I knew a family member who was an Episcopal Priest in Louisiana and then in Israel. I think they still have reunions and it used to be on the land. I'm not sure where they have them today. ----- Original Message ----- From: <lparks3@bellsouth.net> To: <albibb@rootsweb.com> Sent: Friday, April 04, 2008 10:33 PM Subject: Re: [ALBIBB] 2010 Census > Caroline, > I had an aunt, Pauline Owen, that roomed with the Thomas family in Bibb > county where she was a school > teacher. She took me by the Thomas "Place" once to show me where they > climbed an appple tree to get apples for making pies. Jioab and his > siblings kept the house for years and would return for reunions. The house > burned down in time and I am not sure that I would know wher to find it > today. > Larry Owen Parks > P.S. Joab went on to become the President of Penn State University after > he left Alabama. > > > > --------- Original message from "caroline" > <carolineh@knology.net>: -------------- > > >> I have a delightful book, "Hear the Lambs A-Cryin", by Mrs. Chamintney >> Thomas of Russellville, Ala., written in 1975. The jacket cover tells >> that >> she was born in Steele, Ala., and graduated from Centreville High School. >> One of her sons, Joab Thomas, became the president of the U of A. The >> book >> portrays " life and death on The Ditch during the Hard Times of the >> 1930's". >> The ditch is a hollow within a small town in northwest Alabama. The >> people >> are rural, southern and black. Mrs. Thomas preserved their words, lore, >> and >> individual turns of speech "through her life as teacher, counselor, >> employer >> and friend". >> I lived in Russellville when this book was printed. I remember her giving >> a >> presentation to our ladies study group and I think she said she got much >> of >> her information while a census taker, although this fact isn't mentioned >> on >> the book cover. I imagine it can be found via inter-library loan or a >> used >> book dealer online. >> I'm keeping this book out and reading it again. >> Caroline Horton, List Administrator >> >> >> 2010 Census Won't Use 21st Century Technology Because of Glitches, Adding >> $3 >> Billion >> Thursday, April 03, 2008 >> >> WASHINGTON - Technology problems will force the government to count all >> of >> the nation's 300 million residents the old-fashioned way in the 2010 >> census - with paper and pencil. >> >> Commerce Secretary Carlos Gutierrez was scheduled to tell a House >> subcommittee Thursday that the government will scrap plans to use >> handheld >> computers to collect information from the millions of Americans who don't >> return census forms mailed out by the government. >> >> The decision is part of a package of changes that will add as much as $3 >> billion to the cost of the constitutionally mandated count, pushing the >> overall cost to more than $14 billion. >> >> The project to develop the computers "has experienced significant >> schedule, >> performance, and cost issues," Gutierrez said in prepared testimony >> before a >> House Appropriations subcommittee. "A lack of effective communication >> with >> one of our key contractors has significantly contributed to the >> challenges. >> >> "As I have said before, the situation today is unacceptable, and we have >> been taking steps to address the issues," he said. >> >> This was to be the first truly high-tech count in the nation's history. >> The >> Census Bureau has awarded a contract to purchase 500,000 of the >> computers, >> at a cost of more than $600 million. The devices, which look like >> high-tech >> cell phones, will still be used to verify every residential street >> address >> in the country, using global positioning system software. >> >> But workers going door-to-door will not be able to use them to collect >> information from the residents who didn't return their census forms. >> About a >> third of U.S. residents are expected not to return the forms. >> The Census Bureau plans to hire and train nearly 600,000 temporary >> workers >> to do the work. >> >> Interviews, congressional testimony and government reports describe an >> agency that was unprepared to manage the contract for the handheld >> computers. Census officials are being blamed for doing a poor job of >> spelling out technical requirements to the contractor, Florida-based >> Harris >> Corp. >> >> The computers proved too complex for some temporary workers who tried to >> use >> them in a test last year in North Carolina. Also, the computers were not >> initially programmed to transmit the large amounts of data necessary. >> >> Gutierrez, who oversees the Census Bureau, said officials there were >> unaccustomed to working with an outside vendor on such a large contract. >> >> The Harris Corp. issued a statement saying it still hopes to play a large >> role in the 2010 count. >> >> "The wireless handheld devices are part of a larger, multifaceted process >> to >> move from a 'paper culture' to a more 'automated' culture appropriate for >> the 21st century," the company said. Despite the problems, company >> officials >> said they were "encouraged that automation and the adoption of new >> technology is moving forward, even if in a more narrowly focused >> fashion." >> >> The 2010 census was already on pace to be the most expensive ever, even >> taking inflation into account. Officials now are scrambling to hold down >> costs while trying to ensure the count produces reliable population >> numbers - figures that will be used to apportion seats in Congress and >> divvy >> up more than $300 billion a year in federal and state funding. >> >> Harris Corp. was awarded a $596 million contract in March 2006 to supply >> the >> handheld computers and the operating system that supports them. The >> contract >> has since grown to $647 million. >> >> The success - or failure - of the census could have widespread >> repercussions. The Constitution has required a census every 10 years >> since >> the first one in 1790. It is used to apportion the 435 seats in the House >> of >> Representatives among the states. And states and many cities use census >> data >> to draw legislative districts. >> >> Population numbers are used to calculate billions in state and federal >> grants for transportation, education and other programs. Private >> businesses >> use census data to identify labor and consumer markets. >> >> >> >> ------------------------------- >> To unsubscribe from the list, please send an email to >> ALBIBB-request@rootsweb.com with the word 'unsubscribe' without the >> quotes in >> the subject and the body of the message > > ------------------------------- > To unsubscribe from the list, please send an email to > ALBIBB-request@rootsweb.com with the word 'unsubscribe' without the quotes > in the subject and the body of the message >