MRS. WILSON HONORED Writing a weekly column for the local newspaper has been a part of Mrs. Jake Wilson’s life for the past 64 years. Friday night, members of the Georgia Press Association recognized this major contribution to journalism when Dean Scott Cutlip of the Henry Grady School of Journalism, and James M. Wood, Jr., president of the Georgia Press Association, presented Mrs. Wilson a medallion in appreciation of her long service as a newspaper columnist. Mrs. Wilson, the former Genie Maude Baldwin, writes Fairview News for The ‘Madisonian, one of the most widely read columns in the newspaper. ‘Now, 86 years old, Mrs. Wilson was unable to be present for the awards dinner, but her daughter, Mrs. Lamar Wade, accepted for her. Her son, Jake Wilson, Jr., and Mrs. Wilson, were in the audience. Dean Cutlip read a citation written by Adelaide W. Ponder, editor of The Madisonian, in making the presentation. The citation read: “Mrs. Jacob Martin Wilson, the former Genie Maude Baldwin, began writing for The Madisonian in 1914. at the request of the editor, the late W.T. Bacon. Her column, Fairview Notes, became one of the most popular in the newspaper, and although she is 86 years old, she continues to write for The Madisonian today. “She bas written continuously for The Madisonian except for a period of seven years when she wrote for the rival newspaper, The Morgan County News. When the News was purchased and merged with The Madisonian, she retumed to The Madisonian where her column became one of the best read in the paper.“She has a marvelously down-to-earth style, writing in a homespun manner, about the everyday happenings at her farm home near Madison. She can make the canning of a jar of preserves or the repairing of a leaky faucet, topics of major interest, writing with wit and wisdom. She writes of her family and friends in such a loving way that readers throughout the county look upon these people as friends to be liked and trusted.” “Tales of events of by-gone days in recent columns have brought requests for extra. ‘copies of the paper from various parts of the country. Mrs. Wilson tells of the trials and tribulations of a hard working, deeply religious, family oriented neighborhood of rural Georgians who grew up in hard times, who treasured books and savored an education. ‘These people are realists in every sense of the word, but in her gentle portrayals of their aily routines and chores, she manages to define the basic deceney and good in all mankind. “She has been and continues to be The Madisonian’s best loved columnist, and readers throughout the country have written that her columns should be compiled and bound into book form. At the present time, efforts are underway to collect her works. “Aside from writing her personal comments, she serves as a reporter for her community and as county correspondent for a number of religious and civie clubs in her community, a task which she has graciously and gracefully performed for the past 64 years. Mrs. Wilson has been a remarkable asset to the newspapers of Morgan County, but more importantly, she has touched the lives of thousands of people who have been inspired by her warmth, her understanding and her good will.” ‘Mrs. Wilson was nominated for the award by Graham Ponder, Publisher of The Madisonian and overwhelmingly approved by the officers and Board of Managers of Georgia Press Association. Appeared in The Madisonian March 2 1978