Daily Corinthian
Thursday July 17,
2014
50 cents
Vol. 118, No. 168
BY ZACK STEEN The roar of cannons will be an eerie sound heard Saturday at the Shiloh National Military Park. The park will host cannon firing demonstrations on the battlefield with scheduled demos to take place at 11 a.m., 1 p.m., and 2:30 p.m. The gun will be fired three times during each of the free
demonstrations. “These demonstrations will hopefully allow visitors to get a sense of the destructive power of the weapon,” said Ranger Joe Davis. “It will also help people understand the terrible experience Shiloh soldiers faced when confronting massed artillery.” The demonstrations will include the Shiloh Cannon
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• Corinth, Mississippi • 16 pages • 1 section
Cannons will fire at Shiloh zsteen@dailycorinthian.com
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Crew, firing a 6-pounder gun, across the street from the park visitor center. “The 6-pounder field gun was the most prevalent big gun in the Battle of Shiloh, making up 40 percent of all field pieces on the battlefield,” added Davis. Each program will last approximately 30 minutes, and interpret the weapon, projectiles, and procedures Civil
War artillery crews used to load, aim and fire the gun during the war. The park will also offer ranger-led tours and programs on Sunday. A schedule of programs will be available at the visitor center front desk that morning. (For more information, contact 731-689-5696.)
Supervisors office probed BY JEBB JOHNSTON jjohnston@dailycorinthian.com
The Mississippi State Auditor’s Office confirms an investigation is in progress involving the office of the Alcorn County Board of Supervisors. But the nature of the inquiry is not being disclosed. Please see SUPERVISORS | 2
Annexed resident still seeking water answer BY JEBB JOHNSTON jjohnston@dailycorinthian.com
An annexed Corinth resident continues her plea for city water service so that she can expand her business. Margaret Bradley on Tuesday asked the Board of Mayor and Aldermen to pay the approximately $15,000 cost of boring under the highway to extend city water service to her business at 2103 Highway 72 East, where she wants to add an additional building
next to her photography studio. A commercial sprinkler system would be required under the city building code, but her water service from the Alcorn Water Association does not provide enough water pressure to power such a system. Bradley said the Corinth Gas & Water Department “has generously agreed” to pay for the tap into the main transStaff photo by Jebb Johnston
Please see WATER | 2
City street projects continue
Artists’ contrasting visions put on display BY JEBB JOHNSTON jjohnston@dailycorinthian.com
While she loves detail, he can’t get enough of the abstract. The contrasting artistic visions of Fred Asbury and Patty Simon, who are currently building a studio near Walnut, are now featured at the Corinth Artist Guild Gallery.
A section of Kilpatrick Street has been closed this week for milling in preparation for resurfacing.
BY JEBB JOHNSTON jjohnston@dailycorinthian.com
An opening reception is today from 5 to 7 p.m., and the exhibit runs through July 31. The residents of Bartlett, Tenn., want to base their Camp Hill Fine Arts at a wooded patch of land 5 miles west of Walnut. “It’s going to be a teaching Please see EXHIBIT | 2
Street work continues in the city with another round of paving coming up. A section of Kilpatrick Street off Bunch has been closed this week for milling in preparation for resurfacing. “It will not be paved until the first week of August,” said Street Commissioner Philip Verdung. “That is also when the final phase of the resurfacing projects for this year will start.”
Weather has interfered with some of the work. Striping has been previously scheduled three times, only to be rained out. Weather permitting, striping is scheduled today and Friday on some of the newly paved surfaces from phase two of the bond-funded projects. Among the paving projects still coming up are: ■ Two sections on Tate Street ■ Base repair and resurfacing on North Madison ■ Base repair and resurfacing
on Patrick Drive ■ Two blocks of Douglas ■ A section of Franklin Street between Tate and Fillmore ■ Spot repairs on Edgewood Also, “We’ve got a few spots here and there that have come up along the way — sinkholes and basic repair work,” said Verdung. A few planned projects had to be set aside because of utility problems, including Chambers Street and part of Webster Street.
