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Page A6 The Baldwin Bulletin I www.BBnews.today Thursday, September 21,2017 » GEORGIA WRITERS MUSEUM Local cultural heritage aids understanding Dr. Bruce Gentry, Flannery O'Connor scholar and Georgia College professor, left, and George Heiring, Georgia Writers Museum president, talk after the lecture. JAMES MURDOCK/ Contributor JAMES MURDOCK Contributor A devout Roman Catholic, American author Mary Flannery O’Connor’s faith was reflected often through her stories. Still, she was commonly misun derstood, and sometimes controversial, because her writings often revolved around gruesome situations and troublesome charac ters. She was primarily concerned with questions of morality and confronted many of the injustices of her time with a sly and searing sense of humor. O’Connor is known by most of her fans today as the founder of a writing Obituaries SEE MORE OBITUARIES »PAGE A5 Earl Smith Thursday, Sept. 14,2017 Mr. Edgar “Earl” Smith, 82, passed away on Thursday, Sept. 14, 2017. A Memorial Service was held at 6 p.m. on Monday, Sept. 18, 2017 in the Chapel of Williams Funeral Home of Milledgeville. Mr. Smith was a native and lifelong resident of Baldwin County. He was the son of the late Johnnie James Smith and Maggie Louise Darsey Smith and predeceased by brothers, Freddy Smith, James Smith and Loyd Smith. He was a veteran of the United States Army having served in the Korean War. He worked for J.R Stevens and Grumman and was a member of the Presbyterian Church. He is survived by sons, Chris Smith (Andrea), and Ricky Smith; daughter, Vickie Lynn Smith; sister, Carol Day; and grandchildren, Aleece Smith, Michael Register, Tommy Lee Register, Samantha Davis, Liberty Davis, Heaven Clutter, Logan Thompson and Sebastian Thompson. Troy Hubbard Monday, Sept. 18,2017 Graveside services Mr. Troy Hubbard, age 65, were conducted at 11 a.m. on Monday, Sept. 18, 2017 in the Bethlehem Baptist Church Cemetery with Rev. Ron McClung officiating. Mr. Troy Leon Hubbard was a native of Dublin and had made his home in Jones County since 1976. The son of the late Horace Eulian Hubbard and Lucille Morgan Hubbard and was predeceased by sisters, Georgia Roberson and Joyce Boutwell. Brothers, Bill Hubbard, Horace Eulian Hubbard Jr. and Roy Hubbard. He was retired from the construction industry and was a member of Haddock Baptist Church. Survivors include his wife, Marilyn Eckert Hubbard; daughter, Cathy (Eric) Wright; sons, Troy (Kim) Hubbard and Keith (Tracie) Hubbard; brothers, Joe (Debra) Hubbard and Guy (Shirley) Hubbard; grandchildren, Harley Hubbard, Chelsea Hubbard, Trae Hubbard and Erik Hubbard. In lieu of flowers, Mr. Hubbard requested friends to make donations to the American Cancer Society or to the American Heart Association. Express online condolences at www.williamsfuneral. net. Ola Mae B. Martin Wednesday, Sept. 13,2017 Ola Mae Brookins Martin, age 76, passed away Wednesday, Sept. 13, 2017. Services were held at 3 p.m. Sunday, Sept. 17, at Hardwick Baptist Church with Rev. Bill Kitchen officiating. Burial followed at West View Cemetery. Martin was a native and resident of Milledgeville. She was retired from Central State Hospital with over 34 years of service. She was preceded in death by her parents Hugh and Lizzie Mae Miller Brookins, her husband Hoyt Amos Martin, son Anthony Martin, grandson Frankie Norman and great grandchildren Regan Cowart and Makyla Currie and son-in-law Bobby Shelton. She was a member of Hardwick Baptist Church. Survivors include her son Michael Kelly Martin, three daughters Debra Martin Norman (Frank), Alice Martin Shelton and Ava Martin Mazzola (Louis), a sister Connie Cook all of Milledgeville, 6 grandchil dren and 12 great grandchildren. The family received friends from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 16 at Moores Funeral Home. Visit www.mooresfuneralhome.com to express tributes. Moores Funeral Home & Crematory had charge of arrangements. Master Braylon Walter Kitchens Williams Funeral services for Master Braylon Walter Kitchens Williams will be conducted at 11 a.m. on Friday, Sept. 22, 2017 at New Salem Baptist Church with Rev. Eddie Windham officiating. Interment will follow in the church cemetery. The family will receive friends at New Salem Baptist Church from 10 a.m. until the service hour. Braylon is survived by his parents, Kayla Brooke Kitchens and Dalton Williams; maternal grandpar ents, Robert and Debra Kitchens, and Bobby and Dianne Kitchens; paternal grandparents, Lyn and Judith Williams. Express online condolences at www.williamsfu- neral.net. style known simply as “Southern gothic.” A large group of those fans gathered on Sunday, Aug. 27, at the Georgia Writers Museum in Eatonton to celebrate her legacy by listening to a lecture from Dr. Bruce Gentry, an O’Connor scholar and professor at Georgia College, on “Understanding O’Connor and Her Writings.” “This kind of thing allows people to get a better understanding of the literary heritage of the region,” Jack Shinneman, the visionary and founder of the writers museum, said about the lecture. “The more people