Toombs County Magazine Fall 2019

Toombs County M A G A Z I N E

dancing FOR THE

WIN

Logan Manning finds her groove with the UGA Red Hotz

Keep Moving Forward

Hold Dear the Moments

Down South Sheep

Hudson Sumner speaks out about the challenges of Type 1 Diabetes and how to overcome them.

Through good and bad times, Jack Parson embraces life’s moments as growing experiences.

Sheep...in Georgia? Drew and Sunshine Conner would say, “absolutely!”

H O M E T O W N L I V I N G AT I T S B E S T

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Left to right: Dr. Rick Kimbrel, Dr. Kacy Morris, Dr. Stewart Hamilton

311 Pete Phillips Dr.,Vidalia | 912.537.7048 | www.dentalcentervidalia.com

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510 Church Street , Vidalia, GA 30474 H O M E TO W N L I V I N G AT I T S B E S T

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contents 12 | Remember When

Remembering the past is an important gift to the community and future generations.

22 | Keep Moving Forward

Managing Type 1 Diabetes can be challenging, but Hudson Sumner is determined to overcome its obstacles.

32 | Building a Business on Healthy, Tasty Asian Cuisine

Most know them for the authentic Asian cuisine they serve up at Koiya, but the Chan’s story also involves starting over, hard work and dedication to family.

80 44

44 | Hold Dear the Moments

Through good times and bad, Jack Parson has embraced each of life’s moments as a growing experience.

58 | A New Chapter for Tranquilla After being closed for years, Jack and Margaret Ladson’s dream house and its antiquities are enjoyed by their granddaughter’s family.

72 | A Recipe for Flavor

His grandma’s cooking skills and a bit of culinary creativity helped Lorenzo Riggins create a French-style bistro you don’t want to miss.

80 | Down South Sheep

Sunshine and Drew Conner discover a breed of sheep that like it just fine in South Georgia.

92 | Dancing for the Win

A traditional dancer all her life, Logan Manning turns her focus toward the thrill of competitive dance with the UGA Red Hotz.

102 | Swim Ready

With drowning incidences rising among children, Maggie Barr is determined to empower parents and their kids through swim education.

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112 112 | What We Learn from Our Roots

George Saba’s interesting life story leaves a lasting imprint on his daughter Shelly Smith.

143 | Last Words

A good dose of etiquette will take you far in life.

focus on health 10 | Comprehensive ENT Care Close to Home

Dr. Wayne Williams brings Toombs County the newest technology and procedures for ear, nose and throat disorders.

in every issue 124 | Downtown Vidalia Association 128 | The Local Marketplace 130 | Chamber of Commerce 132 | Lyons Main Street 133 | Hometown Happenings 138 | Scenes of Toombs 142 | Advertiser’s Index

About the Cover Logan Manning spent her life studying traditional ballet, tap, jazz and contemporary dance techniques. When she was a junior in high school, her dance studio began to offer competitive dance classes. Competitive dance brings a different level of pressure and raw nerves to the stage. But Logan found that she loved it. As a college student she connected with the University of Georgia Red Hotz with whom she now competes. She is pictured with the family’s pet Yorkie, Bear.

Your smile is in good hands.

formerly Vidalia Dental Associates Dr. Mark Oxley is now accepting patients. Come see us for all your dental needs.

912-537-2238 1618 Meadows Lane, Vidalia info@oxleydental.com

FROM THE PUBLISHER

collect your memories

I walked down the narrow street looking through windows at all the Italian goods–designer handbags, impressionist art, antiques, jewelry, marble signs.

Wait. I stopped dead in my tracks and turned around. I returned to the marble shop and peered a little closer at the window full of signs hand-stamped by a little old Italian guy wearing red suspenders and a dusty blue beret. The sign that caught my eye simply said, “Ciao y’all.”

The Italians are wonderful people whom I’ve come to love and appreciate, but they can be very serious and proper at times. They have a lot on their mind as do most of us these days. Seeing that sign reminded me of the sweetness of home where people greet you with smiles, hugs, “hi y’alls” and “hey buddys.” It reminded me of how comfortable it can be to share your thoughts, hurts or laughter with your tribe. It reminded me of how quick people start a prayer chain when they know you need it. It also reminded me of the simple trait of kindness that is embedded in our Southern roots.

Remembering who we are and where we come from is as important as figuring out where we are going. The stories we create in our daily lives may seem random and insignificant at times, but they are our moments marked in eternity.

They are important to us and to the people that follow us. You should never take your story for granted.

We have a lot of stories in this issue that center around the importance of memories. Coach Jacky and Betty Jones remember his brother’s sacrifice (p12); the Chan family remember the hard work it took to start over in America (p32); Jack Parson uses his memories as a growing experience (p44); Dorsey McMichael shares the historical memories of her grandparent’s home, Tranquilla (p58); Lorenzo Riggins remembers his grandmother teaching him to cook (p72); and Shelly Smith’s memories of her father gave her an understanding of gratitude (p112).

When my sister was here for a visit, we spent a lot of time “remembering.”

There are always things that are good to forget, but I am beginning to see how sharing our stories teaches life lessons to those around us.

After purchasing the “Ciao y’all” sign (of course, I did), I spent the rest of the day smiling at everyone I passed on the street and spreading some good old fashioned Toombs County kindness. These are days I will always remember, and hopefully one day I will share these stories with my grandchildren. In the meantime, I’m collecting memories and writing them down. Won’t you join me?

keep the stories alive, Stephanie Williams Executive Editor

To discover more that Toombs County has to offer, see our business index on page 142!

To share a story, send a note, or just get information: toombscountymagazine@gmail.com • (912) 293-0063 Follow us on: For more stories, visit us at www.toombscountymagazine.com 6

TO O M B S CO U N T Y M A G A Z I N E

Toombs County M A G A Z I N E

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Staff

Toombs County Magazine© is published bi-annually by Red Door Design & Publishing, LLC 148 Williams Avenue • Lyons, GA 30436 (912) 526-4195 All rights reserved. Copies or reproduction of this publication in whole or in part is strictly prohibited without expressed written authorization from the publisher. Every effort is made to ensure the accuracy of the information contained herein. Advertising is subject to omission, errors, and other changes without notice.

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SPONSORED CONTENT

Comprehensive ENT care close to home

“T

his is going to be the hardest class you’re going to take in medical school.” Dr. Wayne Williams was sitting in a head and neck anatomy class during his first year of medical school when his professor broadcast the warning. “At that point,” said Dr. Williams, “I saw it as a challenge, and I have loved it since.”

Dr. Williams has been performing procedures at Meadows Health Ear, Nose and Throat, formerly Vidalia ENT Associates, for the past twelve years.

He and the other specialists in his practice are all board-certified and have performed literally thousands of successful treatments and surgeries.

CONDITIONS WE TREAT

Sinusitis Nasal Obstruction and Congestion Hearing Loss Balance Disorders Sleep Apnea Difficulty swallowing

ENT DIAGNOSTICS & PROCEDURES

Ear Tube Surgery and Dilation Perforated Eardrum Repair Tonsillectomy & Adenoidectomy Balloon Sinuplasty Endoscopic Sinus Surgery Septoplasty/Turbinectomy Thyroid/Parathyroid Surgery Parotidectomy Head and Neck Tumor Surgery Sinus Stent Implants 10

TO O M B S CO U N T Y M A G A Z I N E

Training to be a surgeon is a unique aspect of the learning process for ENT doctors. Surgery is one area of his career that Dr. Williams particularly enjoys. “One surgery may be working on an eardrum that’s the size of an eraser, and my next surgery may be taking out a mass that’s the size of a lemon. It’s an extremely diverse specialty and that’s what I love about it,” said Dr. Williams.

After graduating from the Medical College of Virginia, Dr. Williams completed his residency at the University of Texas before becoming a flight surgeon in the U.S. Air Force and directing the ENT program for Sheppard Air Force Base.

He then practiced in his hometown of Danville, Virginia, where he was also the town’s mayor.

In 2011, Dr. Williams became one of only 4% of ENT doctors in the nation who is also certified in Sleep Medicine.

Meadows Health ENT is one of only three ENT practices in the state of Georgia to be recognized as a “Sinus Center of Excellence.”

As new ideas and technology continue to develop, Dr. Williams will certainly be on the forefront. One of the most beneficial aspects of having him as a part of our medical community is his relentless hunger to learn. “I really thrive on new ideas and new information,” said Dr. Williams.

He and his wife Cindy have two children: Richard, a chef, and Jessica, an attorney. They also have a granddaughter, Mary Carlyle, and a grandson, Baker.

READY TO HELP From the discomfort of chronic nasal congestion to thyroid and cancer surgery, the specialists at Meadows Health ENT are ready to help with all of your ear, nose and throat health needs.

They offer a variety of services, and have the expertise to care for a full range of pediatric and adult ENT conditions.

CUTTING EDGE EXPERTISE Because seeing results matters, Meadows Health ENT offers some of the most advanced treatment options and medical technology available today. Their new, state of the art camera and video system helps accurately visualize voice, nasal and sinus disorders. In addition, they have a new in-office treatment for chronic nasal drainage. By staying informed on the latest procedures, Meadows Health ENT is able to offer the best quality healthcare that’s still close to home.

OUR COMMITMENT Long-lasting relief from ear, nose and throat ailments is the goal of Meadows Health ENT for each and every patient.

They will work to coordinate care with your primary doctor so that services are not repeated and unnecessary medicines or treatments are avoided.

Trust only the experts with your ENT health and well-being.

To find out more about Meadows Health ENT, visit www.meadowshealthent.com or call us at 912-537-3384

Still delivering expert care for your ear, nose and throat.

Your expert healthcare team at Vidalia ENT Associates is now Meadows Health Ear, Nose and Throat. As part of the Meadows Health System, we are ready to help you with ENT disorders like sinus infections, neck masses, cancer surgery, thyroid nodules, swallowing disorders and ear disorders in both adult and pediatric patients.

1707 Meadows Lane Suite C • 912.537.3384 www.meadowshealthent.com R. Wayne Williams, M.D.

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Remember When

BY TERI R. WILLIAMS

PHOTOS BY DAPHNE WALKER

I

t was the first home game of the 2019 Toombs County High School football season. The new aluminum stadium seats in Booster Stadium were packed with both regular fans and those who had come to see the field’s new renovations. No one asked if Coach Jacky Jones would be there. It was a given. In fact, not a day had passed since renovations began following the 2018 graduation that he had not been to the field to observe the daily progress.

That night, as the Toombs County Bulldogs took the field, his wife Ms. Betty was at their home a few blocks away listening to every play on the radio. The names of players and cheerleaders would be heard by both with past generations in mind: the grandchild of someone she taught English or some relation to a player he once coached.

Coach Jones retired in 1990 after 30 years of coaching football, baseball, and girls’ basketball. Ms. Betty retired in 1998 after 34 years of teaching Language Arts.

They weren’t certain what to make of my interest. Both insisted their story was nothing extraordinary. But I persisted.

I wanted them to know: What they remembered about our past mattered. And what they gave to the youth as teachers in our community was valued.

REMEMBERING...

C

LEFT Jacky and Betty Jones at the recently renovated Booster Stadium where they once played, cheered and coached.

ABOVE On the same field in 1955, Betty was a Homecoming sponsor and Jacky was the football captain.

oach Jones and his wife Ms. Betty live on the corner of Louella Street, named for Ms. Betty’s mother.

Coach Jones’s younger brother Barry and Betty’s younger brother Glynn were good friends and played together often. From time to time Jacky would see Betty when he was sent to get his brother and bring him home.

Betty went to school all twelve years in Lyons. Her father, Robert Page, was a farmer. In fact, the Jones’s house sits on what was once his eighty-five-acre farm. “My first-grade teacher was Ms. House,” said Ms. Betty. “She must have taught everyone in this county, and I loved her dearly.” It was a simple statement but spoke of the profound impact Ms. House had on her. I wondered how many children like Ms. Betty chose to become teachers because of the joy Ms. House demonstrated as an educator.

Jacky went to Toombs Central School for first and second grade. He started third grade and finished the rest of his school years in Lyons when his family moved to town H O M E TO W N L I V I N G AT I T S B E S T

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from Cedar Crossing. Like Betty’s father and many other families in rural Georgia in the 1930s, Jacky’s father was a farmer. His mother, Nannie B. Jones, served as Clerk of County Commissioners in Toombs County for over thirty years.

“There were two buildings on that one campus,” said Coach Jones. “One was the elementary school for grades first through eighth. The other was a two-story building for grades ninth through twelfth. The buildings stood near the Methodist Church in Lyons.” The two-story school building would later be destroyed in a devastating fire in 1975.

Ms. Betty pulled out an old yearbook and flipped to a picture of her and Coach Jones on the Homecoming Court. Jacky was a junior and on the first string of the football team, and Betty was a sophomore on the

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cheerleading squad the year they began dating. “There were some outstanding players that year: Dan Thompson, Milton Nobles, Marion Jordan, Harry and Larry Lane, T-bone Smith, Raymond McClain, and Norris Herndon.”

Even as he turned all the attention to the seniors, I knew he was a star athlete in his own right, not only in football, but in baseball and basketball as well.

Co-Captain of the football team his senior year with Buck Cravey, the two had been good friends since 4th grade when Buck first came to school in Lyons. After high school, both went to Georgia Teacher’s College (now Georgia Southern University) and served in the National Guard together. Years later, when Coach Jones was head football coach at Lyons High School, Buck was head football coach at Vidalia High School. The two remained good friends by sticking to an agreement: “Whatever

What you remember about the past matters. The memories you give to the youth in your community are important.

happened on the football field on Friday night, stayed on the football field,” said Coach Jones. “We might get mad and disagree with things on Friday night, but when the game was over, it was over. Buck was the best defensive coach I ever played against.”

Even though sports had been a big part of his high school years, he chose not to play college sports. He said, “I decided I'd rather come home on weekends to see Betty, so that’s what I did.”

Coach Jones graduated with a degree in Health and Physical Education in 1959, and Ms. Betty graduated the following year with an education degree in English.

REMEMBERING MATTERS...

J

acky and Betty Jones were married in 1960 at the First Baptist Church in Lyons.

Right out of college, Coach Jones served six months of active duty in the National Guard. “Truthfully,” he said, “I would probably have stayed in the Guard, but summer training camp in the National Guard was right when we went to football camp every year.”

Their first year of teaching was in Sylvester, Georgia.

The following year, positions became available at Lyons High School, and they moved

H O M E TO W N L I V I N G AT I T S B E S T

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Jacky was a junior and on the first string of the football team, and Betty was a sophomore on the cheerleading squad the year they began dating. LEFT Jacky also played baseball and basketball.

OPPOSITE PAGE The Lyons City Gym was originally part of the school system and where basketball games were held.

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home to teach at their alma mater. (Lyons High School was renamed Lyons Senior High School in 1971 and changed again in 1987 to Toombs County High School.) Ms. Betty taught French a couple of years and 11th and 12th grade Language Arts for the remaining of her teaching career.

Coach Jones took a position as an assistant football coach and baseball coach and taught Georgia History for one year as well. Two years later, he also took the position as head girls’ basketball coach.

In 1966, Ms. Betty and Coach Jones became a family of four with the birth of their twin daughters, Jo(Anna) and Jill(Anna), known as Jo and Jill. The next few years were busy for the Jones family. Ms. Betty would go back to college for her Master’s, and in 1969, Coach Jones would become Athletic Director and head football coach. All the while, he continued to serve as head baseball coach and head coach of girls’ basketball.

The year 1975 will always be remembered as the year Lyons High School won the football state championship.

Once again, Coach Jones turned the focus from himself to others. “Earl Rodgers was my assistant coach, and the B-team coach was Billy Merritt,” he said. “Coach Callaway was very instrumental in starting these boys out in middle school.” (Coach Callaway would lead the middle school Bullpups through ten undefeated seasons between 1971 and 1982 including a sixty-one-game winning streak.)

The seniors on that state winning team included Tim

Mimbs (also Outstanding Lineman of the Year), Eugene “Cornbread” Corbitt, Ricky Bowen, Joe Roberts, Dale Smith, Tim Galbreath, Randy Michael, Phil Humphrey, Mark Adams, and Mark Rhoden. The opposing team was Duluth High School, and the final score was 20 to 12.

“They had George Rogers on that team,” said Coach Jones. “He went on to play for the University of South Carolina and won the Heisman Trophy in 1980. He was good, too. He was very good.”

After ten years as head football coach, Coach Jones said, “My girls were in high school, and I felt it was time to take a break.” He continued to serve as Athlete Director, head girls’ basketball coach and an assistant football coach.

But in 1985, four years and three head football coaches later, Coach Jones resumed the position as head football coach for two more years. He spent his last two years before retirement coaching girls’ basketball.

REMEMBERING THE SACRIFICE...

A

story on the contributions Coach Jones and Ms. Betty have made in this community would not be complete without including at least a portion of his brother’s service and sacrifice. Coach Jones’s younger brother Barry was also an exceptional football player.

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ABOVE Coach Jones's brother Barry was killed by a sniper while serving in Vietnam. The Lyons VFW is named in his honor.

He went to Florence State College, named the University of North Alabama today, on a football scholarship. While there, Barry also joined the ROTC. After graduating with a degree in Health and Physical Education, he chose to join the Army. After only two years, he was promoted to Captain.

At the end of his two-year enlistment, Barry came home to see his family. “I was an assistant football coach at that time,” said Coach Jones.

“We were open that week, so he rode over to Hawkinsville with me to scout that Friday night. On the way there, Barry told me that if he reenlisted he knew he would be going to Vietnam, and it was what he wanted to do. I tried my best to talk him out of it, but he had already made up his mind. He said he was going to make a career of it. I had no doubt he was a great soldier. He had quickly climbed up the ladder of command and was highly respected by all his men and commanders,” something Jacky would later hear again and again. “I said, ‘Barry, you need to go ahead and get out. Start coaching.’ He told me, ‘In a way, I’m coaching now. And if I get out, I’d be letting them down.’”

