The world’s most unusual rabbit box

 

For about two years, I have been playing tennis two or three times a week with some gentlemen of similar age and opportunity. “Old, retired guys” is another way to say that.

It’s a good group of guys, and they welcomed me like they do all newcomers. At first, I was the guy that you lost with. Now, I win my fair share.

For the most part, it is a first-name clan. You don’t need to know the last name to say, “Good shot, Peter.” Or Bob, or Ross, or Hank, or Steve…I don’t need to list 30-something names, do I?

I knew some of them from another life, like Hank Johnson, my editor at the Athens Banner-Herald. But for most of them, tennis is the common denominator.

When there is an odd number of players, we chat as we wait to play. And maybe get to know each other a bit. Which is how I learned not long ago that Peter Wild was born and raised in England. He was a child there during World War II. Unlike the children of London who were dispatched to the countryside for their own safety, Peter already lived in the country.

He discovered Athens when he came to attend the University of Georgia. He found his bride here too.

“I married an Athens girl,” he clarified.

“Anyone I might know?” I inquired.

“Harriett Rosser,” he said.

My follow-up comment was not exactly an artful segue. And if I were to offer you a million dollars, you could not predict what I said next.

“Have you ever run across a mahogany rabbit box?”

“Well, yes,” he said. “I have one in the barn. I was thinking about putting it in the garden because the rabbits are getting into the okra.”

“My dad made that rabbit box,” I said.

After Daddy bought a farm and moved to Winterville, he had a shop and filled it with a planer, a drill and saws of various types and took to making furniture. I’m at this very moment sitting in front of a J.B. Giles-made coffee table. Elsewhere in my home are other furniture pieces he made. He made cedar hope chests and cradles and tables and cabinets, giving them away.

Daddy did not as a rule work from plans. He could conceptualize it and make it. The one exception might have been the magician’s box with the hidden door that he made on order.

Decades ago, Daddy made the rabbit box, from mahogany, and gave it as a gag to his friend Harry Rosser, Peter’s father-in-law. Harry was a World War II veteran who worked at the University of Georgia Physical Plant before retiring.

I never saw the box. But I knew about it, and I knew it must have been received warmly, probably with a belly laugh.

Back to the tennis court.

“Say, Peter, do you think you could take a picture of that box? I’ve never seen it.”

“Tell you what,” said Peter, “I’ll bring it next time we play so you can see it.”

Sure enough, he transported it to the Athens-Clarke Tennis Center, in the trunk of his white Corvette. A mahogany rabbit box has to travel in style, you know.

I recognized Daddy’s handiwork and style. Peter demonstrated how it worked, just like a rabbit box should.

“Peter, let me get a photo,” I said.

“Would you like to take it home?” he asked.

It would be poetic to write that my heart skipped a beat. I had not expected so gracious an offer.

“If you’re serious, I would love to,” I said. “It will be a treasured heirloom in our family.”

And so, I packed it in the trunk of my BMW Z3. Still traveling in style.

Peter once worked for Clarke County and knew my dad, but I don’t believe he knew that he was the creator of the world’s most unusual rabbit box.

Peter said he looked for some marks to indicate the maker, but he never found them. My wife did, on the base, a simple stencil reading JBG.

For now, the rabbit box occupies a spot on the hearth, and its story has been enriched by an act of kindness that is every bit as grand as the original handiwork.

How 1980 is like 2017, and how it is not

The 1980 season and the 2017 college football seasons end with Georgia playing for the national championship.

But in 1980, the Bulldogs had to wait a few hours to be voted national champions by various polls. No such wait will be necessary in 2017.

Both the 1980 and 2017 Georgia teams had a Woerner playing for them.

In 1980, it was All-American Scott Woerner, whose interception in the fourth quarter stymied the final Notre Dame drive. In 2017, it is Charlie Woerner, nephew to the aforementioned Scott, who made key catches early in the Rose Bowl win over Oklahoma.

