GWRRA National

President Emeritus

Anita Alkire

Directors

Jere & Sherry Goodman

Rider Education Directors

Bob & Althea Berry

Member Enhancement Directors

Larry & Penny Anthony

Director Training

Clara & Fred Boldt

Deputy Directors

Bob & Nancy Shrader

SC District

Directors

John & Karen Higgins

Assistant District Directors

Jon & Donna Horning

Melissa Timbs

COY & MFA Coordinator

Webmaster

Dave Timbs

Membership Enhancement

Coordinators

Jean & Rich Kitko

District Treasurer

Mary & Mike Coral

Senior District Educator &

Member Enhancement

Social Director

Jean & Rich Kitko

District University Coordinators

Don & Rhonda Weed

District Couple Of The Year

Dan & Veronica Gilbert

District Ambassadors

Buddy & Kim Summer

The Official Publication of the GWRRA Tri County Wings, Charleston, South Carolina ............................................ May 2020

TRI COUNTY WINGS TRI COUNTY WINGS

Gold Wing Road Riders Association

Gold Wing Road Riders Association

South Carolina District

CHAPTER “SC-G”

BERKELEY • CHARLESTON • DORCHESTER

The “G” Force! Friends for Fun, Safety

and Knowledge

CHAPTER GATHERING Cancelled until further notice

Chapter “G” Officer Team

Chapter Directors

Kevin & Becky Thornton

director@gwrra-sc-g.org

Assistant Directors

George & Gloria Servant

acd-1@gwrra-sc-g.org

508-868-7217

Chapter Treasurer

MJ LeBlanc

508-517-7715

Chapter Ride Coordinator

Mike Melton

admin@gwrra-sc-g.org

843-847-1444

Membership Enhancement

Coordinators

Sherri and Mike Pawlak

mec@gwrra-sc-g.org

Chapter “G” Support Team

Activity Coordinator

Vacant

Goodie Shoppe

Gloria Servant

Newsletter Editor

George Servant

Webmaster

Mike Melton

admin@gwrra-sc-g.org

Web Editor

webdesign@gwrra-sc-g.org

Vacant

Inside this Edition:

Article____________________ Page Chapter Director ...................... 2-3 Assistant CD .............................. 4-7 Rider Ed ........................................ 8 Rider Coordinator…………...…9-10 Recipe of the Month……………….11 What’s Happening This Month.... 12 Calendars .............................. 13-14 For Sale/Goodie Shop………..15-16 Birthdays & Anniversaries .......... 17 On the Lighter Side……………….18 What is Memorial Day ................ 19

Chapter Facebook Page: www.facebook.com/

groups/262035834162728/

Chapter Website:

http://gwrra-sc-g.org

2

From our Chapter Directors

Happy Mother’s Day

to all the moms in the Chapter!

We know we are still in a world of uncertainty with the

coronavirus going around. We hope that everyone is still staying at

home as much as possible. If you need anything, please let us know.

Becky has made a change with the way we will be collecting for One80 Place. At our first

gathering when this is all over, bring anything that you can from can goods, snacks, personal

hygiene products, socks (must be white), cleaning products, tee shirts (must be white), etc.

For every five items that you bring, you will receive a ticket for some door prizes.

Becky would like to send a huge

thank you to Gloria and George.

Gloria made masks for her and her

coworkers, and George delivered

them to her mailbox. While they

could not use them taking direct care

of patients, they used them while

coming and going from hospital and

being around family. The other

nurses and I are very grateful for this.

When this is all over with, Becky wants to have a big cookout for all of

us. She is looking for suggestions on to where to have this.

Please watch your emails closely for more details on when we will be able to start back

to normal scheduled events.

Until then, be Safe and Stay at Home!

Kevin & Becky Thornton

Chapter Directors

Kevin and Becky Thornton 843-425-8900

director@gwrra-sc-g.org

3

Updated List of Urgent Needs for One80 Place

Anyone able to donate items listed above

that would be greatly appreciated. You can

drop the items off personally or call Kevin,

Becky, Mike, George or Gloria and make

arrangements for pick up and/or delivery.

