Page 6A December 26, 2018
P orter
Continued from PAGE 5A
the Florida panhandle. After retire-
ment, he and Mimi enjoyed traveling
from Hawaii to Nova Scotia and all
points in between. His favorite vaca-
tion was to Disney World. He wore
a Mickey Mouse watch to remind
himself to en)oy every day.
Jimmy tel
Blount-area farmer Jimmy
Pettigrew died on Sept. 19, 2018
at the age of 79. He was retired
from the National Resource
Conservation Service and also raised
cattle. Pettigrew was a veteran of the
United States Army. His wife Judy
is a member of the Monroe County
school board.
Wfllene Casfleberry of Forsyth
died on Sept. 30,
2018 at the age of
92. She was the
co-valedictorian of
the Conservatory at
Wesleyan Collage
in Macon class of
1947, and then moved to Forsyth to
teach music where she met and mar-
ried local pharmacist Jeptha Edgar
Castleberry Jr. W'tllene loved the arts,
both music and painting. She stud-
led at the Chatov Studio in Atlanta
and exhibited frequently. Willene
and Edgar were avid travelers to as
many foreign countries as possible,
and she usually took her easd and
paint supplies as she painted her way
around the world. Wfllene was a
devoted mother and wife. She taught
Sunday school at Forsyth United
Methodist Church and was a found-
ing member of the Forsyth Book
Club.
Carl TravUlian
Carl Travillian Jr. died on Oct. 9,
2018 at the age of 61. He earned
a criminal justice degree from
Brenau University and worked as a
University of Georgia police officer
unlil becoming a parole officer. He
later became a Firearms Instructor
for the Georgia Department of
Pardons and Paroles in Forsyth
where he retired. He was president
of the Forsyth-Monroe County
Kiwanis Club. Other than lov-
ing his grandchildren, Carl was
an avid collector of hats, matches,
and rocks from across the world.
He loved watching the Dawgs play
on Saturdays and was talented at
woodworking. He was also an advo-
cate for man's best friend and could
always be found loving on his dogs.
,Dungy
Wendell Big W" Dungy died on
Oct. 15 at the age
of 69. He and his
beloved wife, Betty,
moved to Forsyth
in 1980. He was
a retired sewing
machine mechanic.
He was mostly
known for security
work he did at the
Left Banque Cafe and CT's Lounge
in Forsyth. He never met a stranger
and loved everyone he met and
everyone loved him.
Two-year-old Maverick Sundeen
of Forsyth died on
Oct. 23, 2018 from
complications from
a tonsillectomy.
He loved trac-
tors and spending
time outside, and
enjoyed working
in the yard with
his dad. He attended Eagles Landing
Baptist Church. He was the son of
Natalie and Chris Sundeen and the
grandson of Judge Bill Fears and
wife Joyce.
Logan Jackson
Private First Class Logan Jackson
died in a traffic accident near Fort
Bragg, N.C. on Nov. 14, 2018 at
the age of 19. He was buried in
the Fairview Methodist Church
Cemetery in Forsyth where he was
laid to rest beside his "Big Daddy"
Marvin R. Jackson. Coining from a
family with a long history of military
service, he joined the Army on Sept.
5, 2017 as a Combat Medic and
graduated Basic Training in 2017.
ALWAYS ONLNE AT
YEAR IN REVIEW
Continued from Front
A Boxankle Road man turned
the tables on a would-be armed rob-
ber, pushing him out the door to
the ground, wrestling his gun away
and holding him at gunpoint until
cops arrived. Daiquavious Taylor of
Thomaston was charged with aggra-
vated assault and other crimes after
Monroe County deputies saw the
home's resident, Robert Jones, hold-
ing Taylor on the grouncL
Jan. 31
Korean War veteran and long-time
volunteer Glover Smart was named
Monroe County's Citizen of the
Year at the annual Forsyth-Mouroe
County Chamber of Commerce
banquet.
Monroe County's zoning board
unanimously rejected a re-zoning
request by a Pioneer Trail resi-
dent that would have allowed for
a drug rehab center to be built on
his High Falls Property. The P & Z
board denied the request by Wayne
"Snooky" Heineman after about 50
High Falls residents opposed it.
