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The ADVANCE, January 13, 2021 /Page 4A
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Vidalian A.B. Albritton Looks Back on 100 Remarkable Years
By Deborah Clark
Regional Editor
dclarkadvance@gmail. com
On February 1, Vi
dalian A.B. Albritton will
join an exclusive group of
people. He will turn 100
years old and traditionally
an accomplishment of this
magnitude is celebrated in
grand fashion. Because of
the health pandemic, how
ever, A.B. won’t be able to
mark the occasion with
family and friends. This
challenge did not deter
A.B.’s wife of 25 years, Mar
jorie. She devised a plan to
honor her husband in spite
of the obstacles.
A.B.’s family and
friends have celebrated his
birthdays with parties for
many years, but because of
the pandemic, “he is just
asking that folks remember
this, his 100th year, with
cards and notes,” Marjorie
said.
Marjorie explained, “In
heu of a party, we are asking
that you honor A.B. with a
personal greeting. Please
send him a card, if possible,
with a note of when and
how and where your lives
overlapped.” The address is:
A.B. Albritton
400 Mosley Street
Vidalia,GA 30474
Phone: 912-537-2990
Email: marjoriealbritton(a)
gmail.com
Marjorie will print email
messages for A.B. to read.
Alonzo Birge Albrit
ton was born on February
1, 1921, on a farm in New
berry, South Carolina, to
Kemper Albritton and his
wife Lula Dickert Albritton.
Named for two uncles from
the maternal and paternal
sides of his family, A.B. was
known by his initials for as
long as he can remember.
The youngest of four
sons, A.B. came from a fam
ily with deep roots in South
Carolina soil. Directly af
ter graduating from high
school, he joined the South
Carolina National Guard,
training at Camp Stewart
(now Fort Stewart) near
Hinesville, and serving
from September 1940 to
February 1941 as a mem
ber of the National Guard’s
OPEN HOUSE — A.B. Albritton, who was district manager for Southern Bell Telephone
Company's switched services operations in Vidalia for many years, conducts visitors
through the new switching operation in Vidalia (circa 1950s) during an open house. Al
britton joined the company just days after returning to the United States from overseas
service during World War II. He and his family moved to Vidalia in 1949,
ROUGHING IT — Above, A. B. Albritton and John C.
Eargle, Sr., both of Newberry, South Carolina, prepare
to take an outdoor shower during their service in New
Guinea,
107th (AA) Battalion.
A.B. was changed to
active federal service from
February 1941 to January
1942, and as a member of
the U.S. Army’s 101st Bat
talion from January 1942
to August 1945. A.B., who
had received basic training
with an anti-aircraft unit,
left the United States for
ing as a member of the
Military Police in Ipswich,
Queensland, Australia. A.B.
came home by way of the
Philippines and San Fran
cisco and was honorably
discharged from the Army
on August 7, 1945, at Fort
Gordon. Among his service
commendations were the
Distinguished Unit Badge,
American Defense Service
Medal, Asiatic-Pacific Ser
vice Medal, the Good Con
duct Medal and the Gun
ner’s Badge. His service
in the Guard continued
through 1949, when he was
discharged as a sergeant
from the National Guard,
108th AAA Brigade.
A.B. had just arrived
back home when his older
brother, Otto, whisked him
away to work for Southern
Bell in Savannah. A.B. start
ed his career with “Ma Bell”
on August 13, 1945, work
ing first with a line crew and
later as a switchman.
In 1946, A.B. married
Leta Shuman of Claxton,
where he was assigned by
Southern Bell. Later, he
brought his wife and baby
daughter, Linda, to Vidalia
in 1949 where he oversaw
the operation of a major
switchboard office. Linda
graduated from Vidalia
High School and married
Roger Reaves. The couple
had two children, Amanda
and Randy.
A.B. retired from his
job with Southern Bell
to care for his ailing wife
who died in 1993. After his
wife’s death A.B. became in
volved in the American Le
gion, the Masons, the VFW
in Mount Vernon, and the
Vidalia Senior Citizens and
Lyons Senior Citizens. That
is when he met the lady
who would become his sec
ond wife.
Marjorie Dobbin, who
is from the state of New
York, had come South to
teach at Southern Wes
leyan University in Cen
service overseas by way of
Boston bound for Australia
on the famous Queen Mary.
