page 1 - Mature Living in the Southeast

Mature LivingIN SOUTHEAST GEORGIAA good source of information for the mature person in mind.ALMA COUPLE,ROBERT ANDSHEILATAYLOR,PARENTSTO NEARLY 100CHILDREN...See page 32MUCH, MUCH, MORE INSIDEINCLUDING FEATURES, HEALTHNEWS, AND EVENTS!Now serving Appling, Bacon,Jeff Davis, Montgomery, Tattnall andToombs Counties!26,000 HOMES IN S.E. GEORGIA!2011 Winter Edition

From the deskof the editor...WELCOME TOOMBS, TATTNALLAND MONTGOMERY COUNTIES!Mature Living in Southeast Georgia isdelighted to announce the expanded footprintof its publication. The magazine will nowreach Appling, Bacon, Jeff Davis, Toombs,Tattnall and Montgomery Counties, and awhopping 26,000 homes in the southeastGeorgia area.For those unfamiliar with our quarterlypublication, every issue includes timely newsarticles about senior living and how it appliesto everyday living in the southeast.Readers will find information regardingmedical news, tourism in and around thearea, feature stories about your friends andneighbors, and much more.As with every single issue, we have someamazing feature stories in this winter editionthat will uplift and inspire. We are alwayslooking for great stories about people livingright here in our communities. Therefore, ifyou know a person you would like to see featuredin this magazine, let us know.Finally, let me say thanks once again.Thanks for your support of this magazine andfor the kind comments we have received. Weare very proud of this product and know thatit would not be possible without the supportof our readers and advertisers.-Jamie GardnerABOUT USMature Living in Southeast Georgia is a free publicationdistributed throughout southeast Georgia and ismade possible by our advertisers. The publication isdelivered through various mediums and is also availablein area hospitals, doctors offices, chambers of commerceand many other locations.Locations:241 East Parker StreetBaxley, GA 31513912-367-2468matureliving@atc.cc205 East First StreetVidalia, GA 30474912-537-3131theadvance@bellsouth.netMature Living in Southeast Georgia does not necessarilyendorse the views expressed in the articles andadvertisements, nor is the publication responsible forthe products and services advertised. This publicationwelcomes your ideas, articles and feedback.© 2011 Mature Living In Southeast Georgia.All rights reserved.Editor/PublisherJames W. “Jamie” GardnerAssociate PublisherWilliam Ledford Jr.Managing EditorsMathew F. GardnerDaniel FordDesign & ProductionSteve SimmonsRenee O’QuinnMike BranchContributing WritersHelen Gardner, Mary Ann Ellis, David Tootle, Robin Crosby,James Boyd, Renee O’Quinn and Ronnie O’QuinnTo submit a news article or if you wouldlike information about advertising inMature Living, please call 912-367-2468 or912-537-3131.

health newsHeart conditions can be'Silent'The image many people Ischemia is a term used toget when they think of heart describe the restriction ofconditions is a grown man oxygen-rich blood to an areaSILENT ISCHEMIA IS A POTENTIALLY DANGEROUSHEART CONDITION THAT'S DIFFICULT TO DETECTAND CAN RESULT IN CARDIAC ARREST.of the body. Cardiac ischemiaoccurs when the blood cannotreach the heart.Generally cardiac ischemiacauses pain in thechest, known as angina. However,in some cases there isno warning pain and the conditionis called silent ischemia.Facts & Figures on SilentIschemiaSilent ischemia affectsroughly 3 to 4 million Americansevery year. Individualswho have had a previousheart attack are at higher riskfor silent ischemia than others.But there are many otherrisk factors:• Diabetes• Coronary artery disease• Hypertension•Coronary artery anomalies• Smoking• Obesity• Alcohol and drug abuse• CardiomyopathyIf ischemia lasts too longor is especially severe, it maycause a heart attack. It canalso affect the natural rhythmof the heart and its pumpingability, which can cause fainting,and even sudden cardiacarrest.Symptoms and Diagnosis ofSilent IschemiaSilent ischemia has nosymptoms. However, if a personhas had previous episodesof chest pain, there's aliklihood that he or she couldalso be experiencing silentischemia and not know it.Doctors may use an exercisestress test to determine silentischemia. Also, a specialmonitor called a Holter monitorwill record the heart rateand rhythm over the course ofa day and determine if ischemiaoccurred.TreatmentThe main ways to treat silentischemia is to reduce certainbehaviors that increaserisk. This includes quittingsmoking, avoiding alcoholand maintaining a healthyweight and diet.For those who are diagnosedwith silent ischemia,there are some treatment optionsavailable. Most of theseinvolve improving bloodflow to the heart, which oftenrequires prescriptionmedications. Oxygen alsomay be given to increase theoxygen content of the bloodthat is reaching the heart.Other people may take medicinesthat relax blood vessels,enabling more blood to flow.In most cases this is all thatis needed to fix the situation.For those not responding totreatment, they may need apercutaneous coronary intervention(PCI), such as balloonangioplasty, coronaryartery bypass surgery, or asimilar procedure.cluthing his chest. But not allheart conditions are as obviousor pronounced as heartattack.4Mature Living Winter EditionDO YOU KNOW A PERSON THAT YOUWOULD LIKE TO SEE FEATURED INMATURE LIVING IN SOUTHEASTGEORGIA? LET US KNOW!CALL 912-367-2468 OR 912-537-3131.

When you're younger, itseems you can't wait until retirement.After all, who wantsto deal with going to work everyday and coping with coworkersand a boss? However,many people overlook the opportunitiesfor socializationthat working provides. You getout of the house and see people-- apart from your family --with whom you can converse.Many retirees find that life canbe a bit boring after the jobends, primarily because theydon't have access to the samelevel of socialization as theyonce did.Making friends can keepyou active and healthy. Ifyou're a bit rusty in the friend-Making Friends After Retirementmaking department, it's prettymuch how it was when youwere younger. You simplymust find individuals who havesimilar interests and goals.• Volunteer in your communityand you're bound to findpotential friends who are likeminded.• Take classes at a collegeor university. Many offer freeor discounted rates for seniors.This is a great way to meetpeople of all ages and walks oflife.• Attend clubs at senior centersor houses of worship. It'slikely that there are plenty ofother people looking for relationships.• Think about your interests.If you like fishing, sewingor boating, join a club thatcaters to those interests. Otherswho share your hobbieswill be there.• If you're new to an area,host an open-house party andinvite neighbors in for introductionsand some socialization.• Join a social networkingsite online. You can connectwith people, potentially individualswho live close by.Mature Living Winter Edition 5

feature storyPassing His Blessings AlongHelped by many,Callaway looks to serveBy David TootleLyons Recreation Director Anson Callawayas born a “miracle baby” near Collins, Georia,in 1935. He says that the lessons he learnedrom his loving family and the blessings he hasnjoyed from his earliest days have shaped himnto the person he is today.“I was the fourteenth child in a family ofourteen,” Callaway told us. “We had sevenoys and seven girls. I was born four years aferthe doctor told Daddy and Mom that theyouldn’t have any more kids, so I was called airacle baby. I’m just thankful that I was noral.”Callaway’s earliest recollections are ofrowing up at a crossroads with forks leadingo Collins, Cobbtown, Metter, and Claxton. Beauseof their location at this intersection, theyould see the mailman, fish truck, and schoolus come by multiple times each day. Theirather, however, insisted they catch the bus toillview School the first time it passed.“Daddy wanted to discipline us to alwayse ready on time,” said Callaway. “He wouldn’tet the bus pass by and let us catch it the next time through; heaid that would cause us to drag around and not get ready.”In that day, a rolling store would traverse the countryside,topping house-to-house seeing what children and their parentsight purchase. For the Callaways, this event happened on Tuesayeach week, and young Anson and his siblings would beaiting beside the road.“We heard it rattling and coming from about a mile away,”e recalled. “All of those people who came by were importanto us, but not as important as that rolling store because at theack of it was a big jar where we could get a cookie about theize of a large pancake for a nickel. When you walked up theack steps of the store and smelled all the smells that were gongon in there, for us that was like going somewhere like Nework City.”The children rarely went to town, but sometimes made the6Mature Living Winter EditionENJOYING FAMILY - COACH CALLAWAY AND HIS SISTER, JOYCECORRY (LEFT), ENJOY A MOMENT WITH HIS GRANDDAUGHTERCASEY GEORGE.Saturday trip to Claxton for grocery shopping. Occasionally,Anson’s father would get his youngest son out of school at lunchtimeon a Friday, and the boy would help take sausages fromtheir smokehouse to Hinson’s Grocery in Claxton to barter forgrocery items.“We cured our own meat,” Callaway remembered, “and whenI was probably eight or ten years old, Daddy started makingsausage in the wintertime. We killed hogs and made liver puddingand hoghead cheese; we would save every part of the hog.When we started killing six or seven hogs, he said it was toomuch to be doing out in the open, and he built us a sausagehouse. It had a cement floor, a drain, and a pulley above theboiler of hot water where we would scald the hog and scrape thehair off. Then we would move them inside and butcher them ontwo tables and make sausage.”On these trips to Claxton, Mr. Callaway would let youngContinued on page 8

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enteen years old,” he remembered.A year later, the miraclebaby became the prodigal sonwhen he traveled to Detroit towork in an automobile plant.He found his way back toGeorgia in only three months,and had a job distributingmagazines in Savannah whenone of his sisters ran into himand brought him back home.“I had almost given up thatcareer teaching and coachingthat I had dreamed of since Iwas twelve years old,” he explained.“But I went back toMiddle Georgia, then on toGeorgia Southern. I playedbaseball for them in ’54, graduatedin ’55, and at the lastminute got a job at my oldschool, Collins High.”The new coach, onlytwenty, was dishing out ordersto boys with whom he hadhunted rabbits and chewedcane just a few years before.He had actually dated some ofthe girls he now taught, andthey had to call him “Coach”or “Mr. Callaway.”“But the Lord was withme,” Callaway remembers,“because we started winningimmediately, I will always saythat my coaching and teachingcareer got off to an unusuallygood start because I wasblessed with people who respectedme and who were alsogood athletes. I’ve been veryfortunate. I’ve gone throughmy entire coaching career, nowworkin’ on fifty-six years,never having a losing season.”After five years at Collins,Callaway moved back to Savannahto head up the basketballand baseball programs atGroves High School. This wasa “step up” in the world ofcoaching, as he now played hisbasketball games at the fineRichard Arnold gymnasiumand his baseball games atGrayson Stadium. However,because of an active ROTCCALLAWAY ENJOYED TREMENDOUS SUCCESS ASTHE COACH OF MIDGET FOOTBALL TEAMS FROMLYONS IN THE 1970S.program at the school, hecouldn’t get into physical educationas a teacher, and wasstruggling with five mathclasses each day.“I graded papers and stayedup reading what was going toContinued on page 11PROTECTION!Detecting and identifying security threats in real time is one of the most critical challengesfacing homeowners, organizations and businesses today. Twin Communications can help byinstalling new state-of-the-art video surveillance equipment that can identify threats as theyoccur and automatically alert you of potential breaches. This surveillance equipment enables itsusers to immediately review events and investigate incidents as fast and effectively as possible.CALL US TODAY ABOUT OUR NEW SURVEILLANCE SYSTEMS!TWINCOMMUNICATIONSmobile and business communications, voicemail, security, networking1147 W. Parker St. • Baxley • 912-367-6964114 Mose Coleman Dr. • Vidalia • 912-538-7544829A S. Peterson Av. • Douglas • 912-389-1071We also specialize inmobile and businesscommunications,including businesstelephone systems,voicemail, andcomputernetworking.TwinCommunicationsis an AuthorizedDealer ForSouthernLincWireless. Wehave locations inBaxley, Vidaliaand Douglas.Mature Living Winter Edition 9

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Continued from page 9happen the next day, trying tofigure out how to explain tothese classes about math. I finallybolted and said, ‘I can’tdo this the rest of my life.’”This was when Callawaymade it to Lyons, coming as apart-time elementary and juniorhigh P.E. teacher. He wasalso the part-time recreationdirector.“I coached in the summeralso, so I couldn’t go back formy masters degree,” he remembers.“So my salary hasalways been on the puny sidefor just having a four year degree.Still, when I look back, Iwouldn’t swap anything thatI’ve done. It was exactly whatI wanted to do, building thispark, coaching and teachingP.E., which I love.”Callaway wore many hats.In addition to his two part-timepositions, he also refereed highschool basketball games andwas youth director at First BaptistChurch. He wasn’t alwayshome for his own young family.“My wife Virginia sometimesasks me, ‘Where wereyou when I needed you?’ and Itell her, ‘I was out raisingsomebody else’s kids.’ I stillfeel like I found enough timeto help raise two daughters,and now we have fivegrandkids. I’m doing my bestto make up for lost time. I looknow at my family, and I am soblessed with the way they havesupported me.”In 2008, Callaway washonored by the Georgia StateSenate for his years of serviceto the community. He was presentedwith a copy of the resolutionstating his accomplishments,and got to speak to thelegislative body. He called theexperience “a real honor,” andsaid he would always treasurethe memory.His work in Lyons has notbeen without its bumps in theroad, however. In 1987, he gota mysterious call from MemorialHospital in Savannah, “reminding”him of some medicaltests that were scheduledfor the next day. Though hecould not figure out how theywere set up, he was convincedby family members to go. Twoweeks later, he underwent fivebypassheart surgery.“I feel like God entered thatsituation and tookcare of me,” he toldus. “At 52 years old,I gave up teachingschool and refereeingbecause I didn’tthink my healthwould allow me todo everything Iwanted to do. So Icame out here(Partin Park inLyons as full-timedirector) and startedto feel so much betterwhen I got goodblood flow. Westarted building andadding onto thepark, and we’vekept doing that forthe last twentyyears. Now we’vejust about got it full.”“A lot of people from biggertowns come to this parkand ask ‘How did you do it?’ Itell them, ‘I did it with a littlebit of vision and tremendoushelp from the area residents.’They have come through withdonations and help, and theytrusted me. That goes a longway. I gained credibilitythrough my coaching and triedto back it up with a Christianlifestyle, and it’s caused peopleto support me. I’ve tried to givethem a hard day’s work andbuild everything we could possiblyhave here in Lyons. Butabove all the facilities we’vebuilt here, I maintain that I’min the people business first, andthese other things are added tothat. I try to love the Lord anddeal with people the way that Iwould want to be dealt with.My daddy and mama taughtthose habits, with that discipline;I’ve tried to respect themby doing what they taught me.Anything we do to serve ourfellow man honors God. It’sbeen so rewarding to have alifestyle that’s been blessed themotivates children to give theirall and do their best.”This philosophy has led todecisions to not keep score inyounger leagues and to awardtrophies to all participants forimprovement and effort.“I’ve always said that improvementis one of the biggestthings in sports, and not onlyin sports. If you can improvein the way you keep your roomclean, the way you eat yourvegetables, and improve inCALLAWAY (SECOND FROM LEFT) PLAYED BASKETBALL WITHTHIS MIDDLE GEORGIA COLLEGE TEAM SHORTLY AFTERGRADUATING FROM COLLINS HIGH SCHOOL.way that mine has, and that’s your math class, you won’t letone reason I’m not so anxious defeat cause you to quit. Sometimesto give it up.”a defeat just points youAs recreation director, in a different direction; it hasCallaway noticed that some for me. I’m so glad that Godparents and coaches did not pointed me in the direction ofappear to be as supportive of Lyons, Georgia, when I wastheir children’s efforts as his defeated in that math class atparents were. With this in Groves.”mind, he worked with a local When Callaway had hisradio station sixteen years ago bypass surgery, he began toto begin a series of radio spots. look for ways to help others“I needed to talk to some with similar problems. He inauguratedparents, try to calm them down,a “Stroll for Goal”help this to be a fun time. We walking program at the park,want them to come out here to rewarding seniors for reachingrelax and for enjoyment. Parents,fitness goals. He also broughtteachers, and coaches in doctors to talk with them andshould provide leadership that regularly fed them breakfast,Mature Living Winter Edition 11

