| E-Notice |
THIS IS SURRATTS
FOUNDATION E-NOTICE 2013-12 OF DECEMBER 1, 2013
Hello Hornets:
Here are some items that might be of interest:
1.
ANNUAL CAMPAIGN CONTINUES.
As previously reported, the Foundation is in the midst of
what we hope will be a record-setting annual fund raising campaign.
Because the Foundation has been so busy this academic year
and last, we're hopeful that many of our readers will consider
contributing to this year's campaign to refresh the Foundation's
coffers. No
contribution is too small to make a difference, and donating is easy
– either by donating on-line at
www.surrattsville.org or
by donating by mail using the form below (and available on the web
site).
Many thanks to the many generous donors listed below, and to all
of you for considering participating in this year's campaign!
2.
SURRATTSVILLE COMMUNITY LOSES LAST SURVIVING MEMBER OF
CLASS OF 1937.
We learned that Billie Barr Gwynn Winstead (37) died on
November 9. Billie was
the last surviving member of the Class of 1937, a lovely person, and
a great supporter of the Foundation.
Here's how Billie was fondly remembered in the Washington
Post:
"Wilhelmina 'Billie' Barr Gwynn Winstead, of Saint Leonard, MD …
was born on April 7, 1920 in Suitland, Maryland, to Dorothy von
Osterman and James Barr and raised by her grandparents, Wilhelmina
Fritz and George von Osterman.
She graduated from Surrattsville High School (she was the
last surviving member of the Class of 1937) and Strayer College
where she was a member of Sigma Eta Sigma Honor Society.
During World War II she served her country by working at the
War Department. She
later was bookkeeper for Clinton Motor Co., a family automotive
business, and then founded her own corporation, Clinton Business
Services.
Billie was very active in the community as a 4-H leader for 11
years, President of Surrattsville PTA, Voice of Prince George's
Toastmasters Club, and Surratt Stage Door Theater group.
She also volunteered at the Surratt House.
She spent most of her life in Clinton, MD, raising her family
and her summers in Calvert County at her beloved Island Creek home.
She was known as "Billie" by her friends and "Big Momma" by
her family. Later in
her life, she spent winters in Ormond Beach, FL.
Billie had many dear friends and spent many a day playing
bridge, fishing and socializing.
Each and every summer, however, she returned home to Maryland
to open the Riverhouse for her family and friends, creating a
lifetime of memories for all concerned.
Billie was predeceased by husbands William R. "Jack" Gwynn and
Luther V. Winstead, her son Bill Gwynn and her companion of 28 years
Arthur Owisanny. She is
survived by beloved daughters Jackie Ball, husband Jess, Bette
Gilbert and Gay Gwynn and beloved step-daughters Eleanor Ellison and
Mary Avis McLaughlin.
Her two grandchildren Jay Ball and Jamie Bohne-Richardson and her
husband Gex Richardson, gave her four great-grandchildren, Edward
"TJ" Bohne, Connor Richardson, Alexandra "Ali" Bohne and Colton
Richardson."
3.
E-NOTICE ITEM PROMPTS LINK WRAY MEMORIES.
We received this very interesting email from Steve Cool (71)
in response to the item mentioning Link Wray in the last e-Notice:
"Reading the information about Link Wray takes one back to
what seems like a long time ago.
If you really want to catch up on the history of Link Wray
you need to get ahold of Roger Atchinson.
I had the pleasure of talking to him this past summer at an
outdoor party. I
remembered he played drums with Link back in the day, so I wanted to
go over things that the both of us knew and things that I had no
idea about. I went to
elementary school with Vernon Wray, Link's nephew.
Vernon passed at a very young age, but from what I remember
he was a very good sax player.
Ray Hume and I tell crowds of people we play for now a little
history as we start to play Link's signature tune, "Rumble."
There is a story behind that song as well.
The both of us bought the first Super Beatle amp from Bobby
Howard and the Sweet at Link's studio in Accokeek.
We like to think that since we knew Vernon pretty well back
then if he were still around maybe, just maybe, we would be playing
together; you never know.
Thanks! Steve"
4.
FOLLOW-UP FIELD TRIP TIPS.
We received these interesting emails in response to the
"Lincoln field trip" item in the last e-Notice:
"Good
afternoon. My name is
Donna Peterson and I am a docent at the Dr. Samuel Mudd Museum in
Waldorf and I was forwarded the recent Surratt News.
I would love to invite your readers to our museum.
We are having our "Victorian Christmas" the weekend of
December 7-8. It is our
yearly end of the season "extravaganza" and it would be a wonderful
opportunity to see the many different sites that we have.
