Planting by the signs

In this time of vernal equinox when days grow longer, fresh warm breezes stir the budding trees, and the sun's rays paint nature with golden newness, we who had the privilege of growing up on a farm have a built-in system that hears the call of overturned soil to plant seeds into rows and watch the miracle of growth.

The "preacher" in Old Testament days exclaimed: "To everything there is a season...a time to plant...(Eccl. 3: 1-2).

And when the story of creation was recorded in Genesis, the writer declared that the lights created in the firmament would divide day from night and "be for signs and for seasons, and for days and years" (Genesis 1:14b).

I grew up on a farm that produced well for our family and others with whom we shared our bounty. We sold that beyond our needs for money we used to purchase things not produced on the farm, for improvements to the farm, and for those annual taxes on the land.

My father planted and harvested by "the signs." He believed in them, and the astronomical calculations presented either in "The Old Farmer's Almanac" (in continuous publication since about 1796) or "Grier's Almanac" founded by a Georgian, Robert Grier, and in continuous publication since 1807. These references were frequently consulted at our house. But what is more, through using the signs and his own expertise as a farmer, the results of his efforts proved that, combined, the system worked.

I wish I had listened more closely to him and my other relatives who planted by the signs. Was this system just superstition, or was there wisdom in their assiduous following of the Zodiac to plant and harvest?

I did a little "googling"(you who are computer internet users will know this is researching via internet). I was amazed at the plethora of sights that lauded "moon gardening" or "planting and harvesting by the signs." Likewise, the two almanacs my father used faithfully when I was a child have numerous sites to applaud their still sought after wisdom.

In tracing the history of lunar cycles and "signs" for doing ordinary tasks of daily living, I discovered that texts have been uncovered for this astronomical knowledge as far back as 8,000 years, or when the earth was in the waning stages of the Ice Age. Moreover, the various civilizations, from the ancient Sumerians, the Mayas, the Chinese, the classical civilizations of Greece and Rome, the Highland Scots and the native American Cherokee (who were farmers, as well) had knowledge of and practiced signs.

Was it folklore or is there authenticity in "moon gardening"?

It should not surprise us of the twenty-first century that scientific discoveries have authenticated the subtle interactions between sun, moon and planet earth. Our ancestors were not practicing superstition, but proven methods of gaining the best results through working with Nature. After all, had the account of creation not said that in the firmament of light there were "signs" for "seasons...days...years?"

Planting by the signs can be extremely complicated. But the simplest method is to think of the phases of the moon as "waxing" (or growing from a sliver at the new moon to the full moon, first and second quarters) and "waning" (third and fourth quarters as it grows to a sliver in its last quarter). In its 29-day journey around the earth, the moon passes through all twelve signs of the Zodiac. The signs are divided into four "elemental" groups, either water (Cancer, Pisces, and Scorpio), earth (Taurus, Virgo, Capricorn), fire (Leo, Aries, Sagittarius) or air (Gemini, Aquarius, Libra). The "fertile" signs are when the elements of water and earth are in the ascendancy. The "barren" signs are in the periods of fire and air.

Above-ground crops (or those producing harvest on plants above-ground) are planted in the waxing (or growing) stage of the moon. Among these are peas, beans, tomatoes, lettuce, cabbage and the like. Underground crops (such as potatoes, beets, radishes and carrots) should be planted when the moon is waning.

Even though you, as I, do not have many elderly forebears still alive to consult for a lesson on "planting by the signs," we can still purchase handy references, the well-known almanacs like "Grier's" and "Old Farmer's." Or we can access interesting articles on internet that show this long-ago practice of "seeking the signs." Again this method is in great favor among present-day gardeners. Away back in 1562, a man by the name of Thomas Tusser wrote in his "500 points of Goode Husbandry":

"Sow pease and beanes in the dark of the moone,
Who soweth them sooner, he soweth too soon;
That they with the planet may rest and arise,
And flourish with bearing most plentifully and wise."

