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The True Citizen, Wednesday, November 25, 2009 — Page 5
Dixie Divas
HISTORY NEEDS HISTORIANS
By Ronda Rich
When Mama died and the re
mainders and reminders of her
life had to be
sorted, dis
tributed and,
in some rare
incidences,
disposed of,
my sister,
Louise, and
I marveled
constantly at
the historian that Mama was.
She was a prodigious note
writer, leaving behind her a vast
and varied trail of torn pieces
of paper with ink written notes
scattered hither and yon. She
did not cast history away to
chance or shrug her mortal
shoulders at immortal things.
She was consciously aware that
while her life would one day
ebb away that the situations and
the possessions that had once
been uniquely hers would have
a life and a history that would
outlive her earthly life as long
as she recorded those memories
and passed them down to the
generations that followed.
Few people are as smart as
Mama.
“I’m tellin’ you: Mama is
speaking to us from beyond the
grave,” Louise would say time
after time as we uncovered an
other package wrapped in a pa
per bag or, more often than not,
light weight plastic.
She said this once when she
opened a box and found an old
clutch-style hand bag. No
sooner had the thought, “I won
der where this came from?”
crossed her mind than she
opened the purse to find a note
from Mama: “Ralph sent me
this from the Philippines when
he was in service.”
Out of the cedar chest came a
pale blue fancy party dress, size
6x, covered in lace and bows
with a tiny bell sewed into the
petticoat. It had a note pinned
to it: “This is Ronda’s. Mary
Nell bought it for her.”
In the top drawer of the ward
robe was a plastic freezer bag
filled with silver dollars -
Daddy special ordered them
every Christmas and distributed
to kids, family members and
close friends - with a note:
“These are Greg’s. I owe him
two.” She, had apparently, bor
rowed them to gift to someone
when she ran short of her own.
She wanted to make certain the
debt was repaid. It was.
I pulled a package of home
grown field peas from her
freezer to cook one day and
laughed lightly when one of her
hand written notes fell from the
bag: “Wash before cooking.”
Death could not deter her moth
erly commands.
“Yes, Mama,” I said out loud
as I poured them into a strainer.
“Thanks for reminding me.”
Then, instead of tossing the note
in the trash, I placed it in a
drawer with other notes she left
behind.
This morning finds me in a
hotel room in Beverly Hills,
California. As I sipped cream-
tinged coffee this morning while
the sun rose lazily, I jotted down
thoughts on a new project which
leapt to mind on the flight out.
While working, my mind drifted
back to a conversation at a party
several hours earlier where I
met Deana Martin, the daugh
ter of famed crooner Dean Mar
tin.
I approached her to tell her
very much I had enjoyed her
loving and lovely memoir of her
amiable famous dad. “I savored
it,” I commented.
She smiled appreciatively.
"Thank you so much. That book
was my entire heart.” We began
a conversation on the impor
tance of memoirs and writing
down that which we have been
witness to.
“I believe that we all have a
responsibility to record the
things we’ve seen and touched
in life,” I said. "It’s especially
important with someone was
famous as your dad, that y’all
who loved him, record his sto
ries.”
That conversation made me
think back on Mama’s notes and
how invaluable and cherished
the information is.
I picked up the legal pad with
the outline I had just penned and
at the top of the page, I scribbled
a date, location and a brief ex
planation.
Someone might need to know
all that some day after I’m gone.
Ronda Rich is the best-selling
author of the new book, What
Southern Women Know About
Faith. Visitwww.rondarich.com
to sign up for her newsletter.
Other Voices
I WANT TO BE A FIREMAN (PART II)
By F. Leslie Jenkins Jr.
Burke Banter Boy
There was a fire siren on top
of the Sardis water tank. It was
blown whenever a fire was re
ported. That’s when we volun
teers went running. The siren
worked well during the day, but
at night a problem occurred. The
siren awoke the whole town and
many citizens jumped in their
cars and went looking for the
fire. Usually, they managed to
get in the way of the fire ma
chine and hinder our progress.
I had an uncle who was the
number one offender. The deci
sion was made to cease blow
ing the siren and have night
firecall numbers. John Wynne
was then Fire Chief and I was
Assistant Chief, so it fell our lot
to have the night phone num
bers. Then things got really in
teresting.