We have multiple exhibits right on the farm that I am sure
your readers who are history buffs love.
Please don't hesitate to contact me for any further info.
Best, Donna"
"In reference to Lincoln field trips there is one site you
missed. It is the
Lincoln cottage located on the grounds of the Soldiers' and Sailors'
Home. During the Civil
War Lincoln spent a lot of time there getting away from the White
House. If you do some
research you will find that Booth thought of trying to ether kidnap
or kill Lincoln on his way to the cottage but failed.
Dale Robertson"
5.
BAND RAISES FUNDS WITH HOLIDAY FRUIT SALE.
We received this email from instrumental music
director Valerie Dent:
"The Band and Orchestra are having a Fresh Fruit Fundraiser.
E-Notice readers can order fresh fruit for the holidays
directly from our website at http://freshfruitorder.org/marchinghornets .
Thanks again for your support.
Valerie"
6.
NEED FOR GENTLY USED STRING INSTRUMENTS.
Speaking of the band, as reported in the last e-Notice, the
School is in need of "gently used" string instruments for the
recently-revived student orchestra.
The Foundation thanks Steve Profilet (71) for the first
donation to this cause -- a virtually new violin that was recently
received with much gratitude by instrumental music department chair
Valerie Dent. Please
send me an email at
hsmith@smithdowney.com if you have a violin, viola, cello or
double bass collecting dust in a closet that you'd like to donate to
this very worthy musical cause.
[This new initiative is featured, along with three other
Foundation initiatives, in a new youtube program at
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Yq7IGI69kOo&feature=c4-overview&list=UUJBiUH49oYAmsczyuPCTI3Q]
7.
OFFICIAL FOUNDATION OVERVIEW.
We noted that there was an error in the list of Achievement
Award recipients in last month's e-Notice.
Here's a corrected list of these absolutely extraordinary
members of the Surrattsville community.
(Their photos and bios can be found at
www.surrattsville.org.)
- 2000 - Maryland Senate President Thomas V. Mike Miller, Jr.
(60)
- 2001 - Building Superintendent (Since 1963) Gerald Pickeral
- 2001 - Foundation Visionary Charlie Cooper (52)
- 2002 - Christmas in April Executive Director Mary Kucharski
(76)
- 2002 - International Opera Star Gordon Hawkins (76)
- 2003 - Long-time Surratts Employee Roberta Padgett Taylor
(53)
- 2003 - Command Fighter Pilot Col. Robert Marr, Jr. (71)
- 2003 - Internationally Acclaimed Painter Kevin Fitzgerald
(71)
- 2004 - University of GA Basketball Head Coach Dennis Felton
(81)
- 2005 - French Legion of Honor Recipient Nelson Duke (40)
- 2005 - Clergy Member and Public Servant Susan Thomas Azud
(73)
- 2005 - Oscar Winner Marcia Gay Harden (76)
- 2006 - General Tom Travis, M.D. (72)
- 2006 - Police Chief Fred Keeney (73)
- 2007 – Chef Patrick O’Connell (63)
- 2007 – Chef Greggory Hill (79)
- 2007 – Chef Timothy Dean (89)
- 2008 – Professor Russell Barkley, Ph.D. (67)
- 2008 – Professor Rick Lifton, M.D., Ph.D. (71)
- 2008 – College President Dave DeCenzo (73)
- 2009 - Educator Deborah McAllister Brown (72)
- 2009 – Educator Helen Bovbjerg Niedung (54)
- 2009 – Educator/University of MD Women's Basketball Coach
Chris Weller (62)
- 2010 – Legendary Coach Lew Jenkins (former faculty)
- 2010 – International Relief Worker Rix Mills (62)
- 2010 – Community Activist Ann Weaver Pelle (71)
- 2011 – Pilot, Jumper and Community Activist Elizabeth Lee
Glesberg May (78)
- 2011 – Award-winning Bassist John Previti (72)
- 2011 – Award-winning guitarist Dave Chappell (75)
- 2012 – WWII hero James Paul Duke, Jr. (39)
- 2012 – Navy veteran and fallen police officer Bill Talbert
(65)
- 2012 - Groundbreaking FBI agent and Marine Colonel Susan
Roley Malone (65)
- 2012 – Army Blackhawk pilot and JAG lawyer Cindy Gleisberg
(79)
- 2013 – Professional athlete and youth mentor Leonte Collins
(94)
- 2013 – Emmy winning actress Laura Sisk Wright (88)
- 2013 – Special needs advocate Barbara Thomas (82)
- 2013 – Army Major General Kevin O'Connell (78)
8.