On February 5, 1968, Barry was in the Binh Dinh province of South Vietnam serving as Infantry Unit Commander of the 11th Light Infantry 18

TO O M B S CO U N T Y M A G A Z I N E

Brigade, 1st Battalion, 20th Infantry, D Company.

“D Company had been operating in the mountains in a[n] area southwest of Duc Pho for about a month…” wrote his platoon leader Jerry Swenson to Barry’s nephew Cam many years later. “Barry received orders to send out a platoon size force to patrol a village about 2 kilometers from th[e] fire base.”

He had just called his Lieutenant to report that one sniper had been killed and turned to return the hand set back to the radio telephone operator when he was hit by a second sniper. “A helicopter was there within ten minutes to airlift him out, but his spleen was all shot up, and he went into shock.

He died in the helicopter on the way to the base hospital,” said Coach Jones.

When two men, one a local pastor in the community, showed up at Coach Jones’s door, he already knew Barry was gone. “They told me, ‘Barry has been reported missing.’ That was all they had been told. But a close friend of Barry’s wife Martha had called. Word had gotten around among the wives of men on the base in Hawaii that Barry had been killed. The friend asked if I could come get Martha and bring her home, because she was expecting at the time.” Martha would name her daughter Barri after her father.

The knowledge that Barry had chosen to serve his country somehow helped Coach Jones bear the loss of his twenty-six-year-old brother. The VFW (Veterans of Foreign Wars) Ladies Auxiliary post of Lyons is named J. Barry Jones Post #3563 in his honor.

REMEMBERING TO HONOR...

T

he influence of teachers on the lives of our youth cannot be overstated. In an age when connection has all but been replaced by cell phones and other electronic devices, teachers may very well be our greatest hope for positive influence outside the home. “If kids come to us from strong, healthy, functioning families,” writes international bestselling author Barbara Colorose, “it makes our job easier. If they do not come to us from strong, healthy, functioning families, it makes our job more important.”

Some might have thought the Coach and the English teacher were opposites. But the only real difference between the two was where they taught.

As the 20th century American Psychiatrist Karl Menninger stated, “What the teacher is, is more important than what he teaches.” And who Coach Jones and Ms. Betty were to their students was a more valuable lesson than any lesson either could have taught.

Your small business is a big deal to us.

Lending Officer Jake Cleghorn with Gray Meredith of Longleaf Builders

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www.altamaha.bank Jackson Street Branch: 912-537-1921 Vidalia West Branch: 912-537-9452 Uvalda Branch: 912-594-6525 Hazlehurst Branch: 912-375-5415

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Change Happens Here You CAN climb the mountain of recovery.

You CAN become the best version of you. ​ You ARE capable. You ARE worthy.

BY TERI R. WILLIAMS

PHOTOS BY DAPHNE WALKER

Keep Moving

FORWARD

When teen Hudson Sumner discovered he had a life-threatening disease, he didn't let it get in the way of all things he loves to do.

H

udson went to bed early that night saying only that he wasn’t feeling well. An active eight-year-old boy, he was rarely sick. But his mother, Shanna Burkett, figured it was the stomach virus going around, and kept him home from school the following day as a precaution. When she returned from work to check on her son, she could hardly believe the change in his appearance in only a few short hours. “All that night, he couldn’t keep anything down and kept saying he was thirsty,” said Shanna.

When she got Hudson to the Vidalia Children's Center, and he stepped on the scales, Shanna nearly fainted. Her son had lost seventeen pounds from his weight recorded two weeks earlier. She asked that a finger stick be done. “He has a first cousin and two third cousins, all on his father’s side, with Type 1 Diabetes, and genetics can definitely be a factor,” said Shanna. Her mind ran through all the symptoms for Type 1 Diabetes: extreme thirst, excessive urination, weight loss, fatigue and nausea. They were all there.

Hudson’s blood sugar levels were too high to get a reading with a finger stick. He was immediately sent to the emergency room. “In the ER, his blood sugar registered 1100. I was told it was the highest reading they had ever had at this hospital,” said Shanna. The doctor on call immediately started an insulin pump. As soon as his blood sugar was stabilized, Hudson was sent by ambulance to a hospital in Savannah.

That was January 22, 2014. And from that day forward, their lives would never been the same.

We’ve all seen the little boxes to check on a family history medical form to indicate if a family member has ever been diagnosed with Type 1 or Type 2 Diabetes. Unless you or a family member has one or the other, you’re probably unfamiliar

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H O M E TO W N L I V I N G AT I T S B E S T

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ABOVE Hudson's mother Shanna initially thought Hudson had come down with a virus, but once doctors realized his symptoms were far more serious, he was taken by ambulance to Savannah.

with the differences between the two.

Even though they share the same name, that number is the difference between a disease that cannot be cured and a disease that can often be reversed with diet and exercise. The reason is because Type 1 Diabetes is an autoimmune disease, and Type 2 Diabetes is a metabolic disease.

“People hear ‘diabetes’ and they think, ‘You obviously had too much sugar growing up,’” said Shanna, which in Hudson’s case could not have been further from the truth. It’s a misconception that is difficult to tolerate for a conscientious parent.

Only 5% of all cases of diabetes are Type 1. According to the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation (JDRF), “With Type 1 Diabetes, the pancreas suddenly stops producing insulin, which causes dependence on artificial insulin for life. Without constant management, complications can be lifethreatening…. Diet does not cause Type 24

TO O M B S CO U N T Y M A G A Z I N E

1 Diabetes, and there are no dietary changes you can make to prevent its onset.”

Since its founding in 1970, JDRF's own research led them to conclude that the onset of Type 1 Diabetes, commonly referred to as T1D, was not limited to juveniles. “Today, we know an equal number of children and adults are diagnosed every day— approximately 110 people per day.” As a result, the Foundation has committed “[t]o remove the misconception that T1D is only a childhood disease.”

“Hudson’s first cousin was diagnosed at eleven-years-old,” said Shanna. “But Dr. Higgins,” a wellknown cardiologist in Vidalia, “didn't have it until he was in medical school.”

Type 2 Diabetes, commonly referred to as T2D, “is a metabolic disorder in which a person’s body still produces insulin but is unable to use it effectively. It can be managed with diet and exercise or medication. More

serious cases may require insulin therapy” (jdrf.org). Unlike T1D, which is unpreventable and has no cure, the Mayo Clinic website states, “Healthy lifestyle choices can help prevent type 2 diabetes, and that's true even if you are genetically predisposed to it.”

Misunderstanding about Type 1 Diabetes inspired Hudson to submit a paper to the Georgia Senate for Type 1 Diabetes Day on March 14, 2019, this past legislative session. As a result, “he was selected to be a page,” said Shanna, “and was able to spend the whole day with Senator Blake Tillery. He also got to meet Lieutenant Governor Geoff Duncan.” The experience made him more determined than ever to make a difference for those with Type 1 Diabetes.

Although Shanna and her family have great insurance, many do not.

Without insurance, the new tandem X2 pump that Hudson will receive this fall would cost his family $8000 out of pocket. His Dexcom CGM transmitters that have to be replaced every 3 months would cost them $500 each.

That’s not even taking into account

PHOTO COURTESY GEORGIA SENATE PRESS OFFICE

the cost of sensors that have to be changed every ten days. The day Hudson spent at the state capital made him more determined than ever to do something with his life that would make a difference for others with Type 1 Diabetes.

According to the American Diabetes Association, “Diabetes remains the 7th leading cause of death in the United States in 2015.” Recent statistics determined that 30.3 million Americans, or 9.4% of the population, have diabetes.

“Approximately 1.25 million American children and adults have type 1 diabetes.”

In the past decade alone, the price of insulin has risen by more than 240 percent. “It's not the fault of doctors or pharmacists,” said Shanna. “It’s the greed of drug companies.” For many, including Hudson, insulin is a matter of life and death. “In eleven years, the cost of one bottle of insulin has gone from $30 to $300. I personally know people in our

community with Type 1 Diabetes who ration their insulin because they cannot afford it.”

With no way to prevent or cure Type 1 Diabetes, mayoclinic.org reports, “Over time, type 1 diabetes complications can affect major organs in your body, including heart, blood vessels, nerves, eyes and kidneys. Maintaining a normal blood sugar level can dramatically reduce the risk of many complications.”

In an article for Webmd.com entitled “Families Cross Borders in Search for Affordable Insulin,” published on July 18, 2019, R. Scott Rappold reports on “a group of people with diabetes and their parents who regularly caravan 5 hours each way from St. Paul, MN, to buy the life-saving medicine in Canada. On a trip across the border this spring, six of them spent $1,265 on insulin supplies that would have cost them $12,400 back home.”

In March 2019, Hudson submitted a paper to the Georgia State Senate on Type 1 Diabetes Day. His hope is that people will become more educated on the types of diabetes and how they can be managed.

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ABOVE Living with Type 1 Diabetes has had its challenges, but Hudson's mom Shanna and step-dad David have helped him learn to manage it well.

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In the same article, Rappold tells the heartbreaking story of a young man named Alec Smith. “[Alec]…had to get off his mother's insurance at the age of 26 and, unable to find a reasonable plan, tried to go to the pharmacy and pay out-of-pocket. The cost was $1,300 for a month's supply.”

According to the young man’s mother, “[Alec] left without anything, thinking he could make what he had in his supplies last until payday. He died about 4 days before his paycheck.”

Stories such as these are not as unusual as one might imagine. “The close friend of one of my co-workers was diagnosed with Type 1 Diabetes at six months old,” said Shanna. “Now in his thirties, his eyesight is really bad because he has been unable to get the insulin he needs.”

As a result of stories like these, Congress introduced a bill called the Insulin Price Reduction Act on July 22, 2019. According to a press release from U.S. Senator Tom Carper (D-Del.), a cosponsor of the bill, “The Insulin Price Reduction Act would hold pharmacy benefit managers (PBMs), big pharmaceutical companies and insurers accountable for these surging prices by incentivizing reductions in list prices.” Other cosponsors include Susan Collins (R-Maine) and Kevin Kramer (R-N.D.).

The bill now has to survive through endless committee meetings in Congress. But the state of Colorado has led the way for the rest of the nation by passing its own bill. “On May 22, 2019, Colorado Governor Jared Polis signed the first bill in the nation that will cap insulin co-pays at $100 per month, regardless of the number of vials needed” (diabetes.org).

For the first year after his diagnosis, Hudson’s blood sugar levels had to be monitored with finger sticks. “I set alarms during the night for 12:00 a.m., 2:00 a.m., and 5:00 a.m.,” said Shanna. “It got where he didn’t even wake up anymore when I would stick him.” The worst part for Hudson’s mother was seeing her son alienated from normal life. “Hudson is so active with sports. He’s got lots of friends, but he couldn’t even spend the night off anymore. It was too much for another parent

TO O M B S CO U N T Y M A G A Z I N E

to be responsible for.”

A year after his diagnosis, Hudson received an insulin pump, which drastically reduced the number of shots that had to be administered. Then, in July 2017, three and a half years after he was diagnosed with Type 1 Diabetes, Hudson received his first Dexcom.

“Dexcom is a Continuous Glucose Monitor that allows us to receive constant blood sugar readings,” said Shanna. “The pump is made by Tandem and works together with Dexcom to provide a continuous drip determined by his glucose levels.”

For the first time since his diagnosis, Hudson could safely spend the night away from home. “We can look on our app at any time and see his glucose levels. If his sugar levels are dropping low, like it does sometimes in the middle of the night, the pump will back off and not give Hudson as much insulin as it normally would. If his blood sugar levels are running extremely high, Dexcom is going to tell that pump to give Hudson a little bit more than normal.” Most importantly, “If he gets too low or high, an alarm will immediately be sent to us.

Dexcom is truly a lifesaver,” said Shanna.

Shanna recently met a woman in Atlanta who shared a personal story about her own experience with Dexcom’s alert system. “When levels are low, it can be difficult for the person with Type 1 Diabetes to wake up. This lady received an alert from her husband’s Dexcom while he was six hundred miles away on a business trip. When she couldn’t reach him by phone, she called hotel security and explained that her husband had Type 1 Diabetes and she was receiving an alert.

Paramedics went to his room and gave her husband a lifesaving shot of insulin just in time,” said Shanna.

Every night, Hudson also receives a shot of Tresiba. “The insulin in Hudson’s pump is short acting. It’s a burst of insulin. “Tresiba is a long acting insulin that lasts for at least twenty-four hours,” explained Shanna.

Hudson’s stepfather David Burkett said, “I was going through a fire class at work the other day, and the instructor asked, ‘What would be the most important things you would grab if there was a fire?’ I said, ‘Once I got

LIFE-SAVING TECHNOLOGY Hudson's Dexcom pump (ABOVE ) provides a regular flow of insulin based on what his body needs. Combined with a phone app, Hudson and his mom can regularly check his blood sugar levels and even receive alerts if the levels get too low or high. RIGHT "The Tower" is filled with medical supplies and medicine used to treat Hudson's diabetes. It is a vital part of Hudson's diabetes management routine.

everybody out, I’d go back in for The Tower,’” a cabinet that holds baskets filled with Hudson’s medications and various medical supplies, “‘and the refrigerator drawer that holds his other supplies.’ We can replace the rest of it, but he can’t live without these things.”

Fortunately, support for people with the disease is available. Every summer, Hudson attends a camp with 220 other kids with Type 1 Diabetes in Rutledge, Georgia, called Camp Kudzu. “There are four sessions with 220 kids," said Shanna. “Each session is five days long.

Hudson’s doctor, Dr. Andrew Muir, is the Chief of Endocrinology at Emory. He H O M E TO W N L I V I N G AT I T S B E S T

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RIGHT Hudson has found encouragement through support from organizations like Camp Khudzu in Rutledge, Georgia.

Every year he attends with hundreds of other kids like himself who are learning to live with Type 1 Diabetes. BELOW A good management program has allowed Hudson to lead a normal, active lifestyle. He even plays sports like soccer and golf.

“Hardships often prepare ordinary people for an extraordinary destiny.”

–C.S. Lewis

is there the week Hudson goes to camp.

He’s fantastic. Hudson sees him every three months.”

Locally, Ashley Boston heads the Type 1 Diabetes support group in Vidalia. “She’s a teacher at Sally D. Meadows Elementary School. The support group is a great place to get information and encouragement,” said Shanna.

Most of us never have to think twice when we want to eat out. But everything Hudson puts in his mouth has to be carefully calculated. “There’s an app called Calorie King that we love,” said Shanna. “If we want to go out one night, we can look up a restaurant’s menu with the app. Chick-fil-A and Zaxbys are also great for us. They both provide all the information we need.”

Since her son’s diagnosis, Shanna discovered there are many like Hudson who continue to live active and full lives with treatment. Celebrities like Nick Jonas of the The Jonas Brothers 28

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who was diagnosed at 13; National champion cross-country skier Chris Freeman who was diagnosed at 19 just before competing in his first Olympics; Gary Hall, Jr., Olympic gold medalist swimmer in 2000 and 2004; actress Mary Tyler Moore who was diagnosed at age 33; author Anne Rice and actress Halle Berry, both of whom were diagnosed with Type 1 Diabetics only after going into a diabetic coma; and Jay Cutler, former NFL quarterback for the Denver Broncos and the Chicago Bears, who was diagnosed at age 22.

As active as ever, Hudson plays both school soccer (Vidalia) and Toombs County Soccer Association (TCSA) travel soccer, and he was captain of the JR Trippe golf team last year.

Hudson is pretty smart, too. In the 9th grade, he is already taking college classes. After high school, he plans to go to medical school to become a Pediatric Endocrinologist. Instead of seeing himself as a victim, Hudson has

chosen to see his own experiences as an advantage for serving others with Type 1 Diabetes.

We all face obstacles in life. But instead of focusing on the obstacles, this fourteen-year-old young man keeps things in perspective. There’s no anger. No resentment. Only the joy of a purpose and a heart that looks outward rather than inward with selfpity. I can’t think of better criteria for anyone planning to go into the medical field. Hudson may not have chosen Type 1 Diabetes, but he has chosen his response. With determination to overcome every obstacle and compassion for others, Hudson Sumner has already begun his quest to make a difference in the world by making a difference right here in his home town of Vidalia, Georgia.

For more information about the Type 1 Diabetes support group in Toombs County, contact Shanna at burkett0712@yahoo.com

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For over three decades the Chan family has delivered a taste of authentic Asian cuisine to our local community, but their best story involves starting over, hard work, dedication and family.

W

hen word came that the fall of Saigon was imminent, Army intelligence and interrogation officer Sedgewick “Wick” Tourison sent undercover CIA agents to the Saigon airport hotel where his wife’s sister, twentyfour-year-old Anh Diep, worked. The message he sent was urgent: They had only one to two hours to pack a suitcase and leave.

Anh's family was from China, but her father worked in the import and export business in Vietnam, where she had lived all her life. “We lived not far from Saigon in Cholon," she said. "That was where most Chinese people lived.”

Her father did not want to leave at first. Anh had to explain the urgency. She told him that Wick had sent CIA agents to fly four members of his family out of Vietnam. “Wick choose my mother, father, and me and my sister. But my mom went to her brother to tell him she had to leave, and she brought his son back. So, he came with us, too.” Anh and her family left Vietnam on April 24, 1975. After stops in the Philippines and Guam, the family finally arrived in the United States on May 1, 1975. On April 30, 1975, only six days after the Diep family left Vietnam, Saigon fell to the People's Army of Vietnam (PAVN) and the Viet Cong.

With only a suitcase of clothes, the Diep family spent the first few months in America with Anh’s sister Ping and her husband in Thurmont, Maryland. In addition to Mandarin, Cantonese, and Vietnamese, Anh also spoke some English. Her English teacher had required all the students in her class to take an English name for class. Anh chose “Sandy.” Since America was now her home, she decided to go by the English name she had chosen in her class.