4

Assistant Chapter Directors

George & Gloria Servant George - 508-868-7217

Gloria - 508-345-5228

email - acd-1@gwrra-sc-g.org

Assistant Chapter Directors

George & Gloria Servant George - 508-868-7217

Gloria - 508-345-5228

email - acd-1@gwrra-sc-g.org

Do you know who this is?

This is the sixth in a continuing series of articles featuring our Chapter members. We ride

with them, enjoy meals with them and associate with fellow GWRRA members, but do we

really know them? Who are they really? Where do they come from? What are their life

experiences? Join us in getting to know them a bit better, maybe for the first time :-)

5

If you guessed Bruce Bohon you would be correct!

Bruce was born in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. His father was stationed at Tinker Air Force

Base when he arrived. He lived there for about 3 and a half years before his parents moved

back to their origins in upstate New York where he grew up in

a small town of about 500 people in Mooers, New York, about

15 miles west of Lake Champlain, 3 miles south of the

Canadian border and about 40 miles south of Montreal,

Quebec.

Bruce is the eldest of four children, one younger brother by

a year and a half, and two younger sisters by three and eight

years. He recalls growing up as an independent boy,

entertaining himself and playing with others equally well. Like

many of us , he rode a bicycle everywhere he went, was an

altar boy at church, received his novice amateur radio

operator’s license at age 10 and was a member of the amateur

radio relay league. He was allowed to join his boy scout troop

early (11 was the official entry age) because he was one of

only two boys that knew Morse code. They competed in a contest at a Jamboree and won a

blue ribbon in signaling. At age 14, he got his 3rd class commercial radio license in

preparation to launch a radio station at his school. Unfortunately, it folded before he could get

on the air.

He attended a small K through 12 school called Mooers Central. Graduating class had 43

students. He was the starting center half back for 3 years on their soccer team, played 2 years

of basketball, took his driver’s test in a 61 Plymouth station wagon

and impressed the DMV official with my parallel parking of the

‘beast’. He had a lead role in his high school play (Majah the Mystic),

a comedy that had everyone in stitches. He built and painted many

model cars and planes, was the president of his high school rocket

club culminating in the launch of a 2.5 foot rocket fueled by solid

propellant.

Upon graduating, Bruce joined the

US Navy at age 19 and volunteered for

submarine duty. He lived a sailor’s

life. He spent 2 years in technical

schools in electronics, inertial

navigation and submarine training.

Then onward to sea duty aboard the

USS Simon Bolivar SSBN 641Gold for 6

and a half years, where he qualified and got his dolphins. Then

went to shore duty at Naval Ordnance Test Unit at Cape

Canaveral Air Force Station for 3 years where they launched and

tested the new Trident C4 missiles. Bruce spent the last year

onboard the USS Tecumseh SSBN 628 Blue after which he ended

his active duty career. Bruce maximized liberty and enjoyed life

to the fullest. He finished his career in the Naval Reserves,

culminating in the rank of Chief Petty Officer.

6

Bruce says he met Ellen at an apartment complex that they both lived at. We knew each other

for several years before we started dating.

She was “one of the pretty girls that lived

in an apartment up on the hill”, but they

always had boyfriends. Apparently, he

was persistent and convincing, because

that led to his one and only love , Ellen.

They have been happily married for 37

years and on-going. He also jokingly says

he can’t say anything else about his wife

without her permission. No children, but

two Jack Russell Terrorizers (Bridgette and

Buster).

After his 12 years of active duty Navy, 13 years at

Charleston Naval Shipyard in Shop 67 Electronics and 20

years Lockheed Martin at Charleston Air Force Base as lead

technician for Logistics Information Systems, he retired 3 and

a half years ago and is enjoying it immensely.

He enjoys shooting and reloading, hunting small game as a

teenager and big game as an adult. He does some wood

working occasionally. He enjoys watching sports, especially

college football and Nascar racing.

Bruce has always enjoyed riding

motorcycles, of course. His first was a

1967 Honda CB350,candy apple red and

white. Thought he was king of the road!

Later, other motorcycles included a 1971

Honda CB 750 (wrecked), 1975 Honda CB

750 Super Sport, 1998 Honda CB750 Night

Hawk and 2001 Honda Goldwing.

He joined GWRRA in the summer of 2001.

He did one stint as Assistant Chapter

Director and was half of the Couple of the

Year but not sure what year that was in.