can hear about it, the better educated they will be as to its cultural importance—to its impor tance as our heritage.” George Heiring, the museum’s president said, “This program is to honor the fact that there is a rich literary soil in this part of Georgia, a soil that has grown a legacy not just unique for this place, but nationally—we want to be aware of that.” O’Connor is one of the three authors exhibited permanently in the writers museum; the other two are Joel Chandler Harris and Alice Walker. O’Connor was born in Savannah in 1925, although she spent most of her life living on her fami ly’s farm in Milledgeville, known today as Andalusia. She attended Peabody High School and Georgia State College for Women (now Georgia College and State University) before being accepted into the prestigious Iowa Writer’s Workshop at the University of Iowa in 1946. In 1952, having every intention to continue her extensive travels and to nourish her blossoming literary career, she was diagnosed with lupus and chose to return home to Milledgeville. There, she spent the next 12 years becoming one of the most prominent writers to ever stem from the south and a cornerstone of American literature. By the time of her death at age 39, O’Connor had published two novels, 32 short stories, as well as numerous essays and reviews. Her posthumously published Complete Stories won the National Book Award for Fiction in 1972. Gentry began the talk by discussing some of the less er-known circumstances of O’Connor’s life—that she always had an apparent tension with her mother (who was consistently trying to get O’Connor to behave like a proper Southern lady) and that much of that tension came out through her writing in the form of her attacking the debutante, sugar-coated lifestyle. O’Connor was direct and believed in living her life without being too showy or overly composed. She confronted the racism and materialism of her time as being contradictions to a truly religious life. Still, she always looked for uplifting qualities in even the most contemptible individuals— she was always searching for salvation, Gentry said. Also, she was aware of her own faults and criti cized her own shortcomings by having some of her most distraught characters represent herself. Gentry also took the time to carefully dissect the meaning behind two of O’Connor’s most popular stories, “A Good Man is Hard to Find” and “Good Country People.” Both stories are set in Middle Georgia, contain deep reli gious and social symbolism and tell tales of things going terribly wrong for seem ingly normal people. At the end of the lecture, Gentry took questions from the audience on the life and works of O’Connor and several discussions ensued. The Georgia Writers Museum is located at 109 S. Jefferson Street, Eatonton. Call 706-991-5119 or visit georgiawritersmuseum.com for more information. Segars Continued from A4 coach. Sitting in my car and rapidly changing the radio dial, I hear all sorts of talk about Hurricane Katrina and the scattering of New Orleans residents. Soon, it was time to make use of the restroom in the convenience store/bus station. I encounter a small crowd gathered around the front cash register. Several young girls are snapping photos with their camera. When I reached the front, I could hear the group’s conversa tion and now realized this man was indeed James Brown, now an aged version. The famous artist cordially answered several questions and I somehow managed to stammer a few comments, “Mr. Brown, over the years I have enjoyed your music and still have your ‘Live at the Apollo’ album.” Surely sounding like a star-struck hayseed, I continued to say, “And I saw your show at the Macon Coliseum back in the early 70s and saw your performance in the T.A.M.I. movie.” I don’t remember Brown’s exact response. He expressed appreciation and continued to engage the small audience before moving out the door of the station, followed by the small entourage. A long black Lincoln Continental could be seen from the front windows, parked at the gas pumps. Brown’s driver was filling the tank. “What’s James Brown doing here?” I ask the cashier, the only person left in the store besides me. “Well, he’s here to pick up the wife of one of his band members that’s coming in on the bus today. She was living in New Orleans and they are going back to Augusta.” “That’s amazing,” I replied, now wishing to have my camera with me. “Does he come in here often?” “Yeah,” she said. “He and his driver stop to get to gas — going from Augusta and Atlanta. And they pick up Kentucky Fried Chicken at this exit, a lot.” My mind suddenly snaps back to my primary duty - transporting the New Orleans resident to Rock Eagle. The cashier mentions that the bus might be late so I headed out the door back to my car. From the corner of my eye, James Brown is signing autographs at the gas pumps. Suddenly, I hear the famous growl, “Hey Man, I’ve got something for you.” “Are you kidding,” I think to myself, making my way over to gas pumps and the small crowd. Brown asks my name and pens a quick autograph on an 8 x 10 flyer featuring his renowned image.
