Friday, Dec. 21, 2018
Tifton, Georgia
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TIFT SCHOOL BOARD NAMES NEW SUPERINTENDENT
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The
Tift County Board of Education
has named
Adam Hathaway
as the
sole finalist
to serve as
Tift County Schools superintendent
upon the
retirement
of current Superintendent
Patrick Atwater
.
Atwater earlier this year announced his intention to
retire on
June 30 after serving as superintendent for
13 years.
Hathaway
is currently superintendent in
Schley County
. He is a graduate of
Clinch County High School
and joined the
U.S. Army
after graduation, serving in the
101st Airborne Division
.
He has a
bachelor’s
and
master’s
degree in English education from
Valdosta State University
and has a
specialist degree
in educational leadership from
VSU
.
Hathaway
has taught and coached in
Cook, Berrien and Ben Hill
counties and has served in
administrative
roles in both
White
and
Gilmer
counties. His wife,
Heather
, is also an
educator
, and they have two children,
Archer
and
Sariah
.
“My family and I are
looking forward
to becoming part of the
Tift County community
. I am excited about the future of
Tift County Schools
and can’t wait to officially become a
Blue Devil
,”
Hathaway
said in a press release.
Hathaway’s appointment will become
final
after a
state law
-mandated
14-day
public comment period has passed. The board plans to take
official
action in
January
.
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LOCAL RACING LEGEND
EDDIE MacDONALD DIES
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Edward “Eddie” MacDonald Sr
., 88, of
Tifton
,
a
lifetime member
of
The Living Legends of Auto Racing,
died
Tuesday
at his residence.
He had been
inducted
into the
Georgia Racing Hall of Fame
, the
Jacksonville Raceway Hall of Fame
and the
ThunderBowl Speedway Hall of Fame
. MacDonald had
won
the
1959 Georgia Modified Championship
, the
1964 Georgia Sportsman Championship
, and in
1960
raced in the
NASCAR Grand National (Nextel Cup)
and
finished
in the
top 20
at
Daytona
.
According to
HistoricRacing.com
, "In his
31
years in racing,
Eddie MacDonald
has done it all from driver, to car owner, to crew. But he is
best known
for his
driving
abilities. During those 31 years, Eddie
raced
from
three to six times a week
, winning well over
1,000
races during his career."
Born in
Dayton, Maine
, Macdonald
began
his racing career at
Beach Ridge Speedway
in
Maine
at the age of
18
. He was told he would never walk right again after being
severely injured
in
1950
on a
small asphalt track
in
Sanford, Maine
.
After being in the
Army
at
Fort Benning
in
Columbus
,
MacDonald
stayed in
Georgia
and began
building
and
driving
cars for
Jimmy Thomas
. He also
built his own car
to drive at
Daytona
in
1959
, the
first year
that
track
opened. He also
raced
at many tracks throughout the South, such as
Darlington, Atlanta
and
Nashville, Tenn
.
MacDonald
built and drove for other
owners
such as
Laverne Kendrick, Speedy Spears, John Hipps, Bruce Brantley, Wally Masters
and
Milt Henery
(midget champion). He also team raced for and with the late
Tiny Lund
.
He raced on many
types of tracks
, and, according to
HistoricRacing.com
, "It didn't matter,
dirt
or
asphalt
,
Eddie
was
one of the best
."
His
family
will
receive friends
from
10 a.m.-noon Saturday, Dec. 22
, in the
Chapel of Bowen-Donaldson Home for Funerals
. He will be laid to rest in a
private service
.
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SRTC GRADUATES MORE THAN 500 FROM ALL CAMPUSES
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More than
500
students
graduated
during the
winter commencement
ceremony recently at
Southern Regional Technical College
(SRTC).
The
graduating class
is comprised of students from all
11
of SRTC's service delivery counties of
Colquitt, Decatur, Early, Grady, Miller, Mitchell, Seminole, Thomas, Tift, Turner, Worth
and beyond.
