Friends and fellow members of the Fitness Plus class help Vera Jernigan (front and center) celebrate her 90th birthday. Jernigan exercises regularly and is an active volunteer. (COURTESY PHOTO)
Vera Elizabeth Parsons Jernigan of Malakoff celebrated her 90th birthday this past month. The vivacious nonagenarian is going strong both as a member of the local exercise class Fitness Plus and as a member of the ETMC Athens Auxiliary.
“I’m sure exercise helps keep me going,” said Vera, who was treated to a party by fellow Fitness Plus members.
“Vera is really a special person,” said fitness instructor Sandy Curran. “She’s been a member since we started the class in 1990.”
Jernigan was born on April 20, 1923, in Auckland, New Zealand, to two Salvation Army officers. The fifth of six children, she was orphaned rather early in life when both her mother and then her father died within two years of one another. At the age of 16, she went to work at the Auckland Post Office to support herself while rooming with her married eldest sister. Continue reading “Vera Jernigan makes 90 look great”
The Athens Chamber of Commerce paid tribute to its recent Athens Leadership Institute (ALI) graduates at the chamber’s monthly luncheon Wednesday.
Athens Leadership Institute, also known as ALI, meets once a month for 10 months. During the program, leaders will have the opportunity to learn about what the community has to offer as well as attend a one-day leadership retreat and speak with legislators during “Athens Day In Austin.”
The graduates for the 2012-2013 ALI class include: Steven Barksdale, Colin Barrett, Jeri Canatella, Michael Canatella, Lynn Clark, LaQuita Cox, Adam Davis, Meadora Hawkins, Dr. Charles Hueber, Russell Kidd, Dr. Jay Kinzer, Jeaneane Lilly, Kathy Means, Mary Nicholson, Greg Smith, Will Traxson, and Kim Walker.
This class will always be linked to its group project, the Kiwanis Park Splash Pad.
Steve Barksdale of BancorpSouth Insurance actually graduated from the program in 1986 as well.
“The reason I took it again is because I see men and women who want to stand out in our community, and we need to equip them with everything we possibly can,” he said. “We have things happening here because of people just like these who graduated today. They want to see things happen and they desire to have a quality of life that is second to none.”
“The greatest joy I had in taking a repeat was getting to know these young men and women who are going to make a difference in this community,” he said.
Will Traxson of Hannigan Smith Funeral Home said, “I encourage all of you who have not been a part of this to take part in it. It is an awesome opportunity for somebody to see a lot of the things that on a day-to-day basis you wouldn’t normally go and be a part of.”
Jeaneane Lilly of McDonald’s is another one who has gone through a leadership institute, but her past experience was in Allen, Texas.
“This experience with this class was so eye-opening and so positive. Every single month, I looked forward to spending the day with the class doing things in the community,” she said. “Sometimes you hear the negative all the time, and if you hear that don’t believe it. Go out for yourself and learn.”
I’ve been busy! Doug Humble Jr., my business partner and former husband has been in town for two weeks. That is a good thing, as we get our heads together to make plans for the future of our companies. But that means for the last two weeks I’ve been spending business hours tending to business rather than running around town taking pictures and spreading good gossip, which is my regular occupation. So if you haven’t heard much from me lately, now you know why. And it looks like I’ll still be kind of tied up doing real business for at least another week.
And then at night and weekends I’ve been socializing and good-deed supporting, besides discovering a great new friend who has accompanied me to some of these nifty things. There was the Henderson County Performing Arts Gala, The Sculpture Garden Tour, The Greencards performance at the Country Club, and the Family Peace Project Waffle Breakfast. And we had just barely caught our breath from the Cornbread Festival. Now a bunch of us at Cedar Lake Home Health and Hospice are preparing for the Relay for Life this Friday to raise money and awareness in the fight to end cancer.
Oh my goodness. Just writing about all this makes me tired again. But I’m going to sit here in my jammies this morning and spend just a few minutes telling you how good these groups are, and about how good it is to get involved with them. (I do wish they didn’t all come at one time, though.)
First, there is HCPAC, or the Little Theater to us old timers. Most of you know how great it is, but if I could just convince one or two of you who don’t know to go see just one show, I will have done you a favor, and you will be hooked. And maybe you’d like to audition for a part, or help sew a costume or build a set. They have jobs that take a lot of time or a little. You will meet fantastic, super talented people who will welcome you with open arms. Continue reading “Around Malakoff: Busy week of fundraising”
Rock Band University, a part of the music education program at Guitars Etc., is dedicated to teaching young people how to perform in a band and live on stage. We provide the necessary tools and instruction to match musicians into bands, provide their musical parts, broaden their musical horizons, get them to play together on time, and to overall strengthen their skills in their instrument of choice.
“Our spring break camp was a huge success and our students got a chance to shine on stage and perform. The audience absolutely loved it too. Great musicianship and showmanship for such young musicians,” said Will Burgin, owner of Guitars Etc.
They accept performers from ages 10-18 who meet certain playing ability. The performers create their own band name, learn about stage presence, further their musical learning, and of course how to rock and roll. Continue reading “Rock Band University for kids at Guitars Etc.”
Trinity Valley Community College released a softball team photo in advance of next week’s national championship tournament. This year’s record-setting Lady Cardinals include: Andrea Sitter-00; Marci Seymour-3; Candise Wise-4; Erica Jordan-5; Joan Gray-7; Tessa Thomas-8; Jazmine Hicks-10; Kimberly Leschber-11; Melissa Boland-14; Celeste Montoya-15; Taylor Wilson-16; Alexia Martinez-17; Chantelle Whitehead-18; Melissa Billingsley-20; Chyna Phipps-21; Jordan Oivares-22; Shelby Reddington-28; Alex El-Cassabgui-30; Kayla Cosby-33; and Head Coach Ashley Johnston. (COURTESY PHOTO)