events which led to the building ofthe Callaway Center building atPartin Park in 1995. Today, the seniorprogram has a mailing list ofover four hundred persons in manycounties. The park holds three to foursenior citizen events per year, includinga free health fair in November.“We’ve caught people with highblood pressure and high blood sugar,”Callaway told us. “I think we’vesaved some lives. We want to do everythingwe can to support seniorsand their health. I tell them I love youand want to help you, because I’mone of you.”All of this work with seniors’health did not keep its director fromsuffering another setback. Just lastSeptember, Callaway went for a routinecheckup and ended up spendingthree days in the hospital while doctorsinserted a stent in a major artery.“I had been having arm pain andwas panting for breath, and I didn’tpay attention to it at first. Luckily,they found the problem. I came closeto a bad result; even the treadmill testmight have been fatal. So I tell ourseniors, ‘If you’ve got an enemy, thebest thing we can do is find it, so wecan deal with it.’”“Men have a reputation of beingtough and not going to the doctor. Iadvise them to take care of themselves.You’re responsible to yourfamily, a lot of people who love you,so take advantage of the research andmedication that we didn’t have yearsago.”If such procedures and medicationshad been more readily available to his family, Callawaysays it would have saved several lives. He has lost seven of hissiblings to heart problems.“I’d like to have known that I could have been their littlebrother for a lot longer. It’s tough to look back and see that theydidn’t have the same chances we have today to get better.”In addition to his heart problems, Callaway also had a boutwith prostate cancer. Virginia is also a cancer survivor.“The research on cancer, the blood tests, the biopsies, theprofiles on our blood, the treatments, it’s amazing. People usedto die with cancer before we had these things. This research isthe reason I’m alive today. If we’ll not be stubborn and let doctorsdeal with what comes along, take care of our diet and exercise,and monitor ourselves, we can have longevity and qualityof life, too. We have so many agencies in our area, we have no12 Mature Living Winter EditionRECREATION DIRECTOR - COACH ANSON CALLAWAY STANDS ON A FIELD ATPARTIN PARK. IN THE BACKGROUND IS A SCOREBOARD WHOSE MESSAGEWAS INSPIRED BY EVENTS OF 9/11.excuse for not monitoring our health, and there are so manypeople to be supportive and help us. Take advantage of thesethings; life is sweet.”Callaway encourages seniors, and those who are not yet seniorsas well, to come out to the park. With fitness opportunities,teams that need sponsors and coaches, and the sunshineand fresh air, it’s a place where citizens can take care of themselvesand make a contribution to the community. It has certainlybeen a place where he has been blessed and also sharedhis blessings with others.“I feel like I got a jump start on a lot of problems we havetoday with the things my daddy and mama taught us, and I wantto continue to share that with people. I feel like I’ve been overlyblessed, and I just feel responsible for continuing to do all I cando for my fellow man.” π

The First Baby BoomerFew people attain celebrity simply by being born, but that's justwhat happened to Kathleen Casey-Kirschling.Born one second past midnight on January 1, 1946, Kathy Caseybecame the first Baby Boomer to be born in the United States.Kirschling leads the ranks of the reported 79 million Baby Boomersborn between 1946 and 1964.It has taken a while for Kirschling to grow accustomed to hernotoriety. Her first taste of fame came when she was heralded asthe first Boomer in the Landon Jones book "Great Expectations:America and the Baby Boom Generation." Jones helped paintKirschling as the face of the generation. Throughout her adult lifeKirschling has been featured in numerous magazine, newspaperand television features about her life and times as the first BabyBoomer. The world watched when she turned 40, 50 and 60 ... whenshe filed for Social Security benefits. Chances are the world willalso be watching when Kirschling rings in the new year while turning65.In a 2006 interview with USA Today, Kirschling said, "I don'tfeel like I am a spokesman for the generation, but I have just a littlepart of every part of the generation in me. I am definitely a BabyBoomer, in the true sense of the word -- the good and the bad."Kathy Casey-Kirschling isn't the only person who was born onJanuary, 1, 1946 -- although she very well may be the first. Here aresome other notable Baby Boomers who share the same birthday.• Rick Hurst, Actor • Robert Rivelino, Brazilian football player• Manfred Stengl, Austrian Olympic Gold MedalistMature Living Winter Edition 13

feature storyThe Birth of a MonumentRICHARD STONE14 Mature Living Winter EditionBy Mary Ann EllisRichard Stone, President of the Jeff Davis County Veterans’Association, and Phil Merritt, Design Chairperson for Monuments,have a strong friendship that has lasted for better thanthirty years. In various ways it has served not only the two ofthem but many other veterans in the county as well. Both menare Vietnam veterans. Few people who’ve fought in wars comeback able to casually talk about their experiences. Memoriesare too painful, too fresh, no matter how many years have slippedpast the calendar’sface. Richard and Philhave found solace intheir own friendshipand in the company ofabout twenty-five otherveterans in Jeff DavisCounty who meet on aregular basis, not to tellwar stories, but to enjoyeach other’s company.What they havecreated for themselvesis a brotherhood thatkeeps their war memoriesat bay.Their story startedlong ago. Phil and Richardwere abouttwenty miles apart inVietnam, but at thattime they didn’t know each other at all, had never even met.Born in Hazlehurst, Phil Merritt has remained there all his life,except for his stint in the army. Richard Stone moved toHazlehurst in 1968 and worked for Amoco. Their separate storiesmerged when they became friends back in the ’70s. Theygot to know each other well when they attended college togetheron the GI Bill.Richard Stone spent four years in the marines and then workedfor Amoco for thirty years before retiring at age fifty-three. Heserved as the plant manager in Nashville, Georgia, from 1988-94, and then he and his family spent ’95-’96 in Europe, wherehe worked as the manufacturing manager at plants in Englandand Scotland.“There were five or six castles within twenty miles of ourhouse,” Richard said. “These castles were just big fortresses.We got to see several of them.”They toured the castles, rode the train often, and did a lot ofsight seeing, but he actually drove a car in London only once.That was enough for Richard. After that harrowing experience,he opted to ride the train.Richard and Doris Stone attend Southside Baptist Church.They have 3 children. Their son Richard and his wife Julie havethree children (Logan Stone, Gunner and Leanna Jackson),Michael and his wife Mandy have two (Abby Walker and KaitlynStone), and daughter Tonya has two (Garret and Allee Kersey).In addition to friendship, Phil passed on his passion for classiccars to Richard. He owns quite a few of them, including two’57 Chevys (one convertible and one hardtop), two ’55 Chevys,a ’58 Impala, and a ’67 Camaro convertible, which he is currentlyworking on.Phil Merritt, too, has a collection of antique cars. Phil hasworked for Standard Discount for forty-two years, where currentlyhe is a supervisor for Globe Financial Services. He andhis wife, Brenda Underwood Merritt, were high school sweethearts,and have three children. Carla is married to ChuckColeman and theyhave three children:Connor,Alex, and Ava.Maria is married toShane Rea andthey have two children,Dylan andRylie Brooke.Lindsey, the thirddaughter is marriedto Max Bookhardt,and Emma Kate istheir daughter.The Merritts attendFirst United MethodistChurch.PHIL MERRITPhil is very much enamored with antiques in general in additionto cars. He loves the ’50s and ’60s eras. Among his treasuresis an old gas pump and the first and only tractor that hisGrandma Mattie Shumans ever bought-a 1956 John Deere 420.He has restored the tractor and uses it to entertain the grandchildren.He and his father own a Model A Roadster, and Phil ownsthe first car he ever bought, a yellow 1966 fastback Mustang.Even though he gave much time to his hobby in the past fewyears, he also spent some time writing a book about his warexperiences: A Soldier’s Blues paints a vivid picture of a harrowingslice of his life.The further merging of Richard’s and Phil’s stories and

perhaps their greatest accomplishmentactually started in2005. The Jeff Davis ElementarySchool called and wantedsome veterans to attend a programtheir students were presentingfor Veterans’ Day thatyear. The men were able toround up ten or twelve to attend.When they arrived, theyheard the “Star Spangled Banner”playing. Along the wallsstudents were lined up withflags and posters, saying,“Thank you, veterans, forkeeping us free.”“It put me in shock,” saidRichard. “I had tears in myeyes, and a lot of other mendid, too. It’s rare to hear anyonesay thanks for serving.”Yet here was a wholeschool doing exactly that.They ate snacks and socializedwith the students and teachers,and as they ate, Richard wasthinking. It’s time now. Weneed to get a veterans’ memorialsoon. All the veterans inattendance were amazed by thepatriotism of the school andwhen the school called againthe next year, about sixty veteransshowed up. The numberscontinued to grow. Finally inthe fall of 2007, Phil and Richardagreed that the time wasright. They called a meetingfor January 2008. Twenty-fiveenthusiastic veterans showedup for that first meeting. Theirgoal was to recognize thirtytwoJeff Davis veterans killedin action (KIA) in the variouswars.An amazing outpouring ofSTONE AND MERRITT HOLD AN AMERICAN FLAG INFRONT OF JEFF DAVIS MONUMENT.support came from the community.The group did not solicitany funds from the state,local, or federal agencies. Philand Richard wanted to dosomething different, some-Mature Living Winter Edition 15

thing unique for Jeff Davis County, but they wanted to see whatother counties were doing as well. They traveled all over thestate looking at monuments. After a short investigation, theyrealized they could honor all the veterans from the county, notjust the KIAs. They took pictures and walked and looked inBaxley, Hinesville, Alma and many other places. In Hinesvillethey saw an angled United States Seal that they liked, but it wasmuch too expensive. Back at home, they asked the monumentcompany about the possibility of cutting the design into a pieceof black granite which they could then imbed into the concretein front of the centerpiece. The concrete itself would be tintedfor more eye appeal. The veterans also would work on the pavingin front of the Wall of Honor site. As soon as they had aspecific design in mind, they had the lowest bidders, Wadis Davisand Scott Worth at Jeff Davis Monument Company, order blackgranite from China, one of the two places in the world that suppliesthis type of stone, and waited as patiently as possible forsix months for the granite to come in. Before long they had theseal cut in and imbedded just as they had envisioned.When the Jeff Davis Veterans’ Association first decided totake on this great project, it had no money, but great faith. Richardfelt an urgency to complete the project because the WorldWar II veterans were dying quickly. He wanted the remainingones to be honored in their lifetimes. The JDVA was willing toborrow money if necessary. When they ordered the monument,they had no money, but were confident that it was the right thingto do. The money would come.Through the course of the year, the group of veterans sold atotal of fifty-two sponsorships to individuals and businesses. Theveterans did much of the work themselves, and on MemorialDay, 2009, the monument stood shrouded under a parachute onthe courthouse lawn, ready for the unveiling ceremony.Emotion ran high in the county as the day approached. Speakerswere lined up. One lady begged for a preliminary peek asthe veterans were putting the finishing touches on the site theday before the unveiling. They raised the parachute cover justenough for her to see her brother’s name. Tears flowed unreservedlydown her face when she saw it.The monument moved many people in the community totears, especially the families of the honorees. The centerpiece,the Wall of Honor, is the heart of the whole thing. It begins withthe World War I KIAs and ends with the last war in which JeffDavis citizens died, the Vietnam War. A total of thirty-two namesembellish the wall. On the backside of the Wall of Honor arelisted ten Prisoners of War. One additional POW was added aslate as 2010. The Wall of Honor is a living memorial to JeffDavis County veterans who made the ultimate sacrifice for thiscountry, but the rest of the monument honors all Jeff Davis veterans.Relatives who can afford it appreciate the opportunity torecognize their veterans by paying the $40 to have the namesinscribed.On the other parts of the monument, 925 other names of veteranshave been inscribed, and the monument is updated yearlyor as needed. Collecting the information was difficult and slow.16Mature Living Winter Edition

Every tidbit had to be verifiedfor accuracy. For example,Emery Anderson had a DistinguishedService Cross in WorldWar I, but he has no family leftin the county. The most decoratedveteran from Jeff DavisCounty was Dewey WilcoxJohnson. He won the DistinguishedFlying Cross with twooak leaf clusters as well as theBritish Distinguished FlyingCross. His wife and son wereat the unveiling and wereelated.This project pulled thecommunity together and elicitedtremendous enthusiasm,raising the community spirit.Families got more involvedand started to better understandwhat the veterans had sacrificed.Doris Stone, Richard’s wifeof 44 years, said, “I actuallyAS THE SUN SETS, A BEAUTIFUL ORANGE GLOW STRIKES THE WALL OF HONORAS THE JEFF DAVIS COURT HOUSE STANDS MAJESTIC IN THE BACKGROUND.Mature Living Winter Edition 17

went on the computer and researchedAgent Orange andPTSD (Post Traumatic StressSyndrome) because all themonument activity made mesuddenly curious. I shouldhave done that a long time ago.Now I know more about whatthey went through. This projectprovided therapy for the veteransand their families-maybeeven for the whole community.”“Before we did this monument,”Richard said, “Icouldn’t make myself go lookat the Vietnam War Memorialin Washington, D.C. I wasthere and had several opportunities,but I always made excusesfor not going. After wededicated the memorial, I wentand took my grandsons withme. We spent a few days there.This time it felt right.”Phil plans to take his grandsonin March, 2011. Both Richardand Phil were woundedin Vietnam. Richard waswounded when his oldest sonwas but a baby; he didn’t evensee him until the baby was tenmonths old. Richard wasawarded the Purple Heart forhis combat wound.The core group of veteranshas been very loyal. Mostlythey are the same ones thatcame to that first January meetingin 2008. They are still veryactive and invite other veteransto join them. The group meetsthe last Tuesday of everymonth at 6:30 at Village Pizza.The second phase of the projectis underway right now and thegroup is raising money to fundit. They want to place a lifesizedinfantry soldier to standthere guarding the wall. Philand Richard are hoping to finda used statue, maybe on aclosed military base, becausebuying a new one costs about$30,000. They do assortedfundraisers, such as going toWal-Mart once a month on thefirst Saturday with items tosell.Yearly the JDVA puts outflags at least seven times inmemory of the veterans: MemorialDay, Flag Day (June14), July 4, September 11, VeteransDay (November 11),Christmas, and New Years.They also help the LumberCity group with placing theirflags along the streets.Richard Stone remainspresident of the Jeff Davis Veterans’Association, Roy Andersonis vice-president, DianaDaugherty is secretary-treasurer,Bill Ryle is publicist, andB.J. Hand is sergeant-at-arms.The two chaplains are CarrollWalker and Harold Faulk.They welcome all visits to theirwebsite at JDCVA.com.Phil tells me that they havea special celebration plannedfor Memorial Day this year.They expect the community tobe well pleased. I’m sworn tosecrecy, but I agree and I encourageevery one to watch forit.“Just think,” Richard said,“all of this was inspired by agroup of school children whowanted to honor veterans. Theprograms in the schools havegrown, too, and all the schoolshave gotten involved. I’venever seen anything like it anywhereelse.”How wonderful to knowthat patriotism is alive andthriving in Jeff Davis County.The vision of Phil Merritt andRichard Stone certainly helpedit to grow. They just needed alittle nudge from some localchildren. ∏18Mature Living Winter Edition

