Colquitt’s Chief of Police, Scott Worsley, along with 259 other law enforcement officers graduated Thursday, September 14, 2006 from the FBI National Academy Program at Quantico, Virginia.
The 226th Session of the National Academy consisted of men and women from all states, the District of Columbia, 25 international countries, four military organizations, and four federal civilian organizations.
Internationally known for its academic excellence, the National Academy Program, held at the FBI Academy, offers 10 weeks of advanced investigative, management and fitness training for selected officers having proven records as professionals within their agencies. On average, these officers have 19 years of law enforcement experience and usually return to their agencies to serve in executive-level positions.
FBI Director Robert S. Mueller III was the principal speaker at the ceremony.
The graduating officers were represented by the class spokesperson, Detective Inspector Barry Faudemer, States of Jersey Police, Jersey, United Kingdom. A total of 39, 733 graduates now represent the FBI National Academy since it began in July 1935. Of this number, approximately 22, 487 are still active in law enforcement work.
Chief Worsley left for Quantico in early July for the 10 weeks of training and lots of study. He was able to come home four times during his stay in Virginia.
Worsley stated, “it was not easy at all. It was rough some days doing the training that was required by each of us. A lot of time was spent studying and preparing for the classes. It definitely was not a vacation for me,” commented Worsley.
City Manager Cory Thomas and Investigator Rick Morgan made the trip to Quantico for the impressive graduation ceremony.
Chief Worsley commented that he is most grateful to the City of Colquitt, his peers and his family that he was able to attend such a school of this caliber. He hopes to use the knowledge and training that he received during the 10 weeks with his everyday duties as Chief of Police here.
The people of Colquitt are proud of Scott and appreciate his taking the time out of his life to attend this school to better protect the citizens of this town.

