet may
have been 12 dollars lighter,
but I became a raving fan
customer, someone who is
routinely greeted and treated
like the Queen of the May,
whether I am shopping or
delivering the latest edition
of Athens Now. Now I feel
like I have my own personal
wardrobe stylists, they love
what they do, and we both
love the results and the savings. “It’s just smart to be
frugal,” says Consign World
owner Brenda Stapler, and I
agree.
Brenda and her husband
Gary, along with their friendly and experienced team,
have put together a shop that
looks like what you’d expect in a big box mall store.
From the bridal and formal
wear, to the books, clothing, musical instruments and home décor, everything is top
notch, with service
to match. “We have
more than 600 consigners,” Brenda told
me, and something
that puts a twinkle
in her eye is the fact
that they also carry
the brand new overstock of three bridal
and formal shops. “I
absolutely love being able to make a
woman’s day truly
special for a fraction
of what it would normally cost. We have
hundreds of gowns,
90 percent of which still have
the tags hanging on them.” On
average, the bridal and formal
gowns are at least 60 percent
off retail, and then when the
date on their tag passes a certain point, the savings are even
greater. Consign World carries
several bridal and formal wear
labels, including Mon Cheri,
Mori Lee, Landa, Jovani, Alyce and Riva. An example of
the savings which are possible is a recently sold, brand
new Jovani dress which would
normally retail for $400. It
started off being marked down
to $180, and finally sold for
$125. Brenda took me on an
official tour of the store, and
the formal wear is stunning in
appearance, and current as to
style.
risky to do so. Husband Gary
has “been awesome,” according to Brenda, and she states
that his support, and that of her
family, friends and customers have all served to make
Consign World both possible and successful. Gary
works full time in Huntsville, Monday through
Thursday, and then works
at the store on Friday and
Saturday. Ever the gentleman, he will carry your
purchases out to your car
for you. The Staplers consider their staff to be family, and customer service
is very important to all of
them. Brenda also appreciates the fact that when
it comes to displaying the
Prior to opening Consign
World in November of
2011, Brenda spent several
years working in women’s
fashions, and also at her
daughter Christy Watkins’
consignment shop, Fashion
Exchange, located in the
Shoals. And, as so many
Athens Now clients have
done, she started the business at a time when it was
January 18 - January 31, 2013
I had at home “just weren’t
working for me.” Sundown
was coming, and again, I
quickly headed to Consign
World. I explained my dilemma, was led straight
to some brocade napkins and
some beautiful blue glass candlesticks, and off I went for
home, my needs having been
met far beyond my expectations. The home décor items at
Consign World include table
wear, paintings, pillows, furniture, brand new bedding, and
more.
merchandise, “they are all
on the same page.”
Home décor is another of
Consign World’s fortes.
This past December we decided to decorate our Hanukkah table in blue and
white, and the cloth napkins
www.athensnowal.com
One of the unusual features of
Consign World is the music
room. That is Gary’s “baby,”
and is filled with guitars, banjos, keyboards, band instruments, all for sale at great
prices. On the first Saturday of
each month, the community is
invited from 11am until whenever to come and jam, sing, observe, and most of all, enjoy. I
have attended, had the pleasure
of playing and singing with
guys who had performed in the
Grand Ol’ Opry, and had a
great time. The Saturday jam
fest has been so popular that
on the third Saturday of each
month, (starting on January
19th,) Consign World will
host local dulcimer players.
Both events are free, open
to the public, a wonderful
chance to build community
and to enjoy music.
Whether you are in the market for a guitar or a gown,
come to Consign World and
let folks who love what they
do help you find what you
are looking for at a price that
you’ll find more than pleasing. Gary and Brenda would
like to again give “a heartfelt
thanks to everyone, from our
wonderful consigners to our
faithful customers, for making Consign World a success.”
Consign World
661 Hwy 72 W
Athens, AL 35611
Store hours: Mon-Sat, 10-6
Phone: 256-444-2055
Email: consignworld@
hotmail.com, and facebook
Page 17
Health and Fitness
Benefits Of Using A Personal Trainer
by Janet Hunt
Janet Hunt is a Certified Personal Trainer and can be reached at 256-614-3530 to schedule an appointment.
I have my own studio or I
will work with you at your
home. As a trainer, I prefer
to use free weights, elastic
tubing, fitness balls, and
other equipment that you
may have at your home
rather than use the weight
machines at a gym.