After a few months, Sandy moved to Dover, Delaware, to help a cousin who had just opened a Chinese restaurant. She had never planned on working in a restaurant as a career, but then again, Sandy had not planned on being uprooted and restarting her life in another country either. Not only was she in a new country, Sandy’s parents did not speak English and would now be dependent on her and her sisters. But rather than focusing on what she may have lost, or perhaps what career she might have chosen, Sandy considered waitressing and helping her cousin as an opportunity.

Six months after she started waitressing

BY TERI R. WILLIAMS | PHOTOS BY DAPHNE WALKER for her cousin, a new chef was hired. His name was Sze Chan. Sze was originally from Fuzhou, China, but had moved to Hong Kong with his

BUILDING A BUSINESS ON

Tasty, Healthy Asian Cuisine

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father in his late teens in hopes of a better work opportunity. Unfortunately, the only work he could find was in a factory.

One day, after many long hours of work, Sze dozed off and injured his finger on a piece of machinery. Although it turned out not to be a serious injury, it was enough to cause his father to insist Sze find work elsewhere.

On June 22, 1976, he arrived in America. Even though he could only speak Mandarin and Cantonese at the time, he had an uncle in Washington, D.C., who was in the restaurant business. Sze was able to get a job there as a bus boy. He quickly worked his way up and proved himself proficient as a cook.

Unlike other types of food, Chinese food is quite diverse. There are actually eight major types of cuisine in China, which makes work as a chef in a Chinese restaurant challenging. “China is such a big country, and there are so many different provinces. They have Cantonese style, Fujian style, Sichuan style,� and others, explained Sandy.

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ABOVE Sze and Sandy Chan raised three children while operating their restaurants. It was their oldest daughter Pei Pei's idea to start a hibachistyle Japanese restaurant after realizing people were moving toward healthier choices like grilled fish, meats and vegetables.

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ABOVE Sze and Sandy were the original owners of the Peking House. In 2007, after successfully opening Koiya Japanese Express, they sold the Peking House to focus on their new venture.

OPPOSITE Today they continue to work at Koiya Japanese Express overseeing the day-to-day operations.

According to writer Sara Lynn Hua for a blog entitled, “TutorMing Chinese Language and Culture Blog,” and published on October 09, 2015, “Their unique attributes are formed by a combination of geographical differences, cultural shifts, and availability of produce and resources through out [sic] the different regions.”

Evidently, more than Sze’s cooking caught Sandy’s attention because in 1979, they got married. In the same year, they opened a Chinese restaurant in Wilmington, Delaware. Even though the restaurant did not fare well, it was an invaluable experience. Sandy and Sze sold the establishment and moved to Columbus, Georgia, where they found work in a Chinese restaurant there. Two years later, the couple had their first child. They named their daughter Pei Pei. 36

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Two years later, Sze and Sandy decided to give the restaurant business another try. They moved to Douglas, Georgia, and opened a new Chinese restaurant, which they named the Peking House. Sze and Sandy initially had no plans of expanding their business. The idea to open a second Peking House in Vidalia, Georgia, came from Roy Palmer and Mayor Ronnie Dixon. Whenever the two businessmen traveled through Douglas, they would eat at the Peking House. When they suggested a Peking House would do well in Vidalia, Sandy said, “I asked, ‘Where is Vidalia?’” and laughed.

Finally, Roy Palmer took his suggestion a step further. “He said to me, ‘If you will come, I will build you a building,’ I thought he was joking, but that’s what he did.” She laughed again. On June 22, 1986, Sandy and Sze opened a Peking House in Vidalia, and Roy Palmer and Mayor Dixon were right – Toombs County loved it.

Even though both restaurants were doing well, the distance between the two was too much with a small child. “When we closed in Vidalia at midnight, then I had to drive home to Douglas,” said Sandy. “I had to leave my

daughter at home with my mom. My mom was an older person. It was too far if something happened. After a year, I decided we can’t run both.� The Chans sold the Peking House in Douglas, and the Chan family moved to Vidalia.

In 1985, Sandy and Sze had a second daughter and named her Ting Ting. Four years later, their son was born. His Chinese name is Kun Kun, but, like his mom, he chose to go by his English name, which is Matthew.

Sze learned to speak English from Sandy, H O M E TO W N L I V I N G AT I T S B E S T

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BELOW Pei Pei and her husband Christian live in the Chicago area with their two children. RIGHT Mathew is in his second year of residency at Einstein Medical Center in Philadelphia. BOTTOM Ting Ting and her husband Anthony live in Seattle, Washington.

and his children learned to eat with chopsticks and speak Cantonese from their grandmother. “My mom always spoke Cantonese to them,” said Sandy. It was the language spoken by most older people in China, she explained. “I remember when Pei Pei was very young, and she would ask my mom for something in English. My mom would say, ‘I don’t know. Say in Chinese,’ even though she understood,” laughed Sandy.

Even though the circumstances that brought Sze and Sandy to America were different, both had strong work ethics. Their work in the community spoke about who they were and the values they held. All three of Sze and Sandy’s children carried these values forward with excellence.

Pei Pei graduated from Robert Toombs Christian Academy (RTCA) in 1999, and from Trinity College in Hartford, Connecticut, in 2003 with a degree in Economics and a minor in Architectural Studies.

She currently serves as Senior Vice-President at Bozzuto Property Management Company in Chicago, which has the distinction of being a “Top Property Management Company in the Nation.” An online Chicago business journal recently reported, “In her current role, Pei Pei oversees a portfolio of over 2,700 residential units in Bozzuto’s downtown Chicago portfolio.” She and her husband Christian have two children: a daughter Audrey and son Gianluca.

Ting Ting graduated from Vidalia Comprehensive High School (VCHS) in 2004. “She was on the Homecoming Court her sophomore through 38

TO O M B S CO U N T Y M A G A Z I N E

senior years in high school. She was crowned the Homecoming Queen her senior year,” said Sandy as only a proud mother would say. After high school, Ting Ting went to the University of Georgia (UGA) and spent her junior year in UGA’s studies abroad program in Beijing. “So, her Mandarin is better than the other two,” said Sandy and smiled.

In 2007, while Ting Ting was studying abroad, Sandy and Pei Pei traveled to Beijing for a visit. All three visited the places Sandy and Sze’s families were from. Afterward, they traveled together to Hong Kong to visit the home Sandy had had to leave so suddenly in 1975. The family of the man who worked for them was still living in the home they had left behind. “The man who worked for us did everything for me. He was the housekeeper and cook. He sewed my clothes and drove me to school. When I came to America, my mom had to teach me to cook rice

because I never cooked before. I was the baby of the family and he did everything for me. He was like a second father,” said Sandy. “About three years after we left, he got sick and died. But his wife and three children still live there.”

Ting Ting now lives in Seattle, Washington, with her husband Anthony, and works in the finance department at Wells Fargo. From time to time, Ting Ting will have a customer who speaks only Mandarin. If she can’t explain something in Mandarin to her customer, she will call her mom.

Sandy smiled. “Ting Ting says, ‘Mom, can you explain to this person what I’m trying to say?’”

Matthew graduated from VCHS in 2009, and after four years at UGA was accepted into the Grad school at VCOM-Carolinas - Edward Via College of Osteopathic Medicine in Spartanburg, South Carolina. He is now in his second year of residency at Einstein Medical Center in Philadelphia.

Call for Reservations: (912) 537-2728

W

hen Pei Pei finished college in 2003, she came home with some new ideas for her family's business. Even though the Peking House was doing well, maintaining and managing a restaurant with the buffet and the menu was no small task. According to Pei Pei, American culture 155 Mose Coleman Drive, Vidalia, Georgia as a whole was making a shift toward healthier 800-634-3444 • WYNDHAMHOTELS.COM/AMERICINN eating. “She said, ‘Mom, you should open a Japanese restaurant,’” said Sandy.

Even though Japanese food was still Asian cuisine, there were distinct differences between the two. “Japanese food is cooked a lot on the grill. It’s a lot of fish and seafood,” she explained. “And it’s healthier,” she added with a smile. In 2005, Sandy and Sze decided to test their daughter’s suggestion with a Japanese restaurant in Swainsboro. They named the restaurant Koiya Japanese Express. “Koi is a fish,” said Sandy. The added “ya” means “and” in Japanese.

IS IN THE In 2006, Sandy and Sze opened a second Koiya DETAILS Japanese Express in Vidalia. In 2007, they sold the Peking House. The following year, they sold the Koiya Japanese Express in Swainsboro to focus all their attention on the restaurant in their hometown.

In its thirteenth year, Koiya continues to be a favorite. The menu offers everything from Hibachi This time, we’re going 4,390 extra miles, because we’re Shrimp and Sweet and Sour Chicken to spring rollstraveling to the Diamond Capital of the World, and miso soup. Pei Pei was right. Koiya Japanese Antwerp, Belgium.

Express is not only a healthy alternative to fast food fare, it’s also great food.

Let us know if we can bring back the Every part of Sandy and Sze’s journey is now a Diamond of Your Dreams... part of the history of our community. Our stories are entwined in memories through the service they Leaving October 2018! continue to provide. And as their three children continue the story of their own lives, their excellence 912.537.3623 in what they do and the strong family relationships 912.537.3623 1303B E 1st St, Vidalia are a testament to their parents and the community www.kebutler.com they all call home.

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BY TERI R. WILLIAMS

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PHOTOS BY LOGIC4DESIGN

Hold dear the moments Entrepreneur, adventurer, poet, father, husband, lover of life–Jack Parson has been them all. Though there were good times and bad, Jack embraces each of life's moments as a growing experience.

T

he notebooks on the small kitchen table were filled with handwritten lines of poetry. Eighty-seven -year-old Jack Parson, the original owner of Captain’s Corner, The Seawinder, and The Tree House, flipped through pages in search of a recent poem he had written about his father. For the entrepreneur, poetry had become his way of processing the weight of grief after losing his wife of fifty-five years. He held the notebook open and slid it across the table to me. After a brief pause, Jack said, “I’ve come to understand that I lived a charmed life. Even disaster turned out good.”

But the beginning of the story I found myself swept into was far from charmed.

Jack doesn’t know to this day if his mother and his father were ever married. “My father’s name was E. Harris Parson. It was never mentioned in our house, but I found it in a scrapbook that belonged to my mother.” Jack’s mother’s name was Frances Gibson.

What Jack did know came from bits and pieces of conversations he gathered from his mother’s family. “My father was a good bit older than my mother and making plenty of money,” said Jack. “It was during prohibition.

My father’s life was very different from the way my mother was raised. She was the baby, the youngest of five.

She probably thought his life was something she wanted when they first met.” As far as Jack knew, his father was running liquor from South America, playing the slots, and living the ‘fast life.’ “Eventually, he was caught by the Feds and his boat confiscated,” said Jack. “I think everything fell apart for him at the same time. I think they were both victims, in a way, of their times.”

In 1932, Jack’s grandfather and his uncles went down to St. Augustine, Florida, and brought his mother home to Nicholls, Georgia–a small community with a population of about 100. She was obviously pregnant because that was also the year Jack was born. “My mother went to work, and my grandmother raised me. Her name was Harriet B. Gibson, but everyone called her Hattie.” Except Jack. “I called her Mama, and she was my mother.”

When Jack was three-years-old, his real mother was killed in a car accident. “She was going around some cars and hit a truck head on.” Tragedy hit again only two years later with the death of Jack’s grandfather Clarance Gibson.

By the age of eight, Jack was making enough money to buy himself an RC Cola and a bag of Tom’s peanuts H O M E TO W N L I V I N G AT I T S B E S T

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ABOVE Jack at The Treehouse with his children. Left to right, Frank, Denise, daughter-in-law Paula, and Michael.

every day at school if he’d wanted. “Not many kids had that kind of money,” said Jack smiling. “Mama made me a box that would hold 12 one-pound bags of boiled peanuts or scuppernongs. I’d sell three boxes full on the street corner in Nicholls on Saturdays.”

By the time he was twelve, he was

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making $2 a week working at his Uncle Buster’s drug store. When he turned fourteen, he became the “soda jerk,” which resulted in an increase of pay to $3 a week. “The soda fountain was like a bar except you were serving sodas, ice cream, milkshakes and floats. Keeping the soda fountain in shape was a skill like painting or plumbing or anything else. There were mechanical things you had to do to keep the machine tuned because you didn’t have all the services

you do now. I learned how to run that little operation, and I thought I was something,” said Jack.

Jack and his grandmother moved to Swainsboro to live near his aunt and uncle, Wilma and CG Mixon, and his cousin Carlos, Jr., who was his same age. When Jack took the job as soda jerk at a drug store in Swainsboro, he was shocked to receive $18.55 a week for the same work he’d been paid $3 for in Nicholls. “I decided right then, I didn’t need an education,” laughed Jack, although his aunt and uncle obviously thought otherwise.

After graduating high school in 1949, they sent him to the University of Georgia, which lasted all of one quarter.

(School only went to the 11th grade at that time.) “I tell everybody I took five subjects at UGA and failed seven.”

His eyebrows raised. “I was raised in Nicholls, Georgia, and at UGA I was introduced to a life I'd never known before.”

In 1950, following his enlightening experience at UGA, Jack worked a year with his mother’s brother, Uncle Jack.

He and his wife Louis had just opened a

Always an entrepreneur– At age 8, Jack was selling bags of peanuts and scuppernongs on the street corner on Saturdays.

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CLOCKWISE FROM TOP Jack and his wife Martha celebrating their 50th Anniversary. Jack and Martha during the time the Captain's Corner opened.

Jack fishing off the Georgia coast at Shellman's Bluff.

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place in Vidalia called Jack’s Drive-In. “Jack’s Drive-In was where Hardees is now,” said Jack. “That was the beginning of ‘The Strip.’”

“The Strip” was actually a loop from Jack’s Drive-In to the Pal Theatre, down the one-way street (East Meadows), and back over to Hwy 280 again. Teenagers sat on the hoods of their parked cars or in lawn chairs in the back of trucks at the halfway mark in the empty lot across from what is now the Dairy Queen. The Strip was the place to meet potential boyfriends and girlfriends as well as the source of countless first fender benders. Famous last words in homes throughout Toombs County were always, “And I better not hear you were riding The Strip!”

My sister-in-law Nancy (Williams) Stanley, said, “When my friend Rose Anne (Page) Holman turned sixteen, we burned 13 gallons of gas in her Chevy during Christmas break just riding The Strip.” She added, “But no guys would ever talk to me on The Strip because they were too scared of my brothers.”

People came from all around for the French fries, BBQ, and Wing Dings offered by Jack's Drive-In. “The room where we washed dishes was just a dirt floor,” laughed Jack. He smiled at my questioning look. “Wing Dings was the name of the milkshake machine, so that’s what the milkshakes were called. Uncle Jack also made a little hamburger, too, about the size of a Krystal. One fellow told him, ‘Mr. Gibson, that was a good hamburger, but it was so small that

our name.

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the first time I bit over it, and the second time I bit before it.” (Jack’s Drive-In was open from 1950 to 1969.)

Jack left his uncle’s booming business in Vidalia to attend Southern Pharmacy College in Atlanta. When he applied for a job as a soda jerk at Hall Park Pharmacy, he told the pharmacist, “a Greek fellow named Paul Theos,” he would work a month for $25 a week, and after that if he thought Jack’s work was worth it, he could pay him $35 a week. “We hit it off, and I built him a good business.”

A year at pharmacy school was long enough for Jack to know he did not want to be a pharmacist. He moved from Atlanta to Milledgeville to attend Georgia Military College (GMC) and began taking courses in accounting.

He graduated from GMC in 1953 and returned to UGA to finish out his degree in accounting, but only stayed long enough to unpack then pack up and head home again.

“I knew I couldn’t sit at a desk all day as an accountant.

I saw no reason to waste my aunt and uncle’s money for something I didn’t want to do with my life.”

One weekend, Jack’s aunt asked him to drive her to Atlanta to do some shopping. Although it was something he did often, the shopping trip was a guise. His aunt had staged a meeting between Jack and his father who was living in a motel in Atlanta owned by his father’s sister and her husband.

“When you don’t know your father,” said Jack, “you’re either going to curse him or build him up. I had him built up to be at least a gentleman of some stature. But when my mother left him, and prohibition ended, things really went downhill for him.”

Although his father was expecting him, Jack had no time to prepare. When he walked into the motel room, all his imaginings fell away in disappointment. “He was this old sickly man that looked like he was wasting away.” It was clear to Jack that there was no similarity between the man he had become and the figure that looked through the vacant eyes across the room from him. “The meeting was over quickly, and I was gone, thankfully. I washed it from my mind the best I could and moved on.”

In 1955, Jack was drafted into the army and was notsent only in to Korea as a tank driver. “By then, the fighting in Korea our name. was over. I spent one day as a M-48 tank driver over there, and they put me in the finance office since I had a little accounting experience from the college courses I’d taken at GMC and UGA.” By that time, his cousin Carlos had graduated from Auburn University and served as a paratrooper ranger for four years in the military. Along with two other friends, Jack and Carlos started a cosmetic business they named Lena Horne Cosmetics. “The idea was based on door-todoor sales like Avon products,” said Jack. “Instead of a pinkbased, our make-up was brown-based for black women. We had two professors in Atlanta to work with us, and I moved there to run that business.”

Jack stayed in Atlanta during the week, and drove home every weekend. “Atlanta was not for me. I worked hard while I was there, but when I left on Friday afternoon www.ourpeoplesbank.com until I came back on Monday morning, I liked to party with

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Where PEOPLE come FIRST,

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www.ourpeoplesbank.co H O M E TO W N L I V I N G AT I T S B E S T

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In 1981, Jack opened Vidalia's first fine dining restaurant, The Seawinder. Soon after, he built The Treehouse (ABOVE ) in the woods nearby using treated lumber that had practically been given to him. Today, The Treehouse is operated by Jack's son Michael.

my friends at home,” he said with that infectious grin.

One Monday morning on his way back to Atlanta, Jack stopped at a little restaurant in Wrightsville called Sam’s Café.

