Or inions i deas
THE HOGANSVILLE HOME NEWS
USPS 620-040
A Grue. ltubltmn
MilOrd B. Gd, President
JOHN KUYKmDALL
PUBLISHER/EDITOR
LAURm LmvlS
ADVERTISING DIRECTOR
ROB I:ICHARDSON
ASSOCIATE EDITOR
ANDY KOBER
hSSISTANT EDITOR
me
Phone (706) 846-3188. Fax (706) 846-2206
P. O. Box 426
Manchester, Georgia 31816
Charles Neely
Made a Difference
LastWednesday morning I
received a phone call that I
had been expecting for
months and dreading. Around
8:45 a.m. that phone call came
through. I was told that
Meriwether CounW Comm-
ission Chairman Charles
Neely had passed away.
Charles had been in bad
health for sometime and I was
expecting the call, but as much
as you try, there is no way to
be prepared when you hear
such sad news.
In recent years, Charles
and I had become pretty good
friends. I knew him, before
having the privilege of work-
ing with him as chairman of
the commission, but since that
time we had become closer.
I asked him once why he
wanted to be a county com-
missioner. "It is a thankless
job," I said to him. "Every
thing you do is going to make
someone happy and someone
mad. It puts you in a no win
situation."
"Because you can make a
difference," he looked at me
and said.
That Charles Neely did.
CHARLES TOOK a great
deal of criticism about issues,
and sometimes he received
some praise, but I win ten you
that Charles cared about
Meriwether County and its
people and that is why he
became a commissioner. He
did not do it for power and he
did not do it for the money. He
did it because he wanted to
make a difference, and that
he did.
One item that Charles was
criticized the moSt about of
course, was the landfill issue.
I spoke with him about it once
and he explained to me his
position.
"I never wanted a landfill
in Meriwether County," he
said. "But, the commission
approved it and after a great
deal of research and talking
with lawyerff, I learned that
we couldn't stop it. I decided
at that point and time, if I
couldn't stop it, I was at least
going to make sure this coun-
ty got something out of it."
He did. The contract the
commissioners renegotiated
with Greenbow is probably
one of the most, if not the
most, lucrative contract
between a governmental
agency and a landfill that has
ever been agreed upon. You
are welcome to research that
for yourself.
So, while Charles took a
great deal of criticism about
the landfill, let me say, "I'm of
the opinion he made the best
of a bad situation."
ONE THING Charles was
the most proud of was
Meriwether Park, and right-
fully so.
Meriwether Park already
has drawnagreat dealofinter-
est from prospects worldwide.
I'm a firm believer that
Meriwether Park will one day
be a driving force for the coun-
economic development. It
has already been the catalyst
for a county-wide water sys-
tem, that has been needed for
years.
Charles worked closely
with the Meriwether County
Development Authority to
bring Dongwon Autopart
Technology of Georgia to
Meriwether County. He also
spent endless hours working
with state and federal agen-
cies to obtain funds to help
construct the park, its roads
and other infrastructure
needs. It was a project he
believed in and worked tire-
lesslyto makeit become areal-
ity.
Why?
It was not for Charles
Neely, it was for the people of
Meriwether County. Charles
knew in his heart that
Meriwether Park would one
day be something that would
bring jobs, economic growth
and a strong tax base to the
county.
"I want to bring job s here
so our children won't have to
move away to find a good pay-
ing job," he said. "I want them
tobeabletoraise their families
here."
He meant that.
WORKING WITH him,
there were several things I
learned about Charles Neely,
the man not the commission-
er.
Charles said what he
ment and meant what he said.
His word was his bond, if he
told you something you could
write it down and take it to the
bank because he was going to
doit.
Charles wanted to make a
difference. He loved Meri-
wether County and he want-
ed it to be a place that every-
one would love and be proud of.
He believed the future of
Meriwether County was
bright and, with strong lead-
ership, would shine for the
world to see.
He was much more, but
those qualities made him a
good leader for Meriwether
County. He will be greatly
missed by the county govern-
ment, but even more so by the
community.
He was involved in so
many projects, like EmpW
Stocking, that helps so many
people each year. He was
always one of the first to
donate to any worthy cause.
Meriwether has not lost
just a great leader, but a great
man. He will be missed, and
accomplished his goal of mak-
ing a difference for Mer-
iwether County.
THE HOGANSVILLE HOME NEWS is published weekly by the Star-Mercury
Publishing Company, a division of Grimes Publications, at 3051 Roosevelt Highway,
Manchester, Georgia 31816. USPS 642-040. Subscription rates by mail: $20 in
Troop, Harris or Meriwether Counties; $26 a year elsewhere. Prices include all
sales taxes. Periodical postage paid at Hogansville, Georgia 30230.Single copy
50¢.