THE LEGENDARY STORY OFObediah’sOkefenokBy Helen GardnerImagine what your lifewould be like without technology.Nothing powered by electricity.Go around your houseand look at all the electricaldevices, and think of what youwould do if these things weregone. What would yourkitchen be like without a refrigeratorand running water? Supposeyou didn’t have an autoand horses, boats, or walkingwere your only means of traveling.Back during the early1800’s looking after a housewas hard work, because therewere no labor saving devices,and water often had to bebrought in from a well afterbeing drawn by hand or froma nearby stream. Fires had tobe laid and lit and lighting wasby candles or oil lamps.On small family farms, allmembers had to take part in thework, which would begin earlyin the morning and continueuntil sundown.These were the signs of thetime when Henry Obediah Barbermoved his family to theouter edge of the greatOkefenokee Swamp.A towering 6’6" figure, hewas perhaps as unique as theplace he called home. He wasmarried the first time to NancyStephens who died in 1874. Hethen married Matilda Tatum in1875. She died in early part of1898. They had nine children.Then in the later months of1898 he married for the thirdtime to 26 year old Martha AnnKnight. They divorced in 1907.He was the father of twentychildren.Obediah was born in BryanCounty on July 25, 1825, sonof Isaac and Frances Barberand the grandson of MosesBarber. He and his first wifestarted their life on the northeastedge of the Okefenokee ona 490-acre farm that theybought. They had 11 children.From 1857 to 1870 heserved as a Justice of Peace, thefirst in Ware County, and thenin Pierce County when his districtwas made a part of Pierce.He also served as a Privatein the 24th Battalion, GeorgiaCalvary during the Civil War.In 1870, he sold his farm,resigned his public office, andmoved his family six milesacross the prairies of the northernOkefenokee to a new farmon the northwestern edge of theswamp located in Ware. Herehe built a log home, and soonhad a large herd of cattle andhogs, and a reputation as abrave bear hunter. There aremany stories about Obediahbut the most famous was thetale of his battle with a bear.Obediah, like most swampersin his era, had cows and hogsthat ran free in the pineywoods. His hogs mostly rangedalong the edge of the swampin an area known as the FiveMile “P’int”. He kept a closeMature Living Winter Edition 19

His bees produced 110 pounds of honey in 1879 and it was estimatedthat he sold $300.00 worth of farm products in 1879.Barber suffered a stroke in 1903 and died on December 28,1909. He was buried in Kettle Creek Cemetery, just 10 milesfrom his home.Although Obediah saw the beginning of the end of the wildernessand the frontier tradition in the swamp, he was valuedas a source of wit and wisdom on the swamp. The great swampthat Barber explored and carved a living from was designed asthe great Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge and a GeorgiaState Forest, which is the largest in Georgia, and later became anational Natural Landmark and a Wetland of International Importance.The log cabin of Obediah Barber has been preserved on theBLACK BEARS ARE OFTEN SEEN AT THE PARK. THISONE IS LIKE THE ONE THAT OBEDIAH KILLED WITHPINE “LIGHT’OOD’’ KNOT WHEN THE BEAR TRIED TOATTACK HIM.check on his hogs whereabouts. It was not unusual for him toget on his horse with corn and go in search of them. On thisparticular occasion, he found his hogs in the bottom of the “P’int”.After dismounting and hitching his horse to a tree he began scatteringcorn and calling his hogs. The hogs began coming in andfeeding on the corn. Suddenly a big black bear emerged fromthe brush and attempted to catch a young sow. Obadiah, as hehad done many times in such a situation, snatched off his hatand ran in front of the bear; yelling and waving his hat, to scareit away. Surprising, instead of fleeing, the bear charged towardhim. Obadiah turned and ran for his life. While running, he turnedback and realized that the bear was gaining on him. He saw afallen “lightwood” (this was a fat lighter pine) tree. As he ran byhe grabbed hold of a limb, and luckily, it broke off at the knot.He then turned and when the bear neared, began clubbing thehuge beast until it lay motionless. Obadiah killed many bears inhis lifetime, mainly to protect his livestock and one time in selfdefense,and he did it with a “light’ood” knot.In 1880 Obediah owned 1,500 acres, three horses and fourworking oxen. He reported 40 acres of improved land. At thistime he owned 76 head of cattle, 150 hogs and 34 chickens. Hedevoted four acres to growing rice, 24 acres to corn, four tooats, two acres to sugar cane and two acres to sweet potatoes.20Mature Living Winter Edition

spot it was built. Although itwas not an architectural masterpieceit was typical of loghomes in and around theOkefenokee Swamp. Becauseof its rustic character the cabinwas used for a movie set forthe film “Swamp Girl” in thethe core of the historical parkthat interprets life in andaround the Okefenokee duringthe period of 1850 to 1910.As you enter the park youwill take a step back in time.Obediah’s Okefenok, since1991, has opened it gates toindoor and outdooreducation, recreation,and enjoymentfor visitors ofall ages.Preserving the140-year-old cabinalong with thehomestead, whichconsists of wildlifeand other naturalwonders, the parkhopes to capturethe interest of cominggenerations.Besides thehouse and akitchen that sit offfrom the mainhouse, the parkfeatures a welcomeand gift shop, pavilion,race pondbridge, museum, aOBEDIAH BARBER - “KING OF THEOKEFENOKEE”nature boardwalk(which featuresseats along the wayearly 70’s. Today, the house is for people to sit and relax andENTRANCE TO OBEDIAH’S OKEFENOKobserve nature), furnace shed,sugar cane mill, outhouse,wildlife and animal exhibits,hunting camp, black bear compound,potato house, an oldwell, beehive exhibit, a turpentineexhibit, tobacco barn, printshop, buggy barn, corn crib,moonshine still, hog pens, livestockbarn, barn yard animals,blacksmith shop, grist mill,railroad exhibit. It also has a1926 Model T Ford that Barberpurchased from a residentof Iowa.The park is open from10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. andentrance fee is very reasonable.To get to the park take US1 to Hwy 84, (coming fromAlma turn right), go till youcome to Haines Ave, turn leftand go to Burnel St., turn rightand follow until you come toSwamp Road and go until youcome to Obediah’s Okefenok.COMING SOON!Mature Living in Southeast Georgia willsoon be launching a new website. Theaddress is www.maturelivingsega.com.Tell your friends and family.Mature Living Winter Edition 21

Investment and Retirement GlossaryFinancial jargon can makethe process of getting one's financesin order and makingsmart economic decisions a bitof a challenge. To the averageperson, figuring out terminologycan be a stumbling blockand a hassle some want toavoid.However, it's important toknow some of the lingo associatedwith financial planningto ensure money is being savedand spent in a responsible way.401(k): In the UnitedStates, a retirement plan wheremoney is diverted into an accountand then invested. Currentincome tax is deferred untilthe money is withdrawnupon maturity.Amortization schedule: Acomprehensive schedule ofpayments determining thebreakdown of the mortgageamount, interest, principle received,and balance duethrough each periodof the loanuntil the loan balancereaches zero.Annuity: Astream of fixedpayments that isgenerally paid aspart of a life insurancepolicy orretirement fund.Appraisal: Anestimated valueof property usedmost often in realestate transactions.Bankruptcy: Alegally declared inability of anindividual or organization topay their creditors.Dividend: A portion of acompany's profit paid to commonand preferred shareholders.The dividend is paid in afixed amount for each share ofstock held, whether in cash ormore stock.Hedge fund: An aggressiveinvestment fund generallyopen to a limited number ofinvestors.Interest: Fees paid on bor-22Mature Living Winter Edition

owed assets.IRA: Individual Retirement Accounts were initially set up in1974 to provide a retirement option for individuals who werenot covered by an employer-sponsored plan. Eventually it wasopened up so anyone under the age of 70 could donate up to acertain amount of income a year.Liquidity: The ability to turn assets intocash without losing a lot of value.Longevity risk: The risk a pension fundor life insurance company takes on whenoffering its plans, due to the increasing lifeexpectancy rate.Pension: A deferred compensation scenarioby where an employer pays an employeea portion of income based uponlength of service and employee age. Somepensions can be contributed to by the employeehimself, with the employer matchingthe contribution.Portfolio: Collection of stocks, bondsand money market instruments owned byan individual or company.Prime Rate: A term applied in manycountries to a reference interest rate usedby banks.Principal: The original amount of debton which interest is calculated.Rollover: This term is used for moving a retirement plan intoa different one, generally when leaving a job. Usually there is aset time period in which the rollover must occur so that a penaltyisn't issued.717 Cameron DriveBlackshear, GA 31516Toll Free: 877-449-486868 N. Oak StreetBaxley, GA 31513Toll Free: 800-660-7385Mature Living Winter Edition 23

feature storyBy David TootleAfter twenty years of parenthood,Edie and LamarSmith of Reidsville find themselveswith an “empty nest.”Their two sons, Taylor andSteven, are students at the Universityof Georgia in Athens,while Mom and Dad adjust toa new phase of life without theboys at home. Edie, the pharmacistat Vidalia’s Buy $martPharmacy and Home Medical,says the dire predictions oflonely times she heard fromfriends may have been exaggerated.“They said, ‘Oh, it’s goingto be horrible, just horrible,’”Edie recalled, “but we’ve beenso busy, we haven’t had muchtime to think about it. Lamar,by nature, works fourteenhours a day, and I’ve beenworking on getting this (Buy$mart) started. We see eachother at night, and it’s been nicejust being together. Now wecan be kind of spontaneous. Weave a house at the coast; if weant, we can just go downhere and get away.”She added that she feels the24Empty nest, full slateBusy schedulefulfilling forlocal pharmacistMature Living Winter EditionEDIE SMITH PREPARES A PRESCRIPTION AT BUY $MARTPHARMACY IN VIDALIA.boys were sent away prepared,and that this has helped calmthe parents’ normal anxieties.“Lamar accused me ofspoon feeding the boys growingup, and I’m sure I did,” sheremembered. “I made sure theydid everything that came along.My philosophy was that if youthrow enough out there, they’llfind something they’re interestedin. Both of them werealways busy, always doingstuff.”Then, when the time came,Edie says she sent them outwith her blessing.“I said, ‘Guys, I feel reallygood about where you are.You’ve gotten some great exposureand had some great opportunities,but now you’re onyour own.”The Smith sons were notthe only ones who had beenbusy those twenty years. WhileEdie speaks of her boys andhusband as being energetic andambitious, she too is somethingof a dynamo. She took offabout ten weeks for the birthof each child, but has otherwiseremained constantly involvedin the work world and in communityaffairs. Her story beganin Taylor County, Georgia.Edie was born in Butler, asmall town between Maconand Columbus, and grew up ina family where her father wasa funeral director and operateda private ambulance service.She was the fourth generationof her family born in TaylorCounty, and thefirst to leave.“Daddy stillasks when we’recoming home,”she said with asmile.She attended asmall privateChristian school,Mauk Academy,through theeighth grade. Itwas about fivehundred yardsfrom her grandparents’house,out of which hergrandmother operateda post office.Her grandfatherowned a general storeacross the street.“I got to go to their houseand eat lunch every day,” sherecalled. “Then I would goacross the street and get ahoney bun, and go back toschool.”Edie remembered a “brushwith fame” as a youngster. Heruncle, who was in politics, arrangedfor her and other famcontinuedon page 26

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there, and got involved withthe vocal ensemble and thedrama department. I was alsothe editor of the number onejunior college newspaper in thecountry, The Kernel.”Edie went on to UGA andearned a home economics degreewith training in both journalismand nutrition.“The more I got into nutrition,I found it was basically apre-med degree. It was thechemistry of food, and I justloved it! So I went from creativewriting to science.”When she reached the endEDIE SMITH (LEFT) AND HER HUSBAND LAMARSHOW OFF THEIR CATCHES ON A FISHINGEXCURSION TO COSTA RICA.continued from page 24ily members to have breakfastwith the iconic actor JohnWayne. She was about tenyears old at the time.“He looked just the same aswhen you saw him in the movies,”Edie recalled.Her school, Mauk Academy,closed after Edie’s eighthgrade year, and she graduatedfrom Taylor County HighSchool.Edie has always likedcooking and entertaining, andto this day enjoys lookingthrough and reading cookbooks.Growing up, shedreamed of becoming a foodeditor for Southern Livingmagazine. After graduation,her parents thought the transitionfrom small Taylor Countyto the huge University of Georgiawould be tough, so theyinsisted she first attend MiddleGeorgia College in Cochran.“I was an honor graduateand headed for Georgia,” sheremembered, “but I have ayoung birthday, in September,so my parents said ‘You’re goingsomewhere smaller first.’ Ifought that, but it was honestlythe best thing that ever happenedto me. I met Lamarof her degree program, she hadto decide whether to enter thefield of dietetics, pursue aPh.D. and work for an institutionlike Emory, or branch outinto medicine, veterinary science,or pharmacy. This decisionwas influenced by anotherfamily member from TaylorCounty.“I have an aunt who is apharmacist, who went toschool at Georgia in the1950s,” Edie explains. “Shewas one of the only twowomen in the pharmacy schoolat the time. She was a greatmentor for me and was veryinstrumental in my decision to26Mature Living Winter Edition

