Waycross Magazine

m
a
g
a
z
i
n
e
Fall/Winter 2015-16 • Issue 26
Take Pictures
Depositing Checks is Easy
Place your check on a flat surface with a dark
background and good lighting.
Tap the Save Images button to get started.
1/25/16
John Smith
One Hundred thirty four
Jane Smith
‹044072342
‹000123456789
‹123
Save Images
B e t te r B a n k i n g
with
MOBILE DEPOSIT
Make Deposits Anytime, Anywhere
from Your Smartphone
available in our mobile app
Proudly Serving Our Community Since 1988
501 Tebeau Street • Waycross, GA 31501 • 912-283-0001
www.WaycrossBankandTrust.com
NMLS #518424
WAYCROSS
magazine
Issue 26 - Fall/Winter 2015
2511 Mahan Drive • Waycross, GA 31501
Wiltronics
Publisher & Design: Dave Callaway
Contributors:
Clint Bowman | Nickie Carter | Taylor
Hereford | Robert Hurst |
Distribution: 5000
WAYCROSS Magazine is published 2 times a
year by Callaway Communications. All rights reserved. Reproduction in whole or part without
written permission is prohibited.
Contact Publisher:
dave@waycrossmagazine.com
www.waycrossmagazine.com
912-287-0948
Guitars • Amplifiers • Accessories
• We design, sell, & install sound
systems for churches, stadiums,
racetracks, & go cart tracks.
• We take PRIDE in the
products we sell!
Since 1972
2500 Valdosta Road • Waycross
912-283-9459
VITA-MART, INC.
ìA Vitamin & Health Food Depotî
Open: Monday - Friday 9:00 am - 5:30 pm
Saturday 9 am - 3 pm
We ship anywhere in the U.S. & Canada
MICKY MULLIS
912-285-9306
On the cover.
A painting by Bonnie at sunset.
The original print is stunning.
FLANDERS SHOPPING CTR.
2509-B Plant Avenue
Waycross, GA 31501
Bonnie Lee Clendenen Walker, originally from Woodstock, Connecticut, presently resides in
Nahunta, Georgia, with her husband and fellow artist, Les Walker. Bonnie graduated with honors in
2001, from Ringling College of Art & Design in the Department of Illustration, Sarasota, Florida. Before
transferring there, she had attended the Fine Arts Program at Quinebaug Valley Community Technical
College in Killingly, Connecticut, under the instruction of Eric Goldberg. She has been a member of
the Okefenokee Heritage Center Artist Guild since 2011 after a solo show February of that year,
where she met her husband. Since then her works have displayed at The Brunswick-Glynn County Library, Brunswick; The Pond View Restaurant, Waycross; Mayo Hospital, Waycross; Marsh’s Edge, St.
Simons Island; Okefenokee Heritage Center, Waycross; and, Cross Connection Church, Waycross.
Bonnie has been designing her own Christmas Cards since 1998. Crafting skills have lead her to
create unique fashion doll clothes and 1:12 scale miniature paintings for dollhouses which she sells on
ebay, with collectible and custom figure items offered by her husband. You can find them under LesBonArts. Bonnie has been participating in the Way Green Local Fare at the Okefenokee Heritage Center, Waycross.
Bonnie can be reached via email at blcwork@hotmail.com.
Private Parties
Meeting Rooms
Catering
KD’s Cafe can help
you with everything
285-3300
504 Elizabeth Street
Wa y c r o s s
Truly, A Family of Love!
Dysautonomia
a disorder of autonomic nervous system (ANS) function
Rebekah with her mom Anna, daddy
Danny, brothers Daniel and Joseph
at Second Baptist Church.
On August 17, 2000 God blessed us with a 10 lb. little blue eyed baby girl.
Her name is Mary Rebekah Hampton. We call her Rebekah.
Rebekah loves to wear pink hair bows, ride her bike, and play with her
brothers just like any girl.
Rebekah, at the age of 4, started playing Upward basketball. Every season
she looked forward to playing basketball. At the age of five, Rebekah started
having symptoms like she had low blood sugar. Her parents, Danny and Anna
Hampton, agreed with the doctor’s diagnosis. By the time she was eight, the
symptoms seemed to be slightly worse. She would be thirsty, fatigued at times
and sometimes wake up nauseated at 1:00 in the morning. Every doctor’s
visit would result in the same diagnosis of low blood sugar or a virus of some
sort.
Homecoming with Logan Millard
Heavenly Father, watch with us over your
child Rebekah, and grant that she may be
restored to that perfect health which it is
yours alone to give; through Jesus Christ
our Lord. Amen.
Friend Lester Sirmans and Rebekah
Rebekah in her Lady Gator basketball
uniform and resting while on a trip to
Vanderbilt.
Rebekah shown here on her way to homecoming at WCHS with grand father Freddy
Strickland.
In fourth grade, she found a new love besides best friends. She played softball for the recreation department and she later became a pitcher. Still at times,
Rebekah would wake up with shakes, throwing up and teeth chattering. She
continued to eat smaller meals and avoided foods that affected her blood sugar.
In the middle school, Rebekah ran track, played basketball (her favorite
sport), and softball. Because of having the shakes so bad, she eventually gave
up track and later softball. We continued to treat the symptoms as if she had
low blood sugar.
By the time Rebekah was in the 9th grade, she knew what she wanted to
play basketball. She along, with her teammates, attended a camp Reinhardt.
She was excited and ready for the next basketball season. She attended other
basketball camps and her dad I loved watching every minute of it. She was
doing so much better!
On the way to school one morning in September of 2014, Rebekah was a
passenger in a car accident. She got a concussion from it. She recovered and
went on playing basketball. However, Rebekah went from being the first one to
the end of the court to being able to hardly run during condition. By the time the
season was almost over in November, Rebekah was having multiple symptoms.
She was dizzy, had shortness of breath, pain in her muscles, and a rapid heartbeat.
In 2014, Rebekah’s pediatrician, Dr. Dannette Kallay, told the parents that
she would like for Rebekah to go to Vanderbilt. Dr. Kallay had a list of all of Rebekah’s symptoms. Dr. Kallay said she thought that Rebekah has Dysautonomia from the brain injury and concussion in the wreck.
Shortly after the referral to Vanderbilt, Dr. Kallay, found out they only see patients 18 years old and older. Anna’s cousin, who lives in Mississippi, works
with the brother of the CEO of Vanderbilt Medical Center. He told the family he
would see what he could do to help Rebekah. Everyone was ecstatic. The family felt like God was starting to turn things around for Rebekah.
A fundraiser for medical expenses
at Ware County High School.
Denise and Richard Lee of Lee Hardware donated
this Yukon cooler for a fundraiser to help with medical and travel expenses.
While waiting on the call from Vanderbilt, it was
getting close to Rebekah’s birthday. Her mother
wanted Rebekah to see that God really had a plan
for her and that He did care about her needs. Her
testimony at church touched the hearts of their Second Baptist community. Rebekah could not be
around other people so the church filled up a bus full
of people and sang to Rebekah in a rocking chair in
the front yard. There were about one hundred people singing Happy Birthday. Hearts were so touched,
and you could feel the love from everyone that came
to sing to her.
After visiting Vanderbilt and having a multitude of
tests done in Nashville, Tennessee, Dr. Hall from
Childen’s Hospital at Vanderbilt said he agreed with
Dr. Kallay. He thought Rebekah did have dysautonomia and he felt like in two to five years she would be
better. The family was told to continue with her medications. Dr. Hall even called Ware County High
School and came up with a plan that Rebekah could
go to school for one block a day and the rest of her
school work be done on-line.
Rebekah’s journey to complete healing continues.
The Hampton’s are a precious family and we need
to offer up prayers for them at every opportunity. Rebekah’s mom, Anna, shared all of this information
with us. We did not include it all as space was limited.
If you want to find out more about Rebekah’s journey, you can go to their Facebook Page – Danny
and Anna Hampton or email at
annahampton73@icloud.com
May God’s Peace be with this family.
WAYCROSS s e e n
Photo by Bo Carter
August/September Artist of the Month Kyle Brock
Sophie Cochran at the 2015
GRPA Class B/C state swimming
finals, holding her first place
medal for the 25 yd butterfly in
the 8U group. Congratulations!
Shop
LOCAL
Jaime Carter • SGSC
Nursing Professor Is UWG’s
First Doctorate in Nursing
Education Recipient
History was made at the University of West Georgia’s summer
graduation ceremony recently in July. The Tanner Health System
School of Nursing saw its first graduate earning a Doctor of Education in nursing education walk across the stage: South Georgia
State College’s own Associate Professor of Nursing Jaime Carter.
The Ed.D. in nursing education online program admitted its first
cohort of students in the fall of 2012. Now, after 60 semester hours
and 12 dissertation credit hours, Jaime Carter was the first student to whom UWG awarded an Ed.D. in nursing education.
Carter, from Blackshear, GA, has been a nurse for 18 years. For
the past 14 years, she has been teaching nursing at South Georgia State College. There, she is the program coordinator of the associate of science in nursing program on the Waycross Campus.
Prior to teaching, Carter began her career as an operating room
nurse and then continued in outpatient surgery. She continued to
work part-time at the hospital up until the time she began the online Ed.D program in 2012.
Carter chose UWG because it was the only college in Georgia
that offered the doctorate degree online. “Because I am a mother
Jaime is married to Michael Carter. They have two
of two, a wife, and a full-time nursing instructor, the online platform
sons, Todd Carter (13 years old) and Ceb Carter (8 years old). was the best option for me to pursue my terminal (doctorate) deHer parents are Raymond and Cassie Todd of Blackshear.
gree,” she said. Photo and story by UWG and Anna Braswell
WAYCROSS s e e n
Waycross Bank & Trust Junior Board of Directors 2015-2016
Congratulations! Standing, L-R, Corinna Wester, Emily Wilson, Jacy Douglas, Trey Shields, Raj
Patel and Kobe Manders. Seated L-R, Mary Allison Moody, Sydney Shields, Madison Tanner
and Jennifer Sharpe.