VARSITY JACKETS ON SALE AT SCHOOL.
The School has informed us that it once again is selling
Varsity Jackets to students and alumni.
The jackets are of the traditional wool and leather variety,
green with white sleeves and green and white trim on the collar,
cuff and hem, with Hornet logo, Class year and an embroidered name.
The jackets cost $250 for S, M, L and XL, and $255 for 2XL,
3XL and 4XL. (Tall
sizes are available at an additional fee.)
Please contact LaKeshia Myers @ 301-599-2453 or
LaKeshia.Myers@pgcps.org with any questions, to see a photo, or
to place an order.
9.
NEW PHOTOS CONTINUE TO BE ADDED TO FOUNDATION'S FACEBOOK
GROUP.
Thanks to the on-going work of a number of members of the
Surrattsville communiy, the large collection of wonderful historical
photos with Surrattsville themes on the Foundation's Facebook Group,
"Surrattsville Alumni," continues to grow.
These include wonderful photos from Surrattsville's various
theatrical events over the years, photos of the
gone-but-obviously-not-forgotten El Rancho and Ranch Drive-In,
photos of beloved teachers, a tribute to Accokeek's own Link Wray
(recently nominated for the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame; our own Greg
Laxton (80) is one of the special custodians of the Link Wray
legend), a photo of Link at Surrattsville, and the like.
(Naturally, the Foundation would love to have any Surrattsville-
or Clinton-themed historical photos or videos you might wish to
share.)
10.
FOUNDATION'S YOUTUBE CHANNEL CONTINUES TO ADD CONTENT.
The Foundation's rapidly expanding youtube channel is always
looking for additional content to add.
(There's a rumor that there might be some digital copies of
drama productions at Surrattsville that might be suitable to
include. Naturally,
we'd love to have those treasures!)
Please become a subscriber to the channel, take a moment to view
the programs on the channel at
http://www.youtube.com/user/SurrattsvilleFDN, and let us know if
you have access to any content that could be added.
11.
DIGITIZATION OF FOUNDATION ARCHIVES.
As many of our readers know – and as all recent visitors to
the Foundation's "Surrattsville Alumni" Facebook Group have seen –
the Foundation's Historian and Archivist, Shelby Lee Oppermann (79),
has largely single-handedly saved from destruction, collected and
made presentable a virtual treasure trove of Surrattsville-related
historical items.
Shelby now hopes to digitize those priceless artifacts to ensure
their survival into perpetuity.
Here's a message from Shelby that we shared in the last
e-Notice:
"We're hoping to find someone with the capabilities to
professionally digitize all our Foundation memorabilia.
I will get as much up on Facebook as the material will allow,
but a professional job would be really nice.
I also want to see if anyone in our Surrattsville community
would be able to take the Foundation's oral history interviews off
of the digital tape recorder and the cassette recorder, enhance
them, and take out background noises (though the live episode of
"Hornetman" recorded in the background of some interviews from the
Y2K reunion was pretty funny!).
I did have the digital tape recorder downloaded onto a CD
last year. I am having
fun uploading and describing the pictures, and reading all the
comments. In addition
to the Surrattsville Alumni Facebook Group, I have been uploading
onto various Facebook groups like "If you grew up in Clinton you
remember," "Clinton Volunteer Fire Department," and the various
elementary school pages.
Shelby"
(If you might be able to assist in this important conservation
effort, please send me an email at
hsmith@smithdowney.com.
)
12.
CLASSES OF 83/84/85 REUNION.
We received this notice from the Classes of
83, 84 and 85: "Mark
your calendar for Saturday, October 11, 2014 for our Classes of
83/84/85 Reunion.
Please email Debbie O’Clair MacKenzie at
Debbiemackenzie45@yahoo.com to be placed on the mailing list (if
you have not already received the “save the date” email).
If you have questions about the event, contact your Class
representative:
1983—Becky delVillar Levin:
bdellevin@gmail.com
1984—Gary Stallings:
gstallings@yahoo.com
1985—MaryBeth Klick:
mbklick@aol.com"
13.
REQUEST FOR NAMING ASSISTANCE ON FALLEN HEROES PLAQUE FOR
LEGACY HALL.
As reported previously, thanks to the efforts of Bob Jeter
(64), the Foundation is preparing a Fallen Heroes plaque to hang in
the Legacy Hall that will contain the names and Class years of
Hornets who died while serving in the military or as first
responders (or later from service-related injuries).
Please contact Bob at
bobjeter@verizon.net if you know of any Hornets who should be
honored in this way. In
addition, Bob is asking for your thoughts on an appropriate title
for this plaque, so please send him an email if you have any ideas.
