The Atlanta Constitution from Atlanta, Georgia • 38

r'ZTHO Ck STATE The Atlanta Journal The Atlanta Constitution D4 Friday. April 12, 1991 03m AIDS test, drug treatment bills become law Mr. Charles Goren, bridge writer who popularized game Los Angeles Times LOS ANGELES Mr. Charles Goren, who developed a point system that popularized the game of contract bridge and wrote a widely syndicated column on the game, has died. He More obituaries, Page Dd Ms.

Natalie Schafer 90, actress noted for 'GilHgan'sIslandi; The Associated Press BEVERLY HILLS, Calif. -Ms. Natalie Schafer, an actress known to generations of "Gilli-gan's Island" fans as the stranded millionaire's wife, Lovey, has died. She was 90. Ms.

Schafer died Wednesday offenders. In Georgia, all prison inmates must undergo AIDS testing, said Stephanie Manis, depu- ty attorney general. Similar legislation allowing the test results to be passed on to victims has passed throughout the country, and a federal measure to allow testing of rape suspects has passed in the U.S. House and is awaiting action in the Senate. On July 1, Georgia victims of any sexual assault including child molestation can petition a judge to order an AIDS test if there is probable cause that the accused attacker has the virus.

Other bills signed Thursday: Effective immediately is a law intended to protect burial grounds and cemeteries by giving local governments guidelines when considering applications for disinterring a grave. Beginning July 1, local and state police can seize real estate on nearly 400 of the more than 600 measures passed by the 1991 Legislature. Opponents of the AIDS testing bill say required testing violates the suspect's civil liberties. However, supporters say that victims of rape are entitled to the test results. The testing bill allows a victim of a sexual offense, or the parents or guardians if the victim is a minor, to determine whether the alleged assailant has the virus that causes AIDS.

The request for such testing would first be submitted to the prosecutor in the case, who could only ask the person charged with the crime to submit voluntarily to a test. If the alleged assailant refused, the judge hearing the case could order a test under certain conditions. At least 22 states, including Florida, Illinois and California, mandate testing of convicted sex and other property tied to drug operations. The money from the forfeited property will be split between the local government and the state and used for indigent defense, drug victim-witness assistance and some law enforcement expenses. A new law that gives pregnant women priority at state-funded drug treatment centers.

The law orders the Department of Human Resources to ensure through its rules that such women are given first call on available services and programs. Georgia 49 from Fort Valley to Americus will be designated as the "Andersonville POW Memorial Trail." The measure commemorates the fact that the National Cemetery at Andersonville, site of an infamous Civil War prisoner of war camp, is the resting place of deceased veter-v ans and former POWs from many wars. Millersigned his name to several measures Thursday By Rhonda Cook Staff writer Legislators and lobbyists lined up in Gov. Zell Miller's office Thursday to watch their bills become laws, including one that will permit victims of sexual assaults to find out if their assailant had a sexually transmitted disease. In addition, Mr.

Miller signed a bill making it easier for police to seize the property of drug dealers. With little more than a week left for Mr. Miller to sign or veto legislation, the governor set aside the afternoon to ceremoniously put his name on some of the bills. The governor has acted of cancer at her home, said fam- i ily spokesman Frank Lieberman. was 90.

Mr. Goren, known to his legions of famous friends and fellow card players as Charlie, died of a heart attack April 3 in Los Angeles, his nephewMarvin R. Goren, announced Wednesday. Mr. Charles Goren Ex-Atlantan charged in wife's death in Arkansas -V i ft Ms.

Schafer played the wife of Thurston Howell III, portrayed by the late Jim Backus. They were among the marooned passengers on the charter; boat Minnow. Miss Schafer began her career on stage, performing in an Atlanta stock company and then playing opposite Pat O'Brien in "The Nut Farm" in Chicago and New York. Bob Denver starred as Gilli-gan. Other cast members included Alan Hale Jr.

as skipper Jonas Grumby and Tina Louise as Ginger Grant. The show originally ran on CBS-TV from 1964 to 1967, and remains enormously popular in reruns. There also were three reunion TV movies: "Rescue From Gilligan's Island" in 1978, "The Castaways on Gilligan's Island" in 1979 and "The Harlem Globetrotters on Gilligan's Island" in 1981. Ms. Schafer also starred in the short-lived drama series "The Survivors" with Lana Turner and Kevin McCarthy in 1969-70.