Pierce County Middle School Softball Team
Middle School Conference 2nd Place
Bottom row left to right: Natalee Griffin, Gracie Stafford, Granddaughter Natalie Herrin, Sarah Davis.
Middle row left to right: Madison Pickett, Ansleigh Clough, Gracie
Odle, Makayla Pitts, Tristen Music, Kennedi Sikes, Jessica Thornton (head coach).
Top row left to right: Faith Bryant, Tristen Blocker, Logan Todd,
Mackenzie Boatright, Jessica Todd, Hannah Pitts, Emma Day.
* Not pictured, Assistant Coach, Kandace Allen
WAYCROSS s e e n
"Looking Up" by Mike Mezeul II
On a September night, after spending 5 hours on a rooftop with an incredible view of Dallas, Mike was able to create this composite
image showing the moons transition from full moon, to full lunar eclipse, and back. Each moon image was shot approximately 10 minutes apart to capture the entire transition. We hope you all enjoy! To contact Mike, email: mike@mikemezphotography.com web page:
http://www.mikemezphotography.com/
Diary of Anne Frank
Cast l-r, Jey Parr, Chris Jeffords, Julianna Lacefield, Lamar Deal, Kim Beck, Joey Timmons,
Kenny O'Bara, Amara Grace Jeffords, Emily Beck, Barbara Griffin, Tom Strait, Blake Kildow,
Kaytie Jeffords, Jerilyn Sweat.
WAYCROSS s e e n
Providence Canyon. This is Wayne’s picture that won the
Georgia Council for the Arts contest for the Southwest region of Georgia.
Congratulations Wayne Morgan! At the capitol, l-r, Governor
Nathan Deal, Wayne Morgan, Kyle Morgan and Sandra Deal.
WAYCROSS s e e n
Wayne Morgan with CSX President Clarence Gooden
and his wife Corkie. Morgan's framed photo, that appeared on the 2014 CSX Corporate calendar, was
purchased by Walt Eddings and Steve and Marla
Howell. The photo was signed by Wayne and
Clarence and has been donated to the WaycrossWare Chamber of Commerce in honor of Gooden,
who is from Waycross and recently promoted to CSX
Photo by Walt Eddings
president.
PLAY ON Cast • Waycross Area Community Theater
L-R: (front) Brenda Luke, Anita Lynn, Niki Spivey; (back) Kayla Dixon, Andre' Lagoueyte, Michelle Lagoueyte, Allen Hamilton, Brittany
Peacock, Jody Rollins, Pam Fields, Mamie Jackson
We
Support
our
Armed
Forces!
WAYCROSS s e e n
David Eddins • GAFC Fire Chief of the Year
Chief David E. Eddins began his firefighting
career with the Albany Fire Department on
September 14, 1987. He worked with the Albany Fire Department for just over 20 years,
serving in the following capacities: Firefighter,
Apparatus Operator Engineer (AOE), Fire
Lieutenant, Fire Captain, Battalion Chief and
Deputy Fire Chief. On March 12, 2008, Chief
Eddins took the reins of the Waycross Fire
Department as the Fire Chief, where he currently serves.
Chief Eddins earned the designation of Executive Fire Officer (EFO) with his 2011 graduation from the Nation Fire Academy in
Emittsburg, Maryland. He also holds Associate Degrees in:
• 1985 - Education from Darton College
• 2003 - Fire Science from West Georgia
Technical College, LaGrange, Georgia
• 2004 - Political Science from Darton College, Albany, Georgia
Chief Eddins has attended numerous training courses at the Georgia Public Safety
Training Center and National Fire Academy.
Chief Eddins currently serves as President
of the South Central Fire Chiefs Association
and District Vice-President for the Georgia
Fire Chiefs Association. Locally Chief Eddins
serves as the Chairman of the Jim Blackburn
Sr. Public Safety Training Center.
Chief Eddins has been married to Julie
Duckworth Eddins for 30 years. They have two
sons, Timothy (wife Jessica and daughter
Ella) and Clayton (wife Whitney).
Georgia Association of Fire Chief’s President Robert
Singletary presenting the GAFC Fire Chief of the Year award
to Waycross Chief David Eddins.
Photo by Jim Mykytyn
Winners of the Ben Smith Juried Arts Show at Okefenokee
Heritage Center include l-r, John Jordan, Cynthia Herrin,
Roland Thurston, Selina Higgs, Robert Johnston, Wayne
Morgan, Jewelene Sweat and Shelby Sweat.
Judge Ben
WAYCROSS s e e n
Franklin Rozier (left) of the Okefenokee Chapter of MOAA,
recently presented a significant contribution for the MOAA
Scholarship to Taylor Hereford, executive director of the James
M. Dye Foundation. Charles Blount (right), a member of MOAA,
also attended the presentation.
Congratulations to South Georgia State College President Dr.
Virginia Carson where she has been appointed to a new Presidential Advisory Board for the Phi Theta Kappa Honor Society.
South Georgia State College President Dr. Virginia Carson
has announced that she will retire effective June 30, 2016.
Dr. Carson was appointed interim president of the former
South Georgia College in March 2008 and named permanent
president in April 2009. She became president of South Georgia
State College with the consolidation of South Georgia College
and Waycross College in January 2013. We wish you well in your
retirement.
Robbie Roberson with Memorial Drive Students
"A CHARLIE BROWN CHRISTMAS" CAST
L-R: (front) Anthony Diaz, Neeley Thomas,
Christopher Kuhbander, Rhianna Herrin, Emma
Varnes, Marin Jeffords, Rhett Herrin; (back) Cayd
Batchelor, Sami Jo Kuhbander, David Bazemore,
Stevie Howell, Hana Hitt, Logan Harris;
(not pictured) Allie Dunaway.
For more information on Dr. Carson’s retirement
you can go to this web page:
http://www.usg.edu/news/release/virginia_carson_announces_retirement_from_south_georgia_state_college
Dr. Carson holds an undergraduate degree from the University of
Georgia, and a M.Ed. and Ph.D., all in mathematics education, from
Georgia State University.
F R A N K L I N A N A - L O S T F L O W E R O F T H E A LTA M A H A
By Robert Latimer Hurst
"In May last (1790), I set on a botanic tour to Augusta and to Savannah town and continuing southwest to the river Altamaha in
Georgia,” wrote Moses Marshall about his southeast Georgia expedition in the late 18th century. “I here found the Franklinana."
Marshall's sighting was the last recorded observation of the Franklinia plant in its native habitat; therefore to the present day, the
only viewing of the Franklinia, named in honor of Benjamin Franklin, has been at arboretums and botanical gardens throughout the
world.
Today, one doesn't hear much about Franklinia's mysterious disappearance from its original range. In fact, I think it is fair to say
one doesn’t hear much about this plant at all. The Franklin Tree, also known as the "Lost Camellia" and the "Lost Gordonia," has been
classified as "America's first rare plant,” and it has become legendary in the way of the demise or near demise of the passenger pigeon, ivory-billed woodpecker and American chestnut.
In America's "First" Rare Plant - The Franklin Tree, Lucy Rowland referred to the disappearing act by this member of the camellia
family as a "romantic, mysterious past" exceeding that of any other American plant. Rowland, a University of Georgia library administrator and a Clarke County planning commissioner for more than 20 years, sets the scene for this mystery by introducing to readers
two botanists who initiated this plant's puzzling story nearly 250 years ago.
John Bartram and his son, William, first discovered the Franklinia in "a modest grove ... in Georgia in 1765." The small tree was growing wild and in profusion in the immense bottomlands along the Altamaha River in southeast Georgia. John Bartram, a charter member of the American Philosophical Society, was a self-educated man. A liberal Quaker and an active farmer, he had an "impelling
scientific curiosity" to explore America's virgin forests, almost at odds at times with his strict religious background.
Bartram began gathering seeds and plants and found a lucrative market selling them to wealthy collectors in Europe. By sending
these discoveries overseas, the botanist spread his name among European scientists, including two noted European botanists and
naturalists, Peter Kalm and Carl Linnaeus. Kalm, a Finnish-Swedish naturalist, would travel colonial North America from 1748 - 1751
collecting plants that would be preserved for future study; his work provided firsthand information to other botanists, especially Bartram, who also credited Swedish botanist Linnaeus, the "father of modern taxonomy & ecology," as a prime motivator for his studies.
With a surge of interest in American colonial native flora and fauna by 1765, John Bartram received a commission from the British
crown to visit the Indian tribes of the League of Six Nations and to explore the Canadian wilderness. Later, under King George III,
Bartram held the position of Royal Botanist for North America. This appointment allowed him to travel throughout the colonies, collecting and preserving floral "treasures," just as his mentors had done. These collections were transplanted both in America and in Europe.
Exploring Georgia and Florida in the company of his son, William, during 1765 and 1766, Bartram discovered the shrub that later
would be classified as Franklinia alatamaha. He had traveled from his home in Philadelphia to Georgia searching for new species of
native flora. During this trip --the only one the elder Bartram made to Georgia --he first observed the mystery plant. No name was
given the shrub at this time, but Bartram and his son never forgot the gorgeous bloom found near the Altamaha River.
Seven years later, William Bartram returned to Georgia to find the beautiful flower that he remembered so vividly. In those days, the
Altamaha was remote, dangerous and full of secrecies. In 1770, Poet Oliver Goldsmith described the "Altama as a place filled with
blazing sun, savage Indians, unsinging birds, silent bats, tornadoes, poisonous plants, scorpions, rattlesnakes and 'Where crouching
tigers wait their hapless prey. ...'"