Colquitt, a small town in southwest Georgia, has become known in recent years for its Swamp Gravy and Mayhaw Festival. Swamp Gravy is a stew-like dish that is made from “fish drippings,” tomatoes, potatoes, onions, and whatever else you have on hand.
The citizens of Colquitt have borrowed the name of the indigenous stew and applied it the town’s annual production of comedy, drama, and music that has become a crowd-pleasing performance for thousands since 1991. Swamp Gravy was first performed in the Miller County Elementary School auditorium, but a larger “theater” was required to accommodate the crowds, so an old cotton gin was renovated to enlarge the seating capacity and now each delightful show is presented in “Cotton Hall.”
The Mayhaw Festival is generally held the third weekend in April and is named for Mayhaw jelly, made from a tart fruit that grows in swampy areas. Boats and nets are typically used to harvest mayhaws, which make what the people of Colquitt refer to as “the best jelly in the world.”
Now United
If one were to travel to Colquitt today, the talk of the town, however, is not about Swamp Gravy or the Mayhaw Festival. The discussion would likely be about what is happening at First Baptist Church. The church, which will be 100 years old in November, has been plagued with problems in recent years.
Carl Marshall, who has had a distinguished pastoral and evangelistic ministry, was called to be the transitional pastor in June of 2005. He stated, “I thought I was coming to a dead church without a future. The reputation was that they had problems. At the first deacons’ meeting, they wanted to tell me their problems.”
Wilma Fleet, who has been a member of First Baptist for 40 years, commented, “Through much prayer we decided to call Carl Marshall as our intentional interim. He has loved us, and we are now united. We haven’t always been that way.”
Marshall added, “The church had only baptized three people the previous year, and they weren’t united. So, I thought I would come and help them with their problems and go back to my home in Buford.”
Marshall continued, “Colquitt’s population is only about 1,700, but a demographic study showed that there were 45,000 people living within a 20-mile radius of the church. I started thinking about the potential, and God began to give me a vision. I began to share that vision with the church and found my heart getting involved.”
The transitional pastor began going to Helen’s, a local café, for breakfast in order to interact with the “locals” who were there, but he soon learned that the same two men would get up and leave every time he came into the restaurant. Undaunted, he began to build relationships and witness to the men at breakfast. Those men who had left when they saw him coming began to stay and enter into the conversation.
Marshall joined the Chamber of Commerce in order to build relationships and increase the visibility of the church. He even went to the Miller County Young Farmers’ Live Stock Show and bought a hog for more than $400 just to show the young people that he was interested in them and what they were doing.
Marshall didn’t even get to take the hog home, but the community began to “get” the idea – the man who was preaching at First Baptist Church was genuinely interested in their lives, their present activities, and their eternal destiny.
The church began to grow, and people were being saved – even some of the men out of the “breakfast bunch.” One day, Charles Bodrey, one of the deacons in the church, approached Marshall and asked, “When are you going to quit being a transitional pastor and become our pastor?”
Marshall responded, “When I am formally asked about that, I will give you an answer.” Consequently, the 65-year-old preacher was extended a unanimous call to become the pastor on March 12.
Trimming Off The Fat
Bodrey explained, “Carl Marshall is just what this church needed. The church voted 100 percent to call him. That is not typical of our church, but he is a people person. Under his leadership, the church has just jelled together.
“He had to be from God. We are finally reaching people who have never been churched. We are seeing people over 65 get saved.”
Maridel Callan, a member of the church for approximately 20 years who has served as interim music director, proclaimed, “What is happening here is very exciting. We have a preacher who is really shepherding us. He is focused on soul winning and teaching us to do the same. He is trimming off the fat and getting rid of that which is not geared to reaching people for Christ. We are becoming a ‘lean, mean, soul-winning machine.’”
The church had to recently move their worship services from the sanctuary, which they have used since 1927, into the Family Life Center to accommodate the increased number of worshipers. The first Sunday in as interim music director, proclaimed, “What is happening here is very exciting. We have a preacher who is really shepherding us. He is focused on soul winning and teaching us to do the same.
“He is trimming off the fat and getting rid of that which is not geared to reaching people for Christ. We are becoming a ‘lean, mean, soul-winning machine.’”
The church had to recently move their worship services from the sanctuary, which they have used since 1927, into the Family Life Center to accommodate the increased number of worshipers the first Sunday in attendance. The morning worship service has averaged 254 since the third Sunday in June, which is a substantial increase over the same period last year.
In the past year the church has had 61 additions and 31 of those have come for baptism. Two men over 60 years of age made professions of faith on Sunday morning, Aug. 6, leaving the town buzzing about those significant life-changing commitments. In fact, the exciting news traveled so fast through town that the attendance for the worship experience that Sunday evening was 192.
Marshall declared, “We are just focusing on the Great Commission and seeking to make, mark, and mature disciples. The Sunday School is our primary base for doing that. I tell our folks that the Sunday School is not primarily for Bible study, but for outreach. Once we get them to come, then we can teach them the Bible, but we focus on outreach.”
Fleet emphasized, “We have a great future!” Everyone in Colquitt seems to believe her. That sentiment was vocalized at the local restaurant, the local service station, and all around the town.
Marshall and First Baptist have big plans. A master plan includes more educational space, a new worship center, and a retreat center. And, oh, by the way, Marshall will have Starbucks service available in the temporary worship center at their point of connection called “The Lighthouse Café.”

On Saturday morning, September 16, 2006, the rumor mill in Bainbridge was cranking out one story after another about who had won the $163 million Mega Millions lottery.
Lottery officials, who issued a press release saying the winning ticket was purchased in Bainbridge, couldn’t be reached for more details, such as which store in Bainbridge sold the ticket.
However, on Monday morning, September 18, Ben Chason of Bainbridge claimed the $95,433,255 cash prize.
Chason purchased his tickets at the Stop ‘n’ Buy, located at 835 Dothan Road in Bainbridge, which will receive a $25,000 retailer incentive bonus for selling the winning ticket. The store was identified Saturday night by Tandi Reddick, media relations director of the Georgia Lottery Corporation.
Chason didn’t actually realize he had won until Sunday when he stopped at a store in Climax to purchase cigarettes.
The odds of winning the jackpot are approximately one in 175 million. The Mega Millions is played in 12 states, which include Georgia, Virginia, Illinois, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, New Jersey, New York, Ohio, Texas, Washington state and California.
The winning numbers drawn on Friday night were 06-26-33-39-55, Mega ball number 01. Lottery officials said in a news release that, in addition to the grand prize winner, 13 players matched all five numbers but not the Mega Ball number. Those winners will receive second prizes of $250,000 each. Another 58 players, including six from Illinois, won third prizes of $10,000 dollars apiece.

