Septembers past, 25 years ago.

From the LaGrange Daily News, 1991.

Front Page News

Agriculture Center Opening — The first phase of the Troup County Community and Agriculture Center is completed and an open house for the $213,000 complex is planned for Saturday from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. Lunch will be served at the facility, located at the corner of Vulcan and Hamilton roads.

Contributing to the success of the project was a gift of $2,500, made in memory of Julian Jones, a multi-time president and longtime leader of the Troup County Cattlemen’s Association, under whose leadership the organization reached its highest membership ever. Businesses, industries and individuals made donations toward the project during a fundraising effort, and these were matched by a gift from the Callaway Foundation. Hugh Prophett donated the property on which the center stands.

Harrell Landreth is now the president of the Troup County Cattlemen’s Association.

Medical Center Budget Up 9 Percent — The West Georgia Medical Center Board of Trustees on Monday approved a fiscal 1992 budget of $53,541,119, reflecting a 9 percent increase over the present budget of $47,946,062.

The new budget includes funding for a 3 percent salary increase for hospital employees, according to finance committee chairman Charles D. Hudson, who said this wage increase is the first since 1989.

The 1992 budget also provides for a two-year capital plan which includes renovation and expansion at West Georgia Medical Center with the two-year plan funded primarily by the funded depreciation, according to Hudson.

The Finishing Touch — And there’s the steeple!

Over 36 years after the church was chartered in 1955, Ayres Memorial United Methodist Church got its first steeple on Friday, Sept. 20.

The 24-foot spire was erected by Firberglass Unlimited of Roanoke, Alabama, at a cost of $2,800.

The church was named in memory of the Reverend Henry C. Ayres, a member of Long Cane Methodist Church who served as a missionary to the Belgian Congo. In 1958 worship services began in the present facility on West Point Road.

A lighted cross topped the building for several years, but it had to be removed due to storm damage and deterioration.

The Rev. Ellis Freeman is the current pastor. The church has gained nine new members in the past 13 weeks.

Smithsonian Summer — Thousands of people visit the Smithsonian Institute every summer, but LaGrange’s Laura Shepherd was one of a handful of interns chosen to work there this summer. A LaGrange High School STAR student in 1990, Laura is a rising sophomore in the University of Georgia’s Honor Program. She was assigned to the Museum of American History at the Institute, where she worked in cataloguing and caring for military history artifacts, ranging from the War of 1812 to the Persian Gulf. During the summer she was able to visit most of the Smithsonian Museums, an experience she says will be hard to top.

“I had been leaning toward history as my major,” she says.

“Now it is definitely to be history – no doubt about it.”

Mountville’s Wallace Named Teacher of the Year in Troup County — An educator who believes that “Classroom life begins at 40” has been named Teacher of the Year for Troup County schools.

Micki Wilson Wallace, a fifth grade language arts and math teacher at the Mountville Elementary School will represent the Troup system in the 1992 Georgia Teacher of the Year Competition.

She entered the field in 1987 after a career in the business world. She returned to college, earning a bachelor’s degree in middle school education at West Georgia College, where she is now completing her MED studies.

Troup All Americans — Two Troup High School varsity cheerleaders and a member of the junior varsity squad were named “All Americans” at a national cheerleading camp held this summer at West Georgia College.

Honored at the National Cheerleading Association’s camp are varsity cheerleaders Jenny Richards and Cassidy Beckom. Libby Yancey made the JV All American Squad.

Eagle Scout Award — Alan Linch, senior patrol leader of Troop 21, is LaGrange’s newest Eagle Scout.

The 13-year-old eighth grader at Gardner Newman Middle School received the award in recent ceremonies at the First United Methodist Church, which has sponsored his troop for 65 consecutive years.

His Eagle Scout service project was a countywide Can-A-Thon to benefit the Recycling Center.

Jan Spitzer is his Scoutmaster.

Who Said It? — “The trouble with the world is that the stupid are cocksure and the intelligent full of doubts.” — Bertrand Russell