And remember, too, that Good Friday, especially in the afternoon of that day, is a good day for planting. Best wishes, gardeners. May your "green thumb" follow the signs.

c2006 by Ethelene Dyer Jones; published March 30, 2006 in The Union Sentinel, Blairsville, GA. Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved.

Sarah Evaline Souther Dyer and Herbal Tonics

One of Grandmother Dyer's recommended spring tonics was sassafras tea. The sassafras bush grew readily on mountain farms in small clumps at wood's edge or along stream banks. Roots and bark of the sassafras bush were gathered and dried for later use. An old saying about the value of sassafras tea to the system was that "if you drink sassafras tea in the month of March, you won't need a doctor all year."

It was believed to purify the blood and was helpful in the treatment of colds, fevers, and the ague.

A song helped to advertise the values of sassafras as a medicinal plant: "In the spring of the year when the blood is so thick/There is nothing so fine as a sassafras stick./It tones up the liver and strengthens the heart,/And to the whole system a new life doth impart." (from The Foxfire Book 2, 1973, p.50). Boil the roots or bark in water. Sweeten with honey or sugar and drink as spring tonic.

That first mess of greens in the spring was also considered a boost to the system. Spring greens must be gathered while young and tender or they will have a bitter taste. Among those eaten by mountain families in early spring were dandelion greens, poke "sallet" or pokeweed, dock and wild mustard. Gather plenty of the selected green, as volume shrinks with cooking. Parboil, or cook first in plenty of water; drain and wash, and then cook again, seasoning to taste. Recipes for these various wild greens have been passed down in families. Poke sallet, for example, after parboiling, can be put into an iron skillet with shortening and fried. When almost done, break in two or three eggs and scramble with the greens. Serve with vinegar or pickle juice.

Violet leaves and flowers are both edible and grow in abundance in the woods or on lawns in early spring. The leaves are rich in vitamins C and A. Violet leaves may be cooked separately or mixed with mustard greens for a spring "sallet" treat. The petals of the violet flower may be used to make a delicate jelly by using pectin to thicken the jelly.

Gathering wild ramps or leeks has become a modern-day pastime for hikers. "Ramp tramps" are often planned for certain areas where the plant is known to grow in the woods and can be found most readily under maple trees. Some mountain towns have ramp festivals in the spring. Ramps, a very odiferous plant, akin to wild onion and wild garlic, have a "bad breath" quality that remains with those who eat it for three or four days. The advice for would-be ramp gatherers is to go into solitary confinement for a few days after your mess of ramps.

Last week's column looked at ginseng and its uses. Another native medicinal plant is goldenseal. Like ginseng, it was over-harvested and became scarce in its natural habitat of moist woodlands. It is now being cultivated, but does not grow well unless the goldenseal farmer can provide an environment very similar to its moist, woodland habitat.

Goldenseal roots and rhizomes, the underground stems, are harvested in the fall and dried for medicinal purposes. Goldenseal has antibiotic properties and is prized for healing infections and inflammations. For a healing tea, use one teaspoon of dried pounded root in one cup of boiling water. Steep for 15 minutes. Strain and use as a gargle for sore throat. It is useful for stomach upsets by mixing a teaspoon of goldenseal powder with 1 teaspoon of honey. Take the syrup twice a day for 3 to 4 days until stomach upset and diarrhea clear. Goldenseal is in the "bitters" classification of herbs and will leave a bitter taste in the mouth. Drink plenty of water when ingesting goldenseal syrup or tea.

Sweet flag (acorus calamus) roots are gathered dried and used to make tea, powder, liniment and balm for the bath. It is useful in treating indigestion, flatulence, joint pain caused by arthritis or injury, and for a calming bath.

For the last several years, people have become interested again in herbal medications. Health food stores sell many of the emollients that were once made by my Grandmother Sarah Evaline Souther Dyer, “Granny Woman,” and used as she sought to meet the medical needs of her family and her neighbors.

Alternative medicine and natural healing are on the rise. A word of caution is in order. Many of the health store products are not approved by the Federal Food and Drug Administration.