According to Altamaha River authority Bob Hanies, the Altamaha means different things to different people. To those early English
settlers, "It was the southern boundary of Georgia, separating those pioneers from the hostile tribes to the south and west; then the
river became a buffer zone, cushioning relations between the Spanish of Florida and English in Georgia. The now-vanished Fort Barrington attested to the strategic location of the Altamaha," he wrote.
For thousands of years, the Altamaha has journeyed through southeastern Georgia, beginning strongly near Lumber City, where
the Ocmulgee and Oconee rivers unite. The Ohoopee joins the Altamaha 13 miles south of Reidsville. The Altamaha River watershed
is the largest river system east of the Mississippi, offering priceless habitat along the approximately 140-mile course. Over 100
species of rare or endangered plants and animals find shelter in this basin, including Georgia's spiny mussel, Atlantic sturgeon, the
swallow-tailed kite, the American oystercatcher and the piping plover. Further inland, the watershed includes old stands of longleaf
pine, colonies of the red-cockaded woodpeckers, gopher tortoises and a variety of rare plants, according to retired McIntosh County
Forester Vernon Holt, Sherpa Guide Writer Richard J. Lenz, and Delma E. Presley, Georgia Southern University Professor Emeritus
and Museum Director.
Close to the same time when Goldsmith was writing his verse, John and William Bartram were following the Altamaha River trails
searching out new species of native flora. They camped near Fort Barrington, which was located between present-day Jesup and
coastal Darien, Georgia. This section of the Altamaha watershed is pinpointed as the location where they discovered the overcup
oak, Ogeechee lime and the most famous of all their discoveries --the Franklinia.
Describing his second odyssey into this wilderness territory, William wrote: "I got up early in the morning and took the road from
the northeast side of the Altamaha River to Fort Barrington. On drawing near the fort, I was greatly delighted at the appearance of
two new beautiful shrubs in all their blooming graces. One of them appeared to be a species of the Franklinia, but the flowers were
larger and more fragrant than those of the Gordonia Lashianthus, and are sessile; the seed vessel is also very different.
"This very curious tree was at first taken notice of about ten or twelve years ago at this place when I attended my father on a
botanical excursion in the autumn. We never saw it grow in any other place, nor have I ever seen it growing wild in all of my travels
from Pennsylvania to Point Coupe on the banks of the Mississippi River, which must be allowed a very singular and inaccountable
(sic) circumstance. At this place there are two or three acres of ground where it grows plentifully."
It was John Bartram's works, including his magnificent and detailed descriptions of nature in Travels through North and South Carolina ... (1791) that influenced William Wordsworth and Samuel Taylor Coleridge, two poets who initiated the Romantic Age in English
literature. Not suddenly but over time, Europe and North America stepped gingerly into nature instead of struggling against it. The Romantic Movement centered on emotions, and the change from conflict to peace signaled a form of contentment .
William Bartram underlined this movement as he viewed the Altamaha River from his canoe while collecting plant specimens to
send back to Philadelphia: "How gently flow thy peaceful floods, O Alatamaha! How sublimely rise to view, on thy elevated shores,
yon magnolian groves, from whose tops the surrounding expanse is perfumed by clouds of incense, blended with the exhaling balm
of the liquidamber, and odours continually arising from circumambient aromatic groves of illicium, myrica, laurus and bigonia...."
Bartram sent his Franklinia plant and seed collection from Georgia to Philadelphia, where specimens were planted and, in four
years, flowered. In another year they produced viable seed, related Robert L. Groover in Jesup Sentinel's Anniversary Edition 1965
Humphrey Marshall first mentioned the Franklinana
alatamaha in the 1785 publication, Arbustim Americanum, which was the first American botanical work.
After Marshall's nephew, Moses, made his find in 1790,
the shy flower became legend. It was Humphrey Marshall, by the way, who reported that William Bartram
had given the name Frankliana to the plant in honor of
the "great patron of the sciences, Dr. Benjamin
Franklin. The trivial name ('alatamaha') is added from
the river, where alone it (once was) observed to grow
naturally. It delighted in loose, sandy and moist soil."
Efforts by plant experts through the years to rediscover the Franklinia in the wild have been unsuccessful. A modern seed catalogue offering Franklinia - Lost
Gordonia specimens for sale --from cultivated stock -states: "It is presumed the colony was destroyed during
a later flood." Other theories advanced for the disappearance of the species have been many. One centers
on scientific groups that came after the Bartrams, asserting that these groups did not follow the exact trails
as determined by the early botanists through the Georgia swamplands and thus weren't able to find the colony in the vast and nearly
trackless Altamaha bottomlands.
Moses Marshall enters this story in 1790 as the last known collector of the Franklinia in its wild state. And it is here that suggestions are made indicating a great mistake by both Humphrey and Moses Marshall. In order to fill the large Franklinia orders made by a
London company in 1787 and 1789, the botanists harvested too many of the rare plants, thus eradicating the only colony then in existence in the wild.
The story of a legendary plant discovered, lost and re-discovered by John and William Bartram and Moses Marshall before it was
lost forever from its natural habitat is fascinating. Prompted by my own interest, I have furthered my research through written documents and have wandered that area once designated as Fort Barrington. No, I really didn't expect to find the camellia-like white
bloom and I didn't; however, visiting an area so remote yet so filled with compelling natural and human history was the experience I
sought and found.
On October 1, 1941, the Long County Garden Club
and the State of Georgia erected a historical marker on
U.S. Highway 84 just north of the Altamaha River. Senator Helen Williams Coxon, in presenting the slab, borrowed from Thomas Gray's Elergy Written in a Country
Churchyard, when she stated, "... somewhere in the
vastness (of this Altamaha marshland) the Franklinia ...
born to blush unseen, wastes its sweetness on the forest air."
And so it just might, though even to today no one
has rediscovered the lost grove of the flowering shrub
that so enthralled John and William Bartram.
Robert Latimer Hurst, a native Waycrossan, is the son of the late Mr. and Mrs. (Eva Latimer) Robert Gwaltney Hurst. His
maternal grandparents were Dr. and Mrs. J.H. Latimer. (Dr. Latimer was considered one of Ware County's "Horse n' Buggy
Doctors."); his paternal grandparents were Mr. and Mrs. S. D. Hurst. (Mr. Hurst and most of the Hurst Family were affiliated
with the ACL Railroad.) I attended Waycross High School, and under the instruction of Ann Morrison, Nellie Newton and
Mary Lane became "addicted" to writing; at Georgia Teachers College (now Georgia Southern University) I moved into the
profession of teaching English and journalism, merging two loves and a good career for 40 years. Though retired, I still work
as a free-lance writer and contributing writer for Georgia Backroads Magazine. After over 35 years in the classroom at Ware
County Senior High where I initiated the mass media program, I was transferred to the Central Office where I became director of public relations until my retirement in 1994. I am a recipient a Wall Street Newspaper Grant in Journalism and have
received a number of honors relating to journalism and education.
WAYCROSS s e e n
Jeannie Blaylock with First Coast News in Jacksonville
spoke recently to a group at First Baptist Church. She
spoke about the Buddy Check 12 and K9S for Warriors.
Jeannie is shown with Kennon and Kathryn Taylor.
Jeannie can be contacted at 904-633-8808 and
jblaylock@firstcoastnews.com.
Ta s t e o f Ch a m b e r 2 0 1 5
Jake Fleming Customer Service Award
Plant Cafe
Eva Byrd, Steve & Marla Howell and Sara Coggin
Best Decorated Table - Plant Cafe
Steve Howell,Tristin Tillman, Marla
Howell & Stevie Howell
Best Entree - Okefenokee Country Club
Eva Byrd and Kas Asbury
Best Dessert
Jeanette’s Catering & Downtown Sandwich
Eva Byrd, Jeanette Hengeveld & Tammy Brown.
Best Place to Work
Coastal Pines Technical College
Eva Byrd, Dr. Glenn Deibert and Sara Coggin
Photos by Myra Thrift
Society Editor
Waycross Journal-Herald
www.waycrosschamber.us
WAYCROSS s e e n
Ware County’s
Lauren Gamage goes
to Hollywood with
American Idol
Bill Warren welcomes his daughter Jessica to
The Headliners salon & day spa. Jessica can
be reached at 912-285-2525.
James and Alicia Johnson, Owners
505 State Street • Waycross, GA 31501
912-283-1313 • mfcwaycross@gmail.com
“The Difference is Delicious!”
Shop
Local
Lauren Gamage was born and raised in Waycross, Georgia. She is
married to Brandon and together they have two children, Brylee (7) and
Brayson (3). Her parents are Rhonda and Micky Mullis. She has worked
as a Sales Director with Mary Kay Cosmetics for 7 1/2 years and works
in music in her spare time for church, events, etc. She attends
CrossView Church in Waycross, and leads the music there on Sunday
nights. She has been singing since the young age of two years old and
incorporated playing the guitar at the age of sixteen. Her musical genre
falls under "country-pop". Some of her favorite artists include Shania
Twain, Miranda Lambert and, most recently, Kelsea Ballerini. She has
performed for different events and venues.
She made her decision to audition for American Idol because her husband encouraged her to give it another shot. She found out about American Idol auditions from their website, and saw where you could do a
mobile audition with the StarMaker app. She decided that was her best
route to take. She has gone twice to audition in years past and waited
for hours in line without even making it through the first round. Upon sub-
mitting her audition video, she was selected out of thousands of entries
as she made her way to the #1 spot with over 12,000 votes. That ensured
her audition with executive producers in San Francisco.
Once she got there, she auditioned for the producers, and they allowed her to audition for the celebrity judges: J-Lo, Keith Urban and
Harry Connick Jr. She was confident in herself, but as the day went by,
her nerves set in. She talked with Ryan Seacrest for a while, and he let
her know she would be the last contestant to ever audition for the show
since this was the very last season. She made her way into the holding
area until the green light appeared. Her first reaction when she walked in
was none other than an out-of-body experience. There were bright lights
and cameras. The judges looked like wax figures. Once the audition
started, she said a prayer in her mind, and she felt at ease. She truly did
her best.