“I had just left the best table in Emanuel County. My aunt had a maid that was a fabulous cook. For some reason, I turned around and went back to this little café I had never stopped at before. When I walked through the door, this fellow I casually knew invited me to sit at his table. When I started to leave, he pointed across the room and said, ‘There’s a young lady over there you need to meet.’”

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of settling down. Even so, he walked over and introduced himself to the young woman named Martha Blizzard. Eight months later, Jack and Martha were married. In 1960, the same year he married Martha, the cosmetic business dried up, and Jack went to work for Carlos at CG Mixon Auction Company making $1.25 an hour. “I was probably the youngest ‘pinhooker’ in the United States at that time.” Pinhooking in the auction world, also called “alley trading,” is a deal made before a vehicle goes to the trading floor. Jack left CG Mixon Auction Company and took a position in the accounting office at Emanuel Motors. After a year in the accounting office, he moved to selling and buying cars.

In 1966, Jack and Carlos opened a Ford tractor dealership in Vidalia. By 1968, they closed the business in Swainsboro and turned all their attention to their dealership in Vidalia.

As work took them throughout the Southeast, Jack said, “We noticed these Western Sizzlin steak houses popping up everywhere. That’s where the idea to open our own steakhouse came from.

“Carlos owned a piece of property on the corner from Calvin Vaughn’s State Farm Insurance agency. It took a year to get the building finished, but I helped drive in every nail,” said Jack. “When it came time to put in the insulation, we couldn’t find anyone who would do it. So, I put my boys Frankie and Michael up in that big attic, and they insulated the whole thing.”

In March 1973, Jack and Carlos opened Captain’s Corner,

“I’ll show you how God works,”

said Jack smiling broadly.

a name they felt would reflect their focus on seafood. “We weren’t ready to open, but Calvin Vaughn wanted us to open the day of his daughter’s basketball tournament so the team could eat there that night,” said Jack. A neighbor was recruited to pour tea. His wife Martha and Pat Phillips ran the dining room. “We had a kitchen staff that had never cooked before. Uncle Jack came to help me. He and I ran the kitchen.”

Jack’s children were a vital part of the restaurant’s success. “Frankie and Mike worked the kitchen, and Denise worked the salad bar and the dining room. My children never had an allowance. I always thought that was kind of foolish. If you teach your children to work, they learn to be independent. That was the main thing I was trying to teach them. They are all self-sufficient today,” said Jack with pride.

In 1973, Carlos and Jack split their partnership. “Carlos purchased my interest in the tractor business, and I purchased his interest in the restaurant business. It was an amicable business decision that benefited us both,” said Jack.

One Sunday afternoon in 1975, about two years after the Captain’s Corner opened, a man drove up in a truck and called to Carlos. “It was the ex-husband of a woman who worked at the dealership. When Carlos stepped up to the truck, the man stuck a 16-gauge shotgun out the window and shot him,” said Jack. “The guy only served two and half years of jail time.” Carlos was Jack’s partner for many years, his cousin, and his closest friend. His death was a devastating loss for all.

Two years later, Jack bought the tractor business from Carlos’ widow.

“The timing proved unfavorable. Jimmy Carter had put an embargo on trade with Russia, and the government got out of farming. Farmers were stuck with no rain and no help.” Jack closed the dealership in 1982.

The previous year, Jack also sold

Captain’s Corner to his long-time employees I.D. and Mary Oxford and turned his attention to a new venue.

“In 1979, I went to buy a pie safe from Aubrey Brady and came back with a piece a property,” said Jack. He opened The Seawinder, “Toombs Counties’ first white tablecloth, fine-dining restaurant opened to the public,” on October 31, 1981.

“I’ll show you how God works,” said Jack smiling broadly. “When I finally got around to walking down into the branch behind The Seawinder, I was

standing in the middle of this beautiful canopy of overgrown grape vines and huge trees. A short time later, a friend who worked at Atlantic Woodyard called. He had a bunch of treated lumber that they used to build houses out in the woods. They were closing that part of their operation down, and he said he would sell it to me for next to nothing. I gave him about $200 for it, and he delivered it, too.”

At about the same time, the son of a friend, who also happened to be an architect, was in between jobs. “We

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ABOVE Struggling to move forward after his wife passed away, Jack joined a grief share group and began to realize that even tough times can produce evidence of God's presence in our lives. He began writing his thoughts down, and soon they turned into poems.

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were sitting around the table, and he drew up something for me on a piece of paper. Since he was temporarily out of work, he helped his daddy and his brother build the building for me.” Jack named the place he built in the woods The Treehouse. The steak and seafood restaurant continues to be a community favorite.

In 1998, Jack sold the Seawinder. Unfortunately, after a few years and a couple of owners, the restaurant closed, and the building fell into disrepair. When the property went into foreclosure, Jack bought it back. In 2006, he retired and turned the Treehouse over to his son Michael. “He’s done well with it, and I congratulate him for that,” said Jack. He added, “I would be remiss to not mention the four most important people in my life: My wife Martha, and the three wonderful children she gave me, Denise, Frank, and Michael. All have done well with the help of their Creator. I am a very proud dad.”

When Martha passed away on November 12, 2016, Jack struggled to find his way forward. He joined a Grief Share group at First Baptist Church in Vidalia where he attended, and found a measure of comfort. “I talk to

God often,” said Jack. “I’m here by myself. Who else am I going to talk to?” His eyes crinkled with his smile.

On one particular sleepless night, his mind kept returning to a word he’d heard his pastor Ricky Cummings share during Grief Share that past week. “He was talking about Abram and his troubles, his dark days. Ricky said that Abram had this conversation with God about what He had promised him.

He wasn't arguing with God or criticizing God or questioning God. He was just looking for clarification.”

Clarification. That was all Jack wanted. “I started looking at my history and wondering why all of these things happened. But everywhere I looked, I saw God’s hand keeping me. My parents were not responsible people, and God rescued me from them. The way I met my wife was nothing short of a miracle.” And as his thoughts turned to his father, the perspective at eighty-seven was far different than the one he’d held of his father in younger years. “With age, you begin to

understand things differently. You become more forgiving,” said Jack.

He also considered his mistakes.

Clarity come as he realized that everything brought him to this present moment. Who he has become, even with his mistakes, is not something he would trade. “I’m past being ashamed of anything.

It’s history,” said Jack. “I used to say, I wish I hadn’t done that, but every experience is a part of me, too. I don’t know who I would have become without it.”

I looked back to the stacks of notebooks filled with Jack’s poetry on the table between us. “One night,” said Jack, “when I sat down to write out my thoughts, it turned into a poem. I found I could write what I felt in rhyme, and it clarified things for me.” He quickly added, “I’m always editing. Nothing is ever finished.” Like all of us, I thought.

Life is a process. Jack’s “charmed life” is the perspective of a man who has chosen to see the loving hand of God through it all.

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BY TERI R. WILLIAMS | PHOTOS BY DAPHNE WALKER, STAFF & THE MCMICHAEL FAMILY

A NEW CHAPTER for

Tranquilla After years of closure, the dream house that Jack and Margaret Ladson built was reopened and the antique treasures they spent years collecting are being enjoyed by their descendants once again.

T ABOVE Jack and Margaret Ladson married at Vidalia First Baptist Church in 1941. In the 1960s, the couple and their sons returned to Vidalia where they purchased land and began to build Tranquilla. LEFT Jack and Margaret's granddaughter Dorsey now lives in the restored house with her husband Curt McMicheal and their daughter Sus.

here is no doubt that John “Jack” E. Ladson II left our town an invaluable legacy with the founding of the John E. Ladson Genealogical and Historical Library which houses thousands of published volumes, microfilm, manuscript collections, and rare books. But when the doors of the house Jack’s wife, Margaret Brice Ladson, named Tranquilla were closed following his death on December, 4, 1999, the stories it held remained silent for thirteen years. Although Tranquilla, an Italian word meaning “calm, serene, and restful,” contained many family heirlooms, exquisite collections and valuable antiques, the house itself had a past that seemed all but forgotten until 2012 when Jack and Margaret’s granddaughter Dorsey and her husband Curt reopened its old walnut doors and brought the legacy within to life again.

Tranquilla was the fulfillment of a dream for Jack and Margaret Ladson. Their love had brought together two enterprising families from completely different backgrounds. Margaret’s father, Mitchell F. Brice, established many of the well-known businesses in Vidalia and Lyons that included the Brice Banking Company, Tanner Brice Wholesale Company, the Dixie Oil Company, Simms Service Stores, (later bought by the Rockefellers), and the Pal Amusement company whose chain of motion picture theatres included the Pal theatres in Vidalia and Lyons.

Born in 1912, Jack came from a long line of tobacco farmers in Moultrie, Georgia. After graduating from Moultrie High School, he attended both Furman and Duke Universities and also served as a communications officer in the Navy during World War II. “My grandfather H O M E TO W N L I V I N G AT I T S B E S T

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defining Tranquilla 1 Having a passion for architecture and antiquities, the Ladsons explored the southeast for inspiration to build their new house. First, they discovered the Croft-Brooks House, which they purchased, dismantled and moved to be used for the construction of Tranquilla.

1

2

2 Then they found Labatut Plantation and determined that it was the ideal exterior design for them.

3 Close friend and renowned architect Edward Vason Jones designed the original renderings for Tranquilla.

3

4

was a few years older than my grandmother,” said Dorsey.

“By the time they met, she was a student at Duke, and he was already a leading tobacco warehouseman He worked for awhile in the tobacco market in Rocky Mount, North Carolina, and they met through a mutual friend there.”

Even though Margaret was already engaged to someone else at the time, it didn’t stop Jack. In fact, Dorsey smiled as she said, “He loved to tell how he paid off a fortune teller to predict that it wasn’t going to work out for my grandmother and the guy she was engaged to.” It turned out that the fortune teller was right. Margaret and Jack got married on December 31, 1941, at the First Baptist Church in Vidalia.

After Margaret’s father M. F. Brice died in March of 1960, she and Jack, along with their two sons, John E. Ladson III (Dorsey’s father), and Brice Ladson, moved to Vidalia. Jack took over the Dixie Oil Company which would later become Brilad Oil Company. Margaret 60

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4 Construction began on Tranquilla in 1966.

assumed responsibility for many of Mr. Brice’s commercial properties.

Initially, the family lived in a small house on the Brice estate. That home was previously occupied by Dr. John Carter Brewton, the cofounder of Brewton-Parker College, who was married to Margaret’s step grandmother. Around 1962, Jack and Margaret purchased 53 acres of land in Vidalia from Mr. Bragg Thompson, upon which they would build Tranquilla. “It had been a chicken farm,” said Dorsey. “You can still see some of the cement slabs where Mr. Thompson used to keep the chickens.”

Jack and Margaret explored the Southeast in search of inspiration for their new home. “Genealogy was more my grandfather’s passion,” said Dorsey. “But architecture and antiques were passions both my grandparents shared.”

One day, while traveling through South Carolina on their way back to Georgia with friends, Edward Vason Jones, a

When the Ladsons had the Croft-Brooks House dismantled, workers carefully labeled and stored each piece so that entire sections like the front door and entryway could be reassembled. During the restoration, the original Croft-Brooks House wood mantle revealed hand-painted trompe l’oeil style marbleing.

renowned architect, and his wife, the couples stopped at a gas station in Edgefield, South Carolina. (Jones, a neoclassical architect, would later become well known for renovations he made in the White House during the Richard Nixon, Gerald Ford and Jimmy Carter administrations.) Off in the distance, Jack noticed an old house sitting on a hill. Nothing would do but to get a closer look.

When Edward Jones looked into the history of the Federal-style house, he discovered that the Croft-Brooks House, as it was named, had been built in the 1770s.

Remodeled and enlarged around the time of the 1812 war, more additions had also been made around the time of the

Civil War. “The property was owned by an investment group,” said Dorsey. “Governor Carl Sanders, a former governor of Georgia, was one of its members.” (Sanders served as Governor of Georgia from 1963-67.) “The house was in bad shape, and the investment group planned to tear it down to make way for a new industrial park they planned to build.

My grandparents made them an offer for the house, and they accepted.”

Over the months that followed, Margaret made the drive from Edgefield, South Carolina, to Vidalia again and again to watch over the dismantling of the Croft-Brooks house. “She made sure every piece, each board, window, and mantle were H O M E TO W N L I V I N G AT I T S B E S T

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historical details 1 The large beams on the porches are heart pine salvaged from the Union Station in Savannah, which was built during the early 1840’s and torn down in the 1960s.

2

2 Margaret kept notes and receipts of the antiques the Ladsons purchased.

1 methodically numbered before it was loaded and brought to Vidalia,” said Dorsey. “They stored all of the materials that they could in the Dixie Oil Company warehouse. What they couldn’t find room for there was placed on the grounds. My dad was about sixteen-years-old at the time and he remembers the piles of lumber stacked all over the property prior to construction.”

Even with the material from the Croft-Brooks house, Jack and Margaret were still undecided on the exterior design for the house they planned to build. When they discovered Labatut Plantation on the Mississippi River, all the pieces finally came together. “They were 62

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traveling by steamboat with the Joneses when they came up on the Labatut Plantation,” said Dorsey.

Labatut, a French surname and toponym meaning “reclaimed wood,” was an old Creole-style house not far from the banks of the river. Margaret immediately had the captain of the boat pull to the side so she could disembark. She walked closer and took a picture.

According to the genealogytrails. com, “Labatut Plantation was built c.

1790-1810….Built by Slave labor for a Spanish nobleman, Don Evarist de Barra, the plantation was acquired by the Labatut Family when De Barra's sister married General Jean Baptiste Labatut. It has belonged to them ever since. A picture of Labatut was included in Clarence John Laughlin’s book of photographs entitled Ghosts Along the Mississippi. In speaking of Labatut, Laughlin writes, "In melancholy light it looms, trembling upon the verge of destruction."

"...architecture and antiques were passions both my grandparents shared."

A cane wing chair (right), circa 1820-1840, is a perfect example of the Chinoiserie style, which first appeared in the 17th century. Chinoiserie was the European interpretation and imitation of Chinese and Eastern Asian art forms from decorative arts to music and architecture.

The present owner would not allow anyone to come inside the house to see the layout, but Edward Jones discovered the original plans for Labatut recorded in the Library of Congress. The layout was almost identical to the Croft-Brooks house, which made using the interior from the Croft-Brooks house and the exterior design from Labatut a perfect fusion of Jack and Margaret’s dream. Finally, Edward Jones could draw up the plans for Tranquilla.

No one is exactly sure what happened between the Ladsons and the Joneses. Through the years, Dorsey heard speculations among family members that the disagreement

between them was about the time frame in which Jack and Margaret wanted Tranquilla built. Ed Jones would produce an initial rendering of the house, but Dorsey’s grandparents then hired another architect from Savannah named Carl Helfrich. Helfrich was responsible for many restorations of homes and buildings in Savannah. The construction of Tranquilla was carried out by J. D. Williams from Uvalda and began in December 1965.

In a tragic twist of fate, Margaret never got the chance to live in her house of serenity and rest. “She was driving back from Savannah with my Uncle Brice; he was fourteen H O M E TO W N L I V I N G AT I T S B E S T

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antique collections Some antiques collected by the Ladsons include: 1 Sévres style ormolumounted urns and vases.

2 A Chinoiserie style chest situated on a gilt frame with claw feet (chest, circa 1810-1820 and base, circa 1860)

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3 A portrait of “The Honorable Mrs. Partington” of Derbyshire, England, by James Jebusa Shannon who was a leading portrait painter of the late 18th and early 19th century and whose works appear in the Smithsonian.

4 A George III rosewood tea caddy, circa 1800.

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at the time,” said Dorsey. “They were almost home when she crossed the railroad tracks in Vidalia and her vehicle was hit by a train. Both survived the accident, but my grandmother contracted pneumonia in the hospital and she died several days later in June 1966.”

The entire Vidalia community mourned her loss. She had been the first president of the Vidalia Beautification Commission and had also been very active in the Daughters of the American Revolution and the Georgia Society of Colonial Dames. She was also a founding member of the Episcopal Church in Vidalia. In the year before her death she would be named citizen of the year and receive the “Golden Deeds” award. In January 1968, the city held a memorial service and presented a fountain and monument in her name. The fountain, located in the pond near what is now Southeastern Technical College’s Adult Education Center, is still in operation and is run every evening.

When Jack and his sons moved into the house in 1967, they were surrounded by all the things Margaret had so carefully collected through the years. The house that Jack and Margaret built is a love story in every sense of the word. And if “home is where the heart is,” surely Margaret’s heart continued to be felt at Tranquilla.

It would be Ernestine Green, an employee of the Ladson’s for over thirty64

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"The house felt more like an art gallery when I was a kid. We were always being told, 'Don't run in the house...'"

five years, that would continue to nurture the home and its occupants after Margaret’s death.

Ernestine had been hired as domestic help by Jack and Margaret in 1960. “At that time, she had been working at the Pal Theater, overseeing the concession stand for the balcony,” said Dorsey.

In addition to managing the household, Ernestine helped raise their children and grandchildren, and prepared every meal served at Tranquilla, including dinner for the family on Christmas Eve each year. “She was my grandfather’s most faithful companion, and she was extremely special to all of us,” said Dorsey.

ABOVE This Colonial-style bed was owned by the Habersham family of Savannah. James Habersham was one of the early settlers of Georgia.

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all the texture 1 “Mediterranean Landscape” hand-painted wallpaper mural produced by Charles R. Gracie & Sons in New York.

2 Bricks on the porches and in the kitchen, foyer and hallway were handmade in Savannah before the Civil War-no two are the same.

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3 Satinwood inlays can be seen on the mahogany trimmed Empire Marquetry sofa, circa 1820.

4 Imported Italian handpainted tiles.

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She pointed to the bell rope that Ernestine would pull to call guests into the dining room where Eugene (“Gene”) Williams, Ernestine’s brother-in-law, would begin serving the meal. “Gene helped maintain Tranquilla and its contents after my grandfather’s death.” With over 20 years in the Ladson household, he, too, would become a dear friend.

