Angie Barmer
New Albany Gazette feature articles and photos
These are some of the many newspaper articles I have written and photos I have taken while covering the wonderful community of New Albany, Miss. and Union County.
Corolla Assembly is high-tech
The 11th generation 2014 Toyota Corolla, the world’s best-selling sedan, rolls off the assembly line at the Blue Springs’ plant every 78 seconds.
From beginning to finish, the Toyota Motor Manufacturing, Mississippi, Inc. (TMMMS) plant produces thousands of Corollas each month. In Nov., over 13,500 Corollas were produced.
Beginning a few months back was the pinnacle of change when the 11th generation Toyota Corolla was unveiled and production in Blue Springs began.
There are many different parts to the process of building the Corolla, including stamping, assembly, paint, body welding, inspection, and much more.
In the stamping shop, there are 75 team members that produce all of the exterior stamped panels for the Corolla. A single 4,000-ton press produces one panel every four seconds and stamp nearly 250,000 panels every month.
Assembly is the largest area in the plant at 942,000 square feet. There are 608 team members that install 1,739 parts on a base model Corolla.
In the assembly line, the vehicles travel on what are known as skillets, which is similar to a large pallet that moves on rails. The skillet allows height adjustments at various positions and gives team members the ability of working in ergonomically correct positions.
Team members and robots work together in certain parts of the assembly process.
In the body weld area, there are 400 team members that work in harmony with over 350 spot welding robots. The spot welding robots combine high pressure and high electrical current to create over 4,000 welding spots on each car that is produced.
In the inspection line, there are 18 processes where over 500 elements are inspected to ensure the highest quality standards.
Toyota Mississippi also has a Computerized Measuring Machine Lab, which is used to analyze each weld for quality and to measure the Corolla bodies for dimensional accuracy. Toyota Mississippi Corollas have the highest body dimension accuracy in the world.
The Under Body area is where the floors and engine compartment of the Corolla are assembled.
The Main Body Line assembles side members, under body, and other sub-assemblies into a completed main body. This line is completely automated and is able to produce one main body every 70 seconds.
Bodies from this line are lifted up to and down from an overhead inspection area with the largest material handling robot in the plant, “Godzilla.” This robot can lift almost one ton. This is also an inspection area where welding quality checks are performed on every vehicle produced. This is also the only place in the production process where the bottom of the vehicle is visible and can be inspected.
In the Shell Body Sub-assembly area, team members and robots work together to assemble doors, hoods, luggage and fenders in this area. This is also the area where replacement service parts are built.
The final stop in the vehicle assembly is the Shell Body Final Weld Line. This is the location in which the vehicle’s body is fitted with the doors, hood, fenders and luggage and the body surface is smoothed in preparation for the paint process.
In the Toyota Mississippi Body Shop, Automated Guided Vehicles are used and Toyota Mississippi is the only plant using these battery-powered transfers to move every Corolla body to the Paint Shop.
The Paint Shop has over 300 team members and 26 robots that work together to complete one vehicle every 71 seconds using the waterborne 3-wet paint process. This process implements the primer, base coat, and clear coat and are applied on a wet-on-wet basis, with only one baking process carried out at the end. One hundred and seven processes are used to paint the 2014 Toyota Corolla in one of nine colors.
Toyota Mississippi was selected to be the sole supplier for all 2014 Corolla Service Parts sold both in North America and for our soon to be released South American export model.
Toyota Mississippi sits on 1,700 acres of land and under the roof of a two million square- foot facility. There are three onsite suppliers and seven onsite vendors. Toyota Mississippi supports almost 4,000 jobs, which includes 2,000 Toyota and 500 on-site supplier team members.
Ezell, 102, shares a lifetime of memories
In 102 years, Otis A. “Skeebo” Ezell has seen a lot, learned a lot, and has a lived a lifetime of memories.
His nickname “Skeebo” was introduced from his aunt when he was a baby and a mosquito landed on his arm.
Ezell was born July 2, 1911 in Maben, Miss. to Sam and Omie Ezell and was one of 10 children, including five girls and five boys. He has outlived all of his siblings.
Sam Ezell worked for the railroad in New Albany and provided for his big family.
Otis A. Ezell said, “During the Depression, my daddy had a really good job working as a fireman on the railroad, so we were lucky that we didn’t have a lot of financial problems. He would take people home for dinner, white and black, and feed them and help them out with what they needed at home. My dad helped everybody and anybody who needed help. I was raised around white people when I was a child and as an adult, so I never understood racism. We are both living the same life, we are both human and our blood is the same, so what’s the big deal?”
