2019 Winter Issue

community magazine 2019 WINTER ISSUE

2019 WINTER ISSUE

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F E AT U R E S

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8 A Love That Lasts 12 Choosing Triumph Over Tragedy 16 Designing Tunes

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H E A LT H & WELLNESS

20 From the Source to the Sink 24 A Woman of Many Hats

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ARTS, E D U C AT I O N & I N N O VAT I O N 28 A Quest to Save the Starfish 32 H.E.L.L.O. Covington Tours

EDITOR

Brian Knapp PHOTOGRAPHERS

Bethany Corvos Brian Dean Ron Manson Michie Turpin CONTRIBUTING WRITERS

Kari Apted Nat Harwell David Roten ILLUSTRATOR

Scott Fuss PUBLISHERS

Meredith & Scott Tredeau 770-788-6795 info@thenewtoncommunity.com

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DIRECTOR OF SALES

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SPORTS & R E C R E AT I O N

LIVING

38 Paying It Forward 42 Glory Days in Blue and White

48 Living Out a Legacy 52 Centennial Milestone

Glenn Dowling 404-416-3198 sales@thenewtoncommunity.com Visit us online at: thenewtoncommunity.com The Newton Community Magazine is published quarterly. All contents are copyrighted by The Newton Community Magazine. Reproduction, in whole or part, without permission is prohibited. The Newton Community Magazine reserves liability in error to a printed correction.

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On the Cover

WHAT MAKES NEWTON COUNTY TICK?

by DAVID ROTEN

PUBLISHERS’ NOTE Last year was a leap year for our family— a leap-of-faith year, that is. First, we leaped into homeschooling our middle-schooler.

Then, after lots of encouragement and guidance from a dear friend/sort-of-relative/ mentor (you know who you are), we leaped into starting this magazine for and about Newton County.

Even though neither of us comes from a publishing background, we both felt like this was the direction in which we were being led. This fall will mark our 10th year living in Newton County, and we’ve come to realize that we’ve just barely scratched the surface of discovering all there is to learn, love and enjoy about our community.

We imagine the same may be true for many of you. Through this magazine, we want to celebrate local living and share the stories of the people and places that make Newton County special. Our dream is that it spreads joy, offers help, inspires hope and leaves readers with fuller hearts.

We are grateful to be a part of this community, and we are grateful for everyone whose support made this first issue of The Newton Community Magazine possible.

Thank you, and may God bless you.

Scott and Meredith Tredeau

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Tick-tock, tick-tock, tick-tock. The relentless cadence that has for ages been synonymous with the passing of time can still be heard every second, of every minute, of every hour of the day in the clock room atop the historic Newton County Courthouse. It is the sound of the tower clock faithfully measuring and marking time—something it has done, with few interruptions, since it was installed in 1885. While you may have never been close enough to hear the ticking of the clock, if you have been in downtown Covington at the top of any hour, you will have heard the familiar ringing of the original clock tower bell, also installed in 1885. If you paused to look up, you may have seen the dial that is the “face” of the clock hidden inside.

Tower clocks are not uncommon, and clearly, they are about more than just keeping time. Daniel Jeffries, who grew up in Covington, volunteers his time to perform monthly maintenance on the clock. “I think it is just one of those symbols,” he said. “Every community likes a center point, and our Square is beautiful.

It’s kind of the crowning point on the Square.” For Jeffries, the connection to the clock runs on a deeper, more personal level.

He recalled how, as a 5-year-old, he accompanied his grandfather, who had been called to repair a part on the clock.

It was love at first sight. That love has grown into a lifetime fascination with clocks that his family shares. “If you live in my house,” Jeffries said, “you just about have to [have the fascination].”

One of the unique things about the Newton County Courthouse, according to Jeffries, is that it is one of the few courthouses left in Georgia that actually has a mechanical, ticking clock, complete with a timing mechanism (pictured, front cover). Since its restoration in 2004,

the tower bell has been activated electrically.

Jeffries is not the only one concerned about the clock and how it operates, or even how well it operates.

“Everybody expects the clock to be right, ’cause they will sure enough let us know when it’s wrong,” he said with a laugh.

The clock can run fast or slow, depending on such factors as temperature, humidity and ice, or birds on the clock hands.

As-needed adjustments and monthly maintenance keep the clock running smoothly and accurately. Jeffries will tell you it is a labor of love he hopes will continue for a long time: “My plan is to do it till I can’t climb stairs anymore.”

It is ironic but true: There is something timeless about the courthouse tower clock, something comforting, though indefinable, about a bell that has rung the same tone for the last 133-plus years. The ticking clock, the luminous dial and the ringing bell all remind us of what was, what is and what is yet to come. For all of us, time marches on.

F E AT U R E S “I’ve learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.”

Maya Angelou

F E AT U R E S

A LOVE THAT LASTS

by BRIAN KNAPP

Butch and Linda Betts will celebrate their 52nd wedding anniversary in June. In a day and age when divorce has become more the norm than the exception, their enduring relationship stands as a testament to the power of love, faith and compromise.

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T

he world stopped spinning for Butch and Linda Betts on March 21, 1987. It was the first day of spring, and it felt like it: clear skies, temperatures in the low 70s, a pleasant breeze blowing through the Georgia pines. It seemed like any other date on the calendar. Then the phone rang, time stood still and life as they knew it was never the same.

“We got a call that said you need to go to the hospital, and so I took off in the car,” Butch said, the memories still as fresh as the day they were forged.

“We were going down the road as fast as we could go, and it was just like I was hit with a hammer.”

Their middle son had been critically injured in an accidental shooting. Thoughts, questions and prayers flooded their hearts. Jason Betts was 13 years old at the time, his entire life still in front of him. Soon, their worst fears—the worst fears of any parent— were realized. Butch felt a tremor in his spirit.

“The Lord was telling me that he was gone, and I just slowed down to regular speed,” he said. “Then we got to the hospital and we were met outside, and they told us he was dead. When we went into that room where he was, he was laying on a steel table covered up with a sheet, and we held hands and Linda said, ‘This is not going to destroy our marriage.”

“That was beyond me,” Linda said. “I think about that day so much because I remember us praying, and I remember there was nothing I could pray for Jason. I knew that, and that was really God’s Spirit in me prompting me as to how to pray; and we did.

We just joined hands and we prayed. We prayed and asked God to raise us up and bind the Enemy from using it as a weapon against us, because when you are so wounded, that’s when really bad things can happen.”

In the face of unimaginable tragedy and heartache, they turned to their faith, to each other and to two surviving sons who needed them desperately: Shannon, their oldest, and Ryan, their youngest.

“I still have the digital clock next to my bed,” Butch said, “and that first night, I watched every single tick on that thing go by.” Moving on was difficult for all involved, as the bad days often outnumbered the good. Day by day, they put one foot in front of the other as a family. Sadness took its many forms, and they confronted them all.

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F E AT U R E S

“The way for us was Butch would have a good day and I’d have a bad day, or vice-versa,” Linda said.

“We recognized that in each other and realized that we all show grief differently. It’s manifested differently with each one.”

Nearly 32 years have passed since the Betts endured the death of their son. Not a day goes by when they fail to think of him or the impact he had on their lives, forever comforted by their belief that they will see him again someday. They will mark what would have been Jason Betts’ 46th birthday on Aug. 29.

“I don’t mind talking about Jason at all,” Butch said. “It gives us great joy to know that somebody has remembered our son, because we talk about him every day. When I pray in the morning, I tell the Lord to please tell my son that I love him and I miss him because I can’t talk to him, but [I believe] the Lord will transfer that message for me.”

“It’s the craziest thing. I was 15 years old, and I came home and I told my mother, ‘I’m going to marry that boy one day.’”

Linda Betts

MADE FOR EACH OTHER Butch Betts was 19 years old the first time he saw Linda Jackson in 1965, their paths crossing at Simpson’s Supermarket in Decatur. He was working in the produce department when she walked in wearing a pink mohair sweater and a pink plaid skirt. Her neighbor introduced them, and they talked for a time before parting ways. Butch returned to his work. Linda returned home.

“It’s the craziest thing,” she said. “I was 15 years old, and I came home and I told my mother, ‘I’m going to marry that boy one day.’ Of course, that freaked her out.’”

“That evening when I got off, I walked up and went through a checkout list,” Butch said. “One of my co-workers said, ‘Here, I got something for you.’

It was a piece of paper they used to run register slips up on. She handed it to me, and Linda’s phone number was on the back.”

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Unbeknownst to either of them, the neighbor had scratched Linda’s number onto the paper and left it for Butch. “I had no idea,” Linda said. The two began dating soon after and continued their relationship after Butch enlisted in the United States Marine Corps. He shipped out to Parris Island in South Carolina for basic training before being moved to Camp Lejeune in Jacksonville, North Carolina, for infantry training. America was waist-deep in the Vietnam War. “I got aviation-guaranteed, which you had to take a test for,” Butch said. “I knew I’d be working on aircraft instead of being shot at, but the first thing a Marine learns is how to kill people, so you’re a soldier before you’re anything else. I ended up being a parachute rigger, [rigging] parachutes for fighter jets and such.

