Februaries past, 25 years ago.

From The LaGrange Daily News, 1991.

Front Page News

Olympics to Benefit All Georgia — On Tuesday civic leaders from LaGrange and Troup County attended a meeting of the Chattahoochee Pathways 1996 Games Committee, a regional organization representing 34 counties in west Georgia, south Georgia and east Alabama currently exploring ways to share in the 1996 Atlanta Olympics Games endeavor.

Addressing the meeting, held at Callaway Gardens, Billy Payne, organizer and architect of Atlanta’s successful Olympic bid, said, “The 1996 Olympic Games in Atlanta will provide an “explosion of opportunity” not just for Atlanta, but for “all of Georgia.”

He also said the Chattahoochee Pathways Games Committee is the first regional association in Georgia to actively pursue an Olympics connection.

At the meeting, Charles D. Hudson of LaGrange and Smith Lanier of West Point were named two of six vice chairmen charged with seeking funding for the group, which plans to hire a director and staff to coordinate cultural, educational and economic activities associated with the Olympics.

The group hopes to bring area colleges, including LaGrange College and Auburn University, into the Olympic picture as possible training sites.

Additional Funds Okayed for Child Abuse Council — The Troup County Board of Commissioners on Tuesday appropriated $4,000 to the local Council of Child Abuse and agreed to buy six vehicles for $66,341.76.

Juvenile Court Judge Michael Key said he would try to adjust his operating budget to give the council another $1,000.

Also on Tuesday, the LaGrange City Council’s administrative and finance committee recommended giving the child abuse council $5,000. Judith Auston, the group’s executive director, said the same request would be made to the governing bodies in Hogansville and West Point.

The council sponsors a child abuse awareness program in elementary schools, and has conducted more than 100 training programs for educators, day care providers, churches, local industries and community groups. It also offers parenting classes and teaches parenting skills to pregnant teenagers and encourages them to stay in school.

Agriculture Center Grant — The Troup County Community and Agricultural Center has been awarded a matching grant of $125,000 from the Callaway Foundation for use in building the Agricultural Center.

J. T. Greshman of the foundation presented the grant to Tonya Cummings, representing Troup County 4-H clubs, and to Harrell Landreth, president of the Community and Agricultural Center Inc., a nonprofit organization incorporated for the purpose of promoting youth involvement in agriculture in Troup County. The group’s goal is for local FFA and 4-H clubs to use the center for showing livestock and other club activities. The center will be located at the corner of Vulcan and Hamilton roads.

Junior Woman’s Club Awards — The Junior Woman’s Club of LaGrange honored some of its outstanding members at the annual meeting on Feb. 2 at the Highland Country Club.

Club awards were presented to Barbie Watts, outstanding club woman; Emily Mansour, outstanding family; Chris Assaf, outstanding citizen; and Kathey Tilley, President’s Award.

Boy Scouts Honor Bledsoe — Bernard Bledsoe, a Scouting volunteer for over 22 years and mainstay of the Yellow Jacket District for the past 13 years, received the Silver Beaver Award Tuesday night at the annual Chattahoochee Council’s appreciation dinner in Columbus.

Bledsoe is a former Scoutmaster and is currently Troop Committee Chairman of Troop 21 at the First United Methodist Church in LaGrange.

DAR Essay Contest Winners — The LaGrange chapter of the National Society of the Daughters of the American Revolution recognized essay winners at their February meeting.

Theme for this year’s contest was “What the Bill of Rights Means to Me.”

First place winners are Johnny Hurd, fifth grade, Mountville Elementary; Jamie Knight, eighth grade. Angela Wood, seventh grade; Payton Rogers, sixth grade — all of LaGrange Academy.

All winners will be entered in the district competition.

Gulf Nurse — Capt. Diane L. Fletcher, an air evacuation nurse, has been deployed to Rhein-Mein Air Force Base, Germany, where her mission will be to care for wounded soldiers being flown to the United States for further medical treatment.

Capt. Fletcher is a 1976 graduate of Troup High School and has a master’s degree in nursing from the University of Illinois. She is the daughter of Jim and Marion Owen of LaGrange.

Area Marine Honored for Bravery — A Hogansville Marine has been honored for bravery while serving in Operation Desert Storm.

Lance Cpl. Jeff Chaffin of the Second Maintenance Battalion received the Naval Achievement Award for Outstanding Bravery in time of war. He volunteered to deliver replacement ammunition to front-line tank units which were under attack in northern Saudi Arabia.