Feb. 7
A Savannah man was arrested
after Monroe County deputies found
a suitcase full of marijuana and
$67,000 cash in his vehicle during a
traffic stop on 1-75 South. The driver,
Arks Flores, 27, was charged with
possession of marijuana with intent
to distribute and was rdeased on a
$15,000 bond.
About 30 local leaders, includ-
ing Forsyth mayor Eric Wilson and
Monroe County commission chair-
man Greg Tapley, visited the state
capitol for what's thought to be the
first-ever Monroe County Day under
the Gold Dome. State lawmakers
commended the group, noting that
county leadership is more unified
than it's been in a whil~ and said the
county is on the cusp of big-time
economic growth.
Feb. 14
The Mary Persons Bulldogs boys
basketball team finished as the
Region 2-AAA runner-up for the
third straight year, falling 78- 56 at
home in the region championship
game to eventual state champion
Upson-Lee. Despite the setback, the
Bulldogs set a new program record
for sing/e-season victories with 23
and senior star Cam Holden became
the first player in program history to
eclipse 2,000 career points.
Monroe County Hospital selected
administrator Lorraine Smith for the
position of Chief Executive Officer
(CEO), replacing outgoing CEO
Darren Pearce. Smith, a Brooklyn,
N.Y. native, has worked for Macon-
based Navicent Health for 10 years
and had served as MCH administra-
tor since July 2017.
Feb. 21
The Reporter learned that a new
substitute teacher in Monroe County
schools has a 2005 conviction for
aggravated child molestation for
making sexual advances toward a
13-year-old boy while substituting in
Bibb County Monroe County school
officials told Javis Stewart he was
no longer allowed on the substitute
teacher list.
James Freeman Sr owner, direc-
tor and operator of Freeman Funeral
Home, died at the age of 84 after a
brief illness. Freeman, a pillar of the
Monroe County community, was a
Korean War veteran, retired from
Robins Air Force Base after 37 years
and had operated the funeral home
for over 65 years.
Feb. 28
Monroe County businessman
Todd Tolbert announced plans to
run for the state legislature after Rep.
Allen Peake decided not to seek
re-dection. Tolbert, who was later
defeated in a Republican primary;
had only once previously run for
office, unsuccessfully challenging
incumbent Robert Williams for a
Monroe County commission seat
more than three decades earlier.
March 7
A Barnesville couple was charged
with animal cruelty after Monroe
County deputies found 17 dogs,
a dead cat and five cockatoos
crammed into the minivan in which
they lived during an 1-75 traffic stop.
Billy and Loft Boyt told deputies they
had fallen on hard times and were
addicted to methadone.
Three challengers, Greg Head,
Tanya W~flliams and Matt Morris,
qualified to run for the Monroe
County Board of Education against
longtime board members Phil
Walker and Nolen Howard, respec-
tivdy. Two other incumbent school
board members, Eva Bilderback
and J.P. Evans, and two incumbent
Monroe County commissioners
John Ambrose and George Emami,
qualified without opposition.
March 14
Thousands of visitors descended
upon downtown Forsyth for the
31st annual Forsythia Festival. While
Sunday was washed out due to rain,
Saturday was one of the highest sin-
g/e-day turnouts in festival history.
The 2018 Leadership Monroe
dass announced its plan to erect
small fox statues around Forsyth to
honor Forsyth's longtime nickname
of the Fox City The project, called
the Forsyth Foxhunt, was designed
to increase foot traffic in downtown
while giving local merchants a unify-
ing theme.
March 21
Forsyth dty councilman Dexter
King died from injuries suffered
in an automobile accident as he
returned home from completing a
night shift in the Atlanta area. King,
who was hospitalized for several days
at Atlanta Medical Center prior to his
death, was a Forsyth native, U.S. Air
Force vet and Georgia Deparlment
of Corrections supervisor, who had
served the city since January 2016.
Mary Persons alum Keke
Calloway scored 15 points in the
first-ever NCAA Women's Basketball
Toumament appearance ever for
Mercer University During the
Lady Bears' 68-63 first-round loss
to Georgia, the junior Calloway
set a new sing/e-season Southern
Conference record for three-pointers
with 99 while establishing a new
Mercer career record for threes with
219.
