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September 6, 2004
Hurricane Frances has pounded Florida as I am writing this. My college roommate and her family are hunkered down in West Palm, being just far enough from the water not to have been included in the mandatory evacuation order. Two mammoth trees in her next-door neighbor's yard have landed on the back fence. There is a lake back there behind their houses, home to several resident alligators, which probably doesn't bear thinking about at this time. They are not taking down hurricane boards on their houses until they know what Hurricane Ivan is going to do.
Because we have so many friends and family in the storm zone we were glued to the television reports. CNN did a wonderful job with their local details and lots of local feeds. We who are watching want details!
I remember the many hurricanes we experienced during all the years we lived in Wilmington, North Carolina. We moved to our first house during Hurricane Gretchen and I was sure my lampshades would wind up in South Carolina. Never saw so much mud! Hurricane Diana, on the other hand, hung around just offshore for three days and caused us more anxiety than discomfort. That was also when we all met con artist and imposter
Frank Abagnale, the "Catch Me if You Can" fellow. He had come to town to speak to the merchants' association, storm or no storm. What a trip he was! I think he was proud of being a con man with a cheeseball come-on.
Wonder if the eye of Hurricane Frances will be full of squawking birds, trapped by the wall of wind? My heart goes out to the many folks who will return to ruined stuff. There was a pitiful woman on the news that was in shock because she had let her insurance lapse. It will be interesting to see if some insurance companies just flat pull out of Florida after this.
Be grateful for your comfortable bed and tight roof if you have those things.
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Winnie Corley, who passed away September 2nd at 91 years of age, would have been pleased by the good crowd that turned out for her funeral at
Bill Head's in Duluth, even though he still does not have that drive-through window that Winnie wanted. Folks were packed into the pews of the chapel and standing around the sides. She would also have been pleased by the well-deserved newspaper accounts of her death. The "Angel of Sweetwater" is finally laid to rest in her beloved Sweetwater Cemetery on Pleasant Hill Road. Rest in peace, Winnie. We'll all still be talking about your killer rum cake until the end of time, so spirited it made your eyes water. Winnie's rum cake was mentioned in the draft of the resolution she received from the state of Georgia in 1999 for her work in historic preservation, but if memory serves I believe the final printed resolution left off any mention of her fabulous rum cake, which I thought was a bit stuffy of the Gold Dome people.
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The Upsilon Alpha Omega Chapter of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc. has awarded the
Beauty P. Baldwin Scholarship to three 2004 high school graduates. The 2004 scholarship recipients are
Mikaela Marshall, a graduate of Brookwood High School and daughter of
Victor and Pamela Marshall; Kristen Wilson, a graduate of Grayson High School and daughter of
Blair and Brenda Wilson; and
Candace Holloway, a graduate of Dacula High School and daughter of
Henry and Mildred Holloway.
Each recipient received $1,000 for college expenses. Winners were chosen based on academic excellence, leadership skills, community service, poise and personality. The sorority hosted a reception in honor of the scholarship recipients.
The scholarship is named for Beauty P. Baldwin, a charter member of the Upsilon Alpha Omega Chapter. Baldwin has been in the education field for more than 40 years, retiring as Superintendent of Buford City Schools. She came out of retirement to organize Hopewell Christian Academy in Norcross, where she currently serves as administrator.
The Upsilon Alpha Omega Chapter has awarded over $30,000 in scholarships to Gwinnett County college-bound students. For more information about the Beauty P. Baldwin Scholarships, please write to: Upsilon Alpha Omega Chapter, Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc., P. O. Box 191, Lawrenceville, GA 30046.
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Mark your calendars for the 8th annual
Eli P. Landers Day Celebration, Fundraiser and Barbecue on September 18, 2004, from 11:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. at Sweetwater Chapel, 1000 Pleasant Hill Road, Lawrenceville. Tickets are $12 and that includes a barbecue lunch served at 12 noon until 2:00 p.m. All profits go to restoring the historic Landers-Cain House that is now located on the grounds of Sweetwater. This house is the birthplace of Sgt. Eli P. Landers, 16th Georgia Infantry Volunteers, Confederate States of America.
Elizabeth Roberson, noted Civil War historian and author of
"Weep Not for Me, Dear Mother," will be the featured speaker. Eli's poignant letters home to his mother during the Civil War are memorialized in Roberson's renowned book. Mrs. Roberson will also be available to sign copies of her book, a great gift idea for people who are interested in the early history of Gwinnett County as well as Civil War history buffs.
Festivities include a Civil War encampment and reenactors, black-powder firing demonstrations, Civil War period music, Civil War cannon firing, memorabilia display and a tour of the Landers-Cain House. There will be a musketry salute at the grave of Eli P. Landers, who died during the Civil War and is buried at Sweetwater Cemetery along with 33 other Confederate soldiers.
This annual event is sponsored by the Eli P. Landers Camp No. 1724 of the Sons of Confederate Veterans (SCV). You may call SCV Camp Commander
Robert Elliott at (770) 682-1102 for ticket information. Tickets can also be purchased on the day of the celebration. I have attended this event in the past and thought it was really well done. See you there.
Hope all is well. Thanks for reading.
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