As I walked from room to room with Jack and Margaret’s granddaughter Dorsey, she said smiling, “The house felt more like an art gallery when I was a kid. We were always being told, ‘Don’t run in the house or touch this or that.’ Most of my childhood memories were of playing outside.”

“Some of the antiques here were passed down through my grandmother’s family,” said Dorsey. “Many were bought through Jim Williams, the antique dealer in Savannah whose story was the basis for Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil. In fact, my grandparents had a townhouse in 66

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Savannah and the writer of the book, John Berendt, lived in a garden house right behind them.

“Other antiques my grandparents bought came from George Hartness in Columbia, South Carolina. He did much of the interior design at Tranquilla. Antiques were also purchased from a woman in Louisville, Georgia, named Bernice Stone. When we moved into Tranquilla, I found some of the original receipts tucked away in drawers for some of the things my grandmother bought that are still in the house.”

When the house and all its antiquities were brought back to life by Dorsey and her husband, it was not as an art gallery, but as a home: A place where the sounds of their two-year-old daughter Susan, (called “Sus”), could be heard.

The mechanical dumbwaiter, a small freight-type elevator used to cart food from the kitchen to a room on another level, is now filled with Sus’s jackets and shoes.

In a time of mobility and disconnection, Dorsey and

ABOVE Tranquilla is more than just a house filled with antiques. If its walls could speak, it would talk of history woven through time by many people.

From the brick floor and foyer wall mural to the entry doors and wood trim details, many hands went into making this home.

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Curt McMichael give us all hope that there will be those after us who will value the family stories that came before them. Surrounded by all the antiques and collections Dorsey’s grandparents left behind, the story of Tranquilla began a new chapter. Even so, the one that came before will not be forgotten.

Of all the beautiful rooms in Tranquilla, my personal favorite was the one filled with toys and a crib for Sus. The old rules of no running have been replaced with the sounds of a child’s bare feet. Tranquilla is truly a story of family and love, Jack and Margaret Ladson’s most valuable legacy of all.

After years of solitude, Tranquilla was brought back to life by the McMichaels. Today, it is a house that echoes years of a family's love for each other, and the place they called home.

CLOCKWISE FROM ABOVE Dorsey and Curt McMicheal with their daughter Sus. A portrait of Margaret Ladsen in front of Brytan–her family's home on the old Brice estate–hangs in Tranquilla as a tribute to the woman whose vision made Tranquilla a reality. Pictured left to right are John E. Ladson III, Sue Ladson, Carolyn Schwab (aunt), Meg, Jack Ladson, Dorsey & Johnny, Christmas 1988. Brice Ladson (left), John Ladson III (right), and Earnestine Green (front, center), 1999.

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Lorenzo Riggins opened Downtown Bistro and catering in 2009. His assistant Robin Walker helps with catering, decorating and running the restaurant.

A pinch of Grandma's cooking skills and a dollop of culinary creativity served with a side of jazz make this French-style bistro a place you'll want to savor.

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Creativity and influence are as connected as jazz and the soulful sounds of a saxophone.

Throughout history, the creative works of artists, musicians, and writers have shifted belief systems, changed cultural mores, and brought beauty into the world. But no book or piece of artwork has ever done more to shift the atmosphere and make all right with the world than Grandma’s cooking. And no one understands this any better than Lorenzo Riggins. Maggie Riggins not only influenced her grandson’s childhood development but also the direction of his entire life.

Lorenzo grew up in his grandmother’s home with his mother, Christine Berry, and two younger brothers in the

a recipe for flavor

BY TERI R. WILLIAMS

small community of Johnson Corner. It would be incorrect to assume his childhood was lacking anything a young boy might need. If anything, the impact of his grandmother’s love and attention gave Lorenzo an advantage. As he learned from her the old-fashioned basics of culinary wisdom, he developed his own sense of culinary creativity.

By the age of ten, Lorenzo was his grandmother’s right hand. While she turned the batter for biscuits in an oblong wooden bowl, he would stand at the stove and fry the chicken or make some other main dish for the meal. The kitchen was his favorite place to be.

After high school, Lorenzo traveled for a time. Every

PHOTOS BY LOGIC4 DESIGN

place he went was a new experience with different types of cuisine. When he returned home, he took a position as manager of the deli bakery at Bi-Lo. After eleven years, he went to work for Food Lion where he managed their bakery for the next ten years.

In 2008, Lorenzo made plans to leave Toombs County and start a new venture in life. After working for others, it was time to make his own way. As he considered different options in the food industry and interior design, another talent he’d developed, he noticed a vacant building for rent in downtown Vidalia on East Meadows Street. Unable to shake the pull the location seemed to have on him, H O M E TO W N L I V I N G AT I T S B E S T

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Lorenzo stood in front of the building and wrestled with his heart. After two hours, he came to the realization that there was no better place to start something new than at home where he had friends, family, and the support of his community.

In September 2009, Lorenzo opened for business at his French-style cafĂŠ he named Downtown Bistro and Catering.

With a menu that offers delicious sandwiches, wraps, paninis, and fresh salads in a warm atmosphere, Lorenzo offers customers the opportunity to actually sit down and be served fresh food for lunch. Robin Walker, who has been with him the longest, helps with catering, decorating for events, and all the daily activities of the restaurant.

This past September, Downtown Bistro celebrated its tenth anniversary, which is no small feat. The communion of a shared meal has all but been lost in our fast food society. The midday meal

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Downtown Bistro offers seating in both the cozy jazz-themed dining room and outside in the covered garden patio.

Lorenzo has created an welcoming atmosphere that invites people to slow down and enjoy themselves.

is more often a bag of fast food to stave off hunger just long enough to make it through to the end of the workday.

We all know the shortcomings of the American diet, but it seems there’s no time to actually sit down for lunch, much less share that time in the company of a friend. More often, we flip through photoshopped pictures and read posts from people we’ve never met. This isn’t a bash on social media, but rather a gentle reminder that our stories are valuable and need table time more than Instagram likes.

Downtown Bistro is an alternative way of thinking about the lunch hour.

In addition to the cool aesthetic vibe Lorenzo has created, the quick and friendly service allows customers to enjoy fresh and delicious favorites such as the chicken salad served on a bed of fresh mixed greens or the Panini Turkey Club.

In fact, I was shocked to receive my veggie spinach wrap with a side of tomato basil soup in less time than it normally takes to go through a drive through at lunchtime.

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In addition to running the restaurant on a daily basis, Lorenzo offers a variety of catering services for large to small gatherings. He credits much of his culinary skill to his grandmother Maggie.

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Both the wrap and the soup were wonderful, and the prices were more than reasonable. For those who enjoy a more European experience, Lorenzo recently added a seating area in a garden out back surrounded by banana and lime trees.

In addition to the restaurant, his excellent catering services are well known in the community.

Anyone who has ever planned a wedding or any kind of party or event understands the importance of choosing the right caterer. With great food, decorations to fit the theme, and exceptional service, Lorenzo knows how to create the perfect atmosphere for any event, which is key to everything he does.

Every time he picks up his grandmother’s well-used wooden spoon or pours made-from-scratch cake batter into her old bundt cake pan, he senses the magic he felt as a child.

With knowledge developed over generations, Lorenzo finds joy in serving our community through his own creative gifts. And isn’t that the magic of influence, after all?

TO O M B S CO U N T Y M A G A Z I N E

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Down South Sheep

BY TERI R. WILLIAMS | PHOTOS BY DAPHNE WALKER

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Most people don't think of sheep as typical livestock for Georgia, but as Sunshine and Drew Conner found out, the characteristics of this breed developed in South Africa are ideal for our southern climate and conditions.

F

rom “Mary had a Little Lamb” to “Baa Baa Black Sheep,” sheep have been the subject for many of our most beloved nursery rhymes. In spite of our songs of lost sheep and bags of wool, we don’t expect to see Mary’s little lamb in the South Georgia countryside. But on Rockin C Farms near Mount Vernon, Georgia, fields of grazing sheep are an everyday scene for Sunshine and Drew Conner’s five-year-old son Luke.

About six years ago, the couple bought a thirty-acre farm and tried to raise Angus cattle as a profitable hobby. “Unfortunately, the market fell not long after that,” said Sunshine, which, by the way, is her given name. “My mama said that’s what I was: her sunshine,” she responded when I questioned her about it.

The cattle were sold, and the couple began thinking about other livestock they could raise. In 2014, Drew learned that his co-worker David Beckworth had bought some sheep from ESCO Farms run by Kyle Copeland in Odum, Georgia. At the time, Sunshine, an RN, BSN, was working at Oxley Park in Lyons and expecting her son. “I wanted something I could manage while pregnant and feel safe with my son near.”

She felt cows and horses were too big and unpredictable, and her husband thought goats were too much trouble. “He believed they were always getting out of a pen,” said Sunshine.

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The Conners raise Dorper sheep–a cross between Dorset Horn Rams and Blackhead Persian ewes.

They decided to give sheep a try and bought four fullblooded Dorper ewes from ESCO Farms. A few years after their son was born, Rockin C Farms was doing so well with sheep, Sunshine had to cut back on her hours at work in Reidsville at Optim Healthcare just to keep up.

When you think of a sheep, it’s more likely a scene on an English countryside or the rolling hills of New Zealand that come to mind rather than a farm in Georgia. But if you’re counting sheep, something psychologists say will not actually help you fall asleep, there are actually over 1,000 distinct breeds worldwide. Classifications, according Sunshine chose to raise sheep because she wanted something that was easy to manage and safe for her son Luke to be around.

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to sheep101.info, include the fine wool, long wool, and medium wool meat sheep; the carpet wool and the hair sheep; fat-tailed and short or rat-tailed breeds; and the list goes on and on.

The four ewes the Conner’s bought from ESCO Farms were called Dorper sheep, a new breed that was developed in the1930’s by the Department of Agriculture of South Africa. Dorper sheep are the result of crossing Dorset Horn Rams and Blackhead Persian ewes. (The name is a combination of the first syllables from Dorset and Persian.)

Crossbreeding allows strengths to be improved and weaknesses reduced. According to the Dorper Sheep Breeders’ Society of South Africa website, “The Dorper breed is now numerically the second largest breed in South

The Conner's 9th grade neighbor, Trace Bell helps out at Rockin C Farms. He also shows the sheep in 4-H events.

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Three Central Asian Shepherds guard the sheep 24 hours a day. The aggressive breed is trained to keep coyotes and other predators away from the sheep who can't be insured like some livestock.

Africa.” Characteristics that make Dorpers hardy enough for the South African environment make them ideal for our South Georgia climate and feeding conditions.

The ideal Dorper has a solid white body and black head and neck. “There is a white Dorper, but we don’t have those,” said Sunshine. Because they are of a hair sheep variety, they do not need to be sheared. “They'll shed and may keep a little wool on their topline, but that helps protect them from sunburn.” Even though the texture of 84

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the sheep hair looked similar to wool, Sunshine said, “It can’t be used. It’s no good.”

The sheep are only sheared when being shown at shows. “We just got back from a Southern States Dorper Show and Sale in Cookeville, Tennessee,” said Sunshine.

“There’s a Mid-America Show and Sale in Duncan, Oklahoma, and a Midwest Stud Ram Show and Sale in Sedalia, Missouri.” All of these shows were for registered stock only. “Our son Luke is preparing for his first show in Douglas, Georgia. We’re all excited about that.”

Trace Bell, Sunshine’s 9th grade neighbor, began helping out at Rockin’ C Farms the first of the year. “That’s been a great help,” said Sunshine. “He’s getting ready to show three ewes at a 4-H show. They're all halter broke and well trained.”

Sunshine pointed to a small group of recently-weaned ram lambs. “These will be sold. We’re very particular about which rams we keep.” Pointing to one particular large ram, she said, “They either make the cut or they don’t. Even though that one came from an Australian embryo, and he’s worth a lot, he doesn’t make the cut because he has skewed pasterns,” an unacceptable trait for a breed meant to thrive in this location.

“Some Dorper ewes are used as surrogates for embryos that have been frozen and dry-shipped from Australia to Indiana. They ship them to me, and I put them in a tank in my storage building. A fertilized embryo comes from a full-blooded male and female Dorper in Australia.

Australia has better genetics than we have in the States.”

“Why don’t you get everything straight from South Africa where the breed originated?” I asked.

“You can’t get them from South Africa because the United States will not allow any genetic material from South Africa due to foot and-mouth-disease,” said Sunshine.

Every October, three veterinarians from Southern Veterinary Services come to Rockin C Farms with a truck and trailer.

“They are set up as a mobile vet lab and will do AI (artificial insemination), embryo transfers, or collect the rams.” Regardless of which method is used, Sunshine said, “You will only get about 50% success rate. And of those that take, only about 50% are going to be stud quality.”

Pointing to a beautiful Dorper ewe, she said, “That one is a product of AI. Her mom was one of my best ewes, and her dad is ‘Dell Freddie.’ There’s a YouTube video of him. I think he sold for about $7,000.” After one natural pregnancy, the ewe can be artificially inseminated. Ewes carry their young for five months, and lambs are weaned when they are three months old. They can breed about every eight months. A ram in another pen was her next stud ram, she explained. “He’s not quite five months old and already well over one hundred pounds.”

In addition, “We also raise a commercial flock of Katahdins, another hair sheep,” said Sunshine. According to katahdins.org, they are “hardy, adaptable, low maintenance sheep that produce superior lamb crops and lean, meaty carcasses.”

Sheep are rotated between twelve “paddocks” or fields. Using sunn hemp as a summer cover crop, the sheep get a high protein diet. “It grows great here,” said Sunshine. “It’s really high in protein, and they love it. You just plant it, and it puts nitrogen into the ground.”

Three Central Asian Shepherds guard the sheep twenty-four hours a day. “This is Dorothy,” said Sunshine. “She’s five months old. She’ll get to be about 150 pounds.

When she gets a little older, she’ll go out

Sunshine and Drew Conner once raised Angus cattle on their thirty acre farm near Mount Vernon, but they have had more success with sheep.

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MAGGIE BRICE SNELL BROKER / OWNER / REALTOR®

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with more sheep.” Dorothy’s mama, Ariel, sat under a shed across the field.

“This breed is more aggressive and not as friendly as the Great Pyrenees, which are often used to guard sheep,” she noted. “They’re easy to train and very

Did You Know?

“The sight of sheep grazing on the south lawn of the White House may seem unusual, but during World War I, it was a highly visible symbol of home front support of the troops overseas. The flock, which numbered 48 at its peak, saved manpower by cutting the grass and earned $52,823 for the Red Cross through an auction of their wool.” (whitehousehistory.org)

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mshahid • Printed: Wednesday, 27 April 2016 at 1:34:36 AM

submissive to their owner. We use our older Great Pyrenees, Juno, to train young guard dogs.”

“You can’t insure sheep, so guard dogs are especially important. They keep the coyotes and other predators away.

Your neighbor’s dogs could get in your pens and will literally run your sheep to death. And a pack of wild dogs can kill an entire herd. At $1,000 a head, that can be a big loss, so dogs are pretty cheap insurance. I always tell people, if you’re going to buy sheep, you better buy a dog, too.”

Jen is the other invaluable working dog at Rockin C Farms. The collie was purchased about four years ago from Hubert Bailey in Dawsonville. “And that’s where she was trained,” said Sunshine. “We use Jen to work the sheep, and she’ll bring them to us when we give the instruction to do so.

We recently bred her to a blue merle winning trial dog named Neal. Some of the litter were sold to buyers as far away as Canada.”

Genetics and breeding are a key part of the work at Rockin C Farms.

“Our main focus is on producing breeding stock full-blood Dorpers,” said Sunshine. Her full-blood Dorpers are registered with the American Dorper Sheep Breeders Society. In addition, she and her husband are enrolled in the Mandatory Scrapie Program. The program’s goals are to eradicate classical scrapie [a transmissible spongiform

encephalopathy (TSE) affecting sheep and goats] from the United States and to meet World Organization for Animal Health criteria for disease freedom. (www.aphis.usda.gov) The Conners have taken a Dorper Breeder's Junior and Senior Judges Course and attended the Famacha Certification workshop in order to perform fecal egg counts at Rockin C Farms. Ultrasounds are also performed on their ewes to confirm pregnancy.

Other memberships include: The American Dorper Sheep Breeders' Society, the Mid-South Regional Dorper Association, the American Border Collie Association, and the Georgia Sheep and Wool Growers Association.

Sunshine currently serves as Secretary/ Treasurer of the Mid-South Regional Dorper Association and a board member of Farm Service Agency for Toombs County.

Sunshine’s idea of a hobby, and my idea of a hobby are obviously two different things. Collecting old books and breeding sheep that can survive in the South are not even comparable.

Working with sheep is her stress relief.

“Sometimes you make money,” said Sunshine. “Sometimes you don’t. But I love them.” And letting our hearts love what we do is what makes what we do enjoyable after all. No matter if it’s a hobby or an occupation, loving what you do makes what you do invaluable to the rest of the world.

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Logan Manning has studied dance most of her life, but the excitement and energy of competitive dance introduced her to a whole new experience.

ABOVE LEFT Logan and Tessa Gibase perfom together at the Inspire Nationals. MIDDLE Years of instruction at what is now Vidalia Ballet helped Logan hone her skills. RIGHT Competing with the Georgia Red Hotz at National Dance Alliance.

dancing FOR THE

WIN

BY TERI R. WILLIAMS

S

ome enjoy competition. Others despise it.

Some feel only the pressure. Others feel it motivates them to give their best performance.

When Logan Manning, daughter of Mike and Jenny Manning, began competition dance her junior year of high school, she excelled in new ways as a dancer. She found her place among the raw nerves and pressure of competitive performance. Like the best of competitors, it was a tool she used for motivation. But she didn’t dance because she loved to compete: She competed because she loved to dance. And that’s what made Logan stand out as a dancer when she auditioned for the Georgia Red Hotz competition team at the University of Georgia (UGA) her freshman year.