One or the other of us would
receive the call. Our wife would
relay the call and we would
meet at the fire house. Some
nights we searched for the fire
in vain. Someone had gotten his
“jollies” by turning in a false
alarm. But that was just part of
the job. Some folks wonder why
in the world one would volun
teer to be a fireman. True, the
Letter to the Editor
Giving back to the
community
Editor:
The Magnolia Acres Commu
nity Empowerment Committee
(MACEC), 1 st Families of Mag
nolia Acres in Waynesboro held
its first meet and greet gather
ing with the residents of Mag
nolia Acres on Saturday, No
vember 14, 2009. The Youth
and families came out with full
support of this event, grilled hot
dogs, drinks and snacks were
enjoyed by all. As a member of
Looking Back From Page 4
The New Birth Missionary
Baptist Church bought the en
tire complex of the former
Waynesboro Elementary
School on Academy Avenue for
$225,000.
25 years ago: November 21,
1984
Burke County schools began
using video tape instead of film
for presentations to students.
State Senator Bill English re
linquished his position as ma
jority ship in anticipation of
being named chairman of a
major senate committee.
Chris Youmans celebrated his
fourth birthday with his friends
from Raggedy Ann and Andy
Day Care. The party was held
at Windy Hill Ranch, home of
his grandparents, Mr. and Mrs.
J.W. Bailey.
50 years ago: November 26,
Watson. Council candidates in
cluded Bates Haygood versus
Leon Mims, Ben Wardlow ver
sus Tommy Holton and Charlie
Economos versus Lamar Allen.
Registered Public Accountant
Harold L. Mills announced the
opening of his office at 116 E.
Sixth Street in Waynesboro.
75 years ago: November 23,
1934
Rhodes Harkins Furniture
Company of Augusta advertised
the wood or coal-burning Eagle
Range for $69.50. It featured six
full-size cooking eyes and an
18-inch oven. A free 42-piece
dinner set was offered with each
purchase.
“Treasure Island” starring
Lionel Barrymore, Jackie Coo
per and Wallace Beery was
playing at the Grand Theatre.
job is dirty, dangerous, and even
disgusting; but there is nothing
like it to get the adrenaline and
the blood moving. Pulling the
hoses is great exercise, facing a
hot and roaring fire adds to the
thrill. Then, to flood that fire
with a spray that soon reduces
it to a controlled blaze is what
makes it all worthwhile.
Late one afternoon, I got a call
at the store from one of my chil
dren. “Daddy, the Chance house
is on fire”. The Chances lived
next door to my house. At the
same time the fire alarm
sounded. John and I came out
of our stores at the same time. I
said, “Boy, let’s roll, it’s my
neighbors house”. The fire was
in the kitchen. I grabbed the
hose and J. T. operated the
pump. In two minutes or less we
had water on the blaze. Another
two minutes and the fire in the
kitchen was out. The house was
filled with smoke. I thought I
saw fire in the living room. Af
ter putting about 200 gallons of
water on it, I discovered it was
a lamp. It’s hard to extinguish a
light bulb!
The loss of one’s property by
fire is a terrible experience to go
through. It is emotionally drain
ing for those suffering the loss,
(MACEC), this gave us an op
portunity to walk through the
neighborhood and talk with the
Youth and various families.
I can still hear the voice of a
young man asking for help on
how to achieve a higher educa
tion that touched my heart. Con
tinuously, our Youth are con
fronted with challenges within
their community that deter them
from reaching their fullest po
tential. They are faced with
negative statistics, such as:
drugs, crime, gang violence,
teenage pregnancy, high school
drop-outs which affect their
progress to achieve higher stan
dards.
The (MACEC) mission is giv
ing back to the community, to
help empower our youth with
life skills, education, encour
agement and to inspire our
Youth to develop their charac
ter and leadership in becoming
successful future leaders. As we
surveyed this community where
we once lived, we realized that
a community shared with fam
ily values and principles have
been affected. Our Youth are
asking and wanting our help,
therefore we desire to give back.
