rockdale news april 25th, 2015 v7 i2

visionsof rockdale county

2015

what's in store for the future of our county

rockdalenews.com Serving Rockdale County and Conyers

NEWSApril 25, 2015 Volume 7, Issue 2 $1the

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Janice and Tolbert Morris have been serving the community in some capacity since they came to Rockdale County 15 years ago, whether it’s starting a free health clinic or serving in law enforcement. Now, they’re looking at serving in a new way. The husband and wife team announced they are form-ing exploratory committees for two 2016 elected positions – Probate Judge for Tolbert and Clerk of State and Superior Courts for Janice.

Tolbert Morris, a Rockdale County Sheriff’s Of-fice courthouse deputy and former school board member, said, “We’re running because we see [po-sitions] we know we will be good at. We’re running because we think we can move that position for-ward, create new programs that are going to benefit

Continued MORRIS PAGE 15

By Michelle [email protected]

Husband, wife look at bid for Probate Judge and Clerk of Courts

Election 2016

Rockdale County resident Ben Sosby is fixated on the money.

Specifically, Sosby is concentrating on the Rock-dale County Public Schools (RCPS) finances and how it spends its funds.

This desire to have some input in the RCPS bud-get demands led Sosby to officially announce his intent to run for the Rockdale County Board of Ed-ucation (BOE).

“I just want to give the voters an opportunity on the ballot to have different people,” he said. “I’m very passionate about Rockdale County.”

Continued SOSBY PAGE 15

By Martin Rand [email protected]

Sosby running for school board, focus on budget

Election 2016Volunteers rolled up their sleeves and pulled on their rainboots as they got to work on 12 projects across the county for the fourth annual Hands Across Rockdale community service event Saturday, April 18, aided by Leadership Rockdale Class of 2015 and the Conyers-Rockdale Chamber of Commerce. Projects included community beautification, school garden installa-tion and assistance, playground improvements, painting/upgrades to senior homes, garden beds and more at Family Promise of Newrock, Rockdale Coalition for Children and Families, Rockdale County High, Conyers Middle, Refuge Pregnancy Center, Mercy Heart, Community Alliance United to Support Equality, Rockdale Career Academy, Rockdale Head Start and Rockdale County Animal Care and Control. Here are a few scenes. For more information, go to www.handsacrossrockdale.org

HANDS ACROSS ROCKDALE

Anthony Banks & Michelle Kim/The Rockdale News

INSIDE:

VISIONSThe progress of

Rockdale County

The News2 • Saturday, April 25, 2015

Office 770-787-6397FAX 678-253-5988

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the NEWS

BOC vOTiNg sessiONTues., April 28, 10 a.m., 901 Main st

ROCkdAle HOMeOwNeRs & CiviC AssOCiATiONs Coalition, Tues., April 28, 6 p.m., JP Carr Center, 981

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gA dOT OPeN HOuse wed., April 29, 5 p.m., at davis Middle school, 3375 east Fairview Rd, stockbridge; regarding roundabout on ga Hwy 138 & Fairview Rd

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East Metro Board of REALTORS®Pounding for Paws 5k Run/Walk

Saturday, June 27, 2015Time: 8am Fun Run, 8:30am 5K/WalKLocation: Conyers Olde Town Pavilion

949 South Main St ~ Conyers, GA$25 Per Person until June 19, 2015, $35 afterward and race day

Bring a bag of kitty litter or dog food and get $10 off race day registration.Medals for all under 14. Medals for top 3 Male & Female in

age groups (15-19,20-24,25-29, etc.)

For more information email [email protected] or770.787.3763 Proceeds will Benefi t Rockdale & Newton Animal Control

Make check payableto: EMBOR Box 1143Covington,GA 30015 Pets brought must be

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242071-1

sAleM PROM ROyAlTy

salem High school celebrated its 2015 Prom on April 18, 2015 at the ventanas event venue with a breathtaking view in downtown Atlanta. sHs crowned kayla demercado as Prom Queen and Austin samuel as Prom king. For more photos, go to ezellsstudios.comPhotos courtesy of Gary Ezell

Love to eat and try new restaurants? Come down to Conyers Main Street’s annual Taste of Conyers festival and Conyers Car Show by Red-line Events in Olde Town Conyers Saturday, May 2, 11 a.m. to 4 p.m.

The Taste of Conyers features local restaurants offering small samples of their specialties. One-dol-lar tickets will be available for purchase, with sam-ples ranging from $1 to $4 per sample. Restaurants scheduled to participate include: Beasley Drug Company, Cakes and Desserts, Celtic Tavern, Sugar Bakers, Rio’s Italian Ice, Gigi’s Place, House of Fine Foods, Atlanta Pizza and Gyro, Olde Town Bistro and Grill, Creamberry’s, Amici, The Chocolate Box, Sweet Row Cakes, Whistle Post Tavern, Mellow Mushroom, Frontera Mex-Mex Grill, Papa John’s, Dairy Queen, Awake Coffee Community, Milk and Brookies, Café Milano, Just Loaf ’N Poboys and My Life Style Smoothies.