I loved doing that, too. When I was at Camp Lejeune, I said, ‘I’m going to call that girl up,’ and so I called her up and asked her if she’d marry me over the phone.”

They married on June 4, 1967. Within a week, they relocated to California, where they lived for two and a half years. Thousands of miles from home, with no friends and no family, it was the first sink-or-swim trial for their marriage. “Nobody was there to help us,” Butch said. “We were either going to make it or fall completely apart, and as you can see, we did make it.” The military took them all over the country, from Mission Viejo, California, to Lakehurst, New Jersey, site of the Hindenburg disaster. Butch was never sent to Vietnam, avoiding deployment by a matter of months. He was discharged on Oct. 18, 1969. The first of their three sons, Shannon, was born a year later.

NEXT CHAPTERS Butch and Linda Betts settled in Newton County in 1973, the same year son Jason arrived. Third son Ryan was born in 1978. They now have four grandchildren: Abby, 21, Alyssa, 19, Jackson, 15, and Jacob, 11. They feel blessed beyond words.

“It’s great having grand young’uns,” Butch said. “You can just spend money on them all you want, you can get M&Ms and tell them they can have all the M&Ms they want, whether their mom and dad like it or not, and then send them home.”

The Betts will celebrate their 52nd wedding anniversary in June.

In a day and age when divorce has become more the norm than the exception, their enduring relationship stands as a testament to the power of love, faith and compromise—three pillars of any successful marriage.

“I believe that it really takes a person being in Christ and Christ being in them to succeed,” Linda said. “I can’t get away from that.

That’s who I am. It’s not me going to a church on Sunday; it’s part of me. This all-about-me business, it’s such error. Once you have decided that you are going to marry ... Butch and I, let me tell you, I learned how to fish and I’m a darn good fisherman, and he has learned how to go antiquing and enjoy it.

It’s about give and take.

“I’ve heard so many women say, ‘I don’t know why I married him. We’re so different.’ That’s why,” she added. “You’re supposed to really balance each other out. That’s what it’s all about. I don’t even want to be all like him and he certainly doesn’t want to be all

like me, but those things that are needful and best in us are for that balance.”

Through it all—military service that took them far away from home, the devastating loss of a child and various other unforeseen circumstances life threw at them—Butch and Linda Betts have remained true to each other; and tucked away in his jewelry box is the slip of paper on which Linda Jackson’s name and phone number were written all those many years ago.

“We were even robbed one time, and I found it laying down the street,” Butch said. “I guess the Lord wanted me to have it.”

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Choosing

TRIUMPH

by KARI APTED

Over Tragedy

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Wounded in a suicide bombing that killed five of her fellow soldiers in Afghanistan, Lakeia Stokes refuses to be defined by that fateful day in November 2016.

Y

ou can call Lakeia Stokes a former basketball star. You can call her a daughter, a friend or an inspirational speaker. Just be prepared for disagreement if you call the humble Purple Heart and Presidential Coin recipient a certain four-letter word.

“I don’t think of myself as a hero,” Stokes said.

“I didn’t do anything heroic.”

Most people disagree with Stokes’ self-assessment, and she concedes that she has to accept how other people view her, particularly in her hometown of Covington. She grew up in Newton County, attending Ficquett Elementary, Cousins Middle and Newton High schools. Her lean, athletic frame was always a natural fit for sports, and she excelled at

softball, track and basketball. Stokes shined brightest on the basketball court at Newton High School, where she was a four-time all-region selection and an all-state performer as a junior and senior. She received many other honors, which included being named to the state’s Super 10 team and chosen as the Region 8-AAAA “Player of the Year.” Stokes averaged a staggering 28 points per game during her final season in the blue and white.

College recruiters from across the country took note, and she accepted a full-ride scholarship to play basketball at Clemson University. There, she piled up nearly 1,000 career points and was selected First Team All-Atlantic Coast Conference as a senior.

It was a natural next step for Stokes to turn pro after her collegiate career ended, and she played professional basketball for a short time in Greece and Switzerland. However, she did not feel she was in good enough shape to compete at that level long-term. Between pro stints, Stokes worked in other sports-related jobs as a trainer, an Amateur Athletic Union coach and a basketball agent. She also played in semi-professional leagues.

When Stokes decided to go in a different direction and pursue her Master’s degree, her cousin encouraged her to join the Air Force to reap the college benefits.

Stokes joined the Army instead and soon left for basic training in Columbia, South Carolina. In 2016, approximately two years into her enlistment, Stokes’ brigade left on a nine-month deployment to Afghanistan. While many would have been apprehensive about serving in a war zone, the Human Resource Specialist did not feel overly concerned about her assignment.

“As a soldier, you understand that there are risks, but we were only there for support,” Stokes said.

“I didn’t think anything bad would happen. I was just there to do my job and make it back home safely.”

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“God had a different plan for me than I had for myself, and I plan to give back from my experience. God doesn’t waste hurt, and I believe He saved my life for a reason.”

Lakeia Stokes

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On Veterans Day in 2016, her life changed forever in a flash. While walking to the gymnasium, Stokes and members of her unit were targeted by a suicide bomber. The explosion killed five soldiers and critically wounded Stokes and several others. She has clear memories of the attack.

“I was conscious the whole time,” Stokes said.

“I instantly started praying.”

Stokes sustained serious damage to her left arm.

Despite extensive rehabilitation, she continues to suffer from limited functionality and continuous pain in that limb. Even so, she remains defiant: “It doesn’t stop me from trying anything.” As with many combat veterans, the psychological toll on Stokes has proven equally as burdensome as the physical struggle, perhaps greater.

“I battle with depression, anxiety, nightmares, insomnia, anger and isolation,” she said, all while doing her best to press forward day by day. “I try to take advantage of life, because you never know when it will end. Stay positive despite what you have going on—because it could be worse.”

Although she admits she wrestles with survivor’s guilt, Stokes works hard to maintain a healthy perspective on what she has gone through: “I don’t like to compare my injuries or situation to anyone else because everyone handles things differently.” She maintains contact with almost everyone involved in the Veterans Day attack. “We’re all survivors,” Stokes said. “We’re here for a reason, and we’re not giving up.”

On March 3, 2017, the wounded soldier returned home after receiving extensive treatment and

rehabilitation services at Fort Hood in Texas. Newton County Commission Chairman Marcello Banes and City of Covington Mayor Ronnie Johnston declared it “Sgt. Lakeia Stokes Day,” and hundreds of Newton County residents joined on the Square to honor her service to the United States. Even after receiving a hero’s welcome and ceremony, Stokes remains modest about all she has endured.

“God had a different plan for me than I had for myself, and I plan to give back from my experience,” she said. “God doesn’t waste hurt, and I believe He saved my life for a reason.”

To that end, Stokes has created a nonprofit organization called the “Stokes Triumph Over Tragedy Foundation” and expects the 501c3 process to be completed soon. She plans for the foundation to provide scholarships and other benefits to children in need. In early 2018, her budding foundation hosted an outreach event for Newton County children that featured games, prizes and a cookout. Ten years from now, Stokes sees herself traveling around the world, sharing her story through speaking engagements and encouraging others to persevere through adversity.

“I will continue to triumph over this tragedy and spread positivity through my words,” she said. Stokes points toward her upbringing in Covington when asked to name her personal hero. “I admired my grandmother, my mother and my aunts and uncles, so my family members are my heroes.”

Poet Maya Angelou once said, “I think a hero is any person really intent on making this a better place for all people.” Stokes may not consider herself a hero, but her winning attitude through hardship fits the definition.

To learn more about the Stokes Triumph Over Tragedy Foundation, email Lakeia Stokes at lakeiastokes_22@yahoo.com.

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F E AT U R E S

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DES IG N IN G TUNES

John Johnson’s musical genius draws aspiring singers and songwriters to Newton County from all over the world.

by BRIAN KNAPP

A

1969 Gibson SG guitar hangs on the wall in John Johnson’s studio, the flashpoint in his self-professed obsession with music. Despite the passage of time and countless hours of wear and tear, it gleams with nostalgia as if it knows its importance.

It belonged to Johnson’s father, Standing Bear, who died suddenly at the age of 52 in 1989. The youngest of Standing Bear and Quntiss Johnson’s three sons was just 17 years old at the time.

“My earliest memory of music is my dad playing this guitar, that white electric guitar, and just sitting down and enjoying him singing his old songs and playing the way he played,” Johnson said, occasionally running his fingers through his salt-and-pepper beard. “That’s what influenced me to do what I’m doing.”

Now 46, Johnson today owns Tune Designer, a music mecca in Covington to which aspiring singers, songwriters and musicians flock to have themselves recorded and produced. They have come from as far away as New Zealand to work with the affable Newton County native, who has been described as the “Mutt Lange of the South.” Johnson started his business in 2000, founded Tune Designer in 2014 and moved into his new 3,500-square-foot studio in February. He sees it as a fulfillment of a longtime vision.

“I became obsessed with music when I was young,” Johnson said. “When I got to middle school, I really started focusing on music. I mean, I couldn’t get enough of it. For some kids it’s sports, for some kids it’s other things, but for me it was Gospel music. I just fell in love with church music. My dad would take me

around to all these concerts and stuff, so I became obsessed with it. I always use that word because I think you have to be obsessed with something.

