2020 Spring Issue

community magazine 2020 SPRING ISSUE

PUBLISHERS

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

8

DIRECTOR OF SALES

Maree Cronan 770-530-7837 sales@thenewtoncommunity.com

FEATURES 8 Faith, Football and Finance 12 Shepherds of the Sun 16 They Call Me Mr. Jack

EDITOR

Brian Knapp PHOTOGRAPHERS

Brian Dean Kim Lane Michie Turpin CONTRIBUTING WRITERS

22

34

HEALTH & WELLNESS

SPORTS & RECREATION

22 Angels Among Us 28 Heart for the Saints

34 Convergence Zone 38 Gone Fishin’

Kari Apted Michelle Floyd Nat Harwell Darrell Huckaby Patty Rasmussen David Roten ILLUSTRATOR

Scott Fuss For subscription information, visit: thenewtoncommunity.com/subscribe/

44

ARTS, EDUCATION & INNOVATION 44 Like Father, Like Son 48 A Career on the Fly

6 The Newton

54

LIVING

54 Clyde’s Essence 58 A ‘Quirky’ Trip Down Memory Lane 62 Gold Standard

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.

On the Cover

A TREASURE HIDDEN IN A FIELD

by DAVID ROTEN

Easter eggs will once again wobble and spin their way through a myriad of celebrations around the world this Easter season. Games, competitions and festivities are as varied as the colors of the eggs themselves. “Tapping,” where the egg toughest to crack wins, “Dances,” where participants attempt to “soft-shoe” among the vivid ovals, and “Rolls,” where children with long-handled spoons push eggs forward in a wild, meandering race to the finish line are just a few examples.

Perhaps the most popular and bestloved event is the Easter egg hunt, where toy- and treat-filled plastic eggs are hidden in places where they are sure to be found by eager treasure-seekers. For many Christian families and their children, the hunt is an anticipated annual tradition held after the Easter Sunday worship service. Tradition can be a wonderful way to pass on to succeeding generations beliefs and customs that are meaningful to us. Protestant reformer

Martin Luther perhaps had this in mind when, as is believed, he organized Easter egg hunts for his congregation late in the 16th century. Luther, like many others before and since, used symbols, including the egg, to explain and commemorate matters of life and faith.

Through the centuries, Christ followers have found the egg to be a powerful metaphor for the Resurrection. A red-colored Easter egg symbolizes the blood of Christ shed on the cross for the forgiveness of sins. The unbroken egg represents the sealed tomb of Jesus, the broken and vacant shell, an empty one.

Nearly 2,000 years ago, the empty tomb indicated to Jesus’ followers, not the absence of life but the triumph of it.

“Jesus has risen just as He said,” the angel declared. Sin, Satan and Death were all defeated. “The kingdom of heaven is like a treasure hidden in a field,” Jesus said.

Sounds a lot like the Easter egg. Blessed are those who find it.

PUBLISHERS’ NOTE

Greetings, dear readers. Spring has officially sprung. With most of Georgia still nestled tightly under its annual pollen blanket, you will find signs of this season of rebirth and renewal nearly everywhere you go. Flowers are blooming, trees are budding and birds are singing their morning chorus. Time to unfurl, stretch and rise from our long winter nap.

Spring is a reminder that, much like nature, our own existence is forever in flux; everything is always changing, whether we are aware of that reality or not. Knowing this, here are a few of the questions we must ask ourselves: Do we embrace the change and uncertainty? Do we cling to familiar patterns and behaviors? Do we have a fixed mindset or a growth mindset?

Change and uncertainty are inevitable, but fear and denial in the face of change are not. We cannot control the world around us, but we can control how we think and how we react. Let us not resist change, but rather, let us embrace it as a path to growth and a way to transform our lives.

We hope you enjoy reading this issue of The Newton Community Magazine and its stories of transformation and possibility.

This spring, may we all be transformed by the renewing of our minds.

God bless and keep each of you.

Scott and Meredith Tredeau

We are grateful for Jennifer Morganthall of J-Mo To Go, who shared her time and talent once again to bring this beautiful cover to life.

2020 Spring Issue 7

F E AT U R E S

FAITH, FOOTBALL AND

FINANCE

by BRIAN KNAPP

Once a star running back at Georgia Tech, Jerry Mays discovered a career in banking through a series of divine appointments and eventually settled in Newton County with his wife and two children.

The once-deafening roar of the crowd has grown inevitably faint, the once-blinding glare of the lights invariably dim, as Jerry Mays navigates the maze of middle age. However, memories of past glory remain as sharp as ever for the married 52-year-old father of two. As the unassuming Mays emerges from his office at the Ameris Bank branch in Covington, few could peg him as a man who once ran roughshod on Atlantic Coast Conference defenses at Bobby Dodd Stadium in Atlanta and went on to enjoy a cup of coffee in the National Football League.

Behind the neatly pressed suit, affable personality and welcoming smile hides the razor-sharp focus that made him a terror on the gridiron.

Mays was an otherworldly running back at Thomson High School, where he set a single-season school record with 2,369 yards rushing, scored 33 touchdowns and led the Bulldogs to

8 The Newton

2020 Spring Issue 9

F E AT U R E S

“When I’m faced with different obstacles, I feel like I’m not impacted like most people because of my belief system and where I know I get my strength and where I know I can get my answers.”

Georgia Tech Hall of Famer Jerry Mays

10 The Newton

the Class AAA state championship in 1984. Despite the overwhelming success he enjoyed at the prep level, Division I schools were hesitant to put pen to paper when it came to offering Mays a scholarship, his 5-foot-7, 170-pound frame perhaps to blame for their caution. It was a frustrating process for a recruit who had outrushed every other player in the state of Georgia as a senior. A visit from a Western Carolina University coach marked a turning point.

“He was one of those coaches that said, ‘Hey, we don’t think you can play running back in our division, but we would like for you to come as a wide receiver,’” Mays said. “My head coach, Luther Welsh, was there in the meeting, and when the coach from Western Carolina said that, it made him stand up and say, ‘This conversation is over.’”

Unbeknownst to Mays, Georgia Tech head coach Bill Curry was seated in a nearby room. He met with Mays and his family, laid out his plans and offered the running back a scholarship.

No other Division I school followed suit. Mays accepted, the proverbial chip having taken up residence on his shoulder.

“I was very disappointed [no other schools were interested],” he said. Nearly four decades later, with the benefit of hindsight, Mays can see a higher power at work. “It’s a blessing because if I had some of those opportunities, maybe I would not have chosen Georgia Tech,” he said. “Georgia Tech was never really on the top of my list, but it worked out. It was a great fit.”

Mays enjoyed a remarkable career with the Yellow Jackets.

He was named ACC Rookie of the Year in 1985, as he rushed for 566 yards and three touchdowns. Mays then ran for 842 yards and seven touchdowns as a sophomore, but a serious knee injury—he suffered a torn ACL and a partially torn meniscus— required reconstructive surgery and forced him to sit out the entire 1987 season as a medical redshirt. Back on the field a year later, he found another gear, rushed for 942 yards and scored nine touchdowns. However, his best was yet to come. Mays emerged as one of the top running backs in the country as a

senior, as he ran for 1,349 yards—the eighth-highest total in the nation—and eight touchdowns on 249 carries.

From there, Mays signed with San Diego as an undrafted free agent in 1990 and spent two games with the Chargers before being released. He never played another down. Mays was inducted into the Georgia Tech Athletics Hall of Fame in 1997 and still ranks second on the school’s all-time list with 3,699 yards rushing.

Though his football career came to an unceremonious conclusion, Mays had unknowingly laid the foundation for his next pursuit while he was a student at Georgia Tech.

“I was in my third or fourth year there, and they administer— it’s not a test—something that determined your strengths and weaknesses,” he said. “It kind of came back that, ‘Hey, I like numbers and all this kind of stuff.’ Talking with my academic advisor at that particular point, he said, ‘You know Jerry, based on where your strengths lie, a career in banking, a career in some type of financial environment, probably will be a good fit for you. For the first time, that kind of gave me some direction in which to look once I was done [playing football].”

Two of his professors pointed him in the right direction, providing guidance for which he remains eternally grateful.

Once again, Mays sensed divine intervention was at play in his life. He accepted his first job in the banking industry in South Carolina in 1990, later relocated to Lithonia and in December 2000 settled in Covington, where his wife had already put down professional roots. Mays currently serves as a vice president and branch manager for Ameris Bank, where he focuses on business development. He gave the Newton County community a glowing review.