Extensive and controlled testing has not been conducted to verify claims. And we in this modern age have not been taught, as were our ancestors, to recognize healthy edible plants and herbs. Therefore, walk with caution the forest trails as you seek to gather your own herbs, and beware of those that can be lethal if used in the wrong manner.

c2006 by Ethelene Dyer Jones; published March 23, 2006 in The Union Sentinel, Blairsville, GA. Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved.

Sarah Evaline Souther Dyer and some old-fashioned remedies

My grandmother, Sarah Evaline Souther Dyer (1857-1959) was considered a "Granny Woman." Among other things, she had a knowledge of herbal medicine, she was a mid-wife, and she compounded formularies that could relieve some of the illnesses that beset her own large family and others in the surrounding Choestoe community where she lived.

Some of my cousins and I have often wondered what happened to her hand-written remedies that she referred to faithfully as she boiled up soothing teas and recommended old-fashioned remedies to the country folk living round about her. Then, sending for a doctor was not always an option in the years in the 19th and early 20th centuries when she lived and practiced her folk knowledge.

Did she get the knowledge from her mother or grandmother and aunts who got their information from the Cherokee Indians who once lived on the land these early settlers occupied? Maybe so. Or perhaps the remedies were passed down, generation to generation, from their European roots as early American settlers with names like Collins, Souther, Hunter, Dyer, England--the list of ties could go on--settled this land. My thinking is that Grandmother Sarah's formularies were a combination of these two sources and perhaps some of her own knowledge of what worked by trial and error method.

I can remember as a child when we visited Grandma Sarah's house that faced Brasstown Bald Mountain, we children would be warned not to "touch or play with" Grandma's roots that hung on pegs to dry on the back porch of her house. These were drying in order to make her medicines to help sick people. I often wondered how the strange, twisted roots could possibly aid people. Did they have to swallow portions of them in order to become well? My best plan, I thought, was to stay well and healthy so I could avoid such monstrous-looking roots being crushed up and forced into my body in dark, bitter teas. Little did I know then that the teas Grandma knew how to make were the antidotes for many an ailment, and highly welcomed by her neighbors.

Take, for example, ginseng, known better to our mountain forebears as 'sang. The ginseng root was harvested from the mountains where it grew wild in the olden days. How it got from its native China and Korea is left to speculation. Perhaps it was brought over the "land bridge" believed to have formerly connected the great continents of the earth and over which the first Native Americans may have traveled. In doing some research on the plant, I found that it was the most famous of the old Chinese herbal remedies, having been used for more than 5,000 years. Imagine the kings of Chinese dynasties being treated by court physicians on this very herb. That's how far back its history goes.

Nowadays, because the plant is still in great demand, growers are cultivating it. The plant takes about six years to mature and grows up to two and one-half feet in height. It has a yellow taproot, resembling a carrot but with more prongs. It is the root that is beneficial for medicinal purposes, and was one of the roots I saw as a child drying on pegs on my Grandmother's porch.
Ginseng as a tonic is believed to aid the heart and circulatory system. It also is a balm for the brain and aids in concentration, even among the aged with dementia or what we currently call Alzheimer's disease. Ginseng boosts the immune system and is held by many to be an aphrodisiac (sexual stimulant). Ginseng in various forms can be found nowadays in health food stores.

This is not my Grandmother's formulary for Ginseng Tea but one I found by researching folk remedies. I might urge, "use with caution." If ginseng tonics are taken for more than three months or in higher dosages than recommended, sleep disturbances, restlessness or anxiety can result.

Ginseng Tea: Pour 1 cup boiling water over 1 teaspoon of grated ginseng. Steep for 10 minutes and strain. This tea will sharpen concentration, even in the elderly.

Ginseng Tonic: Take 20 to 30 drops of ginseng tonic (from a health food store) daily to prevent heart disease. If you have low blood pressure, this tonic can stimulate blood flow. Beware of using it if your blood pressure is high already.

Ginseng for the Bath: Add grated ginseng root to warm bath water to help you relax and sleep well.

Ginseng as a Food Supplement: Sprinkle a pinch of grated ginseng over your soup or food. This is as effective as buying the more expensive commercial ginseng soup.

