Former state Rep. Jerry Jackson said he still remembers the first time he met Joe T. Wood. It was around 1950 when Wood was operating the soda fountain at the old Chicopee drug store and Jackson used to come in for an occasional pop when he was just 8 years old. Little did the two men know back then that their lives would be forever intertwined. They became lifelong friends and went on to serve in the state legislature together for 14 years. Wood died at the age of 96 at his home on Saturday, April 27. Through the years he had gone from soda server to a fountain of local pride for Hall County. Jackson said his confidante of almost 70 years will be missed by everyone.