Juneteenth Honorees

Tuesday, June 20, 2023

Tifton, Georgia

478-227-7126 ~ www.tiftongrapevine.com

Lee Byrd and Deloris Robinson-Byrd were among the honorees at Friday’s Juneteenth Ball. Lee Byrd received the Doc Melton Sr. Trailblazer Award; his wife was honored with the Pat Melton Heroism Award.

JUNETEENTH AWARDS HONOR LOCAL LEADERS

Tifton Grapevine Staff Reports

Former Tift County educator and coach Lee E. Byrd Jr. received the Doc Melton Sr. Trailblazer Award on Friday during the Juneteenth Ball that kicked off the weekend’s annual Juneteenth Celebration sponsored by Dee and Doc Melton Sr. Cultural Visions Inc.

Byrd, whose wife Deloris Robinson-Byrd received the LaVerne “Pat” Melton Heroism Award, led a a slate of community honorees at the Friday dinner.

Lee Byrd spent 40 years as an educator and coach, serving at Tift County Junior High School from 1980-1996. Known as a disciplinarian, Byrd served the junior high as a health-science teacher, as dean of students, and as eighth-grade basketball coach for 10 years and eighth-grade football coach for nine years.

While in Tift County, he coached the Herring Memorial United Methodist Church men’s basketball team to three consecutive state championships and coached the church’s boys’ softball team to a state championship.

Byrd also has worked as a principal in Cuthbert and at schools in Eastman, Brunswick, Wrightsville, Waycross, and Fort Gaines.

His wife Deloris, a Tifton native, was recognized at Friday’s dinner as Tift County’s first female black jail administrator. She received several awards during her work with the Tift County Sheriff’s Office. She currently works as a sergeant with the security department at Tift Regional Medical Center.

Also honored at the Juneteenth Ball were:

Eartha L. Street of Douglas with the Dee Melton Virtuous Woman Award. Street is the author of three books, is retired from the Coffee County Department of Family and Children’s Services, and is the president of the Deaconesses at Young’s Chapel Missionary Baptist Church.

Frank Sayles Jr. of Tifton with the Outstanding Humanitarian Award. Sayles is editor & publisher of the Tifton Grapevine, former publisher of The Tifton Gazette, former administrator at Southern Care Assisted Living Center, is a former Tifton city councilman, and has served as president/chairman of the United Way of South Central Georgia, of the Tiftarea YMCA, of the Tift County Foundation for Educational Excellence, of the Tifton-Tift County Public Library Foundation, of the Tifton Rotary Club, and is currently chairman of the Tifton-Tift County Tourism Association and also chairs the Tifton Planning & Zoning Commission.

Bonnie J. Sayles of Tifton with the Top Performance Award. She is managing editor of the Tifton Grapevine, has served as executive director and board president of Literacy Volunteers of Tifton-Tift County, as regional programs director of the Alzheimer’s Association, as memory care activities director at Southern Care Assisted Living Center, as secretary of Tifton’s Historic Preservation Commission, as president of the United Way of South Central Georgia, as president of the Tifton Twentieth Century Library Club, and teaches an English Language Learners class at Southern Regional Technical College.

Melanie Lester of Tifton with the Peer to Peer Award. Lester is a business owner, educator, and community advocate. After 20 years as a substitute teacher in the Tift County School System, she opened South Tifton Learning Center in 2015 to mentor children and aid their educational growth. She also began two other businesses: TireMan Transportation to transport the elderly to their appointments, and Women on the Move for God, helping families cope with domestic violence. She also helps feed and clothe the needy in the community and works a poll technician at local voting precincts.

Trudy Chaney of Tifton with the Outstanding Female Award. Chaney has worked with Ameris Bank for 16 years and is known by customers and co-workers at the Old Ocilla Road branch as Ms. Trudy with the big smile and positive attitude. She has been a devout member of Union Church in Eldorado for 25 years and works behind the scenes as a community volunteer. At a young age, she decided to devote time to serve the community at large and says "The joy of the Lord is my strength."

Gail Drayton of Tifton with the Groundbreaker Award. Drayton is the chief clerk of Municipal Court for the City of Tifton, a post she has held since 2017. She previously was deputy clerk. A Tift County High graduate, she initially went into law enforcement. After graduating from the South Georgia Regional Police Academy, Drayton served with the ABAC Police Department and later with the Ashburn Police Department. There, she rose to the rank of captain, supervised the administrative services division, and was the police liaison for the Ashburn Municipal Court. Her interest in the legal system led her to transition from law enforcement to court operations.

Dennis Reese with the Groundbreaker Award. Reese retired from the Tift County Sheriff’s Office after 32 years, serving as patrol commander, honor guard commander, internal affairs officer, and liaison officer. He was the first black to run for Tift County sheriff, and is often called “Sheriff Reese” around the community. He has received the Officer of the Year Award and was the first black citizen to receive the Liberty Bell Award from the Tifton Judicial Circuit Bar Association. He was also employed with the U.S. Marshals Service for five years. Reese has served on the board for Ruth’s Cottage & the PattiCake House, as vice commander of the Sons of the Legion Post 21, and as a member of the Tift County Civil Air patrol.