March 28
A Forsyth man shot by Monroe
County Lt. Lawson Bittick during a
domestic dispute at a Johnstonville
Road home in October 2016 was
sentenced to 20 years in prison.
Richard Treadwell pled guilty in
Monroe County Superior Court
to aggravated assault against a law
enforcement officer after he threat-
ened Bittick with a weapon, which
was later determined to a CO2 gun.
The Monroe County Middle
School boys soccer team won the
Central Georgia Middle School
Athletic League rifle, finishing the
season unbeaten. The C-Team
Bulldogs, coached by Tracy Buff,
captured the championship 0-0 (3-2)
in penalty kicks over Lamar County
Middle when goalkeeper Adam
Hamm made the ~ming save.
April 4
An audit of Monroe County
Hospital's finances revealed the facil-
ity lost $827,000 during the 2017
fiscal year, a vast improvement from
a $2.5 million loss in 2016. However,
the hospital took on considerable
long-term debt in 2017, rising from
$486,000 to $10.4 million, as a result
of the 2017 approval of additional
county funding to keep the fadlity
open.
Three Forsyth homes were dam-
aged by ovemight fires, and arson
was suspected in at least two of
them. All three homes, two of which
were located on Sharp Street while
the other was on MLK Drive, were
vacant at the time, and no one was
injured in the blazes.
April 11
Just a week before the Mary
Persons High School prom, longtime
Johnston Street florist Flowers by
Helen was destroyed by fire sparked
by an electrical issue during the early
morning hours of April 10. In the
aftermath of the blaze, owner Angie
Ellis, whose business had been locat-
ed on the town square for 22 years,
vowed to re-build.
Former Monroe County com-
mission chairman Harold Carlisle
died at the age of 87 after suffering a
stroke. Carlisle, who spent 35 years in
the Georgia Army Narional Guard,
served as District 3 commissioner
before moving into the chairman seat
from 2004-08.
April 18
Eight new members were selected
as the second-ever induction dass
of the Forsyth-Monroe County
Sports Hall of Fame. The new mem-
bers, who were officially enshrined
in June, were: LaToya Davis,
Charles Dumas, Rhonda Grif~
Hardy, Thomas "Sonny" Marsh,
Steve Melton, Annie Ree Brantley
Summers, Rodney Walker and Pepp'l
ZeUner.
Four-year-old Catie Phillips, who
suffers from a rare form of anemia
that requires regular blood transfu-
sions, got a new Minnie Mouse-
themed bedroom thanks to the
Middle Georgia ministry Rooms
from the Heart. Phillips, a pre-K
student at Hubbard Elementary, is
the daughter of Gregg and MicheUe
Phillips of Monroe County
April 25
A Monroe County seventh grader
shot himself dead inside a vehicle in
the garage of a Dames Ferry Road
home.
Georgia Supreme Court Justice
Robert Benham was the keynote
speaker at the armual Hubbard
Mumni Association Banquet held
for the first time at the Monroe
County Conference Center. Benham
told attendees that former Georgia
Supreme Court Justice and Forsyth
native Harold Clarke was one of his
mentors.
May2
Two Monroe County Board of
Education incumbents and their
challengers squared off in front of
about 80 constituents at Alderman
Hall in an often contentious debate
hosted by The Reporter. The debate
became heated with moderator Will
Davis asked incumbent chairman
Nolen Howard about the board's
recent decision to hire a substitute
teacher with a past child molestation
conviction.
The U.S. Senate confirmed the
appointment of Monroe County
Sheriff John Cary Bittick as the new
head of the U.S. marshals' office in
Macon. Bittick was sworn into orifice
later the same month, and chief
deputy A1 Shackelford took over as
Monroe County's interim sheriff.
May9
Monroe County Commissioners
rejected plans for a 72-unit, low-
income apartment complex just
inside the Monroe County line
on New Forsyth Road after about
200 dtizens opposed the devdop-
ment. Alabama-based Vantage
Devdopment later filed suit in U.S.