Bruce has been a Road Captain and was on

the GWRRA Chapter G Drill Team. He has

participated in Chapter G’s talent shows

(Hee Haw, YMCA and the lawn chair skits).

And he ate a lot of oysters at our annual

Oyster Roasts!

7

One of his favorite adventures was

a motorcycle trip to Niagara Falls and

Canada with Floyd and Kathy

Truluck. Their have been many other

trips with Chapter G. Other trips to

upstate NY, Vermont and Canada

with Bill Clarke. He particularly

enjoyed Drill Team practices and

performances.

When asked what his future plans

are, he said “Live a life of leisure,

where there are six Saturdays and

one Sunday every week! A few

drinks and some fine dining, aging

gracefully”.

Submitted by George and Gloria Servant

A very Special “Thank You” goes out to Becky and all the Medical Professionals that are

doing heroic work keeping us safe. Add to them Law Enforcement, Firefighters and First

Responders that are unselfishly going to work every day to ensure our safety.

And not to be forgotten, are all the people that we tend to take for granted. School

Teachers that are going above and beyond teaching on line, the Postal Letter Carriers

delivering our mail, Farmers & Ranchers, Truck Drivers, Delivery People, Restaurant

Workers, Supermarket & Pharmacy Employees and the Sanitation Workers! Imagine what

our lives would be like if we had no way to remove our trash!

THANK YOU ALL !!!

8

District Rider Educator Rich Kitco

6 Ernie Court

Irmo, SC 29063

843-240-3392

Capn_rich_1@yahoo.com

Ride More?

As spring progresses and we are all under mandatory stay at home recommendations and we

are all riding less or not at all, now is not the time to let safety take a back seat. There are still a

few things we can do.

Now is a good time to catch up on reading motorcycle safety articles. There are always some

good tips in online safety articles. Here is a good site to check out;

www.msgroup.org

Now is also a good time to do motorcycle maintenance. Parts are still available online but

even if you don’t do your own maintenance do a thorough T-CLOCK on your ride to make sure it

is ready when it is time to ride.

How about keeping your body ready? Motorcycling is both mental and physical. Don’t let

your body or mind get soft during downtimes. Walk and do some exercises and sit on your ride

to keep the muscle memory intact. Work the controls to help keep in touch.

Some have been able to do short rides to the grocery store and such which is good to keep

skills in shape.

Summer isn’t far off and we all want to be ready for those long relaxing rides in the

countryside, so keep in touch with your ride of choice so that those relaxing rides will be safe

rides and we all return home to do it again.

Richard Kitko

SC Senior District Educator

ARC Instructor

Master # 9349

————————————————————————————————————————————————--

9

Chapter Rider Coordinator

Mike Melton P.O. Box 61885, North Charleston, SC 29419

843-847-1444

meltong@homesc.com

Happy Quarantine everyone. I know, not your favorite line, but a must for the time being. It

looks like we may start getting some relief, but I do not expect things to ever be “normal” as we

new them in February. I now call it the “New Normal”, which implies change. In GWRRA, we

have become familiar with that, some good, some not considered so good, but change

nonetheless.

Now is a good time, to put your bike on the center stand, lift, or whatever you can… and take

a good hard look at everything. A good deep cleaning can ward off the corrosion, and

inspection can prevent problems for when we do get back on the road. Maybe, even installing

some of those gadgets you purchased, but have been putting it off till the weather changed. But

inspecting everything, to include the oil, brakes, tires, rims, cables, and even some of the lesser

minor things like the arm rests movement, or does my trunk not always latch tight. We have the

time, so now is a good time to make good use of the time.

When the quarantine is lifted (it will be in stages), we will eventually want to get back on the

road, depending on the heat and rain now. But being prepared, is never a bad thing. Now is

also a time to go back and check out some of my previous stories, where I talk about tires,

battery tenders, and things like that. Every story was based on a real life event, so there are

lessons to be learned.

Another caution is, when you do get back on the bike, especially the two wheelers, your

skills are very rusty. Don’t jump on that bike thinking you haven’t forgotten anything. Folks, we

are getting older, and we don’t remember things we don’t practice. Heck, sometimes, I can’t

even find the keys, which are in my pocket… just I put them in a different pocket. It happens.