decide on pharmacy. She hada family and a career, and shetook off time to raise her children.Then, when they weregrown, she went back. That’sreally what I’ve done.”Like Edie, Lamar began hiscollege experience at MGCand finished at Georgia. Hethen went to work in sales forRotary Corporation, whichsent him to Texas. When Ediegraduated from pharmacyschool, he returned and theywere married. The couple setup housekeeping in Atlanta,and the new bride worked asmanager/pharmacist in a newstore in the metro area.“We were open from eightin the morning to ten at night,”she recalled, “then I did thebooks and made a deposit. Itwas very hectic, and I wasn’treally happy.”A friend told Edie about anopportunity with a companythat was developing computersystems for hospital pharmacies.When she met the managerfor an interview, he discoveredthat Edie had providedspecial music for the weddingof his cousin, which he had justattended. She was offered thejob on the spot, despite her lackof computer or hospital experience.She remained with thefirm for fifteen years, helpingto develop technology that iswidely accepted in the fieldtoday.Edie was moonlighting at alocal hospital, and Lamar wasjust as busy, operating two differentmail order businesses.One distributed Vidalia Onons,as well as other foods andifts. The other was a supplierf horticultural supplies forandscapers. When the boys arived,twenty months apart,hey were welcomed to a beeiveof activity.“For a while, we were botheaving at 6:30 in the morning,dropping them off at daycare,and coming back,” Edie remembered.“It was just notgood. We didn’t have any familyup there, but of course anyof them would come if weneeded them, like if the boysgot sick. We decided that weprobably needed to make aTHE SMITH FAMILY - (L TO R) STEVEN, LAMAR, EDIE,AND TAYLOR SMITH POSE IN FRONT OF THECHICAGO SKYLINE.lifestyle change.”Because it was closer toLamar’s supply chain, thecouple decided to move thefamily to the Reidsville area,where his parents still lived.When Edie informed herbosses, they asked her to experimentwith telecommuting,which she did.“Lamar set me up a littleoffice in the back of his warehouse;I had a phone line and acomputer,” Edie recalls. “I dialedin every day, and went toAtlanta once a month.”When computer transmissionswere interrupted, herbusiness associates would jokethat “a cow had stepped on theline again,” but these co-workerswere also frequent visitorsto the couple’s new SouthGeorgia home. Edie servedcustomers all over the UnitedStates, in England, and inSaudi Arabia, and her companyenjoyed tremendous growth.After a merger, however, auditorsnoticed accounting problems,and profits suffered. Theentire experience left a badtaste in her mouth, and whenthe boys entered kindergarten,she said goodbye to the businessworld.By that time, Lamar’s businesseshad done very well, andhe had also gotten into real estate.Today he owns LamarSmith Signature DevelopmentGroup, a company which developscommercial and residentialreal estate, mostly in thegreater Savannah area.But Edie couldn’t stay athome for long. Desiring tokeep her license, she filled inat The Drug Store inReidsville. She also workedpart-time at the hospitals inMetter and Claxton. Lamarwas serving as president of theParents’ League at PinewoodChristian Academy, where theboys were enrolled, and Edievolunteered at the school. Shealso found time to help withRotary International and theAmerican Heart Association.When the boys were in highschool, Trent Akins of Allcareasked her to fill in for a day,then offered her an interim position.When he decided to proceedwith the idea for Buy$mart, Edie was in the centerof his plans for the new business.Having just sent Taylorand Steven to Athens, she wasready for the challenge.Buy $mart offers pharmacyservices and home medicalequipment, providing full serviceand low-cost options onhigh quality products. Edieserves as pharmacist, but alsodoes some bookkeeping, marketing,and retailing. She isworking hard to get to knowmembers of the community.“This is not my base, but Ireally love the people here,”she commented. “I’ve joinedthe Chamber of Commerce andhave been at every function.Trent has also lent me a pharmacistfor a couple of hourseach week, and I’ve been ableto go around town and meetpeople.”Like their mother, theSmith boys wanted to go“straight to UGA.” Unlike her,they actually did, having establishednetworks of friends andacquaintances which put themahead of her in terms of socialdevelopment by the time theygraduated from Pinewood.Taylor is now twenty; Stevenis eighteen.“Like many people’s children,they’re completely opposite,”Edie explained.“Taylor’s very creative; wetease him that he’s ADHD, butMature Living Winter Edition 27

he takes it in stride. He doesn’t visited almost every state andwant to be on medication; he over twenty foreign countries.thinks he might have that one She remembered once meetinggreat idea and it might be suppressed.So, we just have to Nixon on The Wharf in Sanformer President Richardremind him where his shoes Francisco.are and stuff like that. He’s “Lamar recognized him,”very smart, studying internationalbusiness. He has taken nice man.”Edie told us. “He was a veryChinese, Italian, and Spanish. Both Edie and Lamar haveHe loves culture and is very a strong sense of communityopen minded.”involvement. Edie has been“Steven is very analytical, very active for the last three tovery organized. He’s probably four years in the East Georgianot quite as open minded about Fellowship of Christian Athletes.some things. He is a naturalservant leader. He was more “Lamar just felt it was ainterested in sports in high really great cause, because youschool. But they’re both great reach so many kids. It’s beenChristian boys, very busy and shown that if you don’t reachactive on campus.”them at a particular age thatTaylor worked on a politialcampaign in Atlanta this portunity. We decided to makeyou’ve really missed the op-ummer and is a freshman a donation, then Brad Lane (theentor at Georgia. Steven reentlyhelped work on an Ex-to know if I would serve on theorganization’s director) wantedreme Home Makeover project board, and I did. I’ve been inn South Carolina. Both like to charge of the banquet for theunt, have dogs, and recently last three years, and I’ve met aent with their father to Kanason a hunting expedition. other counties that I didn’tlot of wonderful people inow that they’re back at know before.”chool, Edie says she no longer Edie served on the Tattnallollows their progress the way and Evans County 4H AdvisoryBoards and was a mem-he did in high school.“Have I even looked at ber of the Leadership Georgiaheir grades online?” she Class of 1997. She participatedsked. “No; I don’t even want on the scholarship pageanto worry about that anymore. boards for Miss Tattnallf they asked me to review a County and Miss PCA. An activemember of the UGAaper, I would do it, but theays of worrying about grades Alumni Society, she participatedin the school’s Capitalre over. We have saved forheir college from the time they Campaign Committee for theere born. I told them, ‘This Archway to Excellence, a publicmovement that raised overs your certain amount ofoney; it should be plenty to $500 million in five years. Sheet though school, even if you and Lamar are active atant to go to pharmacy or med Reidsville Baptist Church,r law school. How you use it where Lamar is Chairman ofs up to you.’ They’ve done Deacons.ery well so far.”Edie works with the YoungWith their newfound freedomas “empty nesters,” per-church. She also has a passionMarried Couples class at thehaps the Smiths will continue for assisting young familiesto travel. Lamar and Edie have with personal finance and in-28 Mature Living Winter Editionvesting, and she has workedwith young adults and teenagerson personal financeprojects.She also sings in the churchchoir. As a matter of fact, musichas always been a big partof life for Edie.“In my mother’s family,”she recalls, “there were sevenaunts and uncles. They allplayed and sang, and that’swhat we did when we got together.We got out the oldPrimitive Baptist hymnal andsang. One of my cousins isband director in Ware Countyand was recently namedTeacher of the Year there.When I was four or five, wewould come home fromchurch, and she would pick outthe hymns on the piano. Shealways dragged me along, andshe taught me how to play guitar.Daddy’s mother was also

talented.”Edie took piano lessons and dance lessons(her mother thought she wasn’tgraceful enough), and she entertainedwith other family members at shrineclubs, community centers, and otherevents. At both her colleges, she sang withmusical ensembles.“I once sang with the Pilgrims, aSouthern gospel group,” she told us. “Wesang at the Grand Ole Gospel Reunionwith the LeFevres and many other quartetswith six thousand people in the audience.That was exciting!”When she was working in Atlanta, shewas the only female in a band that playedsouthern rock and pop music. Having twosmall boys brought an end to that kind ofperforming, however.“I can think of one time, I was at achurch function, a family fun day,” shetold us. “I was doing the ‘Shania Twain’thing in my jeans. I can remember singing,then both boys ran up there at thesame time. One grabs one leg, and one’s on the other. They’relike two and three, and I’m trying to sing.”The boys both took piano lessons at Edie’s insistence, butdidn’t stick with it the first time around. In high school, however,Taylor took up guitar. Steven has returned to the piano inrecent years.Edie still performs occasionally at private events, but saysthe preparation is a little too time consuming, given her otherobligations. She has also performed at over sixty weddings.The pharmacist with the empty nest calls herself a “very goalEDIE SMITH (RIGHT) TAKES TIME OUT FROM HER PHARMACY WORK TOPLAN FOR THE ANNUAL BANQUET OF THE EAST GEORGIA FELLOWSHIPOF CHRISTIAN ATHLETES WITH DIRECTOR BRAD LANE.driven person.”“I’m a checklist kind of person,” she explained. When askedwhat her present goals were, she replied, “To borrow a quotefrom Senator Tommie Williams, I just want to do things thathave eternal value, not just going through the motions. I prayfor God’s guidance every day. I try to approach every customerand patient, everybody I see, that way. If they’re in a bad mood,it’s not my right to be judgmental. I guess my goal would be forpeople to know that I’m sincere, at home and at work. I hopethat comes through in everything I do.”Top Songs of the Baby Boomer EraBaby Boomers were born between theyears 1946 and 1964. Here is a list of "Billboard"magazine's number-one-hits thatwere on the radio airwaves while Boomerswere being welcomed into this world.1946: "Rumors Are Flying," Frankie Carle1947: "Heartaches," Ted Weems1948: "Buttons and Bows," Dinah Shore1949: "A Little Bird Told Me," Evelyn Knight1950: "Mona Lisa," Nat King Cole1951: "Because of You," Tony Bennett1952: "Cry,"Johnny Ray and The Four Lads1953: "The Doggie in the Window," PattiPage1954: "Sh-Boom," The Crew-Cuts1955: "Rock Around the Clock," Billy Haley& His Comets1956: "Heartbreak Hotel," Elvis Presley1957: "Love Letters in the Sand," Pat Boone1958: "The Purple People Eater," ShebWooley1959: "Mack the Knife," Bobby Darin1960: "Cathy's Clown," The Everly Brothers1961: "Tossin' and Turnin'," Bobby Lewis1962: "Sherry," The Four Seasons1963: "He's So Fine," The Chiffons1964: "I Want to Hold Your Hand," TheBeatlesMature Living Winter Edition 29

A TASTE OF THE SOUTHSlow Cooker PotRoast with OnionsIngredients• (2 1/2-pound) boneless beef sirloin tipor chuck roast• 1 tablespoon prepared horseradish• 1 1/2 pounds onions, trimmed and cutinto 1/2-inch slices• 1 pound potatoes, trimmed and halved• 1/2 pound carrots, trimmed, peeledand cut into 2-inch pieces• 2 tablespoons fresh thyme leaves,stripped from stems• 1 tablespoon chopped fresh rosemary(stems removed)• 2 cups tomato juice• 1 cup low-sodium beef broth• 1/2 cup red wine (or additional beef broth)• 2 tablespoons flour• Pepper and salt to taste (optional)PreparationTrim fat from beef roast. Place roast in bottomof 5 to 6-quart slow cooker. Spread horseradishover surface of meat. Top and surroundroast with onions, potatoes, and carrots.Sprinkle with thyme and rosemary and pourin tomato juice and beef broth. Cover andcook on high setting for 6 to 8 hours or untilbeef is fall apart tender.Mix wine (or beef broth) with flour and pourmixture around meat in slow cooker. Gentlystir flour mixture into existing sauce withoutdisturbing the meat. Replace cover and cookon high setting for 15 minutes or until thickened.Before serving, season with pepperand salt to taste and garnish with sprigs ofrosemary.A Taste of the South is brought to you bySarah’sIn The CityHighway 341 West in Baxley(1/4 mile past WalMart on right)Sarah’sRESTAURANTHatch Parkway North in Baxley30Mature Living Winter Edition

Mature Living Winter Edition 31

cover storyChildren . . .The Key to ParadiseBy Helen Gardner“Each child is an adventureinto a better life - an opportunityto change the old patternand help to make it new.” Thisis a quote made famous byHubert H.Humphrey manyyears ago about children.Shelia and RobertTaylor are a livingexample of thisquote today. Thecouple have beenFoster Parents for 18years and served ashost for Foreign ExchangeStudents forseveral years.The couple hashad up to 100 ormore foster childrenin their home and sixforeign exchangestudents over theyears. All of the foreignstudents havebeen girls and mostof the foster childrenhave also been girls,therefore Robert hashad to learn to live in a housedominated by girls.In regards to the foreignstudents they have had twofrom Germany, two from Korea,one from Indonesia andone from Mexico.When asked about the differencein students from other32Mature Living Winter Editioncountries and students inAmerica the couple said, “Foreignstudents are more appreciative.They focus more ongetting a good education.”But in contrast they havealso noticed that families inAmerica seem to be closer dueto the fact that students’ parentsfrom overseas have towork many hours in order tosupport their families. Theydon’t seem to have as muchquality family time as mostAmericans spend with theirfamilies.A large number of the childrenthat have been a part ofthe Taylor family, even thoughthey are grown now, still stayin touch with them.The reason the Taylors becamefoster parents was becauseof their love for children.They wanted a large family andcouldn’t have any more childrenafter their first daughterwas born so this brought aboutthe idea of adoption. Thecouple was told the best wayROBERT AND SHEILA TAYLOR AND THEIR DAUGHTERS DAWN, MELINDA AND MARIA.to adopt was to become fosterparents first and then adopt.They did and this led to themadopting two other daughters.Their daughters are Dawn,who is a teacher with the BaconCounty High School;Melinda is in college and istraining to become a teacherfor early childhood education;and Maria is a student at BaconCounty Middle School.“The advantage of beingfoster parents is we and ourchildren have learned so much.continued on page 34