Survivors include longtime companion Maurice Hill, said Mr. Lieberman. No funeral is planned. Mr. Kevin P.

Hall, 35, 'Bigfoof actor From wire reports LOS ANGELES Mr. Kevin Peter Hall, the gentle giant actor who created the "Biefoot" char in- File "By any standard he was one of the greatest bridge players and bridge authorities and bridge writers in the world, and a great friend of all bridge players. He will be sorely missed," said Alfred Sheinwold, who also writes a syndicated bridge column. Mr. Goren, a Philadelphia native, learned to play auction bridge as a college student at Montreal's McGill University.

He first took a hand in a game organized by a girlfriend, and, by his description, "made an ass of myself." He immediately found a book on bridge and memorized it from cover to cover, vowing never to be so humiliated again. As a young lawyer in Philadelphia, he became a serious tournament bridge player and developed his point-counting system that enabled even unsophisticated card players to enjoy the new game of contract bridge. The bridge champion wrote 26 books on bridge that have been translated into seven languages. He also wrote columns for his friend Henry K. Luce's Time magazine empire and for the Chicago Tribune newspaper syndicate.

His books about the card game, particularly "Goren's Bridge Complete," have been top sellers for 50 years. He also wrote books of instruction on canasta and backgammon. Among Mr. Goren's famous friends who regularly invited him for bridge games were President Eisenhower; Mr. Luce and his wife, Clare Booth Luce; the Duke and Duchess of Windsor; Vice President Nelson Rockefeller, and actor Humphrey Bogart.

In 1974, Mr. Goren enlisted actor Omar Sharif as co-writer of his newspaper column, "Goren on Bridge," which still bears the Goren name and was syndicated in 300 newspapers and magazines, including The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Mr. Sharif, captain of the Egyptian bridge team in the Bridge Olympiads of the 1960s, said that he had learned bridge by reading Mr. Goren's books.

Teacher Angle Young helps Markisha West with her writing in Echols County's school in Statenville. Georgia's small schools qualify for state subsidies to let them keep up with bigger schools. lural schools may got power to lower taxes They'd still be eligible for i subsidy from state taxpayers, By Betsy White Staff writer A handful of Georgia school systems that tax themselves at low rates could soon get permission to lower their taxes even further and still qualify for a special subsidy funded by state taxpayers. Under state law, small schools that cannot feasibly merge with a neighboring school qualify for a "sparsity grant" generally $50,000 to $200,000 a year beyond regular state outlays to help them offer the same basic programs that bigger schools can afford. To qualify, however, the school system first has had to spend a certain threshold of local funds the equivalent of 8 mills of property tax, or a $240 tax on each $100,000 home to boost the quality of education.

Now the state Board of Education wants to lower that threshold almost 40 percent. The change, to be voted on in June, would permit school systems to spend the equivalent of mills and still get a sparsity grant. State officials said they proposed the change out of fear that the higher threshold would not stand up in court. While sparsity grants are called for in the Quality Basic Education law, the 8-mill requirement is grounded only in Board of Education policy not in law. State officials acknowledge, however, that the change could lead to decreased spending for education in some districts that already have rock-bottom property tax rates for schools.

"Because of this change, there will be an opportunity for some school systems to lower their millage rate," said David Watts, education policy coordinator for the governor's Office of Planning and Budget. "But it remains to be seen whether they will do that." Metro Atlanta systems typically tax property owners 15 mills or more. Superintendents of some affected districts say their intention is not to slash spending. "Absolutely not," said Towns County Superintendent Bill Kendall, whose county receives a $125,000 sparsity grant to help operate its sole school. "We're getting less state funding this year than last, and we can't afford to cut taxes." But many districts that now face the 8-mill requirement have held spending to just barely above that level.