UPDATE: Competition started with almost 200 ppl on Day 1 and Lauren
did get to stay until day 2 with about 100 left but she did not make it to
group rounds. Lauren is proud to have made it to the top 100 out of
thousandssss! Congratulations!
&
L e e Ha rd w a re
BUILDING SUPPLIES
721 Albany Avenue • 912-285-0287
LEE Industrial Supply • 1-877-588-4711
w w w. l e e h a r d w a r e a n d b u i l d i n g . c o m
Where Hardware
Isn’t a Sideline
Superior Customer Service
1503 Tebeau St. • Waycross
www.musicfuneralhome.com
912-283-1414
Locally Owned & Operated by Rodney Music
The Peapatch Murders by Martha Parker Donaldson
Henry Mullis, a farmer in Waresboro, was sitting on his porch
in March 1930, when a car filled with a man, woman, and two
small children plus household goods pulled into his yard. The
man got out, introduced himself as Jim Parker, and asked if
Henry had a house they could rent. In fact, because Henry had
wanted a field in which he could grow a tobacco crop that
spring, he had leased his nephew’s farm next to his. Not needing
the entire farm, the house, buildings and several fields were sitting empty. He led the Parkers down the road to see the place,
and after discussion of terms, the Parkers moved in that afternoon!
About the time the Parkers came to Ware County, a rash of
thefts began all around several counties – farm tools, animals,
car batteries, tires, bicycles, lawn mowers. The police knew it,
but had no idea who was responsible. In June one such occasion triggered Henry’s suspicions. He sat and thought long and
hard, coming to the conclusion that Parker was not as honest as
he should have been. But without proof there was nothing he
could do. In August Henry was approached by a Ware County
deputy concerning the theft of a new wagon. Parker was suspected of this theft, but they needed a reason to look around his
property. Henry provided them with one, saying Parker had some
pigs for sale. They didn’t buy pigs, but eventually found the
wagon hidden in a stand of trees. Parker was arrested and taken
to jail, charged with felony theft. News of his arrest spread
quickly, and people came from all over, hoping to find something
stolen from them. Virtually everything there had been stolen, including a mule for plowing and a beautiful jersey cow.
The sheriff put Henry in charge of returning items to those
with identification. A kind neighbor took in Mrs. Parker and the
two children, just to get them out of chaos. Then a Mr. Johns,
from Hickox, Ga., came to the sheriff, telling him that Mr. Johns’
daughter Ethel was married to Jim Parker. Mr. Parker had not
heard from her in some time, and was worried about his daughter and grandbaby. He left a picture of Ethel. On seeing this,
Henry recognized Ethel as a young woman he had seen with a
girl toddler at the Parker farm back in May, though they were not
introduced. He told this to the sheriff, who promptly went to see
the woman everyone called and believed to be Mrs. Parker. He
learned she was not Jim’s wife, though the children were supposedly his. She was a woman named Cora Hazen, and he arrested her on charges of adultery and took her to jail.
One day when Mr. Johns had been to talk to Parker, Henry
asked what he had learned. Ethel and her baby had been there,
but Parker said a man in a car had come and they left with him,
heading, they said, to Toronto, Canada. “Do you believe that?”
Henry asked. “No,” was the reply. “I think Parker and the woman
(Cora Hazen) have done away with them.” Henry agreed, and
they told the sheriff what they suspected. But with no evidence of
any foul play, there was nothing the sheriff could do. Henry finally
decided to investigate himself. He went to the Parker farm but
found only the heads and hides of numerous small animals
which had been slaughtered and the meat sold, but no indication
of human remains. But he was so sure he was right that when he
learned of a man in Tifton who was a ‘fortune teller’ (today he
would be called a psychic) he took a friend and they went to see
the man. He told Henry he was right, but Henry had been looking
in the wrong places for the bodies. They were buried in one of
the fields, and the psychic described the location. He thought the
field was planted with cotton, though that was not certain.
At home, Henry found the field, planted not with cotton but
peas. Most of the field was in neat straight rows – all except one
back corner where the vines were all entangled. When Henry returned he brought two sons, a horse, a mule, and digging equipment, and put them all to work. They dug up the rows to no avail,
but when they started on the tangled vines they struck what at
first they thought was a small buried log, but soon discovered it
was a woman’s body. Henry left his sons on guard while he went
for the sheriff, returning with him, the funeral director and his assistant, and Jim Parker himself with deputies to watch him. He
stood by while the bodies of his wife and baby buried on top of
her were uncovered. He was promptly charged with double homicide. Two days later he gave a written confession to the sheriff,
accusing Cora Hazen of the actual murders. She of course accused him.
When the case came up for trial it was 1931. Parker had no
money and the court appointed attorneys for him – Blalock and
Blalock, two brothers; Parker and Parker, another pair of brothers
who happened to have the same last name as the defendant;
and Mack Barnes, in practice for himself. One newspaper stated
that even with money Jim could not have found better representation in this area. But even with their combined legal expertise,
using temporary insanity as a plea, Parker was found guilty and
sentenced to death in the electric chair, housed at that time in
the state prison in Milledgeville, Ga.
Cora Hazen was also tried. Several times articles commented on how beautiful she was. It has been wondered if her
great beauty caused twelve good men and true to find her innocent of murder. She did, however, serve time behind bars on
charges of adultery and felony theft.
Now for the rest of the story – Mr. Parker now is one of the
two Parker attorneys; Mrs. Parker is his wife.
In October 1931 Jim Parker was taken from the Ware
County jail to the prison in Milledgeville to wait for the date set
for his execution in the spring. With the holiday season on
them, people began to think and talk about something other
than the Pea Patch Murders, so named by the papers.
In March Mrs. Parker realized something was bothering her
husband. She tried to get him to talk about it, but he would not.
To her that meant he was concerned about a case. Early in
their marriage he had made it clear to her he would never discuss his cases with anyone other than those directly involved –
NOT EVEN WITH HER!
On the first Sunday in April 1932 Mrs. Parker woke early,
about 5:30, and realized her husband was not in bed. Looking
around, she saw him across the room completely dressed.
“Where are you going so early on Sunday?” “Milledgeville” was
the answer. “Why?” was her next question. “Jim Parker is going
to be executed in just a day or two. The man does not have one
single soul who cares whether he lives or dies- NOBODY. I
know he was found guilty and he probably did it, but he always
maintained to us (his attorneys) that he was innocent. I cannot
let any man, especially one who claims innocence, face that
kind of death completely alone.”
Jim of course was not expecting him, and when he looked
up and saw the lawyer standing there, Jim burst into tears,
walked over, put his arms around Mr. Parker and thanked him
profusely for coming. They talked for along time that day, and
when at last Mr. Parker got up to go, Jim said to him “Before
you leave there is something I want you to know. What I told
you and the other lawyers all during the trial was the truth. I did
not kill my wife and that baby, whom as you know I always said
was not my child. But I also want to tell you that years ago I did
kill a man, and I was never caught. So I have made my peace
with this, and it’s alright.”
This writer knows that the rest of the story actually happened because my mother told me it did. You see, my name is
Martha Parker Donaldson. The attorney who made the trip to
Milledgeville on that long ago spring Sunday was Will C. Parker
– my father.
The Burial Spot
Pictures furnished by Robert L. Hurst
School children at the Burial Spot
Martha Parker Donaldson is a
native Waycrossan. After graduating from Waycross High School
she attended Georgia State College for Women (now Georgia
College) in Milledgeville. There
she studied voice, and was soloist
with the college choir for four
years, giving a recital every year
she was there. She became an elementary teacher for several
years, working through summers
to get a MA degree at Peabody
College in Nashville. TN. Then she
came home to accept a job as children's librarian in the public library system in Waycross. During those years she took library courses at night and
went to school summers at Peabody to get her second Master's in Library Science. When the state set up a program whereby smaller systems
could have an extra state-paid worker if they served at least 100,000 people, she was the first one chosen in Georgia, serving children in five counties.
When she went to Tallahassee, Fl, for the first quarter of her sixth year degree in library science at Florida State University, the college offered
her a grant to stay the entire year. She did.
It was during that year she met and soon married James (Jim) H. Donaldson. They moved to Griffin, Ga., where they lived and worked for three
years before moving back to Waycross, he to work for the newly established Waycross College, she to become Director of the Okefenokee Regional Library System, a job she held for eight years before retiring and following a long-time interest of hers - storytelling for adults.
Remembering the Pea Patch Murders
Mrs. Jewell Spence Davis was 13 years old when the Pea Patch Murders happened in 1930.
Mrs. Davis’ recollection of the murders is similar to that of Martha Donaldson’s story appearing on the previous pages. She remembers the bodies were found about three to four months after they were buried. The peas had grown to three to four feet by that time.
Cotton is being grown now on this patch of land.
One of the animals Jim Parker stole was a mule. Mrs. Davis remembers he had painted the mule white in an effort to disguise him.
The house is still standing and is owned by the Lee family.
Plans are uncertain as to what will happen to the house.
The land is to the west of the house. It faces Corridor Z.
Out just a little bit and to the left is where the grave was
located. Instead of peas, cotton is being grown on this
land currently.
Her husband was the late Joseph Clayton Davis (Mr. Joe) and also her high
school sweetheart. They were married in 1939. They purchased the house in
1941. They had a son and a daughter. Mrs. Davis’ daughter is Betty Davis
Lee, and she has two granddaughters, Dana Smith and Alicia Johnson. She
also has two great granddaughters, Maggie Barnes and Dana Smith. Her son
is Spence Davis. Mrs. Davis is a member of Waresboro United Methodist
church where she has taught all ages in Sunday school. After she retired, she
and her husband traveled extensively. She is soon to have her 99th birthday!
Mr. Joe and Betty
L-R, Mrs. Davis, Betty Lee and Alicia Johnson
This house was purchased in 1941.