Many graduates received
multiple honors
as some programs have embedded certificates that are obtained when the overall program is completed in its entirety.
(In the photo are g
raduates Anthony Clark and Mathew Johnson.)
“These
students
have
worked hard
,
persevered
and
earned
the accolades that they received during this commencement ceremony. We are continually proud of the quality of education that our faculty provide and the caliber of students that we are able to serve,” said Dr.
Craig Wentworth
, SRTC president.
Southern Regional
chose special guest
Tricia Rich
to deliver the commencement
address
. Rich received her associate’s degree in nursing from
SRTC
in
2013
, and went on to receive her
bachelor’s
degree in nursing at
Thomas University
in
2016
. She is working on a
dual master’s
degree in
nursing
and
business administration
and is expected to graduate from
Thomas University
next fall.
Rich
started her
nursing
career at
Archbold Memorial Hospital
as a staff nurse. She has held both a
charge nurse
and
assistant nurse manager
role at Archbold. She became part of the leadership team at Archbold two years ago where she is the
nurse manager
over the
Cardiac Progressive Unit
and
Cardiac Observation Unit.
She spoke on the
importance
of
technical education
and the role it has played in her life, particularly how it provided a
foundation
for her
medical education
and enabled her to achieve
career success
.
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43rd GEORGIA PEANUT FARM SHOW
SET JAN. 17 IN TIFTON
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The
University of Georgia Tifton campus
and
Georgia Peanut Commission
will host the
43rd annual Georgia Peanut Farm Show and Conference
on
Jan. 17
, at the
UGA Tifton Campus Conference Center
.
The show focuses on
peanut production
in
Georgia
and allows producers to hear about the
latest trends
from industry leaders while learning about the
newest research
findings from members of the
UGA Tifton Peanut Team
.
Scott Monfort
, UGA Cooperative Extension peanut agronomist, said the
peanut production seminar
— which will be held from 9-10:30 a.m. — serves as an
educational resource
for
growers
.
“We are here solely to help growers solve issues and have
higher production
,” he said. “We want to ensure that they have everything they need (
information
-wise) to go back to their farms and produce
quality and high peanut yields
for the upcoming year.”
The peanut farm show is expected to attract more than
1,400
farmers who will see more than
100
exhibits during the show, which runs
8:30 a.m.-2:30 p.m.
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SRTC AWARDS $46,000 IN SCHOLARSHIPS
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For
spring semester
, which begins
Jan. 7
, the
Southern Regional Technical College
(SRTC)
Foundation
has awarded
79
scholarships totaling more than
$46,000
.
The funds
assist students
with
education-related costs
such as tuition, fees, clinical scrubs, dissection kits, books and more.
“The
SRTC Foundation
is proud to offer so many
scholarships
each semester," said Dr.
Amy Maison
, vice president of institutional advancement, marketing and public relations.
"By offering more scholarships for students, the
Foundation
and the
college
hope to improve the
job skills
,
technical training
and
educational level
of the citizens of the community."
Among
recipients
are
Stacey Abell, Ariel Carver, Tammie Holley, Heather Hudspeth, Mauricio Maravilla
and
Tosha Tidd
, who received the
Tift County Students Scholarship.
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TIFTON'S BASSETT NAMED
A PRESEASON ALL-AMERICAN
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Tifton
native
Le Bassett
, a
Mercer University
baseball infielder, on
Monday
was named
a
third-team Preseason All-American
by
Collegiate Baseball
.
Bassett
, a sophomore, hit .
282
with
17
home runs and
60
RBI's last season – school
freshman records
. He was named to
three
postseason
freshman All-American
lists in
2018
.
He emerged as the
Southern Conference's top power threat
in his first year of college action, says the
Collegiate Baseball Newspaper
publication, considered the
bible
of
amateur baseball
in the country.
Bassett
, a left-hander, was a
star designated hitter
for
Mercer
and
led the league
in
home runs.