On Monday, September 18, prices of regular unleaded gasoline in Colquitt ranged from $2.27 to $2.46.
Only 13 miles down the road in Donalsonville, customers were paying as little as $2.13 per gallon at one local convenience store while others were paying as much as $2.29 per gallon in the same town.
In Bainbridge at one of the same stations, customers were paying $2.36 per gallon, with the lowest being $2.32.
The lowest price in the nation was reported at $1.85 per gallon in Branson, MO. The highest was $3.92 in Kaunakakai, HI, and the national average was $2.50.
It seems everyone is getting excited about the price of gasoline getting lower.
Predictors are anticipating that before the beginning of the holiday season, gasoline will be as low as $2.00 per gallon.

Don Kirksey, who has owned and operated over a hand full of car dealerships during the past 50 years, just played the last card in his hand. On September 1, 2006, Kay Ford was sold to Tim Smith of Bainbridge, pending approval by Ford Motor Company.
Among the many car lines Kirksey has had are Ford, Lincoln, Mercury, Chrysler, Plymouth, Dodge, Chevrolet, Pontiac, Buick, Oldsmobile, and GMC. He started his automobile career the same way he ended it, at a Ford dealership. Don Kirksey began by working at Donalsonville Motor Company in 1956. He was there until 1968, when be bought Bainbridge Motor Company, the Ford place. He renamed it Kirksey Ford Sales. In 1971, he built a new building on West Shotwell Street in Bainbridge, the building that RiverBend Ford occupies today.
In 1979, he added the Chrysler Plymouth, Dodge franchises and named it Bainbridge Chrysler Plymouth Dodge. In 1985, he sold his dealership to a group of investors from Bainbridge. He moved to St. George Island and was in the real estate and home building business until 1990.
In December 1990, he bought the Pontiac Oldsmobile Buick and GMC dealership in Bainbridge and operated in the old dealership on Airport Road until 1994.
He then built a new facility on Thomasville Rd. in Bainbridge and moved his businesses there. In 1997, he bought the Chevrolet place in Bainbridge. He then built a new facility beside the Pontiac Oldsmobile Buick GMC Place and then moved Chevrolet there.
In 1999, Kirksey purchased Colquitt Ford from W. E. (Wink) Lane and changed the name to Kay Ford, naming it after his daughter, Kay.
In December of 2000 Kirksey sold both dealerships in Bainbridge to Brent Cook from Dothan, AL. Since 2000, he has worked part-time at Kay Ford.
Effective September 1, 2006, the Smith Group took over management of Kay Ford. Carlton Chambers will be the local operations manager; Larry Smith, Tim’s brother and a long-time Ford salesman in the area, will become a sales rep, and David Gibbs, former accountant for Kay Ford, will oversee business operations.
All present employers of Kay Ford will be retained: Jody Jarvis, finance and insurance manager; Kelly Chappell, accountant; Janet Hicks, office manager; Sterling Stinson, service manager and head technician; Charles Hill, service technician; Clay Roland, parts manager; and O.D. Henderson, porter.
Don would like to thank all of his loyal customers who have done business with him through the years. It is not without regrets that he leaves them, but having reached the age of 70, he feels it is time to slow down and do some of the things that he has not been able to do up to this point.

Week of September 17, 2006