Live entertainment includes Robby Parker, Karin Johnson, Don Cole, The Woodys Unplugged and the band ArenA.

Admission is free. For more information, 770-602-2606 or www.conyersmainstreet.com.

By Staff [email protected]

Taste of Conyers returns May 2

Most ViewedROCkdAleNews.COMApril 17-24

1Armed robbery at Cvs, suspect escapes

2Heart of a Champion: Michael Mills achieves

wheelchair suv pull for world record

3New principals of Memorial Middle, Hightower Trail

elementary named

The News Saturday, April 25, 2015 • 3

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With more money coming in from the state and growing student enrollment, Rock-dale County Public Schools (RCPS) is looking at adding more teachers and reinstating resources that were cut during the recession years for next year’s budget.

About $10.9 million more will be coming from the state. About $2.8 million of that is due to reduced austerity cuts, which means the state is pay-ing more of what is supposed to be allotted to the school sys-tem. About $4 million is from growing projected enrollment and equalization formulas.

RCPS is projecting 251 more students will enroll next year, which means about 23 more regular education posi-tions to be hired for the 2015-2016 school year.

And, after frozen salaries for the last three years, RCPS is aiming to give a salary in-crease of 3 percent for all em-ployees across the board.

During a school board bud-

get committee meeting Thurs-day, RCPS Finance Director Lee Davis expressed how glad he was to have good news to report after years of cuts.

The budget committee had started with five priorities – bring pay raises; restart RCPS contributions to the Alterna-tive Retirement plan, which RCPS participates in instead of Social Security; reinstate information technology posi-tions in schools or “intel sup-port”; reduce class size; bring back flex points for teacher and employee allotments.

There will be 13.5 intel sup-port positions added, which is critical for rolling out one-to-one technology to all students effectively and on schedule, Superintendent Rich Autry has said in the past.

After a hiccup with the school system’s learning man-agement software, My Big Campus, the school system is back on track to rolling out laptops to all RCPS high school students for the 2015-2016 school year. The software will be supported for at least one more year before the soft-

ware maker pulls the plug, giv-ing time for RCPS to find an alternative. In the meantime, RCPS will continue with the scheduled rollout of lap-tops and tab-lets.

Class size average will go down to 22.2, about 1.3 students down from the 23.5 aver-age in 2013.

What will not be reinstated this year are RCPS matching contributions to the Alternative Retirement plan. The committee “had a long discussion as to what is more important – a pay raise or retirement. That depends on how close to retirement you are,” said Davis.

But, “of the five priorities, we feel pretty good that we were able to get four of those and substantially do those.”

The millage rate is not an-ticipated to need to increase, even with these changes, said

Davis. He and city and coun-ty officials plan to meet next week to get a better look at lo-

cal digest pro-jections.

Part time c l a s s i f i e d employe es , who work less than 30 hours a week, were origi-nally going to lose their health insur-ance coverage from the state. Now, instead,

they can keep the health in-surance coverage but the cost for RCPS will go up by $150 per part-time employee per month, which will cost a to-tal of about $900,000 for the school system.

The school board budget committee will be meeting May 7, 5:30 p.m. to discuss the budget proposal in more detail in the conference room, before their regular work session at 7 p.m. in the main meeting room, both at 954 North Main Street.

Pay raises for all RCPS employees priority in budgetBy Michelle Kim

[email protected]

Briefs

Grey-haired robber hits CVSConyers Police are investigating an armed rob-

bery at the CVS Pharmacy at 1541 Ga. Highway 20, Conyers. Police recieved a call around 9:20 a.m. Thursday about a white male, described as being in his 50s, who walked in, handed the cashier a note implying he had a gun in his black and gray Volcom brand backpack and that he was robbing the store, says CPD Cpt. Jack Dunn. The cashier gave the suspect the till from the register; the man took off on foot. No one was injured. The gray-haired man was seen wearing a yellow T-shirt, West Va. hat, blue jeans, glasses; video at rockdale-news.com. Anyone with information on the suspect is asked to notify CPD Detective Buck Vaughn at 770-929-4233 or [email protected]

Conyers names new tourism directorThe City of Conyers is bringing aboard Terri

Haler, former Porterdale Main Street director, as Conyers’ new tourism director starting Monday. Haler has headed Porterdale Main Street since 2013, after working with Newton County’s tourism de-partment and volunteering with Covington’s Main Street program. Haler is replacing former Conyers tourism director Harriet Gattis, who retired in Jan-uary after nearly 20 years with the city.

The school board budget committee will be meeting May 7, 5:30 p.m. to discuss the budget proposal in more detail in the conference room, before their regular work session at 7 p.m.


