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iReporter
June 27, 2018
STEEL MAGNOLIAS: Local ladies mark 90 years, long friendship
By Diane Glidewell
news@mymcr.net
On Friday, two longtime
friends will celebrate their
birthdays together, as they
have for many years. Dr.
Cathryn Futral and Lois
Lantz will turn 90 years old
a day apart, on July 7 and
July 8. A birthday luncheon
is planned at First Baptist
Church of Forsyth on
Friday, June 29 to allow the
many people who would
like to come by and chat
with the ladies and wish
them well the chance to
do so. Between the two,
they have lived in Forsyth
for 137 years, influencing
countless lives over that
time.
Tiff College brought both
Cathryn and Lois to For
syth. Cathryn came to Tiff
from Wadley, Ga., where
there were 12 seniors in her
graduating class. She fol
lowed two older sisters to
the college where she was
a student at from 1945 to
1949 and earned her Bach
elor’s degree in English.
Meanwhile, Lois grew up
in a small town of about
4,000 citizens on the border
of Indiana and Ohio. She
said her hometown had
separate governments on
each side of the state line
but essentially was one
town. Lois attended the
University of Indiana and
completed her Master’s in
performance piano. She
came to Tiff College as a
professor in 1950.
“I liked the students and
the people I met, and I had
my own world in the sum
mer,” said Lantz, explaining
that when she first came to
Georgia, she never expect
ed to make it her home for
this long. At first she trav
eled north during the sum
mer break, but eventually
Forsyth became more and
more her home. In 1983,
after her father had passed
away, her mother moved to
Forsyth to live with her and
developed her own set of
friends in the community.
Cathryn went from Tiff
to the New Orleans Baptist
Theological Seminary,
where she earned her
Masters. She accepted a
position in administration
at Tift in 1953 and also
began teaching college
classes. She later completed
her doctorate and served
Tift as Dean of the Evening
Division and Vice Presi
dent for Advancement. But
being in the classroom with
students was always her
favorite place on campus.
She has a special affinity for
Shakespeare and especially
enjoyed sharing it with stu
dents. Her classes averaged
about 20 students, but there
were 45 in her first Shake
speare class.
“I loved teaching,” said
Cathryn. “It was my pas
sion, my love.”
And the students she and
Lois taught loved them.
Carey Russell said that
the Tift College yearbook
was dedicated to Cathryn
many times, probably more
than to any other faculty
member. Careys sister,
Mary Epstein, was one of
Lois’ outstanding pupils.
She transferred to the New
England Conservatory of
Music for her junior year,
thinking she would have
more advanced instruction
at the larger, specialized
school.
However, Mary found
that the background she
had from studying with
Lois was equal to what
the Conservatory offered
and she returned to Tift to
finish her undergraduate
degree before earning her
Master’s and Doctorate
in music education at the
Conservatory. She has gone
on to have her own notable
career in music.
Shelly Shuman said that
she enjoyed Cathryn’s class
es so much that by the time
she finished her sophomore
year at Tift, she had already
completed the nine English
classes required for an
English major. She said that
Cathryn inspired the desire
to read so as to understand
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Dr. Cathryn Futral, left, and Lois Lantz display quick wit
and good humor as they talk about their lives in Forsyth.
They will celebrate their 90th birthdays on July 7 and July
8. (Photo/Diane Glidewell)
the author’s message and
interpret it. She pushed
students to do more while
using her great wit and
humor to keep classes, and
life, interesting.
Carey said that she still
enjoys Cathryn as a teacher
in Sunday school as she
uses her expansive knowl
edge and phenomenal
memory to bring lessons
to life, sometimes even
when she is asked to teach
without an opportunity to
prepare.
Both Cathryn and Lois
fondly remember many
students. Lois taught piano
to students individually but
also taught music theory to
larger groups of students.
Cathryn bragged on Lois’
talent as a pianist. Lois
said that she never enter
tained goals of making
performance her primary
occupation but performed
“wherever I would be in
life.” She said she always
enjoyed her time practicing
in the studio.
