Crisp County GaArchives Obituaries.....DORRIS, COL. W. H. August 5, 1937
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Clyde Watson clyde.nell@gmail.com December 30, 2008, 9:00 pm

Cordele Dispatch  5 August 1937
                     COL. DORRIS DIES FROM CRASH INJURIES
                 FUNERAL RITES FOR CORDELEAN SET FOR TOMORROW 
                ACCIDENT MONDAY FATAL TO PROMINENT CIVIC LEADER
                              HELD MANY OFFICES 
                Burial to be held in former hometown of Attorney
     Funeral services for Col. W. H. Dorris prominent Cordele lawyer, civic
leader and one of the foremost members of the Georgia bar. Who died in the
Piedmont Hospital in Atlanta early this morning, will be held from the chapel of
H.M. Patterson & Sons at 1020 Spring Street, Atlanta, Georgia, tomorrow
afternoon at 2 o'clock P.M. The body will be carried to Douglasville the former
home of Col. Dorris for interment.
                             SEVERE HEAD INJURIES  
     Hospital attendants said he suffered severe head injuries and possible
internal injuries, rumors that he suffered a stroke of Apoplexy following the
accident were denied by Dr. Lee Williams and Guy T. Cobb who rushed to Atlanta
upon hearing bout the accident. Mrs. Ruth Morton a guest at the hotel where Col.
Dorris was vacationing was with him at the tome of the accident, she suffered no
injuries.
     Mr. Cobb who investigated the accident at Clayton said Col. Dorris in
meeting a truck ran off the highway onto a soft shoulder  from where his car
rolled down a thirty foot cliff turning over several times, Witnesses told Mr.
Cobb the Driver of the truck was not to blame for the accident.
                              LOSES CONSCIOUSNESS
     Mr. Cobb said the driver and two other farmers who were on the truck
assisted in removing Col. Dorris from the wreckage, and, E. B. Nash, from
Atlanta passed by and recognized the lawyer and carried him to a doctor's office
in Clayton. He was conscious for about forty minutes after the accident. Later
he was removed from the doctor's office to the Hotel and Tuesday was carried the
the Hospital in Atlanta where he died with regaining consciousness.
    Col. Dorris was leader in the practice of law here as well as in business
and civic activities. To him is due the credit for securing the Carnegie
Library, Post Office Building and Union Depot Buildings, here. He was one of the
citizens giving much of his time to the Crisp County Power Developement.
                                 FORMER MAYOR
     He had served as Cordele's Mayor as well as having served on the Board of
Alderman. On three occasion he represented this area in the House of
Representatives and twice a member of the Senate from his district.
     Col. Dorris also served as President of the Chamber of Commerce.
     During one of his terms in the General Assembly, he sponsored a special
statute permitting Crisp County to establish its own hydro-electric plant on the
Flint River. He sponsored bills to improve education and health facilities in
Georgia. The bill permitting the leasing of the state owned Western and Atlantic
Railroad was written by him.
     His hobby was fishing and he was deeply interested in other outdoor sports.
He maintained a lodge on the coast and was a member of the Kingfish Club of St.
Mary's Florida.
                           AUTHORITY ON HISTORY
     He was one of Georgia foremost authorities on historical and economic
subjects.
     Born in Douglasville Georgia. He had lived in Cordele for a number of
years, coming here in 1906, to enter int practice of law. He was 67 years old.
He served as a steward of the First Methodist Church for a great many years and
was teacher of the Mens Bible Class.
    Aout,  two years ago Col. Dorris was quite ill and had not been very active
in his profession since that date. His associate, Mrs. J. H. McCormick had
carried on most of his practice.
     Funeral service will be conducted by Rev. J.H. House, Pastor. Pall bearers
was not available at this time, it is probable that they will be members of the
bar association.
     Col. Dorris is survived by three sisters: Miss Emma Dorris, Clayton; Mrs.
J. A. Stone, Carrolton; Mrs. E. M. Huffine, Douglasville; and a brother J. A.
Dorris, Carrolton. The Col. was never married. 

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