The former
Tift County High
standout was named to the
2018 Collegiate Baseball
Freshmen All-American team
, was a
2018
National Collegiate Baseball Writers
Association
Freshman All-American
and was named to the
2018 Southern Conference All-Freshman Team.
Bassett
is the
son
of
Alisha and Lawton Bassett III
.
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GEORGIA SETS JOBS RECORD IN NOVEMBER
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Georgia
set a
record
for total
jobs
in
November
as the state’s
unemployment
rate continued to
fall
, state
Labor Commissioner
Mark Butler
said
Thursday
.
The state added
4,500
jobs in
November
and
99,000
during the
past year
, Butler said. That pushed Georgia to
4.6 million
jobs, a record. For the year, Georgia added more than
8,000
jobs
a month
.
The November
unemployment rate
came in at
3.5
percent, down
0.1
percent from
October
. A
year ago
, the rate was
4.5
percent. By comparison, the national rate remained unchanged at
3.7
percent.
Butler
said the
jobless rate
has fallen to its
lowest
since
January 2001
.
Georgia’s
labor force
dipped slightly in
November
to end the month at
5.1 million
. Even with the loss of
4,469
for the month, the labor force was still up almost
55,000
for the
past year
. That’s an average
gain
of about
4,600
every
month
.
Employed
residents followed a similar pattern.
In
November
, the number
slipped
by
2,269
to
4.97 million
. Still, Georgia counted more than
100,000
more
employed
residents in
November
than in
November 2017
.
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AUTHOR, WILDLIFE PHOTOGRAPHER
VISITS TIFTAREA ACADEMY STUDENTS
Wildlife photographer
and
author Patsy Smith Roberts
visited
Tiftarea Academy's library
this week.
Roberts
has been to
Africa
more than
20
times. In
2001
, she published her
first children's book
,
"Rory, the Adventures of a Lion Cub
."
She has gone on to publish
three
others.
Roberts
spent her morning with
kindergarten-third grade
students at TA. She
discussed
her
travels
,
read
some of her
books
and
answered
the students'
questions
.
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ABAC HONORS NURSING GRADS
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Caroline Frederick
from
Helen
and
Robert Seward
from
Athens
received two
new awards
presented by the
School of Nursing and Health Sciences
at
Abraham Baldwin Agricultural College
at a recent
pinning ceremony
in Howard Auditorium.
Dr.
Jaibun Earp
, dean of the School of Nursing and Health Sciences, said the
two awards
were presented for the
first time
in the
52-year history
of the program.
Frederick
received the
Carillion Award
, which goes to the student with the
highest grade-point average
among the graduates.
Seward
received the
Clinical Excellence Award
, which recognizes a student who demonstrated
excellence
in
evidence-based clinical practice
and
patient-centered care.
Allison Spirit Award
winners recognized at the ceremony were
Mary Brant
from
Valdosta
at the associate degree level, and
Rebekah Tucker
from
Valdosta
at the bachelor’s degree level.
Twenty-eight
students received
associate degree pins
, and
eight
students received
bachelor’s degree pins
. Keynote
speaker
for the event was Dr.
Jerry Baker
, provost and vice president for academic affairs.
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AMERIS BANK AIDS CAMPAIGN FOR FOR NEW RUTH'S COTTAGE FACILITY
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Ameris Bank
presented a
$5,000
check to the
Ruth’s Cottage Capital Campaign
this week. Pictured from left are
Nancy Bryan
, executive director at Ruth’s Cottage and the Patticake House;
Tommy Bargeron
, Ameris Bank market president;
Jim Laycock
, Ruth’s Cottage and the Patticake House board president; and
Josh Bowen
, Ameris Bank Commercial banking vice president.
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WEATHER CANCELS HOLIDAY MOVIE NIGHT
Family Holiday Movie Night
at
Brodie Field,
which had been
rescheduled for tonight, has been
canceled because of
inclement weather,
Tift County School System
says.
