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Mrs. Rambo Made A Difference
Many of my baby boomer contemporaries who grew up in
Tallapoosa will remember
Pauline Rambo who taught countless numbers of students in the 6th grade. She
also taught my mother in the 6th grade. There are those who theorized that she
invented the wheel and discovered fire. She had a long career as a teacher at
Tallapoosa Elementary School. She cultivated the seed that my grandmother
planted in me at an early age that you can be anything you wish to be if you
work hard and do your best. Mrs. Rambo nurtured many of us into believing in
ourselves even though our families didn't have much money. She thought that
being poor was no excuse for failure. Giving up was not an option in Pauline
Rambo's set of values and beliefs. Mrs. Rambo was a compassionate but stern
educator. Her contra alto speaking voice could be heard from Robertson Avenue to
Fruithurst when it was raised. She didn't have very many discipline problems
because she had a paddle made of the wooden equivalent of titanium. Tallapoosa
Elementary School didn't need a metal detector or a police officer patrolling
the halls because Mrs. Rambo kept a respected and feared paddle in her desk
drawer. I also remember her beginning each school day with the Pledge of
Allegiance and a brief prayer. I never associated those daily exercises with
anything forceful or a violation of rights. Let's fast forward to a couple of
decades ago when corporal punishment was banned and Mrs. Rambo would not be
allowed to lead us in a prayer and her paddle would be put away in a museum of
cruel and unusual punishment. Oh yes progress in education. Our progress in
education is "no child left behind" where kids are taught how to answer
questions on a standardized test. Where does the learning part come in? It is
amazing the number of high school kids nation wide that have no idea who their
governor is or where Washington D. C. can be found on a map. A few of my class
mates at Tallapoosa High School entered the field of education like Fay Allen
McClendon, Melissa Smith McCain, Belita Smith Anderson and Patricia Feltrinelli
Brooks went into teaching. I admired them for wanting to make a difference in
the lives of young people like Mrs. Rambo did in ours.
I have spent a shade over 36 years as a radio personality and it has been a fun
ride. I was blessed enough to spend most of that broadcasting time in Georgia. I
was voted one of America's 100 Most Influential Disc Jockeys of the Last Century
by "Radio and Records" magazine. I have walls full of accolades and awards and
was voted into three halls of fame that recognize excellence in my field. I
truly have had a magnificent time and have met presidents, senators, governors,
movie stars, television icons, plus music and sports giants like Johnny Cash and
Mickey Mantle. Through radio I have had the chance to give back with millions
raised through various charity events that have benefited the likes of the
Leukemia and Lymphoma Society, St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, the
Muscular Dystrophy Association and "Toys for Tots".
Let's turn the page now and get down to business. It is time for me to get a
job. I lost my radio job two months ago. It is time now to enter the biggest
challenge of my life other than marrying a girl from Alabama one time. Sorry,
make that two girls from Alabama. I am excited to report to you dear readers of
the Tallapoosa Journal that me, Warren "Rhubarb" Jones who grew up at 15 Stone
Street in Tallapoosa is now an assistant professor of mass communication at
Georgia's third largest state university. I begin work in a few weeks teaching
at Kennesaw State University. I will also be working with the university
developments folks in planning concerts and events for the university.
Lots of people have asked me if I will ever go back on the radio and do I miss
getting up at 3:45 a.m.? Let me tell you sleeping until daylight is new to me
but I am adjusting.
I never say never about leaving the air waves forever.
My greatest joy other than my salvation and my kids is that I have the
opportunity of helping people go into a fun and sometimes rewarding profession.
I have the chance to try to be to someone that perhaps inspires the way Mrs.
Rambo did me and many others.
One song I love from the days of being on the radio was by Country Music Hall of
Fame member and friend Ronnie Milsap. The song reminds me a lot of Mrs. Pauline
Rambo. I have thought of her many times when I played the song on the air.
Mrs. Rambo, "What A Difference You Made In My Life". What a difference she made
in the lives of many people from my hometown.
Rhubarb Jones is a Tallapoosa native and a member of the Georgia Radio Hall of
Fame and the Country Music Disc Jockey Hall of Fame in Nashville. He can be
reached at P.O. Box 1001, Tallapoosa, Ga. 30176 or via email at
Rhubarbjones@aol.com
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