“I remember in middle school—I was in seventh grade—I wrote a theme about what I wanted to be when I grew up, and I said, ‘I want to have a recording studio and I want to produce records,’” he added. “From that point on, God allowed me to turn that obsession into what I do. It’s something I truly love. I can’t imagine doing anything else.”

Johnson does much of his business online through his Tune Designer page on Facebook. In short, he provides musicians with the means to have their songs professionally recorded. The process begins when a prospective client sends Johnson a rough demo to be studied and analyzed. He then asks the songwriter questions regarding the desired sounds and instruments that are to be used. From there, Johnson hires musicians, provides the instrumental portion of the song, requests vocals—he provides them when working with strictly songwriters—and produces a final cut. The process typically takes a week to complete and requires Johnson to call upon all of his musical skills.

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“I remember in middle school—I was in seventh grade—I wrote a theme about what I wanted to be when I grew up, and I said, ‘I want to have a recording studio and I want to produce records.’”

John Johnson, Tune Designer Owner “Anytime you make a living making music, you’ve really just got to know how to do a lot of stuff,” he said.

“In my case, I had to know more than just how to play the piano great. To me, the biggest thing you’ve got to know is how to make people feel comfortable recording. It’s really about how you interact with people.

That’s almost more important than playing the actual music part, making them feel comfortable enough to do their best, where they’re feeling like they’re doing a good job in the studio. I want people to know I’m rooting for them. I want the song to turn out great.”

Johnson’s producing experience runs the entire spectrum, from established recording artists like award-winning country music singer Brantley Gilbert and powerhouse contemporary Christian group Casting Crowns to first-time singer-songwriters.

Tune Designer has connected him to musicians from Ireland, Scotland, Australia and across America, providing the married father of two with a creative outlet and the means with which to support his family.

“I meet people from all over the world that trust me with helping them with their song, and you just get to

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know these people because their song is so personal to them,” Johnson said.

“It’s like you’re taking care of their kids.

They are very serious about their song.

It’s rewarding to me to know that somebody would trust me with that.

We deal with a lot of first-time songwriters who have never heard their song come to life. That’s a real big thing for them to finally hear their song in a professional way, the way they’ve always dreamed about hearing it.”

While Johnson utilizes freelance session players with whom he has grown familiar over the years, he does have one full-time employee: his 25-year-old nephew, Rhett.

“He is my right-hand man,” Johnson said.

“He does all my mixing, plays a lot of instruments.

He’s great on all of them. He’s obsessed with music like I was, which is why I hired him.”

Johnson admits he has his hands full but ultimately wants to branch out into the promotional side of the music business, where the rubber meets the proverbial road.

“We do a lot of awesome songs that I want to put into the right hands,” he said. “I haven’t really explored that like I want to. Eventually, I would like to see Tune Designer be a place where publishing companies and record labels come and say, ‘Hey, I want to see what songs you guys have.’

We sort of do that now, but it’s not an official thing we push. I would like to establish some good connections with reputable publishing companies and have them know this is a place where [they can come for songs].”

Johnson has been married to his wife Ginger for 23 years. They have two children, daughter Skye, 19, and son Jonathan, 17. Interests outside of Tune Designer include his loyalty to the Georgia Bulldogs, his love for pecan logs and leading worship at Stewart Community Church, where older brother Jason serves as senior pastor. Still, the music studio remains his domain, and whenever he returns to it, the faint drum of his obsession can almost be heard beating in the background, that white Gibson guitar paying quiet homage to the man who inspired his walk.

“We use it all the time here,” Johnson said. “I just had it restored, and it ends up on a lot of recordings. My dad still influences me so much today, more than the music, in the way he lived his life and treated others.”

H E A LT H & WELLNESS STRAWBERRY SMOOTHIE RECIPE Ingredients • • • • •

1 cup milk (any kind) ½ cup plain or vanilla yogurt 1 large ripe banana 2 cups frozen strawberries 1 tsp honey

Instructions 1 Place all ingredients in a blender and blend until smooth. Serve right away.

2 If desired, garnish with fresh mint and chia seeds or flaxseed.

H E A LT H & W E L L N E S S

by KARI APTED

Clean water remains a luxury with which millions across the globe are unfamiliar. The Newton County Water and Sewerage Authority is charged with safely providing the life-giving resource to unincorporated Newton County and surrounding communities.

It is clear, life-giving and available at the touch of a finger; and most of us never think about it unless it is gone.

It is easy to take for granted—clean water flowing freely through our faucets—but it is a luxury that millions of people never know.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, approximately 780 million people worldwide lack access to an improved water source.

An additional two billion people across the globe live without an improved sanitation

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system, such as flushing toilets or pit latrines.

Having access to clean water is one reason that waterborne illnesses are rare in the United States, but exactly how does this resource arrive safely in our Newton County homes and businesses? Mike Hopkins, the executive director of the Newton County Water and Sewerage Authority, explains the complicated process behind delivering clean drinking water to unincorporated Newton County and surrounding communities.

IN THE BEGINNING “Newton County’s water system is unique compared to most water authorities in Georgia,” Hopkins said. “With most water authorities, one organization manages distribution, supply and treatment. In Newton, the distribution is managed by a separate state entity in cooperation with the county.”

This separation means that the NCWSA receives no tax dollars, according to Hopkins: “All revenue comes from the rates and fees we receive from our 24,000 customers.”

Newton’s water originates from several county sources and reservoirs. The original pumped storage reservoir for NCWSA is City Pond. Along with the nearby—and

much larger—Lake Varner, the two reservoirs supply nine wholesale customers.

Each of these distributes and retails water to their individual consumers. Ultimately, NCWSA water reaches some 65,000 people through these wholesale customers: • • • • • • • •

NCWSA Walton County B.O.C. City of Covington City of Oxford City of Porterdale City of Mansfield City of Newborn Jasper County Water and Sewer Authority • Alcovy Shores Water Authority

Natural sources of water, including rain and the Alcovy River, help keep Lake Varner at the level needed to fulfill its full-service potential.

KEEPING IT CLEAN If you have ever skipped stones across City Pond, gone fishing at Lake Varner or kayaked along the Alcovy River, you may have wondered how the water in which you play becomes safe to drink. Untreated, or “raw,” water is pumped from the river and reservoirs to the Cornish Creek Water Treatment Facility or the Williams Street Water Treatment Facility for purification.

Substances removed from water during the treatment process include bacteria,

1in9 THE WATER THAT IS ON EARTH NOW IS THE SAME WATER THAT HAS BEEN HERE SINCE THE EARTH WAS FORMED— THAT MEANS WE DRINK THE SAME WATER THAT DINOSAURS DRANK!

people worldwide do not have access to clean water.

97%

Nearly of the world’s water is salty or otherwise undrinkable. Another is locked in ice caps and glaciers.

That leaves just for all of humanity’s needs.

2%

1%

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H E A LT H & W E L L N E S S

Although big storms can cause serious water interruptions, infrastructure investment has come to Newton County’s rescue before.

“The 2009 flood was the most serious event in recent memory,” Hopkins said.

Two years earlier, the NCWSA completed a new water reclamation facility at a higher elevation. “If not, the 2009 event would’ve been catastrophic.” During Summer 2018, a failure at a major water pumping station threatened widespread outages. “Not one customer went without water,” Hopkins said, a tone of pride in his voice. Smaller, non-weather-related water service issues happen on a routine basis, but the NCWSA’s regular and after-hours work crews stand ready to fix the problems.

viruses, fungi, algae and excess minerals such as manganese and iron. Filters and safe chemical processes also remove unpleasant odors and flavors from the drinking water.

MEETING THE DEMAND Treated water is pumped to ground storage tanks or one of the six elevated tanks located around Newton County. These storage tanks range in capacity from 250,000 to 4,000,000 gallons. “Because these water tanks are typically sited where there is demand, the turnover rate is constant,” Hopkins said. This means that water never sits stagnant in tanks but flows continuously to meet customers’ needs.

“Demand for water is much higher when the growing season begins,” Hopkins said.

Drought conditions often occur during these high-demand summer months, which can sometimes result in water-use restrictions.

When the water leaves an elevated storage tank, gravity pushes it through miles of pipes that get progressively smaller, ranging in size from 30 inches in diameter to a mere two inches wide.

It takes 629 miles of water mains to deliver 1.836 billion gallons of water to

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nearly 24,000 service connections each year.

The smallest pipes lead into your home, and the remaining water pressure within them is the force that propels the water out of your faucet.

As Newton County and surrounding areas continue to grow, the NCWSA has a plan in place to keep up with increased demand.

The Capital Improvement Plan provides for additional tanks, pipes and other infrastructure to increase the reach of the NCWSA as the number of residents grows.

AVERTING CRISIS When weather or other factors cause interruptions, the NCWSA is ready to restore service as soon as possible.

“Most events are a matter of switching over to backup power,” Hopkins said. “The NCWSA has spent around $4 million in redundant systems to protect the systems.”