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continued from page 32It has given our children andus a greater appreciation forwhat we have. It has affordedus the opportunity to touch thelives of children in difficultsituations,” is the reply thatboth Shelia and Robert statedwhen asked what has been theadvantage of keeping fosterchildren.They also stated the greatestdisadvantage of keeping thechildren is giving them up afteryou have had them for aperiod of time and learned tolove them as your own.Robert and Shelia said thehardest part of being foster parentsis trying to deal with birthparents.One of the greatest joys ofthe Taylors is being out aroundtown and having one of thechildren come up and hug theirnecks and show them picturesof their children.“Children today are starvedfor discipline and structure intheir life and as parents we arefailing them so much. Westrive to make sure that we aremaking their lives better thanours were. Parents do not realizethat they are robbing theirchildren of the ambition to succeedin life by doing this. Theydo not stop to think that qualitytime will mean more tothem than material things whenthey grow up,” is what theTaylors think is the worst problemthat parents are makingtoday in rearing children.The biggest differenceRobert and Shelia see in youthtoday than the way childrenwere in the days when theywere growing up is disrespectand being ungrateful for theopportunities they are given.Robert is the son of C. L.and Winford Stewart Taylor.He is a native of Bacon Countyand the brother of Peggy Peacock,Diane Crews, Gary L.Taylor and Larry C. Taylor.His current job is Fire Chiefof the Bacon/Alma Fire Departmentand EMS Director.His career started off workingin Bacon County as an EMTand firefighter. He later workedin Douglas, Baxley andHazlehurst before returning toBacon County. He was appointedas the head of the BaconFire Department and EMSDirector in 2008.He pointed out that thereare a lot of advantages withhaving a full-time Fire Departmentand EMS Department.Some of the advantages include:- Lower Insurance due to ahigher ISO (Insurance ServiceOffice) rating.- A better response time dueto more training being requiredfor full-time departments andpersonnel are always on duty;better trained personnel becausethey are on the job morehours to be trained.The greatest pride inRobert’s job comes when thedepartment is able to help protecta person’s life or theirproperty from being destroyed.The greatest sorrow is seeinga family lose everything theyhave in a fire or see someone,especially children or teens,lose their life in a fire or accident.Robert stated that whensomething happens, the entiredepartment is affected by theoutcome because the departmentis like a brotherhood. Hesaid, like brothers living together,someone is always pullingpranks and you walkaround the department lookingover your shoulder to see whatyou might be walking into.He recalled a funny prank34Mature Living Winter Edition

pulled on him one day. On this particular day the group was intraining using the fire hoses. Robert stated that some of the othertrainees had decided to play a prank on him and opened the pressurevalues wide open. Not knowing this, he turned on the hoseand got a full blast from the water. He said in just a few secondhe became a muddy mess and found himself chasing and tryingto catch hold of the fire hose. Finally realizing all the other firemenwere standing off laughing and not offering to help outwith the hose was when he realized he had been the blunt oftheir practical joke.Shelia is the daughter of Troy (deceased) and Opal BowenTaft of Atkinson.She is the sisterof Danny andMichelle Taff.Shelia is aLPN and hasworked in Baxleyand Alma, butover the years shefound that hergreatest joy isworking withchildren and todayshe workswith the BaconCounty SchoolSystem in theSpecial EducationDepartmentfor grades six,seven and eight.Her job includesaiding teachers,working one onone with studentsand co-teaching.THE FOLLOWING IS A NOTE ROBERTAND SHEILA TAYLOR RECEIVEDFROM A FORMER EXCHANGESTUDENT FROM GERMANY.I Remember...It started in August 2007 in Douglas,when I first met yall and feltalready close to everybody after fewminutes!I enjoyed it so much being a partof this family and I can’t believe it isalready time!It seems that it just started...But I can’t cry, because I’m sohappy-Happy that I was able to meet theBEST FAMILY EVER!I’m not gone...I’m in your heart...And yall too.Sabine...She said, “There is never a dull moment with this age ofstudents and it’s very seldom the teachers or my self find a minuteto call our own.”Shelia said living in a small town makes a close-knit communitybecause people are more willing to help others in need.When ask if either one of them had a pet peeve Sheila quicklysaid jokingly, “Yes! It’s going to the bathroom and finding theseat up.”She also said people being ungrateful and not picking upbehind themselves are close behind the commode seat not beingput down. Robert stated his pet peeve is children not mindingtheir parents.Robert and Sheila are both grateful for their relationship withGod, their families and for having good health.They both feel that America needs to improve its economyand also needs its citizens to be willing to earn a living insteadof sitting back and waiting for a handout. The couple also believesthat the people need to turn back to God and become aGod-fearing nation again and that the defense of America shouldMature Living Winter Edition 35

e increased instead of decreasedfor our protection.The couple feels that thegovernment needs to get out ofpeople’s lives and that we allneed to promote better morals.In comparing yesteryear totoday, the Taylors stated thatwe have better technology,make more money, arehealthier and we have betteropportunities, adding that ifonly we will take advantagesof them. Yet with the bettermentthey feel we have givenup a lot also, such as familycloseness, lost a lot of our valuesand morals and that Godhas been taken out of people’slives.In closing Robert said thebest thing that has happened tohim was marrying Sheila at 17years of age. I am thankful forher support to me over all theyears. She has been my greatestsupporter and encourager.Jokingly he said, “She hasnever sent me home to mama.”Robert said he is alsothankful for all his family,friends and his community fortheir love and support.Shelia’s final commentswere, “In doing Foster Childrenand Exchange Studentswe have become a team. Experiencegained through theyears has been a great help tous as a team. With that manychildren in your home, there isalways something to do and byworking together it helps buildbondage between us and thechildren. I’m so thankful forthe opportunity to share withthem the closeness of a familylife. It brings great joy to us thatmany of the children that wehave had in our home still wantto be a part of our life.”In closing we are remindedof a famous quote by Dr. JamesC. Dobson that sums up Robertand Sheila Taylor:“Children are not casualguests in our home. They havebeen loaned to us temporarilyfor the purpose of loving themand instilling a foundation ofvalues on which their futurelives will be built.”A LITTLE SENIOR HUMORDid Anyone See My Face?A hooded robber burst into a Texas Bank and forcedthe tellers to load a sack full of cash. On his way out thedoor a brave Texas customer grabbed the hood andpulled it off revealing the robber's face. The robber shotthe customer without a moment's hesitation.He then looked around the bank and noticed one ofthe tellers looking straight at him. The robber instantlyshot him also.Everyone else, by now very scared, looked intentlydown at the floor in silence.The Robber yelled, "Well, did anyone else see myface?"There are a few moments of utter silence, in whicheveryone was plainly afraid to speak. Then one old mantentatively raised his hand and said, "My wife got a goodlook at you."36Mature Living Winter Edition

health newsIs Poor Posture Aging You?Like fine wine, the wisdomof parental advice improveswith age. Researchshows your mother was evenright about standing upstraight, as shown by newstudies finding that peoplewith better posture really arehealthier and actuallylive longer.Think of someoneover 80 who looks andlives the way you wantto when you get to bethat age. Now ask yourself,“How is thatperson’s posture?”Even though mostpeople in their 80s sufferthe bent-over slumpof age, you’re probablythinking of someonewho still stands tall anderect.Not only are there intuitivereasons whypeople with good postureare healthier andmore active, but poorposture also has a dramaticeffect on anothergrowing problem facing olderadults: falls and poor balance.According to the NationalSafety Council, over 1.5 millionpeople over 65 are seriouslyinjured each year infalls, which cause nearly14,000 deaths, with anotherquarter suffering debilitatinginjuries that affect them forthe rest of their lives. In addition,poor posture affectshow well your heart canpump blood, and even howwell you can breathe.As a clinician, posture expertand author of StandTaller~Live Longer: An Anti-Aging Strategy, Dr. StevenWeiniger often advisespeople to feel for themselvesthe difference posture makesin how your body works withthis simple demonstration:“While slumping forwardin a chair, take a breath in andnote how deeply you canbreathe. Then, scoot yourbottom back in the chair, pullyour shoulders down, liftyour head up and sit tall.Note the significant differencewhen you take in a deepbreath while maintainingstrong posture.”Unfortunately, most of usare spending more time thanever slumped in front of a TV,computer, or video game, andour poor posture is gettingworse. If you stop to thinkabout it, you're likely slumpingas you read this (unlessyou just straightened up a bit).When you spend 18 hours aday with your body foldedinto a chair,you'll go backto the slump assoon as youstop thinkingabout it. Theproblem withimproving postureis, no matterhow goodyour intentions,just tryingto stand upstraighter simplydoesn'twork (case inpoint: are youslouchingagain?).R e n é eNorth, CertifiedPostureExercise Professional(CPEP) has this advicefor improving posture.“In order to make a change,we must retrain our motionpatterns, and this begins withbecoming aware of our posturefirst, and then developingnew habits. Incorporatinga One-Leg Balance intodaily life is a great place tostart. Make this exercise animmediate part of your dailyroutine and you will see andfeel a difference.”Weiniger’s One-Leg Bal-you feel good and age well.Mature Living Winter Edition 37anceYour posture is ultimatelyhow your body is balancing.Even if someone is standingcrooked, mechanically theyare balanced or they wouldfall down! Standing on onefoot is a way of seeing howgood your idea of where youare in space agrees withwhere your body really is.Try this:Stand up, tall and straight.Lift your left leg so your thighis level with the ground.Count to 20.Repeat on the other side.You should be able to balanceon each leg for 20 seconds.If you can't, you probablyneed to work on improvingbalance.LifeHabit Tip:Try to balance on one legat least three times a day. Ifyou are wobbly, hold on asyou lift your leg, but focus onstanding up with strong, tallposture, keeping your feetpointing straight ahead andpelvis level.Strengthening posture canrelieve postural neck andback pain as well as help youget the most benefit from anyexercise because your formgets naturally better. If youfocus on posture each day andwork to strengthen balance,alignment, and motion, overtime you’ll be surprised notonly at the difference in howyou feel, but even how otherssee you. The bottom lineis, when you keep moving

feature storyThe Appling County Charity FoundationNeighbors Helping NeighborsBy Renee O’QuinnA diagnosis of cancer foryou, a friend or loved one canbe devastating. Cancer affectsnot just the individual diagnosedbut also everyone closeto that person. The physicaland emotional costs are high,but the financial cost of havingcancer treatment can easilywipe out even a large nestegg. The cancer patient maysoon find himself or herselfnot having enough money topay their mortgage or rent.For a person with cancer, thedisease is not the only thingthat is the most difficult. members includeThere are many things that Audrey Craven,weigh on their minds such asthe cost of treatments andmedications, the cost of drivingto a hospital for treatmentsand so many otherstruggles. If they can’t paytheir electric bill, then theirpower gets turned off. Somecancer patients are on oxygenand they absolutely needpower. This is where TheAppling County CharityFoundation comes in. Thenonprofit foundation was organizedin Baxley by communityvolunteers andfounded by HelenSamardjich. The slogan forthis wonderful charity foundationis ‘Neighbors HelpingNeighbors’ - this is exactlywhat they do and have beendoing ever since it was organizedin 1995.38 Mature Living Winter EditionThe organization is madeup of wonderful volunteermembers who are KarronCarter, Lizzie Cromartie,Cecile Griffin, Angela W.Thornton, Elwaner Parker,Deborah Parker, WandaAmmons, Mary Alice Joiner,Jeannie T. Moody, RyanMcNeal, Charlene Price,Sandra Sasser, PatriciaWiggins, Lewis Parker, AlexJohnson, Cary Long, RobertWiggins Sr., CharlieStuckey, David Williamsand HelenSamardjich. RetiredGene Teston andLucy Overstreet, PastorTommy Dubose and PastorRon Ross.A former memberis Wesley Swain.Helen is a slender petitelady with long wavy hair andhas an accent that is hard tomiss. Her personality andcharm are huge. With a greatbig warm smile and a quickwit she is a joy to be around.“I know how hard it is”,she conveyed. “It’s not justthe illness that is the most difficultsometimes; it is the lossof their homes. It’s in myheart (while patting a handover her chest). Isn’t thatwhat we are suppose to bedoing helping others?”The charity foundation’smission is to help poor peoplestricken with cancer. Thefoundation benefits only thepeople in Appling County.Financial support comes fromprivate individuals, churchesand in lieu of flowers for funeralservices. Every three orfour years they have afundraiser. The visionfor thefoundationis tocontinue on thesame route andcontinue with thesame principles that thegroup has. The goals are togrow and get more support.Helen was born in AustriaYugoslavia and it was communistat that time. Becauseof her father, she and hermother were brought toAmerica. The story about herfather and how she ended uphere is a rather lengthy storyin itself. Her parents becamedivorced.She had a wonderfulmother and Helen loved hervery much. Helen had a veryhappy childhood growing up,but they were very poor. Oneof the most difficult thingsthat she ever went throughwas when she found out hermother had breast cancer.When she was about 16 yearsold she began working threejobs to help support herselfand her mom. It was a veryhard time. Her motherbattled cancer formany years. Shestruggled off and onwith it for 22 years.The most difficult thingabout it was knowingwhat the ultimate outcomewas going to be. The wayHelen got through this difficulttime was she keptbusy working trying tomake ends meet.“I didn’t have time todwell on it, she said. “I thinkany problem that you have,if you have time and dwellon it, becomes bigger andbigger.“I didn’t ask for this, nobodydoes. I either had toswim or drown. I was exhaustedfrom working threejobs.”The experience taught hersomething about herself. Itmade her a stronger personand it taught her responsibility.“Having to go throughsuch a difficult time makescontinued on page 41

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continued from page 38you want to fight. It’s inside everybody to want to fight,” sheconcluded.Helen knows firsthand what it is like to come to a countryand not understand the language. When she came to the UnitedStates as a young girl she couldn’t speak any English.“A few of the kids at school made fun of me, but the restwere great,” she said.In some way she was able to communicate with the students.Somebody once told her a smile is International andwill get you friends.She has a strong drive that doesn’t quit and a strong determinationto want to help people in need.“Helen has done a lot for this community,” said WandaAmmons a volunteer member of ACCF. “She is too humbleof a person to admit that. Helen is definitely a friend indeedto those in need.”Helen absolutely loves animals. At one time her three-cargarage became a huge doghouse. “Every dog in the neighborhoodcame to my house and they never left,” she said. Sheonce counted seven dogs at one time. This was when theyfirst moved to Baxley. Since then they have all slowly passedaway.She now has a dog that weighs a hefty 98 pounds andthinks she is probably part bulldog and lab and is a beautifulbrindle color. Helen named her Spirit, because she dug a holein the back yard that was big enough for her, her husband andthe dog to liedown in. Spirit isa rescue dog thathung around theoffice.“She broughtme four puppiesfor feeding her,”she said. “Whenthe humane societycame to getthem, Spirit wasso smart shewent and hid.”The next dayHelen saw herrunning aroundthe office again.Helen decided tokeep her and soshe had the localvet pick the dogup and had herfixed and theyHELEN SAMARDJICHgave Spirit herneeded shots. Spirit became a very loved member of the familythat stays in the house and sleeps in the bed.Mature Living Winter Edition 41