“I think we’re at one of the higher points right now,” Mays said. “We’ve got a lot of business industry coming into Covington, which is going to create good opportunities for kids that have grown up in this area. If they choose to want to come back, they may have something good from a work standpoint.

I think this is a prime time to be living here.”

Though his involvement in sports has waned as his children have grown, Mays remains active as a part-time football and basketball referee with the Newton County Recreation Commission. He can envision a day in which he returns to the field to coach his grandchildren once his son and daughter start families of their own. Mays still lives by a basic principle that Curry relayed to him while he was at Georgia Tech: God first, then family, then career.

“I’m the kind of person that no matter what happens, no matter what I go up against, I feel like that what God has for me is for me, and I believe it’s going to be positive because I want it to be positive,” he said. “That’s the approach I take. When I’m faced with different obstacles, I feel like I’m not impacted like most people because of my belief system and where I know I get my strength and where I know I can get my answers.”

2020 Spring Issue 11

Shepherds

F E AT U R E S

by KARI APTED

of the Sun Snapping Shoals EMC—in partnership with the Newton College and Career Academy—operates the first sheep-resident solar farm in the state of Georgia.

12 The Newton

Nestled among the miles of green pastures blanketing each side of state Highway 11 sits one of the most innovative farms in Georgia. Currently home to 30 Katahdin sheep, the Snapping Shoals EMC Cooperative Solar Farm benefits Newton County residents by offering certain SSEMC members the opportunity to buy blocks of solar power.

The SSEMC Solar Farm is the first sheep-resident solar farm in the state—the result of a collaboration between Snapping Shoals employees Scott Fuss, Bobby Fincher and Russell Nelms and Newton College and Career Academy agriculture students and advisors. Fuss, Fincher and Nelms were all members of the Future Farmers of America.

“We have a close connection,” said Fuss, a public relations and marketing coordinator for Snapping Shoals. “They do this in Europe and some other places in the United States. The three of us looked into it and decided we needed to do something like that.” Fourteen acres of solar panels stand in neat rows in the middle of the grassy pasture. “Ordinarily, we would have to keep the grass cut and kill weeds around the panels, but the sheep do that work for us,” Fuss said. “During the day, they graze in the shade under the panels and at night they graze in the open areas.”

NCCA Agriculture Education Advisors Cecily Gunter and Marcus Pollard offer high praise for the not-for-profit co-op farm.

“There is a rich history with the involvement of local EMCs and FFA,” Pollard said. “Our relationship with Snapping Shoals EMC is great, and it literally couldn’t be any better. We’re of course thankful for the financial support that Snapping Shoals EMC provides, but it extends [to] much more than that. Their employees are actively involved and invested in our students with their livestock projects and have been there to support them at livestock shows.”

SSEMC has sponsored several show animals, including sheep, steer and pigs. One benefit of the solar farm is that it provides a way to retire quality sheep in an appropriate setting. Gunter explained that the farm serves students who want to embark on a livestock project but may not have the time or resources to exhibit a livestock animal themselves.

“To be able to put them out at the solar farm and manage them the way we would a commercial flock brings an entirely different element to our program that all of our students can participate in,” Gunter said. “This project allows us to teach about that aspect, and we have had students very interested in that. We’re so incredibly thankful for SSEMC’s involvement and investment in our youth.”

2020 Spring Issue 13

F E AT U R E S

Caleb Dinn, a 2019 graduate of the agricultural program at the Newton College and Career Academy, works at the farm five days a week, putting out feed and doing other chores.

“Although the sheep graze,” Dinn said, “there isn’t much grass in the wintertime, so they need the feed.” He also counts the sheep, walks the perimeter to make sure predators are not trying to dig underneath the fence and monitors all the babies.

Lamb care includes using heat lamps to warm newborn sheep.

“January through March and April is lambing season,” Dinn said. “We have a lot of cute babies right now. Our ram has done a good job.”

Indeed, the flock is comprised of just one ram, two castrated males—known as wethers—and 27 females, or ewes. Fuss, Fincher and Nelms all lauded Dinn as “an excellent shepherd.”

Dinn considers his work a labor of love. “I showed sheep when I was in FFA my junior and senior years of high school,”

he said. “I loved it. I like sheep because they’re gentle, they’re easier to handle than cows and they smell much better than goats.”

Why sheep? Other animals, including goats and donkeys, also graze on grass.

“We only have sheep because goats would climb on the panels, [and] donkeys would rub against the panels and pull out the cables.” Fuss said. “Sheep, they just graze.”

Dinn outlined why the farm chose Katahdin over other breeds of sheep.

“People don’t realize that sheep get sick easily,” he said.

“Katahdins are a disease-resistant breed from Africa. They also don’t require shearing because they don’t have actual wool, but they do shed it in the summertime, like hair. They’re lower maintenance than Hamshires. Those are the fluffy, cute sheep with black faces that come to mind when people think of sheep.”

Fuss admits that balancing having just enough sheep to keep the grass under control at the solar farm has become something of an art.

14 The Newton

“We’re still in herd management stage,” he said. “We traded a ram for more females. We’re still trying to figure out how to maintain without overgrazing during the summer. When we do get extra sheep to sell, we’ll donate the profits back to others.”

NCCA agriculture students visit the solar farm once a month to practice their veterinary science skills. They deworm the animals, examine their hooves and perform other hands-on tasks.

“It’s an outdoor, living lab for the kids,” said Fincher, director of line services for SSEMC. “They get a chance to get out and do more. They get to see how a farm actually works.” In addition to providing a living lab for FFA students, the solar farm has become a popular field trip destination. “We’ve had students from Tucker High School come out for field trips,” said Nelms, a lineman with Snapping Shoals EMC. “Many inner-city kids have never seen a sheep in person. It’s a good learning experience.”

All parties involved with the project are excited about the solar farm’s future and continuing to build the relationship between SSEMC and NCCA. “We’re planning to add cameras to the new barn,” Fuss said, “including a ‘Sheep Cam’ that everyone can use to watch the sheep and see the new lambs.”

“It’s an outdoor, living lab for the kids. They get a chance to get out and do more. They get to see how a farm actually works.”

Snapping Shoals EMC Director of Line Services Bobby Fincher

2020 Spring Issue 15

F E AT U R E S

16 The Newton

They Call Me

MR. JACK

by DAVID ROTEN

Jack Simpson served under legendary FBI Director J. Edgar Hoover and was assigned to several historic cases during his remarkable law enforcement career, including the assassination of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Now 96, he still reports to work three days a week as an investigator with the Newton County Sheriff’s Office. “‘They call me Mr. Jack,’” he said simply. It is a title of endearment and well-earned respect. Jack Simpson is 96 years old and widely recognized as the oldest active law enforcement officer in the country. Thirty years after the age when most peers are easing into retirement, Simpson still reports for duty three days a week as an investigator with the Newton County Sheriff’s Office.

In the process, he informs and inspires appreciative associates as he shares insight and perspective from seven decades of law enforcement experience, including investigating such high-profile cases as the Martin Luther King Jr. assassination.

“Mr. Jack is a wealth of knowledge,” said Newton County Sheriff Ezell Brown, Simpson’s boss and close friend. “I would describe him as a walking history book.”

Although Simpson claims he was merely “lucky enough to be in the right place at the right time,” he admits it all began with a youthful dream that he was determined to follow. “Through my childhood—the FBI, the ‘G-Men,’ the guys with the Tommy guns—they were my heroes,” he said, referencing icons from the Prohibition Era of the 1930s. “I made up my mind as a little kid that someday I wanted to be an FBI agent.” Nothing, not even a World War, would keep him from reaching his goal.

2020 Spring Issue 17

F E AT U R E S

World War II was in full swing, and Simpson’s superiors at the FBI were reluctant to invest time and money training someone who might be called into military service. “After a while, I got tired of this,” he said, “and I decided the only way out of this maze is to volunteer.” After being turned down by the Navy due to color blindness, When Jackrabbits Hide German Soldiers Simpson enlisted in the Army and was sent to Camp Butner, North Carolina, for training.

Boredom could have cost Jack Simpson his life during “I never had anything like a cushy job after that,” World War II. he said. “I became a combat infantry soldier.”

“We were advancing up through the Rhone Valley of Like many of his generation, Simpson was France, and the Germans were in retreat in front of us,” he reticent to elaborate on the details of his accomsaid. When Simpson and his company reached the Rhine River, they found that the Germans had already blown up the bridges. plishments during the war, providing only a “We had to stop and wait for the army engineers to come and matter-of-fact summary. As a light artillery gunner build a pontoon bridge so we could take our tank across.” during the invasions of southern France and Italy’s With time to kill and few entertainment options available Anzio Beach, Simpson distinguished himself for to him, Simpson searched for a way to amuse himself. He “bravery and meritorious service” while earning found what he was looking for on the side of a hill some two Bronze Stars. distance away. It seemed harmless enough.

