Page B2
Lake Oconee News
Friday, December 29,2017
Cars still line the floors of Memory Lane Car Museum during its final days.
LEILA SCOGGINS/Staff
Memory Lam's impact will be missed
One of Lake Country’s
beloved attractions, Memory
Lane Car Museum, closed
its doors for the last time
Dec. 23.
“Have you seen your arti
cle?” Chuck Sapper, cura
tor of Memory Lane Car
Museum, asked. “It’s hang
ing on the wall back here.”
I was overcome with emo
tions as I stared at the pages
of Lakelife framed as if it
was part of the memora
bilia in the museum. My
mind quickly flashed back
to my first experience in the
building, a green reporter on
one of my first assignments
for the magazine. Nerves
consumed my body as I
approached the men at the
front table about writing
the article. Sapper quickly
easedmy anxieties, then and
now, as I spoke to him about
writing the final chapter of
the Memory Lane story.
“June is onher way to speak
with you,” Sapper said.
My husband accompanied
me on my first interview with
the couple that owned the
museum. I thought he could
look at the cars while I spoke
Leila
Scoggins
Columnist
with them. Before I knew it,
the four of us were sitting
around a red metal table in
the center of the museum,
talking as if we were long
time friends.
June and I sat at that very
table to speak one last time.
Jerry and June Smith left an
impression on me then and
now that I will never forget.
They have a joy about them
that radiates to anyone they
speak with. They are dream
ers, full of life, spirited.
“Everybody has a dream,
and we were fortunate
enough to see ours come to
fruition,” June Smith said
during our final interview.
that you need to just get by,”
June said.
From there, Memory Lane
teamed up with Putnam
General Hospital during
the month of November for
breast cancer awareness
month, andallthedonations
Why be a member?
NO monthly
service fees.
Call us to become
a member.
A,
PINNACLE
CREDIT UNION
that came in went to help
women who couldn’t afford
mammograms. Over the
years, Memory Lane and
the Elks Lodge have pro
vided scholarships to young
people in the community
who went off to college.
Theyhavehelpedpeoplewho
couldn’t afford their cancer
medications, helped youth
sports teams and numerous
families and organizations.
“I guess I never really knew
what a wonderful feeling it is
to share your good luck and
your good fortune with other
people, to really share it in a
time of need. That’s been the
best part,” June said.
When I asked June why
they desired to help the
community, her immediate
response was, “Well, why
not?”
Jerry and June know
firsthand what it is like to
be caught in a tight spot. She
spoke abouttheir earlyyears,
how they struggled and how
hard it was raising a family.
“It’s important to help your
fellow man when they are
working hard, but they just
can’t make it sometimes.
That happens to everybody,”
June said. “Until you feel that
joy of giving and helping, I
don’t think there are really
words to express the feeling.
I don’t think anybody can
really grasp it until they are
in that situation and do it
themselves.”
Memory Lane’s impact on
the community would not
have been possible without
so many people. June was
overcome with emotion as
she began listing people
SEE MUSEUM » B3
CALM!
& go to James
Men & Women
Jerry and June’s dream
was to share their car col
lection and memorabilia
with the world. The couple
secured two buildings along
Scott Road in Eatonton
during the downturn of
the economy in 2008. They
thenbegantransformingthe
buildings into a gallery of
their personal car collection,
establishing Memory Lane
Car Museum in May 2015.
“That was our dream, but
what came after the dream
was gettinginvolved with the
Elks Lodge and making this
a charitable organization to
help people in our commu
nity,” June said.
With the help of the Elks
Lodge members, Jerry and
June each put $5 admission
and the sale of merchandise
in the museum to good use
to help people from Lake
Country counties - Greene,
Morgan, Putnam, Hancock
and Baldwin.
“The thing that Jerry and
I liked so much about that
was it wasn’t just so much
focusing on one thing. It
wasn’t just on cancer, just
on another horrible dis
ease, or something like that.
Through Memory Lane and
the Elks Lodge, we were able
to help people in all kinds of
situations,” June said.
During our conversation,
June recalled the first family
the museum was able to help
- a grandmother raising her
two grandchildren who had
lost everything when their
trailer burnedto the ground.
“Through the Elks Lodge
and the donations that came
through Memory Lane, we
were able to take them out
and at least get them the
basics - clothing to go to
school, dishes, the basics
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LEILA SCOGGINS/Staff
The doors of Memory Lane Car Museum will be closed for the final time.
1076 Lake Oconee Pkwy. I Eatonton, Ga. 31024 I 706-485-2039
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