“Animals add so somemuch to our lives, don’tthey?” She asked.She had an old down comforterthat she got from upnorth and it was stuffed fullof feathers. She got a phonecall and her dog doesn’t likeit when she is on the phoneand it was a lengthy telephoneconversation. When she gotoff the phone and came backto the room Helen was totallysurprised to find tiny whitefeathers strung all over theplace. She stated it lookedlike a winter wonderland.Helen tried to vacuum up thefeathers and it just made itworse. She didn’t knowwhether to pop her, or tolaugh, or cry. Helen explainedhow her dog just sat therelooking at her like “I don’tknow what happened here”.Helen talked about what itwas like when they firstmoved to Baxley. Moving toa small peaceful town likeBaxley from a big city was abreath of fresh air. She lovedit and still does. It was a bigcontrast between the hustleand bustle of a large city inOhio from which she camefrom. She worked in a hospitalbefore coming to Baxley.She then worked with herhusband in his medical practice.“When I first came toBaxley I would be out walkingmy dogs and peoplewould look at me. For aboutsix months I was lonely, butyou not what? After that Ibegan meeting people, talkingto them and they wouldinvite me in for some tea.”She stated that she said toherself, “These are reallygood people. I never experiencedthat kind of hospitalitybefore.”Helen’s biggest pet peeveis when people don’t pullover for ambulances and anotherone is when people belittleother people. She can’tstand that.She loves taking care ofanimals, reading and music.Her mother was a pianoteacher and was hoping shewas going to do that. “Icouldn’t do it - no talent -none,” she said.Helen is married to Dr.Mijat Samardjich. Everyonecalls him Dr. Sam and he issemi-retired. He loves hiswork and always has Helenstated. Dr. Sam has one son.They are both very thankfulfor the way they were acceptedinto the community.He is a great supporter ofHelen and her work with thefoundation and her philanthropistideals.She contributes her goodhealth by trying to eat right,having good genes from herfather’s side and states thather animals keep her healthy.Helen loves working withthe volunteers and the peoplein the community and said,“Every moment is a milestone.It’s great.”When this reporter askeddo you stay awake at nightworrying? “No, because Iknow I can make a few phonecalls. It’s wonderful! Themembers are devoted and canbe counted on and everythingis taken care of,” she replied.More details given onACCFThe Appling CountyCharity Foundation was organizedin March of 1995 by agroup of long-time commu-HOME MEDICAL EQUIPMENT& SUPPLIES FROM YOUR TRUSTED NEIGHBORHOOD PHARMACYWE CARRY A COMPLETE RANGE OF:• Lift Chairs • Wheel Chairs • Crutches, Canes • Hospital Beds• Splints, Slings, Braces • Commode Chairs • Shower Chairs• Diabetic Supplies • Diabetic FootwearEquipment InstructionFree DeliveryFree Set Up438 W. Parker St. • BaxleySee Mary Ann Smith, Medical &Respiratory Specialist for all of yourmedical equipment & supply needs.366-8777 (Medical)367-1155 (Pharmacy)Money Orders • UPS Shipping • Sure Fire ® Products42Mature Living Winter Edition

nity volunteers that believe charity should begin and remain athome.Although research and educational services of national andstate charitable organizations are much needed they can onlyprovide half of the comfort to someone stricken with cancer,severe hardship or a catastrophic illness. The underprivilegedare confronted with the dilemma of not only how to pay a bill,but which bill should be paid. Their plight is multiplied by theever-increasing cost of treatments, medications, modificationsand the worry and stress of the inability to pay. Following carefulscreening of each applicant, the volunteer allocation committeeof ACCF decides which expenses should be covered.Medical costs, utilities, rental or purchases of medical equipmentand rental expenses are considered and mutually agreedupon. Note very carefully: No money is ever given to the applicant;they pay directly to the provider. This certainly lifts theorganization above any speculation as to how your hard earneddonations are managed by the volunteers. For those of who maynot be aware the only expense ACCF has is a yearly mandatoryfee of $30.00 to the Georgia Secretary of State for registeringthe non-profit.“What we do is a must, for if we cannot assist our own needyfriends and neighbors what kind of Christians are we? Who holdsa guarantee that but for the grace of God, it could not be one ofus? When a needy applicant calls any member of ACCF andwishes to lend a helping hand, it is by far the sweetest thanksanyone could hope for,” states Helen.Fundraisers enable the foundation to function and providethe above-listed services. The generous support of our community,individuals, businesses, corporations and many of our localchurches have blessed the charity foundation beyond expectations.There is no greater honor than to serve side by side withthe full support of our local clergy.Since the existence of the foundation it has been able to help116 individuals thus far, some of them as many as three years ina row, at $500.00 per individual, per year. In short, over$58,103.69 has been paid out and the best part is that most of itis generated back into the community, as needy recipients submittedbills from local gas companies, electric companies, localpharmacies, Baxley Housing Authority, etc.Founder Helen Samardjich and the volunteers are very proudof what the foundation has accomplished so far, but most of all,it really works. So all of you who have generously and faithfullysupported the charity are directly responsible for the successand together the entire community has formed a circle of goodwill. ACCF thanks everyone for the support.Although there are no wages, benefits, vacations, trips orincentives of any kind, and free time is often hard to come byfor the volunteers, Helen borrows the phrase, “It is the hardestjob we’ll ever love.” For this truly describes how they feel. Theyremain ever so humbled by the respect and gratitude of thosethat were able to help.“It is amazing what can be accomplished when people putcontinued on page 44Mature Living Winter Edition 43

Protect theHome FromBurglary With10 Safety TipsA home is burglarized every 15 seconds, accordingto reports by the FBI and studies by the insuranceindustry. Many of these burglaries take placein broad daylight because this is when a home ismost likely to be vacant.Break-ins can shatter a sense of security at home,but fortunately they're one of the most preventablecrimes. Paying attention to the simplest securitymeasures and developing a greater alertness to surroundingscan help homeowners stay safe.Here are 10 recommended tips to safeguardagainst break-ins.1. Close and lock all doors when leaving, evenfor short periods of time. We'd all like to believe ourneighborhoods are safe -- and most of the time theyare. However, why give burglars easy access? Lockthe garage and any connecting doors as well. Burglarswant easy jobs. That's why they scan homesfor the weakest points of entry.2. Use automatic timers. Timers can be set to turnon and off lights, radios and televisions at varyingtimes of the day. Also use them when on vacation oraway for an extended period of time to give burglarsthe impression that someone is home.3. Illuminate the front and backyard areas. Darknessis one of a burglar's best friends. Doorways andthe rear of the house should be lit with cost-effective,low-voltage lighting to minimize dark spaces.4. Store ladders, tools or lawn furniture underlock and key. Many times burglars use items leftoutside as ways to gain entry into a home.5. Trim trees and shrubs. If overgrown, these areasserve as the perfect hiding places for burglarsand allow them to work undetected.6. Enlist neighbors in a neighborhood watch program.Local police departments can provide materialsand assist in getting a program started. In themeantime, it helps to build a good relationship withyour close neighbors, so that each one can watchthe other neighbor's home while away.7. Keep an inventory of your valuables and be-Continued on page 4544Mature Living Winter EditionContinued from page 43their hearts and minds together for our less fortunate friends andneighbors in their time of need. So what are you waiting for, join us!Hopefully we can make life a bit easier for our citizens of ApplingCounty,” said Helen.For more information call 367-2796 or to make a donation to ACCFmake a check out to The Appling Christian Charity Foundation, 437West Parker Street, Baxley, GA 31513. π

Still Searching for a CureToday, as many as 5 millionAmericans are livingwith Alzheimer's disease.Factoring in the number ofsufferers worldwide,Alzheimer's is affecting thelives of millions of people ona daily basis. Finding a curefor the disease is of the utmostimportance for the familiesand friends coping withAlzheimer's.Alzheimer's disease is abrain disorder named forAlois Alzheimer, the Germanphysician who first describedthe condition in the early1900s. Alzheimer's is a fatal,progressive brain disease.Symptoms may start outquite mild and then growmore intrusive as the diseaseprogresses. Today, itis the seventh leadingcause of death in the U.S.,according to theAlzheimer's Association.Dementia is one of theprimary symptoms ofAlzheimer's, and peoplewith the disease can gofrom normal function intheir lives to completelycompromised living.Memory loss, confusion,inability to handle dailytasks, and many other symptomsare symptoms of the disease.Eventually, the braincannot control the normalfunctions of the body, whichcan lead to fatality.During the last 20 years,doctors and researchers havemade strides toward findinga cure and successful treatmentsfor Alzheimer's Disease.However, more researchis needed and that requiresfunding and donations fromRonald S. Reagin, D.P.M.202 E. Jarman St., Hazlehurst(912) 375-3542656 S. Main St. A-B, Baxley(912) 367-5281concerned individuals. TheAlzheimer's Association acceptsdonations to continuetheir work toward finding acure and educating individualsabout this debilitating disease.To learn more visit,www.alz.org.Ronald S. Reagin, D.P.M.TOTAL FOOT CLINICYour Special Needs Treated WithLatest Up-To Date Procedures• Diabetic Foot Care• Diabetic Shoes• Ingrown Nails • Heel Cracking• Skin Problems • Mycotic Nails• Heel Spur Care & Surgery• Fractures • Ankle Sprains• Bunions • Corns • Warts• Nerve PainContinued from page 44longings and place jewelryand documents in a safe-depositbox. Take photographsof all valuable possessions.These can also be markedwith an engraving pen to helppolice trace and recover itemsif stolen.8. Use window and dooralarms. Alarms vary in theirdegree of sophistication,ranging from a door alarm tosilent alarms patched into thelocal police station. Burglarstypically will leave when anyalarm is sounded. In addition,alarm systems can offerhomeowners peace of mind.9. Don't allow strangersinto the home. Ask to seeidentification from servicepersonnel, and don't allowpeople indoors to make phonecalls. These individuals mightbe casing homes in the neighborhood.10. Don't leave spare keysoutdoors. Experience hastaught burglars to check underdoormats and in flowerpots for spare keys.Mature Living Winter Edition 45

feature storyBook Inspires World TravelLyndal Tatum provides opportunitiesthrough Tattnall TravelersLYNDAL TATUM HOLDS A COPY OFTHE BOOK IF I WERE GOING, WHICHINSPIRED HER TO TRAVEL TOWORLDWIDE DESTINATIONS.By David TootleWhen she was in the thirdgrade, a little girl picked upan “Alice and Jerry” readerand began to dream of farawayplaces and other waysof life. Sixty years later,Lyndal Tatum of TattnallCounty has seen many of theplaces she read about, andquite a few others besides.That book, called If I WereGoing, was a popular readingtextbook in schools nation-wide in the 1930s,40s, and 50s. It featureda railroad stationagent, Mr.Sanders, who alsosold tickets for asteamship line. Thiscompany wouldsend travel postersto the station, whereSanders and thechildren of FriendlyVillage would daydreamabout somedayvisiting the exoticlands in the pictures.When thesteamship companydecided to sendSanders on a retirementtrip, he wasable to see many ofthe places he andthe children hadwondered about.For young Lyndal Thomas,“Friendly Village”meant areas around the OakGrove Church and the Tisoncommunity in the southernpart of Tattnall County.“I was born and raisedaround Oak Grove Church,”she told us. “My dad had alittle farm down there, wherehis father and grandfather hadlived. He eventually boughta bigger place in that area,and we stayed there until Iwas in about the sixth grade.”Lyndal’s father oncemoved the family to nearbyGlennville to pursue a garagebusiness, but followed theurgings of his wife to take thefamily back out to the countrysideapproximately sixmonths later. When a friendoffered to trade his farm nearReidsville for the house andgarage in town, the menswapped situations, bringingLyndal and her family to thearea where she still lives today.The Thomases and theirneighbors were instrumentalin establishing the PineviewBaptist Church near their newfarm, and have been active inits work since its inceptionover fifty years ago.Lyndal, the second ofseven children, went to the46Mature Living Winter Edition

Tison school as a child, where she was introduced to the If IWere Going text. As a teen, she began attending GlennvilleHigh School, where she played basketball for the legendarycoach Emily DeLoach. Some of her first escapades were withthe Bulldog basketball team, which traveled throughout SoutheastGeorgia and later to Macon, where they played for threestate championships and captured one. She even moved toGlennville and lived with DeLoach and one of her aunts fortwo years when school redistricting threatened to divide thesuccessful GHS squad between that school and ReidsvilleHigh.She graduated from Glennville High School in 1957, thenreturned home and worked on the family farm.“My dad was not one to send you to college,” she recalled,“but I went to work and took a few courses when South GeorgiaCollege offered them at the (Georgia State) prison. I alwayssaid I wouldn’t die happy if I didn’t get a college degree.”The lure of family life, however, changed that perception.Lyndal had married Kennon Tatum, also raised in the Tisonarea, in the October following her graduation. After beingemployed for a while at the Glass House Restaurant inGlennville, she left the working world during her first pregnancy.The couple had three children—Kay, Ken, and Kevin.Her husband’s family lived next to Lyndal’s near Pineview,so they settled into life in that community.“When I was little, reading that book, I thought I wouldget to go farther in life than Oak Grove,” she chuckled. “Youcan see that now I’m about ten miles away.”When Kevin was about a year and a half old, Lyndal beganto work part-time for the Tattnall County Board of Educationoffice in Reidsville. A successful trial period workingwith tax records led to full-time employment for the next thirtyyears with the Board. During this time, she was a participantin the computerization of the organization’s financial systems.They even recalled her following her retirement when lawsSEE US FOR GREATDEALS ON THEKAWASAKI MULEUTILITY VEHICLE!Kawasaki2384 GOLDEN ISLES WESTBAXLEY, GEORGIA912-367-2233Mature Living Winter Edition 47

changed allowing employees to apply unused sick leave towardtheir retirement. Her intimate knowledge of the recordsmade her help indispensable, and she worked part-time forfour more years updating those files and assisting those whohad taken her place.At first, she tried to attain her dream of a college degree.“I would go to work, get off at five, and go straight to theprison to classes til about ten o’clock at night,” she recalled.“When the professor said, ‘You all have to give at least a dayor two a month to go to the library at Georgia Southern,’ Iknew that it was more important that I work and let my childrengo to college. So, I didn’t go myself, but I worked sothat my children could.”It was in trying to provide educational opportunitiesfor her children that Tatum stumbled uponthe door to the world of travel. After the turbulent1960s, many school systems had stopped offeringtravel opportunities for high school students, butLyndal wanted to be sure her daughter Kay had asenior trip in 1976.“I decided I would do it and be responsible,”she remembered. “They wanted to go to the Bahamason a cruise, so we did. Also, that year was whenKennon’s cousin in Swainsboro had children whoattended David Emanuel Academy. They were doinga spring trip to Williamsburg, Washington, D.C.,and Monticello. They asked us if would we like togo and take our children. We wanted them to seeall that, so we did that trip and had a wonderfultime.”This was when Tatum met Kevin and BobMulvihill, travel agents based in Jacksonville,Florida. She talked with the brothers about the typesof travel opportunities offered through their agency,and her long-suppressed urge to see the world wasrekindled.“When we got home, people told us, ‘We wouldlove to have done that trip; why didn’t you tell usabout it?’” Lyndal remembered. “That trip had beenlimited, but I asked them, ‘Would you really travelif you had the chance?’” and they said ‘Yes.’ It waslike the Lord laid it in my lap.”It was these experiences that led to the foundingof the Tattnall Travelers group.“We’re like a private club; we don’t advertise,”she explained. “The new people who come in, welike for them to be of the same mind, not folks whostay out all night and can’t go the next day. We getnew members in the group when someone else inthe group brings them in.”The Travelers began by taking bus trips that werelimited to nine days, two weekends and the weekin between. Tatum said one trip would barely be48Mature Living Winter Editionover before group members would start asking when andwhere the next one would take place.“It was usually one trip per year, the first week of October.We started branching out because we wanted to go farther,so we started flying. Sometimes we’d find a trip thatwould take twelve days, or more. Everybody would do that,and we just kept going.”As the membership grew, Tatum experimented with takingtwo buses, finally deciding to go one-bus-at-a-time.“The lines were too long; it wasn’t smooth traveling,” sherecalled. “I don’t like to make people wait. So I would gowith one group, then come back and go with the other. ThatContinued on page 50