A.B. recalled being
aboard the massive liner
with thousands of troops
from the United States and
elsewhere for 30 days. His
bunk was situated in a for
mer lounge and “it wasn’t
too bad.” He claimed the
bottom bunk. He remem
bered that the passageways
of the ship were some
times covered with water
because of the rough seas.
One of A.B.’s most memo
rable moments aboard the
Queen Mary was when he
exchanged polite conversa
tion in a passageway near
the dining room with Aus
tralian General Blarney.
Field Marshal Sir Thomas
Albert Blarney was an Aus
tralian general of the First
and Second World Wars,
and the only Australian to
attain the rank of field mar
shal.
A.B.’s military service
was in the Pacific Theater,
including Australia, New
Guinea, and Papua. Among
his military roles was serv
Marjorie and A.B. Albritton
tral, South Carolina, and
later joined the faculty at
Brewton Parker College
in Mount Vernon where
she taught from 1987 until
2001. She had studied mu
sic when young and is an ac
complished musician, play
ing the violin and piano.
While her parents hoped
that her music education
would lead to a career in
music, she took another
path. A fascination with
medieval literature would
eventually determine her
niche. Marjorie had raised
her children while earning
a bachelor’s degree, a mas
ter’s degree in American
literature and a doctoral
degree in medieval Eng
lish literature. Among her
occupations were writing
for television and newspa
pers and later authoring six
books.
Marjorie shared that
mutual friends at the Senior
Citizens Center brought
her and A.B. together.
When asked what attract
ed them to each another,
Marjorie said she likes to
think that she entertained
A.B. She was drawn to him
because of his “beautiful”
smile and his way of lean
ing toward her when she
spoke as though he was fo
cused only on her. She later
discovered that A.B.’s atten-
FROM ONE GENERATION TO ANOTHER — In this 2018 file
photo from The Advance, A.B. Albritton shakes hands
with Captain Carlos Ware at a Veterans Day luncheon in
Vidalia. Ware, a veteran with 23 years of service, thanks
A.B. for his service during World War II.
SALUTE — A.B. salutes the
camera as he served in
New Guinea in 1944, A.B.’s
military service was in the
Pacific Theater, including
Australia and Papua.
tiveness may have been due
in part to partial deafness.
He had sustained an injury
when a child which affected
the hearing in one ear and
which became more acute
as the years passed. But she
likes to think he was just
hanging onto every word
she spoke.
A.B. and Marjorie’s
marriage in 1995 started a
new chapter in both of their
lives. “We were old enough
to know better,” she joked
about getting married when
he was 74 and she was 60.
They spent their honey
moon traveling to North
Georgia in a converted van.
After moving into their first
home together, the couple
continued to enjoy their
love of travel. They spent
time on the West Coast of
the United States and later
traveled to New Forest and
London in England, and to
Uzbekistan.
The Albrittons became
active in Campers on Mis
sion, traveling in their RV
to work on charity projects
that often involved labor,
sewing, and cleaning for
various churches and re
ligious facilities. A.B. also
connected with the 101st
Battalion veterans’ orga
nization and served for
a year as president of the
group. He was involved
with the organization until
the deaths of his comrades
ended the association. He
and Marjorie were active
in the Telephone Pioneers
and in their church, Smith
Street Baptist. They also
volunteered for Commu
nity Hospice.
“Now, A.B. has found
that his body is trying to
wear out, although his gen
eral health is very good, and
his mind is clear and active.
He feels that his life has
been a happy one because,
from the time he was a
teenager, he always trusted
God and tried to do what is
right and what helps other
people,” Marjorie said.
As a testament to her
husband’s patience, Marjo
rie told a story about what
happened when she took
out the couples’ new RV
for a drive. “I was going to
the bank drive-through and
didn’t notice the overhang.
He told me to stop twice
then I heard the crunch.
I was partly through the
drive, so I had to continue,”
she lamented. The top of
the RV was stripped off
from front to back. “He
handled the police report
and the repairs, and he has
never tossed that incident
in my face. Most men would
have had a good time with
that every time their wife
got behind the wheel.”
When asked to what
he attributes his longevity,
A.B. just shrugged and said,
“I just stay calm. I don’t
get upset.” And he smiled
the impish smile Marjorie
found so irresistible.