Cowboy Banquet Set For Monday Evening

By Michael Curtis
Greene Publishing, Inc.
      The coaches and staff of the Madison County Cowboys cordially invite the community to join them in a banquet to be held Feb. 16 at 6 p.m. in the high school cafeteria. Family, friends and fans are urged to join the team to celebrate a great season, and as a show of support for those graduating seniors who gave so much to the game.
      This year’s guest speaker is Dexter Carter. A first round draft pick in 1990 from FSU for the San Francisco 49ers, Carter recently rejoined FSU as a running backs coach.
      The ticket price is only $10 and may be purchased at the door. So, come run the last few yards with the Cowboys. The team has always been so grateful for everyone filling the stands. Let’s fill the cafeteria.
GO, COWBOYS!

Dobbs Scheduled To Speak At Genealogical Meeting

      And so the celebration begins for Nell Dobbs, one who has witnessed and written about more Madison families than any other.
      Nell has witnessed women’s fashions from dresses that touched the floor, to the mini-dress. From mud roads, to the interstate. From worshipping at the “new 1898” Baptist Church, to the more modern First Baptist on Base Street (but the message is still the same, God is still supreme).
      Nell will speak at the Madison County Genealogical Society’s February 12 meeting at the social hall of St. Vincent de Paul Catholic Church in Madison. A pot luck supper will start at 6 p.m., followed by the presentation.
      Mrs. Dobbs will speak about Madison County’s families, and of the age she has seen. She will be introduced by Mark Branham.
      Mrs. Dobbs married Marjell Otis Dobbs (Fe. 2, 1925-Aug. 12, 2008) on August 21, 1955. She was one of 10 children of Carradine Agner, Sr., and Silviria (Stewart) Agner.
      For years, Nell wrote many stories that have appeared in this newspaper. It may be interesting to see what develops.

VFD Holds Water Shuttle Training

By Michael Curtis
Greene Publishing, Inc.
      The Sirmans, Greenville & Madison Volunteer Fire Departments have been participating in multi-department training exercises to better prepare for response to house fires in areas that do not have hydrant systems. The inability to supply sufficient water to a fire scene in rural Madison County where water is scarce is an ongoing concern of the fire service.
      Thanks to recent Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) grant awards, Sirmans & Greenville VFDs have reliable 3,000-gallon tankers, adding to the Madison VFD 2005 tanker also received from a FEMA grant. Having now acquired these new resources, the focus turns to training.
      An exercise and testing procedure was established in a cooperative effort between departments. The immediate goals are simply to improve response to the rural emergency, as well as determine department capabilities and shortcomings.
      The most recent test was to determine how much water – gallons per minute – could be supplied to a fire scene where the closest water source was 6.8 miles away, referred to as water shuttle training.
      An additional benefit of the exercise, which is always of great interest to homeowners, is that it may earn a better Insurance Service Office (ISO) rating for the area, thereby lowering insurance costs to offset the respective fire assessment.
      Sirmans VFD would also like to announce the receipt of another FEMA grant in the amount of $72,580 for the purchase of a quick response truck for brush and woods fires. VFD leadership expressed their gratitude for the ability this grant gives the department to better respond in those critical times of need.
      In these exceptionally tight economic times, grants and training are essential to providing the best fire service available. These funds are made possible by FEMA because they know the disasters that have occurred when the proper equipment and manpower are missing. Fires don’t know budgets or take a break in a bad economy.
      This reporter joins a grateful community in thanking and congratulating the VFDs for finding a way to make it happen.
Michael Curtis can be reached at michael@greenepublishing.com.

A.J. Hudson Celebrates 103rd Birthday

      A.J. Hudson celebrated his 103rd birthday surrounded by family and friends on Sunday, Feb. 8. Hudson is a resident at Lake Park of Madison Nursing Home. Helping Mr. Hudson (front row, center) celebrate were, back row, left to right: Peggy Cammisa (sister of Winona Hudson, deceased wife of A.J.), Joanna Hudson (wife of Tommy Hudson), Pearlie Mae Pearce (daughter of A.J.) and Tommy Hudson (son of A.J.). A.J. was married to Winona for 70 years before she died. The family farmed in Madison County from 1950-1957. A.J. Hudson had worked for Wright-Duval Road Construction, which helped put the roads in for Cape Canaveral. After his retirement from Wright-Duval, Hudson went to work for the Madison County Public Works Department, under the supervision of Jerry McClune.