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We welcome letters to the editor. Letters must be 350 words or less. They should be limited to issues of public interest and may be edited for content, grammar, spelling and length. • Mail: Editor, The News, 1009 Milstead Ave., Suite 200, Conyers, GA 30012 • Email: [email protected]

HAVE YOUR SAY

OpiniOnSaturday, April 25, 2015

RockdaleNews.com/opinion

Our Thoughts

EditorMichelle Kim

[email protected]

SalES dirEctorAnnette Godwin

[email protected]

comptrollErDebbie [email protected]

publiShErT. Pat Cavanaugh

[email protected]

circulation dir.Amanda [email protected]

dESign EditorSabastian Wee

[email protected]

the NEWS

Prom Season This is the time of year that

our precious children get a chance to celebrate life in and a special way that they will remember it for the rest of their lives.

Many of our children will be going to their first prom or special dance with their special someone. Since many young people aren’t reading these words we are directing these comments to parents and grandparents.

Remember how your prom was? If you were like many teens in those great days, we are sure there was some kind of booze consumed; if not, thanks for being so pure.

Our point is, have the talk, whether you think your child is the perfect angel or not. Tell your child that, if by chance they were having too much fun and are looking at having to drive home in a less than safe state, you will be glad to pick them up anywhere – no questions asked.

Tell them that if they might end up with someone or a group that chooses to break the law, to call you.

We want our Rockdale chil-dren to have fond memories of their prom, not tragic ones or ones that end up in the court system. Make sure they under-stand that you were young once and you want to make sure that they have the same conversa-tion with their children when the time comes.

Send pictures of your chil-dren dressed up for the ball to [email protected] and we will be glad to run them in our digital Wednesday paper.

Note: With the recent resignation of Georgia Association of Black Elected Officials leader and former Ga. House Rep. Tyrone Brooks, I looked up one of my older columns. I wrote this seven years ago when I was at that time the General Manager of the Covington News, I thought you might enjoy reading it.

Recently we were notified that the Covington News was to be honored by the GABEO (Georgia Association of Black Elected Of-ficials) at a conference to be held at Savannah State University for our coverage of the murders at the Moore’s Ford Bridge in Mon-roe, between Walton and Oconee counties.

Our award-winning reporter Rachel Oswald wrote a piece in the July 29, 2007 edition of the paper describing, in great detail, these gruesome murders.

Molly and I attended the lun-cheon banquet on Saturday. Since we didn’t know anybody, we were a little apprehensive. By the time we left the luncheon, we were not only in awe of the folks we were with but had tears in our eyes after hearing story after story of courage and determination from a group of people, who were not only a part of history but made history.

We also had the honor of sitting with a living civil rights legend, the Rev. Dr. Fred Shuttlesworth.

Dr. Shuttlesworth led the Bir-mingham, Ala. civil rights march in 1963. It was he who invited Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and Dr. Ralph David Abernathy, among others, to help him and his fellow residents of Birmingham, Ala. to take a walk with him – a walk so special that it changed history and brought about the two most im-

portant Civil Rights bills of our time.

I grew up in southern Maryland in sort of a sheltered environment. So I did not see the in-humanity and atrocities that were happening around our country. As a teenager, I can remem-ber watching news cov-erage of the Birmingham march on a black and

white television. Its picture tube was so bad you had to squint to see the action that was squeezed into the middle of the screen.

I saw the dogs and the water cannons. I saw people like Dr. Fred go down and get right back up, and I saw police with batons beating men, women and chil-dren indiscriminately. After that, I did nothing but go back and live in my own sheltered, protected life.

Since that time, I have had the chance to see with my own eyes – and to have personally experi-enced – some of this inhumanity. But nothing like the Moore’s Ford Bridge massacre.

That is why Saturday, as I lis-tened to stories of the intense ha-tred by some human beings, I was filled with humility. These stories came from the people who lived through the dark times. People who were treated unjustly only because of the color of their skin.

As I watched Dr. Fred, who has had a brain tumor and a stroke, sit in his wheel chair smiling at each person who came up to touch him or to hug him and share a quick story, I didn’t see the little figure that I saw so many years ago on the television. I was now looking at and sitting close to a giant of a human being.

I felt strength, courage and character surge through that room as person after person spoke of their own experiences and their positive vision of the future.

I feel in my heart that a major-ity of people in this county did not condone the inhumanities that were poured upon African Americans for more than 200 years, but we did encourage such behavior by doing noth-ing. By doing so we allowed hate-filled peo-ple – like the ones who bru-tally murdered four people and one unborn child on that hot summer day more than 60 years ago – to commit one of the most hei-nous crimes in Georgia history without fear of punishment.

I just can’t imagine, and I pray you can’t either, the hate that drove these ignorant people to commit such an atrocity.

There was no question that one of the Moore’s Ford Bridge 4, Rog-er Malcolm, stabbed a prominent white resident. He was out on bail and needed to be tried by the jus-tice system – not by an angry mob of hatemongers.

The worst part is that after the murders, the mob could boldly and proudly resume their lives.

I have no doubt that people who can show such cowardice were and are the first ones in the door at their local churches every week. Even worse are their neigh-bors and families who know that their family members did this ter-rible act but were and are afraid to come forth with information.

For 60 plus years, no one has been brought to justice for the murders.