The 1980 and 2017 Georgia teams are alike in that the punishing running of a Georgia-born tailback was key.

But in 1980, freshman superstar Herschel Walker of Wrightsville pretty much carried the load by himself, whereas in 2017, Nick Chubb of Cedartown has had plenty of help from Sony Michel and Co.

The 1980 team was quarterbacked by highly-recruited Buck Belue of Valdosta, and the 2017 team is quarterbacked by highly-recruited Jake Fromm of Warner Robins, two homegrown, hometown legends who excelled in baseball too.

Belue’s best baseball, however, came as a slugging outfielder for the Bulldogs, whereas Fromm’s baseball exploits seem behind him, as a star for Warner Robins’ Little League World Series champions.

2017 is like 1980 in that the top two rushers combined for close to 2,000 yards at the end of the regular season.

The seasons are dissimilar in that in 1980, Walker accounted for 1,616 of the 1,969 yards he and Carnie Norris gained. In 2017, Chubb and Michel were much closer to even on the 2,001 yards they gained before the regular season was over. Adding two post-season games, they have combined for 2,449 yards, with Chubb getting 54 percent and Michel 46 percent.

The 2017 Bulldogs are like the 1980 Bulldogs in that the offensive line has been a stable strength all season.

The only real difference between the lines is that in 2017, a freshman started, Andrew Thomas, whereas the 1980 team was loaded with upperclassmen.

The 1980 season and the 2017 season are alike in that the Bulldogs won their first road game by one point at night. In both wins, a freshman back played a critical role in the win.

In 1980, Georgia opened the season at Knoxville with a 16-15 comeback win over Tennessee. Freshman Herschel Walker came off the bench to rally the Bulldogs, scoring two touchdowns.

In 2017, of course, Georgia’s second game of the year was a 20-19 win at Notre Dame where Jake Fromm started and threw a touchdown pass.

The 1980 and 2017 Georgia teams are alike in that they beat everyone on their schedule.

But while the 1980 team was undefeated, the 2017 team beat Auburn the second time around in the SEC championship.

In both 1980 and 2017, Georgia won games because of a big-time reception by a receiver.

But in 1980, it was Lindsay Scott’s 93-yard catch that rallied the Bulldogs to a late win over Florida in the Gator Bowl. In 2017, it was Terry Godwin who caught Fromm’s early TD pass against Notre Dame. The catch was ultimately declared by ESPN the college football play of the year.

Both the 1980 and 2017 teams featured a consensus All-America football player.

For the 1980 team, it was freshman tailback Herschel Walker, who finished runner-up for the Heisman Trophy. In 2017, linebacker Roquan Smith was a unanimous All-American and winner of the Butkus Award.

Both the 1980 and 2017 teams depended on a veteran, senior kicker.

In 1980, it was senior placekicker Rex Robinson, whereas in 2017 punter Cameron Nizialek has transformed Georgia’s punting game in his one season after transferring from Columbia.

In the preseason rankings in 1980 and 2017, Georgia opened the season ranked in the mid-teens.

The 1980 Bulldogs were ranked No. 16 in the first AP poll. They were not ranked No. 1 until after the comeback win against Florida, coupled with Notre Dame’s 3-3 tie against Georgia Tech, which was winless in 1980. The 2017 AP preseason poll ranked Georgia No. 15. The Bulldogs have yet to be ranked No. 1 by AP this year, rising as high as No. 2. Georgia was ranked No. 1 for two weeks in the College Football Playoff Rankings.

In both the 1980 and 2017 seasons, the Bulldogs enjoyed a dramatic New Year’s Day bowl win over an iconic college football superpower that it had previously never played.

In 1980, it was a 17-10 win over Notre Dame in the Sugar Bowl, clinching a 12-0 season and the national title. In 2017, it was Oklahoma, a 54-48 victim in the Rose Bowl, earning a CFP semifinal win.