So getting out there are polishing up your skills will be important. Refresh your memory. Go

jump in a parking lot and see how tight of a turn you can make at slow speeds, and not drop the

bike or put your foot down. Practice will help hone those skills for when you actually need

them, like maybe on a ride, where halfway down the road, we have to do a U-turn. Would you

be able to do that smoothly? As we always say, practice gets us closer to perfect, although I’m a

believer we never truly get to perfect. But we can get close enough to be able to enjoy the ride.

So, what are some rides you would like to do once everything starts to open back up? I’m

concerned some of our favorite places may not survive the shut down. So anything you want to

do, may require a phone call ahead… just for the safety blanket. But I’m open to everything,

anything, something… because I enjoy riding. So send me an email, with suggestions, even if

they are just day rides, eat rides, overnight rides… all suggestions will be considered.

Another concern for each of you, are the Scams that have gone amuck. Everything from trying

to steal your Tax Return (which by the way, the deadline has been postponed to July 15), to

stealing your stimulus money, to claiming they have your password and they have videos of

10

you visiting sex sites. Each of these can be profitable to the fake hacker, IF you respond. Don’t

fall for them. They will say anything to get you to respond. But a couple of cautions for those

who may become a target. I get emails almost daily from Walmart or CVS, claiming to have a

discount coupon for me. Beware. I was opening the email, and checking out the “From” email

address. Almost all of them have some type of jibberish in the email address (not @cvs.com, or

@walmart.com), which is a strong indicator… it is spam. AND MOST IMPORTANT… NEVER

open an attachment from someone you do not know. Bad practice, and can cause you lots of

troubles. I know we are spending more time on our computers, while quarantined… but so are

the hackers, fake scammers, and everyone else. Please, if you are in doubt, don’t open the

email.

Next… what else can I do while sitting at home waiting. GWRRA is now offering online

courses for those who are interested. You can see the full list by clicking on the “University

May Classes Online”, which opens a PDF file with the list. As new lists are made available, I’ll

be glad to pass them along. There are a couple of things you need to know about the classes.

The courses will be presented by the University Team. These are the specifics:

Preregister on-line on the University website: gwrradot.com

Once registered, you will receive an email confirming your registration.

Classes will be offered at 3:00pm and 6:00pm Central Time.

Class sizes will be limited.

A U.3 class roster will be completed submitted for entry into the database.

You must participate by computer or phone with a camera. No dial in calls.

All Members are encouraged and welcome to attend.

So there you go. A few things to help occupy your minds, and an excuse to get away from

that honey do list (almost anyone with a honey, has one). Even some who don’t have honeys

may have outside influence. But, enjoy the opportunity, and remember… THEY ARE FREE.

Lastly, I want to extend our gratitude for all of you who help to support activities within our

Chapter, and other places. This is a family organization, and anyone can fall into a time of need.

I’m one of those who will tell you… don’t hesitate to call on me. If I can’t be of help, I’ll try to

find someone who I know is willing. And if you are one of those who are willing, let me know…

I can add you to my list.

Happy Mother’s Day to all those mothers who take the time to read this. I

miss my mom, but I still remember her on this day (along with others). I can

take comfort in, I tried to do something special each Mothers Day, for any

mother I was associated with. Make them feel special… because they are.

Until next time, ride safe, ride often, and be thankful you have a ride,

Mike Melton

Chapter Rider Coordinator

Mike Melton P.O. Box 61885, North Charleston, SC 29419

843-847-1444

meltong@homesc.com

11

Cheesy Cauliflower Casserole Ingredients: 1 head Cauliflower

1 cup Sour Cream

1 cup shredded Cheddar Cheese

1/2 cup crushed Corn Flakes

1/4 cup finely chopped Green Bell Pepper

1/4 cup finely chopped Red Bell Pepper

1 tsp Salt

1/4 cup grated Parmesan Cheese

Paprika (optional)

Directions: 1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees F.

2. Grease a 2 quart baking dish.

3. Place a steamer insert into a saucepan, and fill with water to just below the bottom of the

steamer.

4. Cover, and bring the water to a boil over high heat. Add the cauliflower, and steam until

crisp tender, about 5 minutes. Drain, and set aside.

