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MRS. RUTH BRYANT
Our working gal for this
week is Mrs. Ruth Bryant.
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ALL MINE TO
SHARE
These,-walls are made of
sturdy pine
They’re old but steady,
quaint, and rare
In Memories of happiness,
These walls are mine all
mine to share!
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This town is made of pleasant
folks,
It’s kind and good beyond
compare
In daily deeds of thoughtful
ness,
This town is mine all
mine to share!
This Land is made of many
States
Their citizens so proudly
bear
The emblems of togetherness
This Land is mine all
mine to share! Ruth
Bryant
This poem, which is taken
from Mrs. Ruth Bryant’s
latest book “Red Leaves At
Sunfeet,” beautifully exem
plifies the philosophy of this
fine lady.
Mrs. Bryant is well-known
to the people of Jackson as
she is so active in the
community. Any person who
works in any office or store
around the square can see
Miss Ruth bustlin daily
about, tending to all her
business and garnering fresh
ideas for her poems.
Usually she is attired in a
gray coat and bright red
scarf, carrying packages and
moving faster than any
20-year-old.
A retired school teacher,
Mrs. Bryant returned to the
University of Georgia for
further education when she
was more than 60 years of
age. Her scholastic achieve
ment at that time made her
eligible for membership in
Phi Beta Kappa, honorary
scholastic society. Now, for
those of us who’re over 30 and
consider ourselves “too old to
learn”, we should definitely
reconsider, don’t you think?
The following excerpt was
taken from a description of
our working, gal, when she
was being considered for
special recognition:
“Ruth Bryant retired from
teaching in the Bainbridge
High School in May, 1969.
Immediately she began dis
covering areas for activities
and services. The' first
opportunity came when Mrs.
Elizabeth Roberts, director
of Volunteer Services in
Bainbridge State Hospital,
asked her to teach a class in
art therapy. In this interest
ing Ruth developed
student skills in 3 areas:
writing, painting and music.
The members of the group
took sketch pads and pastels
to some pretty place on the
campus. There, each student
chose a subject and made a
picture. The following week
Ruth talked with the students
about rhyme and rhythm.
Together, they made poems
to go with their pictures, and
after some editing, Ruth
typed copies of them after
she ’ came home. "On the
following week, Ruth
brought a tape recorder, and
the students made up a tune
for their poems.
In the meantime, Ruth had
bought a Wurlitzer organ, not
only for the purpose to
continue her musical expres
sion but also to share it. Each
Sunday morning, she took
her taped organ music and
shared it with her friends in
Magnolia Manor Nursing
Home. Another project that
Ruth enjoyed was chair
manship of the Home Circle
in Bainbridge Presbyterian
Church. She put on her wall a
large chart for her 30
members, showing contacts
through visits, cards, books,
prayers and Bible readings.
In addition to these activi
ties, Ruth was president of
Bainbridge Retired Teachers
and secretary of A.A.U.W.
She is now living in Jackson,
Ga. where she is sec. of
A.A.R.P. and on the staff of
The Progress-Argus.”
Now, dear readers, this
was only one town’s worth of
Mrs. Bryant’s activities. As
most of us in Jackson are
familiar with Mrs. Bryant
and her helping way, just let
me state that she is just as
active here as in Bainbridge.
She thoroughly enjoys her
work with the A.A.R.P.
(association for retired per
sons here in Jackson) and
still spends much time in
working with her music, art
and writing.
Mrs. Bryant writes a poem
weekly for her Ruth at
Random column, which
appears in The Progress-Ar
gus. The subjects of her
poems range from flowers to
people and nature to news.
Mrs. Bryant’s love for words
and phrase was evidenced by
the subject she taught in high
school— Latin.
Variety is truly the spice of
life for Miss Ruth, who
illustrated lovely pictures
(one to go with each poem) in
her latest book “Red Leaves
At Sunset”, which is just off
the press. For those of you
who might be interested in
obtaining copies of this book,
you might call Mrs. Bryant
or get in touch with her at her
home.
During the past decade,
our working gal has written
four olher volumnes of
poetry, the first being
THE JACKSON PROGRESS-ARGUS, JACKSON, GEORGIA
“Phillippians in Poetry”.
The next was an arrange
ment of John’s Epistles,
“Love Letters in Poetry”.
Mrs. Bryant’s philosophy of
life is expressed in “Sing a
!Song”, a booklet which she
imimeographed to her grand
children. I quote from
another column written of
Mrs. Bryant, “In response to
requests from friends and
relatives, Ruth wrote a book
of devotional, folk-lore, and
nature poems which she
called, “Diamonds for Vel
vet.”