WORKING BEHIND THE SCENES It takes a wide range of workers to continually deliver fresh water to all NCWSA customers. Job titles at the water authority include administrators, engineers, technicians, inspectors and customer service agents. The NCWSA’s 51 full-time employees are committed to the authority’s mission statement, which reads: “Our mission is to provide the Authority’s customers with reliable and safe drinking water and to provide sewer services in an environmentally responsible and fiscally sound manner while focusing on cost-efficiency and value-oriented service. Providing the best possible services will always be the number one priority for the Newton County Water [and] Sewerage Authority.”

Hopkins does not take the responsibility lightly. “We take our job and its mission seriously,” Hopkins said. “We are public servants and we truly want to provide the best possible water services to each and every customer.”

“We take our job and its mission seriously. We are public servants and we truly want to provide the best possible water services to each and every customer.”

Mike Hopkins, Newton County Water and Sewerage Authority Executive Director

HOW TO SAVE MONEY

BY SAVING WATER. HERE ARE THREE TIPS TO GET YOU STARTED:

TIP #1

Don’t flush money down the toilet. Fix a leaky toilet and save 200 gallons per day. Drop tissues in the trash instead of flushing them and save water every time.

TIP #2

Turn off the water while you brush your teeth and save up to 4 gallons a minute. That’s 200 gallons a week for a family of four. When washing your hands, turn the water off while you lather.

TIP #3

Time your shower to keep it under 5 minutes.

You’ll save up to 1,000 gallons per month. Shorten your shower by just a minute or two, and save up to 150 gallons per month.

BONUS TIP

Winterize outdoor spigots when temperatures dip below freezing to prevent pipes from leaking or bursting. Disconnect and store garden hoses.

If your home has a shut-off valve for external faucets, turn it off, drain the water from those faucets, and leave the faucets open all winter.

Visit ncwsa.us/conservation-tips to learn more about saving water at home, at work, and in the garden.

The average person uses 100 gallons of water every day—that’s enough to fill two bathtubs!

H E A LT H & W E L L N E S S

A WOMAN

by KARI APTED

OF MANY HATS Jennifer Phillips has immersed herself in patient care as part of Piedmont Newton Hospital’s care management department, all while volunteering her free time to help ease the community’s many medical challenges.

Jennifer Phillips on any given day wears many hats, from counselor and mediator to caregiver and friend. A native of Rockdale and Newton counties, Phillips is fully immersed in patient care in her role as medical social worker for Piedmont Newton Hospital’s care management department.

She spends her days working with patients at the hospital and then volunteers much of her free time helping alleviate medical challenges in the community.

Patients at Solid Rock Baptist Church’s Willing Helpers Medical Clinic are quite familiar with Phillips’ warm smile and comfortable demeanor. This free clinic operates on a variable schedule that depends on volunteer doctors, nurses and social workers, many of whom are from Piedmont Newton.

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“I think the hospital should be the heart of the community,” Phillips said. “Piedmont Newton understands that.”

The hospital’s chief medical officer, Dr. Norris Little, can frequently be found working alongside Phillips at the Willing Helpers clinic. Phillips indicated that most patients have no idea about his title at the hospital; they only know him as Dr. Little, and they appreciate his care.

“Newton County is unique in that we’re a big county with an urban center, but we also have a large rural population,” Phillips said. “People are surprised to learn what a problem homelessness is in Newton; and in our rural areas, we have transit deserts, where people lack easy access to transportation to connect them with the medical care they need. Even when patients have

3 ACTIONS TO FIGHT THE FLU It has been 100 years since the 1918 influenza pandemic devastated entire communities and took an estimated 675,000 American lives. It was the most severe pandemic in recent history, killing more than 50 million people worldwide.

While flu preparedness has dramatically improved, seasonal and pandemic influenza viruses continue to pose public health challenges, as the viruses are constantly changing.

1. VACCINATE The CDC recommends a yearly flu vaccine (by the end of October) for everyone 6 months of age and older.

People at high risk of serious flu complications include young children, pregnant women, people with chronic health conditions like asthma, diabetes or heart and lung disease and people 65 years and older.

2. STOP GERMS If you are sick with flu-like symptoms, stay home for at least 24 hours after your fever is gone.

Avoid touching your eyes, nose and mouth.

Cover your nose and mouth with a tissue when you cough or sneeze. Wash your hands often with soap and water.

3. TAKE ANTIVIRALS Antiviral drugs prescribed by a doctor can make the illness milder and shorten the time you are sick. They work best when started within 48 hours of getting sick, but starting them later can still be helpful.

Source: CDC (cdc.gov/flu/prevent/index.html)

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H E A LT H & W E L L N E S S

“It’s important to come to the patient as a partner, not as a judge. I respect everyone’s dignity and worth. To me, you’re not just a patient—you’re a person.”

Jennifer Phillips, Piedmont Newton Hospital Medical Social Worker

transportation, many do not have a medical ‘home’ or primary care doctor to coordinate their care.”

These patients often lack health insurance and turn to the Piedmont Newton emergency room when ordinary illnesses strike. Although this takes care of the immediate problem, the ER does not provide the follow-up services or long-term care needed to manage chronic illnesses.

This is where the community’s free clinics can help fill the gap.

“Newton has high levels of poverty, high levels of uninsured people,” Phillips said.

“Georgia has the fourth-highest levels of uninsured patients in the country, and Newton’s numbers are even higher. We have about 15,000 uninsured people in Newton alone.”

Phillips added that Newton residents also suffer from disproportionately high rates of diabetes, high blood pressure, congestive heart failure and diseases related to smoking, such as cancer and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, or COPD. Many Newton residents have more than one of these conditions, which increases their chances of facing serious health crises.

These county-wide needs are what drive Phillips to devote so much of her personal time to connecting at-risk patients to the healthcare services they need. In addition to volunteering at the Willing Helpers clinic, Phillips also plays a vital role in leading the “Be Healthy Newton” program.

This monthly community clinic is held in partnership with the Newton County

Health Department. Its purpose is to help explain and alleviate the “why” behind many chronic medical conditions.

Whether it is helping discharged Piedmont Newton patients with the resources they need to get back on their feet or volunteering at the community clinics, Phillips finds real purpose in giving back to the area she has always called home.

One mission in particular is to remove the judgment associated with lifestyle-related health issues, such as smoking cessation or losing weight.

“It’s important to come to the patient as a partner, not as a judge,” Phillips said.

“I respect everyone’s dignity and worth.

To me, you’re not just a patient—you’re a person.”

For more information about the Willing Helpers Clinic, call Solid Rock Baptist Church at 678-625-8317.

To learn how to get a referral to the “Be Healthy Newton” program, contact the Newton County Health Department at 770-786-9086.

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ARTS, E D U C AT I O N & I N N O VAT I O N INVENTION I’ve done it, I’ve done it!

Guess what I’ve done!

Invented a light that plugs into the sun.

The sun is bright enough, The bulb is strong enough, But, oh, there’s only one thing wrong...

The cord ain’t long enough.

Shel Silverstein

A R T S , E D U C AT I O N & I N N O VAT I O N

The Quest to Save the Starfish

by NAT HARWELL

Having retired from her post as principal at East Newton Elementary School after nine years, Dr. Kim Street Coady—dental hygienist turned beloved educator—has shifted her focus to the literacy crisis in Georgia and beyond.

A young couple sauntered along a sandy beach. Early morning coffees in hand, they awaited that magical moment when the sun first peeks over and then seemingly rises from the depths of the Atlantic Ocean. As the sky began to glow, they were startled to see the lone figure of a man approaching in the distance. He stopped every few feet, stooped to pick up something and then tossed it far into the sea.

Fascinated, the couple watched, even as the sunrise began. The sun’s appearance and the man’s arrival at their vantage point coincided, and the three of them stood, transfixed, by the gorgeous scene.

The young lady spoke first, asking the stranger what it was that he was throwing into the sea. He replied that every morning he scoured the beach for living starfish and returned them to the ocean for a second chance at life. Somewhat miffed, the lady wondered, “With all the starfish out here, how can that possibly

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make a difference?” The stranger looked down, picked up a struggling critter and held it before them. Tossing it far into the surf, he said, “Well, it makes a really big difference ... for that one.”

Dr. Kim Street Coady’s eyes glistened as she referred to the popular Loren Eiseley story “The Star Thrower” in her office at East Newton Elementary School. Her index finger toyed with her necklace, which was adorned with little starfish. It should come as no surprise to find that this purely delightful elementary school principal has been in the business of saving a different kind of starfish for quite a while.

“My husband looked at me one day about 23 years ago and asked if I’d completely lost my mind,” she said. “I had been blessed to serve as a dental hygienist with two wonderful dentists, the late Dr. Johnny Maloney and Dr. Dale Evans. My husband wanted to know why I would leave a three-day-a-week job to take on a

career in education, with all the accompanying stress, and for half my salary.”

Coady, it turns out, is rooted firmly in her faith. She had already been teaching in Sunday School at church and was volunteering whenever possible where her two children attended school: PalmerStone Elementary in Oxford.

“I just felt, clearly, the call to teach,” she said, still touching the starfish necklace, “and a few days later, my hubby told me to go ahead, as he knew I wouldn’t be happy otherwise.”

So it was that this young mother of two, while still working, started the grinding routine of running her household,

volunteering at school, working in her church and driving to Milledgeville, where she earned her teaching certification from Georgia College and State University.

