The Commercial Appeal from Memphis, Tennessee • 12

I i A12 MEMPHIS MONDAY MAY 26 1986 THE COMMERCIAL APPEAL From Page A1 Chain In South Obion County porters joined hands to foi Ned Mcwherter Mile to i -1- part of it" he said In Chattanooga far east of the line about 3000 people joined hands in a 15-block fund-raising effort as the Chattanooga Food Bank sought to capitalize on the Hands theme About 520000 was raised said Bill Johnson food bank director Contributions to Hands be mailed to PO Box Marshfield Wis 544499986 brought a lot of attention to the hungry and homeless" said Dr Lamar Bridges of Arkansas Community College Greg Gillis of Alexandria La who stood in a gap said he was not disappointed that he had only the ribbon to hold in his right hand is one of the greatest things to ever happen to this country and I'm just glad to be a Rita LaMotta of Millington had a poetic explanation for the untimely storm which she expressed in an impromptu poem: love was tremendous so full of emotion was the day that the heavens began to cry The dew from above only enforced our energy to Despite mile-long gaps in southern Obion County Tennesseans and Kentuckians linked hands across the state line connecting Fulton Ky and South Fulton Tenn Peter Fonda who is filming a movie in Clarksville Tenn linked hands with Rep Carroll Hubbard (D-Mayfield) Also among those joining hands in Fulton was singer Mel McDaniel Fonda said he decided to join the human chain because it gave him opportunity to show positive attitudes" like those of his political idol Thomas sup-orm a honor the House speaker who is running for governor Near Troy Tenn agriculture activists formed a farmers' mile In Arkansas Gov Bill Clinton said the event had a special meaning the state is the only Southern state through which the line completely crossed and was one of the poorest to participate St Francis County where poverty levels and unemployment rates have been among the highest in Arkansas had the largest in the line rganizers said the sparse population and its size made it the most difficult area to cover in Arkansas Participants who filled some gaps with vinyl ribbon still were enthusiastic we can make all hands touch is immaterial it Hands Across America) Six million? Biggest wedding in the world" Wedding vows were also exchanged in Twin Lakes Ohio Hammond City Ind and by two couples near Phoenix Ariz Teams of reporters from local and national newspapers radio and television stations buzzed the stretch of US 51 from Memphis to Ripley Tenn in small aircraft and helicopters vying for positions above crowds in Memphis Millington Covington Henning and Ripley Between cities small groups from 200 to four people linked hands against a backdrop of soybean fields Outside Covington a hatchback full of children joined a van along the road to form a tiny chain inside the city the town square teemed with people but rains kept some would-be participants in other parts of town seated in their bumper-to-bump-er cars About two miles outside Henning a truck driver parked his 18-wheel truck along a lane of about 60 cars and vans to join a long line of people Near Atoka there was a five-mile stretch of highway without car or person tiffiX) a hectic festive air Participants sang wore balloons and ribbons and in one instance on the bridge joining Tennessee and Arkansas exchanged wedding vows As the crucial hour drew near some hand-holders insisted that passing motorists join their parade At the intersection of Danny Thomas and North Parkway the participants' cry to passing cars was it and get out here! Some innovative hand-holders on Beale Street made sure Elvis Presley got into the act On the line east on Beale from Riverside one participant grabbed a hand of the statue at Elvis Presley Plaza and another grabbed a leg to extend the line said DeBeaux Mumaw of Bethpage Tenn At a point on Beale between Lauderdale and Manassas there was a gap of about a half a block however Scott Youry and Laura Danielson of West Memphis Ark clad in formal white wedding attire tied the nuptial knot where the East and west of Hands Across America symbolically met on the bridge spanning the Mississippi River Youry 18 said the reason for the Hands marriage was obvious: many people (in AIR CONDITIONING SERVICE 9QQG 9 lyaamflEE) SOUTHAVEN 388-7500 in sight Raini also plagued participants in Millington where the line though broken in several small places stretched from one end of the city to the other PLUMBING AIR CONDITIONING woe Since 1923 mmURNllUREi A I 1 -V i "i mmt-' r-flw-t 1 1 I I tr 1 i- A Atr I Jf -A I i V-T- it -I ft I'1 Vfc i A A r- T'- a 4 r-f ft VIQM 0MII3E! IFK! i r' -i i ir tod i i -Vlr 3 1 i r- r- i idU w1 1 1 1 -T t- i i I i nr 'I I mi a til -Zvtr 11 4 I r- i ---s -a 4 1- 4 A r4 4 into (m Jkr 4 from the big event to the person on the street" At the White House President Reagan stood in line with his wife Nancy and daughter Maureen About 225 aides Secret Service agents and news media representatives completed the number needed to link the chain on the semicircular driveway with that along Pennsylvania Avenue Across the street more than 100 members of the Community for Creative Nonviolence staged a demonstration to protest US policy on homelessness and hunger The western end of the country was anchored by Bill Jones 34 his wife Mary 25 and their five children who live at the Family Shelter for the Homeless in Long Beach think it's just incredible and I hope this feeling carries Jones said is a real need There are many families worse off than us It's hard and tough" Just such a magical said Yoko Ono widow of John Lennon in Battery Park as magical as it seems this is just a beginning It's a very colorful event and I think the younger generation can make line represents the entire human race in all cultures all said actor Edward Olmos is probably the largest humanitarian statement ever made by people 1 think it is a world event This world is very Added actor Ben Vereen in Long Beach: you look beautiful At Middlecreek Farm in rural Frederick County Maryland the human chain became Hooves Across America as a family and their three bulls joined in worked out just great" said Clyde Grossnickel a 73-year-old farmer took the lead bull with one hand and then I held hands with another lady And then my son came in behind my bull and held his bull and the tail of my bull And then my grandson comes in with the third bull and holds the tail of the second bull and his wife holds the tail of that bull and another In Philadelphia about 30 members of United American Indians of Delaware Valley were in line in front of the Liberty Bell in full costume In Pittsburgh Cincinnati Reds outfielder Dave Parker and five Pirates players held hands with hundreds of Little Leaguers before the Reds-Pirates game As the line stretched east from Indianapolis past growing corn smiles were mixed with tears in New Jersey squeeze her hand" shouted Joe DiEduardo 46 a local organizer In Chicago Bears quarterback Jim McMahon found a place in the line by the Water Tower and running back Walter Payton joined 1300 of his friends on a mile he bought for them in Champaign 111 Weather was clear along much of the line although there were rain in the Midwest and flood watches across North Texas Temperatures soared to 96 degrees along the line in Arizona where refrigerated trucks were stationed to aid sunstroke victims No major accidents or injuries were reported along the national Hands route The planned gaps in the line most of them in desert areas deemed too far from medical fa- cilities for safety were spanned symbolically some with red-and-whlte rope donated by textile firms and the Coca-Cola Co some with banners carrying the handprints of hospitalized children -r vm ft- Wf -7 VI -with any Bedroom Diningroom or Living room Purchase! Broyh3l Table 4 Chairs Lighted China kJ High Back Velvet SWIVEL ROCKER Attached pillow-back lounge chair tailored with a smart traditional look I'dssr'i 'Broghiir 90 days same as cash! Queen Size Sofa-Sleeper ET2- Headboard Dresser and Mirror Bedroom: Excluding Juvenile Furniture Diningroom: Consisting of 6 or more pieces a Li vingroom: Consisting of 2 or more pieces Includes Chest aiiihiiie.