Perhaps you have noticed a
strong religious theme in
Mrs. Bryant’s poems which
appear in the paper. This is
due to the fact that Mrs.
Bryant is a very godly person
with great faith and humility.
She is a daughter, sister,
wife, and mother of Presby
terian ministers, her late
husband being Virgil Bryant,
Presbyterian pastor.
A graduate of Agnes Scott
College, Mrs. Bryant has
taught school in high schools
in 5 southern states.
I think I can pretty
accurately sum up this
working gal’s philosophies in
one poem, which I have taken
from her latest book:
ZINNIA AND I
Last night you looked a little
tired
Your petals drooped, your
leaves were flat,
Your yellow sepals, dusty
pale,
Were warring with an ant
and gnat;
But now the early morning
dew
Has made you frisky, crisp,
and spry,
You raise your radiant petals
up
And look right straight into
the sky
For you have taller grown!
Last night I felt all down and
out
My shoulders sagged, my
, step was slow,
My mind, all flubby, worn,
and tired,
Was torn between a “Stop”
and “Go”;
But now an early morning
prayer
Has made me confident and
I
Lift up my thankful happy
heart
And look right straight into
the sky
For I have taller grown!
MRS. BRYANT’S
RECIPE
Add a spicy walk
in a batter breeze
to a tasty talk
with.a simmering sneeze;
Stir in sugar smiles,
toast on peppy pun,
brown with culinary care
till “your dish is done!
PERSONAL
Mrs. Porter Ham, a patient
at Coliseum Park Hospital,
Macon, has been moved from
the Intensive Care Unit to
Room 207, her many friends
will be interested to learn.
Her son, Carl Killingsworth
of Miami, Fla., is in Jackson
and goes to Macon frequently
to be with his mother.
Come To Locust Grove
For A Taste of That
At The Holiday Inn
GRANNY’S COUNTRY BUFFET
SUNDAY - 12 NOON
Choice of 4 Meats, 4 Vegetables,
Assorted Salads and Homemade Rolls.
$3.50
Child Under 5 Free 6-12 y> Price
Locust Grove, Ga.
1-75 and Hampton Rd.
Dr. Brandon is An
Inspiration To Many
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DR. R. V. BRANDON, M.D.
Dr. Robert V. Brandon is
the “doctor in residence” at
Westbury Nursing Home in
Jenkinsburg; he also serves
Westbury Nursing Home in
McDonough.
Dr. Brandon is one of those
beings people very seldom
encounter on this sometimes
frustrating earth, for he is so
perpetually cheerful as to
make one. wonder if he’s
really made of ordinary flesh
rather than mechanized
parts.
An interview with this man
of medicine could well be
likened to serving on a jury in
a very complicated court
room battle it is that
important to be able to thrust
away the fiction from the
fact; Dr. Brandon is a
tale-teller and yarnspinner of
the first order. He is one of
those rare individuals who
can make a listener chuckle
at the simplest of dialogues.
This physician’s tales of a
boyhood spent between the
Ogeechee and Sungerry
Rivers, (which are both
located near Savannah for
you plebian readers), and
one room school houses with
2 room outhouses, are often
amusing, always interesting
and sometimes highly touch
ing.
To begin the story of Dr.
Brandon’s extraordinary
life, the writer states that
Westbury’s own doctor was
born “one mile from the base
of the incline at Lookout
Mountain.” His very begin
nings were unusual due to the
fact that his parents’ home
was located deep in South
Georgia at St. Mary’s
his mother was away in the
mountains visiting at the
time of his birth.
The better part of Dr.
Brandon’s youth was spent
near the coast in southern
Georgia with high school
graduation at Brunswick.
Although Dr. Brandon did not
dwell on his earlier years to
any great extent, he left me
with the firm impression that
his younger days were joyous
and vigorous with never a
dull moment.
It was at a young age when
Dr. Brandon made his
decision to enter the practice
of medicine, which decision
almost had to be spurred on
THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 7, 1974
due to his obvious love for
helping his fellow man.
After receiving his medical
degree from Emory Univer
sity in Atlanta, Dr. Brandon
served his internship in
Macon.
After completing his in
ternship, Dr. Brandon began
practicing medicine in Mc-
Donough. In 1958 Dr. Bran
don was critically injured in
an automobile accident,
which left him disabled to the
extent that most people and
particularly doctors would
have thrown their arms up in
a firm attitude of “I quit,
Life’s done me wrong, I’m
bitter and I WILL not
continue.”