INVEST IN THE BEST
Ask your trainer for his/her
credentials. Avoid trainers
with weekend-seminar or
correspondence course certifications. Some of the best
certifications come from the
American Council on Exercise (ACE), the National
Academy of Sports Medicine (NASM), American
College of Sports Medicine
(ACSM), and the National
Strength and Conditioning
Association (NSCA). Meet
with the trainer before your
first session to see if you are
a good match.
Do you think personal trainers are just for the rich and
famous? Think again. While
we don’t come at bargain
basement rates, we can fit
into many fitness budgets.
And there is good reason to
consider consulting one of
us if you find yourself in a
workout rut, are struggling
to meet your health and fitness goals while working out
on your own, need help with
sports-specific challenges or
injuries, or need the motivation and accountability. A
personal trainer can make
your workout more productive and challenge you in
new ways. In addition, personal trainers can identify
issues in your workouts that
you may not see -- problems
such as posture and incorrect form, things you can
improve to provide a more
effective workout.
If you think personal fit-
Page 18
ness training is something
you could benefit from, but
wonder how to fit it into
your budget, below are
some suggestions.
BUDDY UP
Find several friends who
will share workout sessions.
Small group training sessions can be a fraction of
what one-on-one training
can cost. These groups can
be as small as two or three, or
as large as fifteen or twenty.
(For example, I have trained
groups of church members
in their gym.) For more
personalized attention, partner with someone who is at
a similar fitness level to cut
training cost in half.
A FAMILY AFFAIR
Share a session with your
son, daughter or other family member to save money
and set a great example that
fitness can be a family ac-
tivity.
BUY IN BULK
With some trainers, the
more you buy the lower the
individual session.
will even provide a written
routine to follow until the
next tune-up.
SKIP THE GYM MEMBERSHIP
For additional information about Personal Fitness
Training call (256-6143530) or email me (jhunt1@
pclnet.net).
HAVE A GOAL
I enjoy working with clients
who have specific results in
mind as long as they are realistic. Then after your goal
is reached, use your trainer
for just an occasional maintenance session.
TRAIN FOR A BOOST
Short or occasional training
sessions can be extremely
valuable if you already have
a consistent fitness routine.
This can renew your motivation.
JUST A TUNE-UP
I frequently work with clients on a limited basis, even
once every few months, to
tweak an existing routine. I
www.athensnowal.com
January 18 - January 31, 2013
Medical Update
Left Untreated, Glaucoma Can Lead
To Vision Loss
by Chad Davis, O.D.
The Alabama Optometric Association Emphasizes Importance Of Comprehensive
Eye Exams During National Glaucoma Awareness Month
Glaucoma can strike without
pain or other symptoms and is
a leading cause of blindness in
the United States. According
to the American Optometric
Association (AOA), early detection and treatment is critical to maintain healthy vision
and protect the eyes from the
effects of potentially blinding
diseases, such as glaucoma.
Awareness and understanding surrounding glaucoma is
relatively low. According to
data from the AOA’s latest
American Eye-Q® consumer
survey, less than 20 percent of
all Americans know that glaucoma primarily causes deterioration to peripheral vision.
The survey also indicated 50
percent of Americans incorrectly believe glaucoma is
preventable. While the disease is not preventable, it is
treatable, and regular, comprehensive eye exams play a
critical role in successful outcomes for patients. The AOA
recommends those who suffer
from glaucoma have a dilated
eye examination annually.
More frequent exams may be
needed if you notice additional changes in your vision.
“Those individuals who do
not visit their eye doctor on a
regular basis are putting their
vision and quality of life at
risk,” said Dr. Davis. “Vision
lost to glaucoma cannot be restored, so early detection and
treatment are important.”
Americans also are not aware
of the factors that put them
most at risk for developing
glaucoma. Only 16 percent
of those surveyed indicated
knowing that race or ethnicity may increase their risk.
According to the Glaucoma
Research Foundation, African
Americans ages 45 to 65 are
14 to 17 times more likely to
go blind from glaucoma than
Caucasians. Other risk factors include people who have
a family history of glaucoma,
are over age 60, or have had
severe eye trauma.
To find a doctor of optometry
in your area, or for additional
information on glaucoma and
other issues concerning eye
health, please visit www.aoa.
org.
About the survey:
The sixth annual American
Eye-Q® survey was conducted by Penn, Schoen & Berland Associates (PSB). From
May 19-23, 2011 using an online methodology, PSB interviewed 1,000 Americans 18
years and older who embodied a nationally representative
sample of the U.S. population.