Mrs. Davis’ parents were L. L. Spence (Luke) and Nettie
Cribb Spence. They married in 1905 and lived in a house on
the same spot that Mrs. Davis’ house sits now. Her parents
had four sons and four daughters. Her daddy called her his
little brown-eyed girl. Mrs. Davis started school when she
was six years old at a little one-room school in Waresboro.
They had one teacher that taught seven months out of the
year. She went to school through the seventh grade in
grammar school and had become fluent in reading, writing
and arithmetic. There were 19 in her graduating class at
Waresboro High School. Mrs. Davis graduated in eleven
years. She went to college at Douglas College starting in
September 1935. The trip to Douglas was an hour long on
Highway 158. She then went to Valdosta State where she
earned her teaching degree. She taught for over 35 years
at Waresboro Elementary School.
Mr. and Mrs. Luke Spence
In her younger days, Mrs.
Davis was quite a equestrian. She loves horses.
Brunswick • Jesup
Waycross
Mrs Davis loves to fish. This
is a bass she caught a few
yers ago.
1 - 87 7 - 2 8 1 - 0 7 7 7
Miles-Odum Funeral Home and Crematory
130 Screven Avenue • Waycross
www.milesodumfuneralhome.com
912-283-2525
SnAkE CaUgHt On ThE SaTiLlA By ClInT BoWmAn
I was tired of waiting. I had been lying in the damp mud among the tall weeds and grasses about as long as I could stand it. I had
already watched two snakes crawl by within rifle reach. One had been just a common water snake about two feet long… the one with
the brownish red bands across his back…though a soul has to look hard to see them where they cross his back because he gets so
dark there that the bands are about invisible. Many a man has killed a banded water snake thinking he was battling a more serious
foe…the cotton mouthed moccasin. When both are full grown and a man sees one suddenly down between his feet or near to hand
on a tree limb while moving along the river or some creek, it’s just a natural reaction to think of the more dangerous water moccasin
and kill’em quick.
Though today, since I was frozen into near immobility trying to avoid detection, I had more time to observe the ends of the bands
along the edge of the passing snake’s underside. The second snake had been a more dangerous but smaller rattlesnake and he had
been bent on heading to water and didn’t seem to know I was about.
Another small movement down river just a ways brought my thinking back to my predicament. What it was, I was not sure. What it
looked like, was the left elbow of a brownish skinned man sticking out from behind a half buried old oak the river had deposited over
there at the far end of a sandbar some time back during one of its many floods. It had only been three days or so since we had got
news around Kettle Creek that another hunter had been found dead south of the old road leading from Kettle Creek to Waresboro
and points west. He had been shot with three arrows and then cut up a bit. It looked like he had fought a mite even with three arrows
in him and some of the cuts were on his hands as if he was trying to find off his attackers. No one knew his name and it was assumed
he was one of the hunters who sometimes trekked through these parts looking to take a couple of bear skins back to the coast and
maybe earn enough to make some good trades off the coastal traders.
Another movement! This time a passing mockingbird had thought to land on that old washed up tree but suddenly redirected his
flight in such a way that it confirmed to me…someone was definitely there! Question was….who? I was half thinking that it could be
Cross Toed John back from his long trek down south around the west side of the great Okefenokee Swamp. He had wandered off that
way a few weeks back after he and I had spent a night camping here along the river. But if it was him this was a bit unusual of him to
take so much time to just try and frighten me a little. Though we had been known from time to time to try and sneak up on each other
out here in the woods just to see if we could outdo one another.
Sweat was stinging my eyes now. Gnats had been trying for over an hour to drive me insane by crawling up into my ears and nose
and I was losing the fight to keep them out. The amount of concentration it took to keep puffing a breath upwards out of my mouth
while also keeping my shoulders scrunched up to keep my collar up around my ears was causing me to too often lose track of what
was going on down yonder. And that could be really bad, really fast!
Trying to once again decide if I could make a break for it back into the cypresses and sweet gums growing not twenty feet behind
me, I decided that the only smart thing I could do was wait’em out until dusk, then back crawl in the fading light into the trees where
I’d have a much better chance of standing them off if they rushed me. Then, I saw it! The rattle snake had apparently had his fill of
water and had begun working his way to cover….the cover offered by the half buried old oak! I held my breath so long in anticipation
that the gnats won the fight and several set up camp in my left nostril! The sneeze came out as the snake slid from view around the
river side of the old downed tree. It was a truly magnificent sneeze, too! My head jerked so hard that the rebound smashed my nose
into the mud! But that didn’t begin to equal the sounds of the squeals and shouts which erupted from behind the old tree as two Indians came leaping over the tree! I scrabbled as quickly as I could to my feet and aimed my rifle dead center of the nearest Indian…
who suddenly froze as he stood looking at me. The second one was still dancing and shouting as he tried valiantly to sling off the rattler which had decided to take a strike at him and come up a little short… and was hanging from the fringe of his buckskin shirt slapping his tail this way and that as the Indian wildly gyrated to shake him loose.
He probably would have succeeded a little more quickly had he been sober enough to just knock the snake loose. I could see that
in his one hand he held an old clay rum bottle of the type the old time traders used to sell rum to the Indians in. Some folks still kept
those around and used them for home made brew. As he danced and shouted the snake finally fell and the Indian stumbled into the
shallow water of the nearby river and fell over on his face… but still kept his bottle up out of the water. The first one had not moved
since seeing me with my rifle aimed right at his chest. He swayed some as he stood there with a kind of scared “I might run” look on
his face.
Now I understood…these two had not been hiding! They were simply sitting on the other side of the tree. The elbow which I had
seen moving from time to time was attached to the arm of the one who lay now in the river looking back in a confused fashion at his
drinking partner. It was about now that I remembered another bit of news being passed around the stove at the general store in town.
Someone had raided old Silas Bowen’s still out on the edge of town and taken off several jugs of his home brew. No one knew who
had done it and since his place was right near the Waresboro road it was assumed a passerby just got kind of thirsty and helped himself before heading off to unknown parts. Obviously, these two were somehow connected to that incident.
Now what to do? They appeared to be only carrying knives. And by rights I should tie them up and take them into town to the
constable. But…. I really didn’t care much for old Silas and the way he was always treating those he viewed as inferior, such as local
slaves and even Cross Toed John. Though truth be told, John could read better than old Silas ever hoped to be able to do. With those
thoughts in mind I pointed back behind the Indians and said “Go!”. And they went, quickly.
It was as I was standing there watching the two half drunken Indians stumble off, that suddenly chill bumps of fear rushed up my
spine and I quickly swung around as I realized that someone was behind me!
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
It was late into the night before Cross Toed John finished laughing over my “ wide eyed face of fear” as he called it and drifted off to
sleep. Only the fact that we had feasted on the back straps of a freshly killed young doe he had brought along with him and on various other bits of choice venison had helped me keep my calm. Though honestly, stuffed as I was I still kept my old rifle and knife
close to hand. Somewhere in these parts there were men who had only recently taken another white man’s life. I was thankful that
John was back from his rambling. It would be good to travel the creeks and river and enjoy his company once again for a few days.
WaNt-To-Be-WaRrIoRs By ClInT BoWmAn
It was getting on towards mid morning and I was anxious to make the fort settlement at Racepond by sundown. I figured I could
and I was already thinking of the taste of Ole Jim’s squirrel stew and pear pie. That and a good fresh cup of store bought coffee,
which I knew he served there, would be a fine way to end the day. I knew I was getting close as the evening before I had heard the
far off sound of the little cannon at the fort as the soldier boys ended their day. I knew I was somewhere to the east and north of what
the swamp families called Big Water lake and somewhat west of the Racepond settlement where the little fort was. I figured that as
how tomorrow was Sunday, I’d even be able to sneak around & wager a bet on the Sunday afternoon horse races they usually ran
around the little cypress pond there. I’d have to sneak ‘cause I knew tomorrow to be the second Sunday of the month and the circuit
riding preacher was due in there tomorrow…and as he knows me well from up Kettle Creek community way, I figured it wouldn’t do
for him to know about my bettin’ practices.
I guess it was the prospects of good food, a little fun, and the possibility of that good store bought coffee which dulled my senses.
Whatever it was, my mind just did not want to hear the warning my eyes were screaming about how two of the shadows near the
sweet gums and palmettos on the nearby little island I was passing seemed to be moving oddly as compared to the gentle bending
and swaying of the rest of the undergrowth there in the morning breeze. Suddenly, my off track mind snapped around to attention as
two of those shadows seemed to grow arms holding bows with notched arrows! I fell backwards from my sitting position into the bottom of my dugout, dropping my paddle and grabbing at my ole’ squirrel shooter rushing to swing it around to point in a general direction off to my left. The sound of the twanging bow strings sounded as I feel backwards. As my back hit the bottom I was aware of an
arrow sticking into the top right side of my dugout and its shaft rubbing across my old fat belly. Where the other was I had no idea, but
I realized quickly it was not sticking into me. Thinking they might now be charging towards me, I hastily snapped my head around to
get a peak over the side raising my rifle up a bit to fire if needed.
I’m not sure who was more scared at that instant, me or the two young Indian boys who had hurried out of the undergrowth down
to the water’s edge, thinking they had possibly killed the old white devil who was trespassing in their hidden world. Both had failed to
fully notch another arrow. A failure that today’s events would probably cure them of ever repeating again. As quick as I raised up both
stopped dead still… time seemed to stand still as they gaped open mouthed at the still very much alive white man before them. Then
with a kind of harsh grunt one of them turned and in about two very quick steps reached the undergrowth and without even slowing
down actually dove over the palmettos to disappear from sight! The remaining boy, who I now realized could only have been about
twelve or thirteen or so seemed to be frozen with fear. Suddenly a short piece of thrown limb came sailing from out of the undergrowth to smack him square in the back and with that wake up call, he pivoted and ran hard to his right where he promptly tripped
over a tree root and fell face down into a bunch of tall grass and wild grape vines. What a commotion he made as he tried to free himself!
