Celebrations

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Molly Wooldridge

Age 19 on May 8 Happy 19th birthday, Molly! “You get what you work for, not what you wish for.” Love you lots! Momma, Dad and Mr. Blake

JD Rainwater

Congratulations to you, JD! We are so proud of you and the man you have become. We love you to the moon and back, Mom, Dad, Grandma and Boots

Cameron Mitchell

Age 8 on May 13 Happy birthday, Cameron! Shine bright! We love you! Daddy, Mommy and Kenedi

Happy sweet 16th, Shelbi!

Age 16 on May 15 We are so proud of the beautiful woman you are becoming. We love you with all our hearts. Daddy, Mommy, Lori and Bubba

Stephanie Broxton

Age 31 on May 29 Happy birthday! We love you and hope it’s the best one yet! Lee, Steve, Robin, Shay, Cameron, Dee, Henry, Dixie and Cola

Hannah Horne

Happy 11th birthday, Hannah! I love you more than words can say. You make me proud! Love, Mommy

William Rogers

Age 7 on May 19 Happy seventh birthday, William! We love you so much! Mama and Dada

Kennesaw Resident Designed

Computer-game lovers who were fourth-, fifth- or sixth-graders between 1985 and 2000 probably are familiar with Philip Bouchard’s work — they just don’t know it.

The Cobb County native was chief designer of “The Oregon Trail,” a classic Apple II computer game released in 1985 and played by an entire generation of kids in schools and homes across North America. Bouchard, who left Cobb County for a while but moved back to Kennesaw in April 2020, worked for MECC in Minnesota when he led a team in creating the groundbreaking computer game that was educational as well as entertaining.

What inspired you to create the game?

We created the “classic” Apple II version of “The Oregon Trail” during a 10-month period from October 1984 through July 1985. However, versions of the game date back to 1971, and it was those earlier versions that provided the inspiration for our doing a much bigger and richer version. The earliest versions were entirely in text and played on a teletype machine connected to a mainframe computer. In 1980, MECC released the first Apple II version, which barely was changed from the earliest versions and was still presented almost entirely as text. The version we created in 1984-85 was reimagined completely and rebuilt from scratch. Nearly all of the features that people associate with the classic versions were invented during these 10 months. We had two reasons for creating this reimagined version. The 1980 Apple II version was sadly outdated, both in terms of technology and gameplay, so it was high time to replace it with something more modern and elaborate. And MECC wanted to create a version that could be sold to the home market, which required it to be much more modern and elaborate.

What did you think about the game’s success?

It was indeed a big success in both the home and school markets. I had thought our new design had a very good chance of being successful, so I expected it to do fairly well. However, the degree of success was greater than I had anticipated. Furthermore, I assumed after a few years of success, people would gradually forget about it, so my biggest surprise is people still talk about it and share memes about it 37 years later.

“The Oregon Trail” straddled the line between educational software and entertainment. Some people called it “edutainment.” The original mainframe version from 1971 certainly was groundbreaking for its time, and our 1985 Apple II version continued to break new ground. The market for edutainment software still was young and primarily was dominated by “drilland-practice” games, which require players to perform arithmetic operations or flashcard drills. Our product was quite different because it was a historical simulation game, built on top of a complex set of mathematical models. In the edutainment space, there really wasn’t anything else like it.

What happened to the game’s popularity after 2000?

The version I designed appeared on just two platforms — the Apple II in 1985 and a DOS (IBM) edition in 1990. Eventually, that version became too outdated, just as the earlier versions had. Computers became more powerful, with higher resolution, more memory, faster processors and more colors. In the early 1990s, it became common to include a CD-ROM drive on PCs and Macs. This started the multimedia PC revolution, which allowed games to include embedded video and music. Therefore, in 1995, MECC released “The Oregon Trail II,” a redesigned version intended to make use of these capabilities. As the old Apple II and DOS computers were retired, people switched to the newer versions of the game, which also proved to be extremely popular.

How did creating this game shape your career?

In graduate school in the late 1970s, I had specialized in creating educational computer simulations. I joined MECC in 1981 with the intention of continuing to do so, but until “The Oregon Trail,” I never had the chance. The game’s success certainly helped my career, as I continued to work in educational software until 1998. But in 1999, I changed directions and devoted the remainder of my career to creating internet applications for various companies.

Personal Attention

Attorneys Tailor Services to Each Client’s Individual Needs

Williams Elleby is a personal injury law firm that is changing the narrative on what a law firm should be.

Attorney Joel Williams opened the firm in 2013, to help people who face serious personal injuries, or death, due to the fault of someone else. The firm’s caseload is kept small, so personal attention can be given to each client.

“I founded this firm with the desire to help protect injury victims from being taken advantage of by insurance companies,” Williams said. “Injury victims often face hardships — economic, physical and emotional. It is rewarding to be able to help them during this difficult time as they try to regain their life.”

Attorney Chase Elleby joined the firm in 2017. In October 2019, the firm named him as an official partner, and changed its name to Williams Elleby.

Present, From Start to Finish

The attorneys follow the core belief that they have a moral and ethical obligation to the community to provide accurate and helpful information. Through educational materials on the firm’s YouTube channel, clients can learn to make informed decisions about their case.

“We believe in educating our clients,” Williams said. “We understand that different people have unique needs, and we always want to meet those needs through sound counsel and legal strategies tailored to each individual.”

Through the end of 2021, the firm has helped hundreds of Cobb County residents and families recover financially after suffering personal injuries. The average recovery is nearly $115,000, including many cases where limited insurance made a higher recovery impossible.

There are no upfront costs to hire Williams Elleby. Payment in each case is required only after they reach a recovery. Obtaining justice is hard work, but it’s a challenge that Williams Elleby embraces.

“What sets our firm apart from others, in my opinion, is the willingness and ability to take a case from start to finish, which means going to trial if we have to, in order to get fair compensation for our clients,” Elleby said.

“One example was a case that should have been resolved long before going to trial, but the company refused to offer an amount that was fair, even though the evidence was clearly in our client’s favor. Instead, we were forced to have a jury trial and received a judgment of more than $1.2 million in our client’s favor, which was more than 20 times what the insurance company was offering to settle the case.”

Personal Attention

The lawyers at Williams Elleby are directly involved in all aspects of each case. Clients get the lawyers’ cellphone numbers, so they have a direct line of communication, day or night.

“We aren’t a mega-firm, and that is on purpose,” Williams said. “I believe when you hire a lawyer to represent you, you hire that lawyer. You should be able to speak to them, text them, email them and get a fast response. We want to make sure that each case gets the attention it needs, so our clients are fairly compensated.”

Williams and Elleby will meet in their clients’ homes or hospital rooms, if necessary. They said clients appreciate their willingness to be as accommodating as possible in what often is a difficult time.

“When someone is injured, their focus needs to be on getting better. Our job is to handle everything else, and make sure it’s done the right way, and to ensure our clients get what they deserve,” Elleby said.