He was married to New Albany resident Pauline Ezell for 67 years.
“We courted 10 years before we were married. I met her at school when I was 12 and she was 13 years old. When I first got married, I didn’t have much money. I and $14 a week and my wife made $2 a week. We wife drew up the plans for our house and we had it built and paid off in a year and a half,” said Otiz Ezell. “When my wife got sick, I had to stay by her side in case she needed me. She was the sweetest thing this side of Heaven and I miss her every day. We hardly ever fought or argued. W had so much fun together and had such a wonderful marriage.”
They had two daughters, Diane Walker of Detroit and Betty Jean Harper of Baltimore.
Soon after finishing eleventh grade at Union County Training School, he went to work at the infamous Paul Rainey Hotel in downtown New Albany.
During the day, he waited tables and at night he worked the concierge desk.
Throughout the years, Otis A. Ezell also worked with his dad on the railroad, worked at a shipyard, worked at a foundry in Wisconsin, and he worked in Illinois doing construction for 20 years.
Between 1943 and 1946, he was a bombsite mechanic in World War II in the U.S. Air Force. The American Legion presented him with the Service to America award for his years in service.
Otis A. Ezell talked about how technology has changed over the years and how New Albany has also changed over the years.
He said, “Before television was invented, everyone would sit and talk about everything. Radio was first, then television. I was so excited about the invention of the television – I had never seen anything like that before.”
He added, “I remember when the horse and buggies would ride through town. When I was in my fifties, I bought my first car for $2,000. I don’t see why there are so many designs for vehicles nowadays.”
He said that he remembers when downtown New Albany looked so much different and people socialized differently than they do today.
“I remember that you would have to wear boots to go across Bankhead Street in downtown New Albany because there was so much mud. I remember there being so many wagons, horses, and buggies up and down Bankhead. In the summertime I remember people sitting under shade trees eating watermelon and talking. In fact, the shade tree I used to sit under is still there near where Fred’s is now, which is also the area near where the jockey yard was,” said Otis Ezell. “Saturday was the big day for socializing and shopping. People would go to Van Atkins, the Houston Dry Goods store, Hamilton Hardware, and more. The city café was where people would go to eat and play the jukebox. There were black restaurants and other places to go on one side of the railroad tracks and the white restaurants and other places were on the other side of the tracks. I am so happy that nowadays whites and blacks can eat together, shop together, and be seen together and there’s no problem.”
He attends church as often as he can at Mallalieu United Methodist Church in New Albany.
He said, “I have visitors every day. There are a lot of great people and great friends I have that come to see me often. I drive everywhere I want to go. I can do anything I want to do like when I was 16 years old, just now it takes me a little longer.”
If you see Ezell sitting on his front porch on Oak Street across from the middle school stop by and say hello.
Former Marine proud of his years of service
Former United States Marine Cpl Thomas P. Clifford said that he enjoyed his time in the United States Marine Corps and was very proud to serve as a Marine.Clifford was honored recently with a plaque
from his years in service.
He entered bootcamp at 20 years of age as a Marine Corps recruit in 1960 in San Diego, Calif and served in the Marine Corps from 1960-1965.
He served in the Echo Company 2nd Battalion 5th Marines and received the Marine Corps Good Conduct Medal for his years in the service.
“I enjoyed being in the Marines, I lked the uniform, and I liked the bragging rights too,” said Clifford.
Clifford said that he was able to travel around the world to places like Hawaii and the Phillippines, but spent a majority of his time in Okinawa, Japan.
He was in the infantry, was rifl eman, then squad leader, had sea duty in Barstow, Calif. on the USS Columbus, and also served in
the military police. He said that he loved the infantry, loved sleeping in tents and liked working with the military police too.
“Three months after I was honorably discharged, soldiers were being sent to Vietnam and a lot of them didn’t come back,” said Clifford. “Serving in the Marine Corps made me care more for my country and made me for diplomatic, structured, and disciplined. For four and a half years, I felt proud to be in the Marine Corps,” said Clifford.
Being a Chicago native, Clifford loves watching the Chicago Cubs and Chicago Bears’ games and he also likes to read and build model airplanes and ships.
Clifford has family in Chicago, Florida, Oregon, and Mississippi. He currently resides at Graceland Care Center in New Albany.
Little talks about America's first horse
Love of history leads former New Albany teacher to raise America’s first horse.