The head coaches of both the 1980 and 2017 Georgia teams left assistant coaching positions at an Alabama university to coach the Bulldogs.

In 1980, Vince Dooley was in his 17th season, having left his alma mater, Auburn, to come to Georgia. In 2017, Kirby Smart is in his second year coaching at his alma mater, having left Nick Saban’s Alabama staff. (After the 1980 regular season finished, Dooley was courted by Auburn to return as the head coach, but he stayed to coach for and win the national title,)

Both the 1980 and 2017 Georgia teams featured starting cornerbacks who began their career as walk-ons.

In 1980, it was Mike Fisher who had walked on after transferring from Furman. He had an interception in the Sugar Bowl. In 2017, Aaron Davis has been a mainstay secondary starter since he walked on after knee injuries shortened his high school career. Also, Davis in 2017 broke a school record for most games started by a former walk-on, bettering the mark set by linebacker Nate “Ty Ty” Taylor, starting linebacker for the 1980 Bulldogs.

In 1980 and 2017, Georgia rallied and won in last-minute fashion because of dramatic heroics.

In 1980, it was Belue to Scott for 93 yards against Florida. In 2017, it was Michel scoring as the second overtime ended to beat Oklahoma in the semis, this after Lorenzo Carter blocked a field goal in overtime, that after Nick Chubb had scored the tying touchdown with 55 seconds to play in regulation, and that after Fromm directed a great closing drive.

Both the 1980 and 2017 teams featured great senior leadership.

But 1980’s senior leaders—Chris Welton, Hugh Nall, Frank Ros, Nat Hudson and Scott Woerner—spent their summer painting the practice-field wall as punishment for stealing a UGA hog for a team barbecue in the spring of 1980. The 2017 senior leaders feature four selfless veterans who could have earned millions in the NFL by turning pro after their junior seasons: Chubb, Michel, Carter and Davin Ballamy.

The 1980 Bulldogs won their last game. 2017? Remains to be seen.

The redemption run continues

On the final, glorious football play of the 2018 Rose Bowl, Sony Michel completed his own redemption journey on this magical mystery tour that is the still-unfolding Bulldog season.

Michel’s jaunt measured a mere 27 yards, but its worth far outweighed its length. It ended a wrenching College Football Playoff semifinal, earning for the University of Georgia a place in the title game, by virtue of a 56-48 comeback win over Oklahoma.

Michel’s touchdown run was entirely in character. This proved to be the penultimate game of a career that adds up to a resume equaled by few and surpassed mathematically only by two of his UGA predecessors.

If you are interested in the raw numbers, he traversed 181 yards over the beautiful Rose Bowl turf on a mere 11 attempts. Counting a pass from his precocious quarterback, Michel reached the Promised Land four times.

But for a while, it appeared that he might go home remembering one disastrous carry.

Midway in the fourth quarter, he had uncharacteristically fumbled the football. Oklahoma defender Steven Parker was fortuitously in the neighborhood and was able to scoot 47 yards with the pilfered pigskin, rallying his Sooners to a 45-38 lead.

In his four years, Michel has been entrusted with the football hundreds of times, enough to cover 3,540 yards. Usually, he has responded with alacrity and dependability. In fact, we learned after his ill-timed fumble, that he had not lost a fumble since his freshman season.

Well, this has been the year of redemption for Georgia, avenging the blemishes of Kirby Smart’s first season. Tennessee, Vanderbilt, Florida, Georgia Tech—victors last year—became the vanquished this year by a combined 168-28 score. Only Ole Miss by virtue of scheduling escaped payback, and perhaps their in-state rival Mississippi State took the punishment instead.

The theme continued in the SEC championship game when the Bulldogs were presented the opportunity to avenge the lone blot on this year’s slate, a 40-17 embarrassment at Auburn. So Georgia won the one that counted, 28-7, earning its placement in this toddler of a playoff system. So we arrive at this point of the season, and only two teams in the nation have beaten everybody on their schedule: Central Florida and Georgia.