Dee and Doc Melton Sr. Cultural Visions, which sponsors the annual awards and Juneteenth celebration, is named to honor Dee and Doc Melton Sr., longtime leaders in the Tifton community. They owned and operated Melton’s Funeral Home and eight businesses simultaneously. In 1966, Doc Melton Sr. was the first black to run for public office in Tift County and organized the county’s first branch of the NAACP.

The Meltons' daughter, Rue’Nette Melton, organizes the annual awards and celebration to promote “unity in the community."

TIFTON POLICE PROBE TWO ARMED ROBBERIES

Tifton Grapevine Staff Reports

Tifton Police are investigating two armed robbery incidents that occurred late Thursday.

At approximately 10:40 p.m. Thursday, police responded to the Enmarket at 1819 N. Tift Ave. The store clerk said that a black male wearing all black and a hoodie approached the window, pointed a handgun, and demanded money. The clerk refused, and the male fled on foot southward on Tift Avenue.

Officers canvassed the area and found a potential getaway vehicle.

Then, at approximately 11:23 p.m. Thursday, Tifton Police were dispatched to the Murphy USA gas station at 1830 U.S. Highway 82 W. in response to an armed robbery. The store clerk said that a black male wearing a black hoodie and camouflage hat had brandished a gun, demanded money from the cash register, and then fled on foot west toward Walmart.

Officers canvassed the area but concluded the robber had fled the area.

Anyone with information is asked to contact Tifton Police Detective Justin Hutchinson at 229-382-3132, or to submit an anonymous tip using the Tifton PD Tip411 app: text TIFTONPD and the tip to 847411 or visit www.tifton.net, click tip411, and complete the online form.

AREA SCHOOL DISTRICTS RECEIVE EDUCATION GRANTS

By FRANK SAYLES JR.

Tifton Grapevine

Several area school systems are receiving Opportunity Grants from the Georgia Department of Education (GDOE) to help districts expand student opportunities.

The local grants are part of a total $6,123,948 package to support advanced learning; digital media and literacy; health and physical education; world languages; and mathematics, science, and social studies instruction.

Irwin County will receive a total of $14,946 – $12,000 for mathematics materials to support instruction and $2,946 for science equipment and materials.

Berrien County has been awarded a total of $9,285 – $6,285 for mathematics and $3,000 for science.

Turner County is getting a total $6,134 – $3,290 for mathematics and $2,844 for science.

Worth County will receive a $3,000 grant for science instruction.

Cook County has been awarded $16,000 for mathematics.

“We are committed to expanding opportunities and broadening horizons for our students,” said State School Superintendent Richard Woods. “This is a continued investment in our children, ensuring they have access to an engaging education that prepares them for life."

The GDOE awarded previous rounds of Opportunity Grants in March 2023 and in March 2022. They are made possible through federal stimulus funds under the American Rescue Plan Act.

TIFTON POLICE CHARGE PAIR IN TRAILER PARK SHOOTINGS

Tifton Grapevine Staff Reports

A Tifton man and a juvenile have been charged in connection with recent shootings at a Tifton trailer park, Tifton Police say.

Jerome Parks, 33, and a juvenile are charged with one count of aggravated assault, one count of aggravated battery, one count of robbery, and two counts of criminal damage to property in connection with recent shootings at South Central Trailer Park, Tifton Police said.

At approximately 1:35 p.m. March 17, Tifton Police responded to gunshots fired at 1113 S. Central Ave. Officers found a male with gunshot wounds to the abdomen. He was transported to Tift Regional Medical Center (TRMC) for treatment.

At 2:14 p.m. June 13, officers were sent to TRMC after a gunshot victim had arrived at the hospital. Officers identified Jaterrious Hurley, 20, of Tifton, receiving treatment for a gunshot wound to the head. Hurley told officers he was shot at South Central Trailer Park in Tifton.

The shootings remain an active investigation, police said.

TIFTON-TIFT COUNTY CHAMBER OF COMMERCE RIBBON CUTTING

John Hook Landscaping

Tifton

June 20

TIFTON GRAPEVINE'S CAT OF THE WEEK

“Oreo” is among the inquisitive kitties available for adoption at the Tift County Animal Shelter. To adopt Oreo and to see other pets available, visit the shelter between 1-6 p.m. Mondays through Fridays, or call 229-382-PETS (7387).

Pets of the Week are sponsored by:

Branch's Veterinary Clinic

205 Belmont Ave., Tifton, 229-382-6055

TIFT SAWMILL CLOSES FOREVER

~ JUNE 19, 1916

The H.H. Tift Sawmill, established in 1872 and to which Tifton owes its founding, shut down for good on June 19, 1916. Tift created his sawmill in the midst of a piney forest beside the Brunswick & Albany Railroad tracks. Today, that location is at the corner of Tift Avenue and Second Street, encompassed by the twin-brick former warehouse buildings that now house Fresco Italiano restaurant, apartments, and The Station event center. The mill was in operation for 44 years. It had burned in 1887 but was immediately rebuilt. It had operated continuously except for that interval and a short period during the summer of 1915.