After Logan graduated from Vidalia High School in 2018, she moved to Athens, Georgia, to attend college at UGA. As she began the transition from life in a small-town community to college life in Athens, Logan realized she wasn’t ready. She wasn’t ready to leave behind her life as a dancer and the world of competition she had only recently discovered.

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Logan began taking ballet at the age of four. “The studio was called Savannah Conservatory Dance and opened by Maria Gibase, Elaine Giles, Amelia McShane, and Steve and Amy Barnhill from Savannah when it first started,” said Logan. “Instructors came from Savannah for some classes. The dance studio changed ownership a couple of times, and the name was changed to Vidalia Ballet.”

Logan mainly focused on ballet, pointe, and jazz, although she took some tap dancing as well. In 2014, at the age of fourteen, she attended the Atlanta Ballet Summer Intensive at Georgia Southern University. The week-long training was led by Atlanta Ballet professional dancers and focused on ballet, contemporary, and jazz.

The following summer, Logan attended the Joffrey Ballet Summer Intensive in Miami, Florida. Instructors included local master teachers as well as Joffrey teachers from New York, and the focus was ballet, contemporary and jazz. In 2017, Logan took part in a week-long Kelly & Company 94

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Logan began ballet when she was four but didn't start competitive dance until she was a junior in high school, which she says, was "...a little late to start in the competitive process." Regardless, she thrived on the experience.

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Ballet Intensive in Savannah, Georgia, with master teacher Danny Tidwell.

The focus for this intensive was on technique and form in ballet and pointe. She also took part in all of Vidalia Ballet’s summer intensives.

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When Logan was in her junior year of high school, Jennifer Wooten took ownership of Vidalia Ballet. “The former studio owner had not offered competitive dancing. I was already a junior in high school, which is a little late to start in the competitive process,” said Logan. Even so, she thrived on the new experience. It seemed to be what she needed to want to push herself to excel.

With dance practice three days a week, she focused on ballet, pointe, jazz, and contemporary styles of dance. Her senior year of high school, Logan was awarded the part of the Sugar Plum Fairy in the Vidalia Ballet Nutcracker performance and The Rabbit in the Alice in Wonderland spring recital. While learning all of her dances for her recitals, she also learned the choreography for the dances in which she would compete. And her hard work paid off. Logan’s duo and group dances earned first place in overall performances. “We were Platinum and Overall Category winners throughout

the two years we competed.” (After graduating from VHS in 2018, Logan continued to compete with the Vidalia Ballet Competition Team for the next two summers and won 2nd place at the Inspire Nationals with a jazz duo performed with Tessa Gibase in 2019.)

Logan knew it was going to be difficult to leave her life of dance behind, but leaving the close-knit friendships of her dance troupe proved the most difficult part of all. “There were six of us that had been dancing together since we were four-years-old.”

When Logan began the Freshman College Experience classes the summer of 2018, she also attended classes in ballet, jazz, and contemporary at DANCEFX, a non-profit dance organization in Athens. By the time school began that fall, Logan had discovered there were several dance groups on campus that performed at sports games like the Georgia Georgettes, the official dance team for the UGA Redcoat Band, and the Dance Dawgs who perform at basketball

games and other events. But there was only one competition dance team on campus: The Georgia Red Hotz.

“The Georgia Red Hotz is a student-lead organization, which performs at various campus functions and competes at Daytona Beach in the National Dance Association Competition every April,” said Logan. “UGA is a big campus. Some of the girls who auditioned came from large cities like Atlanta and New York. Some were dance majors and came from elite dance studios. Many had been competing all their lives.”

Sixteen girls made the Red Hotz team in 2018, and Logan was one of them. Being on the team meant a commitment to a minimum of Logan loves her pets including the family's Blue Heeler, Luke, their Yorkie, Bear, and a wild hog named Chipmunk they took in as a baby.

three days of practice a week as well as additional times for personal gym workouts. “Since there aren’t any coaches,” said Logan, “the team requires self-discipline and self-motivation.” As a competitive club level sport team, there is also a yearly fee of $680 as well as team sponsorship requirements to help with travel expenses.

From August to December, the Georgia Red Hotz perform a hip-hop

RIGHT During Logan's years of dance, she had support from her parents Mike and Jenny Manning and her brother Hunter.

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teams at the Peabody Coliseum.

In contrast to the 3 or 4 judges at the dance competitions in IN VIDALIA which Logan competed her last two years of high school, there will be anywhere from 10 to 15 judges at the NDA event.

As hard as they work, the Red Hotz attend the competition with a bit of a disadvantage. According to their website, “Red Hotz falls under UGA Competitive Sports, a program that is a separate entity from UGA Athletics.

However, many of the teams we compete against are their schools' Athletic/Varsity dance teams.” Because of this, many of the collegiate teams against whom they compete have the Shared growth. - It’s in our advantage of having full-time coaches. brand promise and it means

The student-lead Red investing in you because Hotz team brings in Josh we care. We care about our Fletcher, the owner of JFDA Choreography in Chicago to get people, communities and them ready for the competition. business partners.

“We fly him in, and he will When you’re spend two days with us,” said Logan. Unlike the fall hipsuccessful, we’re hop routine, the performance successful. for the NDA competition is a lyrical dance, which is a mix of ballet and contemporary dance.

“While other teams might see their choreographers every day, that’s the only time we get. But we send him videos as we practice, and he takes ® them apart.” She laughed, then turned serious again. “He’s very strict.” routine choreographed by former Red Hotz dancer Gianna

The 2018-2019 Red Hotz Myrie, now an Atlanta Falcons’ cheerleader. They perform at team was the highest scoring team in UGA history at the NDA various school functions and events such as “DanceATHENS, competition this past April. The team beat both Georgia teams UGA Homecoming week events and the parade, campus in their division, Georgia Southern and Georgia Tech, for the charity events (Shop with a Bulldog, Food 2 Kids), Greek first time ever. In August 2019, Logan once again auditioned Life philanthropies/fundraisers (Miss Sorority Row, Sound for the Georgia Red Hotz competitive dance team. She was of Milledge, Greek Grind), Atlanta Hawks pre-show, Georgia one of only twelve dancers to make the team this year. A new Swarm Lacrosse Halftime, regional competitions” (www. challenge for this year’s team is the addition of acrobatic redhotz.com). gymnastics training.

At the end of the year, all the focus turns to preparation With all that the commitment to the Red Hotz involves, for the National Dance Association (NDA) College Nationals you would think Logan would have a tough time keeping in Daytona, Florida, where the Red Hotz will compete in the a balance with academics and dance. But her grades prove spring against 26 to 30 other collegiate competitive dance otherwise. “I’m competitive with everything I do,” laughed

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Logan. She is currently working on a degree in Human Development and Family Science and hopes to do some type of therapy with children.

“Do you think dance might be involved?” I asked.

“Maybe,” she said and smiled.

Even though we’d never met until that day, I realized I had seen her dance once. It was the year she was the star 64 of the Vidalia Ballet Nutcracker and Alice in Wonderland. I was there to see my granddaughters perform. No offense meant, but I figured only my grandchildren would hold my attention. I was wrong. When Logan came onto the stage,

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the power and beauty of her movements reminded me of why dance is considered a form of art.

Even so, as good as she is and as much as she loves dance, the thing Logan wasn’t ready to leave behind was the connection that dance gave her with others. The Georgia Red Hotz was simply a way to reconnect with her community.

Unlike other 9/13/12 9:13 AM artistic expressions, the movement of the body is the only voice used to tell the story on the stage. Whether Logan is dancing hip-hop, lyrical, or ballet, the real story she is telling with her dance is one of friendship, the most powerful story of all.

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m i w S y d a e R

BY TERI R. WILLIAMS | PHOTOS BY DAPHNE WALKER

Y

With drowning incidences rising among children under fourteen, Maggie Barr at Meadows Wellness Center is determined to empower parents and their kids through swim education and instruction.

ou might be wondering, Why an article on swimming in the fall/ winter issue of the Toombs County Magazine? The answer is twofold.

First, before our spring/summer issue hits the stands, pools will already have been opened and family beach trips taken. Second, although private lessons are available year-round, Meadows Wellness Center infant/child swimming classes officially begin in April, and Maggie Barr wants us all to have plenty of time to get our children and grandchildren signed up. But the most important reason of all is that drowning has no season.

According to the CDC, drowning is the second leading cause of death for children fourteen and under, and the first for children four and under. These statistics are not given to scare parents, but to educate and empower them in order to change these numbers. Unlike other causes, many incidences of drowning could have been prevented by education and instruction. Maggie’s goal is to provide both to as many as possible.

Maggie’s love for the water began early. By the age of seven, she was swimming with the Vidalia Recreation Department’s swim team.

In the sixth grade, she began training with the USA Blue Dolphins swim team in Hazlehurst and participated with them in competitions at Georgia Tech. By the age of thirteen, she was a state winner placing first in her age group in the 100-meter IM (individual medley), which involves using all four competitive strokes: butterfly, backstroke, breaststroke and freestyle, in that order.

The year 2013 was also the year Maggie was diagnosed with Postural Orthostatic Tachycardia Syndrome (POTS). According to a website for Cleveland Clinic, POTS is “a condition that affects circulation (blood flow). It involves the autonomic nervous system (which automatically controls and regulates vital bodily functions) and sympathetic nervous system (which activates the fight or flight response).”

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One of the Starfish students is Maggie's own son Leo. From a mom's perspective and with him in mind, she created a new curriculum for the Starfish baby classes.

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The cardiologist encouraged her to continue her swimming activities. “He said it would actually help strengthen my heart,” said Maggie. But continuing to play soccer was a bit more of a challenge. In order for her to play, the coach would put her in the game for twenty-minute segments followed by short breaks. (Maggie was the captain of the Robert Toombs Christian Academy girls’ soccer team from the tenth through twelfth grades.)

While in college, she worked summers as a swim instructor at the Wellness Center. In 2017, Maggie took a fulltime position and then transitioned to Fitness Coordinator in 2018.

She not only coordinates all swimming lessons, but certifies all the Wellness Center’s swim instructors as a Starfish Aquatics Institute (SAI) Trainer Instructor.

“You have to have been a swim instructor for two years under the SAI training certification before you can be trained as an SAI Trainer Instructor,” Maggie explained.

She trained with Misty Selph, one of the coordinators of the SAI program in Savannah. After three days of intense training, she was observed conducting four classes in each of the following categories: star babies, swim school, stroke school and swim team. Children’s ages varied from six-months to twelve-years-old. In addition, Maggie took a written instructor-trainer test, a BLS (Basic Life Support) certification class, and became lifeguard certified.

Instructor Trainers with SAI go through recertification training every two years. As an SAI Trainer Instructor,

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Maggie is certified to train all the Meadow’s Wellness Center swimming instructors, which is an annual recertification. “They are also required to have eight hours of critiqued training every month, even in the off season, to keep their certification.”

Because instructors have to be recertified each year, they are kept up-to-date on any guideline changes. “In my last training session,” said Maggie, “I learned that two teaching techniques I was taught in 2017 have changed. We now have alternate teaching techniques for these skills to prevent dry drowning and/or secondary drowning.”

According to an article for webmd.com by Amanda Gardner, “With so-called dry drowning, water never reaches the lungs. Instead, breathing in water causes your child's vocal cords to spasm and close up. That shuts off his airways, making it hard to breathe. You would start to notice those signs right away -- it wouldn’t happen out of the blue days later.”

Secondary drowning, according to Gardner, “happens if water gets into the lungs. There, it can irritate the lungs’ lining and fluid can build up, causing a condition called pulmonary edema. You’d likely notice your child having trouble breathing right away, and it might get worse over the next 24 hours.” Symptoms include coughing, trouble

Maggie not only coordinates swimming lessons at Meadows Wellness Center, she also trains and certifies the other swim instructors as Starfish Aquatics Institute Trainer Instructors.

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Partnering with Vidalia Boys and Girls Club This year, participants of the Vidalia Boys and Girls Club were given the opportunity to take swim classes. By maintaining high standards of certification, Maggie ensures local children are given quality lessons that could one day save their lives.

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breathing, extreme tiredness and irritability. (Many medical groups discourage the use of the terms dry drowning and secondary drowning and insist both types simply fall under the definition of “drowning” as a process.)

Whatever you choose to call these happenings, the important thing is that we understand that submerging a baby or small child without the correct conditioning could not only cause a child to become fearful of swimming, but also cause them great harm.

With quick medical attention, some have survived drowning. But with nonfatal drowning injuries, there is a risk of suffering severe brain damage and/or other long-term disabilities.

“At this time, we are the only SAI trained facility in the area,” said Maggie. “Whether you are paying for your infant to learn breath control, floating techniques, and other lifesaving maneuvers, or for an older child to learn to swim, it’s important to make sure that the swimming instructor you are paying is certified and up to date on their certification.”

Even though adults may be able to endure cooler pool temperatures, a drop in body temperature for an infant can be life threatening.

“We check the heel of the youngest infant every ten minutes by pressing down quickly and releasing to see how long it takes for the color to return. If it takes longer than five seconds, we are done with the lesson. Either the temperature is too cool, or they are exerting too much energy and need a break,” said Maggie.

According to regulation guidelines, the temperature of the pool at Meadow’s Wellness Center must be kept between 82 and 88 degrees.

“I try to keep it around 86, which is good for both

arthritic conditions and babies. As a certified pool operator, Maggie checks all pool water levels regularly. (The pool uses salt water chlorination.) For infants and small children, testing pool water is extremely important and performed two or more times a day.

This past year, 130 infants and children participated in the Meadows Wellness Center swim classes. Swim instructors are also available for private lessons throughout the year. Three categories of classes are offered. “Star Babies is for babies six to thirty-six months old,” said Maggie. “At that point, we are teaching breath control and how to float on their own. If they master these skills, I will teach them to float, roll over onto their backs, and to grab the wall. We call that ‘swim, float, swim.’ Swim school is for ages 3 through 5 with five different levels. Each level meets different benchmark swimming and survival skills. The third class offered is Stroke School. We offer Stroke School classes as well.”

As important as education and skills in the water have always been for Maggie, her commitment went to a whole new level in August 2018 with the birth of her son Leo. “The first thing I did was to ensure that the instructor for Star Babies at the Wellness Center was a mom,” said Maggie. “I did not think that a high school student or someone who did not have children should teach this class. The second thing I did was write a whole new curriculum for our starfish baby classes with Leo in mind.”

It’s more important than ever for parents to be vigilant when our children are near water whether at the beach or around home pools, saunas, and hot tubs. With today’s cellphone use, it’s so easy to become distracted. In an article by

Josh Hafner for USA Today’s European online edition entitled, “Child drownings linked to phone-distracted parents who fail to look up,” he writes, “Community health advocates in Fort Worth, Texas, pleaded with parents last year to ‘lifeguard your child’ by putting down their phones at the pool. ‘I don’t think parents understand how quickly and quietly drowning occurs,’ Sharon Evans, an outreach coordinator for Cook Children's hospital, said in a statement. ‘There is no thrashing, no yelling for help. The drowning child is just trying to push down on the water to get their head above the surface to gasp a breath of air.’”

Drowning has been called the silent killer. “The struggle of a drowning person is brief,” writes Jennifer Graham in an article posted August 1, 2016 for Deseret News online website. “‘Small children, ages 3 or 4, can go under in 20 seconds,’” quoting Pia, a lifeguard and lifeguard supervisor for more than two decades. “‘Adults can last a bit longer, up to 60 seconds.

Children can drown within arm’s reach of their parents, and they don’t even realize it.’”

By speaking out, Maggie has made educating our community and empowering our children a priority. “Now is the best time to enroll your children,” said Maggie. “Let us teach them one of the most important skills that could one day potentially save their lives.” USA gold medalist in swimming, Missy Franklin, once said, “A huge part of swimming for me is I love it, and it is so much fun.” Learning to swim is not only a survival skill for our children, but a life skill for them to enjoy. And Maggie and the swim instructors at Meadows Wellness Center are doing their part to make that happen.

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AN ORPHAN, A BARBER, AN AMERICAN, AN ANTREPRENEUR– G E O R G E S A B A' S L I F E L E F T A N I M P R I N T O N H I S D A U G H T E R S H E L LY.

What we learn from our

BY TERI R. WILLIAMS PHOTOS BY DAPHNE WALKER

Roots

“As a child, we would kneel by my bed every night, and my father would pray with me. A lot of times that would be the mother. But for me, it was my father. Every night, he prayed the same prayer. ‘Thank you, God, for this warm, clean bed. Thank you for this food that we have to eat.

Thank you for this house….’”

George Saba’s prayer was not spoken in mindless repetition or out of religious obligation. He felt no compulsion to appease a religious system that had excommunicated him because of an earlier divorce. With those simple heartfelt words, Shelly Smith learned so much about her father.

As she grew older, she discovered more about her father’s past and the incredible story of his coming to America. And the more she learned, the more she understood why his sense of gratitude never waned.

G

eorge Saba was born on Dec. 6, 1889, in Barty, Syria, a small village in the Lebanon district. “Hence, his considering himself from Syria but Lebanese by ethnicity,” said Shelly Smith.

“The genetic heritage of Syrians aligns with the Turkish, Iranian, Iraqi people. The genetic heritage of Lebanese aligns with Greek Italian. And sure enough, when I had my DNA done, I am mostly Greek Italian, which confirmed my father's contention that he was Lebanese, not Syrian.”

When George's father died, his mother had little chance of survival without a husband. The man she remarried agreed to take in her daughters since girls could not receive an inheritance. But five-year-old George and two-year-old Simon were turned out because they would be competition for the man's own son’s inheritance.

The boys were taken in by an orphanage run by a Greek Orthodox monastery. When George turned seventeen, he and his brother left the

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The barber shop was a good business for Shelly's father– it was the place to go for a shave, haircut and even a bath.

