Despite the

demands of his job with ASA/Delta Air Lines as a finance manager, Mike

has regularly attended Tyrone Town Council and Planning and Zoning meetings

for the past five years, keeps abreast of issues in the community and

makes sure his voice is heard when appropriate.

Speaking of

Mike's involvement in the political process, Janet noted, "He feels

that if you're going to have an opinion, you had better take the time

to learn the issues."

Mike researches

issues and, if he misses a meeting, makes sure to read the minutes.

Janet serves

on the Fayette County Board of Education while balancing her charitable

work and her job as a professional fundraiser for nonprofit organizations.

It's clear

when talking to both that the three children come first for both parents.

They go to great lengths to ensure that none of their children are slighted

Evan, the oldest,

is a sophomore at the University of Georgia. Zach is a senior at Sandy

Creek High School, and Andrew will be starting his freshman year at the

same school shortly.

Janet and Mike

are both strong, independent individuals who, according to Janet, have

had their share of challenges. After 30 years, and a few ups and downs,

the two are proud of their children, their accomplishments and their reliance

on each other.

Speaking of

Mike, Janet said, "We have the same moral convictions, the same goals,

a strong respect and recognition of each other's independence and we're

not threatened by that independence.

"When

it comes to our children, we don't miss a beat. We don't compete, we support

each other and appreciate our differing talents."

The couple

is looking forward to celebrating their 30th anniversary ­ a little

late. Although they'll reach the 30-year mark in August, the celebration

of the event is being postponed due to the upcoming Great Georgia Airshow.

Janet is heading up the marketing and fund-raising for the show, a commitment

that Mike supports. Saying he understood the demands on Janet's time with

the event, he preferred to wait until he could have her undivided attention

for their anniversary trip to San Francisco.

Mike was born

in Springfield, Mass., the son of two second-generation Polish families.

He misses the ethnic diversity of his early home, more so the variety

of foods it seems than the actual neighborhoods.

A strong work

ethic was ingrained in Mike from an early age. As a youth, he spent most

of his summers working with his uncle on the farms. He and his uncle would

be up many days by 3 a.m. heading to the market to sell produce. Mike

remembers his uncle talking about driving 200 miles to sell tomatoes to

Campbell Soups during the Depression to survive.

Mike's first

job netted him 40 cents an hour, which enabled him to supplement his wardrobe.

He said he was one of the "best dressed kids in school."

At the age

of 14, Mike broke his uncle's heart and took a summer job working in the

tobacco fields for $1.10 an hour, a "huge increase." The tobacco

companies leased school buses to transport workers during the summer and

employed many of Mike's teachers.

He worked for

two summers in the fields before taking a job with the local newspaper.

"It was a great job," he said, "probably my favorite job."

He worked Saturday nights from 4 p.m. until part of the paper was printed,

then came back at midnight and worked until the second part of the paper

was printed.

What made the

job so great was the sense of accomplishment, plus the fact that he was

paid for 8 hours for each shift regardless of the time he actually worked.

Since the paper was often finished on each shift within four hours, he

was able to squeeze a date in between the early and late shifts. Plus,

he was making a whopping $3.50-$4.00 per hour.

After graduating

from high school, he went attended college while continuing to live at

home. Both he and Janet worked for Avis, although they didn't work together

or meet on the job.

The pair met

at a New Year's Eve party at a friend's house. Both were dating others

at the time. They didn't start dating until months later, when their current

relationships had ended.

Although the

sparks didn't fly for Mike at their first meeting, Mike definitely made

an impression on Janet. Not only because she thought he was cute, but

he left the car he was driving "hanging in a tree."

He and friends

left the party a little early to traverse the snowy, icy roads. The brakes

locked up going down the hill and the car full of friends slowly rolled

down the hill, off the edge of the road onto the top of a tree. The car

had to be removed with a crane.

She also remembers

something he seemed to want to forget ­ his first attempt at humor

in her presence. She asked Mike to pass the butter, then asked how old

he was. He quipped, "Old enough to know butter," and sealed

his fate.