As the familiar saying goes, "We've come a long way." But with Medicare, Medicaid, and the more recent Medicare D for prescription drugs that give us a headache when we present our "non-approved" on the "formulary" prescriptions for filling, we could wish we knew what our grand and great-grandparents knew about making do with what they had. It must have worked then. My Grandmother Sarah lived to be within two months of 102 years of age.

c2006 by Ethelene Dyer Jones; published March 16, 2006 in The Union Sentinel, Blairsville, GA. Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved.

Through mountains mists a light in the mountains, Part 2 Truett McConnell College, 1946-2006 Holding Forth The Flame of Knowledge For Six Decades

We continue the exciting story of how Truett McConnell College, Cleveland, GA, grew from the foundations of the Hiawassee Academy (1886-1930) and the Blairsville Collegiate Institute (1904-1930). In this 60th year of the college’s founding, we celebrate the fanning of the flame of knowledge that sprang up and kept growing because people nourished the vision.

The George Truett Junior College, Inc.

From 1930 through 1944, the flame of an institution of higher learning lay dormant. But many people remembered the Hiawassee Academy and the Blairsville Collegiate Institute. The flame was there, awaiting another ignition.

Another Mountain Preachers’ School was held at Blairsville in July 1944.

Who preached the sermon that ignited the flame as Rev. Ferdinand C. McConnell had done in 1886? The person’s name is not known to this writer, but several factors were present to remind the gathered preachers that the time was right to propose a new Christian college in the mountains.

Dr. George Washington Truett died July 7, 1944. He had become a model for visionary ministers who set aggressive goals and worked to reach them. The ministers talked about establishing a college in his memory.

The Great Depression was past. America’s involvement in World War II, although taking a toll on young lives, had brought a raise in economic levels through work associated with the war effort. Many of the young men who would be returning from war when it ended would desire an education.

The vision was born in the hearts of several men. Among them were the Rev. Claud C. Boynton, Rev. L. Clinton Cutts, Dr. W. A. Taliaferro, John B. Payne (layman), Dr. Leslie S. Williams, Dr. James M. Nicholson, Mr. Frank Shuler (Union County Superintendent of Schools and a layman), and Rev. Clarence Voyles. Mountain preachers and mountain laymen seized the vision, fanned the flame.

After the Preachers’ School had ended, the above-named men met for prayer and discussion in the basement of First Baptist Church, Blairsville, where Rev. Claud C. Boynton was pastor. The dream was turned into a plan. The flame of knowledge was again ignited.

After several meetings, a committee drew up a charter and the men approved it.

The charter named the new school the George Truett Junior College, Inc. It was legally filed in Superior Court of Union County, Ga., on September 15, 1944.

A Firm Foundation and Founding

Desiring that the college have a firm foundation and adequate sponsorship, the next step was to present the plan to the Georgia Baptist Convention. Dr. Leslie S. Williams, professor at Tift College, Forsyth, gave the resolution at the Georgia Convention on November 13, 1944. The recommendation was referred to the Convention’s Executive Committee for study. Rev. Claud Boynton and others spoke in favor of the resolution.

At the 1945 Georgia Baptist Convention, the resolution to establish Truett Junior College passed and an appropriation of $25,000 was designated from the convention’s educational funds. A committee was appointed to “recommend…the best location and plans for securing additional financial support.” (from Georgia Baptist Convention Minutes, 1945, pages 80-81).

A “Committee of Ten” was appointed by the Convention’s Executive Committee to do preliminary work relative to site and fundraising. From November, 1945, through March, 1946, various north Georgia towns vied for the college’s location and pledged land, money and endowment. Blairsville was among the towns vying for the location.

At the March 12, 1946 meeting of the Georgia Baptist Convention’s Executive Committee, the announcement was made that Cleveland, Georgia would be the site.

Several factors entered in. The location was still within a mountain county. The college would draw students from a broad area of Georgia and elsewhere, and having the college south of high mountains such as Unicoi Gap and Neel Gap would facilitate access at a time when the state and nation were still recovering from effects of World War II, scarcities in tires and transportation. Citizens of Cleveland had pledged more in acreage, building materials, money and utility services.