(Margin of error at 95 percent
confidence level.)
About the American Optometric Association (AOA):
The American Optometric Association represents approximately 36,000 doctors of optometry, optometry students
and paraoptometric assistants and technicians. Optometrists serve patients in nearly
6,500 communities across the
country, and in 3,500 of those
communities are the only eye
doctors. Doctors of optometry
provide two-thirds of all primary eye care in the United
States.
American Optometric Association doctors of optometry
are highly qualified, trained
doctors on the frontline of eye
and vision care who examine,
diagnose, treat and manage
diseases and disorders of the
eye. In addition to providing
eye and vision care, optometrists play a major role in a
patient’s overall health and
well-being by detecting systemic diseases such as diabetes and hypertension.
January 18 - January 31, 2013
www.athensnowal.com
Prior to optometry school,
optometrists typically complete four years of undergraduate study, culminating in a
bachelor’s degree. Required
undergraduate coursework
for pre-optometry students is
extensive and covers a wide
variety of advanced health,
science and mathematics.
Optometry school consists of
four years of post-graduate,
doctoral study concentrating
on both the eye and systemic
health. In addition to their
formal training, doctors of
optometry must undergo annual continuing education to
stay current on the latest standards of care. For more information, visit www.aoa.org.
Page 19
Horse Whispering
Horse And Soul Tour
by Deb Kitchenmaster
With any area of personal
interest, there is the opportunity to engage on an
adventurous journey. We
move forward, stand still,
come to “intersections,”
choose which direction
to go, and hopefully on
the road to mastery, we
enter into a rest in the
midst of involvement
and activities!
connect with the Morgan horses that made up
my little herd by playing
seven different games
with them. These games
are ones that horses play
with each other, and
when you connect with
naturally mirror that so
honestly. At times, my
leadership was worthy
to follow, and then there
were days that the horse
looked at me as if to say,
“Really?” “What?” Yes,
horses are great at asking
HORSE and SOUL
event this week-end
on Saturday, January
19th, and Sunday, January 20th, at Morgan
County Celebration,
67 Horse Center Road
Arena, located in Deca-
Holding a desire inside
to master natural horsemanship, I welcome informative, challenging,
relevant opportunities
to connect with others who have the same
passion.
The word
‘horsemanship’ sums it
up quite well: Horse –
Man – Ship!
Hope to see you there,
and may your HEART
and SOUL be touched
by this HORSE and
SOUL event!
Several years ago, I received a postcard sent
to the previous owners at my address. The
invitation was to attend a horse event in
the Huntsville area. I
went.
This was my first connection with Pat and
Linda Parelli and their
horses. I observed
alert horses enjoying themselves with
their human partners!
Unforced!
Willingly! I have
been to rodeos,
horseshows, county
fairs and trail rides,
but what I was eye
witnessing in this
large arena was a
new thing!
I was already a homeschooling
parent of two children, and
decided to enroll us in
a natural horsemanship
homeschooling program
through the Parelli approach to horse training.
One by one, I began to
Page 20
do not have Internet, some
of the demos on Saturday
are: Seven Keys to Success, Psychology 101,
Pre-Saddle
Training,
and Quick and Easy
Fixes for Straightness.
Sunday demos include
Diagnosing and Solving Lead Change Challenges, Mastering Body
Position, and Driving
and Trailer Loading.
questions.
It is
such an awakening when you realize they are asking, and what they
are asking!
I am thrilled to
announce
the
the horse at this level, a relationship, respect and leadership
begin to evolve! It’s
quite amazing. Selfdiscovery is at the
core of connecting
and mastery. Horses
tur, Alabama. The doors
open at 8 am, and the last
demo will wrap up around
4:00 pm. Admission is
free for military, police,
firefighters, EMTs, and
kids 16 and under. Parking is free. Cost is $25
at the door. Go to www.
parellihorseandsoul.
com for details and
schedule.
Cowboy
church
starts at 8:00 a.m. on
Sunday, January 20th
with demos following. The show finale
is at 4:00 p.m.
In the book of Genesis, it is recorded that
God made man from
dust, then God breathed
into man’s nostrils His
breath, and man became a living soul. In
the original Hebrew
language, the words
“living soul” actually
means “speaking spirit.” This is what differentiates us in the animal
kingdom.