He says it

took him six months to ask her out, simply because he couldn't remember

her name. Then, when he finally discovered her last name, he couldn't

pronounce it. Janet's maiden name was Phetteplace, pronounced "petty

place." The fact that they didn't live in the same town made tracking

her down a little harder. Janet was born and raised in West Springfield.

The two attended

different colleges while dating, marrying in their junior year. When Mike

graduated in the '70s he said the New England economy could be best be

described as "terrible." He looked for jobs in the financial

field but soon realized he could make more staying with Avis.

The couple

moved to Chicago as a result of a promotion for Mike. Janet, who had also

continued to work for Avis, took a job with a local hotel managing convention

space and arranging meetings in Chicago. She later took a job offer from

one of her clients as the sssistant to the president of an insurance company,

then as the director of recruiting and training for Connecticut Mutual

Insurance.

After a few

years another promotion moved the two to the New York area, where they

lived for 11 years. Mike's job took him all over the world as a project

manager.

Evan was born

in 1983. Zach joined his brother in 1985 and Andrew rounded out the trio

in 1988. With the arrival of Evan, Janet put her career on hold.

Mike left Avis

in 1986 at the urging of friends who had already made the move to Pan

Am. Five years after he started with Pan Am, Delta Air Lines bought the

company. Mike, along with many others, moved to the Atlanta area as a

result of the acquisition.

Mike and Janet

entered into a "commuter relationship." Janet stayed "up

north" to sell the house and allow the children to complete school.

In 1993 she and the children moved to Tyrone.

The great school

system, the proximity to the airport and the community drew the family

to Tyrone. The couple had spent inordinate amounts of time looking for

just the right place to live. They had lived in "an idyllic postcard

community" in the country, and Janet was determined to live in a

similar environment. When Mike mentioned their difficulty in finding a

home to a co-worker, she immediately said, "Oh, you're talking about

Tyrone."

"We still

think that Fayette County, particularly this area, is the best kept secret

in the Atlanta area," said Mike, who has definite ideas about the

future of the area he has called home, and plans to continue to call home.

"Tyrone

is a gateway to Atlanta and to the rest of Fayette County. Knowing what

it could look like without proper planning, we can demand more and get

it."

He is aware

that development is coming, "zoning is already in place that can't

be changed without disenfranchising current land owners." However,

he says they can use the Avenue in Peachtree City as a model rather than

the Hwy. 92/85 corridors in Fayetteville.

He refers to

some ideas first put forth by former Mayor Norm Davis, saying, "If

we could keep traffic to Hwy. 74, we can keep Tyrone aesthetically pleasing."

He noted that

Tyrone had almost doubled in size since he moved to the area.

Janet jumped

right into the community when she first moved to Tyrone. She worked as

a parapro at Burch Elementary before taking a position as director of

fundraising for the Sams School. Her efforts with the nonprofit resulted

in the construction of a school for children with disabilities on Brandywine

Blvd.

With the successful

completion of those efforts, Janet went into business for herself as a

professional fundraiser for nonprofits. Her largest client currently is

the Great Georgia Airshow, which has donated money to over 40 local charities.

She expects the Airshow to be "bigger and better" this year.

Janet is an

active member of the Fayetteville Rotary Club and serves on the Investment

Advisory Board for the United Way.

Both Janet

and Mike enjoy working around the house and in the garden. Both said that

gardening helps them keep their sanity and is "very therapeutic."

"Mike

has the green thumb," said Janet, to which Mike responded, "Janet's

the pointer and I'm the put-ter."

Mike is an

avid skier, while Janet tags along to shop.

Talking with

the two is a lesson in life. Community involvement, striving to make the

future better for their children and their children's children, inner

focus, looking at both sides of issues they drop convictions and lessons

learned into conversations without missing a beat. Both are open about

some of the difficulties they've faced and how hard they've worked to

resolve issues.

Mike agreed

when Janet smiled and said, "We're stronger than ever. We've learned

through the years that we most like about each other are how strong and

independent we are."

She continued,

"Mike is definitely the wind beneath my wings ­ I could never

devote the time to issues without his support." Mike echoes the sentiment.

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