strongernow
06-10-2004, 06:15 PM
This is Jackie
By Hank Sanders
"This is Jackie. We need your help." These words were spoken over the phone on Tuesday morning by Jackie Thomas, Administrator for the Lowndes County Commission. She explained that Kelvin Bogan had served in Iraq and is still serving in the U.S. Armed Services. His mother, Annie Ruth Bogan, died recently, and the funeral was set for Friday at 1:00 p.m. Kelvin was home for the funeral but his special wish was that his brother, Edward Bogan, be at the funeral. And that was a problem.
Jackie explained further. "Edward Bogan is in prison in Georgia. They say that the only way to have even a shot at him attending the funeral is to get help from your governor or senator. I am calling you because you are our senator." My first response was, "Jackie, I am sure they mean the U. S. Senator, not the state senator. However, let me see what I can do." I went to work.
This matter began with one person taking initiative. That person is Kelvin Mitchell, deputy sheriff of Lowndes County. Deputy Mitchell knew Kelvin Bogan's father had died about a year ago and Edward Bogan could not attend the funeral. This was hard on the family. This time Mitchell tried to help. When he called the Georgia Corrections Department, officials told him that he needed help from his governor and/or senator. He contacted Jackie because she knew me well.
I called Jim Main, the Governor's Senior Advisor. Jim was about to leave town on a long awaited vacation so he handed the ball off to Ken Wallace, the Governor's Legal Advisor. Jim gave me his cell phone so he could be reached if necessary. Ken took the ball and ran with it. At the time, he had no idea of the obstacles he would meet on this journey. It took a lot of work from Ken, his assistant legal advisor, Vernon Barker, his executive assistant, Becky Brennon, and others. They encountered obstacle after obstacle, but they kept trying.
The first obstacle sprung from the situation in Georgia. The warden who knew what needed to be done and how to do it had recently retired. The new warden just did not know. The parole officer was also new and did not know. Ken and his staff kept trying.
Ken immediately involved the Alabama Department of Corrections through their attorney, Billy Addison. Once Ken and Billy determined what needed to be done, they realized how truly great the obstacles were. The three-day time frame was so short and so much had to be done. It seemed that there was no way to overcome these obstacles, but they kept on trying.
Once the Georgia warden and parole officer brought themselves up to speed on the process, they found that the request had to go to the Emergency Clemency Department in Corrections. If approved, the matter then would go before the Clemency Board (Parole Board), which had to be called together, meet and act in just one day. Ken and Billy did not know if there was any way this could be done, but they kept on trying.
Even if they could work out everything on the Georgia side of the border, something more had to be done on the Alabama side: Edward Bogan had to be transported from Georgia to Alabama. Lowndes County Sheriff Willie Vaughner was contacted. He agreed to provide a deputy to transport Edward Bogan. That deputy was Kelvin Mitchell.
Having Edward Bogan at the funeral may seem like a small matter, but it was big for Kelvin Bogan and his family. I understand funerals are for the living, and each of our loved ones die but once. Funerals help us to heal. For most families the funeral is the central step in the healing process. If even one close family member is missing, it cracks the healing chain.
Kelvin Bogan had been to Iraq serving under the most difficult of circumstances. He still serves in the Armed Forces. Now he wanted his country (and state) to help him and his family heal through the presence of all seven sisters and brothers at their mother's funeral.
There is lots of bureaucracy in government. There was a lot of bureaucracy to overcome in this effort to help this family heal. Bureaucracy, however, is not the story this time. The real story is the extraordinary effort by a deputy sheriff, a county commission administrator, a sheriff, a state senator, a governor's office and a corrections department in one state and the corrections department and governor's office in another state. Through this collective effort, a family was helped to heal its hurt.
I am glad that on Thursday afternoon I received a message from Ken Wallace saying that the mission had been accomplished. I am also glad that Kelvin Bogan and Kelvin Mitchell expressed strong appreciations on behalf of the family for all the effort, seen and unseen, that was put forth.
