THIS IS SURRATTS FOUNDATION E-NOTICE 2006-4 OF APRIL 1, 2006

Hello Hornets!

Here are some items that might be of interest:

1.  DWIGHT REED (81) MEMORIAL GOLF OUTING.  I received this email from Dawn Reed Schumaker (84): "Hi Henry:  The 4th Annual Dwight Reed Memorial Golf Outing will be held on Friday, June 23, 2006 at The Links at Challedon in Mt. Airy, Maryland.  Anyone interested in registering a foursome or sponsoring a hole can contact me directly at dawnschu@hotmail.com.  Thanks!  Dawn

2.  HORNET MUSICIAN PERFORMS AT CSM.  I recently learned that Eric Scott (81) will be performing at the College of Southern Maryland in LaPlata on Friday, April 7 from 7-9 p.m. in the Black Box Theater.  Eric will be performing original songs from my his two previous CDs, and previewing new songs from his upcoming release, "Red."  (CSM's Black Box Theater is intimate and smoke-free, and the show is all ages.  Admission is $5, and CSM's concert series runs through the Spring.)  What a great opportunity to hear one of Surrattville's great musicians in a very nice setting.  (Info about Eric's music can be found at www.ericscottmusic.com and www.myspace.com/itzllgoode.)
 
3.  SURRATTS PARENTS EFFECT POSITIVE CHANGES.  Thanks to the work of Foundation Board members and Surratts parents Bob Ross and Cathy Taggart-Ross, and other Surratts parents, the Board of Education has agreed to re-paving the School's front entrance area during Spring Break (or earlier).  Those of you who attended the 2K5 event undoubtedly noticed how badly this repair is needed.  Congrats to Bob and Cathy on a job well done for the great kids at Surratts!

4.  SURRATT SOCIETY SPEAKER SERIES.  Those of you who are history buffs might like to know that Debra and Tom Goodrich are scheduled to talk at the Surratt Society Symposium on March 31 and April 1 and 2.  Details are available on the Surratt Society website and/or tomanddeb.com.

5. ... AND SPEAKING OF THE HISTORY OF CLINTON.  Our fantastic, and tireless, web master, Mike Gifford (84) passed along this interesting item.  "Hi Henry:  Im helping my dad setup a page for the American Legion Post 259 in Clinton and he recently sent me some information on the history of the post which contains a little bit of information on the history of Clinton.   The history is here if you are interested in putting a link to it in an e-Notice:  http://www.post259.org/post/history.html.  The site is still a work in progress but I thought the history would be interesting to some people.  Mike"

6.  MORE CLINTON MEMORIES.  Our honorary memoirist, John Curry (60), has kindly shared with us another fond memory of his rather "colorful" experiences growing up in Clinton:

"The Woodyard Road Apparition"   One dark night two of my friends and I were driving on Woodyard Road heading into town when we saw something ahead of us in the middle of the road. It appeared to be an undulating white object that hovered in the air. We slowed to get a better view and also maintain a safe distance from the thing. You have to remember that this was during the mid 1950s and there were many movies out during this period concerning space monsters and visits to the Earth so we were extra cautious this particular night. After observing the object for a few moments it was clear that it remained just ahead of us and in the middle of the road no matter how much we slowed or speeded up. This seemed very curious and many possibilities were offered as to the nature of this strange phenomenon that we were observing. It continued to hover not changing in size or direction but remained a white nondescript blob undulating in the cool night air. Finally after repeated blinking of our headlights did the object reveal itself to us. It turned it head and looked directly at three stunned and somewhat embarrassed passengers as we recognized it for what it was. We were following a very large white horse which was running down the center line of the road and all we could see was its rear-end bouncing up and down as it galloped along. What a relief! A brief toot on the cars horn caused it to run off into a vacant field and disappear into the night. You cannot be too cautious on dark lonely Maryland roads with all the things that might be out there! It could have been the boogie woman!

[Ed. Note: Something tells me a horse wouldn't survive too long on today's Woodyard Road!]

