From the LaGrange Daily News, 1962.

Front Page News

State Group Praises Local Heart Clinic — “LaGrange has one of the most remarkable heart clinics it has ever been my privilege to see,” Dr. Henry S. Jennings Jr. of Gainesville, chairman of the Georgia Heart Association’s clinic committee, said Thursday at the clinic quarters in the addition of City-County Hospital.

Dr. Jennings was here on a tour of heart clinics in Georgia conducted by the Georgia Heart Association and attended by physicians and others representing services closely related to heart health.

Dr. William B. Fackler Jr., chief of the LaGrange Heart Clinic, welcomed the group to the clinic, which treats patients unable to pay for medical aid and is staffed by seven physicians who gave 164 hours of their time during the past year, handling 128 visits by patients.

Dr. Fackler reported that 52 clinics were held at the local facility during the past year and that there were 84 patients on the clinic roll as of June of this year.

The group left LaGrange for similar visits to clinics in Columbus, Albany, Thomasville, Savannah and Brunswick.

Hospital Cost Here is Below National Average — The cost to the public for hospital care in Troup County is 31 percent below the national average, Joe Taylor, administrator of City-County Hospital reported today.

The national and state figures are based on a national survey just announced by the American Hospital Association.

Average cost per patient a day to provide complete services in Georgia’s short-term, general hospitals was $30.04 in 1961, compared with a national average of $34.98 for the same period, The Georgia Hospital Association revealed.

The local cost for the same period is $24, Taylor said. Costs of providing hospital services continue to increase, but the proportionate rise in overall costs in Georgia hospitals last year was under the national average, the report added.

In Georgia, the average stay of patients per hospital admission in 1961 was 6.1 days, compared with the national average of 7.6 days. Georgia hospitals employ and equal number of skilled persons in ratio to patients as reported by national averages. In each instance the ratio is 236 hospital employees per 100 patients.

City Wins Pedestrian AAA Safety Citation — LaGrange has won the Pedestrian Safety Citation from the American Automobile Association in recognition of its efforts to save pedestrian lives in traffic, it was announced today.

Earl Linier, district manager of the Georgia Motor Club, affiliate of the AAA, presented the award to police Chief Troy E. McClung and commended the LaGrange Police Department.

LaGrange reduced pedestrian fatalities to zero for 1961. Pedestrian injuries for 1961 were 15.

The award was one of 159 to cities in the United States and one of seven to states in the AAA’s nationwide safety program.

For the past 19 years, no school child has been killed or injured at a school crossing in LaGrange.

Pre-Back-to-School Celebration — A group of girls who finished West Side Junior High School together, had a pre-school celebration Tuesday after registering at LaGrange High School as freshmen.

After registration they went to the home of Sherrie Woodyard where they dressed up in hilarious costumes. After that Mrs. William Rambin served them sandwiches and iced drinks at her home. Later they went to the home of Lynn Cosper for dessert. In the group were Julia Taylor, Susan Rambin, Lynn Cosper, Sherrie Woodyard, Thelia Sherrer, Marie Mahaffey and Ann Holliday.

Editorials

U.S. Space Record Gives Nation New Confidence — Where does the United State stand today in the race – into – space with Russia?

A positive answer to that one is impossible since Russia continues her whole operation in secrecy and it can be safely assumed that the United States has much more in the planning stage than has been demonstrated publicly.

For the record, the United States has hurled some 230 objects into space as compared with 40-plus space shots on the part of the Russians.

The evidence continues to mount that where the Soviets have concentrated on the spectacular, the United States has a broad-based program involving many fields of exploration.

For the record, the figures will have to speak for themselves – about 5 1/2 to one.

Here & There with Sue — We read the other day that the “Joke of the Day” in a newspaper in Hamburg, Germany, was: “Why did the Soviets send two astronauts into space at the same time? So one could make sure the other one didn’t try to land in the West.”