He was also able to offer employment to many locals.

orphanage and made their way to the coastal city of Tyre.

Since they had no money for passage, the boys stowed away on a freighter called the La Provence, which was a French Shipping Line vessel, bound for New York. They arrived at Ellis Island around November 1, 1905. George and Simon, of course, were names they took when they arrived in America.

No mention was ever made of any other name or family from their native land.

The brothers were given dog tags with numbers for identification and released to survive on the streets of New York. Since they could only speak Arabic, it was very difficult for them to find work. “They cleaned, moved things, and did any other odd job just to survive,” said Shelly. “My father said they would sometimes even steal a piece of fruit from a stand and let the market manager catch them, so they could stay in jail overnight to have a warm place to sleep and a good meal.”

The cold climate of New York was significantly different from the warm climate to which the brothers were accustomed. George and Simon worked further and further south until they got to Savannah. A barber on Broughton 114

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Street allowed the brothers to shine shoes and sleep in the back room of the barbershop at night. “The barber shop was across from Levy’s Jewelers,” said Shelly.

During this time, a barber shop was the place to go for a bath, haircut, and a shave. Over time, the barber taught George and Simon how to cut hair and give shaves.

“Eventually, my father saved his money and bought the barber shop from the man who had treated him so kindly,” said Shelly.

There was a constant flow of people coming into the barber shop, especially after America entered World War I. Because it was a port city, there was a big military buildup in Savannah and lots of military folks came to George to get haircuts and shaves. As he cut hair and gave shaves, he learned the language.

The boarding house where George stayed was owned by a woman named Emily. “Sometime between 1910 and 1915, George married Emily, and they had two children, Frank and Josephine,” said Shelly. “After some time, they separated although they both shared the care of the children. She

added, “My father did not want to get a divorce because he did not want to be excommunicated from the Greek Orthodox church.”

Concerned for the children’s welfare, George removed them from Emily’s care at the boarding house and found help among his estranged wife’s family in Screven County. Ironically, one of the homes in which George found help was the Mallards. Little did he know that many years later, one of the Mallard girls, a distant cousin to his children’s mother, would become his wife.

eorge hired someone to teach him to read English, and in 1931 he began the naturalization process. “By the end of his life, my father was able to speak and read English, but the only thing he could write was his name, which he signed on his naturalization papers,” said Shelly.

After eleven years of separation, George finally went through with a divorce. In 1935, he married Frances Mallard.

George was forty-six and Frances was twenty-six, but twenty years age difference was hardly uncommon at the time. “He was excommunicated from the church just as he feared, and it really broke his heart. He never went to church again. Although he never Shelly with her father attended, my dad would take us George Saba in 1952. to church every Sunday morning and pick us up again because my mother couldn’t drive.”

The church was not the only opposition George faced.

Even though “Middle-Easterners” were not officially a part of the anti-miscegenation laws that made interracial marriage illegal in most states at that time, his olivecolored skin and thick Middle-Eastern accent set him apart. “My mother and father had a lot of prejudice to overcome in the deep South,” said Shelly. In fact, George and Frances had eloped because of her family’s disapproval.

George and Frances had two daughters: Miriam

G

Frances and Martha Ann. Eleven years later, their third daughter was born. Shelly smiled “I was a big surprise.”

Her father was sixty-two and her mother forty-two at the time. There’s a bit of a story behind Shelly’s given name, Michele George. The obvious part is that she was named George after her father. The ironic part is that she shares her birthdate with George Washington. And the doctor who delivered her? Dr. George, of course.

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T

he barber shop was very successful. In fact, George had such a good reputation in the community that the bank agreed to loan him the money for a new business venture. “The only place for travelers to stay at that time was boarding houses,” said Shelly, “and hotels in the downtown area like Savannah’s DeSoto Hotel, which later became the DeSoto Hilton, and the Manger Hotel. So, when my father read about these places being built in Florida called motor courts, he saw a business opportunity.”

The name “motel” was first “coined by the owner of the Milestone Mo-Tel (an abbreviation of “motor hotel”) in

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San Luis Obispo, California,” according to Smithsonian.com. in an article entitled, “The Rise and the Fall of the Great American Motel,” written by Andrew Wood and published on June 30, 2017. According to Wood, at its peak in 1964, there were 61,000 motels in America. By 2012, there were only 16,000 still in operation.

George figured if he built a motel on Bay Street, on Highway 80 en route to the beach, people would come. With a loan from the bank, he bought a couple of city blocks on Bay Street and opened Savannah’s first motel: Seacoast Motel.

But the motel was just the start

of her father’s new venture. “My dad figured that people staying at the motel were traveling and would need gas for their cars, so he built Saba’s Gas Station right next door to the motel. Then he decided they would probably be looking for a place close by to eat, so he built a restaurant,” said Shelly. Little by little, George added more structures and rented them out. The restaurant eventually became a Kentucky Fried Chicken. Another building was rented to a dry cleaner service.

George became a very successful businessman. “My mother said Daddy couldn’t sleep at night unless he owed somebody $100,000.” With all his

As motor courts began cropping up in Florida, George saw an opportunity for expanding his own business, so he opened Savannah's first motel.

FROM FAR LEFT Shelly's father learned to speak English in the barber shop he worked at. Eventually he applied U.S. for citizenship. Shelley's father in front of the Seacoast Motel he opened. Shelly's mother and sister. RIGHT Shelly's father also added a gas station and a restaurant near the motel.

attention now turned to the motel and his other business endeavors, George gave the barber shop to his brother Simon.

By this time, Simon had two daughters from a marriage that had ended in divorce. “The mother of the children did not want them,” said Shelly. “It was a terrible situation.

Understand, this happened in the 1940s, when a war was going on. It was typical at the time that if a father had daughters to raise on his own and he didn’t have immediate family to take them in, the girls would go into the convent to be cared for by the nuns.

“Uncle Simon went to see his

daughters often. Coincidentally, Sister Marian, the nun assigned to Tina and Sadie’s care, and Uncle Simon fell in love. Sister Marian left the convent and married my Uncle Simon. I always knew her as Aunt Marian, and I loved them all very much.”

S

helly’s mother was born in 1909, the tenth girl born to a farming family in Screven County. “My grandparents had ten girls and adopted two boys,” said Shelly. “There was tremendous poverty on those farms. Most everybody was growing cotton. The reason you had ten children was because you needed

children to work the farm.”

Shelly’s grandfather was also a logger. During the winter months, he cut trees in the swamp and lashed them together in Brier Creek, “Savannah’s only major tributary south of Augusta. The confluence marks the beginning of the lower Savannah” (georgiaencyclopedia.org).

When spring rains came, he lashed the trees together and floated them down to Savannah. With the money he made from the trees, he would buy a mule and cart, flour, sugar, coffee, and enough fabric for his wife to sew clothes for the kids. Then he would ride that mule and wagon back to the H O M E TO W N L I V I N G AT I T S B E S T

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ABOVE Shelly comes from "tough stock." Her mother Frances was one of ten girls who lived on the family farm in Screven County.

Frances spent her last years in Toombs County near Shelly. In 2003 she was named Ms. Bethany Home just before she died at 94.

farm in the little town of Newington.

“After a couple of months of working the swamp and riding the rafts, buying the supplies for the year and riding home again in a mule and wagon, he’d go on about a month long drunk. Mama said the children were told not to bother him during that time. But when it was over, he would get up and start it all over again.”

By the time Shelly was born, her grandmother, Lila Mallard, was a complete invalid. “She still lived in the old homeplace.” The ten daughters each cared for their mother for two weeks each. “My mother would take me and my sisters out of school when it was her turn, and we would stay at my grandmother’s for Mama to care for her. She would feed her, change her, bathe her, and clean house for those two weeks, and then the next sister would come. It was just a strong family bond,” said Shelly. “Since Mama was the youngest, she was the most able of the siblings.”

George’s in-laws eventually had a complete change of heart toward their Middle-Eastern relative. “My father saved every penny, but we had more than enough,” said Shelly. “Whenever anyone in my mother’s family got sick, Daddy would go get them and bring

" 118

them to our house. He paid for them to see doctors, and if they needed to go to the hospital, he paid for that too.

When they got out of the hospital, they would stay with us, and Mama would care for them until they were well enough to go home. They would be with us for two and three months at a time going to physical therapy or recouping from some sickness.”

S

eptember 27, 1961. When Shelly got off the bus from school that afternoon, her father wasn’t there with her dog Rusty to meet her as usual. She ran into the house and found him lying on the kitchen floor.

She ran next door where her mother was shelling peas with Shelly’s aunt, but there was nothing to be done.

George Saba had died of a massive heart attack at the age of seventy-two.

Shelly was only ten.

From Wednesday until Friday, his body “lay in state” in Shelly’s home.

“That was the worst part of all of it,” she said. “There were mobs of people.

People he had given jobs or helped.

Families of the barbers who had worked for him at the barber shop that he had taken care of. Everyone was distraught. It was like something out of a movie. They kept saying, ‘Mr.

George has passed! I don’t know what we’re going to do!’”

By this time, Shelly was the only child still at home. “My mother had left the farm at twenty-six and now was fifty-two and had never worked outside the home. Now she had a motel to run.

She had the properties to look after.

She had never written a check, never gone to the bank. She had never even driven a car or had a social security number,” said Shelly. “My memory of her was her just struggling to figure everything out.”

But Shelly’s mother came from tough stock. She learned to write checks, taught herself to drive, managed the motel and her husband’s other properties. “When I was eightyears-old, my dad [had] built an apartment in the motel, and we moved in after selling our house. We think he knew that he was ill but said nothing to anyone. After his death, Mom and I lived on at the motel with her as manager.”

Frances did what had to be done alone for ten years until one night when she watched her night manager die during a robbery. “When Mr. Lane, who had worked for Daddy since the motel opened, was shot and killed, I was in Indiana,” said Shelly. “Mom

This is the irony: My daddy never got to go to school, but he valued education more than anything."

TO O M B S CO U N T Y M A G A Z I N E

stayed with my sister in Statesboro for a few months during the trial.”

Frances was a witness in the trial in which the man was tried and convicted.

After that happened, she sold the properties and moved into a senior living apartment in Savannah. “She was younger after that day than I remembered her through all my years of growing up. She took up dancing, painting, and taught tatting,” a kind of knotted lace made by hand, “in a local embroidery sewing shop,” said Shelly.

Frances never remarried. She lived on her own in Savannah until 1999, her ninetieth birthday. “Mom was the only one out of all her sisters that didn’t eventually have a stroke like their mother. She lived with Tim and me until we and a day nurse could no longer provide safe and adequate care.” Frances was Miss Bethany Home before she died in July 2003, just three days after her 94th birthday.

“T

his is the irony: My daddy never got to go to school, but he valued education more than anything. He said to all of us constantly, ‘The only way for you to make anything of yourself in this life is to get educated,’” said Shelly.

As strongly as George Saba impressed on his children the importance of education, he also demonstrated the necessity of hard work. Even so, it was the attitude with which he worked that influenced them most of all. “He had such tremendous gratitude for our country and for the opportunities he received here.”

After graduating from Groves High School in Savannah, Shelly earned a B.S. in Education at Georgia Southern University and a master’s degree at Indiana University. In 1973, she returned to Georgia to teach at Central Middle School in McRae where she met fellow teacher, Tim Smith. In 1975, Shelly was recruited as language arts consultant at First District RESA, a regional educational service agency, and she and Tim married that same year.

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“And the rest, as they say, is history,” said Tim from his chair at the other end of the table.

Tim was offered a position in 1978 as Curriculum Director in Crisp County, and the couple moved to Cordele. After the birth of their daughter Tiffany, Shelly had no plans of going back to work. “But when the school found out that I had been a consultant for a RESA, they asked me if I would just come help them straighten out their reading program,” said Shelly. She would work as the Federal Programs Director in elementary education until 1983 when the couple moved to Vidalia. Tim took a position as Tom Hutchison’s Assistant Superintendent for Vidalia City Schools, and Shelly went back to work with RESA. While serving as a consultant to Jeff Davis County as a part of RESA, she became their Curriculum Director from 1992-1995. After returning to RESA in 1995 as a consultant, she took the position as the assistant director

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SECCA Shelly with her husband Tim at SECCA's auto shop where students learn about and gain experience for different trade careers.

of RESA in 2000, and then as the director in 2007. Shelly retired from RESA in 2012 and began working at SECCA the following year.

When I’d asked to meet with Shelly Smith for a potential story for our magazine, both she and her husband assumed it was for a story on SECCA (Southeastern Early College and Career Academy), a work that both have given so much of their time and effort for the youth in our community. I had a little explaining to do. I’d only heard bits and pieces of Shelly’s father’s story, but I was convinced that the story of her education began long before she was born.

I was right.

As I turned off my recorder and put down my pen, I felt I understood why the CEO of SECCA has given her entire life to educating and equipping our children for success in the workplace. The legacy of her father’s life was not only in the value he placed on education, but in the work ethic he demonstrated. And just as importantly, in his willingness to help those who had rejected him on the basis of his ethnicity. When George Saba knelt beside his daughter’s bed each night and spoke those simple words, the gratitude he conveyed in his thanks to God taught her more than a million sermons ever could.

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"SECCA is a charter school/regional career academy for high school students, and an educational partnership among four Georgia school systems (Montgomery County Schools, Toombs County Schools, Treutlen County Schools, and Vidalia City Schools) and Southeastern Technical College (STC)” (www. seccaweb.org). Shelly Smith has been the CEO of Southeastern Early College and Career Academy (SECCA) since 2013. Dr. Tim Smith, one of four area superintendents who established SECCA in 2008, continues to serve as an advisor to the board.

With a current enrollment of 433 students, this year SECCA added a new energy pathway, which has a current enrollment of 95 students.

On completion, these students will go to the top of the list for interviews with Georgia Power. If hired, they will be eligible for just six weeks of training for a position of lineman at $50,000 a year.

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Vidalia Main Street Shop Local. Eat Local. Spend Local.

Your community will thank you.

Creating a Vision for the Future of Downtown Vidalia

by Tonya Green Parker, Executive Director

2019 has proven to be another great year for Downtown Vidalia and beyond. In August, a couple from GA Downtowns led a retreat for our Board of Directors along with representatives from the City of Vidalia and the Chamber of Commerce. We used survey information community members to devise a strategic plan for the downtown. Also we discussed our vision for the future of Downtown Vidalia and what it may look like in 2024.

In 2024, Downtown Vidalia is a thriving district with well-maintained and attractive historic buildings.

Buildings are sought-after specialty businesses and dining establishments. There is plenty to do downtown. Visitors are bringing their tourist dollars and enthusiasm to downtown.

Clean streets, well-maintained landscaping, beautiful facades, and pedestrian-friendly spaces create an exciting vitality

downtown. Downtown presents an attractive district and serves as a “photo-ready” community.

There is a sense of safety and civic pride for downtown. People are living downtown while residents, visitors, families and college students are filling the sidewalks, visiting, shopping, dining, spending time together, volunteering, creating art, and attending cultural events.

Downtown Vidalia is a regional center for dining, shopping, and living!

From that vision, we have three main priorities for the next couple years. We will create downtown branding and signage, beautify downtown assets, and fill vacant downtown buildings.

We have begun working on those items. Wiith our supportive community and growing membership, our vision will become reality.

2019 Board of Directors President Kelly Wingate Vice President Heather Mead Secretary Rhonda Jones Treasurer Bill Bedingfield Sandy Dixon Charles Tapley Greg Hudgins Tish Holland Valerie McLendon

Join our team Main Street members enjoy numerous benefits… just being connected helps you accomplish your goals.

Follow Us and Keep Up With What’s Going on in Your Hometown! www.vidaliaga.gov/dva 124

TO O M B S CO U N T Y M A G A Z I N E

Downtown Vidalia Association

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Call TyAnn Copeland for an appointment, (912) 314-9942 /thegatheringplaceoflyons 126

TO O M B S CO U N T Y M A G A Z I N E

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TT HH EE L OLCO AC LAMLA R TK PL MKAER EATCPEL A C E

O CAL L E H T

MARKETPLACE Toombs County is growing and steadily becoming a central marketplace for our area. We offer great retail shopping, restaurants and services. If you haven’t done so lately, take the time to look around your hometown and discover all the wonderful things there are to find.

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Toombs County Magazine

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Communit y Hospice Reaching Ou t To Fa milies...Sinc

At Community Hospice your loved one will is professional receive the best ly trained to provide not only possible care patient, family by the area’s leadin and significant physical and emotional comfo in Vidalia and others. Quali g hospice provid ty of life is our 14 surrounding er. Our staff goal and we offer rt, but spiritual and social counties. care, too, for the finest, full-fa the mily care progra m available LocaL

e 1999

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B H Hospice service s B tHe area ’s onLy Hospice House B Grief suppor t & Bereave ment service B medicaL s & sociaL worker s B Home HeaLtH aides & skiLLed B advocates nursinG service dietary counse s LinG B financiaL aid avaiLaBLe tHrouGH commu B non-profit nity H f

Toombs County MAGAZIN

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Finding America Her math skills led her to where Inna Edwards was America to find that life is good. surprised

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Connect With Your Community Join the Toombs-Montgomery Chamber of Commerce

Cuttings and Groundbreakings Recent Ribbon

Brown Realty Company

Therapy Tree

Meadows Cardiac Pulmonary Rehab

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Meadows Health Immediate Care

Toombs County Funeral Home To stay updated on what your Chamber is doing, visit www.toombsmontgomerychamber.com and sign up for our email newsletters!

Abednego Primary Care 130

TO O M B S CO U N T Y M A G A Z I N E

Become a part of the Chamber today!

2019 Business Expo The Business Expo gives our members the opportunity to showcase their business directly to over 500 members of the public. Over 60 vendors participate and help make it the “sweetest expo around”.

Invest in Our Community’s Future with Community Bucks PURPOSE: To promote growth for Chamber members and encourage shopping locally.

