SATURDAY December 21, 2019 BARTOW COUNTY’S ONLY DAILY NEWSPAPER 75 cents Childhood friends journey through substance abuse recovery BY JAMES SWIFT friends off the fi eld. “Everybody had it when you [email protected] By the time they were high were cruising through town,” school freshmen, Proctor and Proctor said. “We had a bunch At fi rst glance, Bartow Coun- Gordon found something else to of rave days … I don’t know how ty natives Lauren Proctor and bond over — substance use. we got away with the things that Jessica Gordon seem to be exact Gordon said she started drink- we did.” opposites. ing when she was just 14. She Proctor grew up in a well-to- became an intravenous drug user Trauma and Treatment do family and spent her child- at 17. The “good” times, however, hood in some of the community’s Proctor described herself as a didn’t last for long. ritziest, upscale neighborhoods. “garbage pail kid,” who used just Gordon wanted to join the Air “Everything was handed to me about “anything and everything,” Force after high school. Instead, on a silver platter,” she recollect- starting with cocaine. Marijuana, she turned to hardcore drugs ed. “I wanted for nothing, I need- Naturally, they attended rival methamphetamine, acid, GHB post-graduation. ed for nothing, everything was schools. While Proctor was a and heroin use followed. Over the next 17 years, she was always paid-for for me.” proud Cartersville Purple Hur- “I just thought it was fun, I in and out of jail, prison and boot Gordon, meanwhile, grew up ricane, Gordon was an equally had a blast,” she recollected. “I camps. She went to rehab four in a trailer park off Mission Road. proud Cass Colonel. just enjoyed it. My motto was times. She spent most of her youth in a One thing they did have in ‘You’ve got one life to live, live it “I never thought in a million single-parent home — her father common as teenagers, however, up while you can.’” years that I’d be clean,” she re- JAMES SWIFT/THE DAILY TRIBUNE NEWS died when she was just 8. was a love of softball. While they And in the late 1990s in Bar- called. From left, Bartow natives Lauren Proctor and Jessica Gordon “Nothing was ever handed to were opponents on the rec league tow, they said getting their hands aspire to bring sober living resources to the community next me,” she recalled. diamond, they soon became fast on drugs was hardly a hassle. SEE FRIENDSHIP, PAGE 6A year. Former WHS teacher’s SPRUCED UP project remembers custodians at Christmas BY DONNA HARRIS sure” how the program got start- ownership, accountable, role [email protected] ed since it was already under- models].” way when she began teaching at Low said the project was “nev- A former teacher who made WHS in 2011. er started as a way to gain atten- sure Woodland High’s custodi- “I would imagine it is because tion or any kind of accolades.” ans weren’t forgotten also has custodians tend to be the unsung “It began as a simple way to not been forgotten. heroes of the schools,” she said. show appreciation for all the Cathy Lorenz, who taught lit- “After all, they make sure every- custodians do,” she said. erature to WHS’s exceptional thing is clean and operational. After Lorenz became too sick education students, died Nov. 9, I do know that she felt strongly to work any longer, she asked 2016, at age 46 after a lengthy about them being recognized for Low and Mary Leatherwood, battle with cancer, but her legacy what they do. We have a teacher who’s now retired, to take over lives on at the school through a appreciation day, a nurses appre- for her. project she started many years ciation day, etc. However, there “She started the [2013-14] ago called Christmas for Custo- is not one for the custodians.” school year a little late, and dians. In addition to recognizing an eventually her illness made it Lorenz, who was called the important group of people who impossible for her to continue “epitome of ‘It’s a great day to tend to be forgotten, the project working,” Low said. “She want- be a Wildcat,’” asked WHS em- also is a way for school employ- ed to ensure that the custodians ployees to bring in homemade ees to keep Lorenz’s giving spir- were never forgotten. She trusted goodies and small gifts for the it alive, Low said. that we would do so.” school custodians every Christ- “More than anything, I like to And even though she was sick, mas. think we want her legacy of car- she “would continue to make Exceptional education teach- ing to continue,” she said. “She goodies and have her husband er Jennifer Low, who took over was everything that a Wildcat [William] bring the items to the project after Lorenz was