Not Dr. Robert Vernon
Brandon if anything he
started life anew with an “I’ll
be more useful than before
and I’ll defeat all these
nerve-wracking odds.”
And so he did.
With qualified nurses act
ing as his arms, Dr. Brandon
began his career as healer
and smile-gatherer for
Brightmoor Nursing Home in
Griffin, first, then Westbury
Nursing Homes in Jenkins-
SANTA IS COMING TO SEARS
NOVEMBER 11 & 12
6t09 PM r-i r J**
CATALOG SALES
L MERCHANT J
’vi: .* a .-V ,
FREE GIFT—
for any order placed of $30.00 or more during this two-day event.
(You may call in your order if you cannot visit the store.)
FREE FAVORS
for the children who come to visit with Santa.
SPECIAL PRICES—
on appliances, Home Improvement and automotive items
during this event.
Owned $ Operated By :
MIKE PERKINS
burg, Conyers and McDo
nough, sometimes serving
two homes at once. Dr.
Brandon now resides at
Westbury in Jenkinsburg,
also serving its counterpart
in McDonough.
Dr. Brandon is very ably
assisted by Mrs. Jerry (Gail)
McLaurin, LPN of Jackson
and Miss Anita Hunter,
daughter of Mr. and Mrs.
James Hunter, also of
Jackson.
These two young ladies,
Mrs. Mcaurin and Miss
Hunter, not only help Dr.
Brandon with his care of the
patients, but also keep him
and his neat apartment in
good order. Mrs. McLaurin
stated that they both cook for
Dr. Brandon, but only under
his explicit instructions. Dr.
Brandon named cooking as
one of his favorite former
hobbies, and would probably
now list “how to cook” as a
prime one, having recently
bought a microwave oven.
The new oven is definitely a
time-saver for Dr. Brandon
and his nurses. When
questioned as to what other
pasttimes he enjoyed * Dr.
Brandon would not readily
admit to any, but upon
looking around his office and
kitchen, the writer noticed a
scrabble board and several
books in plain view.
In all bravado, I’ll state
plainly that people would
have to be Dr. Brandon's
prime and all-time occupa
tion. It’s been heard quite
frequently at Westbury that
patients have been some
times made to feel better just
by seeing Dr. Brandon and
hearing his cheerful and
lively salutations.
I asked Dr. Brandon if he
felt that nursing homes
deserved the bad publicity
they have received as of late.
You are probably thinking,
“Well, of course he said
no after all. he works at
113 E. Second St.
Jackson, Ga.
PERSONAL
Mr. and Mrs. Rogers F.
Starr were dinner guests of
Sara and Catherine Comfort
of Atlanta, Wednesday night.
Mr. and Mrs. Rogers F.
Starr attended the wedding
of her niece, Angelyn Bray in
Wrightsville, Ga. this past
weekend.
Mr. and Mrs. Luke Weaver
spent the weekend in
Charleston, S. C. visiting
with Mrs. Weaver’s aunt,'
Mrs. Minnie Blackmon.
two of them.” This is not
necessarily the case, read
ers. Dr. Brandon has worked
with a county health depart
ment and has served on a
county board of health. His
basic feelings seemed to be
that most nursing homes
were good ones and misun-'
derstandings of various sorts
sometimes generated poor
publicity.
Dr. Brandon is 63 years of
age and has served people for
more than 30 years. At one
Jackson Sox Shoppe
Hwy. 42 South
(next to Jones Food Mart)
IRREGULAR SWEATERS - $5.49
IRREGULAR SHIRTS $5.00
MEN’S JEANS $5.00
Open Monday thru Saturday
10:00 A. M. - 7:00 P. M.
Phone 775-4480
Sunday guests of Mr. and
Mrs. Franklin Maddox were
Mrs. Frances Proctor and
Mrs. Beatrice Oxford of High
Falls.
Mrs. T. A. Lane returned
Sunday to Birmingham after
an extended visit with Mrs.
O. A. Andrews and sisters
and entered Baptist Medical
Center, Princeton, in Bir
mingham on Tuesday for eye
surgery.
point during our interview,
he began to shift his
wheelchair around, and
stated that he was “trying to
dodge a sunspot” which was
drifting in through the
kitchen window.
Dr. Brandon will never be
successful at dodging sun
spots he’s placed himself
in a never ceasing sun,
wheeling his way to becom
ing that one special glimpse
of shiny hope for many. He is
truly the Sunshine of Their
Lives.
[ I SEARS!
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CATALOG SALES
MERCHANT
VnMHOHMMMMMMiMmI* I
775-5023