The war ended with Simpson having survived “There were these jackrabbits with these great big legs, its horrors. Back home, he picked up where he and I’d take my rifle and shoot up close to them,” Simpson had left off, relentlessly pursuing a career as an said, describing a scene not unlike a shooting gallery at a FBI agent. Utilizing the newly passed GI Bill, carnival. “I walked up the hill popping away at these rabbits, Simpson poured himself into his studies and watching them jump, and all of a sudden, up out of a draw, earned a bachelor’s degree, then his master’s. He come about 12 or 13 German soldiers; and they had their hands up. They thought they were surrounded. It was [just] had been working as a teacher for about five years me shooting.” and was in his first year of law school when an Simpson acknowledged that he could have been an easy inspector from the FBI took notice of Simpson target for the hidden enemy on another day. “They could and encouraged him to take the qualifying test to have killed me up out of that draw,” he said. “I never would become an agent. He took the test, passed it and, have even seen them.” Thankfully, it was not to be. “I told as the saying goes, the rest is history. them I would accept their surrender,” Simpson said. “I had As a special agent, Simpson played an important them stack their weapons in a pile, I got them all together and role in a number of landmark civil rights cases in I marched them down and turned them over to the MPs.” the 1950s and 1960s. One of the most notable was what came to be known as “The Stand in the Schoolhouse Door.” Gov. George Wallace had defied federal law and a court order by prohibiting the racial desegregation of the University of Alabama. On June Jack Byron Simpson was born in the small coal-mining town 11, 1963, the governor blocked the door through which Vivian of Barnesboro, Pennsylvania, in 1924—the same year J. Edgar Malone and James Hood sought to enter and thereby become Hoover was appointed director of what is now the Federal the first black students to successfully integrate the previously Bureau of Investigation. Growing up in the lingering shadow of The Great Depression, Simpson worked his way through high all-white school. Simpson was part of a group of FBI agents whose job it was that day to scan the volatile crowd for those school and upon graduation landed a clerical job with the FBI who might violate the law. as a fingerprint classifier. However, he was not yet an agent.

Even as he focused on the job at hand, Simpson knew he A degree in law or accounting was a prerequisite for the position was witnessing history. “Deputy Attorney General Nicholas at the time, and with no money for college, Simpson’s dream Katsenbach stood at the door,” he said. “Gov. Wallace stood remained out of reach. He had managed to get his foot in the at the door.” Both men were flanked by law enforcement, door, but as other doors opened to promotional opportunities as Katsenbach told Wallace he was being ordered by the within the bureau, he saw them close just as quickly.

President of the United States to step aside. Wallace, however, “I had something hanging over my head,” he said. “I had stood his ground and interrupted Katsenbach with a speech ‘1-A’ as my status in the draft.”

18 The Newton

GOVERNOR GEORGE WALLACE STANDS DEFIANT AT THE UNIVERSITY OF ALABAMA Credit: Warren K. Leffler, U.S. News & World Report Magazine / Public Domain

CONTENTS FROM JAMES EARL RAY’S DROPPED BUNDLE Credit: National Archives

POLICE LOCATE JAMES EARL RAY’S WHITE MUSTANG IN ATLANTA Credit: National Archives

2020 Spring Issue 19

F E AT U R E S

“When I worked in the civil rights period, black and white didn’t mean anything to me. If you’re a decent human being and you’re doing right and trying to make a contribution to society, you’re my kind of folks.”

Newton County Sheriff’s Office Investigator Jack Simpson

20 The Newton

about states’ rights. Finally, after a tense, hours-long standoff, it was over. Wallace took a step back and equal rights for African Americans took one big step forward. Simpson summed up the day’s momentous events: “A young lady, Vivian Malone, and a young man, James Hood, integrated the University of Alabama peaceably.”

Unfortunately, not all of Simpson’s cases were as free from violence. The assassination of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. on April 4, 1968 was perhaps the most notorious. Simpson reflected on King’s vision and the prophetic words he spoke just one day before his death. “He said that he had climbed the mountain and he looked over and he saw the Promised Land, and he might never get there himself, but his people would,” he said. “James Earl Ray killed him with a shot from a rifle.”

When Ray’s 1966 Ford Mustang turned up at a housing project in Atlanta following the shooting in Memphis, Tennessee, Simpson was one of the agents who searched it for evidence.

Afterwards, he was tasked with personally carrying that evidence to the FBI lab in Washington, D.C. Ray was ultimately arrested and charged with King’s murder.

Of all the civil rights cases he worked, Simpson may have played his most crucial role in the Lemuel Penn murder investigation. On the fateful night of the crime, Penn and two other black men, all WWII veterans, were returning home to

the nation’s capital after participating in Army Reserve training in Fort Benning. Simpson described an all too pervasive scene in the South at the time. “Klansmen were parading around in their robes, threatening and intimidating people,” he said. “Penn was worried about that, so they traveled a back road to get back to Washington.” Early in the predawn hours of July 11, 1964, they stopped their car in downtown Athens to switch drivers. Three Klansmen were watching and noticed their Washington, D.C., car tag. “[One of ] the Klansmen said, ‘There goes some of President Johnson’s boys, come down here to agitate and destroy our way of life,’” Simpson said. “They followed Lemuel Penn and his cohorts out of town, and when they got to the Broad River Bridge, they pulled up alongside, fired two shotgun blasts into the car and hit Lemuel Penn in the throat and killed him.”

Simpson was one of several agents assigned to investigate the brutal murder. From a list of known local KKK members, Simpson and his partner drew the name of James Lackey.

“We followed him around,” Simpson said. “We learned his routine, we learned about his background, family—everything.”

Once the agents felt they had enough information, they approached Lackey to interview him. “He denied knowing anything about the murder,” Simpson said, “or having anything to do with it.” Unconvinced, Simpson and his partner persisted and interviewed Lackey again a week later. This time, they procured the confession that broke the case.

“He’d been sick,” Simpson said, “and I said to him, ‘James, you’ve got something that’s bothering you; something’s on your conscience. I think you want to tell us about it. You might feel better.’ And he blurted out, ‘Well, I’ll tell you. I drove the car.’

And he named the two guys—[Howard] Sims and [Cecil] Myers—that had fired the shotguns. I got the signed statement from him.”

A full account of the incident was captured in Bill Shipp’s book, “Murder at Broad River Bridge.” An excerpt from the historical marker at Broad River Bridge notes that “the case was instrumental in the creation of a Justice Department task force whose work culminated in the ‘Civil Rights Act of 1968.’”

Simpson’s dream job as an FBI agent spanned 23 years and ended in 1978 but not before he landed an assignment he never could have envisioned, not even as a child. As an agent in the Correspondence and Tour section of the bureau, one of his duties was to compose letters for the director. “I was the little kid who admired J. Edgar Hoover and his ‘G-men’ way back when,” Simpson said, “and all of a sudden, here I am in Washington, D.C., working for my hero and writing letters for him.”

Simpson continued his career in law enforcement after his time in the FBI, serving the next 35 years as a bailiff, first with Rockdale County and then with Newton. For the past several years, he has been a part-time investigator with the Newton County Sheriff’s Office, where he does most of his investigative work with a phone and a computer. He also teaches diversity

classes to deputies as part of the block training at the department. Drawing from personal experience, he sometimes addresses law enforcement and veterans groups. In his spare time, he writes a weekly newspaper column, choosing topics he hopes will inform and help his readers.

“I think you need to be busy in life with a purpose,” said Simpson, who has seen his children and grandchildren follow in his footsteps and become public servants themselves. As he nears the century mark, he may have slowed down but sees no reason to quit. “I can’t imagine sitting on a porch somewhere wondering what the day is going to hold for me.”

Once turned down by the Navy for his inability to see certain colors, he readily admits to another kind of color blindness.

“When I worked in the civil rights period, black and white didn’t mean anything to me,” Simpson said. “If you’re a decent human being and you’re doing right and trying to make a contribution to society, you’re my kind of folks.”

“Murder at Broad River Bridge” is available for purchase from The University of Georgia Press: ugapress.org/book/9780820351612/murder-atbroad-river-bridge/ 2020 Spring Issue 21

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

Angels Among Us

by KARI APTED

The neonatal intensive care unit at Piedmont Newton Hospital— and the nurses and physicians who staff it—has been nothing short of a Godsend for parents of premature children.

