1954-1972

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PROGRESS PROFILE '71

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Page 10-8

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' '~ ~ 1970 • • • Noteworthy Year In The "

Tuesday, Feb1 uary 23, l 9/ 1 Ihe Meridian Star Histor~ Of Decatur

Lt. Col. Marion S. Branch relieved Lt. Col. Bobby Oswalt as Commanding Officer of the 4th .aowitz~r Battalion of the ll 4th Artillery, headquartered at Newton with the Service Battery located in Decatur. The 1978 Golden Deeds recipient named by t h e Decatur Exchange Club was James M. Thames, retired Decatur postmaster and a lifelong resident of Newton County. The Award was made at the annual Golden Deeds Award Banquet. The 1970 Outstanding Young Educator Award sponsored by the Decatur .Jaycees went to Harlem Stewart, coach and teacher at Decatur High School. Newton County's first Our Little Miss Pageant was sponsored by the Decatur Jaycettes and was held at. Huff Memorial Auditorium at East Central .Junior College. This is to be an c.nnual event for Newton County and will continue to be sponsored by th~ Decatur .Jaycettes. The Our Little Miss winner was Brookes Ann May of Newton and the La ·petite Miss winner was Tammie Renee Bryan of Newton. The Decatur W o m a n ' s Progressive Club received a check for $200 for winning 2nd place in the C o m m u n i t y Improvement Award at the Mississippi Federation o f Women's Club St •ate Convention. The pr inc i pa 1 iocal project was t h e establishment of a town library that is now a part of lhe two county system. Club president receiving the award was Mrs. Ruth Hull.

DECATl TR - The Y car 1970 was notewor1.l1y in I he history of Decatur. It was a ye<:l' filled with growth. prosperity, chm1gc, h a p p i n e s s and tragedy. Ironically, the Year 1970 bl'gan and ended with tragic events for the Decatur area. In .January two out-of-the– county residents died in a fiery plane crash, just east o[ Decatur. A Glob2 Swift airpla ne cra::.hed at approximately B p.m. in a :1eavi ly wooded area east of Decntur, taking the lives of an Alabama couple, Martin Balius, :30, and his 28-year-old wife, Ella Grace. The couple was flying to Laurel to see her parents. December ended the year with anotl':er tragic event. In a four car ere.sh, north of Decatur on Highway 1 5 , Kenneth Lloyd ( K e n n y ) Blount, an Ole Miss football player from Decatur, and his 20 year old girl friend, Debbie Oser of Picayune were killed in the fiery crash. Kenny was enroute home from Ole Miss to spend Christmas with his parents. !\/fr. and Mrs. Lamar Blount and family. Also killed in the crash was Robert A. ~.nowder of Boaz, Ala.

Beadmaster of the Academy. Mayor .James H. Addy st

School a n outstanding highlight of the l!J70 year. After many awaiting months filled with anticipation, Decatur, as well as the other Newton County Unit Schools received on August H!, the Court Order decree signed and issued from ' Washington , D. C., for a unitary school plan. This was .the "final step in the lengthy preliminary stage of the court decree school plan. T h e transition made the dual ~ystem into a unitary one. Decatur Attendance Center housed students in grades 1-4 c.nd 9-12 in the area served. Boler High School housed all ~lud1~nts in grades 5-8 in the area served. N. F. Smith is serving as County Superintendent of Educc.tion. .John Spence is principal of Derntur Attendance Center 2nd l\II. N. Nichols is principal ol' Boler Middle School. news was

In February an organiza– tional m e e t i n g was held in D e c a tu r for Newton County Academy. Directors ;u:id Officers were elected to guide the Academy and plans were .made to open in tl'mporary facilities by school opening. The t e mp o r a r y facilities were established in Decatur with approximately :i.00 students enrolled fO'I.' the fall term. In October official groundbreaking ceremonies wiore held for the new Newton County Academy Sclwol to be constructe<'i on a 20-acre site, south of Decatur on Highway 15. The ceremony was the oJTici

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