By Hank Sanders
"This is Jackie. We need your help." These words were spoken over the phone on Tuesday morning by Jackie Thomas, Administrator for the Lowndes County Commission. She explained that Kelvin Bogan had served in Iraq and is still serving in the U.S. Armed Services. His mother, Annie Ruth Bogan, died recently, and the funeral was set for Friday at 1:00 p.m. Kelvin was home for the funeral but his special wish was that his brother, Edward Bogan, be at the funeral. And that was a problem.
Jackie explained further. "Edward Bogan is in prison in Georgia. They say that the only way to have even a shot at him attending the funeral is to get help from your governor or senator. I am calling you because you are our senator." My first response was, "Jackie, I am sure they mean the U. S. Senator, not the state senator. However, let me see what I can do." I went to work.
This matter began with one person taking initiative. That person is Kelvin Mitchell, deputy sheriff of Lowndes County. Deputy Mitchell knew Kelvin Bogan's father had died about a year ago and Edward Bogan could not attend the funeral. This was hard on the family. This time Mitchell tried to help. When he called the Georgia Corrections Department, officials told him that he needed help from his governor and/or senator. He contacted Jackie because she knew me well.
I called Jim Main, the Governor's Senior Advisor. Jim was about to leave town on a long awaited vacation so he handed the ball off to Ken Wallace, the Governor's Legal Advisor. Jim gave me his cell phone so he could be reached if necessary. Ken took the ball and ran with it. At the time, he had no idea of the obstacles he would meet on this journey. It took a lot of work from Ken, his assistant legal advisor, Vernon Barker, his executive assistant, Becky Brennon, and others. They encountered obstacle after obstacle, but they kept trying.
The first obstacle sprung from the situation in Georgia. The warden who knew what needed to be done and how to do it had recently retired. The new warden just did not know. The parole officer was also new and did not know. Ken and his staff kept trying.
Ken immediately involved the Alabama Department of Corrections through their attorney, Billy Addison. Once Ken and Billy determined what needed to be done, they realized how truly great the obstacles were. The three-day time frame was so short and so much had to be done. It seemed that there was no way to overcome these obstacles, but they kept on trying.
Once the Georgia warden and parole officer brought themselves up to speed on the process, they found that the request had to go to the Emergency Clemency Department in Corrections. If approved, the matter then would go before the Clemency Board (Parole Board), which had to be called together, meet and act in just one day. Ken and Billy did not know if there was any way this could be done, but they kept on trying.
Even if they could work out everything on the Georgia side of the border, something more had to be done on the Alabama side: Edward Bogan had to be transported from Georgia to Alabama. Lowndes County Sheriff Willie Vaughner was contacted. He agreed to provide a deputy to transport Edward Bogan. That deputy was Kelvin Mitchell.
Having Edward Bogan at the funeral may seem like a small matter, but it was big for Kelvin Bogan and his family. I understand funerals are for the living, and each of our loved ones die but once. Funerals help us to heal. For most families the funeral is the central step in the healing process. If even one close family member is missing, it cracks the healing chain.
Kelvin Bogan had been to Iraq serving under the most difficult of circumstances. He still serves in the Armed Forces. Now he wanted his country (and state) to help him and his family heal through the presence of all seven sisters and brothers at their mother's funeral.
There is lots of bureaucracy in government. There was a lot of bureaucracy to overcome in this effort to help this family heal. Bureaucracy, however, is not the story this time. The real story is the extraordinary effort by a deputy sheriff, a county commission administrator, a sheriff, a state senator, a governor's office and a corrections department in one state and the corrections department and governor's office in another state. Through this collective effort, a family was helped to heal its hurt.
I am glad that on Thursday afternoon I received a message from Ken Wallace saying that the mission had been accomplished. I am also glad that Kelvin Bogan and Kelvin Mitchell expressed strong appreciations on behalf of the family for all the effort, seen and unseen, that was put forth.