[Ed note: Photos of
the Legacy Wall can be found on the Foundation's web site at
www.surrattsville.org.]
13. STILL SEEKING
WEB SITE DESIGN ASSISTANCE.
The Foundation continues to seek members of the Surrattsville
community with web site design skills to volunteer to assist with
some changes being contemplated for our web site at
surrattsville.org.
Please send me an email at
hsmith@smithdowney.com
if you'd consider donating your skills to this effort.
14.
CLASS OF 64 50 YEAR REUNION.
We received
this announcement about the Class of 64's upcoming golden event:
"The Class of 1964 is planning a 50th reunion in Ocean
City for late September 2014. It might seem a long way off,
but we all know how fast time goes by. We need to firm up a
place, reserve a block of rooms to set aside, and determine how
much space we will need. Please email Ginger Trapanotto,
gingersnap699@gmail.com or Phil Foster,
fosterphilip6@gmail.com if you (alone or with a guest) are
interested in attending. Also, if you know the
whereabouts of any former classmate, please ask him/her to email one
of us or you can forward the information to us. We appreciate
any help you can provide and the "committee" is looking forward to
re-visiting the 60s with everyone."
15.
FOUNDATION FACEBOOK PRESENCE CONTINUES TO GROW.
The Foundation's Facebook Group – called
"Surrattsville Alumni" – continues to grow, and now is approaching
1700 members. This is a
great, and free, way for folks to stay in touch.
Similarly, the Class-specific Facebook Groups – that have
names like "Surrattsville 1969" and the like -- continue to grow.
These Facebook Groups are becoming an increasingly active way
for folks to share memories and news updates of interest to the
Surrattsville community.
Please consider joining the Surrattsville Alumni Group, and
your own Class-specific Group.
Here's hoping this finds you well and not having been negatively
affected by the Thanksgiving weather!
All the best, Henry Smith (71)
MANY THANKS TO THESE GENEROUS DONORS TO THE 2013 CAMPAIGN!
- Patricia Becker Oles (71)
- Steve Profilet (71)
- Vicki Forsht Williams (65 and
former faculty), In memory of Eugene Colgan and Richard
Mortimer
- Nancy Miller (67)
- Vicky Simontacchi Young (57),
In memory of Richard C. Mortimer (57, former faculty)
- Bob Marr (71)
- Debbie Cox Marr (72)
- Mark Scoville (74), In memory
of Mike Helfrich (74) and Nancy Maddox (74)
- Rick Torrecarion (74), In
loving memory of Patsy Torrecarion (76)
- Linda Dorsey Blum (66)
- Nancy Lapin LoBianco (65), In
memory of Tony Marchetti (65)
- Sandra Smith Simmons (70)
- Duke Coleman (53), In memory
of Donald England (53)
- Lois Barrett Hessberg (70)
- Lee Hessberg (68)
- Donna Rae Sturtevant Smith
(70), In memory of Cliff Hersey
- Henry Smith (71), In memory of
Cliff Hersey
- Sandra Smith Simmons (70)
- Donald Knight (92)
- David Cranford (90)
- Vera Twigg
- Paul Monaghan (59)
- Melissa Gilcrest (69)
- Deborah Caputo Rosen (71)
- Nancy Oursler Maynard (65), In
memory of Cliff Hersey
- Judy Miller (70)
- Mike Blair (71)
- Larry Romjue (57), In memory
of Lois Marie Osgood (57) – "It's not for me to say," Johnny
Mathis
- Leslie St. Clair (70), In
memory of Bob Mahler (70) and Georgy Stevens (70)
- Anne Noyes (former faculty),
In memory of Lillian Holland
- Helen Bovbjerg Niedung (54)
- J. Paul Rickett (69)
- Gloria Blandford Rickett (71)
- Marge and Bill Allen (parents)
- Coach Lew Jenkins (former
faculty)
- Dan Bayne (71), for the
Charlie Waddell Memorial Scholarship Fund
- Sherry Dodson Brunett (69)
- Dave DeCenzo (73)
- Mike Miller (70)
- Patricia Nugent (71)
- Dave Weber (65)
- Judy Gordon (65), In memory of
Cliff Hersey (former faculty), Roseann Falcone (65), Tony
Marchetti (65), and Bill Millios (honorary 65 Hornet)
- Fred Keeney (73)
- Kevin Spradling (72, graduated
in 73)
- Lee Pascasio (64), in memory
of Jean Moorehead
- Nancy Lapin LoBianco (65), In
memory of Tom Goodall (65)
- Patrick McMenamin (71)
- Mike Gifford (84)