May the speaking spirit of
the children of God connect with the conscious
spirit of the equine, creating an awakened beauty
of righteousness on this
earth!
Your NEIGHbor,
Deb Kitchenmaster
Corral Connections:
Connecting with LIFE
through a horse
Animal B.E.S.T practitioner
dkitchenmaster@mchsi.com
For those of you who
www.athensnowal.com
January 18 - January 31, 2013
Like me on
The World According To Will
The Will Anderson Show M-F 6pm-8pm on 800 and 1230AM and 106.5FM WBHP
On Guns
Gun control was the issue
of the week. The President issued 23 Executive
“actions”
Wednesday,
proving that he is the most
power-hungry president
ever, right?
Maybe not. A cursory
reading of the 23 leads
to the conclusion that he
was all talk and no action
on guns. Action number
one, for example, declares
that the President will “issue a Presidential Memorandum to require federal
agencies to make relevant
data available to the federal background check
system.” That’s benign
enough, isn’t it? Background checks aren’t unreasonable.
And then there’s number
seven, as harmless as ever:
“Launch a national safe
and responsible gun ownership campaign.” Aside
from the fact that it will
probably end up costing
billions of dollars, who
could be against that? Is
anyone for the unsafe and
irresponsible ownership of
guns?
But wait, we skipped
“action” number six. It
reads, “[the federal government shall] publish a
letter from ATF to federally licensed gun dealers
providing guidance on
how to run background
checks for private sellers.”
What does that
mean? Is it just poorly
written, or has Obama
declared that gun dealers need help doing their
job?
Here’s my favorite (it’s action number 19). Obama
is going to “develop model emergency-response
plans for schools, houses
of worship and institutions
of higher education.” The
federal government is going to come up with a way
for children, churchgoers,
and college students to run
and hide when a maniac
barges in intent to kill as
many people as possible.
No matter who you are or
where you are, if you learn
to escape a predator, you
won’t have to worry about
shooting if necessary. So
no need for guns!
The
2nd Amendment
aside, there are pragmatic
reasons for being opposed
to gun control. A woman
in Atlanta, for example,
was at home with her two
children a week or so ago,
and when she recognized
that someone was trying
to break into her house,
she and her kids retreated
to a closet upstairs. The
intruder, after ransacking
the first floor of the house,
made it up to her bedroom
closet, where she and the
children were hiding. She
was holding a 38, and she
used it, hitting the bad guy
in the face five times. He
January 18 - January 31, 2013
by Will Anderson
was still able to get away
(he crashed his car just
down the road), but she
saved the lives of her children.
That story made news because she actually fired.
And it worked. We can’t
quantify the number of
lives saved because someone with a gun threatened
to fire. We can, though,
make an educated guess
www.athensnowal.com
that if someone manages
his way into a school or
a church determined to
shoot and kill as many
people as possible, a bullet or three in his leg is the
most effective way to stop
him from killing.
Obama’s 23 Executive
“actions” Wednesday were
composed to mollify those
of us who value the right
to own a firearm. They are
vacuous. And, most conspicuously, they are conspicuous. When was the
last time a president scheduled a speech to detail an
executive order? They’re
usually issued in private.
When Obama signs off on
the real gun restrictions he
has in mind, rest assured
that no cameras will be
present.
Page 21
Athens Rehabilitation and Senior Care
Center Spotlight on George And Jeanne
Clark
by Ali Elizabeth Turner
George and Jeanne Clark,
who are currently receiving rehab care at Athens
Rehab and Senior Care, are
what you would call “long
drinks of water.” That was
my dad’s term for tall people, and they are indeed
that—George is 6’5” and
Jeanne is 5’9”. They are
originally from Oklahoma,
George having been born in
Cushing, OK, and Jeanne
in Ardmore, OK. (Yes,
there really is an Ardmore
in Oklahoma!) George and
Jeanne have lived in Athens for over 30 years. Mr.
and Mrs. Clark were married in 1950, and met while
in college. To hear Miss
Jeanne tell it, she went to a
dance, hoping for a chance
to dance with someone who
was tall. George filled the
bill, swept her off her feet,
and the rest, as they say, is
history.
The dance that changed
their lives was held at
Oklahoma State University, and George went on to
get two degrees,
a bachelor’s in
mechanical engineering from
Oklahoma State,
and a bachelor’s
in electrical engineering from
the University of
Houston. Jeanne
studied
Home
Economics. He
spent his career
largely in the
space program,
and Jeanne used
her Home Ec knowledge as
a stay at home mom, raising two kids. Their daughter lives in Hoover, and
their son is here in Athens.
