Thumbs Up! April 4, 2016

Spring break for Dougherty County schools, both public and private, has come and gone. Students and teachers enjoyed a respite from their schedules and studies and are now, as the farmers say, “in the short rows” of this school year. Many on break traveled to the beach while others simply enjoyed the absence of an alarm clock and some much-needed down time. Baseball teammates from Deerfield-Windsor took a different approach to their days off. Under the leadership of the Fellowship of Christian Athletes program, these students traveled to the Dominican Republic on a mission trip. The bulk of their five-day trip was spent building a house. The team did carry a good supply of donated baseball equipment and there was time to swing a few bats after swinging hammers. It is indeed inspiring to see young men willing to work and play with those less fortunate.

A retirement reception was held on March 15 for one of Sylvester’s most-admired and beloved citizens. Dr. Harmer Eason spent more than 50 years doctoring patients of his community. As friends and family shared stories about the physician, one in particular is worth repeating. Mary Houston shared that one day she found the doctor walking around his office barefooted. When she asked the location of his shoes, Eason replied that a patient came in and had no shoes. Since both wore the same size, the good doctor took off the shoes he was wearing and gave them to the other man. Having such a compassion for others is not something Dr. Eason learned in medical school. That’s just the kind of man he is. Enjoy your retirement, your family and good health in the years to come.

Mamie Rush is an Army wife. She began teaching 33 years ago in a kindergarten class while her husband was stationed in Frankfurt, Germany. In 1985, she joined Patch Elementary at Fort Benning. Two years later, she transferred to Frank R. Loyd Elementary. In 2008, the new school principal discovered Rush’s talent for singing and she was soon the school’s music teacher. The U.S. Department of Defense reports that the music program at the base has flourished and includes an after-school choral program with more than 70 students. This Dougherty High and Albany State graduate has been honored as one of the DOD Outstanding Civilian and Service Members with Disabilities for 2015. She has a hearing impairment, something that has certainly never impaired her success at Fort Benning or anywhere else. Congratulations!

The Albany Utility Board-directed weatherization program is making a difference in the Good Life City. Initially 160 homes were assessed. Of those, about 30 residences were selected for improvement. Last week the Utility Board reported that the work for two city homeowners has been completed. The rest are on track for completion by June 30. The basic goal of the program is to make the home more energy efficient which in turn reduces utility costs and increases the comfort of the resident(s). To qualify, the homeowner must be age 62 or older, a Utility Board customer, meet income guidelines and live in Albany. Improvements may include such things as new windows, doors, insulation, efficient heating and air equipment or any other energy-sapping apparatus. For an average of $6,000 per home, an expected 15-20 percent savings are expected on utility costs per year. For a home that normally has a monthly bill of $250, a 15 percent reduction would amount to $37.50 per month. When living on a fixed income, with little to no hope of an increase, those are dollars that can go toward food or medication, two things that are often cut back just to keep the lights burning. This is government spending that actually makes good sense.

— The Albany Herald Editorial Board