Though I was half amused by his predicament, I was also keeping an eye out on the palmettos behind which I was sure his partner
was hiding. Having no desire to shoot such young boys, I was half minded to pull over to the little island and have an understanding
with them about shooting at me. However, my better judgment won out as I realized if there were two young ones of this age around,
there were probably much older and more deadlier Indians somewhere near. After all, the fort was there at Racepond just for the purpose of keeping the Indians from coming out of the swamp and raiding the settlers and travelers around the edges of the swamp and
nearby areas. “Only an idiot would set off to try and catch those two,” I thought. With that in mind I sat up fully, laid my ole squirrel
shooter down and picked up my floating paddle out of the water. Then I dug it in and headed for the eastern edge of the swamp with
one eye kind of trying to watch for what those two adventurous want-to-be-warriors might be up to.
The thrashing in the vines had soon ceased and the whole episode hadn’t lasted longer than probably two or three long minutes.
But it had been enough of a close call for me to have no trouble at all in focusing on where I was at and the trail ahead. “Dead men
can’t drink store bought coffee & eat pie, boy,” I thought as I dug a bit deeper with my hand carved paddle into the tea colored waters
of the Okefenokee Swamp. As my dugout responded and glided quickly down the trail passing beneath the hanging Spanish moss as
it gently waved in the breeze, I looked down and saw the arrow was still there. I decided that it was one souvenir I didn’t want to keep.
With a hard jerk I pulled it out and dropped it over the side, startling a drifting gar fish, causing him to flick his tail and leap a good
two feet before landing among the nearby water lilies with an echoing splash.
****************************************
Where they went and what story they may have told their elders, I do not know. One thing I did know though… I was mighty thankful to the good Lord above that this once I had been spared. I was also thankful that I had not fired off my ole squirrel shooter without
thinking, as I had no mind to have to live with the thought that I’d killed a young boy, not yet a man. Fightin’ men is one thing, fightin’
boys is another. And I wanted no truck with that.
ThE MoViE: SwAmP WaTeR By ClInT BoWmAn
Many of you older folks will know who Walter Brennan was. Brennan lived from 1894 to 1974 and was a World War 1 veteran. A
role I remember him fondly in was the one of deputy Stumpy in John Wayne’s movie “Rio Bravo”. Brennan was a man of Christian
faith and would sometimes be seen at Billy Graham crusades where he would speak briefly. He was
the lead actor in the movie Swamp Water. This movie was
made in 1941 in the Okefenokee Swamp near Waycross.
In the movie, Brennan is hiding in the swamp after being
falsely accused of murder. He makes friends with a young boy
who lives on the edge of the swamp and that young boy helps out by selling animal skins which Walter Brennan brings to him. Of
course, the townsfolk eventually figure it out and then the trouble begins!
The movie also starred Dana Andrews, Walter Huston, and Anne Baxter. It cost about $600,000 to make, which I guess was a sizable amount of money in those days. The movie turned a profit and was somewhat popular. It was produced by Twenty Century Fox
and was based on a novel written by Georgia writer Vereen Bell. Clint Bowman teaches Social Studies at
In 1952 the movie was remade as "Lure of the Wilderness". Waycross Middle School. He lived in Africa
for 17 years as a Baptist missionary working
It is easily viewable online, I believe.
as a teacher, coach, and trainer. He grew up
on the northern edge of the great Okefenokee Swamp and roamed parts of its edges
and along the Satilla River as a young man.
He has been married to his wife, Harriet
Willis Bowman, for 38 years and they have 3
children and 7 grandchildren.
Coastal Pines Technical College EAGLE winner
At the recent Gram Parsons Guitar Pull, l-r, Ashton Herrin, Dave
Griffin, Connor Griffin, Billy Ray Herrin and Dylan Crosby.
EAGLE is a statewide program that recognizes and rewards excellence among students enrolled in adult education programs and is sponsored by the Technical College
System of Georgia through the Office of Adult Education.
L-R, Kelly Peacock, Executive Director of CPTC Adult
Education Program, Eagle Winner Grace Strom and
Michael Carter Adult Education Instructor.
Photography of Ann Gillis
Ann can be reached
via email at
ag31503@gmail.com
Congratulations to Jason Strickland, the CPTC 2016 Rick
Perkins winner! Jason will go on to compete in the regional
competition of the Rick Perkins program and will represent the
“Best of the Best” among CPTC instructors. Best wishes,
Jason, for your efforts and hard work that landed you this
honor. We wish you well.
Congratulations to the new Waycross Mayor
John Knox
2015 Dancing with the Southern Stars
Congratulations to all! In order of appearance, Sohail Choudhri & Zeda
Matich, Stuart Stipe & Courtney Anderson, Tony Tanner & Trina Dill, Representative Tyler Harper & Kaitlyn Young, John Hilton & Jessica Moore, Allison
Callaway Herrin & Phillip Jordan, Mark Cohen & Caitlin Taylor, McGregor
Lott & Audrey Laine Jeffords, Randy Dixon & Lindsey Johnson, Pam Taylor
& Tommy Lowmon, John Hereford & Tiffany Warren, Joe Meadows & Caitlyn
Kenney, and Roger Johnson & Mary Beth Kennedy. Master of Ceremonies
Lori Gant McNease and Serrell Zeigler. Stage Manager Stanley Sinkfield.
Executive Director of Magnolia House Michelle Girtman.
Thanks to the
Georgia Department of Corrections
The Georgia Department of Corrections (DCOR) has completed several projects for the Ware County government in the last year.
These pictures are before and after pictures of 2855 Forest Road, Waycross, Georgia, in Industrial Park. This facility is
on the airport property. The building was originally a part of the air base and used as a NOAA weather station. It later
was utilized as a home for the Emergency Management Agency. It has also housed DeDe’s Doughnuts, Blue Collar
Cafe, a flight school, and office space. It is presently being renovated by DCOR. The updated office space will be available to lease.
According to Clarke Lee, Building Maintenance Supervisor, the DCOR has provided an invaluable service to the citizens of Ware
County. Lee went on to praise the work they have done and continue to do.
DCOR recently renovated another facility in Industrial Park in Waycross, located at 3030 Brown Drive.
This building was adjacent to the Erin Johnson Softball
and Baseball Complex. According to Rickey and
Jeanelle Deal, this was the original site of the Waycross Army Airfield. Other occupants of the space included the Milwaukee Braves, who used it as a spring
training site for a couple of years.
The 4-H, Crawford Street Baptist Church and other
groups used the site for a camp. There used to be a
large swimming pool across the road from the remaining block building. In the mid 1970’s, the building was
the home of the Ware County Jaycees. The Archery
Bowmen Club used the facility as an indoor range for
many years. Ware County expects to utilize it for a storage facility.
Debbie Dean and Her Nature
Brantley County is home to Debbie Dean. She grew up in Nahunta
and now resides in Raybon with her husband, Bruce. They have
two children and three grandchildren. Debbie has always enjoyed
the outdoors. Some of her favorite outdoor activities include going
on nature walks with her grandchildren, family fishing trips, canoeing, bike riding, bird watching, and photographing the beauty of
God's creation.
Jeanette’s Catering &
Downtown Sandwich
Shoppe
Congratulations to Caleb Davis, the CPTC 2016 GOAL winner!
Caleb, nominated by Josh Bridges, is a welding and joining
technology student on the Hazlehurst campus. We wish him
well in the upcoming competitions. He will represent CPTC
well. He is shown with president Dr. Glenn Deibert.
More Debbie Dean
4 17 Te b e a u St r e e t
Wa y c r o s s
9 12 - 2 8 5 - 8 476 Sh o p p e
9 12 - 5 4 8 - 0 567 Fa x
Daily Menu Specials
Soups • Desserts
Jeanettehengeveld@bellsouth.net
Satilla Advocacy Services
by Nickie Carter
Waycross Police Chief Tony Tanner, onboard to safeguard Waycross’ citizens since 2005, has accepted the chairmanship of Satilla
Advocacy Services, a vibrant frontrunner and fundamental resource for prevention of sexual assault and promotion of support for victims of sexual assault in a six-county area including Ware, Pierce, Brantley, Charlton, Coffee and Bacon Counties. He took the role
during the August advisory board meeting attended by dedicated workers and volunteers at the Southern Georgia Regional Commission Building on South Georgia Parkway West.
Tanner, a dedicated member of SAS since its organization in 1999, joined the large group for a number of “important issues,’’ from
reviewing the SAS vision statement, discussing past projects to making new ones and continuing the broad support of SAS: stressing
rape crisis intervention, victim and child advocacy services provider and promoting prevention education programs.
Chief Tanner succeeds well-known Debi Jones, who retired May 29 from the Ware County Board of Education. She told the
board members that she is excited about her retirement and has enjoyed working here for 30 years.
SAS Director Terry Anderson, in welcoming Chief Tanner as chairman, lauded Ms. Jones for her “untiring efforts in carrying out
SAS’ mission. She also thanked other board members: Alice Taylor, vice chairman and Pam Hart, secretary. “I so appreciate all of our
advisory board members, SAS personnel, law enforcement and volunteers for caring and diligently carrying out our SAS mission.
They all insure that all victims get care; they show their hearts in caring. In all our goals, we remember that we provide emotional
support, information and referrals for rape victims, their families and the community through a 24-hour crisis line,’’ she said.
Chief Tanner said he was appointed by former Chief Jim Blackburn, now deceased, to help organize Satilla Advocacy Services in
1999. “He was committed to SAS,’’ Chief Tanner said. “SAS values include: quality, dedicated to providing the highest level of competent and compassionate care to sexual assault victims; prevention, education, working with community organizations and agencies
and providing leadership to community organizations and agencies to build and maintain an appropriate system of care for sexual assault victims.’’