Georgia House Representa-tive Tyrone Brooks, the head of

GABEO, who himself spent a cou-ple of weeks in the Covington jail protesting in the 1970’s, told the assembled group Saturday that Dr. Martin Luther King promised that

he would come to Walton and Oconee coun-ties to seek justice for the murders. Dr. King’s promise was made be-fore he took his infamous trip to Memphis to be a part of a sanitation workers rally – it was a trip Dr. King did not return from.

The good news is that this case is now reopened. There is a

$35,000 reward being offered for information leading to the arrest of the perpetrators of this bloody crime.

There is a belief that at least two of the hate-filled mob may still be alive.

Personally, I don’t care how old they are or how loving to their families they may be now, they should still be punished.

If you know something about this crime, please have the cour-age and decency to come forth. It is not too late nor is the crime too old for justice to be done.

If you have any information, contact the FBI the GBI or local law enforcement officials in Wal-ton or Oconee counties.

This is a case in our history that deserves to be brought to justice and a proper close.

T. Pat Cavanaugh is the publish-er of The News. You can reach him at 770-787-6397 or [email protected].

thoughtS oF a babY boomEr

Bringing history to justice

T. Pat Cavanaugh

Publisher

I saw the dogs and the water cannons. I saw people like Dr. Fred go down and get right back up, and I saw police with batons beating men, women and children indiscriminately. After that, I did nothing but go back and live in my own sheltered, protected life.

“


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It’s more than a coffee shop.It’s a coffee community.The new store, which opened

in Olde Town Conyers this week, is a nonprofit mission ministry of Awake Coffee Community In-ternational, said co-owner Noelle Cosby.

“We decided to create an orga-nization to support the local com-

munity, an outreach with a heart for loving people,” she said. “We’re an organization of people who believe in Jesus and want to bring light and life to the community.”

Before the shop opened in Olde Town, Cosby said, her partners and she spent two-and-a-half years building relationships with the community. That included becoming a Rockdale County schools work-based approved learning site as well as partnering

with the home school community.The efforts to connect with

others in Rockdale County paid off. Over 70 people attended the opening on April 21, Cosby said.

“It’s been a wild ride,” she said. “[The people of] Rockdale Coun-ty [have] truly invested in this project and it belongs to them.”

The coffee house is a mis-sion-based ministry, Cosby said.

By Sandra [email protected]

Awake opens coffee community in Conyers

Continued on PAGE 7

(ABOVE) George Hamelin pours a slow pour coffee with Sam Lund watching. (TOP RIGHT) The community coffee shop, a mission-based ministry, opened on April 21.

Submitted/The Rockdale News

RELIGION

“Jason [her husband] and I strong-ly believe in Christ, but found that traditional church ministry didn’t work for us. We love the church, but there are many people in this and other communities who wouldn’t walk into a church, but who would come here.”

And while she says they do not force their spiritual beliefs on oth-ers, they are there to listen. That’s one of the reasons Awake Coffee Community serves coffee made in a French Press or a Full Immer-sion Pour Over.

“It takes time to craft coffee, so the staff has time to build re-lationships with customers and with the community,” Cosby said. “The volunteer staff is trained to serve people. Our faith is there, but it’s more important to serve the community.”

Staff also take time to explain what type of coffee is being cre-ated. The coffee is purchased through Safe House Coffee Roasters, a nonprofit organiza-tion in Griffin, GA. They, in turn,

are supplied by Thrive Farmers, which buys directly from farm-ers primarily in Central and South America. The coffee itself is ordered, roasted within a two week period.

Awake Coffee Community also sells coffee beans, loose-leaf tea and baked goods. The organiza-tion is also committed to helping local artists and performers by providing gallery space on the wall, displaying crafted items

and offering live music and open mike nights.

“We’re looking for local artists and musicians,” Cosby said. “If anyone’s interested in perform-ing or displaying art, they should contact me.”

Cosby partners with her hus-band, Jason, who works as a digi-tal developer for the Rockdale and Covington newspapers; Nat and Kara Hogg; Alec and Sarah Smith; Sam Lund, and Angel Henry.

“There’s such an issue in our communities with loneliness,” said Jordan Kelecheck, 17, a home school student volunteer-ing at the coffee shop. “This is a great, safe place for people to come build relationships.”

Cosby said they hope the

success of the coffee house will inspire others in small towns around the country to open sim-ilar venues. Currently, she said, she is talking with the pastor of an Oxford, Ga., church who is interested in creating a similar coffee house in his community.


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We teach ages 4 years - 18 years old,we also offer Drama classes,Beginners Gymnastics and

Private coaching for Dance competitions,Performing Arts Schools, etc.

Our 4th annual recital will be held atConyers Middle School in Rockdale County

Saturday, May 16th, 2015 at 6PM!We will showcase routines that include

Ballet, Jazz, Tap, African and Hip Hop Dance.

Registration for the JDE 2015-2016 school year begins online 5/16/15.Visit www.jenaesdanceexperience.com for more details!!!