When Doyle and Pam Smith found out they were expecting twins in 2014, their doctor told them to be prepared for the possibility of one or both babies spending time in the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU). However, as the pregnancy progressed, everything was going so well that the Covington-based couple never gave it much thought. Everything changed one hot Sunday in July, as the family boated on Jackson Lake.

“I was so emotional that day,” Pam said. “I was laughing one minute and angry the next. I kept having contractions, but I thought they were just Braxton-Hicks [practice contractions].”

Pam continued to feel strange, so she made an appointment to see her doctor the following day. It was July 14. It turned out that what she thought were practice contractions were actually the real thing. She was sent to Piedmont Newton Hospital,

24 The Newton

where she was prepped for an emergency C-section under general anesthesia. Soon, tiny Trip and Cassie were delivered—at four pounds, eight ounces, and four pounds, one ounce, respectively.

While Trip was able to breathe right away, Cassie failed to draw her first breath independently.

“I didn’t really know what was going on at first,” Doyle said.

“The nurses were so calm to keep me from panicking. They were incredible.”

The babies were taken to the NICU while Pam’s incision was closed and she was sent to recovery. It would be two days before she could hold her newborns.

2020 Spring Issue 25

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

PIX BY GIGI

“The nurses prepared me mentally for what I was going to see,” Pam said. “Cassie had breathing tubes, and both babies had wires everywhere. All the nurses came in to see me holding Trip and Cassie for the first time. They work together as such a team, keeping the atmosphere so calm and relaxed.”

Still, there was a brief adjustment period.

“The NICU can be disconcerting because of all the beeps and alarms and noises going off,” Doyle said, “but after a while, you realize you don’t have to worry about every little sound.”

The Smiths describe the day that Pam was discharged from the hospital as one of the most difficult days of their lives. While Doyle remained stoic, Pam struggled emotionally to separate from the twins. “When I’d first heard about the NICU, I thought, ‘There is no way we’re leaving our babies with complete strangers—no way,’” Doyle said, “but when the time came, that thought was far from my mind. I just wanted them to have whatever care they needed.” Pam soon arrived at a realization.

“The nurses never sit down. Their first concern is the babies. Any alarm beeps, any movement, the nurses are right there to respond. They are angels, the way they love these babies.”

Pam Smith

PIX BY GIGI

PIX BY GIGI

26 The Newton

“It was so hard to hear that I had to leave, but my kids had to stay there,” she said. “Every bad thought you could possibly have runs through your mind. I was so scared.” Pam remembers how a nurse named Ashley gave her the encouragement she needed to go home and rest. “She said, ‘They’re good, Mama.

I got your babies,’” Pam said, “and I realized they were in the absolute best place for them right now.”

Pam returned a few hours after being discharged from the hospital to bring pumped breastmilk to her babies. Going back home to her husband and older son, Bo, was somewhat easier once she witnessed the careful attention the twins received.

“The nurses never sit down,” Pam said with a laugh. “Their first concern is the babies. Any alarm beeps, any movement, the nurses are right there to respond. They are angels, the way they love these babies.”

While they were away from the NICU, the Smiths appreciated how well the nurses kept them updated on the twins’ daily activities. “They would call and tell you everything,” Doyle said,

“from how much they ate to whether they had a BM.” Pam agreed. “I wish everyone could feel the way they made us feel,” she said. “I call them their second mothers.” Although Trip’s breathing seemed normal at birth, he was diagnosed with a heart disorder called bradycardia. “Trip’s pulmonary system would just stop,” Pam said. “He had to have at least 24 hours with no episodes before they would release him to go home.”

Both babies also required light therapy to treat jaundice. Cassie was allowed to come home after nine days in the NICU, while Trip remained in the unit for 16 days. “That day Ashley called and jokingly said, ‘I need you to come get your baby, please,’” Pam said, “I was so happy.”

NICU staff members still remember the Smith family fondly and continue to provide patients with the same personal attention the Smiths experienced. Beth Timberlake, director of women’s services at Piedmont Newton, made it a point to emphasize that enjoying a hometown feel does not mean giving up access to state-of-the-art technology.

“We want women to know that we can give the best quality care without having to go into Atlanta,” she said. “Our nurses are highly trained throughout Piedmont’s hospital system. Our nurses know the women coming through these doors; many live in this community. Our Level II NICU can stabilize infants born at 32 weeks or greater. We provide oxygen therapy, antibiotic therapy and other care needed to stabilize babies born early.”

The Smith twins are now 5 years old. Trip’s overall health remains good, but Cassie still struggles to maintain normal blood-oxygen levels whenever she has a cold or other illness.

“They definitely have that twin bond,” Pam said. “Trip is all boy, but he will stop what he’s doing and go check on Cassie before going back to playing. They are best friends.”

(L-R) JENNIFER NEELY, LISA MCGHEE, MARANDA GLANTON, SHANNAN BROWNING, NICOLE PATRICK, SAMANTHA WHITEHEAD

As part of Piedmont Newton’s Women’s Services Department, the NICU will benefit from this year’s major fundraising event. Andrea Lane, communications director at the hospital, invites the community to purchase tickets for the Second Annual Concert and Hangar Party scheduled for Friday, May 1.

Proceeds will be used to purchase Halo bassinets that allow parents and infants to room together safely and Panda warmers that provide oxygen, warmth and vital sign monitoring for infants requiring special care. For more information about the concert and party, visit give.piedmont.org/concert.

2020 Spring Issue 27

Heart for the Saints

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

by MICHELLE FLOYD

Newton County Senior Services Executive Director Freda Reed has made it her life’s work to keep area seniors active and engaged.

Options for senior citizens in Newton County extend far beyond sitting on porches, playing bingo and drinking coffee all day long, and Newton County Senior Services Executive Director Freda Reed has made it her mission to make sure they stay as active and engaged as possible.

More than 400 seniors from mostly Newton County—they also come from surrounding Rockdale, Henry and Morgan counties—are involved at the Newton County Senior Center at Turner Lake Park. About 60 to 70 of them pay daily visits to the center, which services residents 55 years of age and older, providing them with recreation and information. Roughly 40 residents are part of a choir, while others enjoy ceramics, strength-building exercises and line dancing.

“We don’t have a pool here, but we have just about everything else,” said Reed, who has served as the center’s director since 2016. She worked previously as assistant director, event coordinator and administrative assistant. Prior to arriving at the center, Reed applied her skills in a corporate environment for more than 20 years. She started volunteering at the center

28 The Newton

and handled mostly clerical work after having lived in Covington since the 1970s. When her day job started to transition staff to other areas, she decided it was time to leave and accept a position that soon opened at the senior center.

“I’m glad God put me in this field. It’s been a great experience,” said Reed, who manages 13 staff members—four full-time and nine part-time—and a host of volunteers. “When I first started working here, I was more business-like and detailed, but with this job, you’ve got to work with your heart and listen to the seniors and help them solve problems. I think they deserve the best.”

Reed enjoys being around those she serves.

“They’ve taught me how to grow gracefully in age. You’re involved with their lives and wisdom that they pass down to you,” she said. “I’m 65 myself. People keep asking me when I’m going to retire, but I always say I don’t know because I just love my job.”

Others have taken notice of her work. Reed was named the Aging Disabilities Resource Center’s Senior Center Director of the Year in 2019.

2020 Spring Issue 29

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

“I just love her,” said Annette Cody-Clark, a 75-year-old Covington resident and senior center member. “She’s a Christian lady, wife and mother who is very kind, considerate and compassionate.” Cody-Clark pegs the senior center as the primary reason she gets out of her home. She has been a member for roughly 15 years. “I get to meet other seniors every day,” she said. “I love learning about other people and other cultures, and we share our culture with them.”

Some of the seniors even take to the road to meet those other cultures. While many plan day trips to local venues, others visit countries like Africa and England as part of the Travel Club.

“They’ll go anywhere,” Reed said. The center also offers on-site and home delivery meals, workshops and transportation. Local senior center members pay $50 per year for membership, while other services sometimes cost an additional fee. Thanks to the Special Purpose Local Option Sales Tax approved by county residents during an earlier election, the center will undergo an expansion this year that started with a groundbreaking in January and is expected to be completed by September. The expansion will double the fellowship hall, allow for more room for activities and expand the administrative offices.

“Our center operates on the kindness of others, with volunteers and financial support,” said Reed, who pointed to the local, state and federal funding the center receives. “We couldn’t do what we do here without others.”