The Christian Index, newspaper of the Georgia Baptist Convention, announced in its July 11, 1947 issue that the new college to honor the late Dr. George W. Truett and Dr. Fernando C. McConnell would be located at Cleveland, Georgia.

A massive area-wide rally was held in Cleveland, Georgia on July 23, 1946, the official founding date of Truett-McConnell Junior College. Rev. L. Clinton Cutts, then pastor of First Baptist Church, McCaysville, Ga., temporary chairman of the Interim Board of Trustees, presided. A large crowd of Convention officers, ministers, and citizens of a broad area attended the rally. Five persons who had attended the Hiawassee Academy when the Rev. George W. Truett taught there were present. They were Mrs. J. Miles (Maggie) Berrong of Hiawassee; Mr. B. R. Dillard of Dillard; Mr. and Mrs. Andrew P. Ritchie of Clayton; and Mr. John A. Earl of Lakemont.

Sixty years had passed since the Rev. F. C. McConnell had ignited the spark for education on the courthouse steps in Hiawassee. From Cleveland, Ga., the flame was kindled and the vision was stirring toward reality.

A New College Opens Its Doors

Much work ensued from the July 23, 1946 founding date until the college opened doors to students on September 15, 1947. Facilities for classes and administrative offices had to be arranged. A curriculum and faculty had to be assembled. Plans for accreditation had to be drawn up. Arrangements for boarding students to live with citizens in the town were made.

Fifty-four charter students and eleven faculty and staff met in convocation with the first president, the Rev. Dr. Loomis Clinton Cutts leading the processional. In a little more than a year, Dr. Cutts and others had formulated plans and the word was “Go!” Much cooperation had brought about a miracle in little more than a year.

I was in that first group of students meeting on September 15, 1947. We had a vision. I had a distinct sense of mission and calling to be in that place at that time in a brand new college. It was exhilarating and motivating. And so has it been in the sixty years since to remain closely associated with the “light in the mountains.” In this sixtieth anniversary year, the vision continues. The flame still glows brightly, has taken on a new aura. “Veritas liberat” is the motto, “Truth liberates.”

c2006 by Ethelene Dyer Jones; published Mar. 2, 2006 in The Union Sentinel, Blairsville, GA. Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved.

Through mountains mists a light in the mountains Truett McConnell College, 1946-2006 Holding Forth The Flame of Knowledge For Six Decades

Last week’s column focused on the new four- year program, the Dora Hunter Allison Spiva School of Education at Truett McConnell College, Cleveland, Georgia named to honor a worthy Union County citizen and long-time educator, Mrs. Dora Spiva. The college is celebrating sixty years of continuous operation during 2006. Were there precursors to the present college? How did it all begin? Go back with me as we trace a history of this Christian institution,“A Light in the Mountains.

Looking Back

Where did the spark begin that grew into the steady light of learning produced for sixty years by Truett McConnell College? The spark, as old as humankind’s desire to learn, was passed from one generation to another, with each advancing the flame of knowledge and adding to the corpus of learning of preceding generations. Dates, places and people can be identified as igniting the particular light in the mountains that has become Truett McConnell College, now advancing to a four-year status.

Hiawassee Academy/Hiawassee Junior College, 1886-1930, and Mountain Preachers’ Schools, held for a week in the summers in certain mountain counties had great influence in starting schools. Imagine this preachers’ school in the summer of 1886 held in Hiawassee, Towns County, Georgia.

Rev. Fernando Coello McConnell a young preacher, stood on the steps of the Towns County Court House and preached an impassioned sermon. No one threatened to arrest him for using a public building for a religious message. Preachers and citizens hearing him caught his vision of a Christian school. Rev. McConnell, who had the support and financial backing (though money was limited) of his father, merchant-farmer-businessman, William Ross McConnell, proceeded to start a mountain school.