So You Think You Can Dance?!?!?As seen at The Fox Theater, Rockdale news channels

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AWAKEFrom PAGE 6


Saturday, May 9th10am-2pm rain or shine

GA DNR staff will assist kids with archery, fi shing, fl y casting,

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charlieelliottwildlifecenter

Wacky and weird, “The Sugar Bean Sisters,” The New Depot Players’ latest production opens this week at the Paula Vaughn Black Box Theater on Center Street in Conyers.

It’s a wild comedy written by Nathan Sand-ers, combining combines swamps, snakes, sisters and spacemen.

The convoluted plot starts with the Nettle sisters, Faye (Judith L. Beasley) and Willie Mae (Cyndi Evans), returning to their home in Sugar Bean, Fla., after a trip to Disney World. One sister, the mannish Faye, is pre-paring for the return of the “spacemen,” and dreams of being abducted. The other, the girlish Willie Mae, longs to travel to Salt Lake City to find a good Mormon husband.

The arrival of Videllia Sparks (Nancy Pow-ell), a feather-bedecked lounge singer from New Orleans, propels the story forward and it soon becomes apparent that she is after Willie Mae’s “grapefruit fortune.” The Reptile Woman (Angie Short), who serves as some-thing of a Greek chorus, and Bishop Crum-ley (Scott Mills) round out the cast. Comedy plays against the emotional drama of sisters

struggling to escape one another for some-thing better.

While the story might have been absurd, the actors created believable characters, at once funny and sad. The set was exquisite, capturing the atmosphere of a spooky swamp at night, reminiscent of the opening leg of “The Pirates of the Caribbean” ride at Dis-neyland and Disney World, complete with phosphorescent stars twinkling against a night sky backdrop and the chirping of crick-ets in the background.

Directed by Cathe Hall-Payne, “The Sug-ar Bean Sisters,” runs Thursday through Saturday, April 23 through 25 and April 30 through May 2 at 8 p.m.; and Sunday, April 26 and May 3 at 3 p.m. It is one of five pro-ductions being presented during The New Depot Players’ 39th season. Tickets are $20 for adults; $16 for seniors, 65 and older.

Auditions for the Players’ next produc-tion, The Greater Tuna, will be held Sunday and Monday, April 26 and 27, at the Paula Vaughn Black Box Theater, 910 Center St., Conyers, at 7 p.m. The play is scheduled to run July 16 through 26.

Upcoming productions scheduled for the 2015 season include “Nuncrackers,” and “The

Last Night of Ballyhoo.” Audition and perfor-mance information is available on the New Depot Players’ web site, http://thenewdepot-players.com

NDP’s Sugar Bean Sisters a sweet timeRed Carpet Review

By Sandra [email protected]

Karen Wink/The Rockdale News

Event Calendar

SATURDAY, APRIL 25

Astronomy Paddle8:30-10 p.m.; Hard Labor Creek State Park, Rutledge; paddle and view the sunset, night sky, constellations; Reg-istration required; $15 and $5 parking; 706-557-3001.

Salem UMC BBQ Chicken Dinner10 a.m-4 p.m., Salem UMC, 3962 Salem Rd., Covington; free car wash with BBQ Chicken Dinnner of1/2 baked chicken, baked beans, cole slaw, chips and bread served from 11:30 a:m-2 p.m for $8 per plate. Desserts additional; 770-786-6027.

Peachtree Academy Open House10 a.m. - noon; Conyers Cam-pus at 1801 Ellington Road, Conyers, Early Childhood Education and Pre-K-5th; Cov-ington Campus at 14101 Hwy 278, Covington, Pre-K-12th

Atl. Deliverance Tabernacle Luncheon2 p.m.; at Putter’s Restaurant at the Oaks Course at 11240 Brown Bridge Road, Coving-ton; Atlanta Deliverance Tab-ernacle will host a luncheon

SHS ‘High School Musical’7 p.m. April 23-25, 3 p.m. April 25-26; at Salem High School; Salem Thespians stages Dis-ney’s “High School Musical” as its spring musical; tickets $7 adults, $5 students/senior citi-zens; 770-929-0176x34242 or [email protected]

NDP Play “Sugar Bean Sisters”8 p.m., April 23-25; 3 p.m. April 26; directed Cathe Hall, at 910 Center St; 678-374-3224, www.thenewdepotplayers.com

TUESDAY, APRIL 29

Rockdale Retired Educators Association11:30 a.m.; at Rockdale Baptist Church, 1295 Smyrna Road; Heritage High School Jazz Band will perform; Reser-vations required for lunch; Helen 770-483-6808

THURSDAY, APRIL 30

Mobile Food PantryNoon - 4 p.m.; 1400 Parker Rd; Resource Center for Community Action; free food for anyone in need; 678-288-5433 x101


You’ll be Floored with The Shack Out Back

Rob and Staci Lowder invite the public to the opening of their vintage antique shop, The Shack Out Back. Located in the back of Floor Creations, the store beckons you to take a closer look. Rustic tin roofing lines the walls, neon signs light corners and antique signs surround the eclectic array of pristine furniture, toys, and vintage car parts. Staci said,” It’s a little bit man cave, a mix of Americana and a chance to sample local crafts.”