5. Combine sour cream, cheddar cheese corn flakes, bell peppers and salt in a medium bowl.

6. Stir in the cauliflower and transfer to the prepared baking dish. Sprinkle parmesan cheese

and paprika over the top of the dish.

7. Bake uncovered until heated through, 30-35 minutes.

Submitted by Gloria Servant

___________________________________________________________________________

FOR SALE 2008 Gold Wing Trike, Lehman Monarch II conversion, Candy Apple Red, 32,664 miles, Navi-

gation, CB Radio, Cruise Control, Reverse, Kuryakin Passenger Armrests w/ Cupholder, High-

way Pegs, Top Trunk Spoiler w/lights, Trailer Hitch, garage kept, all maintenance records,

clear title. Asking $19,000. Call Anita @ 843-708-1272

Recipe of the Month

12

What’s Happening This Month and Beyond Here are some things that are coming up in the future. Submit info for this page to

admin@gwrra-sc-g.org

Or...What’s NOT Happening This Month and Beyond

Chapter G Gathering

Cancelled

Team Meeting

Cancelled

Meet to Eats

Cancelled

Upcoming Rides

Cancelled

Plaque Capture Ride

Cancelled

Mississippi District Rally

Cancelled

Wing Ding ???

Still on Calendar.

Decision to hold or cancel

to be made in May.

Coping with Quarantine

Day 1 - I can do this. Got enough food and

wine to last a month.

Day 2 - Opening my eight bottle of wine. I

fear wine supplies might not last!

Day 3 - Strawberries: Some have 210

seeds, some have 236 seeds. Who knew?

Day 4 - 8:00 pm. Removed my Day Pa-

jamas and put on my Night Pajamas.

Day 5 - Today, I tried to make Hand Sani-

tizer. It came out as Jello Shots!

Day 6 - I get to take out the Garbage. I’m

so excited, I can’t decide what to wear.

Day 7 - Laughing way too much at my

own jokes!

Day 8 - Went to a new restaurant called

“The Kitchen”. You have to gather all the

ingredients and make your own meal. I

have no clue how this place is still in

business.

Day 9 - I put liquor bottles in every room.

Tonight, I’m getting all dressed up and

going Bar Hopping.

Day 10 - Struck up a conversation with a

Spider today. Seems nice. He’s a Web De-

signer.

Day 11 - Isolation is so hard. I swear my

fridge just said “What the hell do you

want now?”

Day 12 - I realized why dogs get so excit-

ed about something moving outside, go-

ing out for walks or car rides. I just

barked at a squirrel.

Day 13 - If you keep a glass of wine in

each hand, you can’t accidently touch

your face.

Day 14 - Watched the birds fight over a

worm. The Cardinals lead the Blue Jays

3-1.

Day 15 - Anybody else feel like they’ve

cooked dinner about 395 times this

month?

13

May 2020 GWRRA Event / Ride Schedule for Chapter “G”

Upcoming Events

• 30 Jun — 4 Jul - Wing Ding 42

• 21 — 25 Jul - Americade

• 24 – 26 Sep - Wings over the Smokies

• 16 — 18 Oct - SC District Campout

Meet To Eat Eat at 6:30pm

• 14 MAY - Culver’s at 1904 N Main St, Summerville

• 26 MAY - Georgios's II Pizza & Family Restaurant, 5945 W Jim Bilton

Blvd, St George

THIS MONTH IN CHAPTER ‘G’ Everything on this calendar is subject to change. Check our online calendar for the most up to date info at www.gwrra-sc-g.org

2 MAY - Chapter Gathering - Golden Corral, 4968 Centre Point Dr, North Charleston, 8:30am eat, 9:00am meet.

3 MAY - Team Meeting, Location TBD, meet at 4:00pm.

14 MAY - Meet to Eat, Culver’s, 1904 N Main St, Summerville, Eat at 6:30pm

23 MAY - District Plaque Capture Ride, look for details in a “G”Mail

26 MAY - Meet to Eat, Georgios's II Pizza & Family Restaurant, 5945 W Jim Bilton Blvd, St George, Eat at 6:30pm

Chapter ‘G’ Gathering &

Ride

Sun Mon Tue Wed Thu Fri Sat

26 27 28 29 30 1 2

3 4 5 6 7 8 9

10 11 12 13 14 15 16

17 18 19 20 21 22 23

24 25 26 27 28 29 30

31 1 2 3 4 5 6

Meet To Eat

Meet To Eat

Chapter ‘G’ Gathering

Team Meeting

SC District Plaque Capture

Chapter ‘G’ Gathering

Americade Motorcycle Rally, Lake George, NY (Postponed) to July

All events listed on this page are subject to change without notice, due to the Covid-19 protection measures

suggested by the CDC and appropriate government offices.

