By GABE JORDAN
gabe.jordan@gaflnews.com
CORDELE — Thousands of tourists pass through this city each day on Interstate 75, and many of them no doubt scratch their heads and wonder, “What is that rocket doing here?”
“That was the very point,” John Pate said Thursday at a ceremony marking the 40th birthday of the iconic Titan missile. “It’s a unique and unusual landmark for Cordele and Crisp County.”
Pate was the incoming president of the local Rotary Club in 1967, when the Cold War and the Vietnam War were at their height. I-75 was brand new and gasoline cost less than 20 cents a gallon.
“We were trying to come up with something that would make our community stand out,” Pate said. “I had visited Cape Kennedy that year and learned the Air Force was decommissioning the Titan missiles.”
Pate was able to secure the loan of a missile from the U.S. Air Force, Tony and Martha Jane LaPorte donated a plot of land, and the Rotary Club raised money to buy materials that were crafted by workers at Harris Press (now Harris Waste Management) into a base for the rocket.
The rest is history.
“The missile was flown from California to Robins Air Force base on a training mission, and we trucked it with the help of the Air Force to Cordele,” Pate said. “Thanks to Randy Folsom’s donated crane, we were able to raise the Titan one stage at a time.”
Pate recognized two people who were crucial to the actual raising of the missile. He said Billy Raines and Gene Kelly “were indispensable to what became a very difficult — and dangerous — task.”
USAF Lt. Col. Mike Ziban was on hand for Thursday’s birthday celebration, and he said the difficult work was worth the effort.
“I’ve traveled in something like 30 different countries and I remember seeing only one or two Titans on display,” Ziban said. “So Cordele truly is unique.”
Cordele’s Titan missile is situated on property now occupied by the local Texaco station and the local Krystal restaurant, whose employees tend the grounds that are the home to the south Georgia landmark.
Local news
Related Photos
Cordele celebrates missile’s 40th
- Local news
-
-
Business steady at inland port
Containers were being unloaded Tuesday from train cars parked at Cordele Intermodal Services on 13th Ave. E. Those containers will be transported to their destinations by truck.
-
Ground broken Monday
-
Cordelean faces felony, traffic charges filed after chase
A 43-year-old local man has been charged with multiple offenses stemming from weekend incidents involving authorities in Crisp and Dooly Counties.
-
Fees set in Wilcox
Meeting in special session Thursday, Wilcox commissioners set qualifying fees for the 2012 election of constitutional officers in the county.
-
Tyson named business of the year
VIENNA — Tyson Foods of Vienna was honored as the Dooly County Chamber of Commerce Business of the Year during the organization’s annual dinner and meeting Thursday night.
-
Council seeks answers
BYROMVILLE — Not only members of the general public, but city officials here are having problems getting information about the town's financial status.
-
Suspected drug distributor arrested
CORDELE — Execution of a search warrant at 620 15th Ave. E. Thursday afternoon has led to the arrest of a 57-year-old resident for drug violations.
-
Teen Maze returning
For the third time in the last four years, Teen Maze is returning to Crisp County High School this spring.
-
Pecan producers invited to meeting
All area pecan producers are invited to a production meeting Wednesday, Feb. 15 at 12 noon in the Crisp County Ag Assembly Room.
-
Take your favorite girl(s) to a dance
Fathers, grandfathers, godfathers, uncles and other father figures have an opportunity to make some young girl feel really special this Friday.
- More Local news Headlines
-
Cab Driver Helps Wis. Family Escape House Fire
Greek Leaders Seek Deal As Bankruptcy Looms
Bernanke: Recovery Depends on Consumer Spending
Komen Official Out After Planned Parenthood Row
Staff Removed at LA School During Abuse Probe
Eastwood in Super Bowl Ad 'Compassionate'
Stranded Fishermen Rescued From Bay of Green Bay
Analyst: Outside Troops Won't Intervene in Syria
Murder Trial for Ex-U.Va. Lacrosse Player Begins
NY Giants Touch Down Victorious
Police: Father Planned Deadly Fire for Some Time
US, UK Pressure on Syria; More Homs Violence
Raw Video: Mass Killer Wants Medal, Freedom
Few Answers in Death of Sons of Missing Utah Mom
Court Strips Contador of Tour De France Title
Runaway Goat Leads Police on Wild Chase
And the Winner for Best Super Bowl Ad Is...
Romney Latest Poll to Join Let-me-explain Club
Blast Kills Husband of Missing Utah Mom, 2 Boys
Obama: US, Israel Will Work Against Iran Nukes