World War II veteran, beloved father celebrates 90th birthday For the Daily Corinthian
On June 7, 2014, over a hundred family members and friends gathered to honor and celebrate R.C. (Jack) Woodruff on his 90th birthday. According to his six children, seven grandchildren, seven great-grandchildren and two great-great grandchildren, there is much to honor and admire about their beloved “Daddy” and “Pa Jack”. Born in 1924, in the Indian Springs community of Alcorn County, Jack’s earliest memories are of the Great Depression. Many know the stories of heartbreaking hardships that people endured. In contrast, Jack has shared heartwarming stories of how working hard and helping others, even when you thought you had nothing to give was a way of life for he and his family. He continues with that work ethic and compassion to this day. Jack recalls the hope that President Roosevelt’s New Deal promised our Nation. He was only nine years old when President Roosevelt signed the Emergency Work Act into law on March 31, 1933. It continued for several years, long enough for Jack and his family to ben-
R.C. ‘Jack’ Woodruff efit from it. By July 1, 1933, there were over a quarter of a million young men working in what became known as the Civilian Conservation Corps or “CCC.” Every state in the country had at least one Camp Roosevelt. The CCC was designed to provide work to unmarried men aged 17 to 25, who were out of school and unemployed. The CCC was operated under the Army’s command. The young men lived in barracks and were provided food and clothes. They addressed their superiors
as “sir.” The CCC worked on soil and forest conservation and other outdoor projects, such as building parks, digging canals, stocking rivers and lakes, and clearing beaches and campgrounds. When Jack became eligible in 1941, he enrolled, and worked in the CCC in Tupelo. He rode the train, along with hobos, to get there. He, like the other young men, was paid $30 a month It was mandatory that $21 be sent to his family. Jack had three brothers and six sisters. At that time, four sisters and one brother were still at home, so his contribution helped them tremendously. The entire country felt the economic boost from the CCC, which officially ended in 1942. Some say that the discipline learned in the CCC was instrumental in our Country’s readiness for WWII. The CCC’s impact still benefits us to this day because the hard work of the CCC boys built or reforested many of our national forests and local parks. They cleared the way for many of the roadways we travel. Tishomingo State Park is but one local benefit. As often as he can, Jack at-
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tends an annual family reunion held there at one of the old stone lodges. He recalled that the lodges were built by a previous group of CCC boys. He also remembers that the swinging bridge at the park was built because of the foresight of Leroy Worsham (Worsham Brothers Construction) who salvaged leftover steel cables from the Pickwick Dam project, which was completed in 1938. It is these cables that suspend the bridge and allow it to swing. Crossing that bridge is a favorite event at the reunion for kids of all ages. Jack, like many, vividly recalls December 7, 1941. He was back home from the CCC riding with some friends in a 1935 Ford car along one of the dirt roads in the Indian Springs community. The car had a radio and he remembers the exact spot in the road where he heard that Pearl Harbor had been attacked. At that time, he did not know where Pearl Harbor was and he said he really did not understand the true significance of what he was hearing at the time. He soon found out. Within two years, Jack was drafted into the United States
Navy. His enlistment was deferred because he was needed to help finish his family’s cotton crop. One of Jack’s older brothers, Roscoe, was already in the Army and fighting in Europe. In December 1943, Jack went to the Robert E. Lee Hotel in Jackson, Miss., where, standing on the sidewalk alongside several other young recruits, he raised his right hand and promised to defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies, foreign and domestic and to bear true faith and allegiance to this Country. After that, Jack boarded a train to Los Angeles and, from there, he went to San Diego. It took four days to get to California. The train had Pullman cars, so he was able to get some sleep along the way. After his initial military training in San Diego, Jack went to Pearl Harbor. In July or August 1944, he boarded the newly commissioned U.S.S. Jason, a heavy hull Vulcan-class repair ship. The Jason sailed to Guadalcanal taking the ship across the equator. As is still customary in the Navy, Jack and other Please see VETERAN | 3
On this day in history 150 years ago
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President Jefferson Davis fires Gen. Joseph E. Johnston for allowing Gen. Sherman to get close to Atlanta. He appoints John Bell Hood. Sherman believes Johnston is the superior general and says the Confederates “rendered us most valuable service.”
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