For more information on the Newton County Senior Services, call 770-787-0038 or visit co.newton.ga. us/227/Senior-Services.

30 The Newton

“They’ve taught me how to grow gracefully in age. You’re involved with their lives and wisdom that they pass down to you. I’m 65 myself. People keep asking me when I’m going to retire, but I always say I don’t know because I just love my job.”

Newton County Senior Services Executive Director Freda Reed

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

CONVERGENCE

ZONE

by MICHELLE FLOYD

Prominent figures from the science and golfing communities work in concert to promote the importance of protecting the environment during the annual Golf and Science Kids Day Camp at The Oaks Course.

34 The Newton

One summer camp in Newton County will provide students with the means to get in a little exercise and fun while also learning a thing or two during their break from school. The Golf and Science Kids Day Camp is in its fourth year at The Oaks Golf Course in Covington.

“A golf course is our own ecosystem, and we want to impact children’s lives,” said Nancy Schulz, owner of The Oaks. “Golf is something that you can experience forever, and we want to grow their appreciation for birds, plants and the purpose for everything out there.”

Students from elementary to high school can sign up for a half-day, golf-only camp, from 9 a.m. to noon, or a full-day camp featuring golf and science, from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Participants will spend time on the course with Brad Patton, head golf professional at The Oaks and lead instructor of the camp, and Jonathan Dean, assistant professional and fellow instructor.

“We cover all aspects of golf and get the kids on the course,” Patton said. “We focus on getting fun into the game, so it’s not as technical for them.”

Campers will spend the morning practicing their putting, chipping, driving and other golfing skills. The impact has already been felt locally.

“My teacher helped me on every part of my golf game, so it improved it a lot, and I still use all of the techniques they taught me,” said Sam Harper, a ninth-grade student at Eastside High School who participated in the camp as an 11- and 12-year-old.

He now plays golf at Eastside and competes on the North Georgia Junior Golf Tour. In November, he placed second in the boys 11-13 age group at the 2019 NGJG Tour Championship. “I learned mostly the basics about what a true golf game is made of. I also learned a lot about etiquette, and I think that was the most important thing about it.”

2020 Spring Issue 35

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

“A golf course is our own ecosystem, and we want to impact children’s lives. Golf is something that you can experience forever, and we want to grow their appreciation for birds, plants and the purpose for everything out there.”

The Oaks Course Owner Nancy Schulz

36 The Newton

After an included lunch, students will hear from presenters from around the county and experience the science involved with the course and its surroundings. “It’s not sitting with a pad and paper and taking notes—it’s hands-on,” Schulz said.

“It starts with [giving] children [the knowledge they need] to gain appreciation for the environment and sustainability.”

Campers will study plant and animal life associated with The Oaks’ ponds by conducting tests and fishing.

“Using the pond, we talk about ecosystems—aquatic ecosystems, in particular—and then sample the populations of organisms,” said Emeritus Professor of Pedagogy in Biology at Oxford College of Emory University Theodosia Wade, one of the camp’s science presenters. “The kids enjoy being outside [and] looking more closely at the natural world.”

Wade revealed that the kids use dip nets to collect leaves and algae full of aquatic insect larvae, tadpoles and crayfish, and their favorite activity is sampling the fish populations with their fishing poles.

“I taught environmental science at Oxford College for the last 20 years of my career and noticed the students were not always comfortable outside,” she said. “My hope is that they begin to view the out of doors from a little different perspective and this experience will spark a lifelong connection to the world around them so that they might see the value in protecting natural areas for future generations to enjoy.”

On other days, students will take a swamp walk to see the wetlands around The Oaks and take soil and water samples.

“The kids love it because they get to play around in the mud,” Schulz said, “and some of them have never been in the mud before.” Participants will also study turf care at the sustainable golf facility and the migration of the monarch butterfly, as presented by Connie Waller and her husband, David. Staff at The Oaks planted butterfly gardens around the facility to attract the endangered insects with certain plants. Waller spent nearly 30 years as director of Keep Covington-Newton Beautiful, while her husband retired as director of the Wildlife Resources Division of the Georgia Department of Natural Resources.

The complete Golf and Science Summer Camp costs $200 per child, while the golf camp by itself costs $125 per child.

Session I will be offered June 22-26, with Session II running July 6-10. Space is limited to approximately 40 students per session. During the 2020 camp, students will get to participate in making their own healthy lunches. They will also learn more about the “Reduce, Reuse, Recycle” campaign by utilizing their reusable water bottle, all while receiving some tips on how to protect their local environment.

Laurie Riley, the current executive director for Keep CovingtonNewton Beautiful, will talk to campers about recycling and present them with a Landfill Enviroscape—a plastic tabletop model of a landfill. They will also have the opportunity to craft a piece of recycled paper and their own Trash to Treasure Art, a project made with materials typically viewed as trash or recyclables. Riley sees it as an invaluable opportunity to reach the next generation: “The camps provide a unique venue for environmental education lessons.”

For more information about the Golf and Science Kids Day Camp at The Oaks, call 770-786-3801 or visit golfoaks.com.

2020 Spring Issue 37

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

GONE FISHIN’

by DAVID ROTEN

Area anglers have a number of options available to them in and around Newton County, as they build relationships and pass on time-honored traditions to future generations.

Are you fishing for something new to do, casting about for fresh ideas on how to spend your leisure time or find yourself drawn to the lure of the great outdoors? All puns aside, are you thinking that you might like to do a little fishing but do not quite know how to get started? The Georgia Department of Natural Resources is an invaluable resource for experienced and beginner fishermen, providing information and fishing opportunities through a variety of programs.

“Where’s the best place to catch a fish?” That is the most common question posed to Georgia DNR Fisheries Biologist

38 The Newton

Keith Weaver by hopeful anglers. “And my answer is, ‘a hook right here,’” he said with a sly grin as he pointed to his mouth.

Weaver, a lifetime fisherman with a master’s degree in fisheries and over 22 years of experience with the DNR, understands that just choosing the right equipment to use can be daunting.

“If you’ve ever been to the fishing section at Bass Pro, it can be overwhelming—aisles and aisles and aisles,” he said. His best advice to those who have limited experience: “Keep it simple.”

Rules and catch limits, along with other helpful information, can be found in the DNR’s Georgia Sport Fishing Regulations magazine, published annually and available digitally at www. georgiawildlife.com. The fishing section of the website offers guidance on where and when to fish and what lures are working well with what species. Just one of many helpful features on the site is a fish identification tool that provides a detailed description of the various species with a corresponding picture.

Utilizing that aid, anglers with the Go Outdoors GA app can know in real time what type of fish they caught.

Weaver likes the generational bonds fishing forms.

“The best thing about fishing is telling stories,” he said.

Weaver then recalled how his youngest son, Benjamin, caught a four-pound channel catfish when he was only 4 years old.

“He’s now 13, and that fish is still growing every day.” Some things never change.

“If you’ve ever been to the fishing section at Bass Pro, it can be overwhelming—aisles and aisles and aisles. Keep it simple.”

Georgia Department of Natural Resources Fisheries Biologist Keith Weaver

2020 Spring Issue 39

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

In an effort to promote fishing throughout the state, the DNR offers programs designed for youth knowing that if it can hook kids on fishing, adults will likely string along.

“The parents get more excited than the kids when they catch a fish,” Weaver said. “It’s just a good way to bond, and it’s a good way to get everybody involved.”

The Marben Public Fishing Area, located at the Charlie Elliott Wildlife Center in Mansfield, is home to two of the most popular and—for Newton county residents—most accessible programs in the state. Children, ages 8-15, can get their feet and their hooks wet during one of two Fish-N-Learn weekends, as they receive instruction from trained guides and put new skills to work in one of Marben’s well-stocked ponds. Fish-N-Learn 1, held in the spring, focuses on basics like knot tying, casting, taking a fish off the hook, cleaning the fish and more. Fish-NLearn 2, held in the fall, builds on the first weekend as kids move from bank to boat, targeting largemouth bass with a variety of artificial lures. Young anglers also see how knowledge of water depth and temperature, as well as overall habitat, can enhance the fishing experience. According to Weaver, “It’s a pretty intense weekend.”

The $110 fee for each weekend event covers lodging, the guide, education and food. Each child attending must be accompanied by a parent or guardian. Anyone over the age of 16 must possess a current fishing license. For information or to register, call 770-784-3059.

A second option at Marben PFA requires less time and no money: Kids Fishing Events, held one Saturday each month between March and September. Friendly, knowledgeable instructors and well-stocked ponds help to ensure a positive experience for kids and their families. The fisheries staff shares a common goal with those youngsters who come to fish, many for the first time.