In 1995, Coady began teaching second grade at Heard-Mixon Elementary and then filled an assistant principal position at Ficquett Elementary. She also served as a consultant with the Georgia Department of Education, where she became immersed in what continues to be her consuming concern: literacy.

“We have, in Georgia and perhaps nationally, a huge literary crisis,” Coady said.

“Not only adults, but our teenagers, simply cannot read. They use electronic devices,

THE BOOKMARK Literature not only illuminates another’s experience, it provides the richest material for moral reflection.

- When Breath Becomes Air Paul Kalanithi

Whether you are looking for gift ideas or something for yourself, these gems will not disappoint:

THE THIRTEENTH TALE Diane Setterfield

WATER FOR ELEPHANTS Sara Gruen

THE BOOK THIEF Markus Zusak

THE RAGAMUFFIN GOSPEL Bennan Manning

THE THING ABOUT JELLYFISH Ali Benjamin

KITE RUNNER Khaled Hossenini

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“We have, in Georgia and perhaps nationally, a huge literary crisis. Not only adults, but our teenagers, simply cannot read. They use electronic devices, can text with both hands, can use modern hieroglyphics, but they cannot read.”

Dr. Kim Street Coady

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can text with both hands, can use modern hieroglyphics, but they cannot read.”

Statistics show that a vast majority of those incarcerated cannot read—a fact which helped lead Coady to the next chapter in her “life after retirement.”

Stints as assistant principal at Porterdale Elementary for three years and at Rocky Plains Elementary for a year, combined with her previous experience, prepared Coady for her role as principal at East Newton Elementary. She held the position with distinction for more than nine years. However, as retirement began to loom on the horizon, Coady contemplated just what that next sunrise in her life might reveal. She briefly considered teaching at the college level, but the overwhelming issues found in the literacy crisis moved her to consider establishing her own company.

“I’m a huge advocate for special education, especially the dyslexic population,” Coady said, “so I went back to school at the University of Georgia and have established my tutoring company, which I call ‘Koady’s Connections.’”

Through Koady’s Connections, she hopes to work with teachers on a statewide basis, and perhaps nationally, to inculcate the “Six Pillars of Literacy.”

“If you’ve not been taught the foundational stuff, you simply cannot catch up,” Coady said, “but the world is full of dyslexic people who have enjoyed great success, which shows how tutoring and nurturing can make all the difference.”

Indeed, dyslexic yet successful people who have recorded noteworthy accomplishments include physicist Albert Einstein, actor Billy Bob Thornton and Virgin Group founder Sir Richard Branson—three examples of starfish who needed only a second chance to prove their mettle. Coady plans to save as many as she can throw back into that ocean.

“The numbers are daunting,” she said with a twinkle in her eye, “but for each one I can find, it’ll make a difference ... for that one.”

A R T S , E D U C AT I O N & I N N O VAT I O N

Well,

E H L L O

by DAVID ROTEN

INFORMATIVE TOUR TAKES GROUPS THROUGH DOWNTOWN COVINGTON, TOUCHING ON ART, HISTORY, FOOD, MUSIC AND OTHER AREAS OF INTEREST.

Talk about a one-stop shop. If you love art, history, food, music or any combination thereof, your destination may be closer than you think. Residents and visitors to Newton County can experience all this and more on the Square in Covington, with the help of the H.E.L.L.O. Covington Tours program.

“H.E.L.L.O.” stands for Helping Educate Local Lovers of Covington.

“This place is hopping,” said Ann Wildmon, creator and director of the tour and owner of WildArt, the gallery out of which the tour is based.

As the name implies, the tour is designed for those who want to know more about their hometown, its people and its merchants, specifically those on or around the Square. Interested parties will want to bring a friend, as tours are only open to groups of 10 or more. Though tailored more for children, adults also enjoy the experience, according to Wildmon.

“They learn things they didn’t know,” she said. “They get to meet the local merchants and find out more about their passion [and] why they do what they do.”

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Tourists often become customers once they learn more about the businesses on the Square and the products and services being offered.

“It’s a win-win,” Wildmon said.

Though the lineup is ever-changing and expanding, a sampling of current tour stops includes McKibben Music, Scoops Ice Cream, WildArt and the historic Newton County Courthouse. During times when

There

the courthouse is unavailable, groups are treated to a history lesson on the front steps.

At other times, patrons may visit Covington First United Methodist Church, a Civil War-era structure known for its exterior beauty and charm. Still others have ventured into Covington City Cemetery, where markers point to an even earlier time. All tour stops are easily walkable for children, with most of them on the Square and a few

others just a block or two away. Groups can design their tour based on their particular areas of interest, time availability, budget and merchants participating at the time.

Wildmon says the idea for the tours was inspired by her interactions with children visiting her gallery.

“We would sit down in the floor and tell them about different kinds of artists and what they do and [tell them], ‘If you want to be an artist, you can do that,’” she said.

As Wildmon saw the lightbulbs come on in the kids, her own vision expanded.

“I thought, ‘Wouldn’t it be cool to learn the business of culinary, the business of music and make it more entrepreneurbased, showing kids you can create your future working in a small town?’”

Apparently, kids and school administrators enjoy the tours and find them beneficial.

“The schools just keep coming back,” Wildmon said.

Deena Sams, director of afterschool and community affairs for Newton County schools, has been instrumental in enabling

A R T S , E D U C AT I O N & I N N O VAT I O N

“We want people to learn about this town because it’s fascinating. This was ‘The Wild West’ in the late 1800s.”

Ann Wildmon, H.E.L.L.O. Covington Tours Director

students to take advantage of the tours.

Many students live miles outside the city limits of Covington and seldom, if ever, make it into town to see what is available to them, according to Sams. That is where the tours come in.

“It’s a way to show them what’s going on right here in Covington so that they can become more connected to their community,” Sams said.

Guides generally break larger groups, like those often associated with churches or schools, into smaller ones. Groups then rotate from place to place every 25 minutes or so. Children receive small gifts—a

The H.E.L.L.O. Covington Tours, Covington Ghost Tours and the soon-to-be-unveiled Covington Food Tours are owned and operated by Ann Wildmon. They are based out of WildArt at 1105 Washington Street in Covington.

For more information, visit thewildart.com or call 470-444-1444.

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memory they can share with others—from each merchant. They also learn something about the business and how it works.

Set in the heart of downtown Covington, the Newton County Courthouse remains a popular stop for school groups. In advance of their tour, schools are sent a script to rehearse. Once at the courthouse, the students do a mock reenactment of a board meeting in the old boardroom. They are also given a small tour of the rest of the building. When a courthouse tour is not available, there is a tour stop in the middle of the Square, where a historian shares interesting stories of days gone by.

SPORTS & R E C R E AT I O N The Newton High School boys’ basketball team achieved widespread acclaim under legendary head coach Ronald Bradley, establishing a national record with 129 consecutive home victories from Dec. 11, 1959 until Dec. 28, 1967. The mark still stands.

S P O R T S & R E C R E AT I O N

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PAYING IT FORWARD

by NAT HARWELL

Having grown up in the Covington Family YMCA, Jabari Bennett has chosen to give back by serving the program that has given him so much.

There is just something about folks who hail from Trinidad. Perhaps it comes from inheriting a culture of giving back or from knowing the right thing to do and then doing it. It might be an overstatement to categorize every Trinidadian as a really good person, but it certainly is not so in summarizing a young fixture at the Covington Family YMCA. A collegian with hopes of teaching at the university level, Jabari Bennett appeared at the Y at an early age and now brightens the lives there as an adult.

“My dad, Brent, grew up in Trinidad,” Bennett said, “and a sense of giving back to society was ingrained in him from the culture; and I learned that from him.

My dad was firm but always right.”

The family moved from Trinidad to Long Island, New York, where Bennett was born in 1996. After a short stay in Brooklyn, they relocated to Newton County when he was just a year old. His dad linked arms with the YMCA and got him involved with

playing soccer when he was 4. Although he was bright and talented, Bennett was also shy and reluctant to engage with others.

School proved challenging until Bennett met a transformative teacher—he remembers her only as Ms. Andrecik—at Porterdale Elementary.

“She taught me how to treat people properly, to come out of my shell a bit,” Bennett said. “Little things like greeting people sincerely by looking them in the eye, asking ‘How are you?’ and saying ‘Thank you’ sincerely.”

At Indian Creek Middle School, he discovered a program called “Y-Pals,” which was offered when he was in the seventh and eighth grades. From there, the YMCA experience deepened for Bennett. His father, Brent, served as a volunteer. Covington Family YMCA Executive Director Louly Hay-Kapp speaks of him in glowing terms.

“Brent is a fantastic person,” Hay-Kapp said. “He has a clarity of purpose in a world full of gray.”

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Still learning that elusive commodity called confidence, Bennett became a fixture at the YMCA through soccer, day camps, a swim team and as a training leader for others. For three summers, he served as a day camp supervisor and coordinator.

“The Y became, and continues to be, like a family for me,” Bennett said. “Folks like Mr. Anthony Smith, Mrs. Erin Pitts, Ms. Kacie Brown and Mrs. Louly all treated me like one of their own.”

