It’s most refreshing to know that County Manager Jim Carter called a timeout at the last Tift County Commissioner’s meeting. The pause could save our tax dollars.



Time out



Commissioners were about to spend lots of money for an improvement to the existing 911 emergency system, when the county manager asked for more time to study a cheaper solution.

The commissioners had discussed the upgrade at their monthly workshop. At the official monthly meeting, the county manager felt more time was needed to fully explore a newly found alternative.

Some managers might feel tempted to let the original proposal slide for fear that it might make them look less than favorable in his bosses’ eyes if he asked for additional study time.

Thank goodness Jim didn’t feel that way. He may recommend the purchase of the original solution. If he does, we can feel confident that we’ll get our tax money’s worth.



Wall help

The Vietnam Moving Wall, a replica of the one in Washington, D.C., comes to Tifton in October, but it encompasses much more than an exhibit.

Susan L. Tucker visited the Moving Wall when it traveled to Douglas and wants the visit here to be much more special.

Why spend all her time, energy and effort in bringing the replica here?

She said some Vietnam veterans will never see the original wall because of deteriorating health. She knows one vet with failing eyesight that prevents him from traveling, and he’s really looking forward to finding names of friends on the traveling Wall.

Susan wants any information on any Tift County resident whose name is on the Wall in Washington and information on any Vietnam veteran who lives in Tift County. She doesn’t want their service forgotten.

She needs volunteers to help veterans find names on the Wall when it comes in late October.

Like any other project, she needs money for the Wall’s visit, $8,000, to cover expenses. She doesn’t make any money. It’s a huge labor of love and appreciation.

Call Susan at: 229-848-6113 or e-mail her at: susantucker@mchsi.com.

She needs the help.



Children’s Art Show Entries

Nothing beats the many pleasant feelings children get when they proudly show their creations publicly and they get a rare opportunity in a few weeks.

Mary Ann Cox coordinates the Love Affair Children’s Art Exhibit that includes awards and prize money, but she’s concerned that parents don’t realize the exhibit opens Saturday, April 26.

School age children can show their original paintings and drawings at the Tifton Museum of Arts and Heritage.

The exhibit includes a new category. The City of Tifton sponsors "What I Like Best About Tifton."

For more information about rules, deadlines and other information: 382-5412.



Idol Reunion

Rarely do I get thrilled, but I did recently when I got to visit with my boyhood idol. Forty-five years and zillions of miles passed since we saw each other last.

He would pick me up at 5:45 a.m. on Sundays and take me with him to sign on the local radio station. It was a thrill.

I got religious broadcast tapes ready for airing and gospel music songs ready for playing. He sat in a nearby office working on various projects while I sat at the controls of radio heaven.

We grew right close. He taught me to look outside the immediate area and see the big picture, to see the state, the country, the world without leaving home. He encouraged me to read a variety of sources, especially magazines.

He taught me to get a good education outside the geographical area. I did. I’m very proud to have graduated from Northwestern University.

I read in the local newspaper that he would speak at the local chamber of commerce’s annual meeting and I immediately got a ticket. I would have been satisfied to have literally stood in the back to hear him, but it didn’t happen.

The banquet’s organizers sat me right beside his wife and within earshot of my idol. We immediately picked up where we left off almost a half-century ago.

He gave a speech about succeeding in business, but few really knew how far he had come from a sandwich maker at a local drugstore to heading the world’s largest casual dining restaurant company with $4 billion in sales yearly, employing 175,000 people.

Just like 45 years ago, I learned a lot from what he had to say, and I hope I conveyed my appreciation to him about what he ment to me.

I gave him a page-and-a-half thank-you note about what I learned from the association and specifically how I followed his advice.

He said that his eyes got watery when he started to read it, and he had a speech to deliver, and would read it later.

I don’t know if we’ll ever have contact again, and it doesn’t matter. The contact I’ve had helped create a thrilling life.