Richard Little knows a lot about many things – teaching history, playing country music, coaching football, and more. But his passion comes from his love of horses, especially the Chahta Isuba, America’s first horse.
According to Little, the Chahta Isuba had not been seen in 183 years and his dream was to bring the first horses back to the Mississippi Band of Choctaw Indians.
The Chahta Isuba is also referred to as the Choctaw pony and this pony has a long history dating back to the Spanish conquistadors in the 1400s.
Little, along with others, are trying to strengthen this endangered breed and ultimately re-establish them in their home, also known as their Apootka, in Mississippi among the Mississippi Band of Choctaw Indians.
Little’s passion for horses came from the years that he spent training, breaking, and eventually breeding registered quarter horses. In addition to his passionfor horses, he also had a passion for history and a love of teaching. His love of history and teaching has always been a calling from God, according to Little. He coached junior varsity football and taught U.S. History, World History, Mississippi History and Social Studies from 1971-1991 at New Albany Middle School. In 1989, Little was awarded the STAR teacher award at the middle school.
“I spent the best years of my life in New Albany. When I taught at New Albany Middle School, I looked at each child as different and believed each child was special, just like now I believe that these horses are so special and different,” said Little.
Last year, Little and his friend Matt Poole went on a journey of a lifetime. Little and Poole traveled to Oklahoma City to nominate Little’s late best friend Eddie Owen into the National Cowboy and Western Heritage Museum.
Eddie Owen owned Cane Creek Bottom Trail Rides, located near where Little currently lives in Ripley. In this place, Owen trained children to become cowboys and cowgirls. Owen and Little were childhood best friends and on various occasions, the two saved each other’s lives. Owen passed away last Feb.
“Like Eddie, we were both cowboys and were both concerned with helping children,” said Little.
While in Oklahoma City, Poole and Little spoke to Don Reeves, one of the museum’s curators, and he told them about the ranch in Antlers, Okla. where the Chahta Isuba horses were located in the Kiamichi Mountains.
The next day Little and Poole began their journey to retrieve these horses with the purpose of bringing them back to their original homeland in Mississippi.
“These Choctaw ponies were hidden in the Kiamichi Mountains from 1910 to 1950. They were being bred secretly in the mountains to keep them away from the government. This horse’s lineage started in Mississippi and my goal was to go to Oklahoma and bring these horses back home to Mississippi,” said Little.
After days of travel and praying with the Choctaw Indians, Poole and Little delivered three yearlings, a mare, and a philly colt to the Berg family. Little wasn’t able to give the other horses to the tribal leaders of the Mississippi Band of Choctaw Indians. He said that the tribal people were in favor of the horses, but the tribal leaders were more worried about money and did not accept them. This was a week-long trip in June 2011.
On Sept. 11, 2011, Little went on another journey to collect more horses and delivered another stallion to the Berg family. On this trip, Little kept two horses, Rooster Gem, a male, and Panola Anna , a female, and took them to Ripley.
“Rooster Gem would have been a war pony and Panola Anna would have been a parade horse. Rooster has a medicine hat and a medicine chest on his markings,” said Little.
These ponies are now approximately a year old.
Little got to know the Mississippi Band of Choctaw Indians pretty well when he lived with them for approximately five years on a reservation in Choctaw, Miss. near the Pearl River Resort. Little married a sixth Choctaw princess.
“From 2008-2012, I lived with the Mississippi Band of Choctaw Indians. What I truly loved about the Choctaws is that they were taught to respect the tribal elders. I sung at funerals there. When someone dies, they have a wake and keep a fire burning until the family member is buried in the ground. They depend on one another. There are 10,300 Choctaws in Mississippi,” said Little.
“People bond with these horses - these are the pure ones. These were the sacred horses to the people of the Choctaw nation. I tried to meet with Phyllis J. Anderson, tribal chief of the Mississippi Band of Choctaw Indians, five times and give these horses to her and she never got back in touch with me,” said Little.
Even though Little has an affinity towards the Choctaw Indians, his heritage is Cherokee and he has a love and affinity for the Cherokee Indians as well. Little is one-third Cherokee and two-thirds white. His name is “Stone Bear.” He is 37 percent Cherokee. His dad, George Little was half-Cherokee, but George’s mother and grandmother were full-blooded Cherokee.
Besides Poole and Little, there are others that wish to keep the history of the Chahta Isuba alive, like Bryant Rickman, historian and president of the Southwest Colonial Spanish Mustang Association, and Francine Locke Bray, historian and researcher, and DNA scientist Dr. Phillip Sponenberg.