As if the buildup to a semifinal game on the hallowed Rose Bowl grounds is not enough drama, a soap opera played out through the week regarding the Sooners’ talented quarterback, Baker Mayfield. He shows promise for those clever Heisman commercials.

Mayfield was afflicted with a mysterious illness. Confession: his history fostered thoughts that perhaps the young man was at first dealing with the effects of a hangover. But there was ample evidence to the contrary that he was dealing with an upper-respiratory ailment. Hoarseness is a challenge in these days of audible calls.

Mayfield showed no signs of illness Monday. He navigated his team to a “name-your-score” 31-17 halftime lead. He even managed to catch a touchdown pass.

That was very nearly the last demonstration of his considerable skill. What looked easy in the first half became difficult in the second half.

Meanwhile, across the field, his opposite, Jake Fromm performed admirably. Yes, he reminded us with a “what-were-you-thinking” backwards pass under pressure that he is a freshman. But honestly, he is not an ordinary freshman. The world is his stage, and if he has found the limits of his comfort zone, they have yet to be seen.

So in the Granddaddy of Them All, with a championship season on the line, Fromm directed a 59-yard scoring drive in seven plays, leaving just 55 seconds for Mayfield to answer.

Curiously, or not, little was asked of either quarterback in the overtimes. Coaches Kirby Smart and Lincoln Riley—sharing three years of head coaching experience between them—opted for a very conservative approach.

The handwriting was on the wall for the Sooners when Lorenzo Carter—who under different circumstances might have been counting his NFL money by now—swiped an Oklahoma field goal try. As it developed, Georgia would have won the game even without the block, but it certainly put a different spin on things when the Bulldog offense took the field.

And so, on the last play, Michel ran from the Wild Dawg formation, a plain announcement of an infantry advance. The aforementioned Fromm blocked like an expert, and Michel strolled unbruised into Bulldog history, into college football history.

There remains yet one more contest, and if you are looking for redemption, just remember that the last time Georgia and Alabama played under a roof in Atlanta, five years ago, a tipped pass in the last five seconds robbed the Bulldogs of a chance to play for a national title.

Well, if you can look on the other side of the bus, you would note that they tore that building down. And Georgia is undefeated in the new place. Against an Alabama school.

It was dry in Washington

So, I understand that you had a little rain hereabouts last week.

While the Oconee area was enveloped by drenching gray clouds, my wife and I were standing at the base of Mt. Rainier in Washington, where barely even a cloud was visible, much less rain.

The irony is that Mt. Rainier is one of the ten wettest locations in the lower 48. So is Forks, Wash., which we merely drove through. We are not big fans of the Twilight sagas. If that is an obscure reference to you, then neither are you a fan of the teenage werewolf stories that have been cinematic sensations. At least at the box office.

Jan and I visited the Pacific Northwest last week. We figured it would be a chance to see a part of the world we had never seen and get a break from the summer heat.

As it turned out, who knew that we would be going to the wet state where it was clear and dry all week. And a little warm, by their standards.

Seattle served as the hub for the escape, but with our Mustang convertible as transportation we traversed the state, practically from top to bottom and east to west. In hindsight, it was a little too much driving, but the scenery was spectacular.

We saw our first sunset over the Pacific Ocean in Long Beach, where it ordinarily rains more than 200 days a year. Not when we were there.

Now, it was on the chilly side, with temps in the upper 60s to low 70s, and windy. This is not a beach for sun bathing.

I was warned ahead of time that Mt. Rainier might not be visible. It is usually shrouded in clouds. Not while we were there. It loomed over us from all sides, a spectacular snow-capped sight, whether seen up close or in the distance. Mt. Baker and Mt. Hood were other snow-capped peaks visible from miles away.