40 The Newton

“We want them to catch a fish, we want them to touch a fish, and we want them to take that fish home,” Weaver said. In addition to Marben PFA, the fisheries staff also recommends Lake Varner Reservoir and Hard Labor Creek State Park as great places in and near Newton County to take kids fishing. Weaver also considers the Walton County Reservoir, High Falls State Park and the Alcovy and Yellow rivers as excellent fishing destination choices.

“There are a lot of farm ponds out there,” Weaver said.

“Really, all you need is a cane pole and a hook and a cricket and a body of water.”

SIX TIPS FROM THE WILDLIFE RESOURCES DIVISION FOR FISHING WITH KIDS: 1. Keep it easy.

(Choose simple bait, tackle and techniques) 2. Keep it short.

(Choose a fishing spot close to home, do not stay out too long) 3. Keep them covered.

(Use sunscreen, protective clothing) 4. Keep them happy.

(Bring lots of snacks) 5. Keep your cool.

(Expect tangled lines often) 6. Keep a few fish for dinner.

(Stay within legal limits, take no more than you intend to eat)

Channel Catfish Ictalurus punctatus Adult size: 10–50 inches

Largemouth Bass Micropterus Salmoides Adult size: 18–24 inches

Redear Sunfish Lepomis Microlophus Adult size: 5–17 inches

Sunfish, Bluegill Lepomis Macrochirus Adult size: 7–16 inches

Black Crappie Pomoxis Nigromaculatus Adult size: 5–19 inches

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

LIKE FATHER, LIKE SON

by NAT HARWELL

Chris Haymore brought his family name full circle when he was named principal at Mansfield Elementary School in 2016, exactly four decades after his dad was elevated to the same position.

It seems like only yesterday the United States of America held its Bicentennial celebration, but astonishingly, 1976 is now 44 years in the rearview mirror. It is equally hard to fathom that Perry Haymore, a homegrown scholar-athlete, was that same year named principal of Mansfield Elementary School, a tiny little educational establishment way out in what was then the bucolic boondocks of eastern Newton County.

“Believe me, the school was a whole lot smaller back in 1976,” the now-retired Perry said. “We had something on the order of 180 students, a librarian, a lunchroom staff and— if memory serves—eight teachers on staff.”

Life has certainly changed since America celebrated her 200th birthday. Modern Mansfield Elementary boasts 453 students in 2020, has a contemporary campus and offers cutting-edge educational programs. No longer considered “out in the boondocks,” the town of Mansfield is a growing community located in what many consider the prettiest country in Newton County.

One common denominator connects “old” Mansfield Elementary to “new” Mansfield Elementary. The principal’s name is still Haymore. True to the “We Are Family” motto of the school, the current principal is Chris Haymore, Perry’s son.

44 The Newton

2020 Spring Issue 45

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

“Believe me, the school was a whole lot smaller back in 1976. We had something on the order of 180 students, a librarian, a lunchroom staff and— if memory serves—eight teachers on staff.”

Former Mansfield Elementary School Principal Perry Haymore

46 The Newton

“There are a few things I remember from the days my dad was principal here,” Chris said. “I attended a fall festival out here once and put every last penny I could scrounge up into a raffle for a pony. I wanted that little horse so badly and just knew I was going to win it, but someone else won the pony, and I came home with my huge winnings: two big bags of green beans.”

Some may wonder how two Haymores could find themselves as principal of the same elementary school, albeit in different centuries. Theirs is a fun story to tell.

Perry grew up in Newton County and played all sports during his formative years. He was a guard and linebacker for Newton High School, which at the time was located in the building on Newton Drive across from the current-day YMCA. Perry was a good athlete, and after graduating in 1959, he attended and played end on the football team at Austin Peay State University in Clarksville, Tennessee, for two years. He then transferred to the University of Tennessee, and although he did not play sports there, he always wanted to coach.

After college, Perry began his teaching and coaching career at Evans High School, just north of Augusta, where he met his late wife, Pat. In 1967, the couple moved to Covington, where Perry taught, coached and eventually moved into administration at the old Newton High School, then at Sharp Middle, Porterdale Elementary and Mansfield Elementary schools.

Upon retiring after 36 years, Perry answered his original call to coach again at what was then the “new” Newton High School on Ram Drive, where the Newton College and Career Academy and the Porter Performing Arts Center now sit. For six years, he ran the In-School Suspension program while assisting as a coach on the gridiron.

Perry and Pat raised two boys, Chris and David, both of whom went into teaching and coaching. David recently retired and currently works as a local realtor. Chris inherited the gift of music from his mother, who established the award-winning chorus at Newton High. He actually went to Nashville, Tennessee, to audition at one point but eventually decided to become a full-time teacher and coach.

“I had played football at Newton High under coach Dan Spier and could always see the play unfolding before me,” Chris said, “but in terms of playing at a higher level, I remember what a good friend of mine who played nose guard once said about me. He said, ‘Chris, you’re not strong and you’re not fast, but you’re elusive.’”

After graduating from high school, Chris walked on at the University of Georgia, where he was a member of the junior varsity and scout teams for two years. He holds an ever-modest evaluation of his accomplishments as a Georgia Bulldog: “I did get to dress out and I wouldn’t give anything for the experience, but in the end, I practiced a lot.”

Once he completed his studies at Georgia, Chris’ first job in education was at Rutledge Academy, where he spent four years before joining the Newton County School System. He coached at Eastside High and later served as assistant principal at Alcovy High when it opened. Eight years ago, Chris was named assistant principal at Mansfield Elementary, and in 2016, he was elevated to principal, bringing the Haymore name full circle in that school. He is married to Kye, and they have a son, Warth, a junior at Eastside High.

Americans celebrated as one when the nation turned 200 in 1976—the same year that the first Haymore occupied the principal’s office at little Mansfield Elementary School. More than four decades later, his son carries on the tradition.

2020 Spring Issue 47

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

A CAREER ON THE FLY

by PATTY RASMUSSEN

Experience in the military and at Delta set the stage for Covington-based Aerodox founder David Burk’s entry into the business of Minimum Equipment Lists—manuals that inform crews about how to make airplanes airworthy when certain systems are not functioning properly.

David Burk, the founder and CEO of Aerodox, gathers his employees for their weekly meeting every Monday morning. The first items on the agenda are always the same: prayer and recommitting the company to God. It serves as Burk’s reminder that his plans are written in sand, and God’s plans are what count.

You could say that aviation is in Burk’s blood. His father was in the Air Force and his mother worked for Cessna when they met, and he was born at McConnell Air Force Base in Wichita, Kansas. His family moved a bit with the Air Force—stops included Arkansas and Germany—and his young life was a little messy. His parents divorced and his mother remarried a couple times, but at a crucial point, Burk found himself on a Texas ranch, where his tinkerer’s itch was scratched and nurtured.

48 The Newton

“I was 13 years old, and I had a blast,” he said. “I went hunting and fishing, got to drive a tractor [and] work cattle.”

Always the kid who liked to take stuff apart, Burk explored the mechanical world in earnest. By the time he finished high school, Burk and his mom moved back to Arkansas. The Vietnam War was still raging, and Burk was set to enlist in the Air Force when his father suggested that he go into the Army instead because he would make rank faster. Taking his father’s advice, Burk went off to basic training at Ft. Polk, Louisiana, in August 1971. “We were actually one of the first basic training groups that went through that was all-volunteer,” he said. “The drill sergeants weren’t sure how to treat us.” Burk was sent to Ft. Gordon in Augusta to train as an avionics mechanic, fully expecting that he would be sent to Vietnam to work on Huey helicopters after graduation. God had something else in mind.

“Every two weeks, they graduated a class and 95 percent of that class went to Vietnam,” Burk said. “My class graduates, they posted our orders and every one of us were going to APO 96557. We looked at each other and asked, ‘Where is that?’

Vietnam was 96225.’” They asked their sergeant, who looked it up and told them: Hawaii. The Army was pulling its aviation assets out of Vietnam, slowly preparing for the end of the war.

Burk missed going to Vietnam by two weeks. “I was assigned to the 68th Medical Detachment, [part of the 25th Infantry Division], which was a helicopter ambulance unit,” he said, “so half our unit were aircraft with bullet holes in them. The others were new.”

Instead of repairing Hueys for battle, Burk received another assignment: Using the medical evacuation experience from Vietnam, he and others would partner with civilian emergency services to create something called Military Assistance to Safety and Traffic units.

