No joke! There's music in Haughey's blood
The Office Cat
Bob Haughey says he's been telling friends through the years that he has talented and famous musicians in his background and ancestry, but they wouldn't believe him. He says he thinks that his having been a "jokester" all his life made them doubt him. "Yeah, Bob," they would say, "We know." But they can eat crow now, because it's a proven and well-known fact that he is descended from famous musicians. When the story about the first University of Georgia Band broke on the internet Monday of last week, Cindy Russell Bounds called and asked me, "Who is R.E. Haughey from Rayle?" (Cindy was a majorette with the Georgia Redcoat Band during her college years). Then she told me about an incredible story she had found on the internet. I immediately called it up on my computer and got so excited I had trouble sleeping that night. Our Bob Haughey is the grandson of the R.E. (Robert Ernest) Haughey who was the director of the first University of Georgia Band, forerunner of the Georgia Redcoat Band. He was a professional musician and owned a music store in Athens in 1905. He was also director of a popular dance orchestra in 1905 when he was asked by a UGA professor to form and direct a band to be used at student functions on the campus. He and his orchestra, which had four other Haugheys as members, were already playing for UGA receptions, weddings, etc. in the Athens area. The "breaking story" last week was about Lloyd Winstead, associate director of the UGA Willson Center for Humanities and Art, who was doing research on a special project. On eBay he found a copy of a song titled "The Red and Black March" composed and written by R.E. Haughey. He bought it for $12.50. It is probably the only copy in existence. Mr. Haughey directed the band until 1909 when he retired from the band and moved to Rayle where other members of his family had moved from various locations. He died in Rayle in 1963. His 22-member Georgia Band is now the 350-member UGA Redcoat Band. All of the deceased members of the Haughey family are buried at Sardis Baptist Church, Rayle, except one uncle. . . . Bob's dad, Robert E. Haughey Jr., was married to Annabelle McCarty of Wilkes County. He died in 1957 when Bob was just a year old. Bob's mom died last year. . . . Bob and his daughter

Courtney have been in contact with Lloyd Winstead since the music was found and we're hoping they findout more about it soon.

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Ray Hardy and his CSRA Private Duty Inc. will be opening an adult day care center soon. It will be located in the building across the street from the M.P. Pope home on West Robert Toombs Avenue, next door to the J&J Colonial Cleaners.

ƒ Buddy Patterson is a much appreciated volunteer at the Callaway

Plantation. Olivia Jackson, curator of the Plantation, says he just shows up frequently to help them and see what they need help with. He plants flowers, has a garden, waters plants, and helps out in many ways. The staff is always glad to see him.

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A note from one of our readers this week reads: "Have you ever noticed how annoying it is to drive down Court Street? The cars are parked on the side of the street and most of the time they are parked in the wrong direction. Is that street wide enough for cars to be parking in front of the buildings? Is it legal for cars to be parked there?" . . . I'm glad this reader called our attention to this problem. It has been a problem for a long, long time. Having grown up on Court Street, I remember in the 1930s as a seven-year-old seeing our neighbor, Mrs. Lula Jones, get hit by a car as she stepped off the curb on the corner to cross the street. All our streets are narrow and require some maneuvering, but this is a particularly bad one. If a pickup truck is parked on the corner in front of the Courthouse (especially if it has a trailer hitch on the back of it) and a car is going west on Court and another car is turning east from The Square, nobody knows what to do. It's hard to get by. Sometimes one car will have to back up. Frequently there are cars parked on both sides of the street at that intersection and along the side to Jefferson Street, and that makes it difficultto get by.

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Donnie Swinson (W-WCHS teacher) has an uncle, Adolph Swinson, who lives in Toulon, France. He served in the United States Marine Corps for more than 30 years. Donnie and his wife Libby frequently send him packages of goodies from the good old USA. They noticed that he knows a lot about Washington- Wilkes and could carry on a conversation about things happening here. They asked him where he got all his information. He told them that when they send him packages the packing is usually old News-Reporters and he takes them out and reads them! Donnie and Libby want to send him the paper every week and Mary is working on a way to send it at a reasonable price separate from the regular mailout.

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All you W-WCHS Seniors, remember that you can get a free picture of you getting your graduation diploma at Mercer Harris Photography in Downtown Washington.

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Cloyd and Brenda Denard of Augusta came by The News- Reporter last week to renew their subscription. They whispered to

Mary Newsome who was writing their receipt, "We want to see what The [Office]Cat looks like." So Mary called for me to come. I don't know if they were surprised, shocked, disappointed, or what, but I enjoyed talking to them They were in town to visit Cloyd's mother, Mary Nell Denard, who lives at Tignall Assisted Living. I have read about them in the Tyrone News through the years, but had never met them.

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Dave McClearen of Fiberglass Specialties in Washington-Wilkes has the distinction of having a rare Corvette that he painted featured on the centerfold of the magazine Covette Fever. Dave was contacted by Tim Eason of Monroe to paint the 1965 Sting Ray convertible with a special and rare Milano Maroon paint. There are only two of these Corvettes in existence. Its rarity is derived from its color scheme inside and out. Milano Maroon combined with a maroon leather interior, is one of the rarest Corvette color schemes ever. . . . It's a beautiful car. Maybe Tim will bring it to the Fall Cruise- In on The Square in September!!

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We have had several pieces of correspondence lately from William Rainey of Bucyrus, Ohio. He renewed his News-Reporter for two years and says "I can't miss my paper. I thank you for the paper. I was grown up in Washington. I don't get my local paper here. I just got out of the hospital in time to get last week's paper. I am house bound from the nursing home. I will look for the next paper. Thank you very much." . . . Thank YOU, Mr. Rainey. Write and tell us more about who you are and about growing up in Washington.

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Many people here in Wilkes County saw the Miracle Network on television on a recent Sunday that featured a Washington-Wilkes family. The Miracle Network collects funds for the Medical College of Georgia. Dr. David Hardy, his wife Melissa, and their little daughter Avery were on the program to tell about Avery's progress since she was diagnosed with Rasmussen Encephalitis after undergoing several eye and brain surgeries. Avery is making good progress and celebrated her second birthday May 16. She has not regained her peripheral vision but is walking and doing well. She is the granddaughter of Jerri Ann and Doug Stewart of Washington and Mr. and Mrs. Pete Hardy of Lincolnton.

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