HOW IT WORKS: Community Bucks are simply gift checks.

Anyone may purchase Community Bucks, but only Chamber members may redeem them. Community Bucks are readily available in $10, $15 and $25 increments. We can accommodate special orders in varying increments. Please give advance notice for large or special orders.

We include a list of participating Chamber members with each gift

check purchase. Approximately 70 Chamber members accept Community Bucks. Recipients can purchase just about anything: food, clothing, gift items, etc. They can even get their teeth cleaned!

MERCHANTS’ TIPS/ INSTRUCTIONS: Deposit the Community Bucks gift checks like you would any other check.

Community Bucks are not redeemable for cash, however; it is perfectly acceptable to give a small amount of change or you may give store credit.

Mark your calender!

Discover Main Street The Lyons Main Street program understands how important a downtown area can be, so we work to improve our Main Street every day. In addition to helping new businesses locate, issuing assistance grants, planning networking opportunities and coordinating beautification projects, we help host and plan a variety of events to engage the community. Take a look at some of this year’s fun-filled events and how they improve our community!

All of our events have their own Facebook page so make sure to like them, and visit us regularly at

Tales from the Altamaha April 16, 17 & 18 and April 24 & 25, 2020 Soap Box Derby May 2 & 3, 2020 The Real Squeal BBQ & Music Festival October 9 & 10, 2020

www.lyonsmainstreet.com

to see what’s happening in your downtown.

SOA P BOX DER BY

Soap Box Derby

• Southeast Georgia Soap Box Derby brought home World Championships from Akron, Ohio, in 2017, 2018 and 2019.

• Monies raised are earmarked for a new building beside the ramp at Partin Park to be used for housing the cars and equipment, for holding inspections, as a workspace and for storage.

• The derby will be held on May 2nd & 3rd.

• Run What You Brung will be on May 1st. Collaborate, create and compete in your own gravity-powered design!

• Check it out at facebook/southeastgeorgia.soapboxderby • Rally Races will be held on January 18-19, February 29-March 1, and March 28-29.

TA LES FR OM THE A LTA MA HA

Tales from the Altamaha

• Tales from the Altamaha will be presenting its 16th annual production April 16-18 and April 24-25.

• Join the fun behind the scene or on stage with a talented group of volunteer actors, backstage crew, design team, hospitality, and production folks.

• Auditions will be held in January, keep up to date with what’s happening on Facebook/talesfromthealtamaha • Tickets are available online at lyonsmainstreet.com • Get involved by calling 912-526-6445.

FA C A DE GR A NT PR OGR A M • Our Main Street Program is proud to offer assistance to business and property owners through a facade grant program. The program reimburses one-third of the total project up to $1000 per project and is eligible to those in the Main Street district and corridors Hwy 1, Hwy 280 and Hwy 292. It has been a wonderful tool for reinvesting in our town.

Facade Grant Program If you enjoy meeting new friends and being active in your community, Lyons Main Street is the place to be! All of these events are sponsored locally and run by volunteers.

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TO O M B S CO U N T Y M A G A Z I N E

Let Main Street help you locate your new business!

HOMETOWN HAPPENINGS AUGUST

Boys & Girls Club Back to the Prom

Vidalia Community Center The big hair was a sure sign that you were in the right place if you attended this year’s annual Boys and Girls Club Fundraiser. Like, totally 80s themed, the event raised money to support this stellar program. It was so much fun, you’ll want to plan now for next year!

Spooktacular | Downtown Vidalia

Ghouls and goblins, princesses and super heros all descended on downtown Vidalia for the annual Spooktacular event. The costume contest and pumpkin decorating showed us just how creative Toombs Countians can be. And the kids enjoyed slides, a haunted house and lots of candy supplied by downtown businesses.

HOMETOWN HAPPENINGS Spooktacular | Downtown Vidalia

FAmily Fun brought to you by the Downtown Vidalia Association and area merchants.

HOMETOWN HAPPENINGS

Bunco Night | Vidalia Community Center

Bunco For a Cause...Rolling the Dice for Charity was a great success! Sponsored by Tommy Rollins of TAR Land and Timber and Cal Berry of Berry’s Floral and Catering, proceeds from this event went toward making a difference in the lives of those in need through United Way of Toombs/Montgomery/ Wheeler Counties.

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HOMETOWN HAPPENINGS

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Savor Vidalia: A Celebration of Wine, Food & Jazz | Pal Theatre, Downtown Vidalia

Held in the recently renovated PAL Theatre, this annual event provided patrons with delicious wine and food pairings by Memory Lane Catering plus a delightful concert by jazz vocalist Jaimee Paul. Attendees were also treated to jazz selections by Noah Bullard during the pre-concert tasting in the banquet room.

MER 2018 SPRING/SUM

COMPASSION DIGNITY CARE

Toombs County MAGAZIN

a picture of

success a rmination and Hard work, dete lyn vision led Jess strong sense of she over a gift that Johnson to disc ness around. busi l essfu built a succ

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staff e provider. Our s leading hospic care by the area’ care, too, for the spiritual and social al comfort, but program available full-family care we offer the finest,

services B Home Hospice House nLy Hospice s B tHe area’s o ment service t & Bereave B Grief suppor sociaL workers s B medicaL & nursinG service aides & skiLLed B Home HeaLtH LinG ietary counse nity Hospice B advocates d tHrouGH commu id avaiLaBLe B financiaL a tion founda B non-profit

GA 30474

We’ll Come to Your Doorstep

E

Making His Own Contribution

World Encouraging the Through Art

master, but He’s a martial arts est talent is Dewitt Davis’s greatvalue of selfthe teaching youth ct. discipline and respe

dith are one for Mere Art and worship traveled the world Raiford who has with her murals. inspiring others

HOMETOW

Taking Her Faith to the Stage

many talents, Celester Bacon has ing local plays direct but writing and her others is one of that encourage ents. greatest accomplishm

ST AT I TS B E N LIVING

We hear it all the time. Readers don’t want to miss an exciting issue of Toombs County Magazine. Now you can make sure a copy is delivered right to your home, so you’ll never miss a story.

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photo by

Diane Mixon

Submit your favorite scene of Toombs County to reddoordesign01@gmail.com 138

TO O M B S CO U N T Y M A G A Z I N E

Scenes of

Toombs C

o.

As the weather changes and we gladly shift from hot, humid days to the brisk mornings and cozy nights of winter, it’s a great time to appreciate the changing seasons of life.

Change can be hard, but without it we would be stuck in the

same place like a drought that won’t end.

Embrace change, embrace the coming

winter that will eventually lead to a new spring, and embrace the life you have in

Toombs County

photo by

Diane Mixon H O M E TO W N L I V I N G AT I T S B E S T

139

photo by

Ed Wonn

EACH MOMENT OF THE YEAR HAS ITS OWN BEAUTY. – Ralph Waldo Emerson photo by

Joe Claroni

photo by

Diane Mixon

TCM Facebook Photo Contest Winner

photo by

Jada Murray IT’S A NEW SEASON–A PERFECT OPPORTUNITY TO DO SOMETHING NEW, SOMETHING BOLD, SOMETHING BEAUTIFUL.

photo by

Joe Claroni

photo by

Ed Wonn

index of advertisers A Health Revival..................................................................................54 Accessorize It Designs.......................................................................53 Alexander Brothers Heating & Air Conditioning......................123 Allcare....................................................................................................90 Altamaha Bank & Trust.......................................................................19 AmericInn Lodge & Suites.................................................................39 Archie Branch....................................................................................128 Arlene’s Fine Jewelry........................................................................109 Barberitos...........................................................................................109 Big Al’s Country Market....................................................................56 Brewton-Parker College....................................................................43 Brown Implement.............................................................................119 Brown Insurance Group...................................................................... 3 Brown Realty Company....................................................................... 2 Bryant O’Connor, LLP Attorneys at Law.......................................91 Chapman Healthcare Pharmacy.......................................................42 Chick-fil-A.............................................................. Inside Front Cover Coley Electric & Plumbing Supply.................................................101 Community Hospice.........................................................Back Cover Dale’s Hair Care Center.................................................................128 Darby Dental Services.......................................................................71 Dental Center of Vidalia...................................................................... 1 Dermatology Associates....................................................................57 Dixon O’Neal Agency......................................................................126 DOT Foods..........................................................................................98 Downtown Bistro & Catering........................................................128 Edward Jones........................................................................................78 Elements Bistro & Grille..................................................................108 Face 2 Face Global Hair Studio.....................................................129 Farmers Insurance..............................................................................55 The Gathering Place.........................................................................126 Georgia Eye Institute........................................................................127 Georgia Properties.............................................................................86 Gilbert Jones & Associates..............................................................126 Glow Salon...........................................................................................99 Goin’ Postal........................................................................................129 Gordy Enterprises............................................................................122 Ingley Roper Moore, LLC................................................................100 K E Butler & Company Jewelers......................................................39 Lasseter Implement Company.......................................................100 Leigh-Anne White & Co...............................................................20-21 Linda P. Bishop, CPA, PC..................................................................121 Lone Pine Charolais..........................................................................110 Lillian Morse Photography..............................................................110 Louis Dental Clinic...........................................................................144 McLain, Calhoun, McCullough, Clark & Co. PC............................30 Madonna H. Paradice, PC................................................................111 Mary’s - M-Squared Design Firm.....................................................69 Meadows Advanced Wound Care Center.....................................42 Meadows Park Health & Rehabilitation.........................................90

Meadows Health Ear, Nose and Throat..........................................11 Memory Lane Catering & Cakes...................................................119 Million Pines Community Bank........................................................56 Mobley’s Well and Pump Service...................................................108 Mount Vernon Bank............................................................................41 New Image Salon and Spa...............................................................127 Ohoopee Land and Timber, LLC......................................................78 The Onion Inn.....................................................................................91 Oxley Dental.......................................................................................... 5 Oxley Park Health & Rehabilitation..............................................111 Palmer Furniture...............................................................................129 Patriot Gas..........................................................................................108 Peoples Bank........................................................................................49 Phillips Pharmacy.................................................................................29 Prime Cut Steakhouse.......................................................................30 Red Stag Tavern..................................................................................121 Reidsville Veterinary Clinic..............................................................126 Rivers Air Conditioning & Heating..................................................99 Rocky Creek Lodge............................................................................70 Salter Shook Attorneys at Law........................................................70 Serenity Hospice Care.......................................................................88 Shuman’s Cleaners............................................................................128 Sikes Brothers Inc................................................................................. 8 Solace Hospice....................................................................................29 Solid Ground Farms.........................................................................123 Somers Realty & Investments.........................................................101 Spa on First...........................................................................................79 State Farm Insurance/Kailey Dees................................................119 Steeplechase Grill and Tavern.........................................................122 Talton Dental......................................................................................... 9 Tar Land and Timber..........................................................................88 Terrell Farms......................................................................................129 The Law Firm of Smith & Tillery.........................Inside Back Cover The New Red Wagon Vintage Market............................................89 Thriftway.............................................................................................121 Toombs-Montgomery Chamber of Commerce................ 130-131 Toombs County DUI........................................................................129 Toombs County Funeral Home.....................................................129 Tots 2 Teens..........................................................................................40 Vidalia Eyecare.....................................................................................78 Vidalia Federal Savings........................................................................31 Vidalia Gymnastics Cheer and Dance..........................................128 Vidalia Pediatric Clinic.......................................................................77 Vidalia Small Engine Service..............................................................87 Willis Septic Systems & Mobile Home Movers..........................122 Webster Motor Co.............................................................................90 Wiggins Family Practice...................................................................128 Windmill Restaurant..........................................................................53 Yates Insurance & Real Estate..........................................................29 Zaxby’s..................................................................................................... 7

Shop local. Eat local. Spend local. Enjoy local.

Invest in your community.

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TO O M B S CO U N T Y M A G A Z I N E

LAST Words

Ann Owens is a writer, creative genius, entrepreneur, mother, and wife who enjoys pondering what makes the world click.

R.S.V.P. is not a 4-letter Word A good dose of etiquette advice that will take you a long way in life At the risk of sounding “old school” and being accused of living by principles that were only used “back in the day,” I have to get some things off my chest.

It has come to my attention that we seem to be losing our ability to practice simple etiquette, comprehend what we are reading, and communicate basic responses. It’s true, sad but so true.

In case you didn’t know, R.S.V.P. is French for répondez s’il vous plaît – in other words, please respond. If you are invited to an event, that means that the inviter wants you to come. As a matter of fact, they want you to come so much that they are willing to spend their hardearned money on making sure that they will have food for you, a seat, drinks, and maybe even a party favor or two.

What a really nice thing to do and what a good friend that is. I mean, they are asking you nicely and in French. How can you resist a plea in arguably the most beautiful language there is?

Why is this so difficult? Well, I have a theory: I think that people do not want to commit because something better may come along. I think they figure that if they just don’t reply at all and decide at the last minute to go, they can.

Or maybe I’m totally overthinking it, and they are just lazy and rude. Either option is wrong on so many levels. If you committed to go, then you should go, and unless you call the inviter first, you shouldn’t show up unexpected. There are these neat devices called telephones that we all have attached to our hands and our back pockets, so let’s use them and do the right thing.

When my daughter got married, I added to the bottom of her response card “If you do not respond by the deadline, please bring a chair and a sandwich,” and I meant it. Still, people showed up that didn’t respond, people didn’t come that said they would, and some people showed up that weren’t invited at all because they ignored the

“Private” sign on the venue and enjoyed one heck of a party. Wedding crashers are a thing, apparently. A few years ago, I attended a wedding where 150 people were invited, only 50 responded, and over 100 attended. While the family was outside taking pictures, the seats were filled up so that no seating was left for aunts, cousins, and grandmothers when they finally made their way into the reception. Those 50+ people who did not respond, enjoyed a comfy chair and food all while causing undue stress and sadness to the bride and groom and their families. Ya’ll, us southerners should know better than that! Learn to respond, and don’t be a jerk because, trust me, us hostesses are like elephants– we never, ever forget who you are.

Same with a thank you note. You know what to do here–you get a gift, you say thank you. Mamas of brides and high school graduates, as a final parting gift to your children before they fly from your nest, make them write those thank you cards if you have to sit on top of them and hold their frail little iPhone-shaped hands. I wouldn’t exactly say that a text is acceptable, but it’s certainly better than nothing. Also, let’s shoot for a little more than “Thanks for the gift. I’ll use it. LS” This is taken from an actual card that a friend received. She had no clue who it was from, but she was really glad the person found it useful, whatever it was.

Our reading comprehension is totally shot as well, and here’s my favorite example taken from an online yard sale social media post that included a picture: “For Sale! 8’ long, 2 yearold, black leather couch. Excellent condition. $150 firm. Must pick-up and there will be no one here to help lift. Located in the Vidalia area.” Truly, you cannot get any more specific than that, right? The comments in response to the post were astounding. 1) How

répondez

RSVP s’il vous plaît

big is it?; 2) Are the lamps for sale?; 3) Will you take $75?; 4) Are you sure it’s black cuz (sic) it looks maroon; and 5) My husband just had a heart attack and can’t lift anything, so I’ll need help and I’m interested. The next thing I know, the post disappeared. I’m assuming that, out of sheer frustration, the person hoping for an easy sale through a clear and concise post just gave up. I see this more often than not, and it is hilarious and very sad all at the same time.

Also, what is the issue with not answering a text or an email? I cannot tell you how many messages I have sent through both of these methods that have gone unanswered. Look, I know you got the message, so why not just reply with a simple acknowledgment or with my favorite “Got it” or the old standard thumbs up emoji? If I were standing in front of you and made a statement or asked a question, would you just stare in another direction and not respond?

Would you just turn and walk away because you didn’t want to answer? Of course you wouldn’t, so why would you do it via phone messages? I’ll tell you why, because our phones have allowed us to disappear and seemingly keep us from having any personal obligation. We can now successfully use excuses like “Sorry, my phone died” or “I never got that message” and others have no way of reasonably arguing otherwise.

I don’t know what the answer is to these dilemmas, but I do know this: we simply have to do better. I’m all about progress, growing, and changing with the times, but extending simple courtesies, actually reading a message before responding, and responding to others that reach out to you for an answer of some kind will never, ever be outdated.

We not only have an obligation to our children to teach them these valuable lessons in communication, but we need to practice them ourselves, as well.

Also, if I invite you to my house and you showed up without responding, don’t you dare eat one single pig in a blanket…unless you bring wine and then it’s all good.

H O M E TO W N L I V I N G AT I T S B E S T

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When you smile, be proud!

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127 Moody Circle, Lyons, Georgia | 912-526-3800

We offer Senior Citizen Discounts!

Smith & Tillery, P.C. Tommy J. Smith, Attorney at Law • Blake Tillery, Attorney at Law

Personal Injury • Wrongful Death • Worker’s Compensation Social Security Disability • Real Estate Closings • Wills/Probate 404 Durden Street, Vidalia, GA 30474 • 912.537.3030

www.smithandtillery.com

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C E L E B R AT I N G

20 Y E A R S O F S E R V I C E

Community Hospice Reaching Out To Families...Since 1999 At Community Hospice your loved one will receive the best possible care by the area’s leading hospice provider. Our staff is professionally trained to provide not only physical and emotional comfort, but also spiritual and social care for the patient, family and significant others. Quality of life is our goal and we offer the finest, full-family care program available in Vidalia and 14 surrounding counties.

B Home Hospice Services B The Area’s Only Hospice House B Grief Support & Bereavement Services B Medical & Social Workers

B Home Health Aides & Skilled Nursing Services B Advocates Dietary Counseling B Financial Aid Available Through Community Hospice B Non-Profit Foundation

LocaLLy owned & operated Vickie & Royce Ryles Founders

Jason Colbert, CHPCA Jason Colbert, CHPCA, CEO

Chief Executive Officer

912.537.0063 | 800.477.4758 | www.vidaliahospice.com 904 Mt. Vernon Road, Vidalia, GA 30474

Lic. #138135H

/Community Hospice