Mature Living Winter Edition 49

Continued from page 48worked great.”Traveling with thesefriends from her church andcommunity, Tatum has seenthe major cities of the UnitedStates—Philadelphia, New York,Boston, Chicago, and manyothers. With the Mulvihills’help, she has developed itinerariesfor a dozen trips toplaces like Arizona andHoover Dam, the Northwestand Vancouver, Hawaii, Quebec,the Amish country,Texas, St. Thomas and PuertoRico, Alaska, and the CanadianRockies.“I talk to the leaders in thegroup, and they tell me wherethey’d like to go,” saidTatum. “Then I talk to someof the others and they giveinput. I look at the majorityand what they want to do.”LYNDAL TATUM STANDS IN FRONT OF THE ZEPPELINFIELD STADIUMSTRUCTURE IN NUREMBERG, GERMANY, WHERE ADOLF HITLER REGULARLYADDRESSED MASS RALLIES OF THE NAZI PARTY.“I think we’ve done eitherone or two trips a year, exceptfor the year of 9/11.When that happened, wewere scheduled to leavewithin the week to be in NewYork. I’ve thought manytimes how blessed we were,because we could have beenright there on top of one ofthose buildings. We met, andeverybody said, ‘Let’s not go,50Mature Living Winter Edition

out of respect for what’s happened.’We didn’t think we’denjoy it.”The group has grown innumbers in the last few years,and has begun repeating trips.Tatum refers to many of hercurrent travel companions asthe “second generation” ofTattnall Travelers. Still, oneoriginal female member, inher 80s, continues to go withthe group. Tatum also addswith pride that one new member,who with his wife attendedthe most recent excursionto the American West,represented the third generationof his family that hadtraveled with her.When Lyndal quotes aprice to the group, it includesalmost all food, lodging, andtickets.“They love that ‘cause allthey have to do is get in andgo,” she explained.While the Travelers groupenjoys doing its sightseeingin North America, Tatum hasteamed up with the Mulvihillson excursions all over theworld.“Kevin does trips, pickinga place overseas, and I gotstarted going on those myself,”Lyndal recalled. “I offeredthem to anybody whowanted to go, but our groupdoesn’t want to go out of thecountry much.”Following in the footstepsof Mr. Sanders, Tatum hastraveled to many Europeansites, including Finland andIceland. She recalled re-enactinga famous handshakebetween President RonaldReagan and Soviet PremierMikhail Gorbachev at theHofdi House near Reykjavik,Iceland, where the men hadnegotiated during the lastyears of the Cold War.“I love less-frequentedplaces a lot, and I love history,”she stated.Tatum has also visitedNew Zealand and Australia,China and Japan, Switzerland,France, Spain, Italy, andthe Greek Isles.“I was looking at a pictureof myself the other day at thegreat stadium at Ephesuswhere the Apostle PaulMEMBERS OF THE TATTNALL TRAVELERS POSE BEFORE THE GARDEN OF THEGODS GEOLOGIC SITE NEAR COLORADO SPRINGS, COLORADO, ON THEIR MOSTRECENT TRIP.preached,” she commented.“It’s still standing there.”She particularly lovedseeing Istanbul in Turkey, andenjoyed a trip to Germanyrecently where she witnesseda Passion Play which is onlyperformed once every decadein the Bavarian Alps.“All my life I had been ona farm in Georgia, hadn’t seenanything,” she stated. “Butthat didn’t mean I couldn’t doit. I had no earthly idea itwould ever come to anythinglike what I’ve been able to doand see.”When asked what traveldoes for an individual, shereplied, “It just broadens yourwhole world. You stay in oneplace so long, you don’t knowanything else except thatpeople everywhere live likeyou do. To me, it’s understandinghumanity a lot better.You see what they haveto work with, whatthey need, and howthey get it from theirland and area. Now,that may be totally differentfrom us. You’renot so narrow-mindedin what you think.”“The pleasure I getis from going and seeingall that thesepeople have created,these buildings andthings,” she continued.“We think we havepretty things here—and we do—but thenyou go to Rome orsomewhere and say‘Holy cow! Look whatthey created!’ You juststand there and look inamazement at objectslike the huge statue ofDavid. You can see hisveins and muscles; it’sso real. It’s a wonderful thingto get out of your element andgo somewhere else. I loveseeing what the rest of theworld looks like.”“I have also been verytouched when I’ve stood onthe Arizona Memorial inPearl Harbor in Hawaii or atOmaha Beach at Normandyin France, thinking of thosewho gave their lives for ourfreedom.”Interestingly enough,Lyndal’s husband Kennondoes not share her love oftraveling. He has been onMature Living Winter Edition 51

trips with her, but prefers to stay on the family farm. Herchildren enjoy sightseeing trips, but now have families of theirown to consider.Kay is married to Thomas Wicker of Macon. They havethree children, and Kay is a stay-at -home mom who keepsher college degree above the washer and dryer in the utilityroom to remind herself of her accomplishments. The oldestson, Ken, and his wife Kim have two children and reside inReidsville. Ken has been employed for over twenty years atGeorgia State Prison and is a licensed embalmer and funeraldirector. Kevin, the youngest, and his wife Kathy live in Douglaswith their four children. He works as a County ExtensionAgent.“We have nine grandchildren, ages thirteen to twenty-five,”Tatum said. “They’ve been scattered out all over Georgia,but we get to see them pretty regularly. And we still host familyevents, especially during the holidays.”Lyndal’s other interests include being the only clerk in thehistory of the Pineview church. She put together a historybook, full of pictures, to celebrate the institution’s fiftieth birthdaythree years ago.“That was a very fulfilling thing for me,” she remembered.“It’s hard to describe how I feel about that church. My daddyand those people loved it so and worked so hard to get itstarted.”The Tatums also hosted a foreign exchange student fromGermany for a year. He recently returned with his new wifeto celebrate Thanksgiving with them.Lyndal has also contributed to historical articles for localnewspapers and magazines. These have included her perspectiveson her church and the Tattnall County Courthouse.She has been many places, but still lives less than ten milesfrom her first home. She remembers curling up with that Aliceand Jerry reader in her bed at night, dreaming of places shemight someday go.Holding that volume in her hands, she said, “This littlebook, I first saw it when I was in third grade. When I camehome with it, I read it that night, and we read it in class. Icould not put it down. I would say, ‘Oh my gosh! I want to gothere one day.’ I was entranced with the places I read about. Igot in my mind back then, that when I was grown I wanted togo and see these places with my own eyes. That was alwaysin the back of my mind, that I would do that. I just didn’tknow how.” πCommon Discounts Available to SeniorsToday's seniors mightcringe at the escalating costsof necessities such as prescriptionmedication andeven higher utility bills, andunderstandably so. However,savvy seniors can save by takingadvantage of a host of discountsexclusive to the thoseover the age of 65.• Travel perks. Many seniorslove to travel, and caneven do so at heavily discountedprices. Larger hotelchains often offer seniors discountsas high as 10 percent.Unfortunately, many U.S.domestic airlines, facinghigher fuel prices and dwindlingbusiness due the globaleconomic downturn, ceasedoffering senior discounts in2009. However, certain airlines,including SouthwestAirlines, still offer discounted52Mature Living Winter Editionrates to seniors. These discountscan be as much as 10percent. It's also common forcar rental agencies to offersenior discounts.• Transportation. Manycommunities provide heavilydiscounted, if not free, ratesto seniors for public transportation.Consult with your localgovernment to determineif you qualify for senior discounts.• Food. Grocery storescommonly offer discounts toolder customers, and manytimes you don't even need tobe a senior citizen to qualify.In general, chains offer seniordiscounts, including specialdays for seniors to shop, toanyone over the age of 55.Restaurants are also known tooffer senior discounts, andoften these discounts extendbeyond "earlybird special" discountsof yesteryear.While earlybird specials stillexist, many chainrestaurants offerdiscounted pricesto seniors regardlessof time of day.In many cases,these discountsaren't listed on themenu, but it neverhurts, and typicallysaves, to ask.• Arts and culture.Seniors lookingto spend a dayor night on thetown and take insome culture cantypically do so at a discountedrate. Museums and NationalParks typically offer discountedadmission to seniors,as do movie theaters and evensome concert halls.

Helping a Parent After the Loss of a SpouseFew children, even adult children, are ever preparedenough to help their parent deal with the loss of a spouse. Inaddition to coping with their own loss of a parent, many adultsmust find a way to help a parent who just lost the love of theirlife.While it is never easy helping a parent in such a situation,there are ways to help a parent cope with such a significantloss.• Be mindful of your parent's health. Sadly, a commonside effect of losing a spouse is showing less interest in yourown health. Kids must make sure their parent continues toeat regularly. This can be done in a number of ways. Inviteyour parent over for dinner a coupleof nights a week, and go over toyour parent's home for dinner acouple of additional nights. If youhave siblings, share this responsibility.Also, you can cook for yourparent just like he or she used tocook for you.While physical health is important,be sure your parent maintainshis or her mental health as well. Depressionis common among thosewho have lost a loved one, so askthem about their feelings and ifthey're getting enough sleep. If adultchildren have their own kids, bringthe grandkids over whenever possible.Nothing puts a bigger smileon a grandparent's face than thesight of his or her grandchildren.• Allow them some space to bethemselves. While you might wantto stay as close as possible to yourparent, you also need to give themsome space to be themselves. Yourparent just lost his or her spouse, andit's perfectly natural for him or herto want some time alone. Affordthem this opportunity, but be mindfulto check in with them regularlyand not allow them to spend toomuch time alone.• Engage your parent as muchas possible. When both your parentswere still alive, you might not haveinvited them along to the movies orwhen taking your own kids to asporting event. However, engagethem in such activities now, as they might not get a chance todo such things otherwise.Another way to engage parents is to talk to them aboutcurrent events or even books you have been reading. Doingso will help them stay mentally sharp, and you will no doubtbenefit as well from their point of view.• Take a trip with your parent. Initially, your parent mightbe reluctant to travel, especially of he or she had travel plansor dreams with his or her spouse. However, over time yourparent will no doubt enjoy the prospect of traveling with thefamily, and it can be an enjoyable experience for everyoneinvolved.Amy R. Gardner, LUTCF243 East Parker St., Baxley(912) 367-3932agardner@metlife.comMature Living Winter Edition 53

Oh, ThatPrecious“Liquid Gold!”By Cindy Schultz of Cindy Luttini Pasta for LifeHomer described it as “liquid gold.” But what should we know aboutolive oil before purchasing it for consumption? There is a plethora ofinformation that is confusing to decipher and differs from country tocountry - so buyer beware.The olive tree is native to the Mediterranean basin - if fact, wild oliveswere collected by Neolithic peoples as early as the 8th millenniumBC. (The Neolithic Age was a period in the development of humantechnology, beginning about 9500 BC in the Middle East.) It is believedthe wild olive tree originated in Asia Minor, now modern day Turkey.There is archeological evidence that the first cultivation of olive treestook place in Crete as long ago as 2500 BC. There also exists archeologicalevidence of olives being turned into olive oil in submerged settlementsoff the Carmel Coast, Israel around 4500 BC.Olive oil has played an important role in biblical text. In the Book ofGenesis, remember the dove who was sent out by Noah only to returnwith an olive branch in her beak - evidence that the divine wrath of theFlood had abated.There are over 750 million olive trees cultivated worldwide, 95% ofwhich are in the Mediterranean region, with Spain being the top producerof olive oil in the world. Of European production, more than 90%comes from Croatia, Greece, Italy, Portugal and Spain. Greece devotes60% of its cultivated land to the growing of olive trees. It is the world’stop producer of black olives and has more varieties of olives than anyother country.There are two different regulatory systems that determine how oliveoil is classified. Officially governing 95% of international production isthe International Olive Oil Council (IOOC). The IOOC is located inContinued on page 5654Mature Living Winter Edition

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Continued from page 54Madrid, Spain; more than 85% of the world’s olivesare grown in IOOC member nations. The UnitedStates is not a member of the IOOC, and the U.S.Department of Agriculture (USDA) does not legallyrecognize its classification system.Olive oil is classified by how it was produced(method of extraction), by its chemistry (the percentageof free oleic acid which indicates the extent towhich fat molecules have been degraded into theirfatty acid components), and by its flavor. The IOOCterminology is precise, but it can be misleading betweenwords that describe production and words usedon retail labels. U.S. Customs regulations on “countryof origin” suggest that if a non-origin nation isshown on the label, the real origin must be shownsomewhere else on the bottle’s label - same size lettersso as not to mislead consumers. We investigatedolive oil in supermarkets, boutique markets and farmersmarkets. What we found was often deceptiveolive oil labeling. On the front of the label “importedfrom Italy,” on the back in smaller print the othernation/nations origins.The grading system used to classify oil extractedfrom the olive fruit (production) is:CINDY SHULTZ IS THE OWNER AND CHEF AT CINDY LUTINI’SPASTA FOR LIFE IN LAKE OCONEE. SHE HOLDS A B.A. FROMTHE UNIVERSITY OF NORTH CAROLINA AT CHAPEL HILL ANDAN M.A. FROM JOHN CARROLL UNIVERSITY.56Mature Living Winter Edition