“We had to come up with Standard Operating Procedures,” Burk said. “We had to figure out how to talk to the ambulance, fire department and police. Who does what when we fly civilians?

Where do we take them?” One day Burk’s superiors walked into his shack and handed him a hand-held Motorola radio with an order: “Burk, install this in the Huey.” He answered, “Where?

How?” They told him he would have to figure it out, so that was what he did. Little did he know that it was pretty much what he ended up doing for the rest of his career, just not for the Army.

The MAST unit was a great success, and Burk was awarded the Army Commendation Medal for the work he did there. Most importantly, MAST units paved the way for air ambulances that are commonplace in communities worldwide.

Burk enjoyed his time in the military and intended to make it a career, but his marriage and the arrival of three daughters altered those plans. After three years in Hawaii, they were sent to Ft. Riley, Kansas. Promotions for avionics mechanics dried up. He would have to make a hardship tour to Korea, so it was time to move on. In February 1979, Burk went to work for Delta, and he and his family moved to Atlanta. Working in avionics, his specialty, Burk spent time on all the concourses at what is now

Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport and a few years at the maintenance control center, which is where he was introduced to creating Minimum Equipment Lists, the business in which he finds himself today. An MEL is a manual that informs crews and maintenance teams about the steps to take to make an airplane airworthy, or legal to fly, when certain systems are not functioning properly. Obviously, the engine has to work, but other items that do not affect the plane’s ability to fly can be worked around.

“A simple example are the red and green lights on the wingtips,” Burk said. “If those aren’t working, can you fly? The regulations say, yes, you can fly during the daytime. They are not required. The MEL would read: ‘The position light may be inoperative, provided you don’t fly at night.’”

Burk was going to teach maintenance of the MD90, a new plane Delta had just bought. The Friday before training was to start, “someone” discovered there was no MEL. Burk was asked to pull a team together to write the MEL, get it published and approved by the Federal Aviation Association by the time the plane went into service in six weeks. They did it. Burk and his team also came up with a proprietary way of creating the MELs, including the pilot’s procedures from the maintenance manual in the MEL. “When Delta saw it, they realized they needed a group,” Burk said. “They got six of us together and formed an MEL group. We produced all the MEL texts for Delta in the new format, which they still use today. That’s how I got into the MEL business.”

2020 Spring Issue 49

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

“I love what I’m doing. Nothing turned out like I planned, and that’s a good thing.”

Aerodox CEO David Burk

Burk and three colleagues formed their own company in December 1999 to create MELs for small airlines or independent aircraft owners who did not have an MEL group. Initially called Dispatch Deviation Consulting, Inc., Burk bought out his partners by 2006, when he took early retirement from Delta.

By then, he had changed the name of the company to Aerodox.

The family business was growing steadily. Burk added employees, including two of his three daughters, Cheryl and Kristen.

“The game plan is for Kristen to take over my position,” Burk said. He encouraged her to get her pilot’s license, and she accompanies him to quarterly FAA Industry Group meetings in Washington. “She’s in the room on those discussions, so she can get the tribal knowledge.” Aviation remains a man’s world. “There are usually just one or two women in those meetings at the most, but she can hold her own,” Burk said. “She will do great.”

In 2018, Aerodox moved its offices to the Covington Municipal Airport. Fittingly, there are windows on three sides so Burk and his employees can see when planes arrive.

“I love what I’m doing,” he said. “Nothing turned out like I planned, and that’s a good thing.”

50 The Newton

LIVING

Clyde’s Essence

by NAT HARWELL

When Jennifer Morganthall lost her father in 2018, she commissioned local artist Don Troutman to help keep his memory alive by repurposing his cherished bomber jacket. The results far exceeded her expectations.

Jennifer Morganthall saw to it that a familiar piece of clothing, worn so faithfully that it became identified with the wearer, was transformed by a remarkable artist into a daily reminder of a loved one’s essence. The proprietor of J-Mo To Go in Covington, Morganthall was devastated by the 2018 death of her father, Clyde Yancey.

“He had meant so much to so many people,” she said, “and he did so much behind the scenes for folks such as widows or other residents of retirement homes in the area, like bringing them coffee; and he never sought the limelight or took praise for what he considered just doing his part to brighten someone else’s day.”

When her father passed, Morganthall came into possession of his bomber jacket, which was patterned after the famed World War II bomber jacket worn by United States Army Air Corps flyers in Europe. “Dad was never in the military,” Morganthall said, “but he loved that jacket. He wore it literally every day for 30 years. It became part of him, and he identified with it as much as anyone who saw the jacket coming their way knew that Clyde Yancey had arrived.” Following Yancey’s death, Morganthall sought ways to preserve the legacy of the jacket. However, she was baffled as to how to proceed beyond just her idea of wanting to do so.

“Then one day I happened to visit WildArt on Covington’s Square,” she said, “and there, I met a local artist by the name of Don Troutman, who everyone simply knows as ‘Trout.’ I was struck by the beauty of his craftsmanship and the wide range of projects he

54 The Newton

2020 Spring Issue 55

LIVING

“Dad was never in the military, but he loved that jacket. He wore it literally every day for 30 years.

It became part of him, and he identified with it as much as anyone who saw the jacket coming their way knew that Clyde Yancey had arrived.”

J-Mo to Go Owner Jennifer Morganthall

56 The Newton

displayed, so I asked him if he would consider looking at my dad’s jacket and see if, perchance, there was anything he could come up with to perpetuate it in a different way so that my daughters and other family members could have something to remember him by.”

Troutman was intrigued by Morganthall’s request.

“I asked to take a look at it,” Trout said, “and was immediately entranced by the way the leather fell and folded naturally. It was a 30-year-old piece of cowhide which had the feel and comfort of being a comfortable, worn, distressed jacket possessing a great vibe and character, but I just could not bring myself to imagine cutting into such a wonderful thing. Jennifer was insistent that I let my imagination take hold and see what I could come up with, so I agreed to give it a try.”

To say Troutman found some inspiration would be an understatement. From that one bomber jacket, he crafted enough unique articles to provide a reminiscence of Yancey to Morganthall, her mother, her two daughters, two nieces, four nephews and two brothers.

“I thought he might make, simply, some Christmas tree ornaments,” Morganthall said, “but when he called and asked me to come see what he’d come up with, I was just totally stunned.”

Indeed, Trout fashioned two purses, two bottle buddies, wristlets, four keychains, two necklaces with matching earring sets, wrist cuffs, two coasters, a leather catchall dish for keys and the piece de resistance—a leather apron for Morganthall emblazoned with her J-Mo To Go business logo.

“All of this from one jacket,” she said. “It is amazing.”

Clyde Yancey left quite a legacy for his family. Possessor of a law degree, he served as a private investigator and as an investigator for the DeKalb County Solicitor’s Office, from which he retired. Now his essence lives on in a special way, as each family member has a little piece of his favorite bomber jacket fashioned into something special by a local artist with a unique vision.

Don Troutman has exhibits at WildArt on The Square in downtown Covington. For more information on his works, he can be reached at 678-773-2854.

LIVING

by PATTY RASMUSSEN

A ‘QUIRKY’ TRIP DOWN MEMORY LANE Angie Johnson turned her childhood passion for metal lunchboxes into a museum-worthy collection that now features more than 200 items.

A line in Shakespeare’s Hamlet reads, “To thine own self be true,” or, in other words, be authentic. Standing in the middle of her Lunchbox and More Mini Museum—tagline “Getting Your Vintage On”—conveniently located in her garage, Covington resident Angie Johnson puts it another way: “When you have something like this [collection], your choice is to do something quirky like build a museum or sell everything on eBay, but I’m OK. I own my quirkiness. I don’t want to sell everything. I like it. It makes me happy. I want people to enjoy it instead of having it packed in the attic.”

From the time she was a little girl growing up in the 1970s, Johnson enjoyed browsing antique stores, tagging along with her mom on Saturdays. “I was in elementary school, probably first or second grade, and I would go with her,” she said. “I had my own little pocket money.” While her mom browsed the furniture section, Johnson looked through the toys and books and began buying items that interested her. When she was 11 years old, she saw her first metal lunchbox in an antique store. It depicted Goofy, the Walt Disney character.

“I remember thinking that was weird,” Johnson said. “Who would want a metal lunchbox? So, I passed it up.” However, it was not many months later that she began seeing more and more metal lunchboxes on antiquing ventures with her mom. “By then,

58 The Newton

I decided I liked them because I loved watching TV and all the lunchboxes had characters from TV, movies or cartoons,” Johnson said. “I think that’s why I was drawn to them.”