It made a monumental difference in the life of a shy youngster trying to find a way to be himself in a culture increasingly more and more difficult to comprehend.

Although the groundwork had been laid by significant people he had encountered in elementary and middle schools, Bennett points to a breakthrough in three specific areas at Eastside High School. He played tuba in “The Pride of Eastside” band and was immediately made to feel an important part of that outstanding organization.

However, Bennett reserves a special place

in his heart for two men who literally changed his life.

“Coach Champ Young made me a starter on the soccer team when I was just a sophomore,” Bennett said. “He taught me to trust my instincts, to do what I knew I could do, to cut loose and have fun and to leave it all on the field. Coach Young took me out of my shell and showed me what was possible.”

As for his other mentor, anyone who has ever been in the hallways at Eastside High School during class change has heard the booming voice announce “30 seconds!” and count down until the tardy bell rings. That voice belongs to Dr. Hugh Waters, a multi-talented teacher who motivated Bennett to think on an entirely different level.

“Dr. Waters’ love of history, his ability to make it come alive, totally sparked in me a similar desire to know all I can learn about history, to make it real to others,” Bennett said. “He was the first to suggest to me that

“He’s like a light shining pure joy on all of us. Jabari brightens every room into which he walks, and we all just love him here.”

Louly Hay-Kapp, Covington Family YMCA Executive Director

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I might major in history in college and actually become a professor of history someday; and that’s exactly what I intend to do as I pursue my [Master’s degree] in history at Valdosta State University.”

In the meantime, Hay-Kapp wants to hold on to Bennett for as long as she can.

“He’s like a light shining pure joy on all of us,” she said. “Jabari brightens every room into which he walks, and we all just love him here.”

It should come as no surprise upon closer inspection. From an inborn cultural desire to pay it forward, Bennett has come light years from the shy, retiring little boy in a strange new society to the outgoing, effervescent shining light he is today.

Bennett credits the many people who were in just the right place at just the right time to influence his life in so many positive ways. The recipient of good being deposited in his life by others who cared enough to pay attention, he has decided to pass that good along to others who are fortunate enough to cross paths with him.

Good does indeed go around and around and around.

S P O R T S & R E C R E AT I O N

GLORY DAYS IN BLUE AND WHITE

by DARRELL HUCKABY

Imagine ‘Hoosiers’ in a town about 20 times the size of Hickory, Indiana, and stretch it out over about a 17-year period. That was the Newton County boys’ basketball team under legendary coach Ronald M. Bradley.

I quit talking about Newton County basketball 20 years ago, because if you didn’t experience it, you wouldn’t believe it happened. Furthermore, I could tell that when I began to talk about the magic of Rams basketball during the glory days under coach Ronald M. Bradley, everyone who took time to listen started to get that little smirk around the corner of his or her mouth that said, “That’s a good story, and old Darrell is known for good stories.”

As given as I am to hyperbole, I’ve never felt the need to use it when talking about the Newton County High School boys’ basketball team from the mid-1950s to the early 1970s. Have you seen the movie “Hoosiers?” First, take “Hoosiers,” extrapolate it to a town about 20 times the size of Hickory, Indiana, and stretch it out over about a 17-year period. Next, throw in Sheriff Henry Odum Jr., complete with cowboy boots and a 10-gallon hat with a diamond-studded star, who led the team everywhere it went for nearly two decades and wasn’t above turning out the lights in

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the gym if the Rams were struggling or out of timeouts. You also have to remember Mrs. Pearl Young, who sat on the front row dressed all in red. She stood up and put on her red gloves to pronounce victory at the end of close games.

Then there was Archie Patterson, a career Navy man from Porterdale and former professional prizefighter. He sat in the same seat every game for a decade and a half. To make sure nobody took his place, he bolted a stadium seat to his spot just behind the rail, on the aisle, front row and just to the left of the Rams’ bench. Heaven help anyone who dared to attempt to sit in his seat. Remember, he was a prizefighter, and he had the oft-broken nose and disposition to prove it. A few times, wayward fans of a visiting team made the mistake of sitting in Archie’s seat. One look at his face was all it took for them to correct the error of their ways. Archie always carried a .22 pistol wrapped in a handkerchief in his hip pocket. One memorable night, when the Rams were

playing Tucker, a fight broke out on the floor, and the stands emptied. Archie was in the process of climbing over the rail in front of him when his .22 dropped out of his pants and went off, shooting him right in the buttocks. With stories like this, I don’t need to make up anything about Newton County basketball.

There were the guys in the Amen Corner, too. The “Tip-Off Club Officers,” who were not elected and never met, were among them: Walker Harris, Frank Christian, Herb Vining, Walter Partee and others from time to time. These men supported the community, the basketball team and Bradley, whether they had sons in the program or not. If there was a need, it was met. They sent the team on the road

in chartered motor coaches. They fed the players after every away game. They put them up in hotels for tournaments. It was not uncommon to see the Newton Rams, dressed in matching blue blazers, gray slacks, white shirts and blue strip ties—all shorn in similar crew cuts—dining at the finest restaurants in Atlanta, like the Brothers Two, the Marriott Fairfield Restaurant and the J-BAR-D Steakhouse, or chowing down at The Varsity.

If Bradley’s team had a particularly good year, it might warrant a new station wagon for the coach. If the team had performed well over the course of the season—and it always did—the players were feted with barbecues and steak dinners and trips to places like the Sweet 16 high school

tournament in Kentucky. If a player couldn’t afford the team blazer or dress shoes to go with it, they were provided, as were letter jackets and a new pair of Converse All-Stars each season. The players were special, and they were treated special.

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“If you put your effort and concentration into playing to your potential, to be the best that you can be, I don’t care what the scoreboard says at the end of the game, in my book, we’re gonna be winners.”

Coach Norman Dale, “Hoosiers” It all started when then-Newton County High School Principal Homer Sharp persuaded Bradley, a former Avondale High School and University of Georgia star athlete, to leave his job with the Ft. Lauderdale Recreation Department in Florida and move his family—which at the time consisted of his wife and high school sweetheart, Jan Thomas Bradley, and infant daughter Brenda—to Newton County and accept a job teaching physical education and coaching boys’ basketball. That was 1957. Mickey Mantle was in the process of winning the MVP in the American League, and the Detroit Lions won the NFL Championship. There would not be a Super Bowl for another 10 years.

Bradley inherited a team that was full of athletic talent and loved to play. Led by

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Porterdale’s Billy Dean Rutledge, the first edition of Bradley’s Boys won their first 18 games, immediately capturing the hearts of the whole county. They finished the season 24-3, losing a controversial game to Gainesville in the region semifinals, where a win would have sent them to the state tournament for the first time in school history. Rutledge averaged more than 20 points per game and was the darling of the community. He became the first Newton player named to the North-South Georgia All-Star team but tragically drowned before getting to play in the game. Thousands attended his funeral in the Porterdale Gym that summer. A love affair with basketball was born, and it continued for a generation.

Bradley’s teams followed that first successful season with records of 21-5, 29-1, 27-4 and 29-3. Led by All-American Tim Christian and All-State players Stan Harris and Wayne Hall, the Rams went 35-1 and defeated Hart County to win the Class AA State Tournament in 1964.

The only blemish on their record came in the last game of the regular season against Winder-Barrow—a game in which Winder fans were told to arrive at the school at noon to fill up their small gym and prevent any Newton supporters from gaining admission. Association-assigned officials were sent home, and local referees called the game. Christian was saddled with his first foul on the opening tip of the game, his fourth foul on the opening tip of the second half and played less than 10 total minutes before fouling out. Newton beat Winder by 17 in the region tournament the next week, and Christian scored what was then a school-record 42 points. The Rams went 35-1 the following season, losing only to Sandy Springs in the state semifinals.

By now, Rams fever was at full epidemic stage. They were in the midst of their national-record 129-game homecourt winning streak, and every game was a sellout. If a good team came to town, people lined up in the wee hours of the morning for a 7 p.m. girls’ game. Some 3,200 people crowded into a gymnasium built to hold 1,850, and folks leaned

extension ladders against the side of the building and peered through the windows —on 20-degree nights—to try and catch a glimpse of the action inside.

Visiting teams, trying to avoid being psyched out by the enormous crowds, arrived dressed to play and sat on the bus until game time or came into the gym and went straight to the dressing room under the visiting stands to escape the earthshattering cries of “Ram Bait!” as they walked. The cries often became so loud that the girls’ game had to be stopped when the visitors ambled around to get dressed and again when the home team,

decked out in the blue blazers and ties, made the march to its dressing quarters.

The crescendos during the games themselves were even louder. Bradley for years had a framed photograph of a game against Burney Harris, the first all-black team to play in “Death Valley,” hanging on his office wall. The gym was packed, with fans standing three-deep around the court. Burney was playing a zone defense, and all five players had both hands covering their ears.

When an opposing player fouled, cries of “You! You! You!” rained down upon him, and when an opposing player toed the free throw line, the noise from Newton fans stomping their feet on the wooden bleachers was deafening. Newton players were in great shape. Opposing players could not always say the same. If the gym was a little warmer than most, it worked to the home team’s advantage by the fourth quarter.