Rev. McConnell’s first cousin, George Washington Truett of nearby Hayesville, North Carolina, had just finished Hicksville (also called Hayesville) Academy. Truett was teaching at the Crooked Creek School near Hiawassee. Rev. McConnell engaged his cousin to be the first principal and teacher of the Hiawassee Academy. They secured a place to meet. It opened its doors to students on January 1, 1887. Students boarded with citizens of the town or found small cabins to rent at a reasonable rate and cooked their own meals (this was called “batching”). Rev. McConnell did not teach at the Academy, but his encouragement and his family’s support were key factors in the school’s success.

By the end of the first two years, when Truett and McConnell left the operation of Hiawassee Academy to pursue their ministry careers in other areas, the enrollment had grown to 300. Its reputation for solid education in academics and Christian education was widespread. The Home Mission Board of the Southern Baptist Convention gave support to Hiawassee Academy as one of its “Mountain Schools.” Notable persons from the North Georgia region trained there and went forth to be teachers, ministers, lawyers and businessmen. Among these notables was Dr. Mauney Douglas Collins of Union County, Georgia who was, for twenty-five years, Georgia State Superintendent of Schools.

Several factors brought the Hiawassee school to an end in 1930. One was obviously the Great Depression. Another was the gradual opening of public schools making high school training more accessible. The third and most unfortunate incident causing the closure of Hiawassee Academy was the embezzlement of funds at the Home Mission Board, which precluded financial aid for Mountain Schools.

Blairsville Collegiate Institute, Another Mountain School

Not as old as Hiawassee Academy, Blairsville Collegiate Institute operated in Blairsville, Union County, from 1904 through the end of the spring semester in 1930.

Past columns have given highlights in the history of this school sponsored by Notla River Baptist Association and the Home Mission Board. Miss Dora Anne Hunter, whom the present Truett McConnell is honoring, graduated from the Institute and taught there before it closed. She had the good academic training and the “normal school” preparation of teachers at the Collegiate Institute to qualify her as a teacher. She continued her education at Young Harris College, and later at the University of Georgia. The Blairsville Collegiate Institute basically had the same three reasons for closing as experienced by the Hiawassee Academy.

The question of a mountain Christian School lay dormant for more than fifteen years. Could the flame be renewed?
(To be continued next week.)

c2006 by Ethelene Dyer Jones; published Feb. 23, 2006 in The Union Sentinel, Blairsville, GA. Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved.

Mrs. Dora Allison Hunter Spiva Honored

Mention the name of “Mrs. Dora” and many in Union County and throughout the North Georgia area know who she is: the beautiful, alert, retired teacher who worked for over forty years as an educator, the centenarian who enjoyed her 101st birthday on February 5.

This is a special “Happy Valentine’s Day” and “Happy Birthday” tribute all rolled into one for a noble teacher who was a major influence in my high school years and throughout my life.

A significant honor and well-deserved recognition was announced publicly on February 11, 2006 at a grand luncheon at Choestoe Baptist Church sponsored by Truett McConnell College of Cleveland, Georgia. The previous two-year college, now transitioning to a four-year program, has been approved by accrediting agencies to offer a four-year degree in education. The name chosen for the newly-confirmed division of the college is the Dora Hunter Allison Spiva School of Education. So as not to be such a long-drawn-out name, it may be shortened to the Dora Spiva education program. However, to those of us who have known and loved her as Mrs. Dora Allison and Mrs. Dora Spiva, we like the full name, giving her maiden name of Hunter, her first married name to the long-time ordinary of Union County, Frank Allison (1901-1969), and to her more recent (1974) marriage to her “childhood sweetheart” Daniel Spiva (1900-1985) after both lost their first spouses to death.

The event at Choestoe Church’s commodious new Family Life Center was held despite snow flurries and predictions of foul weather. Some braved four inches or more of snow in their respective locations to attend the “Dora Spiva Celebration.” Over 150 guests had made reservations to attend; some let the threat of snow hinder the travel. But still a wonderful and joyous crowd was there to enjoy the tributes to Mrs. Dora and the announcement of the School of Education to be named for her.