“Today near Blackjack Mountain in Oklahoma lives a small remnant of 500 horses that are direct descendants of the Colonial Spanish horses, and of these, only a verified 186 that are pure Choctaw ponies. These ponies are compact, sturdy, sure-footed and gentle, with half-inch thick hooves that do not require being shod,” said Little. “They run over rocky terrain that would cause an inferior horse to stumble. The Choctaw ponies are smaller than many modern breeds and has a crescent nose and a smaller body that rises up to a V-shape, streamlining the horse and creating a powerful torso that was capable of great endurance. They could be solid colors or they could be painted horses. The painted horses were most sought after as war horses and the native people kept them on their homestead, while the rest of the horses were released into the wild to breed.”
These horses stand 13-15 high and weigh between 700 and 1000 pounds.
“They have a natural intelligence, are quick to learn, and they are extremely gentle creatures who love to be petted. They crave human contact and within five hours of being taken from the range, they are able to learn all of the essentials that a broken horse must know. They are quick to adapt to their surroundings, and being versatile, can endure almost any hardship,” said Little.
Around the year 1600, the Choctaw brought these horses to Miss. and began breeding them. The Chahta Isuba was used for hunting, warfare, and transportation and became an important part of Choctaw society.
“When a Choctaw baby was born, they were given a horse, a hog, and a cow and at 5 years old, they could ride the horse without restraints. From 1600-1810, the surviving Choctaw warriors felt a spiritual connection to the horses that has seen them through battle, so it became a practice that when a warrior dies, he was buried with his horse,” said Little. “The horses brought posterity to the Choctaws, making them among the wealthiest of the civilized tribe. The capabilities of the breed allowed for more expansive trade routes, allowing the Choctaw to enlarge their normal boundaries for trade, which increased the tribe’s trade routes as far as present day Texas and New Mexico.”
After President Andrew Jackson passed the Indian Removal Act in 1830 and in 1831, the Choctaw tribe was forced from their land in Mississippi. They were displaced to Oklahoma and many found a home in the Kiamichi Mountains. The Choctaw took with them their herd of 15,000 Chahta Isuba.
“These strong horses were able to carry the people West to Oklahoma, preserving the life and soul of the community. Along the way, 2,500 people died in what has now become known as the Trail of Tears.
Throughout the years, the Choctaw ponies have been at the roots of a rich heritage and have been a source of pride, dignity, and spiritualism,” said Little.
According to Little, from 1910-1950. the Choctaw of Oklahoma were forced to breed their sacred horses in secluded areas to keep them from becoming a tale of the past. The tribe kept oral and written pedigrees to ensure the pony’s pure lineage. Most Chahta Isuba horses can have their bloodlines traced back six or seven generations and many can trace their lineage back to the Trail of Tears.
In 1950, Gilbert Jones, founder of the Southwest Spanish Mustang Association, fell in love with this breed and fought to preserve this breed. He believed that one day their dignity, pride, and spirit would again be treasured. In the 1970s, there were only 1500 Choctaw ponies left in North America.
In 1980, Bryant Rickman teamed up with Jones to try to preserve the breed. On Jones’s death bed in 2000, Rickman promised Jones that he would keep the horses free and roaming in the Kiamichi Mountains. Rickman became the chairman of the association after Jones passed away. In 2007, the mountains fell prey to the timber industry. Within a few days, Rickman moved hundreds of horses and built an eight-mile fence to provide the horses a place they could live, but still could see the Kiamichi Mountains.
“I want to give back to the Choctaw what was taken away from them years ago. These horses were thought to be extinct. It is my hope and dream to start a 501 c 3 non-profit organization and take these horses to the children at schools, to events and museums and let them get to know these horses. I want to help save the remaining horses in Oklahoma and educate children,” said Little. “Although there are only 500 left today, there is great hope that an awareness of the value and unique history of the Chahta Isuba will bring them back into importance for the Choctaw people and that the breed will once again flourish in their Apootka, their home,” said Little.
Learning the art of composting
Compiling remnants of last night’s salad, this morning’s scrambled eggs, and leftovers from cutting the yard is pretty commonplace to those used to the nature of composting.
Compost is organic matter that has been decomposed and recycled as a fertilizer and soil amendment and is a key ingredient in organic farming.