When the game was out of reach and victory assured, Mrs. Pearl stood up and

put on her gloves, and someone—Mike Lassiter for many years—unfurled a sign across the entire student-section side of the gym that declared, “Death Valley, 1 (and however many) straight.” There was always a subscript: “We love Bradley” We did, too, and we still do: 17 years, 400 wins, 68 losses, 14 region championships, one state title. That was a pretty good start to a career that saw Bradley win 1,372 high school basketball games and get elected to the National High School Hall of Fame. He returned to Newton County “after his retirement” and coached four more years, as he won another 74 games and took his final Newton team to the Final Four in 2005.

He then turned over the reins to assistant Rick Rasmussen, who remains the coach and maintains Newton as one of the state’s top programs, year in and year out.

As for the magic? Well, I don’t talk about it much anymore, because if you weren’t there, you wouldn’t believe it.

LIVING DID YOU KNOW? Ants stretch when they wake up.

If earth were the size of a grain of sand, the sun would be the size of an orange.

Chewing gum burns about 11 calories per hour.

LIVING

Living Out a Legacy

by DAVID ROTEN

More than 400,000 people have participated in Charlie Elliott Wildlife Center programs since it opened in 1995, fulfilling the vision of its namesake.

Progress, it seems, comes with a price.

Though the Industrial Revolution and later technological advances resulted in many benefits to society, no doubt some things have been diminished—or lost altogether—in the process. One is the appreciation of nature. Another is the preservation of it. For Charles Newton Elliott, a Georgia icon of nature and conservation, the first inexorably led to the second.

In fact, it is next to impossible to overstate the impact the late Elliott had—and continues to have—on natural resources conservation and wildlife preservation, both in the state of Georgia and nationally. Throughout his life, Elliott’s deep love of the outdoors found its joyful expression through hunting, fishing or just sitting in the woods. His professional accomplishments are a testimony to that devotion. Dating from the late 1920s, his resume is impressive. A few of the positions he held: first director of state parks in Georgia, commissioner of natural resources department, first director of game and fish commission in Georgia, field editor for Outdoor Life magazine and outdoor editor for the Atlanta Constitution.

Kim Morris-Zarneke is the senior program manager at the Charlie Elliott Wildlife Center, located just south of Mansfield. She believes a key to Elliott’s success in promoting wildlife conservation throughout his career were the friendships he made along the way with those who

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were able to introduce him to “movers and shakers”—people like Coca-Cola magnate and philanthropist Robert Woodruff and then-Gov. Jimmy Carter.

“He created networks and connections he often relied on to get him through his career,” said Morris-Zarneke, pointing out that Elliott’s passion fueled his purpose and his vision. “He loved to hunt [and] he loved to fish, but at the same time, he liked connecting people with nature and getting them to understand the need for management.”

Run by the Wildlife Resources Division of the Georgia Department of Natural

Resources, the CEWC continues to fulfill Elliott’s vision by offering a multitude of recreational and educational opportunities through various programs and services.

The choices for visitors are seemingly as varied and numerous as the flora and fauna that abound in the 6,400 acres that make up the center, the Clybel Wildlife Management Area and the Marben Public Fishing Area.

“You have three natural wildlife entities working together to manage an area,” Morris-Zarneke said. “We work with fisheries and game management.”

“We are all bound by this bigger idea of conserving this place for future generations.”

Kim Morris-Zarneke, Charlie Elliott Wildlife Center Senior Program Manager

Family Public Programs are usually free on Saturdays and cover a variety of natural history and outdoor recreation topics.

A number of programs are scheduled for the coming months: FEBRUARY Brooke Agre Open House Here you can explore the ecoregions of Georgia and the wildlife that can be found there. It includes live animals and interactive stations.

MARCH Intro to Backpacking Participants will be taught methods and techniques in preparing to backpack on day, overnight and extended trips into the wild.

APRIL Night Hike with Astronomy Take a night walk through the woods and “discover what animals do when it’s dark.”

Afterwards, do some stargazing and learn about constellations in the Jon Wood Astronomy Field.

MAY Keeping Georgia Wild Day. Morris-Zarneke calls it “our big family festival day to get people excited about the outdoors.” As the program description states, “Kids can try their hand at archery, fishing, shooting sports and mini boat rides led by a Conservation Ranger.” Wildlife presentations and exhibits, along with face painting, add to the fun.

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LIVING

SNOW DAY SURVIVAL GUIDE FOR PARENTS Here in the South, snow days are magical.

My three kids love bundling up—in eight layers of clothes—and going out to have snowball fights, build tiny snowmen and make snow angels, all of which lasts about an hour, tops. They come in wet, cold, hungry and ready for hot chocolate. Then comes the inevitable chorus of “I’m bored!”

This winter, let’s be ready with some fun ideas to keep our cooped-up kids busy—and keep us sane—should the snow days come.

BUILD A BLANKET FORT Stock it with their favorite books and snacks, and spend the day cuddling.

HAVE A MOVIE MARATHON What better way to pass the time in a blanket fort. Whether it’s “Harry Potter,” “Star Wars” or “Indiana Jones,” snow days are the perfect excuse to binge-watch a favorite series.

GAME TIME! Dust off the deck of cards and board games. For something a little more high-energy, play hide and seek, Simon says, the floor is lava or balloon volleyball.

GET CRAFTY Pass the time crafting hand-cut snowflakes out of paper or coffee filters, or have a go at one of the projects you have pinned but never seem to have time to try.

MAKE SNOW CREAM Mix together one cup of milk, 1/3 cup of granulated sugar, one teaspoon of vanilla extract, a pinch of salt and eight cups of clean snow. Enjoy.

The Charlie Elliott Wildlife Center offers three different School Programs, all of which align to Georgia Standards of Excellence. CEWC officials take one of these programs on the road, bringing their unique wildlife education experience to schools and groups within a 90-minute radius of the center.

For groups, clubs or companies wishing to team build or simply enjoy outdoor recreation, there is the Wildlife and Other Wonders Outdoors Program. Guests can build their own game plan from multiple activities, according to their interests and needs. It includes canoeing, fishing, archery, firearms, outdoor skills and more.

CEWC is also the state coordinator for Project Wild, an international curriculum devoted to natural resources management.

Educators attend workshops for professional development in areas related to wildlife and the environment. Meanwhile, the Becoming an Outdoors Woman Program offers hands-on workshops for women

who, whether novice or expert, want to develop hunting, fishing, boating, shooting and other outdoor skills.

Since the Charlie Elliott Wildlife Center opened in 1995, more than 400,000 people have participated in its programs.

“The whole idea is fulfilling that vision that Charlie had about getting people outside, getting them engaged in nature,” Morris-Zarneke said. “It’s a vision that is shared by all who work here. We are all bound by this bigger idea of conserving this place for future generations.”

It was a simple concept with profound implications: “Enjoy the outdoors and take care of it so others can enjoy it, too.”

Charlie Elliott, who died in 2000, spent his time on Earth living it out. He may have been thinking of one of his many big-game hunts when, late in life, he offered this blessing: “I wish for you a long life outdoors—one that is filled with as much drama, humor and suspense as the one I have survived.”

Located at 543 Elliott Trail in Mansfield, the Charlie Elliott Wildlife Center is open Monday through Saturday, from 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.

For more information, visit georgiawildlife.com/charlieelliott or call 770-784-3059.

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4 IMPORTANT TIPS to Properly Prepare Your Turf for the Spring 1 Do Not Aerate Until After the Last Frost There are several benefits to aerating warm-season Georgia grasses such as bermuda, zoysia and centipede. However, many homeowners in Newton County are aerating their yards too early in the year.

Aerations penetrate the soil one inch deep under the surface of the turf, breaking up old roots to allow new root growth. That means that these new roots are exposed to the elements. If there is a deep frost on these undeveloped roots, the entire yard could be in jeopardy of being devastated. Aerations should not be done until after the last frost of the season, which is usually—and fittingly— around April 15 in Newton County.

2 Preemergent Applications Now is the time to begin applying preemergent to the turf for the prevention of crabgrass, dandelions, clovers and other broadleaf weeds. Homeowners need to make sure that the preemergent is applied before the weeds have a chance to germinate. Wait too long and it will be a constant battle against seasonal weeds.

Remember, an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.

3 Prepare the Lawnmower The lawnmower in a homeowner’s garage or shed has probably been hibernating over the winter like a black bear. Proper basic maintenance is required before beginning the cutting season.

Changing the lawnmower’s oil is the most needed and obvious step to take, but there is more maintenance that can save you money in the long run. Remove any gas that had been sitting over the winter. Your lawnmower’s carburetor will thank you. Sharpen or buy new blades before the first mowing of the season. Dull blades will shred the tips of the grass blades making the turf more vulnerable to diseases.

4 Do Not Fertilize Too Early Newton County residents love green grass, but many are too anxious and hurry the process by applying fertilizer before the ground is ready. Fertilizer, particularly nitrogen, should not be applied to the turf until the soil temperatures reach 65 degrees.

Applying fertilizer too early can lead to a diseased turf and cause damage that could cost homeowners greatly. Soil temperatures in Newton County can be monitored by checking the website www.georgiaweather.net. This site is run by the University of Georgia and has a station right here in Newton County.