*Virgin - oil produced bythe use of physical meanswith no chemical treatment.The term virgin oil referringto production is differentfrom Virgin Oil on a retaillabel (more later).*Refined - oil that hasbeen chemically treated toneutralize defects.*Pumace - remainingpaste.In countries that adhere tothe standards of the IOOC,the retail labels in stores showan oil’s grade. They are:*Extra-virgin olive oil -virgin oil only with no morethan 0.8% acidity. Extra-virginolive oil accounts for lessthan 10% of all olive oil production.*Virgin olive oil - virginoil only with less than 2%acidity.*Pure olive oil or olive oil- blended virgin and refinedoil with no more than 1.5%acidity.USDA grading system:*U.S. Grade A or Fancy -oil with not more than 1.4%acidity and “free from defects.”*U.S. Grade B or Choice- oil with not more than 2.5%acidity and “reasonably freefrom defects.”*U.S. Grade C or Standard- oil with not more than3.0% acidity and “fairly freefrom defects.”*U.S. Grade D or Substandard- oil with more than3.0% and “fails to meet therequirements of U.S. GradeC.”These grades are entirelyvoluntary and since the IOOCretail grades have no legalmeaning in this country,terms such as “extra-virgin”may be used without legalrestrictions.Other wording you mayfind on olive oil labels:*Cold pressed - an anachronisticand largely unregulatedlabel description, it simplymeans that the oil was notheated over a certain temperatureduring processing(usually 80 degrees Fahrenheit).*First cold pressed -means that the fruit wascrushed exactly one time.Cold refers to the temperaturerange of the fruit at the timeit is crushed. It is importantthat pressing temperatures beas low as possible, yet thereis no international reliabledefinition of “cold pressed”or a requirement for labeling.Interestingly, there is no “secondpress” of olive oil, so theterm “first press” only meansthat the oil was produced in apress vs. other possible methods!*Unfiltered - a cloudy oilthat contains tiny particles ofolive flesh with a shelf life ononly a few months. Thesebottles must be dated by law.*Fino olive oil - a blendof extra virgin and virgin oils.*Organic olive oil - an oilproduced without pesticides.*Light olive oil - anAmerican marketing term,the oil is processed using anextremely fine filtration system.This gives the oil ahigher smoke point and,therefore, can be used forhigh-heat frying. It containsthe same number of caloriesand beneficial monosaturatedfat as regular olive oil.We have even read about100% Extra Virgin Olive Oilor Extra Virgin Olive Oil -100% Olive Juice. This isextremely rare and very hardto find. Try looking in anymarket and chances are youMature Living Winter Edition 57

will not find an olive oil likethis. Why? Because almostall olive oils available aremixtures of some kind. It isallowable by law to print ona label “Extra Virgin OliveOil”, but not “100% ExtraVirgin Olive Oil,” becausethat would be a lie.Olive oil should be storedin a cool, dark place for up to6 months or refrigerated up toa year. Chilled olive oil willbecome cloudy, but becomeliquid again when brought toroom temperature and thetaste will not suffer.Recently we had a blindolive oil tasting at CindyLutini’s. We even located anUnfiltered, First Cold PressedExtra-Virgin Olive Oil! Wecleansed the palate withsimple crusty plain whitebread and sampled a 2008Bastianich Vespa Bianco, anda NV Flor Prosecco, both recommendedby one of ourwine distributing experts.I’m hoping one of myholiday gifts this year includesan Organic, Unfiltered(and dated), First ColdPressed, 100% Extra-VirginOlive Oil - maybe processedusing olives that have beenhand-picked and signed inGreece! That should breakthe bank. πWE ARENOW ON THEINTERNET ATWWW.MATURELI-VINGSEGA.COMTell your friendsand family!upcoming community eventsBaxley andAppling CountyMARCH4 - 6 Appling CommunityTheatre Production of"Harvey" by Mary Chase367-77315 - Miss Tree Fest Pageant,Sponsored by Chamber367-773111 - 13 Peaches to theBeaches Yard Sale,Organized by Tourism 367-7731APRIL4 Tree Fest Pet ParadeShow 6pm, 367-77315 Baxley Idol Contest (Age5-14) 6:30p-9pm, 367-77316 Tree-tography Contest367-77317 Baxley Tree Fest CakeBake Competition 2pm,367-81307 Baxley Idol Contest (Age15+) 6:30p-9pm, 367-77318 Baxley Tree Fest StreetDance featuring "TheSwingin' Medallions"9 Baxley Tree Festdowntown with Arts &Crafts, Rides, Car Show,etc.22 Good Friday24 Easter25 - 29 Appling CountySchool System SpringBreakJUNE4 Altamaha River Rat RunCanoe Excursion, EntryFee $15 or less, 367-7731For additionalinformation pleasecontact Karen Tharpe,Executive Director forthe Baxley-ApplingCounty Board of Tourismat 912-367-7731 orktharpe@bellsouth.net.Alma and BaconCountyDay of the Child -Fourth Saturday in AprilBlueberry Cooking Contest-Fourth Saturday in MayGeorgia Blueberry Festival-First Weekend in JuneFor more informationplease call the Alma,Bacon County DevelopmentAuthority/Chamberof Commerce at 912-632-5859.Hazlehurst andJeff Davis CountyJan. 29, 2011 - Towns BluffHeritage Center has a“Outdoor Ornaments forthe Birds”, which is a kidsactivity. It’s scheduled for10:30 am. Call 379-9303for more information.Feb. 12, 2011 - “Mystery atThe Big House”, a playsponsored by the JeffDavis Arts & EntertainmentCouncil. There will be twoperformances, one atNoon and the other at 6 pmat The Big House. Ticketsare $20 and are availableat the Chamber of Commerce.Feb. 22, 2011 - Hazlehurst-Jeff Davis Chamber ofCommerce 46th AnnualDinner held at the FirstBaptist Church. Ticketsavailable at the Chamberfor $20.March 5, 2011 - The OfficialGeorgia Great SteakCook-Off at the Jeff DavisCounty Fairgrounds.Competition begins at10:30. Steak dinner at 6pm, tickets are $20. Ticketsavailable at the Chamber.March 11 & 12, 2011 -Peaches to the BeachesAnnual Yard SaleApril 7, 2011 - Friends ofthe Library hosts author,Jane Walker, at the JD Libraryat 7 pm. Book signingof her third book, “In theLion’s Paw”, which is a historicallycorrect novel aboutthe Trail of Tears movement.April - Date TBA - “SpringArts” at Towns Bluff HeritageCenterMay 6, 2011 - Farm CityDay from 8:30 am - 1 pm@ Herman and CorrineSellers Farm located at190 Yawn Rd., Hazlehurst.May 30, 2011 - “Music inthe Park” - Red, White &“Blue”grass at Towns Blufflocated on the Altamaha.For more informationHazlehurst, Jeff DavisCounty Chamber ofCommerce at 912-375-please contact the4543.58Mature Living Winter Edition

upcoming community eventsHappenings inToombs andMontgomeryCountiesJanuary 27 - RibbonCutting at MeadowsRegional Medical Center’sNew Facility - 4:30 p.m. -For more information, go towww.meadowsregional.orgFebruary 3 - Toombs-Montgomery YouthLeadership Tools forSuccess - 11:30 a.m. to3:00 p.m. - Paul AndersonYouth Home, 1603McIntosh Street, VidaliaFebruary 8 - VidaliaCommunity Blood Drive -1:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. -Vidalia Community Center,107 Old Airport Road,VidaliaFebruary 17 - LeadershipToombs-MontgomeryHealth and Social Services- For more informationcontact Debbie Evans atdebbiee@toombschamber.comFebruary 22 - ChamberBoard of Directors Meeting- 8:00 a.m. to 9:00 a.m. -Toombs-MontgomeryChamber of Commerce,2805 East First Street,VidaliaFebruary 24 - Mercy ClinicGospel Sing -Southeastern TechnicalCollege, 3001 East FirstStreet, Vidalia - For moreinformation call (912) 538-0523March 8 - Toombs-Montgomery YouthLeadership Putting YourBest Foot Forward - 1:00p.m. to 4:00 p.m. -Elements Bistro and Grill,102 North West BroadStreet, LyonsMarch 8 - Toombs-Montgomery YouthLeadership GraduationCeremony - 5:00 p.m. to5:30 p.m. - Elements Bistroand Grill, 102 North WestBroad Street, LyonsMarch 10 - Robert ToombsChristian Academy AnnualAuction - For moreinformation, call (912) 526-8938March 24 and 25 -Leadership Toombs-Montgomery Retreat - Formore information contactDebbie Evans atdebbiee@toombschamber.comApril 1 and 2 - Relay forLife - 7:00 p.m. to 7:00 a.m.- Buck Cravey Field,Vidalia High School, 1001W North Street, Vidalia -For more information call(912) 293-1323April 12 - VidaliaCommunity Blood Drive -1:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. -Vidalia Community Center,107 Old Airport Road,VidaliaApril 14 - Toombs CountyHigh School Career Fair -8:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. -Toombs County HighSchool, 600 Bulldog Road,Lyons - For moreinformation call (912) 293-1489April 26 - Chamber Boardof Directors Meeting - 8:00a.m. to 9:00 a.m. - Toombs-Montgomery Chamber ofCommerce, 2805 EastFirst Street, VidaliaApril 29 through May 1 -Vidalia Onion Festival - Formore information, go towww.vidaliaonionfestival.comContact the Toombs-Montgomery Chamber ofCommerce at (912) 537-4466 for informationabout these and otherarea events.Tattnall CountyEventsMarchBattle at Manassas - 3rdweekend in MarchA Civil War reenactment inManassas locatedbetween Reidsville &Claxton on U.S. Highway280. Contact TommyWallace at 912-557-6649forquestions.www.battleatmanassas.comMarch/AprilThe Annual Easter EggHunt is held on theSaturday before EasterSunday at the ReidsvilleMiddle School and stagedat the Reidsville MiddleSchool football fieldincluding food andrefreshments. For moreinformation, please contactLenton Brown at (912) 557-eefoundationinc@hotmail.com1817.Emailator lentonbrownjr@msn.comor visitWebsiteMayThe Glennville SweetOnion Festival featuresarts, crafts, entertainment,and a wide range of foodscelebrating the harvest ofthe Vidalia Sweet Onion.This festival is held on thesecond Saturday in May atthe State Farmers Marketin Glennville. Forinformation, please contactWayne Dasher at (912)654-3332 or Pam Watersat (912) 654-2515.TO HAVEAN EVENTLISTED INOURCOMMUNITYEVENTSSECTION,PLEASECALL 912-367-2468OR 912-537-3131Mature Living Winter Edition 59

health newsHow to EffectivelyIncrease Energy LevelsThe work week can truly be exhausting. By the time Fridayarrives, the taxing nature of work can really take its toll.Oftentimes, that tollmanifests itself in anumber of ways.Whether you groweasily aggravated orsimply struggle tomaintain your energyas the week wears on,chances are you feelsomewhat deflated bythe end of the workweek.While it mightseem as though youneed to make somedrastic changes in orderto recoup youronce vibrant energy,for most people that'snot the case at all. Infact, several easy toinstill lifestylechanges can help youregain your energylevels and head intothe weekend rejuvenatedinstead of putthrough the ringer.• Turn the lightsand television offwhen you sleep.Keeping the lights onor falling asleep to thetelevision interruptsquality sleep, whether you know it or not. Lights on whilesleeping hinders melatonin secretion, essentially throwingyour body off track and forcing it to reset. This can negativelyimpact your energy levels when it comes time to getout of bed. In addition to turning the lights and television off,SOMETHING AS SIMPLE AS USING THE TREADMILLFOR 20 MINUTES PER DAY CAN HELP TODRASTICALLY INCREASE ENERGY LEVELS, PAYINGDIVIDENDS AT THE END OF THE WEEK.try and make your bedroom as dark as possible when you goto sleep. This will encourage a sounder sleep and could helpincrease energy levels as a result.• Don't eat big meals at night. The digestivesystem is most active during thedaytime, which enables the body to usefood for energy much more effectively.If you're going to be eating a large meal,it's best to do so during the daytime. Whenyou eat a big meal at night, the digestivesystem is slowing down at that point andit is much more difficult to digest foodand convert it to energy.• Stretch regularly. Even if you're notan exercise enthusiast, stretching can bebeneficial to your energy levels. That's becausestretching helps to maintain bloodflow by reducing clogging of the arteries.The more freely blood flows, the moreenergy you're likely to have.• Emphasize cardiovascular activitiesand exercise. Many people aren't fond ofgoing to the gym. However, achieving optimalfitness doesn't have to involve a gymmembership. Cardiovascular exercise,which can include walking, jogging, usingthe treadmill, etc., helps to lowerblood pressure, decrease body fat and reducecholesterol among other benefits.Each of those things can do wonders foryour energy levels. While you might initiallystruggle to muster up the energy toinclude regular cardiovascular exercise inyour daily routine, once you begin you'llfind it gets easier as you go. That's because it's working, increasingyour energy levels.In addition, spending some time away from home or workwhile you walk, jog or even use the treadmill can prove avaluable source of relieving stress.60Mature Living Winter Edition

Annual Peaches to the BeachesYard Sale set for March 11-12Georgia’s Longest YardSale, the Peaches to theBeaches Yard Sale, willtake place March 11-12along US Highway 341.The 220+-mile yard salewillink peachgrowingcounties in middleGeorgia to the beaches ofBrunswick and the GoldenIsles, with stops in 15 communitiesalong the way.The Peaches to theBeaches Yard Sale will fea-ture vendors selling everythingfrom antiques and locallycrafted items to traditionalyard sale fare. Yardsale sites will range fromlarge multi-organizationsites to individual sitesalong US Highway 341. Aspecial “Official Vendor”sign will identify each officialPeaches to theBeaches Yard Sale site.In Baxley, yard salesites will be located indowntown Baxley. Mapsof participating vendorswill be available at theBaxley-Appling CountyBoard of Tourism office(305 West ParkerStreet) beginningat 8amon Friday,March 11th.Participatingvendors willinclude avariety offabuloussidewalksales atdowntownbusinessesas well astraditionalyard salefare fromhandmadecrafts, old andnew items, antiques,and more.Official yard sale hourswill be Friday - Saturday,March 11-12, 8am - 6pm,rain or shine.The Peaches to theBeaches Yard Sale is beingorganized by the GoldenIsles Parkway Association,a membership organizationthat represents Businesses,Municipalities, Boards ofTourism, Chambers ofCommerce, Convention &Visitors Bureaus and otherorganizations in towns andcities along and near theGolden Isles Parkway, USHighway 341.Participating communitiesinclude Barnesville,Culloden, Roberta, FortValley, Perry,Hawkinsville, Eastman,Chauncey, Helena, McRae,Hazlehurst, Baxley, Odum,Jesup, Brunswick and theGolden Isles.For information aboutbecoming a vendor for the7th Annual Peaches to theBeaches Yard Sale pleasecontact Golden Isles ParkwayAssociation PresidentKaren Tharpe (ApplingCounty Tourism ExecutiveDirector) at 912-367-7731or ktharpe@bellsouth.net .Check out more informationon the Peaches to theBeaches Yard Sale, by visit i n gwww.peachestothebeaches.com.Visit www.peachestothebeaches.com for updatedinformation about Georgia’s Longest Yard Sale.Mature Living Winter Edition 61

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Good “Ole” HumorGoing Visiting: A fewears ago in December weere delivering holidayoodies to some neighborsuring a blizzard. When werrived at the home of twoisters well into their nineties,e were surprised to see themulling their car out of thearage. We asked where theyere going in such a stormnd they seriously responded,“We’re going to visit the elderly.”Hearing Loss: A man istalking to the family doctor.“Doc, I think my wife’s goingdeaf.”The doctor answers,“Well, here’s something youcan try on her to test her hearing.Stand some distanceaway from her and ask her aquestion. If she doesn’t answer,move a little closer andask again. Keep repeating thisuntil she answers. Then you’llbe able to tell just how hardof hearing she really is.”The man goes home andtries it out. He walks in thedoor and says, “Honey,what’s for dinner?” Hedoesn’t hear an answer, so hemoves closer to her. “Honey,what’s for dinner?” Still noanswer. He repeats this severaltimes, until he’s standingjust a few feet away from her.Finally, she answers, “Forthe eleventh time, I said we’rehaving MEATLOAF!”Getting Old: You knowyou're old when you haveowned an album for 2 or moredecades in 5 different formats.In 1973 - 8-track tape.In 1978 - vinylIn 1985 - cassette tape.In 1994 - CD.In 2011 - MP3.Mature Living Winter Edition 63