Lois vividly recalled her
arrival at Tift for the first
time and how different,
and shockingly small, it
seemed in comparison to
University of Indiana. She
arrived by train. After a
talkative child in the ladies
room asked her where she
was going, another lady
introduced herself as Mary
Strain, an English profes
sor at Tift. She already
knew Lois’ name and was
expecting to meet her at
Tift. Lois was surprised
that the President of Tift
and the Dean of the Col
lege met the train, and the
whole community quickly
claimed her. She said that
Strain became a wonderful
friend.
Cathryn and Lois met in
the spring of 1951 when
Cathryn visited Tift for
Alumni Day. They began
celebrating their birthdays
together after finding that
they were only one day
apart. Cathryn recalled
that when she was in China
in the summer of 1991,
she called to wish Lois a
happy birthday on July
8 and found that it was
still her birthday (July 7)
in the States although it
was already Lois’ birthday
in China. So at that point
their birthdays were on the
same day. They said that as
they talked on the phone
from China to Forsyth, the
connection was as clear
as though they were next
door to one another.
One component of their
annual birthday celebra
tions will be missing this
year. Cathryn’s twin sister,
Caroline Hamrick, who
joined them to make a
birthday trio, passed away
last December.
“It will be strange without
her,” said Cathryn.
Cathryn said that she
knew Lois would have a
long life because lengthy
lives run in her family.
Lois’ mother, who became
a close friend of Cathryn’s,
lived to be 99. However,
Cathryn said she did not
expect to live a particularly
long life since it was not
as common in her fam
ily, which included five
siblings.
Asked if Lois’ taking
good care of herself would
explain her reaching 90,
Cathryn quickly answered
“no,” and Lois did not
contradict her. Both said
they haven’t spent much
time thinking about how
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long they will live, gener
ally just enjoying life as it
comes. They are looking
forward to celebrating their
90th with a number of Tift
students who are coming to
join them for a nice dinner.
It was an emotional and
stressful time for the two
faculty members when
their beloved Tift campus
closed in 1987. They con
tinued to teach for Mercer
University, Lois for nine
years and Cathryn until
2008.
“It was the center of the
world when it was here,”
said Cathryn. “The closing
of Tift was terrible, hard,
disappointing but under
standable.”
They are pleased that the
campus is now well kept,
full of activity again and
available to Tift alumni
since it became Georgia
Department of Corrections
headquarters in 2010. They
are also happy that Mercer
maintains all Tift College
records. But they miss the
wonderful speakers, per
formers and other cultural
amenities that having a
college in town brought to
Forsyth.
“I enjoy being retired.
Life is good and full,” said
Cathryn. “But I miss the
students and the rapport
with faculty”
She does still keep a hand
in teaching by teaching
an adult Sunday School
class at First Baptist of
Forsyth, where she has
been active throughout her
years in Forsyth. Asked if
as an English scholar and
longtime member of the
Forsyth Book Club she
has ever been interested
in writing, she said she
writes poems but has never
wanted to write a book or
other literary genre.
“My life is complete
without that,” she said. “It’s
devoted to studying and
teaching and people.”
When asked what she
will do special for her 90th
birthday, Cathryn fired
back, “Dye my hair!”
She said that she plans to
re-read all of Shakespeare’s
plays and then all of the
other books she has en
joyed over her lifetime. Lois
said that she has already
begun re-reading a lot of
her favorite books. She was
going through books she
had saved on a bookcase
her father built and was
prompted to re-visit some
old book friends.
Although Lois and
Cathryn have an endur
ing friendship, they are
different in many ways.
They have separate circles
of friends that intersect at
some points and comple
ment each other.
“Neither of us is an echo,”
said Cathryn.”I think her
sense of humor is more
weird than mine.”
Lois agreed that her sense
of humor could be consid
ered ‘peculiar,’ but said she
doesn’t try to be funny. She
just comments on some
things she finds interest
ing or amusing. While she
likes the small town life in
Forsyth, she also relished
that Atlanta was just up the
road and for many years
she was able to board the
Nancy Hanks passenger
train and head to the city
for a day. Atlanta offered a
Symphony Orchestra and
shopping, and Savannah
was another destination
available by train. Besides
teaching in China, Cath
ryn once took a five-week
sabbatical and visited the
London of her beloved
Shakespeare.
But Forsyth is home.
Many will testify that For
syth is much richer for hav
ing Lois Lantz and Cathryn
Futral as citizens for over
68 years each.