For any further information or help with your landscaping needs, please contact ArtScape Lawn and Turf Professionals at 770-922-TURF(8873), or check out our website at art-scape-inc.com.

Updates and alerts can be found at ArtScape Lawn and Turf’s Facebook page. Search @artscapelawn.

LIVING

Centennial Milestone Ramsey Furniture Company has seen much in its 100 years of existence, from the Roaring Twenties to The Great Depression. Through it all, it has served as an economic pillar for Newton County.

by NAT HARWELL

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Saturday in Covington had dawned crystal-clear. The two horses stood patiently in their harnesses, hitched to the trolley which resembled an open-air railway passenger car. When the driver issued an almost inaudible “cluck,” the horses dutifully began a slow shuffle westward on the well-worn, dirt road that was the main thoroughfare between Atlanta and Augusta, known locally as Clark Street. The Covington Trolley was underway, and not a moment too soon, as the rural folk from Newton County regarded Saturday as “go to town” day.

The horses turned right on a secondary dirt road, Emory Street, and pulled with a slight strain up the hill to the railroad depot. There the trolley stopped, as

Bank of Covington. However, the dealership was long gone on this fine Saturday morning, leaving only a brand-new enterprise just starting up in the back of that same building between Clark and Odum streets.

As the dust cloud from the Model T cleared away, the name of the new business became visible: Ramsey Furniture Company.

It was 1919. The new 20th century had barely just begun.

Newton County, in those days, was still a prosperous, agricultural-based place, and no spot in the county exemplified that prosperity more than the town Square of the county seat: Covington. The Square featured a newly completed, Empire-style courthouse, the grand edifice of the Bank of Covington and no fewer than nine

passengers inbound from the Oxford Trolley eagerly took their seats, even as outbound travelers boarded the Oxfordbound coach.

Retracing their path toward the Covington town Square as the horses made their way uphill on Clark Street, they were startled—briefly—by one of those still new-fangled “horseless carriages.” The Ford Model T, chugging along on its 22-horsepower, four-cylinder engine, backfired, causing the trolley horses a few moments of anxiety. The Model T might have been bought at a local dealership, located in what was now an almost-empty building immediately adjacent to the big, columned

watering holes where folks arriving on horseback, or in horse-drawn buckboards, could tie up and slake their thirst.

The more things change, the more they stay the same, or so goes the old triedand-true proverb. It is now 2019, 100 amazing years later than when those horses pulled that trolley on the unpaved Clark Street. The Covington Square still boasts that beautiful courthouse, the big bank building and no fewer than nine establishments—counting the nearby side streets—where folks can fill their bellies or quench their thirsts.

Through all the changes, through all the epic moments unfolding in American

history over the course of that 100 years, the Ramsey Furniture Company, from its humble beginnings in the back of a deserted automobile dealership, has flourished. How, one might ask, could any small-town enterprise survive over the course of 100 remarkable years? One of the tenets of free-enterprise economics is the “boomand-bust cycle.” For Ramsey Furniture to not only have survived but thrive has to be considered a stunning achievement.

“Well,” said current owner and former Covington Mayor Sam Ramsey, “it certainly has not been easy. Most every student of history knows about the Roaring Twenties and The Great Depression of the 30s, but only locals and anyone in agriculture can remember the depression not many talk about, which was in the early 1920s, when the boll weevil struck the Deep South.”

Indeed, Sam’s grandfather, C.D. Ramsey, was primarily into farming cotton; the furniture store idea was secondary. After three years, he moved across Clark Street to the building where the business is presently located, just in time to hand off the running of the store to Sam’s father, C.D. Ramsey Jr., who had to deal with the boll weevil disaster.

Most students of American history recall tales of “The Dust Bowl” from the early 1930s. The breadbasket of the nation, the Great Plains and Midwest, was devastated as millions of metric tons of topsoil were literally blown away by howling windstorms. Farmers had not yet learned about contour plowing, crop rotation and planting windbreaks perpendicular to the direction of prevailing weather patterns to protect the crops.

It is likely, though, that Americans other than Southerners are unfamiliar with the devastation wrought by that one-quarterinch-long beetle with the very pronounced snout: Anthonomus grandis Boheman.

Commonly called the boll weevil, hordes entered the United States near Brownsville, Texas, in 1892 and advanced up to 160 miles per year, sweeping across the South and up the Atlantic Seaboard until the entire cotton crop territories of the Deep South were infested in 1922.

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For many entrepreneurs in small Southern towns, the onslaught was more than devastating. Whole communities dried up, as businesses dependent upon agricultural dollars folded. Citizens moved to the bigger towns and large cities hoping to find work of any kind. Today in Newton County, kudzu vines cover swaths of the fields that once produced cotton, and under some of those same vines can be found ruins of small, once-thriving establishments.

It was into such an upside-down economic situation that C.D. Ramsey Jr. found himself trying to make a go of it in the furniture business in the early 1920s.

“Can you imagine buying iron bed stands for $10 apiece from the manufacturer and having to sell them over the next few years for $2 apiece just to keep the doors open?” asked Sam Ramsey.

Yet C.D. Ramsey Jr. (pictured below) managed to keep those doors open. In the aftermath of “The Great War,” as World War I was called in those days, prosperity

was on the upswing in big cities across America. The “doughboys,” having persevered in the trenches against horrific chemical weapons so heinous that the entire world agreed to ban their use, were welcomed home in grand style. However, it was a very different America in 1919 and on into the early 1920s. Big cities were still located in the Northeast, upper Midwest and far West. Atlanta, for example, had a population of just over 200,000 in 1922, the year WSB radio began broadcasting on what became “the 50,000-watt, clear-channel voice of the South.” Now, 4.4 million call the Metro area home.

Even as C.D. Ramsey Jr. was managing to get a grip on his situation and as the prosperity of the Roaring Twenties finally reached smaller towns, along came the national economic disaster of the 1930s, leading up to the costliest war in human history: World War II. As Americans rallied behind the war effort, sacrifices of materiel which could be used for weaponry and other military necessities made it exceptionally difficult for small-business owners to survive.

Sam Ramsey was not old enough to join the military for that war but served in the United States Air Force during the McCarthy Era in the 1950s. After his hitch, Sam returned to Covington, where he took over running the furniture business from his father in 1964.

From 1964 until the present day, Sam has been at the helm. He has not only

maintained the business but expanded it many times over from that humble beginning. The original store is long gone now. A parking lot directly across Clark Street from the current storefront adjacent the BB&T bank offers no testimony as to what once was there; and when Ginn Chevrolet built a new campus out by Interstate 20, Sam expanded his vast showroom and warehouse storage into the building Ginn formerly occupied, immediately across Clark Street from First Presbyterian Church.

With the coming celebration of 100 years in business, Sam’s nephew, Tony Ramsey, has come on board and is gradually taking the reins of guiding the fortunes of the Ramsey Furniture Company. Are there big changes ahead? Are there any secrets as to how Sam and his predecessors have managed to survive in a business climate fraught with economic peril? In an era when brick-and-mortar stores are in decline due to the advent of Internet shopping, is a sea change in the offing?

“No, not really,” Sam said. “Our secret has always been to be honest with our customers and to ask them to actually shop and know what they’re looking at. We have never sold anything but first-rate, brandname furniture, and we ask our customers to actually compare with other stores which offer cut-rate pricing and claim to have the same quality furniture.”

Indeed, the bait-and-switch tactic has been around as long as marketing and

“Our secret has always been to be honest with our customers and to ask them to actually shop and know what they’re looking at. We have never sold anything but first-rate, brand-name furniture, and we ask our customers to actually compare with other stores which offer cut-rate pricing and claim to have the same quality furniture.”

Sam Ramsey, Ramsey Furniture Company Owner

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advertising in virtually every field of endeavor. The television and print media feature a multiplicity of advertisements offering quality products at low, low prices.

Yet when consumers actually come face-to-face with the product, in many cases, they find that it is not exactly what was advertised. There is an old but tried-and-true axiom about free enterprise, for example, which applies here: “If it’s cheap and fast, it won’t be good; if it’s good and cheap, it won’t be fast; and if it’s fast and good, it won’t be cheap.”

Every customer wants a product of which they can be proud, a product which will last them for as long as they wish to use it.

Ramsey Furniture’s approach has always been to offer top quality, knowing that any satisfaction gained from a low price will pale significantly if the product does not hold up over time.

“If our customers will let us help educate them what to look for,” Sam said, “we’ve found that they end up appreciating that the quality they get here is worth the price they pay, and that is how we provide ‘quality at savings since 1919.’”

The horses drawing the trolley have long since been put out to pasture. The dirt road that was Clark Street became paved and turned into part of U.S. Hwy. 278, linking Atlanta and Augusta. When the

“new four-lane bypass”—as the rerouted 278 was known—took the heavy traffic off the Square back in the early 1960s and when I-20 took even more away in the 1970s, folks wondered if the little town of Covington would survive or simply dry up.

Like the Phoenix rising from the ashes, little Covington has reinvented itself. The horseless carriages bring folks from far and wide to visit, to eat and be entertained, and to shop. Highlighting the incredible voyage, which began 100 years ago and counting, Ramsey Furniture Company is still here, helping anchor the business community and offering “Quality at Savings since 1919.”

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