One of our excursions took us to Friday Harbor on San Juan Island. A store owner apologized for the 84 degree temperatures. “I am melting,” she said.

Frankly, we had not noticed.

Now, it was hot in Yakima, which is on the desert side of the Cascades. It was 98 in the shade. Happily, we did not spend much time there. It was merely a layover en route to the Columbia River Gorge.

Driving the roads of Washington is akin to driving in extreme north Georgia. Lot of hills and curves. From what I saw, vast amounts of the state are uninhabitable because of the mountains. But it makes for spectacular scenery.

Two major side excursions took us near and into Canada. We ended the trip with a visit to beautiful Victoria, British Columbia, where Butchart Gardens is a must-see destination. Any plant lover will be absolutely enthralled by what they have done over the last century in transforming what used to be a rock quarry.

The city of Victoria itself is a jewel, its harbor one of the most picturesque you can imagine. Sea planes drop in gently amid the whale-watching boats. Sail boats and cruise ships alike anchor in the harbor.

Speaking of whales, we elected to take a sea kayaking tour early in the trip. We departed from Snug Harbor, led by an able young woman who grew up in Missouri and was educated in Vermont before landing a job in Washington.

We saw bald eagles and I tasted bull kelp, but we saw no signs of whales.

During the trip, our guide, Dakota, asked get-to-know-you questions.

“I’m the editor of a weekly newspaper in Watkinsville,” said I.

From the kayak to our right: “We know where Watkinsville is! Our daughter lives in Bishop!”

Turns out it was the Arnolds, parents of Kim Arenas, the former All-American gymnast who is now teaching young gymnasts at Georgia Elite Gymnastics in Watkinsville.

Fortunately, Jan was on her best behavior, so there are no tales to tell.

Wood for Warriors

Sutton Norris, red cap, and friends meet Michael Boucher, who lost his legs in active duty. He showed them the track-type wheelchair that he owns. 

Until recently, Sutton Norris was another faceless name on the Prince Avenue Christian School football roster. No. 20.

In my role as play-by-play announcer for the Wolverines football team, I had memorized his number. He was not a star on the team that went all the way to the state finals last year.

At 145-pounds, it is unlikely that young Mr. Norris is going to forge his path in football.

But he is a trailblazer. Make no mistake about that.

Norris crossed my path face to face recently at a barbecue. He was passing out business cards.

Wood for Warriors.

It was not a fundraiser for Oconee County High.

Norris has wanted to be in the military since he was 6 years old. He is divided between the Naval Academy and West Point. One grandfather was an intelligence officer in the Army. Another was a Navy aviator who served with John McCain in Vietnam.

Young lads can hear some of the stories of military exploits and come away with stars in their eyes. But Norris has seen the other side too.

That’s what Wood for Warriors is all about.

Norris aims to cut wood to raise money for a track-type wheelchair that veterans can use on hunting expeditions.

Norris saw one and learned of the efforts of two other Oconee County businessmen in raising funds for such vehicles: Tom Little and Terry Fohey.

The latter had Norris and some friends out to his new farm in Greene County last weekend. He put their zeal to the test with a full day of clearing vines and underbrush and small trees in what Fohey hopes will be a retreat and a place for wounded veterans to hunt.

“It is a beautiful piece of land,” said Norris.

Norris talked two classmates, Walker Boswell and Jack Wilfong, into helping him, His dad, Tab, joined in, as did his Young Life leader, Tory Singer. I wonder if cutting wood was in the ministry job description.

Fohey was a little concerned when Boswell showed up for a day of working in the woods wearing short pants.

“You are going to get all cut up,” Fohey warned him.

At the end of the day, he was all cut up, but he hung in there until he had to go do some chores at home. His pals came by later and helped him.

Michael Boucher came by the work site, with a wheelchair.

“It was a surreal experience,” said Norris, “to see that this is real and achievable. But we have a lot of hard work ahead.”

