The Tennessean from Nashville, Tennessee • Page 11

Embattled Metro election worker fired, 3B SECTION METRO STATE TheTENNESSEAN Oak Ridge lawyer picked for state appeals post, 6B Weather, 2B Deaths, 2B Market Tables, 4B SATURDAY, February 28, 1987 m1 A GIBSON Callie Shell Staff Deanna Jones, on pony-back, surveys the helicopter that made aircraft. Pfc. John Lutz, below, has a word with the coon a forced landing in Williamson County as Tracey Thompson, hound Stripey, who would just as soon chase ponies and rab-left, and Jackie Glenn sample life a la U.S. Army inside the bits as look at a helicopter. Copter at home down on farm Deal to cut film's debt, officials say Dallas firm to buy interest in Rodgers Construction RANDY IMJVUN Staff Writer A Dallas-based construction conglomerate's purchase of a majority interest in Rodgers Construction Co.

will substantially reduce the Nashville firm's debt burden and hasten its profitability, officials said yesterday. James P. Bennett, chairman of Rodgers, said his company has reached an agreement in principle with Centex Corp. for Centex to purchase a majority interest in the general contracting firm. Many details have not yet been worked out, but Bennett called the -arrangement "promising," and said he anticipates that an agreement could be finalized within 30 days.

"They are interested in investing in our company, because they recognize our potential for profitabilty," Bennett said. infusion of cash would help get out from under a debt burden" taken on when Bennett purchased the company a year ago in a leveraged buyout from The Wedge Group of Houston. Bennett would not disclose how much Centex would reduce Rodgers' indebtedness in gaining a majority interest in the company. He said no decision has been made on whether the deal will include a conversion of stock. Centex, which is traded on the New York Stock Exchange, had sales of $1.4 billion in the fiscal year ended March 31, 1986.

The holding company has large cement and gypsum wallboard operations, controls several large com-jhercial and residential construction companies and is moving into real estate development If the deal with Centex is finalized, Rodgers, which is the nation's 10th largest general contracting firm, could either be an independent company with Centex as the majority shareholder or a semi-autonomous subsidiary of the holding company, Bennett said. He said his company has discussed possible agreements with at least three firms in the last 30 days. One of those was the Algernon-Blair Group of Montgomery, which is proposing to develop a high-rise office building on Second Avenue North. Rodgers" only remaining debt, which was nearly $40 million owed to Third National Bank a year ago, has already been reduced, Bennett said, but would not say by how much. Bennett noted that when he purchased Rodgers from The Wedge Group, the deal included a number of companies linked to the domestic oil and gas industry.

"Ever since the acquisition, we have been restructuring the company and divesting ourselves of all the companies in the Energy Belt," Bennett said. ''We now are strictly a commercial and institutional builder." The infusion of capital from Centex, will enable Rodgers to begin realizing its profit potential much more quickly, he said. ''If Centex ultimately invests in us, ii will be because it sees the potential our company has to improve its own profitability," Bennett said. "They would be investing in a large commercial builder that is located in a desirable area of the country and I Turn to PACE 5B, Column 5 en if ft i. i 1 If 2H if 'V Reporter's Notebook Death gave much of life perspective I said 'bye to an old friend Thursday at a funeral Mass that evoked happier memories.

It made me remember a lot of nice things about Thomas Beehan make that Sgt Beehan make that retired Metro Police Sgt Tricky Beehan I called him Sgt Beehan once. He quickly corrected me: "It's just Tricky." I never asked where the "Tricky" handle came from, but it had something to do with his high school basketball days at Father Ryan. Besides being a retired police sergeant Tricky was also the retired sergeant-at-arms for the Metro Council. That's where I got to know him better as the gentle Irishman who could have been the model for the stereotypical friendly Irish cop you see in those old Bing Crosby movies. I pretty much lost touch with Tricky over the last few years, not talking with him on the phone like I used to.

I kept up with his community work occasionally through daughters, Eileen and Peg both friends. But it took his death for me to realize I could have been a better friend by keeping in touch. He was much better at keeping up with me than I was with him, but there are probably thousands of people around like that Tricky was a caring, loving friend to hundreds of people. It was my loss for not talking to him more. IT TOOK HIS death for me to wake up to the fact that all those things I thought were important all those things that kept me "too busy" to call or visit him, all those times I thought about calling, but let something else get in the way, were really not more important I remember the first time I met Tricky: He was sitting behind the "lieutenant's desk" at the old Metro police station He looked like a crusty old cuss, dressed in that fresh-starched uniform, badge and name-tag as shiny as a new penny.