After almost 20 years of marriage, the high school sweethearts consider themselves “avid an-tiquers.” Their farm in Monticello has been a ha-ven for all of their vintage finds. However, they have always dreamed of opening an antique shop in Rockdale County. Rob has owned and run Floor Creations on Sigman Road for the past seven years. The couple brainstormed ways to convert the rest of the building into an antique shop.

In January, they decided to make their dream come true. Staci, a for-mer mammography technologist at Rockdale Medical Center, devoted herself full-time to working on the store. Estate sales and auction trea-sures began to build their inventory. The couple grew excited as the space was gradually transformed.

A chance encounter in North Carolina changed everything. Staci said, “We were visiting our relatives in Clayton and saw an antique store right across the Georgia state line. Every time that we went by, it was closed.” A second trip increased their curiosity when they saw “Going Out of Business.”

Staci wanted to see more. A closer look revealed a small handwrit-ten note that said, “For deliveries, call Bryan.”

After calling, she found out that Bryan owned the North Carolina family business with his father-in-law, Steve Anglin. Steve had been ready to retire and his wife, Lisa, had been eager to travel. So, of course, Staci and Rob got a private tour of the shop. After a while, Rob looked

at Steve and asked, “How much do you want for ev-erything in the store?”

The question took all of them by surprise. The Anglins’ store had been a lifelong love. It was very important to Steve and Bryan to decide on a fair price. A deal was soon made and the rest, you could say, was history.

The families became close as they moved the en-tire collection of antiques to the Lowder’s store in Conyers. Bryan went above and beyond offering his time, extensive knowledge, and muscle pow-er to get the merchandise carefully loaded. Staci said, “Without all of their help, we would not have been ready. We really want to pay tribute to each of them.”

The feeling seems mutual. On The Shack Out Back’s Facebook review page, Lisa Anglin wrote, “Staci and Rob have become our forever friends. I hope that you give their business a shot. Our family wishes them the best of luck and great success. Go see them. You won’t be disappointed. Best wishes, Steven and Lisa Anglin, Bryan and Kelli Green.”. The Anglins and the Greens spent lots of time teaching Rob and Staci the many mysteries and marvels of their per-sonal collection.

One of Staci’s goals is to showcase local artists. For instance, Kathy Cuiffi, who owns Heartscapes Studio Gallery in Covington, displays her beautiful paintings. Debbie Hilty designs repurposed treasures with the art of metal tooling. Eileen Lowder Murray restores furniture and gives it new life with lots of character.

Rob and Staci are both very excited for the opportunity to build and craft as well, focusing on pallet art and black pipe artwork.

The result is a charming store, filled with a little bit for everyone. The store promises to be a real hit. Visit their Facebook page, website, or better yet, their store. Bring your friends. Bring your neighbors, and help get the word out about the one of a kind, Shack Out Back.

By Lisa HetzeL

Shack Out Back

Address:2085 Sigman rd, Conyers (behind Floor Creations)

Phone:770-530-6429

Website:www.theshakoutbak.com

Hours of Operation:Tues-Sat, 10 a.m. – 5 p.m.

(top) The Lowders ended up buying most of the items of the Anglins’ and Greens’ store in North Carolina. (Bottom) The Shack Out Back takes up most of the back half of the warehouse at Floor Creations on Sigman Road. (Photos by Darrell Everidge, Submitted)

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A Veteran’s Story

November 28, 1972 - Udorn AFB, Thailand: The F-4 Phan-tom jet lifts off with Captain Jack Harvey at the controls. Flight surgeon Major Bobby Jones rides in the backseat. Major Jones is on the non-combat ‘hop’ to Da Nang, Vietnam, for one reason, to log the needed hours to main-tain his flight surgeon status. The flight is uneventful until about 18 miles out from Da Nang. Some-thing has gone horribly wrong in the vicinity of cloud-covered Bach Ma Mountain.

The F-4 suddenly disappears from the radar screen at Da Nang. Emergency signals are heard in the area but rescue efforts are thwarted by heavy monsoon rains and enemy activity. Three days pass before search teams comb the rugged mountain ter-rain. They can find no signs of the two airmen; Jack Harvey and Bobby Jones are never heard from

again. Now begins a vexing and heartbreaking journey, a journey experienced by the families and loved ones of military personnel declared MIA: ‘Missing in Action’. Bobby Jones’ sister, Jo Anne Shir-ley, lives with a broken heart yet continues a frustrating journey in search of the truth from an un-caring bureaucracy, red tape, and indifferent politicians. This is her story… and her brother’s.

Jo Anne recalls, “I was a 25 year old teacher at the time and my husband was in medical school in Augusta. My class was on the playground when my husband showed up at the class door. I knew something was wrong. He said two military men showed up at my mother’s door in Macon but she had refused to let them speak until dad got home. Dad rushed home, and that’s when my parents were informed that Bobby was flying backseat in an F-4 when it disappeared and was now listed as missing in action.”