Altogether, 39 schools qualify for sparsity grants. Most are virtually certain to keep their acter in the movie "Harry and the Hendersons," died Wednesday of pneumonia-related complications. He was 35. Subsidized schools at a glance Thirty-nine small Georgia schools earn "sparsity grants" so they can offer the kinds of programs only bigger schools can afford. They qualify for higher per-pupil state outays because they are in isolated rural areas and cannot feasibly merge wtft a nearby school.

Nine of the systems are in North Georgia. Usted are those schools, along wtfi the estimated grant they will receive next year. Mr. Hall, who was 7-feet 2-inches tall, was the star of the new syndicated television series based on the movie, "Harry and the Hendersons." The series debuted in January. Mr.

Hall is survived by his Banks County High School $80,000 Dawson County High School $70,000 Greene-Taliaferro High School $40,000 Heard County High School $80,000 Jasper County High School $80,000 Lincoln County High School $90,000 Oglethorpe County High School $70,000 Woody Gap High School $300,000 Warren County High School $120,000 Body found stuffed in trunk of her car By Bill Montgomery Staff writer The former administrator of Charter Peachford Hospital in Atlanta has been charged with the murder of his wife in Little Rock. Police in Arkansas have accused Larry Ashley, 44, of shooting his wife of one year in a domestic quarrel. The body of 41-year-old Debbie Ashley, an Atlanta-area native, was found stuffed inside the trunk of her car Wednesday at the Little Rock Regional Airport. One of Mrs. Ashley's former husbands described her as "a nonviolent person who wants to be needed." Police Lt.

Charles E. Holla-day said the murder charge was based in part on an admission from Mr. Ashley that he shot his wife in the chest with a pistol she kept in her purse. It happened over the weekend at their home in a neighborhood of $500,000 houses, he said. "I have a lot of guns, and she could have carried one of mine," said a former husband, D.

Robert Autrey a Marietta attorney. He was married to the victim for four years. They divorced in 1986, in an amicable settlement. "She was a neat little girl; I loved her," he said. A medical supplies saleswoman, she "would keep a pistol on her car seat when she traveled for personal protection," Mr.

Autrey added. Municipal Criminal Court Prosecutor Melody Noble said Mr. Ashley, who is being held in the Little Rock city jail on $250,000 bond, requested a public defender at a preliminary hearing Thursday. "He said he had been terminated from his job and couldn't afford an attorney," Ms. Noble said.

Mr. Ashley was fired as administrator of the BridgeWay, a psychiatric hospital in North Little Rock, "effective Thursday," said Debbie Osteen, a BridgeWay spokeswoman. He had held the position since June of last year, she said. "We're certainly shocked and dismayed," she added. "It comes as a surprise to us." The defendant was arrested Wednesday at his office after questioning by police, about three hours after his wife's body was discovered.

According to an associate in Atlanta, Mr. Ashley was employed for more than 10 years by the Macon-based Charter Medical working his way from a psychiatric social worker to an administrator for Charter Peach-ford Hospital in Dunwoody. He also was a regional assistant vice president for the corporation. Charter spokesman Andy Brimmer said Mr. Ashley was fired in March, 1990, amid reports of tampering with company books.

"It's not our policy to talk about specifics," he added. School system also qualifies for substantial equalization grant, making it unlikely the tax rate would be reduced Source: State Department of Education tax rates above the 8-mill limit, however, because another state subsidy the so-called equalization grants given to all but the richest 10 percent of schools, as measured by the amount of taxable property per pupil is given to schools that levy at least 8.25 mills. LanJdbrd attorneys press his appeal wife, actress Alaina Reed Hall, who was his co-star on "227," and two children. A statement issued on Thursday on behalf of Mr. Hall's family revealed no further details on the cause of death.

There was no information about whether the actor died in the hospital or at his Los Angeles home, spokesman Brad Lemack said. Sources said Mr. Hall had been under medical care up to his death. A friend of the family said, "We thought he was getting better." Mr. Hall starred as the alien predator in the films "Predator" and "Predator 2" but will probably be best remembered as "Big-foot" in "Harry and the Hen-, dersons." Mrs.

Carol F. Rogers Court reporter The funeral for Mrs. Carol F. Rogers of Conyers, a court reporter with Metro Court Reporting, will be at 2 p.m. today at Glenwood Hills Baptist Church with burial at Christ Sanctified Holy Church campground in Perry, Ga.