The crusty look was a facade. I was a young reporter, cynical, skeptical about everything. He invited me to sit and chat offering me a cup of coffee from his "private" coffee pot and, sensing I was a little nervous about missing a story, he turned up the volume on his police scanner loud enough that I could hear. That was the first of a dozen thoughtful kindnesses he did forme over the years. AFTER HIS retirement back in the '70s he called regularly to ask about my family, occasionally tipping me to "the scoop" around the police station or City HalL Even in retirement he had a great grapevine.

And there were the times he'd call with a tip about "a human interest" story, always someone down on their luck or at the wrong end of a raw deal Everybody agrees Tricky was long in the "help" department I learned later that he manned the "lieutenant's desk" at the old police station because that was usually the first person you encountered when you walked in the front door. helpful nature was the best public relations the department could put forward, and the brass knew it Most of the people who walked in off the street were in need of help of some kind, and Tricky knew where to get it CHIEF JOE CASEY said in Tricky's obituary: "He was a person who liked to help people." Vice Mayor David Scobey said he "was a friend to everybody." The Catholic bishop said: "He was generous with his time and all of bis resources I remember the time he asked a group of adults sitting on the front row of the spectator section of the Metro Council to swap seats with some elementary school kids so they could get a front-row view of government In action. That uniform again made a different Impression, but the smile sealed it The priest recalled a story typical of Tricky Beehan's life. He was cruising around in his patrol car one wintry day with a young soldier riding with him. Seeing a car with a license plate from the Knoxville area and beaded east.

Tricky pulled the car over. "You going up around Knoxville?" Tricky asked the motorist "Good. How "bout giving this young fella a ride home?" He was that kind of friend even to people be didn't know. 1 ANNE PAINE Staff Writer Ligon Veach and his wife, Mary Ethel, don't mind having a 50-foot US. Army helicopter in the field behind their home on Cool Springs Road in Williamson County.

The fact is, they kind of like it And it has certainly been a hit with the ArnoBethesda borhood and beyond. "There've probably been 2,000 to 3,000 people out here to see it" Mary Ethel Veach says as she and her husband, a dairy farmer, relax in easy chairs in their living room. Four men in Army fatigues and a cluster of sightseers can be seen outside through a picture window. They are standing in the muddy field around the dark green CH47 Chinook helicopter. The helicopter pilot was forced to make an emergency landing in the Williamson County field around 6:30 Wednesday evening because of transmission trouble.

It has been there ever since because the part needed to repair the craft has been hard to find. "We'll probably be here a couple more days," says Pfc John Lutz. As Lutz talks, a riderless Shetland pony complete with a Western saddle and bridle gallops past A coon dog is in close pursuit "The dog's chasing it and a girl's looking for it" Lutz explains. Lutz and Spec 4 Sammy Carril-lo who has an M-16 rifle on a strap across his back watch as the pair tear past the helicopter again. The aircraft is one of many which has passed over the Veach home in recent days as soldiers y.

from Fort Campbell participate in field exercises dubbed Golden Eagle '87. The chopper had been shuttling a jeep and a truck to Smyrna from Tullahoma when the trouble arose. Another helicopter landed in the Veach field Thursday and picked up the jeep and truck to take them on to their destination. Now, the empty helicopter, with blades drooping on its two rotors, sits immobile, an unusual sight in this open valley. "Neat-o," says Ryan Lambeth, 7, of Franklin as he climbs aboard the chopper, and Carrillo who is from the Bronx in New York gives him and two others a tour.

"I want to sit up there," says Jon Doughty, 4, pointing to the cockpit as his brother Philip, 6, eyes Carrillo's rifle. The two sleeping bags in which Carrillo and Lutz pass the nights are rolled up in one comer of the aircraft One of the two men must be with the helicopter at all times to guard against theft or vandalism, especially since it would cost from $9 million to $11 million to replace, Lutz says. But the two are only being accosted with kindness so far. "We kind of know everybody around here now," Carrillo says with a grin. "People have brought us coffee and food." "Ligon told me we could take a shower at his house tonight" Lutz adds.