7.  THANKS TO THE CLASS OF 52 FROM BETTY HILL MORTIMER.  I received this lovely email from Betty Hill Mortimer (55): "To the Class of 1952:  On behalf of the Mortimer family I would like to thank all those who contributed to the Ronald Mortimer Music Memorial Fund.  It was a wonderful surprise to find out this had been done for him.  Ronald loved each one of you and always spoke highly of you.  I believe his time, as a student at Surrattsville was one of the happiest times in his life.  He was an exceptional man and I feel honored to have shared his life for 47 years.  He was a Christian, an excellent husband and father, an educator and adventurer.  He made the world a better place and I know he heard these words when he entered heaven, 'well done good and faithful servant'. Sincerely, Betty"

8.  SCHOLARSHIP RECIPIENT UPDATE.  I received this nice update from 2004 Foundation Scholarship recipient Brinkley Hypes, who is about to be deployed with the USMC: "Hi Henry:  I wanted to give you the latest scoop!  Over the past two years I have not only gone through all of my training to be a Lance Corporal in the United States Marine Corps, but I have been attending school at Strayer University at night.  I have been cramming as much as I possibly can before I get deployed and now I'm beginning to see the fruits of my labor.  I will have gathered 63 credits within 15 months, giving me an A.A. degree in Accounting come June.  More importantly, I paid straight out of pocket for thisno loans.  I go to night school because I work for a large labor union - Teamsters, over in DC.  I appreciate the informative e-Notices and I think the scholarship program the Foundation has put together is excellent for graduating Seniors.  In that regard and given my recent tax break this year, I want to make a small contribution to the Foundation.  I look forward to continuing to hear from the Foundation, and thanks for all the help.  Brink."

I know we all send Brinkley our best wishes for a safe deployment and a speedy return home!

9.  AVON WALK FOR BREAST CANCER.  I received this email from Sherie and Bob Robey (65): "Hello to All:  I am writing to you on behalf of some "dear" folks.  (Normally I would not do this, but I feel it is such a worthy cause.)  Samantha Yost, her sisters Rachel,  Lynn and brother in law Chris Richards all graduated from Chopticon High School, where I work.   Chris works in our building during the evening shift.  He and his sister in law  - Lynn are former students of mine. Samantha is participating in the Avon Walk for Breast Cancer, and needs financial support. (see the Avon web site).  I have asked her and her family to email a copy of the letter that they personally delivered to me.  That letter follows.  More importantly, her personal page to contribute to her is at the very end.  I am hoping that you would help her out.  You can do this electronically.  I appreciate your support on their behalf. God Bless, Sherie Robey, Bob Robey (65)
 
Dear Friends and Family: Did you know that every three minutes, another woman in the United States is diagnosed with breast cancer?  Every three minutes.  Because I cannot ignore this shocking statistic, Ive made a commitment to work toward changing it, and I need your help.  On April 29-30, 2006, I'll spend the weekend walking, along with thousands of other people, in the Avon Walk for Breast Cancer.  I will walk at least the distance of a marathon (26.2 miles), and I may choose to walk as far as a marathon and a half.  I will also raise at least $1,800 in donations to the cause.  I'll have to spend the next few months training, fundraising, and preparing for the event.  It's the biggest challenge I've ever taken on, but I'm very excited about doing it because I know it will make a real difference to the millions of people affected by breast cancer.  The money raised is managed and disbursed by the Avon Foundation, a 501(c)(3) public charity with a mission is to fund access to care and finding a cure for breast cancer.  The Avon Foundation funds both local and national organizations in five key areas:  medical research, education and early detection programs; clinical care; and support services, all with a focus on the medically underunder served.  Please help to support my efforts and this critically important cause by making a generous contribution.  You can make your donation on lion line simply clicking on the link at the bottom of this message, which will bring you right to my personal page.  Please remember as you're making your donation that in less than the time it took to read this e-mail, another woman in the U.S. was diagnosed with breast cancer. You can also help me by passing this message along to others who may be interested in being a part of the Avon Walk for Breast Cancer.  Thank you for your support.  Sincerely, Samantha Yost   P.S. you can find out more about the Avon Walk for Breast Cancer by visiting www.avonwalk.org.  Click here to View my Personal Page  http://walk.avonfoundation.org/site/TR?pg=personal&fr_id=1150&px=2255813.

10.  CLASS OF 97 PLANS REUNION.  The Class of 97 is starting the planning for its ten year reunion.  Please contact Monique Thomason (97), at missthomason@gmail.com, if you would like to help out or if you have any information on the whereabouts of members of the Class of 97 (or their family members.)

11.  CLASS OF 82 SEEKS ORC.  The Class of 82 is looking for someone to serve as its "Official Reunion Contact" (or "ORC").  Please send me an email if you'd be willing to serve in that capacity, and we'll add your contact information to the Classes page on the web site.


I hope you're all enjoying a beautiful start to your Spring 2006!

Henry Smith (71), hsmith@smithdowney.com



MANY THANKS TO THESE 2006 CAMPAIGN DONORS!

Steve Profilet (71)
Carol Tisdale Whitsell (64), In loving memory of her sister Jeanne Tisdale Burke
Vivian Bounds Edelen (Faculty, 1938-1942)
Robert Brewer (67)
Henry Smith (71)
Donna Rae Smith (70)