14

Sun Mon Tue Wed Thu Fri Sat

31 1 2 3 4 5 6

7 8 9 10 11 12 13

14 15 16 17 18 19 20

21 22 23 24 25 26 27

28 29 30 1 2 3 4

5 6 7 8 9 10 11

June 2020 GWRRA Event / Ride Schedule for Chapter “G”

Upcoming Events

• 30 Jun — 4 Jul - Wing Ding 42

• 21 — 25 Jul - Americade

• 24 – 26 Sep - Wings over the Smokies

• 16 — 18 Oct - SC District Campout

Meet To Eat

Eat at 6:30pm

• 11 JUN - Newk’s Eatery, 210 D Azalea Square Blvd, Summerville

• 23 JUN - Sesame Burger, 4726 Spruill Ave, North Charleston

THIS MONTH IN CHAPTER ‘G’ Everything on this calendar is subject to change. Check our online calendar for the most up to date info at www.gwrra-sc-g.org

2-6 JUN - Americade, Lake George, NY (has been postponed to July 21-25.)

6 JUN - Chapter Gathering - Golden Corral, 4968 Centre Point Dr, North Charleston

7 JUN - Team Meeting, TBD

11 JUN - Meet to Eat, Newk’s Eatery, 210 D Azalea Square Blvd, Summerville.

19 JUN - Day ride to where? Ride leaders swap, eat along the way.

23 JUN - Meet to Eat, Sesame Burger, 4726 Spruill Ave, North Charleston.

27 JUN - District Plaque Capture Ride, unless we hear otherwise. Look for details in a “G”Mail.

Meet To Eat

Meet To Eat

Chapter ‘G’ Gathering

Team Meeting

SC District Plaque Capture

Chapter ‘G’ Gathering

Americade Motorcycle Rally, (Postponed to July 21-25)

Wing Ding 42, Springfield, MO

Day Fun Ride,

All events listed on this page are subject to change without notice, due to the Covid-19 protection measures

suggested by the CDC and appropriate government offices.

Meet To Eat

15

FOR SALE - contact George at (508) 868-7217

*****all NEW parts off of a 2016 GL 1800 trike conversion*****

New Windscreen $100

New Left and Right Handlebars $150

New heated Seat Reduced to $450

Buy both for $500 !!!

New Bridgestone Rear Tire and

Wheel 180/60R16 $300

New heated Passenger Seat Backrest

Reduced to $100

New Right and Left complete

Saddlebags Reduced to $300

New complete Trunk Light unit

Reduced to $100 New Passenger Foot Boards $50 New Rear Fender $50

New Chrome Muffler Covers $75

New Center Stand $50

New Steering Stem $75

New Front Fork Cover (Mat) $15 New Side Stand $15

16

Goodie Shop New Chapter Shirts

Red Short Sleeve Polo Shirts

Red Short Sleeve T-Shirts

Red Long Sleeve T-Shirts

Safety Green Long Sleeve T-Shirts GWRRA available on long sleeve shirts

for additional $5 - pictured below

Call for pricing and/or place order with

Gloria @ 508-345-5228

17

THE BULLETIN BOARD

Friends For Fun, Safety and Knowledge

(None we know about)

THE BULLETIN BOARD

Friends For Fun, Safety and Knowledge

MAY

BIRTHDAYS

VARIOUS DISTRICT EVENTS

30 April-2 May–TN District Rally (Cancelled)

30 June-4 July–Wing Ding

Can you spell quarantine? We’ve heard it so much lately, it makes us want to barf. It funny how

times have changed. Now we have adults sneaking out on their bikes, and the kids yelling at them.

