Ellaville-Schley Historical Society to have annual Membership Meeting
The Ellaville-Schley County Historical Society has its annual Membership Meeting at 7 p.m. March 5 at the Thomas Edwin Wall Post 191 American Legion. This is a time when history is recalled and some people bring historical items to share.
We are asking everyone, if you are a member or not, to please donate history that we can put into our new book which is being updated.
So much has happened here in the past 35 years that we really need to upgrade our book. We don’t want the originals, just copies of  your documents, checks  old bills, or anything that you may want to donate.
Everyone is invited. You don’t have to live here to attend. Tell your family and friends. So mark this date and time on your calendar and plan to come and join us.
For more  information call Nancy McMath Young at 229-937-2116.

Schley County fallen soldier to be honored
Schley County Sheriff Shane Tondee is working on a special project with Sumter County Sheriff Pete Smith and state Rep. Mike Cheokas, R-Americus,  to honor a local fallen soldier who was also a law enforcement officer here and Sumter County with the sheriffs’ offices.
These three are working to have a part of U.S. Highway 19 South named top honor the late Victor A. Anderson, formerly of Ellaville. Victor was killed while serving in Iraqi Freedom in 2005. Victor was serving in the Army as sergeant first class and he died on July 30, 2005, when an IED detonated near his Humvee while he was on patrol  in Baghdad. He had been assigned to the 2nd Battalion, 121st Infantry Regiment, 48th Infantry Brigade of the Georgia Army National Guard  based out of Albany. Three staff sergeants were killed at the same time.
A medical condition initially prevented Victor from deployment to Iraq, but he refused to stay behind. He was told that he was not well enough to go due to his diabetes. He was very determined to go to Iraq. He lost weigh and stuck to his diet in time to make it to training in California.
“Victor felt like not only was his duty to serve his country and his calling, but he wanted to be with his fellow troops,” said Chief Deputy Col. Eric Bryant  of the Sumter County Sheriff’s Office where Victor had been a deputy.
Rep. Mike Cheokas is introducing a resolution in the Georgia General Assembly to dedicate a portion of the U.S. Highway 19 South as “SFC Victor Anderson Memorial Highway.” It will be the part of Schley County mile marker 0 all the way into Sumter County and to the city Limits of Americus at mile  marker 14.
Victor is survived by two children, Jessica Anderson of Orlando, Florida, and Tyler Anderson of Americus and Victor’s mother BaLinda Anderson Poole and stepfather Harrold Poole  of Ellaville.

McCorkles visit families in Florida
On Jan. 26, Dwight and Mary Ellen McCorkle went to Florida  o visit their  sons and families. They returned home on Feb. 18.
They visited Ricky and Kelly Sawicky in Apollo Beach, Florida, and their other son John and Rosa Sawicky and sons Jeremiah, Mathew and Jonathan of Valrico, Florida.
They enjoyed being with their children and especially with the grandchildren.

Four local men certified as SCUBA divers
On Oct. 14-15,  four local men from Ellaville enrolled in SCUBA diving classes with Richard Wisham as instructor. They started their first classes at the Sumter County Fire Department. In this class they started with their book work for this course.
When they completed that, they were transferred to Georgia Southwestern State University where Wisham had them diving every other weekend for eight  hours. They  had four diving classes at the university.
On Jan. 9-10, they all went  to Vortex Springs, Florida, where they had two eight-hour dives each day. When they left Vortex Springs,  they were all certified as SCUBA divers.
They will be  taking a rescue classes real soon. Their were 10 in the class and the four from Ellaville were Jason Justice, Ryan Brown, Rodney Flynt and Colt Smith. Congratulation to all that received their certification.