Be on the lookout for activi
ties and programs in the future.
If you have any questions or
comments, please contact a
member of the (MACEC).
Sincerely,
Harriet M. Locke,
President
ALCOHOLICS ANONYMOUS
Monday and Friday at 7 p.m. at the Wimberly House at
521 S. Liberty St., Waynesboro. These meetings are
open and anyone can attend. AA already has...
Step Study: Tuesdays (Open Meetings) - 8:00 p.m.
Thursdays (Closed Meetings) - 8:00 p.m.
at Sacred Heart Catholic Church
Hwy. 24 South - Waynesboro
AL ANON
Open Meeting-Monday - 8 p.m.
at Wimberly House
521 S. Liberty St., Waynesboro
and for the firemen as well. But
the saddest and most heart-
wrenching time is when loss of
life occurs. It hurts me to say
that during the thirty odd years
fighting fires, we did have a
number of fatalities. Two men,
I remember, were overcome by
smoke and perished. The sad
dest events I ever witnessed oc
curred one bright sunny after
noon. A man angry with his wife
bought a couple of gallons of
gasoline. He came home and
doused his wife and children
and house with the liquid, then
set the house afire. When we
reached the house it was com
pletely engulfed in flame, but
we soon had the fire out. We
were told children were in the
house. The coroner found the
charred bodies of two small
children under the remains of
the sofa. The mother, who had
escaped from the burning
house, later died, along with her
unborn baby.
That bright, sunny day turned
to a dismal day of murder and
death. While we were fighting
the fire, just a block up the street
an elderly man shot his wife to
death and then took his own life.
Though there is a lot of glamor
and excitement in being a fire
man, there is plenty of sadness
and sorrow.
Many of the incidents are im
bedded in one’s memory and
mind’s eye. My hat is off to the
firemen everywhere for their
noble service to their fellow-
man. I am reminded of 9/11
when so many firemen and po
licemen gave their all in the ser
vice to others. Our Lord Jesus
said, “Greater love hath no man
than he lay down his life for a
friend”. There is no greater re
ward to the human soul than the
feeling that comes from a “job
well done”.
You can email F. Leslie
Jenkins Jr., Burke Banter Boy,
at: f291@bellsouth.net
in Louina Memory of
Windell Johnson
JMuy 11, 1933-Nov. 23, 2004
Dear falhei v.fio aal In Heaven...
(townintna taiiiily tiitttoThaditgivmgm
And each on-: K tit Jit down to pray
As Kt tffli ember liiosc whit have jwnfd roir ahuve-
sj dearly missed and de;dv loved.
Please provide us strength on tins tliiiktiimicg day
Bless us with mentories c-f thnse farawa;.,.
Please grant patience to famil; and friends as we grieve
And (trip ik cKKh inn lit itTh:m i ihft;tnf' tafteiwd.
'tit give thanks to ftu on tilts Thanksgiving day....
Fnr Vixir piftfiHf 1 in Air lives farti amt r.oryflty.
For tour tomtart. guidance, aid never emhflg W...
And lor taking ust of or: loved Hies..in Heaven above.
As tie light linis cindie rut this Itonisgiving day,..
Arrl it glows in memory of those In Heaven lad.
May their lights always shine down on m and give us light..
And may we feel their (IreSeflf 0 atanl) with flUirS (Anight.
May the peace and tiaugsiility oi this thankssjiwiHj day
Be an -ever lasting i gfit witfiri each nf us along ihetray...
Lets tnw our heads and give ttur Itiaks to tod :hw„
Fnt our hlesisigs, whether mi earth or in Hoim above...
/ri Living Memoir 1 of
- - - tUVQ r A Fir J Ld lm d ^nvi i
W3VHC JohnSOIl Patti, Natasha, Jennifer,
oebby, kaihl, uavonna, stun,
Posum anti choir families
Feb. 27 r 1957-Hov. 21, 1999
1959
Candidates for the upcoming
Waynesboro city election in
cluded mayoral contenders
Winston Borom and Holden
OPEN
Alcoholics
Anonymous
Meetings
Sardis Baptist
Church
Sardis, GA
Thursday:
8 PM
Saturday:
8 AM
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