Fruits, vegetables, leaves, coffee grinds and filters, loose-leaf tea, flowers, sawdust, human or pet hair, dirt, newspaper, eggshells, tree trimmings, grass clippings, fingernail clippings, and paper bags are all appropriate items to put in a compost bin.
Things to not put in a compost bin are bread, seafood, meat, cheese, oil, bones, weeds, compostable utensils or containers, take-out containers, tissue, paper towels, and cardboard.
The Tate family, comprising Zach, Lauren’Paige, Grayson, and Ellie Tate, are all practicing composters and recyclers who live in the Historic Northside Neighborhood District in New Albany.
Lauren’Paige Tate said, “A great way to get kids involved with composting and also a good reminder for yourself is to take a container of your choice (with a lid) and keep it on your kitchen counter. Label items that are safe and items that are not safe for compost. Have your child add to the container and when it is full, have them add it to your compost outside. Giving children activities to do like composting gets them outside and gets them learning about gardening and recycling.”
The Tate family has been composting for a little over a year. Zach and Lauren’Paige Tate said that they originally started researching the idea of composting when their kitchen trash was stinking up their house. They were looking for another way to rid their house of the stench, while doing something responsible with specific items from the trash. They researched information online and talked to friends about composting, then started a compost bin outside where their son, Grayson Tate, 6, throws the compost materials in each night before he goes to bed.
Getting the compost materials to the bin is his chore – a chore he is proud of each day. He gathers up food scraps from the kitchen, which may include lettuce, tea leaves, coffee grounds, tomatoes, sweet potatoes, eggshells, and more.
The Tate family’s four pet hens eat from the compost bin each day when they are roaming around the property, so the Tates make sure there is nothing in the compost bin that might harm their chickens, which would be an avocado. Avocados have the potential to be harmful to chickens.
Grayson Tate said, “I collect tomatoes, lettuce, apple peels, grapes, eggshells, pumpkins, little pieces of oranges, fingernails, and every fruit and vegetable we have eaten and I put it in the bucket to take it to the compost bin every night. I like composting because it makes our plants healthy and it’s good for feeding animals like chickens, raccoons, and other animals.”
Zach Tate said, “Eighty percent of our compost is not food; the materials may also be hay, grass clippings, dirt, hair and fingernail clippings, and more. The compost eventually turns into rich soil that I mix with other dirt to plant my garden with. I can tell a big difference between this year’s garden with the composted material and last year’s garden without it.”
Lauren’Paige Tate said, “It’s important to keep the compost moist. Healthy compost has worms in it. The materials in the compost are turned every week or two weeks and if there’s not enough moisture, she adds water or compost tea to the compost.”
Compost tea is something that can be made at home and is used to water plants in the garden. The Tate family makes compost tea by collecting two weeks worth of chicken manure and water from the rain barrel to water their garden. Another common way of making compost tea is by putting used coffee grounds and crushed up eggshells in a container with water and let the mixture steep for a few days or up to two weeks at the max, then stir the mixture up and water the plants and flowers in the garden. Another way to fertilize the garden naturally is to bury banana peels at the base of rose plants, which helps them grow stronger.
In the near future, the public can stop by AC’s Coffee of New Albany and pick up a handful of used coffee grounds for homemade compost tea or for the home compost bin.
Lauren’Paige Tate said, “You don’t have to have a big area or a lot of land to compost. If you compost consistently, it becomes second nature. This is the first step to changing our community – we have to teach our kids these practices now so they become routine by the time they are our age. In New Albany, if we have a whole group of kids that learn about recycling, composting, and other environmental practices now, we will have a community of awesome people in the future that are taking care of the environment and the world around them. If we want to live in a good world, we need to better ourselves and better our knowledge to be able to take better care of our surroundings.”
She said that a compost bin could be an old drawer from a cabinet or a dresser, a wooden box, a constructed box, or a plastic storage container.
The Tate family chooses to practice sustainable living practices and one of the ways they do that is by eating food from the garden and eating fresh chicken eggs from the chicken coop each day. They have four hens, but no roosters.
Lauren’Paige Tate said, “I don’t think roosters should be allowed in the city limits because they can attack people, they have spurs, they are loud, they fight and are aggressive. We have four pet hens and they provide us with food every day. They are free-range hens and we let them roam freely on our property each day. I know what the chickens are being fed and I know that my children are being fed fresh eggs from them daily. I love that we have chickens because my children get to learn more about animals by raising them, feeding them, and more.”
The chicken coop and garden are all made from recycled or repurposed materials.