di- should be, always thinking of me,” Low added. agnosed with cancer in summer others. She truly showed what 2013, said she’s “not terribly it meant to ‘ROAR’ [respectful, SEE CHRISTMAS, PAGE 2A RANDY PARKER/THE DAILY TRIBUNE NEWS Friendship Plaza in downtown Cartersville has a new look this holiday season. A new 26- foot tree, decorated with with thousands of white lights and hundreds of glass balls of dif- ferent sizes and colors, sits atop a concrete platform where the previous tree that served as the city’s Christmas tree once grew. The old tree, which had many brown and broken RANDY PARKER/THE DAILY TRIBUNE NEWS branches, was removed in November and replaced with the new artifi cial one, which was Cathy’s Christmas organizers Jennifer Low and Mary Leatherwood, middle, give Christmas gifts donated to the City of Cartersville. The new tree will be taken down and stored after the from the Woodland High staff to custodian Carol Loyal, left, and lead custodian Brenda Rober- holidays. son Wednesday afternoon. Bartow residents should prepare for traffi c, closings during Christmas week BY DONNA HARRIS the numbers in 2000. That’s a 3.9% in- lytics company, expects the peak con- news release. “Travelers should be get- Gas prices are expected to be cheap- [email protected] crease — or 4.3 million more people — gestion time in Atlanta to occur Thurs- ting used to crowded highways and air- er than they have been this year, but over last year. day between 4:30 and 6:30 p.m. so ports, as this marks the eighth straight motorists will be paying more than last Bartow County residents who plan Of the total number of travelers, Bartow residents who must travel near year of new record-high travel volumes Christmas, according to AAA. to leave town for the Christmas holi- 104.8 million of them — also the most or through the city should plan to avoid for the year-end holidays.” As of Friday, pump prices in Georgia day may have to exercise more patience on record — will be driving to their those two hours. Drivers also should be sure to obey averaged $2.39 a gallon, up 22 cents than normal on the roadways. holiday destination. The increase of “Holiday cheer is at an all-time high all traffi c laws and avoid driving dis- from last year’s average of $2.17. AAA is estimating a record-breaking 3.9% means 3.9 million more people this year, with unemployment at histor- tracted as the Georgia State Patrol Nationally, the average per gallon 115.6 million travelers will head out of than last year are expected on the roads. ically low levels and noted improve- will be out in force during the 54-hour was $2.55 as of Friday, up from the town for a Christmas getaway between And with record numbers comes traf- ments in both disposable income and Christmas travel period, which begins 2018 average of $2.26. today and Jan. 1, the most travelers ever fi c delays in the nation’s major cities. household net worth,” AAA Travel Tuesday at 6 p.m. and ends Thursday on record since AAA began tracking INRIX, a global transportation ana- Vice President Paula Twidale said in a at 11:59 p.m. SEE TRAVEL, PAGE 2A INSIDE TODAY Cloudy, VOLUME 73, NO. 196 Obituaries ............................. 2A Weather ................................ 6A rain Family Living ........................3A Sports ................................... 1B High 51 www.daily-tribune.com Entertainment ...................... 4A U.S. & World .........................3B Blotter ................................... 5A Classifieds............................ 4B Low 43 2A Saturday, December 21, 2019 • www.daily-tribune.com Local The Daily Tribune News ContactUs OBITUARIES The Daily Tribune News of 1959. She worked for many served as an administrative as- Fae is preceded in death by the morning at Georgia Na- Address: years in the newspaper industry sistant in the contract division. her husband, Julian Irvin, par- tional Cemetery, Canton, GA. 251 S. Tennessee St. and wrote many articles and She loved music and the arts ents, and brother, J. Wayne Serving as pallbearers will be: Cartersville, GA 30120 weekly col- and was a gifted published au- Cline. Charles Dirkes, Seth Wilhoite, umns for The thor, who was awarded the She is survived by her daugh- Alex Reynolds, Jeff and Eric Mailing Address: 251 S. Tennessee St. Cartersville Golden Poet Award in both 1989 ters, Tammie Carroll Paige Black, Brad Paige, and Scott Cartersville, GA 30120 Fae Juanita Cline Daily Tribune. and 1990. She was a true artist and Ria Carroll (Scott) Allen; Allen. During her ca- and won many awards in both grandchildren, Emma (Seth) In lieu of fl owers, memorial Phone: 770-382-4545 Mrs.