December 29, 2009

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December 22, 2009 - Christmas Music

Jo Randall (from left), Tom Duggan, Lykah Mora, Shay Harris, and Leah Rogers joined the Washington Kiwanis Club for lunch and then sang “entertaining and enjoyable” Christmas songs for the club members. Louise Maynard (right) was the program host.

Kiwanis President Sherry Hudson and Vice-President Lillie Crowe expressed their thanks to all in the community who supported the club’s recent sale of pecans.

Holiday writing jogs timeless memories

By Steve Blackmon [a long-time Kiwanian]
My mom died when I was 14, and I had a little brother [Harris*] who was not quite seven at the time. It fell my lot to be his caregiver since my older sister [Norma] was in college. The stores stayed open until midnight then, and my older brother [James]was always with Dad [Jim*].
[*Also long-time Kiwanians.]

On Saturday nights after I milked the cow and had supper, we would build a fire in the cookstove, make candy, and listen to the Longines Hour of beautiful classical music. Longines was the “Timepiece of the Airlines.”

When I graduated from high school in 1943, Dad wanted to give me a Bulova watch from Ellington’s Jewelry in town, but I told him I wanted a Longines and that it could be bought at Bush Jewelers in Athens. He gave me the money, and I rode the bus to Athens and bought my watch for $55 – a lot of money at that time [retail price now of the pictured  Longines is $1,400, sale price $645].

About four years ago, I wrote the president of Longines USA and told him the story of my watch along with the serial number and how my love of classical music came about through the Longines Hour in 1940. I also told him about its going through the washing machine but that it was perfect after it was cleaned by a jeweler immediately.

He wrote me back that he had personally researched my watch and that it was billed to Longines USA on February 15, 1943. I bought it in May. He sent me a Longines carry-on, a CD, two coffee-table books about the famous people who wear Longines watches, and a Longines cap. He also stated that he was sending my letter to the world headquarters in Switzerland because they enjoy stories like mine.

My Longines watch is still running and keeps good time, but I have to remember to wind it every day.

(Steve Blackmon wrote this as one of the Learning In Retirement Memoir Writing group’s holiday memories assignments. Group instructor Anita Latimer submitted it for publication.)

November 24, 2009 - Key Club

Key Club Lt. Governor Milton James Jr. (center) presented the program for the Washington Kiwanis Club on Tuesday, November 24, during which he discussed how to make a meaningful club and the enjoyment of being part of the Key Club. James is a member of the Key Club of Georgia and is also a student at Washington-Wilkes High School. He also stated that the Key Club has shown him the pleasures of giving services back to the community. Kiwanis members Sherry Hudson (left) and Bob Simmons welcomed Milton to the meeting.

December 15, 2009 - Nets for Life in Africa

• Malaria is a common, yet deadly tropical disease transmitted through the bites of infected mosquitoes.
• It kills nearly one million people every year—the vast majority children under age five.
• USAID announces Community Grant Awards to Fight Malaria:
• NetsforLife® and its partners will implement a malaria program in 280 of the hardest-to-reach communities in the Upper East Region of Ghana, reaching a total population of 140,000 people, including 25,000 children under 5, 7,000 pregnant women and 33,500 women of child-bearing age.

Tim Bush (next below), a leader in the Episcopal 

Church here in Washington, introduced by The 

Reverend Dr. Denni Moss, member of the Kiwanis 

Club and program host for the day, used a slide program prepared by  Episcopal Relief &am (ER)Development (ER)

 to bring out these disturbing facts and to urge the club's support of the "Nets for Life" fund-raising program of ER

The Reverend Dr. Denni Moss introduces the speaker.

 

(l-r) Lillie Crowe, Carolyn Reynolds, Pam Eaton,

Barbara Bacon, Louise Maynard have lunch.

(l-r) Leeann Mathws, Sherry Hudson, 

Jama Carpenter listen to Lt Gov Bob Simmon

(l-r) Ed Geddings, Wayne Madden, 

Kerry McAvoy, Trevin Burriss converse.

(l-r) Speaker Tom Bush, Rev. Denni Moss, Rev. Bill 

Boyd, Jimmy Reynolds, Herb Stackhouse finish lunch.

(l-r) Lee Benner, Al Zima, George Brooks converse.

(l-r) Dave Tatum, Bill Grant, Harris Blackmon,

Jim Finch, Jim Bundy, Bill Lee have lunch .

(l-r) Carolyn Reynolds,Pam Eaton, Barbara Bacon, 

Louise Maynard, Lillie Crowe have lunch.

(l-r) Steve Blackmon, Ross Maynard lunch and wait.

Club members in buffet line.