At the end of the day, Fohey cut a check for $1,000 to Wood for Warriors. Norris had passed the test with flying colors. For the second time.

When Fohey first got wind of Norris’s quest, he helped arrange a visit for Norris to a hospital near Washington, D.C., where he could meet some of the men that he was determined to help. Like Samuel Walley, who came back without one arm and one leg.

“It was chilling, seeing that,” said Norris. “It was rough to see these guys who have sacrificed so much for our country. It really fired me up.”

Write this down: (706) 248-4812 or suttonnorris@gmail.com. That is how you can get in touch with Mr. Norris and turn your wood into something for the nation’s warriors.

One thing for sure. Sutton Norris, No. 20 in the program, is an All-American in my book.

This was published in The Oconee Enterprise Thursday, May 16, 2013.

Meeting the man from Mitchell

The press release from Congressman Broun’s office was intriguing: World War II veteran to receive medals.

That was how I met Marion Snider of Mitchell, Ga.

I didn’t get Mr. Snider’s age, but when you are a World War II vet these days, you are pretty much already in the overtime period of life.

My first impression of Mr. Snider was entirely positive. He looked good in a suit and tie, and his bride of 10 years looked good too. Mr. Snider laughed when I joked, “Took you a while to work up the courage to ask her to marry you, huh?”

Of course, she is his second bride, and I never did hear the story of their courtship. The medal ceremony interrupted the story.

I’ve never been to Mitchell, but I’ve been to Gibson. Which is on the way to nowhere.

“Mitchell is a suburb of Gibson,” quipped Mr. Snider.

He told me his story of service in World War II. It was not a story of great heroism. But it was a story of sacrifice, nonetheless.

He was assigned to the mechanized cavalry in the U.S. Army. Trucks. His was a vital job of keeping the lifeline flowing to the men on the front.

He eventually was stationed in the Philippines, on the New Guinea side, so he never crossed paths with another hero, Cobern Kelley, a mate on the USS Narwhal, a submarine that ferried people and supplies from Australia to the Philippines and back. Kelley was later the physical director at the Athens YMCA.

Mr. Snider’s truck company was preparing for the invasion of Japan when he heard about the atomic bomb.

“We knew then that the war was over,” he said.

Soon, he was on a ship to San Francisco, stacked in bunks below decks. He ate one meal a day and relieved himself off the deck. Some times reporters learn too much information.

He arrived back in San Francisco in the dead of night. No cheering crowds. He did get a steak dinner.

“It was good,” he said.

He went into trucking for a while before going to work for the Veterans Affairs. But he had always wanted to be a rural mail carrier, and he made the right connection to deliver mail in Mitchell. It doesn’t get more rural than that.

By the time he retired, he had 42 years of service with Uncle Sam, and he had raised a family. There are now grandchildren and even great grandchildren.

The medal presentation was necessitated because he misplaced the original issues. That was where Congressman Broun stepped in. For the record, Mr. Snider received the Good Conduct Medal, Meritorious Unit Commendation, Asiatic-Pacific Campaign Medal with three Bronze Service Stars, World War II Victory Medal, Philippine Liberation Ribbon, Honorable Service Lapel Button for WWII and Marksman Badge w/ Rifle Bar. 

But he also received a little moment in the sun. The respect that fellow serviceman Congressman Broun expressed to Mr. Snider for his service was heartfelt.

There is certainly more to the story of Marion Snider, but just to hear a slice of his life was a treat.

Thank you, Mr. Snider.

‘Big Daddy’ was friend to all he met

From time to time it becomes necessary to report on the death of people prominent in a small community like Oconee County. George Hillsman was prominent almost before Oconee County was a community. Unfortunately, I did not have the pleasure of getting to know him before he died recently. So here is the story that appeared in The Oconee Enterprise about a week after his death.

George Hillsman was affectionately known as “Big Daddy.”