As advisory board members welcomed Chief Tanner as chairman, each reviewed more of the mission statement: “.......to build an
organized system that will provide supportive services for all victims of sexual assault and child victims of suspected sexual assault
and/or physical abuse.’’
The new chairman is well-known to the community, twice serving as president of Waycross Exchange Club and serving as district
representative for Georgia Chiefs Association and a member of the International Association of Police Chiefs. At his church, Winona
Park United Methodist, he is head of the safe sanctuaries program. A native of Ware County, he and his wife Cindy are the proud parents of three children and four grandchildren.
Front row, left to right: Latoshia Kirksey, Betty Gant, Terry Anderson, Chief Tony Tanner, Kathy Wilkerson, Deonne Korrow, Roxanne
Tanner, Cathy Cason; Back Row, left to right, Dr. Bill Parham, Sheriff Ramsey Bennett, Traci Carter, Pam Hart, Dr. Max Silman,
Brooke Russell, Mitzi Tyre and Sonny Yarbrough. Not pictured is Nickie Carter, advisory board member, SAS writer & photographer.
Among the many SAS projects and issues discussed included the success of the April Heroes for Kids run held at Central Baptist
Church. Director Anderson described the run as “amazing and awesome.’’ She said there were 200 people attending and raised for
SAS’ benefit was $6,000. A SAFE training which SAS and Waycross Police Department conduct together was described. Also, Zina
Ponsell, child abuse prevention coordinator completed a SAFE training at Waycross Middle School for female students and their
mothers.
Zina, along with Waycross Police Department officers will complete the RADkids Training, which teaches children about school
safety, home safety, out-and-about safety, vehicle safety, strangers and tricks (including physical defense skills) and personal safety
including personal space and personal touch-good, bad and unwanted touch.
Also discussed were SAS procedures in assisting victims in the Mayo Clinic Health System or at SAS office, and the importance
of the Child Advocacy Centers of Georgia. The Site review was conducted successfully in June and child abuse protocols for Ware
and Brantley Counties were completed.
Mrs. Anderson thanked all of the agencies that have recently been involved in cases at SAS. She discussed how ‘’every agency:
Law Enforcement, School and Department of Family and Children Services work together to make a difference in the lives of our victims.
Included in various reports, she gave, was a total of 358 new victims served in the year 2015, since July 31. Her chart shown to
those attending said: Survivors in the various ages included: ages 0-12, `177 survivors; age 13-17, 86 survivors and age 18 years
plus, 95 survivors.
Pierce County Sheriff Ramsey Bennett, among the advisory board members attending said, “You all need to keep doing what you
are doing!’’
❂ ❂ ❂ ❂ ❂ ❂
Ware County Lady Gators Golf Team
2015 AAAAA State Champions
Left to Right: Sutton Rollins, Lauren Callahan, Valeria Soto, Kylee Wheeler,
Tymber Link, Emily Wilson, Bailey Buie, Coach Paul Callahan. Kneeling,
Head Coach Tony Wheeler
WCHS 2015 Homecoming Queen
Angel Nelson
Photos by Bo Carter
wlbocarter@gmail.com
http://warecounty.shutterfly.com
PERNELL ROBERTS
BY CAMILLE FADIA
Another source she came across, which actually gave the
true facts on that controversy of his quiting the Bonanza series
The following song aptly describes the late Pernell
after his contract was up, was, surprisingly, the biography, "My
Roberts, since he loved to sing:
Father's Voice" by Linda Greene Bennet, daughter of Lorne
Greene, (c)2004. She used the audiotapes her father left behind
"We Are The Light Of The World" by Jean A. Greif, (c)
1966, A Hymn: "We are the light of the world. May our light shine after he died. He didn't want anyone to hear it while he was alive
as he had certain confessions he made about his having his secbefore all, that they may see the that we do, and GIVE Glory to
ond wife as a mistress while he was still married to her mother.
GOD!"
While he was alive, Pernell strived to let his light shine be- She found out that fact after he died. His first wife knew that. He
was also an absentee father, who put his acting career first. He
fore all, even when others would like to have snuffed it out. He
didn't let them do that. He usually came bounding back, anyway. was very ambitious about his acting, which he got off the ground
It was a sad day when Pernell Roberts died on January 24, late in his life. So, he was desperate that "Bonanza" succeed, and
2010. When this author heard about it, she said a few prayers for that he be the star and the one the series revolved around. He
didn't want it to be an ensemble rotating around the sons, as
the repose of his soul and added him to her short list of prayers
grown men. He wanted to be the patriach of the Ponderosa and
that she prayed for deceased souls, whom she believe might be
call the shots with his sons. Pernell Roberts, the last to be hired,
in Purgatory. Most people, who didn't choose hades, end up in
was led by NBC to believe it would be an ensemble revolving
Purgatory because they still have some stains of sins on their
souls they have to have purged before they can see God face to around all four members of the cast.
NBC thought so, too. Victor Sen Yung, who played HopsHis Face. Those who go straight to Heaven are martyrs and
ing,
thought,
perhaps, his role would evolve, also. Victor had a lot
saints. The saints being the ones who have atoned for all their
of
acting
experiences.
He enjoyed playing Jimmy, the earnest
sins on this earth, by how they lived.
rookie detective who, to his chagrin, was always under the watchSeveral months ago, TCT (Total Christian Television) network, which is in Greensboro, N.C., have a third station as part of ful eye of his famous while trying to help solve a murder in the
Charlie Chan series. He played the role in 18 Charlie Chan
their trinity of stations there, that show mostly classic westerns,
movies. He also appeared in: "The Letter (1940) starring Bette
and other classic TV shows, and movies. It's a western lover's
field day watching that station. After having watched Adventures Davis, Secret Agent of Japan (1942), Little Tokyo, U.S.A. (1942),
of Kit Carson, Roy Rogers TV show, and other classic westerns, Moontide (1942), Across the Pacific (1942, Manila Calling (1942),
China (1943). Sen Yung's career was interrupted for Air Force
such as Gmen, suddenly they decided to air Bonanza reruns.
duty as a Captain of Intelligence during WW II. So, in real life,
This author thought it wasn't appropriate for a Christian station
because it had a lot of violence in it, with lots of outlaws killed at Victor had to also dig up information, like he did in the Charlie
Chan series.
the end. However, she did watch the reruns because of her love
of westerns-- classic westerns, that is.
Pernell Roberts would agree with this author on it having
"too much violence" as he said in an article interview a long time
ago, for this Christian station. Having liked Pernell as a person
and enjoying his acting in other projects, this writer wanted to
know more about Mr. Roberts. So, she looked up his biography
on the Internet. She discovered that after he died, he was only
cremated. He never had a funeral. She wondered about his soul.
How would he get out of Purgatory without a funeral Mass? She
contemplated offering up a funeral Mass for him, his parents, and
his late son, Christopher.
This author found out that the best place to find real true
facts about the actor, was in Waycross, GA where he grew up,
and where the library there had a file on him. Pernell's parents
lived their until they died, so he came frequently to Waycross to
visit them. He also had friends there who didn't misjudge him, as
the media and others did elsewhere. He was an only child, but
had cousins he grew up with. His father's brother had children.
However, unlike Wikipedia, which stated he was born in
Waycross, GA, he was actually born in North Carolina, and his
parents moved to Waycross when he was a child.
Reduced often to playing middle-age servile roles such as
houseboys, laundrymen, valets, clerks, dock workers and waiters) did have more prominent roles in ""Woman on the Run
(1950), Forbidden (1953), Target Hong Kong (1953), and "Trader
Tom of the China Seas (1954). His last film appearance was in
The Man with Bogart's Face (1980), before he died by accident
when he turned on a faulty kitchen stove for heat in November,
1980. He was survived by his son, Brent Kee Young (who
changed spelling of his last name) and two grandchildren.
This author went and called Brent Kee Young, who told her
that Pernell Roberts came to his father's funeral. He appreciated
that very much. That's the kind of person Pernell was. He went
out of his way for others. And he and Victor were both the odd
men out on Bonanza.
Brent Kee Young informed this author that, "his father didn't
have a contract as a regular on the series as the four starring actors had. He was only paid one thousand dollars per episode that
he appeared in".
Victor, who was an accomplished chef, who specialized in
Cantonese-style cook, wrote a book, "the 1974 Great Wok Cookbook". He was working on a second cook book when he died. He
also majored in animal husbandry at the College of Agriculture at
the University of California, Berkeley. Sen Yung found the atmosphere oppressive in the entertainment industry. He probably
found it very oppressive on Bonanza, especially since his role
didn't give the audience the opportunity to learn how the Asian
culture would clash in the Old West with the prejudice around.
They only had one episode in which a Chinese American boy,
who aspired to college, was framed for a murder he didn't commit. However, I don't recall Hopsing being one of those who
would come out on that. This was probably when Pernell Roberts
was pushing for more stories on, as they called it, social issues,
and this was the writers response to that.
In 1958, NBC decided to do a western series, in color,
which meant that RCA would be involved in it. Lorne Greene was
informed by his agent, Milt Grossman, of a role in the series. He
told Lorne: "There's no way for you to emerge without a
tremendous position of significance in the show. Of the four of
you, the one who can really achieve the most prominence is
yourself because you're the father, and they are all tied to you."
To make sure that he received the "most prominence",
Lorne made contact with David Dortort, who was Jewish as
Lorne was also Jewish, and invited him and his wife out to
dinner, then proceeded to show him how the series should
revolve around the patriach, the father, and the sons place
in that. Dortort agreed to that.
According to the biography, Linda said, "They were devised
as four equal characters, but by the very nature of the kind of
character it was, the role of Ben Cartwright took the lead position."