FOR SUBSCRIPTIONS call (706) 846-3188 or write to Circulation Manager,
Star Mercury Publications, P. O. Box 426, Manchester, Georgia 31816.
POSTMASTER: Send address changes to P. O. Box 426, Manchester, GA
31816.
PAGE 4 - HOGANSVIIA HOME NEWS - FRIDAY, DEC. 11, 2009
I
You Ought to W]00te a Book About Your Daddy
A new character must be
introduced here, and forgive
me if at first she seems not
to belong here.
Believe me, she does. Her
name is Kathy.
She was my third wife.
Kathy was remarried since
our divorce.
She now lives in Montana
with her two children and her
husband.
eral years ago. The band was
playing oldies.
The band began "The
Tennessee Waltz, "I asked
Kathy to dance.
As we danced, I said to
her how this had been
Mother's and Daddy's song.
I was dancin'
Wth my darlin'
To the Totmessee Waltz
I think they have some When an old friend.
horses. : . !1lap--toss: :
Kathy never knew my :tintrodcedMm
father, of course, but he would
have liked her, and she would
have adored the Major.
What attracted me to
Kathy in the first place was
she laughed at my stories. She
would have thought my daddy
a riot.
Kathy saw the pattern so
often. A few drinks, a men-
tion of my father, and then
my tears.
She never once scolded
me for such displays.
She seemed to listen more
closely than anybody else
ever had when I talked about
Daddy.
She seemed genuinely
interested.
WE WERE at a dance sev-
To my darlia'
And while they were
dancin'
My liend stole my sweet-
heart a way from me.
After the dance, Kathy
said, "You ought to write a
book about your daddy."
"I don't know ff there is a
book here," I said.
"There is a book," she
went on, "and one day, you
will write it."
As usual, Kathy was right.
I am sending her one of the
first copies of the book.
I WANTED to mention my
boyhood friend Ronnie
Jenkins once more, too.
Ronnie is married and he
sells real estate now. I don't
see him very often.
Ronnie went to the
Dempsey and sobered up my
daddy once when I couldn't
go myself, and he went to his
hip a couple of times for the
Major, too.
I think he admired
Daddy's wanderlust. He once
had a bit of it in himself.
Ronnie met Uncle John
Wesley a few times, too, and
he was taken by him as well.
Ronnie used to laugh
about Uncle John Wesley
"messin' with a few o1' cars."
Ronnie was a comfort at
Daddy's funeral. He even
tried to convince my first wife
to come back home. He did-
n't succeed, but at least he
tried.
Ronnie had a nice thought
at the funeral.
"You know what it's going
to be like in heaven when
Uncle John Wesley dies and
ties up with the Major?
They'll be running the
place in two weeks," he
laughed.
I laughed, too.
They'll wind up on a front
porch somewhere with two
rocking chairs.
Every angel in the place
will come just to listen to their
stories.
It'll take'era 10 thousand
years before they'll have to
start repeating themselves.
Editor's Note: Grizzard
wrote the book on his daddy.
It was published in 1986, R
was dedicated to Jim Minter.
...to be continued next
week
BY SPECIAL ARRANGEMENT
WITH H]SWIDOW, DEDRA, THEHOME
NEWS IS CARRYING SELECTED
COLUMNS BY THE LATE LEWIS
GRIZZARD, WHO GREW UP IN NEAR-
BY MORELAND, AND BECAME THE
MOST WIDELY READ GEORGIA
WRITER OF HIS TIME. GRIZZARD'S
BOOKS AND TAPES ARE STILL AVAID
ABLEFORSALETHROUGHBAD BOOT
PRODUCTIONS, P.O. BOX 191266,
AA, GA 31118-1266.
Dealing With the Approach of Christmas
The coming of the
Christmas Season overshad-
ows much.
Last Monday was a sig-
nificant day in both American
History and world history.
It was December 7, the
anniversary of the Japanese
attack on Pearl Harbor,
Hawaii.
This was the event that
catapulted America into
World War II.
Often remembered and
portrayed as a nefarious
sneak attack by the Japanese,
it was not intended to be a
sneak attack.
History has shown the
Japanese government sent a
message to its embassy,
which was to be decoded and
forwarded to the U.S. State
Department in Washington,
D.C.
UNFORTUNATELY, that
process was not conducted in
a timely manner.
The message was intend-
ed to be delivered to the State
Department just prior to the
attack on Pearl Harbor.
However, due to the delay in
decoding, the message
arrived after the attack, and
the rest is history.
