Former
Times reporter Dan Washburn, right, and his girlfriend Bliss, left,
visited recently with Phil Beaubien at The Hickory Pig, Beaubien's
barbecue restaurant off Thompson Bridge Road in North Hall.
16-year-old graduates from Piedmont College
Alex Pyron of Demorest graduated from
Piedmont College on Saturday with a bachelor's degree in biology, and
he's only 16 years old. The son of Greg and Elizabeth Pyron, he began
college on the HOPE Scholarship at age 13.
Because HOPE requires graduation
from a Georgia high school, Alex's parents had to appeal to the HOPE
Scholarship Committee for early admission approval.
Alex began his education in Cobb County, but teachers wanted to place him in grade 12 when he was only 8 years old.
His mother began teaching him, and he
was approved by the HOPE Scholarship Committee after he completed
requirements for a home school diploma from the American School and was
enrolled in science courses at Piedmont. He is leaving soon for two to
four years of study in New Zealand.
Charters Smith Wilson cheering Grisham movie
Charters Smith Wilson, daughter of
retired Judge Sidney Smith of Gainesville and the late Patsy Smith, was
in Atlanta last week with her husband Hugh to promote "Mickey," the new
John Gri-sham movie. "I'm the cheerleader," she said, referring to her
participation in the promotion.
Charters married Hugh Wilson in
1978. She met him when she went to work at Burton, Campbell and Wilson
advertising agency in Atlanta. Wilson is the director of the movie, a
Grisham mystery about a young baseball player and his widowed father.
Charters and her husband make their
home in Charlottes-ville, Va., where "Mickey" was filmed, the same town
Grisham calls home. It was amazing to watch Shawn Salinas, an athlete
from California, acting in the title role, she said.
Gloria Stargel introducing new book
Gloria Cassity Stargel of Gainesville
is known for her real life stories about God touching and changing
people's lives. A collection of her work is called the "God's Way"
series, and the latest edition is "God's Way for Grads." It's published
by White Stone Books and carries three stories: "What Are We Doing
Tomorrow, Lord?," "Teacher At Last" and "The Day Cheering Stopped."
You can get an autographed copy at 2 p.m. Saturday at Family Christian Stores, 2285 Brown's Bridge Road.
Daring Dan Washburn visits from Shanghai
Dan Washburn, a former Times writer
who will be remembered for his column, The Sporting Life, was back in
Gainesville last week. Known for his adventurous spirit, he left for
China in August 2002 because he wanted to experience life in another
country.
He teaches freshman and sophomore
English majors at Shanghai University, and he has also become "the
token white man" in television commercials. He doesn't really know what
the commercials are advertising because he doesn't yet understand the
Chinese language.
"Once they told me to act like James
Bond," he said causing much laughter in his former Times colleagues.
The only time he had to speak in a commercial, he had to say over and
over, "Shanghai is becoming more and more beautiful."
Washburn plans to travel across
China, from North Korea to Tibet, by train and bus this summer. He
doesn't know exactly when he'll go or exactly how he will finance the
trip, as too much planning will spoil the adventure.
The food he missed most in China: barbecue sandwiches. He had to go to the Hickory Pig BBQ while in Gainesville for a quick fix.
Friends and fans can catch up with his activities by going to www.danwashburn.com
where they can view more than 3,000 photographs. They will be deeply
saddened by his photos from Cambodia and entertained by other
collections.
Stamey said he wants to give Mom a home
Steven Stamey of Clarkesville wants
to give his mother a home of her own as a late Mother's Day present,
but he doesn't know how he can do it. He hopes someone will call and
give him advice.
Ann Stamey's home in Mount Airy
burned about a year ago. She lost her husband, Steven's father, about a
year before that. Since then, she has been moving from house to house,
staying with one family for a while, then moving to another family.
"She wants a home of her own, but I can't do it by myself, and I don't know where to start," Stamey said.
Such a gift actually could honor her
70th birthday coming up May 19. If anyone can advise him on how a home
can be provided for his mother, he can be reached at (706) 754-2610, or
at work, (706) 776-6374.
Frenieres take photo of tree-climbing gator
Stephen and Janice Freniere of
Gainesville go camping in the Okefenokee Swamp at least once a year,
"because it is one of the last totally natural places."
Stephen, an anesthetist, and Janice
also are avid fishers. This past April, they got a permit to camp on
one of the platforms in the center of the swamp, and they were able to
photograph an unusual site: an alligator resting or maybe sleeping on a
sunny tree branch.
Ashley Griffin, NHMS oboe player, recognized
School gymnasiums have been filling
up with parents and friends at band and chorus concerts, and
outstanding band students are being recognized.
At North Hall Middle School last
week, band director Rob Dugan led three groups, grades six, seven and
eight, through short performances with the numbers getting
progressively harder as the grades went up. After the eighth graders
performed "Fire Dance," highlights from "Lord of the Rings," and a
medley of disco tunes, Dugan recognized Ashley Griffin, an oboe player
and daughter of Cliff and Katie Griffin, as outstanding all-around
student.