Bobby Jones did his internship

at Salem Hospital in Dallas. His low draft number and fear of being pulled out of residency by Uncle Sam influenced a decision to join the Air Force as a Flight Surgeon. Jo Anne continued, “My husband and I were in Dallas before Bob-by reported for deployment. Our family spent July together and we had a great time. Bobby left in September. I received a couple of letters from Bobby and I sent a package of goodies. That package came back unopened. I still keep that unopened package in a spe-cial room for my brother. Bobby had been in Southeast Asia for two months.”

The long ordeal had just begun. “We tried to stay positive, praying he would at least be accounted for; that he would come home one way or the other. After a year we learned about the National League of POW-MIA families or-ganized in 1970. The government didn’t tell us about it, they didn’t want us to know, didn’t want the families to be organized and put-

ting pressure on the government. Mom and Dad attended their next meeting. When they returned, Dad said, ‘We will never miss a meeting. Those people under-stand what we’re going through.’ So I told my husband, ‘start saving your money, we’re going too.’ I’ve been to every meeting since.”

Jo Anne’s mother stopped at-tending the meetings two years ago; she is now 98 years old. Her dad passed in 1994. Jo Anne continued, “We moved back to Georgia and got very active in the League. I ran for the board of di-rectors and served for 18 years, 15 of those years as chairman.”

The government will pay to fly two family members to Washing-ton, D.C. each year. The families pay for their own rooms and per-sonal expenses. Jo Anne describes the trip, “At least 14 congressio-nal offices hear me pounding on their doors. About 50 percent of them care; the others refuse to meet with me. I still visit their offices and talk to support per-

sonnel, anyone there whose ear I can bend. My best supporter was Nathan Deal when he was a con-gressman. He always met with me. Even today if I need his support, Nathan is there. General West-moreland came to meetings and Newt Gingrich never missed one. I also met with Congressman Paul Broun. I introduced myself. He said, ‘You’re Bobby Jones’ sister, aren’t you?’ I asked how he knew. He replied, ‘Bobby and I attended medical school together. We were golfing buddies, good friends. Let’s sit down so you can tell me how to help you.’ A handful of politicians have been incredibly kind, productive; they are the real stand-up type of representative.”

Next week: Jo Anne’s journey takes her around the globe.

Pete Mecca is a Vietnam veter-an, columnist and freelance writer. You can reach him at [email protected] or aveteransstory.us

By Pete [email protected]

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Northern Oklahoma College coach Donnie Jackson saw Rockdale’s Dwayne Brown play at an unsigned senior showcase and knew he had to have the young talent. Jackson expressed his interest in Brown and eventually made an offer which Brown accepted and made official on Wednesday by signing his letter of intent to become a Tonkawa Maverick. Brown was named Co-MVP of the NewRock All-Star game just hours later after he was the second leading scorer on the team with 20 points. Brown is a Division-l talent playing varsity for the first time in high school career due to a back injury that sidelined him for his sophomore and junior years. Jackson has sent a lot of his players to play Division-l and Brown will likely follow in their footsteps.

Brown signs with Northern Oklahoma

Rockdale County edged Newton out in three of the five All-Star events on Wednesday evening, as the Rockdale girl All-Stars won their game while representatives of Salem (Shay Tarver) and Heritage (Rashad Jones) won the girls and boys three-point contests respectively. Eastside’s own Timothy Haynes won the dunk contest with a high-fly-ing slam over two Alcovy players and the NewRock boys All-Star game ended in a tie after overtime. Ayanna Mitchell was named MVP of the girls All-Star game where she totaled 18 points. Rockdale’s Dwayne Brown and Newton’s Malik Wilson were named Co-MVPs of the boys All-Star game. Brown finished with 20 points (17 in the first half) while Wilson led Newton with 21 points, making five threes. From left to right: Dwayne Brown, Ayanna Mitchell, Shay Tarver, Rashad Jones, Timothy Haynes and Malik Wilson.

Salem High School’s Rocky Mauriello (baseball) received the 2015 Vincent J. Dooley Award for the male Student Athlete of the Year and softball player Peyton Mitchell received the female Student Athlete of the Year Award. The Dooley Awards are named in honor of Vince Dooley, a man who embodies all of the characteristics of an athlete and role model of excellence. The Dooley Awards are presented to one boy and one girl in every high school for their character and leadership both on and off the field and for their contributions to sports and society. The Vincent J. Dooley Award and Scholarship is presented annually by Athletes for a Better World and the Georgia High School Association. Each year, every high school in Georgia is invited to select one male and one female senior athlete to receive the Dooley Award. The award recipients are chosen for their distinguished individual charac-ter, outstanding teamwork, and citizen-ship. Peyton Mitchell could not attend the ceremony.