Not only were they taking showers at the Veach house last night they were being served dinner there one at a time and have been eating breakfast and other meals there, too. is trotting toward the helicopter. "This is zany," she says as an Army truck pulls into the field. In the truck are clean clothes that Staff Sgt Donald Bradshaw and Sgt Jeff Detelich have brought to Carrillo and Lutz. The two sergeants explain that the men guarding the helicopter have it pretty good, since most of the rest of Fort Campbell's soldiers are roughing it in tents across the Southeast during the field exercises.

"The Veaches have been real good to us," Carrillo says. Just then Jackie Glenn, 17, who lives three miles away, plops a large AM-FM radio on the floor of the helicopter. "It ain't pretty, but it works." says Glenn, who along with Will Trice, 12, is concerned that the soldiers have little entertainment. "Everybody's helping us out" Lutz says. Out in the field Deanna Jones, 14, on top of her pony, Whisky, who was on the lam temporarily.

Judge threatens to deny Gotwalds access to child Harry Sadler, 66, businessman, dies 'i A 1 KIRK IjQCCINS Staff Hnter Chancellor Robert S. Brandt warned Rick Gotwald's divorced parents yesterday that he will end their access to the child if they continue to bicker over visitation and other details. "This child is not going to continue to go through this torment every two weeks," Brandt said, referring to affidavits about pushing and shouting matches between Richard Gordon Gotwald. his ex-wife, Susan Cecil Gotwald. and her fiance.

Dr. Glenn Booth, when Rick returns from every -other-weekend visits with his father, i "I will end it I don't care what it takes." the judge said. Brandt took under advisement Susan Gotwald's request that her ex-husband be ordered to pay almost $400,000 in legal fees and related expenses she incurred in the couple's bitter. 1 7-month court battle over custody of their son. who is now 4.

The judge also deferred a ruling on Richard Gotwald's claim that he is out of work and $377,000 in debt and therefore unable to continue paying $425 a month in child support Gotwald's steel brokerage firm, RG Products Inc. "went under" last September, in the midst of a nine-week trial over custody of Rick, said his attorney, Robert Jackson. Susan Gotwald's attorney, Lewis Conner, asked Brandt meanwhile, to "quadruple" the child support figure. Brandt delayed until next Friday a hearing on Richard Gotwald's requests for midweek visits with his son and for a court order requiring Susan Gotwald to transfer the child In a "neutral setting," without Booth being present But Brandt said, at the conclusion of a hearing yesterday afternoon, "I get the feeling that people aren't bearing what I'm saving and writing, or if they are hearing it they aren't understanding it" Susan Gotwald attended yester- I larato PACE 2B, Colurai "He was such a versatile man, and he loved people," said his wife, the former Maxine Graves, of Lawrence-burg, who survives him. "He enjoyed a good talk, and he loved politics." Mr.

Sadler was born In Hermitage Springs, Term. He graduated from DuPont High School in Nashville and during his teen-age years was a Golden Gloves boxer. He later graduated from the University of Tennessee Law School He was the son of the late Samuel Harrison and Eva Harlan Sadler. Mr. Sadler volunteered to join the US.

Marines during World War and was a member of Disabled American Veterans, the Marine Corps League and the American Legion. He was active in politics, serving on the Sumner County Democratic Executive Committee and as a delegate or alternate to three Democratic national conventions. He was appointed by Gov. Buford Ellington to DAVID CR4IIXM Stajf Writer Harry Sadler, 66, businessman and one-time candidate for the VS. Senate, died yesterday In Nashville Memorial Hospital of leukemia.

Services will be at 10 am Monday at Phillips-Robinson Funeral Home. Burial, In Spring Hill Cemetery, will include full military honors. The family win receive visitors from 2 to 4 pm and from 7 to 9 pm today and tomorrow at the funeral borne. Mr. Sadler.

91 Donna Drive, owned the Harry Sadler Chevrolet dealership here until he sold It In 1977. He ran for the US. Senate In the Democratic primary In 1976, coming to third place to Jim Sasser, who is now senator. Mr. Sadler was active In many aspects of the community.

Including politics and business and charitable organizations here. Harry Sadler Made 76 Senate bid the Motor Vehicle Commission Mr. Sadler considered a race for governor in 1974, then later decided not to ma In the 1976 Senate race, Mr. Sadler spoke against "socialism, communism and encroachment on Individual freedom," and be opposed "big government and over-taxation." "Service is the rent I pay for the I Tan to PACE 2B, otumN 5 lifdfcilMlBMllllii.