Metal lunchboxes at that time cost about $7, and she bought one. She can be forgiven for not remembering what was depicted on it, because now her collection contains more than 200 metal lunchboxes.

“I try to limit myself to [the years] 1950 through 1985 because that’s when they had the steel metal lunchboxes, and I wanted to contain it a little,” Johnson said. She collected all through school—even through high school when it would not have been considered “cool”—but slowed down in college when life became too busy. When she met her husband, Jeff, she figured it would be time to “grow up” and get rid of the collection of toys and lunchboxes. His response surprised her.

“He said he thought they were kind of cool,” she said. “That was all he had to say. I kept collecting and wonder if he would regret saying that now.”

The couple had the idea to turn her collection into a storefront museum in Porterdale around 2008, though it proved to be unfortunate timing with the start of the Great Recession.

The Johnsons hung in for as long as they could before closing and bringing everything back home.

By this time, the collection had grown to the point that Jeff said it was too much for their house. She asked if he would build a mini-museum in the garage where she could house the collection. “I tried to figure out how many displays I wanted and thought seven was the number the Lord likes in the Bible, the number of completeness,” Johnson said. She sorted the displays by decade of history; the other three are random vintage, school-themed and Christmas- and Easter-themed.

The first case holds items from 1950s and earlier, including her Hopalong Cassidy lunchbox—the first steel metal lunchbox created for children based on a television show. In addition to being a unique vintage display, the second, third and fourth cases trace the cultural history of the United States through children’s toys and games from the 1960s to the 1980s.

“I just thought it would be interesting to see how [culture] had changed because in the 40s and 50s, boys were boys and girls were girls,” she said. “Girls played with dolls and ironing

boards and teacups, copying mom. The boys were into cowboys and Indians because that was what was on TV.” Johnson noted a significant turning point that happened in the mid-1950s.

“There were already space toys and space lunchboxes, but when Sputnik went up in 1957, it really transformed the market,” she said. “Lunchboxes and toys reflected that.”

Eventually, even the music (disco) and fashion (bellbottoms) of the 1960s and 1970s made it onto lunchboxes. By then, many lunchboxes were made of vinyl. The last of the metal lunchboxes rolled off the line in the mid-1980s due to low sales and a group of vocal Florida moms who managed to get them banned.

“They were concerned because when kids got in fights at school, a metal lunchbox was often used to hit their opponent,” Johnson said, “so these moms tried to ban steel metal lunchboxes.

They started [their campaign] in the early 70s, and by 1985, they were successful.”

2020 Spring Issue 59

LIVING

Though Johnson does not have a favorite lunchbox in her collection, she remains partial to the western and space genres.

“The space themes are very hard to find,” she said. “I’m looking for one now and can’t find it.” Johnson eschews searching on eBay or other Internet sites—she prefers the thrill of the antique store hunt—and while some collectors pay hundreds or thousands of dollars for lunchboxes, she does not play in those realms.

“When I first started collecting, you could get a lunchbox for $7,” she said. “I fussed when they went up to $15, but today, $25 is the going rate for a common metal lunchbox.”

For now, she just wants to encourage people to enjoy what she has collected.

“If I ever won the lottery, I would love to have a lunchbox museum on The Square,” Johnson said, “but since I only buy a dollar ticket about once every two years, that’s probably out.

I basically decided that it’s kind of like Dorothy in ‘The Wizard of Oz.’ She said that the next time she wants adventure that she won’t look further than her own backyard, and I won’t look further than my own garage. But it’s OK. I’m happy there.”

Those who wish to talk about vintage toys and lunchboxes or arrange a visit to the museum can email Angie Johnson at bbfuzz@gmail.com.

60 The Newton

“I decided I liked them because I loved watching TV and all the lunchboxes had characters from TV, movies or cartoons. I think that’s why I was drawn to them.”

Vintage Lunchbox Collector Angie Johnson

LIVING

62 The Newton

The Aldridges

GOLD STANDARD The contributions Jerry and Lee Aldridge have made to their community can be quantified not in achievements or accolades but in the countless lives they have impacted through decades of selfless service.

by DARRELL HUCKABY

I stepped off a Trailways Silver Eagle motor coach on a hot August day in 1968 wearing a 21-day-old beard. I was freshly back from the most amazing adventure of my young life to Philmont Scout Ranch in New Mexico. The first person I saw was Mrs. A. “Look at that scruffy beard!” she said.

“Wait ’til you see your husband!” I responded.

Mrs. A would be Lee Aldridge. Her husband would be Jerry.

As a team, they are two of the most beloved and influential people in the history of Newton County, and as prone as I might be to exaggeration or hyperbole, there is not a smidgen of either in the previous declaration.

Mary Lee Costley Aldridge was born in Porterdale and raised on Hazel Street back when there were coal bins in every backyard. She met Jerry at Young Harris College. He worked in the kitchen, and she served tables. When Lee finished at Young Harris—then a two-year school—she matriculated at Georgia College in Milledgeville, while Jerry went to Georgia Southern in Statesboro. As soon as they both graduated, they married and took teaching jobs in Blackshear, his hometown. This was 1961.

Luckily for the citizens of Newton County, two years later, Principal Homer Sharp hired both of them at Newton County High School, Mrs. A to teach science and Jerry to teach math.

The rest, as they say, is history, and what a history the two have experienced—and made—in this community.

Lee became an instant icon at Newton. She loved her students, and they loved her back. She taught biology, served as cheerleader advisor and newspaper and annual staff advisor and worked almost every other job imaginable during an amazing career that spanned almost 40 years. Having been one of the “goony birds” in her classroom and also a colleague who taught next door to her—Hark a lark!—I can testify firsthand to her passion for working with young people, and I am one of thousands of people she has helped to mold.

The same could be said of Jerry, her husband of 58 years, who made the jump from classroom teacher to administrator at a young age, serving as principal at Mansfield and the old and

2020 Spring Issue 63

LIVING

“Jerry and Lee Aldridge are not just good people. They are the best, and we should all be glad they have lived their lives among us.”

Darrell Huckaby new Porterdale elementary schools. He even served a dual role one year as administrator at Porterdale and Washington Street schools. The fact that he was the only white faculty member at Washington Street made no difference to him, the faculty or the students and parents. While playing such an important role in the lives of other people’s children, Jerry and Lee raised three amazing and successful children of their own: sons Austin and Keith and daughter Cindy Aldridge Norton.

The impact that Jerry and Lee Aldridge had during their combined eight decades in the Newton County School System cannot be measured, but it is nice to know that the people have appreciated and acknowledged their service. Both have been named to the Newton County Educators Hall of Fame and were recently awarded the Newton County Board of Commissioners Chairmen’s Medal for meritorious service. The honors were explicitly deserved.

64 The Newton

When the Aldridges retired from education, they did not retire from service. Few people have been more involved in her community than Lee. She has worked tirelessly as a volunteer for the Newton County Hospital Auxiliary for more than two decades. In addition, she has been an active member and officer in the Georgia Federated Women’s Club and the Service Guild of Covington, as well as being on the executive board of Julia A. Porter United Methodist Church. She has also served as vice president of the Newton County Retired Educators and been involved in a plethora of other activities. Lee sits on the Covington Planning and Zoning Board, too.

Jerry also has a long list of memberships and leadership roles, including those with the Kiwanis Club and Lions Club. He teaches the Harvesters Sunday School class—Lee is president—at Julia A. Porter, but his real passion and perhaps his greatest contribution to the community can be found in scouting. Jerry has served as Scoutmaster of Troop 222 for more than 30 years and has produced a staggering 64 Eagle Scouts.

However, the long list of achievements and activities, separately or combined, is not what makes these wonderful people so special.

Mrs. A—I could never call her Lee—is special because when my friend’s mother died while he was still in college, he drove home from Dahlonega to sit in her science lab while she grieved with him. She is special because when a former student’s mother was dying, she came to the hospital to visit, bringing a ceramic angel to watch over her. She is special because her home was a safe haven for students who needed a place to be, even if they had rolled her yard a half-dozen times that month alone. She is special because the children of one of her former students did not think it was Christmas until Mrs. A had come to the back door to deliver Christmas books. Now multiply those things by a few thousand.

Jerry is special because he arranged for a kid who had never been west of the Chattahoochee River to travel to New Mexico and see the world. He is special because he has been willing to sleep on the cold wet ground for nights on end and push timid boys toward a goal, teaching them a lifetime of skills in the process. He was willing to mete out discipline and mercy fairly in a tough setting. Multiply those things exponentially.