Dortort took care of that with NBC as he was to write the
pilot episode for the series. Dortort also, later on down the road,
after Alan Hamilton died, that he also got the credit for "creating"
the series for Bonanza. Actually, the only thing Dortort con-
tributed was the setting: Virginia City and the Comstock Lode.
Alan contributed the rest. He based the series on his own Grandfather's life, who was a seagoing man, who had had three children by three different women. Some people in the industry like
to take credit for other people's work. They are called leetches by
others in the industry who do that.
After he took care of the storyline, Mr. Greene, jumped the
gun, and went and made contact with Michael Landon and Dan
Blocker, getting them on his side, and agreeable to the direction
he wanted the show to take. NBC had already set up a meeting
with all four actors at the same time, and none of them were to
meet before that.
The last actor to be hired was Pernell Roberts. He believed what NBC told him how the series would be, and that his
character would grow and evolve. Like Victor Sen Yung, Pernell
had lots of acting experiences and was the best of the four actors. Mr. Greene felt threatened by that. He was also jealous that
Mr. Roberts had more acting talent than he. He was also jealous
that Mr. Sen Yung had more acting talent than he. He had no
problems with Dan and Mike who didn't have that much acting
experience than he.
This author perceived when she read Mrs. Bennett's book,
that Pernell Roberts had been ostracized on the set. He and Victor became friends on the set. They were both in the same boat.
Mrs. Bennett said in her book: "Pernell Roberts hadn't had the
chance that her father had done for 20 years prior to Bonanza,
and that was to hone his craft (as an actor) especially in the
medium of the stage." She also noted that "Pernell didn't fit in
with the others"
He didn't fit in because he wanted to use Bonanza to reach
audiences and help them to grow and learn by showing them
stories what would help them to reflect and think about life and,
perhaps, change for the better. The other three wanted it as a
stepping stone up to stardom, and all the trappings that went with
it. Pernell didn't care about all the trappings that went with
stardom. He said to Bob Lardine in an interview a long time ago:
"I don't need a lot of money to live with dignity." He would be
happy to freelancing as an actor, and to be able to pick and
choose whatever role he wanted to play. When he was under
contract to NBC, he was not allowed to accept any other roles.
All the rumors concerning why Pernell Roberts left a successful series were mostly untrue. He once mentioned in the
same interview to Bob Lardine, the key to why he left "Bonanza"
was, he said: "Okay so I threw away a million bucks. So what! All I
cared about was my emotional well-being!"
Pernell was a caring, compassionate person, strong in his
faith. He was raised United Methodist. He practiced what he believed in, that was helping others. He also believed that God
made everyone in His Image, and that is how one should treat
others.
•
•
•
•
•
Commercial
Industrial
Residential
Roll-Off
Stationary Compactors
3473 Harris Road • Waycross
Camille Fadia
She was born and raised in
Boston, MA. She has a BA and
two AA degrees in History and
Communications. She studied
political science for two years
also as another major, that includes U.S. Constitutional law.
She graduated college at age 62
after going back to finish. She has had 118 articles published so
far. She has written and produced three professional plays. She
wrote, produced and directed two TV movies, one of which was
aired on cable TV in Rochester, NY and in Detroit, MI. Camille
wrote, produced and directed a radio docudrama on miracles of St.
Michael and God in the Korean War. She is working on a documentary, which is in post production, and has a script for a TV
movie that she would like to produce and direct. It's a classic western, inspired by a hero of the old west, which she redesigned the
characters and it is her own original script. She is also strong in
her Christian faith and like Pernell, she thinks and reflects and
contemplates on life.
Don’t forget to
SHOP LOCAL!
WAYCROSS s e e n
Congratulations to Cecfil Brown on his retirement from
the Ware County Recreation Department. Since 1948
Cecil has been an integral part of our rec department.
Ware County Recreation Department • Agency of the Year for District Two
Georgia Recreation and Park Association (GRPA)
Congratulations to our recreation department staff. Pictured l-r, Rod Mitchell. Dana Brown, Steve Swain, Cecil Brown, Patrick
Combs, Alton Cade, Billy Nettles, Lance Adamson, Terri Meeks, Joyce Arnold, Blake Roberson, Gary Coker and Cassie Morris.
Eric Zeier and Scott Howard
UGA Radio
Tony Schiavone
UGA Radio Producer
Brad Harrison with the
Valdosta Magazine
Press Box
Our view from the Press Box
Larry, Thanks for the memories
a veteran and A Life in the Swamp
Story of Calvin Lewis Strickland
As told by his daughter Sandra to Jason Deal, staff writer at the Blackshear Times.
Calvin Lewis Strickland was a veteran of the U.S. Army in World War II. Like many daughters, Sandra Strickland, believed her
daddy to be her hero. It turns out Calvin Lewis Strickland, a member of the socalled “Greatest Generation,” was just that to his men as well. “Daddy never
talked about the war much,” she said. “I knew that he had been in fierce fighting
over there, but he really didn’t tell us much detail.”
Strickland recalls her father served in both the Pacific and European Theaters in the Army during World War II.
After his death, she found items her father kept from his time in the Army and
also learned from family and friends the details on his military service.
Among the items were a military-issued blanket, scarf and silk map of the
south Pacific area of operations.
Strickland’s unit was caught in a fire fight against the Japanese during an
unidentified battle in the Pacific.
“Daddy’s platoon leader was shot dead as he was hunkered down for the fight
right beside him and right before his eyes,” Strickland recalls.
She said the American position was in danger of being overrun by the
enemy.
“Daddy crawled over to his platoon leader and removed the map,” she said. “He
knew if the map were there and the enemy captured the position, they would
know right where my daddy’s platoon and all of the American positions were.”
Strickland said she often reflects on the sacrifices her father and his generation made for America.
“Those feelings and memories are especially strong around Veterans day,”
she said.
Mr. Strickland returned home after the war and worked as a trapper in the Okefenokee Swamp. Strickland had been born on Billy’s Island in the Swamp in
1906.
He also worked in turpentine briefly and later was a prison guard with the old Pierce County Prison Camp on County Farm Road.
“He had a praying family back home and the Lord spared him to come home and be my daddy,” she said.
Sandra Strickland, in swamp clothing, is shown in
front of the shed her father built.
Calvin’s brother, Perry Strickland, and his wife, Rosie, lived on Swamp Road near where the park entrance is now. The lived in a
white, unpainted house with the kitchen off the back porch. They cooked on a wood stove with a small fireplace in the living area.
There was no indoor bath & a well for water was located outside. Sandra loved to visit there. She felt such love & peace in their home.
While writing about my Daddy being a World War II veteran, many memories came back to me about my childhood days. Daddy
was born and raised on Billy’s Island in the Okefenokee Swamp. He attended school there until the fourth grade. As a young boy, he
trapped for furs and hides to make spending money, like we would work in tobacco to buy our school clothes. He went by boat to the
landing to take his catch to a warehouse in Waycross that bought them. That was big money back then. He shared many swamp tales
with us growing up.
Our favorite was about a black panther that roamed in the swamp. A revenuer looking for moonshine stills found a man the panther
had killed and covered over with leaves to come back later for another meal. One night, while my Daddy was sleeping by his campfire, he heard the panther hollering deep in the swamp. He could tell he was headed his way. My Dad was in one of these deep sleeps
that you struggle to wake up from sometimes. He finally got his big right toe to wiggle and he sat up. The fire had died down to a few
red coals. As he looked across the clearing, he saw the panther’s eyes glowing from the live coals. He quickly grabbed some straw
and a fat lightered splinter and pitched them on the coals and the fire sprang up. The panther turned around and disappeared into the
under brush. My Dad knew the good Lord had spared his life again.
When we rode over to Billy’s Island by boat, there would be alligators swimming around the boat and some lying on the banks sunning. I always felt safe with my Dad paddling the boat. This was a way of life to him. There was an old man living on the island who
had a pet deer that chewed tobacco along with him. When we returned to the landing, raccoons would be all over the truck looking in
the windows. They smelled the food inside that we had brought to eat.
Dad also helped to lay the railroad in the swamp to pull out the cypress trees and knees to make beautiful lamps and other things.
They made purses, shoes and belts out of the alligator hides. These things were popular and costly at that time. I remember that I
worked all summer in tobacco to buy a raccoon collared suede coat. It was the first one at Patterson High School I recall. Fishing and
hunting was a part of my life as I grew up. I grew to love God’s beautiful creation. I felt at peace and rest there in the stillness as the
glory of the Lord filled the earth.
When my daddy went home to be with the Lord, the lady usher at the funeral home, walked up to the casket and said, “Oh, that’s
my Calvin. I taught him at school on Billy’s Island in the Okefenokee Swamp.” He had red hair and freckles, like me. I have many
wonderful memories in life because he taught me to love nature like he did. It’s there that I feel closer to our Creator than anywhere
else.
s/ Sandra Strickland
L u c a s a n d T h o m a s Fa m i ly D e n t i s t r y, I n c
Welcome to Our Practice
Dr. George Thomas and Dr. Jason Lucas welcome
you to our family dental practice in Waycross, GA.
From the very first phone call, our entire team is
dedicated to making sure that you always have a
comfortable and rewarding experience with us.
Doctors Thomas and Lucas hold a shared philosophy
of caring relationships and a commitment to
excellence in dentistry.
1600 Alice Street
Waycross, GA
Phone: 912-285-3140
Fax: 912-285-0260
www.thomasandlucasdentistry.com
e-mail: thomaslucasdentistry@gmail.com
At Robbie Roberson Ford we offer new Ford Cars, Crossovers, SUVs and Trucks. Go online at
http://www.robbierobersonford.net. Search for all new 2015 and 2016 Ford models, including Flex,
SuperDuty, Explorer, F-150, Econoline Wagon, Expedition, Fiesta, Focus, Taurus, Fusion, Edge,
Transit VanWagon, Escape, Mustang, C-MAX and Transit Connect.
2825 Memorial Drive • 283-3131 • We Support the Youth of Our Area