ACLU Sues School Board

By Michael Curtis
Greene Publishing, Inc.
      Among the rights and privileges the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) professes to defend and extend, school prayer is perhaps the most rejected and controversial. Good or bad, the battle has now come to the Madison County School District, and it couldn’t have come at a worse time, considering tight budgets, tight workloads, and the potentially high cost of legal fees to defend.
      In a document titled, “PETITION FOR WRIT OF MANDAMUS,” filed in the Third Judicial Court, the ACLU alleges the school district failed to comply with a public records request made by the ACLU back in November in a timely manner.
      School Board Attorney Tommy Reeves doesn’t agree with the assessment. In fact, some view it as a witch-hunt for the newly opened regional office. Still, this is not a trifling matter. Sadly, there are aspects of the ACLU that most citizens appreciate; however, this is not one of them.
      The nature of the suit is clear, and to many quite unnecessary, as everybody expects events throughout Madison County to open and/or close with prayer. To date, this reporter has not received, nor heard of, a single objection to the practice. On the contrary, it’s simply part of the rich spiritual fabric of the county and tradition among its leadership. Of course, no one is implying that county residents are immune to lapses in judgment; it’s simply that religious references are customary.
      The initial public records request asked for information dated July 1, 2005 to the present, including “flyers, pamphlets, programs, brochures or any other records associated with an induction, benediction, dedication, award (academic and non-academic), athletic, and graduation ceremony or event, and also includes field trips taken during school hours or if not during school hours, in connection with, or sponsored by any Madison County School.”
      The document later narrows the search. “The request specifically seeks policies and procedures that would apply to prayers, invocations, benedictions, blessings, devotions, bible readings and religious songs (collectively “prayers”).
      Basically, the American Civil Liberties Union Foundation of Florida is asking the School Board to justify and reconcile its religious references and practices.
      Florida statute requires the ACLU cover the copy and clerical expenses incurred by the district at 15 cents per page, and $11.00 per hour for clerical fees. At this point, the focus is on getting the ACLU the requested public records as deemed appropriate by the district and counsel. When that is concluded, however, the district may be defending its degree of separation between church and school.
Michael Curtis can be reached at michael@greenepublishing.com.

Simon Kinsey, Jr. Chosen 2009 Lee Founding Forefather

      Simon Kinsey, Jr. was born at home in Lee on October 16, 1926, the only child of Ollie Kent Kinsey and Simon A. Kinsey, Sr. He was a student at Lee High School from grades one (1) through eleven (11). Lee High School burned in December 1942 after which time grades eleven and twelve became a part of the Madison High School. He finished his senior studies at the end of the first semester and graduated with the class of 1944 in June. At that time, his mother was a teacher at Enterprise School, located south of Lee. When she dropped out before the end of the school year for surgery, Simon completed the term as a substitute teacher, thus beginning what was to be a rewarding career as an educator. He shared that the students, faculty and staff made each day of his teaching career a pleasure as he saw students learn and grow.
      In March of 1945, Simon was called into the service of his country as a member of the U. S. Army. He received his basic training at Camp Gordon near Augusta, Georgia. When he came home on leave following basic training, he and his high-school sweetheart, Ernestine Ezell, were married. They were married on Tuesday (following the required three-day waiting period), he returned to camp on Friday, and six weeks later he was sent to Japan as part of the U. S. Army of Occupation. This was a long year for all of his family, and especially a young country boy who had hardly been out of Madison County in his lifetime!
      Upon his return to the states Ernestine met him at Fort Sam Houston, San Antonio, Texas on October 16, his birthday. He knew all along that he would like to continue his education, but it was too late to begin the fall semester. His father had owned and operated the barbershop in Lee for many years and he wanted his son to follow in his footsteps as a barber anyway. So it was that he enrolled at Florida Barber College, Jacksonville, where he completed the required course of study and received his barber’s license. This turned out to be an excellent move since he used this skill to “barber his way through college”. He continued in this work for many years, but eventually gave his full talents and time to his chosen profession as an educator
      When his firstborn, Bobby, was only two days old, Simon went to Florida Southern College, Lakeland, and enrolled as a student. (He would not do this until the baby was born and everything was all right.) Ernestine and the baby joined him a month later. They rented a two-bedroom apartment - the two back bedrooms in a family home - with a recommendation from their Grandpa Williams. They cooked and ate in one of the rooms and slept in the other. There was a three year old in the house and their apartment door did not even have a lock! They shared the one bathroom with the landlord. Simon rode a bicycle four miles -one way - to school each day. They had no car, nor telephone. But the GI Bill paid his tuition, bought his books, and gave them $90.00 a month to live on.
      At that time one could begin to teach without a full college degree as long as he/she was working toward a degree. And so they came home in August 1948 with a full year of college behind him. He taught mathematics at Greenville High School for the next three years as he continued his education through correspondence (before the age of computers) and summer school .He graduated from Florida Southern College in August 1950 with a BS degree in education. He was also certified to teach math, science and social studies.
      It was evident at this time that a Master’s degree would be beneficial, so in the fall of 1951 Simon enrolled at the University of Florida, Gainesville to begin his advanced studies. Again, he did work through correspondence, evening and Saturday classes, and summer school. He earned a M.Ed. in education, supervision and administration in August 1954. Dr. Lee Eggert, his major professor at Florida, encouraged and advised him to continue his studies toward a doctorate, but as is Simon’s nature to put others before himself, he chose to have Ernestine continue her studies instead.
      After having taught at Greenville for three years, Simon was transferred to Lee Junior High School. At Lee he taught social studies and coached the boys’ basketball team. (As a student at LJHS he was quite an outstanding player on the boys’ championship basketball team.) Following a successful year at Lee, Simon was appointed as principal of the Madison Elementary School. At that time the school was located on the northeast corner of U. S. 90 and S. Duval Street - site of the old Pic ‘n Save. One of his many responsibilities at this site included making sure the wood-burning heaters in all classrooms were safe and properly maintained. The building was cooled in the summer by opening the windows. Also, safety of the children on this busy street corner was quite a concern. The new school, located on Haynes Street, was opened in August 1954.
As principal of the elementary school, Simon was very highly respected. He knew each of the (500) students by name, where he/she lived, and what type of grades each student made. His motto was “ there is good in every child and each child’s self-worth is to be recognized and emphasized”. . At the general assembly programs, which were held weekly, he is well remembered for this quotation: “ Remember, we always look up to God, then to our flag, then to our home”. His dedicated faculty and staff supported this philosophy. He drove many miles taking sick children home before there were school clinics and health nurses. He never left school in the afternoons until his entire faculty had finished their work and gone home.
      Early in his administration, Simon became active in the Department of Elementary School Principals, Florida Education Association, a department made up of elementary school principals throughout the state. He was soon selected as a Director, served as Legislative Chairman, and later as Membership Chairman. In 1964 Simon was made chairman of this prestigious group, an honor for an administrator from one of the small rural counties of North Florida. . It was this year that Tom Bailey, State Superintendent of Education, asked Simon to accept a position as a consultant with the Department of Education. Those who worked in this department were selected, not employed as the result of an application. He assumed duties as Consultant in School Accreditation in the Division of Teacher Education, Certification and Accreditation. In July 1965 Simon and his family moved to Tallahassee where they lived until his retirement. During his tenure with the Department of Education he also served as a selected member of the Professional Practices Commission.
      Simon retired in January 1984 and returned to the remodeled Kinsey home in Lee. He is an active deacon at Lee First Baptist Church where he was ordained in 1949; a member of the Madison Rotary Club and Madison Lodge #11, F. & A. M. He teaches a class of adult men in Sunday school and spends much of his time visiting shut-ins in the community. He also maintains an active ministry at each of the convalescent homes in Madison. He led the Lee Homecoming Day parade as Grand Marshal in 1992. Simon enjoys his family, his farm and fish ponds. He has four (4) children: Bobby and wife Debbie, Lee; Candyce Sisto and husband Tony, Las Vegas; Abe and wife Ann, Oyster Bay (Crawfordville); and William and wife Wanda, Tallahassee. He also has nine (9) grandchildren and nine (9) great-grandchildren.