Many Americans consid-
ered the war to be a European
problem. In fact, while abhor-
ring Adolf Hitler, many
Americans sympathized with
the German people. But
Franklin Roosevelt used the
attack on Pearl Harbor to get
America to enter World War
H.
For the Allies, the timing
of the attack on Pearl Harbor
was most fortuitous as
England was largely stand-
ing alone against the Axis
Powers, and the English were
barely hanging on.
ALSO overshadowed by is significant in that it took
the Christmas Holidays is eightdaystoprepareandcon-
Hamflr, kah. secrate new oil for thee er-
Celebrated on Saturday, nal flame.
December 12, Hanukkah is a During the celebration of
Jewish celebration also Hannukah, the candles of a
known as the Festival of Menorah are lit each night
Lights. and burn at least a half-hour
Hanukkah is an eight-day after dark.
celebration that commemo-
rates the Miracle of the Oil. ALSO overlooked is
The Temple in Jerusalem December 15, which is Bill of
had been desecrated and suf- Rights day.
fered massive destruction The Bill of Rights is the
courtesy of the Seleucid name given to the first 10
Empire, amendments to the
After the Maccabees Constitution of the United
defeated the Seleucid States.
Empire, they repaired the Today, theserightsappear
Temple. Then they wanted to to be under a constant state
have a rededication of the of attack.
Temple, but there was the We will deal with the Bill
problem, of Rights another time, but
Electric light was not yet suffice it to note that our lib-
available and there was only eral friends have taken such
enough consecrated oil to fuel words as:
the eternal flame for a single * "Congress Shall make no
day, despite this they went to law respecting an establish-
work. ment of religion" to mean we
Though there was only cannot post the Ten
enough consecrated oil to last Commandments in a
a single day, the eternal flame Courthouse, or have aManger
burned for eight days -- and scene in front of city hall; or
this was the miracle. • "... or abridging the
The eight-day time frame freedom of speech, or of the
press" to only apply when
they agree with the liberal
politicians.
Our freedoms are under
attack today more than ever
before, but that is a discourse
for another day.
OUR neighbors in Canada
observe Boxing Day on
December 26.
This is not a daythat wives
and hBsands dongloves and
work out some frustrations.
Celebrated in a number
of countries, during Boxing
Day gifts were given to the
poor and slaves. In the United
Kingdom, the gift-giving was
extended to include various
working people.
For our shopaholics, in
some countries, Boxing Day
is a shopping holiday during
which prices are dramatical-
ly reduced.
FINALLY, the Pilgrims
are said to have landed at
Plymouth on December 21,
1620.
Now, if any of you men
are really brave, ask your
wife if she remembers the
Pilgrims landing in 1620.
When she realizes you are
making a poor joke about her
age, you might resemble the
aftermath of the mistaken
Boxing Day tradition.
Yes, Christmas is coming,
but you do not have to forget
about other dates in
December.
That's my opinion.
50 Years Ago.,,
In the
Hogansville Herald
Predecessor to the Hogansville Home News
Compiled by Rob Richardson
• PARENTAL GATHERING - The top story in the Dec. 9, 1959
Hogansvi//e Hera/d was, once again, about a PTA meeting. 'he
Hogansville Parent Teacher Association will hold its December meet-
ing Thursday evening and for the first time in two years will meet in
the Church Street School Cafetorium. The program for the event will
be the much-heralded 'Youth Parade' with a cast of 150 third and
fourth graders, all dressed in colorful and lavish costumes."
• FALLING SHORT - Another front page story told of trouble with a
charity drive, "The 1959-60 Hogansville United Fund Drive at the
present time is over $1,000 short of its $9,250 goal, according to a
statement from Mrs. C.S. Burden, Jr., chairman of this year's drive.
Ms. Burden stated that of the total of $8,166 donated or pledged,
$3,340 was contributed by employees of the three U.S. Rubber
plants."
• LIKE FATHER, LIKE SON - Another front page story announced a.
change of ownership of a local business. "Ben O. Askew, Jr., promi-
nent young Hogansville business man, has purchased the Askew
Furniture Company from his father, Ben Askew, Sr. and is now the
sole owner. Young Askew, who until recently owned and operated
the Askew Service Station, has made no statement concerning the
future operations of the well-known furniture company."
• INSIDE HEADLINES - "R.J. Foster Jr. Now in Germany With U.S.
Army;" "Grady L. Byrd Promoted at German Station;" "Mrs. W.A.
Denny Honored Sunday; .... Hogansville Boy Wins Foundation
Scholarship;" "Miss Lee Is Honored at Luthersville Shower-Tea;"
"Xmas Cookies Should be Gay and Special."