District Court against commission-
ers, citing racial discrimination~
A cafeteria worker at the Georgia
Public Safety Training Center
(GPSTC) was arrested and charged
with having sex with a prison inmate
in the cafeteria's walk-in freezer.
Mayl6
Work began on a 715,000 square-
foot distribution warehouse in the
Rumble Road industri~ park that
is expected to bring 130 new jobs
to Monroe County It was revealed
weeks later that the warehouse,
which remains under construction
at year's end, would be for popular
retailer Five Bdow, which also plans
to build a store in north Macon.
Monroe County Sheriff's Office
Capt. Brad Freeman announced his
intention to run for the sheriff's posi-
tion vacated by John Cary Bitticl
Freeman joined a crowded field of
six, which also included the formers
sheriff's son Lawson Bittick as well
as Michad Bittick, Troy Copelan,
Ronnie Evans and Stacey Penamon.
May23
The Monroe County Courthouse
was the site of a send-off party for
Towaliga Circuit District Attorney
Jonathan Adams, who was leaving
for a year-long deployment to Iraq
with the Georgia National Guard.
Adams was expected to
gee
oversee three military bases north of
Baghdad in what he hopes will be his
final overseas deployment.
Forsyth city coundl got its first
look at drawings for a new dty hall
presented by Macon architectural
firm Clark Nexsen. While initially
city officials planned to build the
new structure next to the dty's public
safety building, council later altered
that plan and decided to build doser
to the Forsyth courthouse square.
May30
Thousands filled Dan pitts
Stadium to see 281 Mary Persons
High School seniors, induding vale-
dictorian Madeline Copeland and
salutatorian Lori Smith, rece'we their
diplomas. The 2018 senior class,
the 88th in school history, racked
up more than $1 million in college
scholarship money.
Incumbent Monroe County
Board of Education chairman Nolen
Howard narrowly defeated challeng-
er Matt Morris 370 to 354 to remain
in office for four more years while
challenger Greg Head took another
school board incumbent Phil Walker
to a July runoff eventually won by
Head. Meanwhile, former Forsyth
mayor John Howard edged political
newcomer Ronald Bearden 248 to
218 in a battle to replace late Forsyth
councilman Dexter King.
June 6
Two 17-year-olds from Jackson
were rescued from the Towaliga
River rapids by Monroe County
EMTs and the Bibb County Dive
team. The teens, Douglas Ellis and
Miranda Scott, were cited for tres-
passing after the rescue cost an esti-
mated $10,000.
A Macon man was arrested after
he allegedly swindled Meredith
Adarn~ the wife of Monroe County
DA Jonathan Adams, out of $160.
Timothy Crow was accused of
approaching Adams at the Cirde K
store on Hwy. 18 and falsely saying
he was a mechanic at nearby Trophy
Ford while offering to fix leaking flu-
ids on her rental car.
June 13
Monroe County manager Anita
Buice was demoted and finance
officer Ashley Wooley was fired after
commissioners learned the county
failed to pay federal and state payroll
taxes for the second straight year,
incurring over $50,000 in inter-
est and penalties. Commissioners
later hired Jim Hedges and Lorri
Robinson, respectively, to fill the two
positions.
A Florida man was killed and
his passenger severely injured after
Monroe County deputies used the
PIT maneuver to stop a vehicle in a
high-speed chase on Hw~ 42 North.
The driver, Guadalupe Garcia, who
was pronounced dead on the scene,
reportedly sped away from a traffic
stop on 1-75 and was latex wrecked
by Dep. Cody Maples, causing the
burning engine of Garci~ car to land
on the front fender of Maples' patrol
car.
June 20
Georgia Lt. Gov. Casey Cagle vis-
ited the Monroe County Courthouse
lawn as his campaign for governor
swung through Middle Georgia.
Although Cagle won Monroe
County, he was defeated in the July
primary by Secretary of State Brian
Kemp.
Mercer pitcher Axe'tin Cox, a
Monroe County native, signed a
contract with the Kansas City Royals
organization after being drafted in
the fifth round earlier in the month.
Cox, a left -hander who pitched for
FPD in high school, was the fifth-
highest draft selection in Mercer
program histo~
YEAR IN REVIEW Page 7A