They have six grandkids
and 8 great-grands.
George also served in the
United States Navy during WWII in the Pacific
theatre. He was aboard the
USS Boxer, which was an
aircraft carrier. (Please
note, there have been six
naval vessels that have had
the same name, the most
current is a Wasp series assault ship involved in fighting piracy off the coast of
Somalia.) The Boxer upon
which
George
served
was used for a number of
things, including picking
up Apollo spacecraft after they splashed down.
He spent his career in the
Space and Rocket industry
here in Rocket City.
Obviously they loved to
dance, and they both like
Italian as well as Mexican food. George also has
enjoyed history, particularly that of the Civil War.
George didn’t have a favorite film star, but Jeanne
liked Cary Grant. She says
that of the two of them,
“George is the better danc-
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er,” and she also says, with
obvious affection, “George
is a very gentle guy.”
They have been lifelong
Methodists, and members
of First Methodist Church
here in Athens for 30 years.
Who is their favorite president? George W. Bush. Who
is their favorite CNA (Certified Nursing Assistant) at
Athens Rehab? “They are
all good to us, but Rebecca is our favorite.” They
have been pleased with the
care and the food at Athens
Rehab, saying both have
“been excellent.”
What words of advice
would they give to a young
couple? “Be willing to
help each other,” as well
as “to be patient with each
other,”said Jeanne. The
other day Jeanne told her
son that he must have gotten his patience from his
father. He replied with a
laugh, “Well, it certainly
didn’t come from you.”
That being said, I found
them both to be dear folks,
and it was my joy once
again to have the chance to
put the “Spotlight on a Senior,” courtesy of Athens
Rehabilitation and Senior
Care Center.
January 18 - January 31, 2013
Security Savvy
The Real Question
by Brian Black of Madison Security Group
When we in the security
industry are faced with
writing an incident report, we are taught to ask
who, what, where, when
and how. There is one
more question that has
to be asked, and that is,
WHY? Why did it happen? This question is
normally left up to the
investigators and lawyers, but I think we need
to ask the question. Why
is there so much violence
in schools?
h
There have always been
e
fights at schools. These
fights happened for difgferent reasons -- over a
sgirl, sports, or just to see
hwho the toughest guy is.
.But times have changed.
-We now have reports of
ochildren fighting or kill-ing children for all kinds
tof reasons, including
egang initiations, for fun
-and no reason at all. So,
ywhy is this happening?
e
In my opinion, I feel that
s
the children that come
mit these acts are empty
inside. They have been
enumbed to the reality that
gactions have consequenco
es. I point the finger
at Hollywood and
the video game makers. Children nowadays play violent
video games continually and watch violent movies. These
video games have
graphic scenes and
encourage killing of
both good and bad
people. These video
games are showing
our children how to
conquer the instinct
of not killing. In
some of these games,
in order to win, I
am told, you must
kill yourself. Why
would anybody allow their children to
play these games?
dicted to these games
and movies just as
surely as if they were
doing drugs. And,
like a drug user,
eventually they need
more and more, just
to feel the way they
did when they started. At some point,
some of these children lose their grip
on reality and think
life is like the games
and movies. So, in
an attempt to “feel”
something, they act
out the scenes they
have seen time and
time again. Unfortunately, there is not a
rest button for Life.
Hollywood glamorizes the criminal and
makes the police
and other law enforcement to be the
bad guys. Just look
at the movies Fast
and Furious and the
classic, The Godfather. Also there
is the hit show, The
Sopranos. In these
productions you
will see that the
“hero,” would be
a bad guy in real
life. Now don’t
get me wrong,
I am not saying
that any of these
should be banned.
I am saying this is
part of the problem. We as a society need to make
Hollywood
and
the video game
producers know
that, we want
January 18 - January 31, 2013
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products that represent
our standards.
Unfortunately, a large
number of kids play and
watch, and then get ad-
These children no
longer have the interaction with other
children the way
we did growing up.
They no longer are
allowed to play outside or play sports,
because they “might
get hurt.” We need to
make sure that these
kids are properly supervised, and that
inappropriate games
and movies are kept
away from them until,
at least until they are more
mature. The best way to
secure your children is to
be active in their life.
www.facebook.com/ElkmontBakery
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