The nickname aptly described him. He lived a large life, and he took practically everyone he met under his protective wing.

Hillsman, 83, died Wednesday, March 13. He had collapsed the day before at Hot Thomas Restaurant, one of his favorite hangouts.

David Williams said he thought that Hillsman earned the nickname in the late ‘60s when he was supervising a crew of laborers, Williams included, who were working on soil tests in Georgia and nearby states. Williams was with the Southern Piedmont Experiment Station at the time.

“He was a big man,” said Williams, “probably 375 to 400 pounds. And he was always looking out for us young guys. I believe it was Wendell Hardigree who said, ‘George is trying to look after us like a big daddy.’ And the name stuck.

“He took me under his wing,” confirmed Fred Hale, who worked for Hillsman.

“One of his main deals was where would we eat,” Williams said. “Over in Saluda, S.C., he found a boarding house that served country dinners. And not by the plate. You sat down at a table, and they brought you all you could eat.”

Williams said he talked to Robert Sheats at the funeral last Saturday. Sheats had been one of those who worked for Hillsman.

“Robert told me that George was like a father figure to him,” Williams said. “Big Daddy was an appropriate nickname. He was an encourager. He was one of those people that made you feel better anytime you were around him, and he was generous to a fault.”

Hillsman was born and raised in Oconee County and lived most of his life here. He was in the military, and Sidney Bell recalled that Hillsman once worked in Irwinton, Ga., where he lived next door to Bell’s aunt.

Bell was another one who went to work under Hillsman at Southern Piedmont.

“He had a way of taking care of you,” said Bell. “He was Big Daddy to a lot of people.”

Bell was close in age to one of the Hillsman sons, Charles.

“I always loved going over there,” he said. “I’d go help him haul straw. We built barns and picked up dead chickens. Charles and I had children about the same age, and George was like an uncle to my children.”

Steve Maxey said that Hillsman was like a brother to him. They were born 11 days and a mile and a half apart.

“We used to ride tricycles down the road to see each other,” said Maxey. “We stayed at one or the other’s house all the time. We were down at the creek, building dams across the branch or fishing or playing in the woods.”

Maxey became a commercial roofer and worked out of Atlanta for many years. But the two stayed in touch. Maxey would buy beef from Hillsman when he killed a cow. When Maxey retired and returned to the area, their friendship resumed.

Hillsman had a reputation as a good cook, particularly when it came to chicken mull or turtle mull. Hale remembered the times they caught a turtle, fed it and then made turtle mull. “He made sure everybody got something to eat,” Hale said.

Hillsman farmed too, growing chickens and raising cattle.

“The Hillsmans were always willing to try something new,” said Russ Page.  “They put part of their farm in farmland protection 10 or 12 years ago. When the University of Georgia came out with a new kind of alfalfa that could be grazed on, they tried it out.”

Williams recalled a misunderstanding based on Hillsman’s willingness to try new things. Hillsman had purchased a Simmental bull and was going to cross-breed it. One of his friends told someone that Hillsman had bought a “cinnamon tree bull.”

“George was always trying to help someone,” said Williams. “He’d help them with their cows or their hay. He was the tax man too. There is no telling how many income tax returns he did for people. He told me the other

day that he was even doing some this year. It was just something he did for people.”

Charles Osborn said that Hillsman paid for Osborn to go to soil conservation camp when Osborn was 12 years old.

 “He was a friend to everybody,” Williams said. “He wanted to know everybody. And if he saw you in Publix and didn’t know you, he would try to find out who you were.”

Like as not, he would find some connection and even kinship to any new person he met.

Williams said that he suspected that Hillsman had sleep apnea before anyone knew what to call it.

“He would fall asleep at the drop of a hat,” Williams said. “He could go to sleep standing up.”

Bell said that he had not spoken to Hillsman since August when he came to the Antioch Church barbecue. “My job changed the last three years, and I have not spent as much time with him and that is very regrettable.”