The Tennessean from Nashville, Tennessee • Page 3

Trial set in school financing suit, 4B. 2BNEIGHBORHOOD NEWS SECTION SBBUSINESS 1 i 1 i TViE TENNESSEAN FRIDAY, JANUARY 26, 1990 lit ii i I 1J 11 i i TT i 4 4 A (Too jaoaii enicriCiaststate uac IT 0 Largest Japanese investors in i Tennessee I I $95 million venture to begin fabricating automotive glass in '91 Smyrna Lavergne, Morrison, Nashville Nissan Brldgestone Purodanao Mary villa, Jackson $234 million Calsonlc Shelbyville, Morrison, Springfield $100 million Carlex Vonore $95 million of Knoxville on the North Carolina border. Ground breaking is scheduled for March on the plant that will have an annual production capacity of 1 million car glass sets. The announcement bodes well lor the 1,900 workers at Ford's Nashville glass plant, where another 200 employees were laid of last year. "The Carlex plant will be a customer of the Nashville glass plant," said Bill Peacock, Ford spokesman in Dearborn, Mich.

Carlex will purchase the glass it will cut and form from Ford's four glass plants in Nashville; Tulsa, Dearborn, and Canada. "It's too early to say how the requirements will be distributed over the plants, but the fact that Nashville OPENING NEAR rj HC v( rf" v. --v. NvjX 1 4 Ford has had some smaller contracts with Nissan here, but no long-term commitments. Nissan officials in Smyrna would not comment on any existing or potential relationship with Carlex.

"It's not easy for an American supplier to sell to Japanese automobile manufacturers because their partnerships with suppliers are very strong and long-term," Peacock said. Japanese-owned auto assembly plants in the U.S. currently have the at Metro's Centennial Park Sports -r-fSSRWWKvx: 1 ii tj 'V 1 Tv i 1 jl Lwi I L. 1 is so well located it's a major market opportunity to put Ford Glass, and presumably the Nashville plant, in a very enviable position," Peacock said. He would not speculate on whether the increase in business would enable Ford to recall some of its laid-off workers here.

Carlex paid $600,000 for a 60-acre tract in an industrial park owned by the Tellico Reservoir Development Agency, according to Charles Hall, TRDA board member. Carlex chose Tennessee, Peacock said, because of the proximity to the Nissan plant in Smyrna, the "excellent business climate" and because of the incentives afforded by the state. Monroe County received two grants totaling $801,000 from the state to in David Spalding installs tile on the in northern Alabama. Davis acknowledged, under cross-examination by Assistant District At-torney General John Zimmermann, that she is the common-law wife of one of Billy Leslie's brothers. She said she never told Billy Leslie, before Sandra Leslie's death, about his wife's alleged involvement with the wrestler.

Billy Leslie filed a missing person report on his wife on July 6, 1988, but told police on July 15 they were "wasting their time" looking for his wife. Billy Leslie, who was unaware at that point that his wife's remains had been identified through fingerprints, told police that she was probably "laid up with" Jones somewhere. Investigators said that when they told Leslie later on July 1 5 that they suspected him of killing his wife, he replied "that he was intelligent enough that if he had killed her, he would have cut off her hands so as not EMME NELSON BAXTER Staff Writer A $95 million joint venture in East Tennessee between Ford Motor Co. and a Japanese concern represents the fifth-largest Japanese investment in this state's history, officials said yesterday. Ford owns 49 of Carlex Glass Co.

while Central Glass Co: of Tokyo whose largest client is Japan's Nissar Motor Co. Ltd has a 51 share in the company that will begin fabricating automotive glass in Monroe County in late 1991. The 424 people working three shifts at Carlex will produce windshields, side and rear windows for Japanese car and truck plants here and in Japan at a plant in Vonore, Term. 30 miles southeast Woman led to brothers by TV show 'Sold' for adoption from children's home MADONNA KUKAY Gannett News Service FORT COLLINS, Colo. Lynn Heinzs memories of her past in Tennessee lay scattered like missing pieces of a puzzle.