Mrs. Rogers, 38, died Wednesday in a car accident in Conyers. Surviving are her husband, W. Edgar Rogers III; a stepson, Troy A. Rogers of Conyers; a daughter, Nichole Stanton of Conyers; two stepdaughters, Meredith R.

Jones of Norfolk, and Brandi A. Rogers of Conyers; her father and stepmother, Allen T. Freeman Sr. and Evelyn Freeman of Oxford, her stepgrandmother, Mary Tyner of Macon; two brothers, Allen T. Freeman Jr.

of Covington and C. Jeff Freeman of Social Circle, a sister, Elizabeth Martin of Stark, and a stepsister, Jennifer Cruder of Oxford, Ga. Richard B. Lankford The suspended sheriff was convicted last year of extortion and tax evasion. Mrs.

Louise S. McDaniel Homemaker The funeral for Mrs. Louise S. McDaniel of Decatur, a home-maker, will be at 1 p.m. today at A.S.

Turner and Sons Funeral Home with burial at Decatur Cemetery. Mrs. McDaniel, 86, who had been ill with heart disease and cancer, died Tuesday at DeKalb Medical Center. Surviving are two sons, W.O. McDaniel Jr.

and Charles F. McDaniel of Decatur; three daughters, Elsie M. Campbell of Stone Mountain, Ann M. Yates of Decatur and Diane M. Smith of Bowden; two brothers, Felix Sharpton of Stone Mountain and Gordon Sharpton of Duluth; 15 grandchildren; and 13 greatgrandchildren.

Mr. Gordon Baker Businessman The funeral for Mr. Gordon Baker of Atlanta, owner of a millwork and cabinetmaking company, will be at 1 p.m. Saturday at Patterson's, Oglethorpe Hill, with burial at 3 p.m. at Forest Lawn Memorial Park in Bremen.

Mr. Baker, 56, who had been ill with cancer, died Wednesday at Piedmont Hospital. Surviving are his wife, Ber-nice Wilson Baker; a son, Donald Styles of Germany; and a brother, Ronald A. Baker of Norcross. Motives of witness aired before judges By Michelle Hlskey Staff writer A panel of federal appellate judges Thursday quizzed lawyers in the case of suspended Fulton County Sheriff Richard B.

Lankford on whether he should have been allowed to attack the motives of the government's star witness against him. Lankford, who was convicted last year on two counts each of extortion and tax evasion and faces 27 months in prison, did not appear at the 40-minute hearing before three judges of the 11th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals. Although the appeal is based on severaTissues, Circuit Judges Peter T. Fay and Stanley F.

Birch and Senior Judge Walter Hoffman of Virginia appeared most interested in evidence Lank-ford's attorneys had wanted to introduce to discredit Jack T. Le- "This man would do anything to protect his sons," said Larry D. Thompson, the former U.S. attorney now representing Lankford. "Wouldn't a reasonable person believe that someone might cooperate to the fullest in hopes that he could ask for a favor after it's all over?" Judge Fay asked the prosecutor, Assistant U.S.

Attorney William P. Gaffney. Mr. Gaffney replied that Lankford's defense team "was given every fair opportunity to attack" Mr. LeCroy, and noted that they probed Mr.

LeCroy's immunity agreement with the government. Mr. LeCroy testified he contacted federal agents because he feared he might have broken the law by making the payments to the sheriff. Lankford, a pastor at Mount Olive Baptist Church, remains free on appeal and suspended from office until his appeals run out or his tern ends in January. .1 Croy.

Mr. LeCroy was the vendor at the Fulton County Jail who testified he paid Lankford more than $20,000 to keep a lucrative jail contract. Defense attorneys claim Mr. LeCroy, who also owns PaPa's Country Buffet restaurants, may have cooperated with federal authorities in exchange for leniency for his sons, who had been arrested on state marijuana charges, and to forestall an investigation into tax write-offs from his Conyers horse farm. During the trial, U.S.

District Judge Richard C. Freeman refused to let lawyers question Mr. LeCroy on these issues, saying it would "sidetrack" the jury..