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Salem athletes win 2015 Vincent Dooley Award

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the people… We’re going to help Rockdale County be successful in every way we can. We’ve done that in the past and we’re going to continue to do that,” said Tolbert. “Let the people know that… we’re serving their interest, not our own self-interest.”

Janice, currently the outreach service coordinator for Oakhurst’s Conyers clinic for the uninsured, said “It’s time. We have been do-ing this for years. We are to the point where, why not. We can do the job. Anytime someone wanted something from the courthouse, hospitals, who do they call? Janice and Tolbert. We reach all of Co-nyers-Rockdale.”

Tolbert said his background in law enforcement, working in the courthouse and previously serving as a bailiff for Superior Court Judge David Irwin has given him a good background in working with peo-ple and resolving problems – one of the tasks of the Probate Judge.

“I want to see that office become respectful again,” he said.

Janice said she has had experi-ence in administration and team building for most of her working life. She was a supervisor for eight out of the 11 years she worked for Cigna, she said. “Project manage-ment is my background and health-care record keeping… I’m a vision-ary. I get the job done. I’m hands on. I keep my records straight.”

She also pointed out the incum-bent Clerk of Courts Ruth Wilson and other predecessors did not have a legal background when they took office.

Tolbert previously served in elected office as a member of the Rockdale County school board from 2005-2009 when he ran un-opposed for Post 1 in 2004. During that time, the school board hired Rockdale’s first black Superinten-dent, saw the opening of Rock-

dale Career Academy and made Adequate Yearly Progress under the former No Child Left Behind federal mandate. He also gave up working as a deputy during that time, despite the strain on the fam-ily’s finances, in order to serve on the school board when he learned he could not serve under two oaths in the same county. In 2012, he had also announced a bid to run for Sheriff but withdrew that bid.

The Morrises are co-founders of the Helping Hands free health clin-ic and afterschool program located in Lakeview Estates. They estimate they’ve given away more than 1,000 computers through the technology effort of the nonprofit.

Although it may seem early to announce for 2016, they said they wanted to be first out the gate in or-der for Rockdale residents to have time to get to know them and to make sure they have support and commitment in the community. Residents had asked them to run for various seats before, they said, but they felt for themselves that this was the right time to run.

“When you see a need, you don’t sit back,” said Tolbert. “When you have the desire to move on some-thing, you don’t sit back and wait to move.”

“What we want to do now, we want to continue to serve Rockdale County. We decided to run togeth-er so that we could double our ef-forts,” said Tolbert. Their working slogan is, “Doubling our efforts to help Rockdale County succeed.” However, the couple was quick to point out the campaigns would be separate and if elected each office and role would be separate. “Hus-bands and wives will discuss, but I have my position and she has her position,” he said.

Janice and Tolbert said they have been in contact with former officials who have served in those positions, and Tolbert said he had a conversation with the current Probate Judge Charles Mays Sr. about this bid. Though they both work in the county courthouse, the relationship remains cordial, he said.

“I know everyone there. We’ve been cordial. They know me. That’s not going to change. Who I am now is who I am going to be then.”

The Morrises attend Springfield Baptist Church and have four adult children and three grandchildren who live out of the county. They can be reached at [email protected] or [email protected]


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The school board has five seats that are up for grabs in 2016, including Post 1 Mandy North, Post 2 Bradley Smith, Post 3 Wales Barksdale, Post 4 Sharon Parr and Post 5 Tony Dowdy.

The 27-year-old Sosby plans to occupy Dowdy’s chair. He says that his main focus, if elected to the board, will be raising the sal-aries of teachers and making any necessary cuts to the budget to improve efficiency.

However, he also plans to lis-ten intently to the needs of the community and do his best to satisfy their request.

“I’ll be an advocate for Rock-dale County,” said Sosby, who is

a lifelong resident of Rockdale County and graduated from Heritage High School. “Even-tually throughout the year, I’m going to go around and (ask civilians) what you need for the school system because I want to hear from them. I want to get out and see what the citizens want for the school system.”

He added that he is running in case Dowdy doesn’t run. “I want to keep the leadership that we have here, to keep it going.”

Sosby has never held a public office and currently works at a Kroger in Covington as a cashier.

He says he’s been working on political campaigns since 2012, and last year, he assisted on three separate campaigns. He has aspirations to one day be a Georgia senator.

Sosby can be contacted at 678-634-7719.

MORRISFrom FRONT PAGE

SOSBYFrom FRONT PAGE


Saturday, May 2nd

PGB Exclusives!New PBG Apparel for SaleFood and Drink SpecialsKeno SpecialsMerchandise Giveaways*Cornhole, Weather Permitting

52 South Broad St.Porterdale, GA 30014

Promo Girls4pm-6pm

Tijuana Sweet Heat

6pm-8pm

Bud Light

8pm-10pm

Bird Dog Whiskey

10pm-12am

Jäger

Live Music2pm-6pm

Grayz n Bluz

9pm-1am

Seminole Jackson

Guest Bartender:

Shannon Perkins

rockdale news april 25th, 2015 v7 i2

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