"I was sold to a doctor on the West Coast" by a woman at the Tennessee Children's Home in 1945, Heinz said. From age 5, Heinz grew up as the adopted daughter of a wealthy California physician and his wife. She always wondered what happened to her original family and why they had given her up. Last week, she finally found some answers. In December, friends told Heinz, 50, that the television show Unsolved Mysteries aired a story about how thousands of children had been adopted from the Tennessee Children's Home during World War IL The show mentioned the Tennessee Right To Know adoption support group, a non-profit organization that helps adults track their birth parents.

Heinz called Debbie Norton, one of the Right To Know founders living in Memphis. Two weeks later, Heinzs phone rang. "I asked her if she was prepared for this," Norton said. She had the phone numbers of Heinz's estranged relatives. In the late 1950s, Heinz obtained a copy of her adoption certificate from Tennessee.

It showed her name at birth was Martha Jean Gookin. But the idea of calling all the Gookins in Tennessee seemed overwhelming. Norton took Heinz's adoption certificate, looked back through birth announcements in the Memphis newspaper and found her parents' names. With the help of the city directory, Norton within an hour had tracked down her brother, Randall Gookin, and Lynn's half-brother, Paul McKeel. More than 200 people have written to Norton's Right to Know group since the show aired.

Randall Gookin, 52, spent his life searching for his sister. He, too, had seen the Unsolved Mysteries program on the Tennessee Children's Home. When he heard Heinz's voice, he said he "about had a heart attack" and demanded that his newly found sister board the next flight to Memphis. Heinz got on a plane and within two days she and her brothers were reviving the memories that lay buried in all their minds: a tiny tea set she played with, the baby buggy she pushed around and the songs she sang. ON 2B: CHEATHAM A glance at The Cheatham County! community Nursing Home on River Road is now open to Immediate family after being quarantined because of Influenza outbreaks In the community.

ROBERTSON A Circuit Court judge denied a defense motion yesterday seeking to suppress Acres harvested Davidson Maury Robertson Sumner InYMlnwrit $1,359 billion $765 million production capacity to manufacture 1 million light trucks and cars each year. "Nissan has and will be particularly important in their Central Glass relationship," Peacock said. The joint venture, he said, gives the nation's No. 2 automaker the opportunity to do business with a major Japanese autombile and truck manufacturer that "we simply would not have been able to achieve without the association with Central Glass." Nancy Rhoda Staff Complex set to open Feb. 1.

as chairman of the council's Budget and Finance Committee. "I have a goodlocation, but I feel could serve in a greater capacity as executive vice president of the Cham Fentress, 58, of 4000 Vailwood Drive, was hiredin 1987 as president of the Angus Foundation a lobby; ing group. The group, made up mostly of developers, has worked on plan- ning, zoning and other development issues in the community. Formerly, he was personnel direc- tor for the former Cain-Sloan Co. The chamber's 10-member search committee hired the national execu- Uve search firm of Korn Ferey InterJ national to look for a new executive vice president Officials said they have submitted three names to the committee, which they would not name.

The "long list" of local people who are interested has also been given to the committee, which may narrow the list for interviews by KornFerry. officials said. i ROBERTSON Suspect In drug case bound over to jury SPRINGFIELD A Texas man arrested in November after police said his car was found to oontain approximately 225 pounds of marijuana was bound over to the Robertson County grand jury yesterday. David S. Morelock, 30, was stopped Nov.

30 by Trooper Mark Norrod on Interstate 65 for speeding. A search of the car using a dog trained to sniff out narcotics uncovered marijuana In the car's back seat and trunk, police said. TAMME SMTH crease capacity of the waste water treatment plant that serves the TRDA area. The state Department of Economic and Community Development is contributing $433,600 in industrial training funds to prepare workers for the 424 jobs. The Carlex project brings total Japanese investment in this state to $2.8 billion, with 84 operations and joint ventures and 16,000 jobs when these newly-announced positions come on line, according to Bill Boozer, ECD spokesman.