"The Polar Express" was planned to have been shown free on the
big screen at the stadium. It was
originally scheduled
last weekend.
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JUNIOR WOMAN'S CLUB SUPPORTS
RUTH'S COTTAGE CAPITAL CAMPAIGN
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The
Ruth’s Cottage Capital Campaign
recently received a
contribution
from the
Tifton Junior Woman’s Club
. Pictured from left are
Tifton Junior Woman’s Club
members
Monica Dotson
and
Becky Smith
, and
Ruth’s Cottage and The Patticake House
Board President
Jim Laycock
and Executive Director
Nancy Bryan.
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SENIORS HOLIDAY DANCE TONIGHT IN TIFTON
Seniors Enjoying Life Forever
, or "
SELF
," is having a
Christmas Dance
today
, Dec. 21
, at
Tifton's Leroy Rogers Senior Center
.
Doors open at
6 p.m.
for the dance; the
Fred Hand Band
will perform holiday music and many favorites.
All
local seniors
are invited.
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YOUR WEEKEND
...at a Glance
FRIDAY, DEC. 21
- "Into the Woods," Blue Devil Players, 6 p.m., TCHS Performing Arts Center, Tifton
- SELF Christmas Dance, 6 p.m., Leroy Rogers Senior Center, Tifton
SATURDAY, DEC. 22
- "Into the Woods," Blue Devil Players (Act One only), 10 a.m., TCHS Performing Arts Center, Tifton
- "Into the Woods," Blue Devil Players, 6 p.m., TCHS Performing Arts Center, Tifton
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LET THOUSANDS
OF PEOPLE KNOW ABOUT
YOUR YARD SALE
Place it in the
TIFTON GRAPEVINE and get quick results!
_____________________
TO ADVERTISE YOUR YARD SALE, CONTACT US at
Fees are $1 per word, paid in advance
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DEC. 12
Raymond L. “Ray” Matthews, 81,
Enigma
Deloris Jean Solomon, 82,
Fitzgerald
Billy U. Watson, 67,
Deland, Fla.
Geraldine Belky, 89,
Morven
DEC. 13
George Terrell, 59,
Albany
Leslie Britt, 89,
Fitzgerald
DEC. 14
Hattie Adaline Hall Bradley, 93,
Marietta
Keaon Levi Townson, 4 weeks,
Ray City
Ward Manley Jr., 92,
Barwick
Charles Wesley "Wes" Poke, 57,
Ashburn
DEC. 15
Sherri Perry Hoffman, 55,
Lenox
Hubert Henderson, 88,
Sylvester
Eugene “Gene” Curtis, 83,
Sylvester
Clifford Smith,
Ashburn
DEC. 16
David Irvin Webster, 78,
Tifton
Martha Allen Jones, 82,
Adel
DEC. 17
Eddie Emmett Duckworth, 60,
Irwin County
Angelle Stone Adams, 92,
Fitzgerald
Major Byrd, 68,
Ashburn
DEC. 18
Edward Patrick “Eddie” MacDonald Sr., 88,
Tifton
Thelma Sue Reynolds Tomlinson, 72,
Tifton
William Charles Richardson, 77,
Irwin County
Patricia A. Brooks Vargas, 52,
Sycamore
DEC. 19
John “Edwin” Walker Sr., 95,
Tifton
Margaret Pate Day, 79,
Tifton
Festus Rudolph Brown, 77,
Douglas
Charles “Sonny” Earl Evans, 87,
Fitzgerald
Gerold Ray Peele, 82,
West Berrien
DEC. 20
Irma Bush Norman, 94,
Sparks
Linda June Wise, 73,
Quitman
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Tifton Grapevine
e-published every Tuesday and Friday
Frank Sayles Jr.
Editor & Publisher
Bonnie Sayles
Managing Editor
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A Service of
Sayles Unlimited Marketing LLC
,
Tifton, Georgia
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