Pastor Dick Stillwell of Choestoe Church welcomed the guests and gave accolades to “faithful member” “Aunt Dora” who braves the elements still to be a regular attendee and participant in the services at Choestoe Church.

Her membership in and work at the church span more than nine decades, for there she has been a teacher. She helped to found Woman’s Missionary Union in 1929, and became a leader of this women’s organization in church, Notla River Association, and Georgia Baptist Woman’s Missionary Union as a divisional vice-president. She served as Superintendent of the Sunday School in a time when women were not usually elected to major leadership positions in a local church.

From Truett McConnell College were president Dr. Jerry W. Pounds, Sr. and his wife, Bayne; Dr. Sam Cash, Vice-President for Advancement Services; Dr. Susan Gannaway, Professor of Education who wrote the proposal for the four-year degree program approved by accrediting agencies; Dr. DeWitt Cox (and his wife Edna), special consultant for the campaign to raise funds for the Spiva School of Education; Ms. Edna Holcomb, now associate with Dr. Cash in the Office of Advancement as Dean of Institutional Support and long-time professor at the college; the Vice-President of Academic Studies; music professor Ms. Kathy Duren; students Rachel Bailey and Michael Bailey who sang; and student Brett Carson who rendered background piano music during the luncheon. Others from the college were present for the luncheon, with food provided by the ARAMark Food Service which also manages the cafeteria on campus.

The Blairsville Garden Club of which Mrs. Dora was a founding member made lovely arrangements not only for the speakers’ table but for each of the round tables where guests enjoyed a delightful meal, good conversation, and the program that honored “Aunt Dora.” Everywhere one looked were smiling faces, savoring the atmosphere and reveling in the association with one whom they loved and honored.

Representative Charles Jenkins of the Georgia Legislature, a student of “Aunt Dora,” Class of 1947, was present to present the Georgia House Resolution in her honor. However, the framed bill did not arrived due to the snow, because Representative Terry Johnson did not hazard mountain roads to be present.

There were light and serious moments interspersed as testimonies to Mrs. Dora’s influence came from County School Superintendent, Tommy Stephens. He said he was never known for his acumen in Mrs. Dora’s math classes as a high school student and it took a stint in the military and Truett McConnell College (he is an alumnus) to set him on the right course, as well as remembering Mrs. Dora’s sound advice when he “liked sports better than studies” in high school. Mr. Stephens lauded the integrity of Union County Schools, past and present, due to dedicated teachers. He is excited about the new School of Education which will train Christian teachers for future jobs in the county.

From her niece, Dr. Austine Hunter Wallis, an outstanding math educator, counselor, administrator and in “Who’s Who Among America”s Teachers” came funny stories about how the then near-centenarian, her real Aunt Dora and Austine’s Uncle Roscoe Collins could out-do her on trips to California and elsewhere. She said, in tribute, “My Aunt Dora inspired me to become a teacher.”

From Dr. Paul Abernathy, former student, came accolades of how Mrs. Dora inspired him to buckle down, study, seek higher education. For twenty-seven years he was on the science faculty of Purdue University.

Clyde Collins, retired educator and principal, gave a tongue-in-cheek report of how sometimes Mrs. Dora was late to first period Algebra class when he was her student, and he, therefore, just got “half a class of Algebra II.” But, before Mrs. Dora retired, he was her principal at Union County High School, and he could then tell her she must be on time, that punctuality is one of the sure marks of greatness.

In addition to Dr. Pounds, Dr. Cash, Dr. Gannaway, and Dr. Cox of the college, those on the Dora Spiva Campaign Steering Committee are Ethelene Dyer Jones (Union native now living in Milledgeville, or “yours truly”) Honorary Chair; and from Blairsville, Rev. Troy Acree, Mr. Clyde Collins, Mrs. Janet Hill, Representative Charles Jenkins, and Rev. Charles (Dick) Stillwell, and from Cleveland, GA, Rev. Doug Merck. We have a large challenge before us: Raising $1.1 million dollars to endow the newly-formed Dora Hunter Alllison Spiva School of Education at Truett McConnell College. If any of you reading this would like to show your own love and appreciation for this outstanding teacher who touched your life, you may send contributions to Truett McConnell College, Office of Institutional Advancement, 100 Alumni Drive, Cleveland, GA 30528. A million dollars is reached by small gifts and large gifts, donations of love to one who has made a difference in our lives and whose influence will continue to touch many lives in the future.

c2006 by Ethelene Dyer Jones; published Feb. 16, 2006 in The Union Sentinel, Blairsville, GA. Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved.