Zach Tate said, “I would like to see our family be more self-sustaining. I like knowing where our food comes from. I like that I can go outside and get the food I want from the garden or the chicken coop. I want for Grayson and Ellie to know how to grow food themselves and be self-sustaining.”
Lauren’Paige Tate is also the marketing coordinator for Recycle New Albany. She said that one of the many future goals for New Albany through the Recycle New Albany committee is to be a Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) community.
She said, “We would like to eventually have a CSA for New Albany and/or to have a Co-Op or inside farmers’ market that would be open year-round for local farmers to see their produce and goods. That way the community could live off one another the whole year and not just during the seasonal farmers’ market.”
For more information about composting or recycling, go to the Recycle New Albany Facebook page.
Verrell receives long-awaited medals for service
New Albany native Tommy Verrell was never presented with his well-deserved Bronze Star and Air Medal during his time in the Vietnam War. That changed Tuesday night when Mississippi Senator Roger Wicker came to the American Legion Post 72 to present these awards to him.
Verrell was born in Union County to the late James K. and Marie Verrell and grew up in Union and Lee counties. At the age of 18, he was drafted into the U.S. Army. He went into basic training in Fort Campbell, Ky. And had advanced training in Fort Polk, La. His military occupation specialty was 11B10-Infantry.
He first flew to Cam Ranh Bay, South Vietnam and was assigned to a rifle platoon with Company B, 5th Batallion, 46th Infantry, Americal Division based at Chu Lai. During this time, he participated in numerous night ambushes while carrying either an M-60 machine gun or M-16 rifle, securing the perimeter of fire bases, as well as usual patrols in the jungle.
“You are recognized tonight and very deservingly so. There is a lot of revisionism about the Vietnam War. We had a lot of threats to freedom, to Western Civilization, to our way of life in the United States of America. My daddy and his group took care of one group and that was Naziism and fascism in Italy and the empire in Japan. No sooner had that been accomplished than world communism, sponsored by the Soviet Union,” said Wicker. “They had a push to take over the entire world. They were moving in on Asia and we asked a bunch of young people like Tommy Verrell to step forward and do their duty and they did that in the jungle of Vietnam. And we don’t remember this – that was the high water mark of world communism.”
Wicker added, “After Vietnam was over and I wasn’t particularly delighted with the way it ended, but that was as far as world communism got. They didn’t want any more of the United States of America. That began the decline of world communism and then the wall fell and the Soviet Union broke up. I am grateful to the veterans of the Vietnam era for that accomplishment. We owe a lot to them.”
Mike Bennett, historian and adjutant with the American Legion Post 72, said, “One vivid memory among many for Tommy was this particular day when he was playing cards with his buddies one hour and within the next few hours, they were on patrol. In a firefight with the enemy, one of his card-playing buddies was severely wounded and another one was killed in action. While serving in the Americal Division. Tommy was transported with his company from a base location to designated places in country for search and destroy missions. The mode of transportation was the Huey UH-1 helicopter. As a result of the many missions performed in this manner, Tommy received the Air Medal.”
Wicker said, “He was young and ha to grow up fast. He proved himself more than capable to do his tasks. He served as a dedicated, disciplined and readied hero participating in more than 25 aerial missions over hostile territory risking his life for the United States time and again.”
During all of these flights, he displayed the highest order of air discipline and acted in accordance with the best traditions of the service.
His company came under attack during one of these missions and Verrell and performed an act of heroism, which resulted in him receiving the Bronze Star with “V” device. This medal was bestowed upon Verrell for heroism in connection with ground operations against a hostile force in Vietnam.
One of the acts of honor was when Verrell rushed to the aid of one of his fellow soldiers who was severely injured. Even though enemy fire was coming at him and all around him, he continued to deliver first aid to his friend, then carried the soldier through the heavy barrage of enemy fire. He ended up saving this soldier’s life.
We continue a proud tradition of American stepping forward and doing their duty. Wicker said, “That tradition continues today, Tommy and I am glad that you laid the foundation for that. We have an Armed Services now in the history of the world that is second to none and they are stepping forward to this new threat and we have only to listen to the views in the last couple weeks to know the threat is real and maybe more serious today than it was September 2001. This is a dangerous world and people are stepping forward as brave young Americans like Tommy Verrell did and we appreciate them and what the American Legion does to support them.”
Verrell said, “The heroes in Vietnam War are on that big black wall over Washington.”
King wins State Teacher of the Year award
For the first time ever, a teacher from New Albany High School was selected as the State Teacher of the Year.
Mary Margarett King was shocked, honored, overwhelmed, and excited when she heard the news Wednesday in Jackson. She had been chosen the NAHS Teacher of the Year, then the Congressional District Teacher of the Year, which three other finalists in the category.
She went to an interview on April 14, then was invited back on Wednesday for a luncheon, in which she was told that she was the winner.
“I was overwhelmed and very excited. I am so excited for our school district because we have so many great teachers and great students here. I just think it’s such a great recognition for our school district and for New Albany,” said King. “It’s so encouraging for teachers to have recognition and validation for all all the work that they do.”
She received an iPad Mini and will receive a $5,000 stipend as well.
With this honor, she will have many speaking engagements where she will be asked to speak on behalf of all of the teachers in the state. Next May she will also have the opportunity to go to the White House and attend the Rose Garden Ceremony and meet the president and first lady.
New Albany High School Principal Lance Evans said, “I am so proud of her; this honor is so wonderful and she is so deserving of this honor. She is a self-sacrificing individual that is doing what she is meant to be doing on this Earth. We are so very proud of her at NAHS. She is the best teacher in the state of Mississippi. She will be a beacon of light for all of the teachers in the state. One of the many things that set her apart is the ability to communicate with people and carry herself in a professional manner. She will be a great ambassador for the state and will represent us well.”
New Albany School Superintendent Jackie Ford said, “It is outstanding that she won this award. No one from this district has ever received this award. She is such an outstanding teacher – there are not enough adjectives to describe her. There is no teacher in the state that is more deserving of this honor than her. She will have many speaking engagements throughout the year and will be a great ambassador for the state and our school district.”
She will be a spokesperson for the district and the state, promoting teacher’s platform, representing Mississippi Department of Education at workshops and conferences, speaking on different topics.
King teaches Accelerated English III, Advanced Placement English III, and dual enrollment English Composition 1 and 2.
She is now in the running to compete for the National Teacher of the Year award.
Local resident beats the odds with new literacy skills
Basic literacy skills have always been key to gaining knowledge in all aspects of life. However, some people still today to not have these basic skills and have not had the ability to get the education needed to be able to read and write in today’s world.
The Union County Literacy Council provides tutors to teach clients/students the necessary skills needed to learn how to read and write and be successfully literate. The client needs to be at least 17 years of age and needs to have been out of school for at least one year.
According to numbers gathered in the 2010 United States Census, out of a population of approximately 25,500 people, only 74 percent of people 25 and older have received a high school diploma, while only 18 percent have had some high school experience and 11 percent have college degrees.
Previously one of the statistics, local resident Willie Frank Harris is now working with Literacy Council tutor Jorja Weeden to lower that number by one.
Harris, 71, has been meeting with Weeden for a year and a half. He said that over a year ago, he decided he wanted to learn how to write his name and read the Bible.
Weeden teaches Harris by using the alphabet and by using the Frank Laubach’s “Way to Reading” skill books as teaching tools. These skill books focus on many aspects of language, reading, and writing skills like teaching short and long vowel sounds, consonant blends, vocabulary, learning the alphabet, reading comprehension, and more.
“When I was raised in Mason, Tenn., there were 14 of us children and I was the youngest. I had to stop going to school to start working in the field to help out my father. We had to work in the field to survive – that’s where our food came from. I learned about hard work on the farm,” said Harris. “We grew cotton, corn, peas, potatoes, soybeans, squash, peanuts, butter beans, sweet potatoes, watermelons, and more. We had a one-acre vegetable garden and six acres of cotton. When the corn came in, I helped pull the corn. After I finished all of that, I had to chop the firewood.”
Harris was born in Benton County and his father was Leroy Harris and his mother was Emma J. Harris of Hickory Flat.
Harris ended up moving to Hickory Flat and learned how to break horses, train horses, and ride them for about six years. After that he hauled pulpwood for two years and hauled hay for about a year. He then worked for F.A. Bowen for three years and then started working with race horses for George Green in the Cornersville community.
Harris traveled with the horses to shows and would ride the horses at some shows as a jockey or in a buggy behind the horse. He would travel to Louisville, Ky., Aurora, Ill., St, Louis, Mo., Philadelphia, Miss., Dayton, Ohio, and Toledo, Ohio. He did that for over 20 years, never knowing how to read or write.
However, he did know how to read maps and his boss would draw him a map to where the horses are racing and he would always find the location.
Harris said, “I couldn’t read a sign, but I could read a map to get there.”
“Breaking, training, and riding horses came natural by God. No one taught me and I learned it all by myself,” said Harris.
He then came back to Mississippi and started working for the Laher Spring Factory and Wilton Casting company in Pontotoc. He then worked at F. A Bowen, Timber Craft, and eventually Cay’s Furniture.
He has now retired from working with horses and from factory work. He now takes it easy, watches television and spends time with his wife, Juliette Traylor-Harris.
Albert Smith, pastor at First Non-Denominational Church in New Albany, had suggested that Harris go and talk to the Union County Literacy Council to get help with learning how to read and write because he had gotten help through the council himself.
“The first thing I wanted to learn was how to write my name. The second thing I wanted to learn was how to read the Bible,” said Harris.
Harris and his tutor, Jorja Weeden, have now read up to the Book of John in the Bible.
Weeden was at the library tutoring a third grader in reading comprehension and then ran into Meacham and Meacham asked her if she would consider being a tutor and she agreed and became Harris’s tutor soon thereafter.
Weeden said, “My reward is that Mr. Willie is making progress. His desire to want to read is my reward. His commitment to want to read is important.”
Harris said, “I have always wanted to learn how to read or write, but no one ever took the time to teach me. I had to help my parents get the crop out because without my help and my niece’s help, the crop wouldn’t have gotten done. We had everything we wanted to eat. The only thing we had to buy was flour and sugar.”
He said he learned how to spell by watching Wheel of Fortune and learned how to count by watching The Gong Show on TV. Now he is at a second grade reading level.
Smith, Harris’s pastor, is on the Union County Literacy Council Board, but was a client at the literacy council for 20 years.
“Every day I get to study and every day I get to read. I started going to the literacy council to learn how to read the Bible,” said Smith.
Now he is at a sixth grade reading level.
Smith started working in the upholstery business at age 17. He said that he didn’t need to read to work in the upholstery business and ended up working in that business for 35 years.
In the spiritual side of his life, a pastor had talked to Smith about becoming a deacon in his church and didn’t care that Smith couldn’t read or write. Smith was a deacon for four years, then he got a call from God to minister to people at their homes.
“Then I had the call from God to open my own church,” said Smith.
Years later he opened the church that is now First Non-Denominational Church located on Bratton Road across from the Mississippi Highway Patrol station. He has been a pastor there for 19 years.
Currently he goes to various churches and gives his testimony.
“I had people tell me I couldn’t lead people or be a pastor because I couldn’t read, but all of that just made me want to work harder. So I got my own church charter and now I can ordain ministers. Because of my tutors with the literacy council, I can read and write now and I am still becoming more knowledgeable. My favorite tutor was Margaret Gaines – she understood me more than any other tutors did,” said Smith. “Learning how to read and write has helped me a lot. Now I can read signs and do so much. I can fill out an application, I can write checks, and I can balance my checkbook, and more.”
Similar to Harris’s story, Smith had to stop going to school at a young age because he had to help his family work in the fields.
“Without the literacy council, there would be no way I could be where I am now. I was a deacon and now I am a pastor and a bishop. Without literacy, I couldn’t have accomplished what I have,” said Smith.
Marjorie Livingston has been tutoring with the literacy council since 1991. When she started tutoring, they met at the Union County Fairgrounds. Then the council met at a building on Main Street, then at B.F. Ford School, and now at the current location at the New Albany Community Center.
“After I retired, I wanted to do some volunteer work. I was a teacher for 20 years and taught mostly high school English. I taught from seventh grade up to college,” said Livingston.
She said that word-picture association is used a lot in teaching the basics of reading and writing. Also, repetition is used a lot, teaching of short vowel sounds, long vowel sounds, and eventually reading comprehension is used.
“I get the same satisfaction out of tutoring students in literacy that any teacher has. It’s the satisfaction of knowing that you have helped someone learn something new. When a student learns something, I can see them read better and I can see them have more self-confidence. When I was a little girl, I knew I wanted to be a teacher,” said Livingston.
Some students are visual learners and some learn through phonics. Students at the literacy council can learn either way.
“I already had a big appreciation for the English language. I think for people that haven’t dealt with the English language as much as I have would appreciate how varied the English language is. There are so many ways someone can use the English language. The English language is good for the writer, but can be hard to learn for the student,” said Livingston.
The literacy council is always looking for more volunteers. It is free to the tutors and the students.
The Union County Literacy Council is located at the New Albany Community Center and the phone number is 662-534-1930.