Even if it is a short ride… it is wind therapy. If you choose a windy day, you can actually ride in your

neighborhood and get 50mph winds in your face. This too shall pass. Hang in there everyone.

Note: If you are new to Chapter ‘G’, or if we've missed your birthday or anniversary, please send an email to Mike Melton at meltong@cfl.rr.com. Include your name, birthday (Month/Day, no year needed) and anniversary (also Month/Day no year needed).

MAY ANNIVERSARIES

Edward Pearson Jr ............... May 01

Carol Szorosy ....................... May 02

Bob Singletary ...................... May 16

Faye Garrison ....................... May 17

Michael Pawlak ..................... May 17

Daniel Hill ............................. May 19

Goodie Store Look for new Chapter G

Polo and T-Shirts Gloria and Becky are available to take

orders by phone until further notice

18

On the Lighter Side

19

Memorial Day is a United States

federal holiday observed on the last

Monday of May. Formerly known as

Decoration Day, it commemorates

U.S. men and women who died

while in the military service. First

enacted to honor Union soldiers of

the American Civil War (it is

celebrated near the day of

reunification after the Civil War), it

was expanded after World War I.

HISTORY

Following the end of the Civil War,

many communities set aside a day

to mark the end of the war or as a

memorial to those who had died. Some of the

places creating an early memorial day include

Sharpsburg, Maryland, located near Antietam

Battlefield; Charleston, South Carolina; Boalsburg,

Pennsylvania; Petersburg, Virginia; Carbondale,

Illinois; Columbus, Mississippi; many communities

in Vermont; and some two dozen other cities and

towns. These observances coalesced around

Decoration Day, honoring the Union dead, and the

several Confederate Memorial Days.

According to Professor David Blight of the Yale

University History Department, the first memorial

day was observed by formerly enslaved black

people at the Washington Race Course (today the

location of Hampton Park) in Charleston, South

Carolina. The race course had been used as a

temporary Confederate prison camp in 1865 as

well as a mass grave for Union soldiers who died

there. Immediately after the cessation of

hostilities, formerly enslaved people exhumed the

bodies from the mass grave and reinterred them

properly with individual graves. They built a fence

around the graveyard with an entry arch and

declared it a Union graveyard. The work was

completed in only ten days. On May 1, 1865, the

Charleston newspaper reported that a crowd of up

to ten thousand, mainly black residents, including

2800 children, processed to the location for a

celebration which included sermons, singing, and

a picnic on the grounds, thereby creating the first

Decoration Day.

The first observance was in Waterloo, New York

on May 5, 1866, and each year thereafter. The

friendship between General John Murray, a

distinguished citizen of Waterloo, and General

John A. Logan, who helped bring

attention to the event nationwide,

was likely a factor in the holiday's

growth. On May 5, 1868, in his

capacity as commander-in-chief of

the Grand Army of the Republic, a

veterans' organization, Logan issued

a proclamation that "Decoration Day"

be observed nationwide. It was

observed for the first time on May 30

of the same year; the date was

chosen because it was not the

anniversary of a battle. The tombs of

fallen Union soldiers were decorated

in remembrance.

Many of the states of the U.S. South refused to

celebrate Decoration Day, due to lingering

hostility towards the Union Army and also because

there were relatively few veterans of the Union

Army who were buried in the South. A notable

exception was Columbus, Mississippi, which on

April 25, 1866, at its Decoration Day

commemorated both the Union and Confederate

casualties buried in its cemetery.

The alternative name of "Memorial Day" was first

used in 1882. It did not become more common

until after World War II, and was not declared the

official name by Federal law until 1967. On June

28, 1968, the United States Congress passed the

Uniform Holidays Bill, which moved three holidays

from their traditional dates to a specified Monday

in order to create a convenient three-day

weekend. The holidays included Washington's

Birthday, now celebrated as Presidents' Day;

Veterans Day and Memorial Day. The change

moved Memorial Day from its traditional May 30

date to the last Monday in May. The law took effect

at the federal level in 1971.

After some initial confusion and unwillingness to

comply, all 50 states adopted the measure within a

few years. Memorial Day endures as a holiday

which most businesses observe because it marks

the beginning of the "summer vacation season."

MEMORIAL DAY - Monday, May 25th