Former Cowboy Signs With South Carolina

By Michael Curtis
Greene Publishing, Inc.
      Playing football for the Madison County Cowboys, Tony Straughter was a standout. Now, several years later, he is again. After two exceptional years at Georgia Military College, Straughter is joining the Gamecocks of the University of South Carolina.
      Considered a four-star prospect – among the top 200 nationwide – Straughter played weak side linebacker at the Milledgeville, Ga. Junior College under head coach Bert Williams. Last year he racked up 44.5 tackles, including 6.5 tackles for loss and 3.5 sacks, later being named to the JC Gridwire All-America team.
      Credited with providing a major contribution to the Bulldogs 9-1 regular season, he added 10 tackles including three for loss, a sack, a forced fumble and a fumble recovery in the 2008 Mississippi Bowl, earning Defensive Player of the Game honors. He is considered the 11th-best junior college player in the country by Rivals.com, and the 34th-best junior college player in the country according to SuperPrep.
      Before recruiting concluded, Straughter received offers from East Carolina, Ole Miss, TCU, Tennessee and West Virginia, among others. He stands 6’1” and weighs 215 lbs. with an exceptional Rivals rating of 5.9.
      “Although slightly undersized by SEC standards, Straughter actually has the size and athleticism to be a big strong safety on the college level. He runs well and is good in coverage, and he’s also good coming off the edge from the weak side on pass rushing. He’ll simply need to get a little stronger to take on blocks better if he plays close to the line of scrimmage in college” noted Scott Kennedy at Scout.com.
      Recruiting athletic playmakers at linebacker has been a priority for South Carolina throughout the 2009 recruiting cycle, which Straughter fills very nicely.
      MCHS Coach Frankie Carroll praised Straughter’s accomplishments, as did his friend and mentor, Clerk of the Court Tim Sanders.
      “We met way back when Tony was in first grade, coming together in the Take Stock in Children Program. Since then, I’ve gotten to know Tony and have watched him become an exceptional young man. I know he’ll continue to work hard to become the very best at South Carolina,” Sanders noted.
      Straughter’s father, Tony, and grandmother, Betty, live in Madison County. They share the immense pride and joy felt by Cowboy coaches, friends, and fans, as well as a community that wishes him great and continued success.
      Michael Curtis can be reached at michael@greenepublishing.com.