Septembers Past 25 Years Ago 1992

From The LaGrange Daily News

Front Page News: Welcoming panel prepares to Host Olympic hopefuls

LaGrange Mayor Chris Joseph today announced the creation of an “I Train In LaGrange” committee to coordinate local activities in connection with the 1996 Summer Olympics in Atlanta.

“Southern hospitality won the Olympics fot Atlanta and we want to show our hospitality to athletes who are training for the 1996 games,” Joseph said.

“The major benefit to us will be the opportunity for our youth to associate with and get to know these Olympic hopefuls.”

Twelve Olympians trained in LaGrange this summer in preparation for the Summer Games in Barcelona, and the Callaway Foundation recently donated 60 acres for an Olympic track and training facility near Gardner Newman Middle School. Betty Fagundes, who for nearly two years has worked to promote this area in connection with the Olympics, will chair the I Train In LaGrange Committee.

Track athletes from Mauritius ready to begin training here 

Officials of the I Train In LaGrange committee are welcoming three athletes from Mauritius, who arrived Sept. 11, to begin training at Granger Park in preparation for the 1996 Olympic Games.

The track athletes, who will live at LaGrange College, will also be training for other international meets, including the 1993 Indian Ocean Games, the 1993 World Track & field Indoor and Outdoor Championships and the 1994 Commonwealth Games set for Victoria, British Columbia, Canada.

The three athletes are Jimmy Pierre Louis, Davie Clement and Luciano Labone.

Mauritius is an island in the Indian Ocean off the coast of Africa.

Proposed track complex to include stadium, dorm

County Recreation Director Jim Herbert released details today of a master site development plan for the proposed international track and field complex in LaGrange.

The proposed development would be built in 60 acres donated by the Callaway Foundation on Davis Rad near Gardner Newman School.

Herbert said the final plans would be completed by mid October  and “if all goes well, we’ll be holding competitions on the new track by the spring of 1994”

Local officials hope to build the development with money solicited from corporate sponsors, along with contributions of $235,000 each from the city and county governments.

Some elements of the plan have longer range goals that would have to be paid for with local money.

Local pair to deliver aid, open Florida soup kitchen

A local couple, Betty and Norris Polley, plan to travel to South Florida Wednesday night to deliver items to Hurricane Andrew victims and set up a soup kitchen in the Miami area.

The Colleys and three sons are joining a national camping organization delivering campers and RVs loaded with materials for the victims of the hurricane. The say they still have room for additional much needed items like water and non-perishable food items.

Local aid reaches Andrew victims 

Over six tons of food supplies donated by concerned Troup countians, have been delivered to victims of Hurricane Andrew by representatives of the local chapter of Telephone Pioneers.

Lewis Shelton, who coordinated the project, said more than two loads of food and one load of water were collected along with several thousand dollars in cash.

Other relief efforts are still in progress, including a truck due to leave for Homestead late Friday. That effort, organized by a former Homestead resident, Grace Rudd, is accepting donations in the Winn Dixie Marketplace parking lot.

LHS grad named top songwriter

A former LaGrange resident and LaGrange High School graduate, Pat Alger, whose country hits include Garth Brooks’ “Unanswerd Prayers” and “The Thunder Rolls” has been named songwriter of the Year by the American Society of Composers, Arthurs and Publishers.

The award was announced Monday at ASCAP’s 30th annual country awards dinner.

(This is the same Pat Alger who will perform at LaGrange College’s West Side Recital Hall on Friday, Oct.27, 2017.)

National merit semifinalist

Outstanding seniors at both LaGrange High and Troup County High School have qualified as semi-finalist in the 1993 National Merit Scholarship competition. Dana Gaston of Troup High and Bindu Lingham of LHS are among the approximately 15,000 semi-finalists selected on the basis of their scores in the 1991 Preliminary Scholastic Aptitude Test (CPSAT) taken as juniors.

They advance to become finalists awarded each spring.

All-American cheerleaders

There will be at least two All Americans in uniform when Troup and LaGrange high schools open the fall football season tonight.

Christy Gonzales, Troup High varsity cheerleader and Julie Huberdeau, Varsity cheerleader at LHS, received All American recognition at NCA summer camps at Auburn.

The “All American” cheerleading teams were selected based on cheerleading technique, leadership and all-around cheerleading ability.

Julia Dyar, a retired journalist, is active in the Troup County Historical Society.