Peacock said the new company hopes to extend its relationship with Nissan Motor Co. to Nissan's American operations, namely the Smyrna plant decking of a new swimming pool 0 Kt Billy Wayne Leslie Murder trial draws to close to leave any fingerprints." Prosecutors maintain that Billy Leslie killed his wife sometime on July 4 in their bedroom at 1333 Meridian St, dumped her body beside Flint Creek near Decatur, Ala, and dropped her head in the Tennessee River a few miles away. Leslie, 40, who was working as a pizzeria cook when his wife was killed, did not testify in his own de- I Torn to PAGE 3B, Column 1 DICKSON Annexation hearing dates to be set Feb. 5 DICKSON The dates for a series of public hearings on a proposal to annex six areas into the city, the second phase of a three-part annexation program, will be announced Feb. 5, Mayor Tom Way-chof said.

A preliminary study of the areas to be annexed has shown the annual revenue from the areas will be enough to cover costs of providing service to the areas. Opposition to the move has surfaced from Ridgecrest Drive residents. MARK TOWN5END mill Fentress seeks chamber's executive vice presidency Slain woman involved romantically, friend says Closing arguments today in Leslie case Gail Mcknight Staff Writer Metro Councilman Charles Fentress has applied for the job of executive vice president of the Nashville Area Chamber of Commerce, and if chosen, will resign from the council. Fentress confirmed yesterday that he would like the job, which has been vacant since the resignation of Keel Hunt in August Former Mayor Richard Fulton aide Rich Riebelihg, an attorney, is also on a "long list" of contenders, a chamber official said. "I did apply, because I think with my knowledge of Nashville, having lived here all my life, my knowledge of the political scene, my knowledge of the business community, and for the last few years, my great experience of working with the development community and the home builders, that I know what Nashville needs in terms of chamber leadership," Fentress said.

Fentress has represented the 34th District in the council for 1 4 years. The district includes the Belle Meade and Forest Hills areas. He has served MONTGOMERY Wilma Rudolph to talk atAPSU Unity Dinner CLARKSVILLE Olympic gold medalist Wilma Rudolph will be the guest speaker for Austin Peay State University's third annual Unity Dinner Thursday, beginning activities for Black History Month on campus. Rudolph, a Clarksville native, will speak on the dinner's theme, "Unity: The Key to Austin Peay's Future." Rudolph was the first American woman to win three gold medals in track and field in a single Olympiad in 1960. TERRY BATEY KIRK LOCGINS Staff Writer Sandra Gail Leslie was romantically involved with a professional wrestler for several months before she was slain in July 1988, a longtime friend of the woman testified yesterday.

Liz Davis, who said she and Leslie were "like sisters," testified in Criminal Court that she accompanied Leslie to wrestling matches in Center-vtlle, Franklin and at the Tennessee State Fairgrounds, where Leslie talked at length with a wrestler named Virgil (Soul Train) Jones. Leslie, who worked at the Nissan auto plant in Smyrna, said she planned to go to Pittsburgh at one point in the spring of 1988 to visit Jones, Davis said. Davis testified as a witness on behalf of Sandra Leslie's husband, Billy Wayne Leslie, who is being tried on charges that he beheaded his wife and dumped her body beside a creek the numbers and statistics that compare Wo in our region. of burlcy tcb 135 SO 119 eeo 960 2,230 650 Dept ot Agriculture lUntTmvtarStafl 1 NEWS FROM NEIGHBORING COUNTIES in 1S83 CHEATHAM Embezzlement trial severed by judge ASHLAND CITY A defense motion has been granted to sever the embezzlement trial of J. Walter Ingold from that of County Executive Vernon Knight Attorney Jim Johnson, representing Ingold, county director of accounts and budgets, said he filed the motion because In-gold's case may have been "prejudiced" by public statements made by Knight and from publicity.

Knight and Ingold were both indicted July 18. janbotts evidence obtained In a Wilson car search that netted nearly 200 pounds of marijuana. SOURCE: Tern..