Zenobia Addington Chastain, Teacher

Two weeks ago I promised a continuation of the life and work of Zenobia Addington Chastain, daughter of March and Sarah Moore Addington of Union County who married Oscar Fitzallen Chastain on December 18, 1872.

I felt it timely to write last week about the Byron Herbert Reece Cultural Center and the grant received to assist with the work there. Today, I continue with the life and work of Mrs.Chastain, outstanding teacher, and her husband.

The work begun in the Academy founded by Zenobia Addington in Morganton, GA, was to continue. Even in those days the quality and extent of the Academy’s outreach enabled a grant from the Peabody Foundation and for a time it received funding and was known as a Peabody School.

Following her husband’s ordination to the gospel ministry on May 17, 1884, the couple’s interests continued in “Zenobia’s Academy,” but began also to take another turn. Rev. Oscar Chastain was one of the founders of the Morganton Baptist Association, and the group of churches assumed leadership of a high school already organized but needing some help in Mineral Bluff, GA.

Then, in 1899, the association voted to found the North Georgia Baptist College in Morganton. Unbelievably, the school opened in the fall of the same year. In its 26 year history, from 1899 through graduation of 1925 (when it closed, with buildings and grounds deeded to the Fannin County Board of education) the school offered classes from first grade through two years of college, with an outstanding “normal school” for training teachers. It was a natural transition that the already established “Zenobia’s Academy” could be absorbed into the new school. Classes were held in the old Fannin County Court House at Morganton as the county seat had moved to Blue Ridge in 1895.

Zenobia Chastain continued as a teacher there, with her husband a strong supporter, business manager and chairman of the Board of Trustees. At one time, the couple mortgaged their own house and land in order to provide necessary income to keep the college open. In 1906 the North Georgia Baptist College was named one of “The Mountain Schools” of the Home Mission Board. Funds were received for a new administration/classroom building, and later for a dormitory. A companion “Mountain School” was operating in Blairsville from 1904-1930 as the Blairsville Collegiate Institute.

Zenobia and Oscar Chastain opened their home for relatives and others who needed a boarding place so they could attend the North Georgia Baptist College. The couple had three children of their own, daughters Mariam E., Mary E. and Nettie A. The girls were listed as ages five, three and one in the 1880 census. The daughters preceded their parents in death. Two married, and evidently died in childbirth or shortly thereafter.

It has been said of Zenobia Addington Chastain that she was the “educational mother of the mountain area.” In a time when women’s work was mainly as a homemaker and helpmeet to her husband, she was establishing and maintaining an academy and later supporting and teaching at a college that touched countless lives. Records show that graduates of both Zenobia’s Academy and the North Georgia Baptist College went out to be teachers, lawyers, businessmen, ministers, doctors and nurses, all giving credit to an industrious and visionary mountain woman who worked hard to help them attain their goals.

This noble lady, born in Union County but spending productive years in education in Fannin County, did not deviate from what she considered her mission and calling. Her husband, the Rev. Oscar Fitzallen Chastain, died in 1906 at age 62 and Zenobia died in 1907 at age 60. They were buried near the graves of their daughters at the Morganton Baptist Church Cemetery, not far from the site of what had been “Zenobia’s Academy” and of the North Georgia Baptist College. The epitaph on the joint tombstone for Rev. and Mrs. Chastain reads: “They loved God and their fellowman.”

Zenobia and her husband had a vision and worked to make it a reality. Indeed theirs were noble lives, nobly lived.

c2006 by Ethelene Dyer Jones; published Feb. 9, 2006 in The Union Sentinel, Blairsville, GA. Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved.