| E-Notice |
THIS IS SURRATTS FOUNDATION E-NOTICE 2011-7
OF JULY 1, 2011
Hello Hornets:
Here are some items that might be of
interest:
1.
2011 ANNUAL CAMPAIGN KICKS-OFF EARLY.
As we reported in the last e-Notice, in the hope of having the
Foundation's most successful annual campaign to date, the Foundation
Board decided to commence this year's campaign in June, rather than
the traditional September.
We're hoping that many of you who might have
been inspired to contribute in the past, but have not done so, might
consider making a contribution to this year's campaign.
Just imagine: we
would have an absolutely off-the-charts campaign if each of our
e-Notice readers would go to the web site at
www.surrattsville.org and make
a credit card or PayPal donation of just $5! (Just look for
the "Donate" button at the bottom right of the home page.) And
of course contributions are welcome by mail, and a donor form is
pasted below.
Remember: the Foundation has no
overhead, so every contribution dollar goes directly to supporting
the great kids at Surratts. And no contribution is too small
(or too large) to make a difference.
(Of course, the Foundation does not share any
information about its donors -- or its e-Notice subscribers -- with
anyone for any purpose, nor does the Foundation do any solicitations
of any kind other than these e-Notice announcements about these
annual campaigns.)
Many thanks to those very generous early
donors listed below, and thanks to all of our readers for
considering participating in this year's very special annual
campaign!
2.
FOUNDATION FACEBOOK PRESENCE CONTINUES
TO GROW.
The Foundation's Facebook Group – called
"Surrattsville Alumni" – continues to grow, and now has over 1220
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," "Surrattsville 1971,"
"Surrattsville 1973," and the like continue to grow.
Please consider joining the Surrattsville
Alumni Group, and your own Class-specific Group, to get the latest
news on alumni events.
3.
MORE HIGH SPEED MEMORIES.
In response to our stories
about the days of drag racing in Southern MD, we received this email
from Jack Knight (57): "Hi Henry: I thought I would share
some memories with Leroy Stirewalt about Aquasco Speedway. I
started working there in 1961 as a flagman on the starting line.
Then they progressed to the "Christmas Tree" in about 1964. I
worked there until September 69 and loved every minute of it.
I was lucky enough to meet a lot of the top racers in the sport.
Gary Zeiders (59) was another Surrattsville alumnus to work with us
as the announcer. Gary did an excellent job with his outgoing
personality. David Yoacum (59), another alumnus, worked with
us also. David helped us on the starting line and wherever
needed. It was a sad day for all of us when Aquasco ceased to
exist, but we still have fond memories. Jack"
[Ed Note:
Having been a big car enthusiast – I imagine other Hornets back in
the “high speed” days were regular subscribers to Car Craft and Hot
Rod magazines -- I have a number of mid-20th
century high-speed memories, none more vivid than a great trip to
Budd's Creek Drag-a-Way with my good friend and classmate Jimi Smith
(71) (no relation) to see his Dad, Tom "Smoker" Smith (the then
world record holder for fuel injected funny cars, if I remember
correctly), race. The biggest thrill of that day was being
permitted to assist Jimi in packing "Smoker's" parachute before the
start of one race! (I imagine Jimi, and his sister Marian
Smith Denton (70) and his brother Mike Smith (70), have lots of
auto-related memories from that era)!]
4.
FORMER FACULTY MEMBER FEATURED IN WEB
ARTICLE.
We received this email from Bob
Crickenberger (70): "Hey Henry: Check out this online
article entitled "Building on History: Couple Live in Replica of
President Tyler's Home:"
http://www.nvdaily.com/lifestyle/2010/01/building-on-history-couple-live-in-replication-of-president-tylers-house.php
. I'm thinking that this is Mr. Demming from shop class at
Surrattsville. My Best to All, Bob"
5.
ACHIEVEMENT AWARD WINNER PERFORMANCES
FEATURED ON FACEBOOK.
We received this email from Nan
Huff (71): "Henry: I went to Facebook and saw this entry
regarding 2011 Achievement Award recipient John Previti: "Tom
Mitchell, Ben Redwine and John Previti Live Jazz @ 49 West
Coffee House, Annapolis, MD,"
http://www.facebook.com/?ref=home#!/pages/49-West-Coffeehouse-Winebar-Gallery/53581121159.
And John's website is
www.johnpreviti.com.
Thought some of the readers would like to know. Nan"
6.
ALL ACHIEVEMENT AWARD RECIPIENTS TO
DATE LISTED BELOW.
As we do from time to time, we've listed below the complete list of
all of the Foundation's absolutely extraordinary Achievement Award
recipients to date. Photos and bios of these stellar members
of the Surrattsville community are found on the web site at
www.surrattsville.org.
It's never too early to be thinking about nominees for the next
year's Achievement Awards, so please send me an email at
hsmith@smithdowney.com if you'd
like to make a nomination.
7.
POEM BRINGS BACK MANY CLINTON MEMORIES.
The Class of 54 sent us this
beautiful and evocative poem that was written by Myra Rigor
Selvadurai (54) for their Golden Reunion in 2004. It likely
will bring back lots of Clinton area memories for many of our
readers (and totally confuse our younger readers with some of the
more "historical" references):
"The Class of 54 --
The days, the months, the years go by
They
pass in the twinkling of an eye
Where, oh where, are our saddle
shoes
With knee-high socks and down home blues
The days of
Elvis soon to come
Yesterday's sound was Dorsey's swing
Jitter
bugging was sure our style
And the Hokey Pokey too, we danced all
the while
Schuler's Restaurant was the 'in thing'
Where we
visited after the swing
Drive-in movies were where we went
In
the old Ford convertible that was a humdinger
At Surrattsville,
Helen was our class singer
And then there was Kenny on the violin
Paul Fowler sang "Detour" and my daddy played the mandolin
Outhouses went out of style for the indoor toilets
Halloween came
around just guaranteed to spoil us
For Mr. Goddard's watermelon
patch was delicious
And his cantaloupes too were so nutritious
Donald Riley threw the chickens down our well
Who told me that?
I'll never tell
All in all we had some fun, didn't we folks?
Memories galore we still hold dear
Come to dance in our minds
throughout each year."
8. CLASS
OF 71 HOLDS SECOND "40" YEAR REUNION.
Thanks to Darlene Monaco (71), the Class
of 71 held its second, "real" 40 year reunion on Saturday evening
June 25, 2011. (This supplemented the Class's "official" 40
year reunion held last June at Ft. Belvoir.) This very casual
event, hosted by Darlene at her house near Annapolis, was a smashing
success. Class of 71 members are encouraged to join the
Surrattsville 1971 Facebook group to receive information about
future 71-specific events.
9.
SEEKING 64 BOOMERANG.
Nancy Young (54) is looking for a copy of a 1954 Boomerang.
Please contact Nancy at
nbeach7@cfl.rr.com
if you have any information that might be helpful.
10.
61 BOOMERANG STILL UP FOR "AUCTION".
Susan Loweth Melton (63) kindly donated her "gently used" 61
Boomerang to the Foundation as a fund-raising object. Unlike
our new bulk copies of yearbooks from certain years (see below),
because this Boomerang is a truly priceless treasure from an older
year – the first in the "New School" building – we are auctioning it
off to the highest bidder. Please send me an email at
hsmith@smithdowney.com if you'd
like to put in a bid on this extraordinary piece of SHS history.
[Ed Note: Susan is hoping that her
donation might inspire others to donate to the Foundation their
under-used freshman/sophomore/junior yearbooks for similar fund
raisers.]
11.
CLASS OF 69 TURNS 60 EVENT A GREAT
SUCCESS.
Vince Antonioli (69) recently hosted a
Class of 69 Turns 60 yard party at his farm in Aquasco.
Members of the Class of 69 and surrounding Classes had a lovely
afternoon, marked by beautiful weather and great company.
Class of 69 members are encouraged to join the Surrattsville 1969
Facebook Group to receive information about future Class events.
12. JUNE 25 SURRATTSVILLE-BLUE CRABS
AND CLASS OF 76 EVENTS. We
received this great report on the Surrattsville-Blue Crabs event and
the Class of 76 Reunion from Evan Vutsinas (76): "The
amazing Class of 76 celebrated its 35th Reunion June 24 and 25. The
weekend got an early start when some of the guys got together to
enjoy watching the Washington Nationals defeat the Seattle Mariners
1 - 0 on Thursday 6/23. On Friday evening at least 32 proud 76
alums gathered with friends and family at Yanny's Restaurant on
Allentown Road for an awesome seafood buffet and even better
fellowship. As usual, our classmates opened and closed the
place down; folks just didn't want to let it all end – no problem!
At noon on Friday many of these same classmates were joined by
additional 76 grads at Running Hare Vineyard in Prince Frederick, MD
for a private tour and tasting of the award winning wines produced
on the beautifully secluded 300 acres. If one was to just
appear in this picturesque valley, the architecture and landscape
could easily fool the traveler into believing he/she had been
dropped into Tuscany. Many new friendships were created
amongst "old" classmates, especially while toasting classmates not
present and no longer with us. After reluctantly returning to
"civilization" to freshen-up, the Class of 76 again made its
presence and spirit known at the All SHS Classes invited Southern
Maryland Blue Crabs baseball game. Nearly 100 SHS alumni
dating back to the Class of 54 were in attendance to enjoy the food,
atmosphere and fellowship. Though the home team Blue Crabs
lost 3 - 2, the awesome fireworks exploding in the night sky left
everyone looking forward to next years' Class of 76 event -- because
the Class of 76 doesn't need an excuse to get together! Evan"
13.
ALL CLASSES/FACULTY/STAFF DIRECTORIES
AVAILABLE.
Thanks to the herculean work of Pat Becker
Oles (71), the Foundation's 2000 Alumni/Faculty/Staff Directory has
been updated for 2010, and now includes fascinating "what I'm up to"
paragraphs from those who submitted directory information. If
you would like a copy of the Directory, send a $20 check payable to
the Foundation to: Henry Smith, One W. Pennsylvania Avenue,
Suite 950, Towson, MD 21204.
14.
"SURRATTSVILLE ALUMNI" WINDOW STICKERS
AVAILABLE.
Pat Becker Oles (71) also kindly handles
the Foundation's "Surrattsville Alumni" window stickers project.
Pat notes that the stickers are
not the "static cling type,"
that stick to the inside of a window. Instead, they are the
"stick to the outside type," that can stick on a window or bumper,
and use "repositional adhesive" (meaning no sticky residue).
Information about purchasing the stickers can be found on the web
site at surrattsville.org.
15.
CLASS OF 2001 PLANS REUNION.
The Class of 2001 held its ten year reunion on Saturday June 4, and
it was a great success. The Class also has a Facebook page
called “The Official c/o 2001 Reunion Page,” which contains photos
and other Class-specific information.
16.
BOOMERANGS AVAILABLE.
The Foundation has a limited supply of yearbooks from 1991, 1999,
2002, 2003, 2004 and 2006. If you'd like one of these
yearbooks (which are available for $15 including shipping and
handling), please send me an email to
hsmith@smithdowney.com.
17.
CLASS OF 97 PLANS REUNION.
The Class of 97 is busy
planning its 15 year reunion for mid-summer 2012.
The Class has a web page at
http://shs1997reunion.blogspot.com/2011/05/shs-class-of-1997-2012-15yr-reunion.html.
Please contact Monica Crown at
monicacrown@gmail.com if you
would like information on the event or if you have any contact info
for members of the Class of 97 or their families.
18.
SEEKING LOST HORNET.
Jackie Kaiser MacBryde (71) is trying to locate Barbara Chambers
(71). Please email Jackie at
mailto:jmacbryde@verizon.net
if you have any information that might be helpful.
19. A
GREAT DAY OF GOLF FOR A GREAT CAUSE.
Speaking of Achievement Award recipients,
we've learned that the Christmas in April Prince George’s County
Chapter, whose Executive Director is Mary Kucharski (76), is holding
its 22nd Annual Christmas in April Prince George’s County
– Susan Denison Mona Golf Tournament on Monday, September 26, 2011
at the Andrews Air Force Base golf course (as made famous by the
recent Obama-Boehner golf summit!). Great player, and sponsor,
opportunities are still available. Contact Christmas in April
at 301-868-0937, cinapg@aol.com,
or christmasinaprilpg.org for more information.
20.
MORE MARY SURRATT INFO.
We received this Mary
Surratt-related email from Dana Shifflett (70): "Henry: This
is a bit fuzzy, but as I recall Mary Surratt's maiden name was
Jenkins and her family once owned what is now Capitol Hill. At
the time, it was called Jenkins Hill, and the federal government
bought it directly from them. I haven't seen "The Conspirator
yet. It showed briefly at a theater in Wichita but not at all
here in Newton, and I didn't have the chance to get down there to
see it. Dana"
[Ed. Note: The renewed interest in the
Mary Surratt story is likely to kindle some interest in the Jenkins
family story, as well. And perhaps the renewed interest in the
overall story will be kept alive by the upcoming Steven Spielberg
"Lincoln" movie.]
And we received this
great email from one of our youngest-at-heart readers, Billie Barr
Winstead (37):
"Hello Henry! My daughter, Jackie
Gwynn Ball (60) and I had the opportunity to see "The Conspirator"
and I feel compelled to comment since it brought back memories of
the Surratt Stage Door's presentation of "The Story of Mary
Surratt" in November of 1960. The former Judge Ernie Loveless,
Jr. played the part of Reverdy Johnson. We were a small
theater group and the script called for 36 men and only two women.
Our director, Jean Moorhead (then an English teacher at
Surrattsville) had the inspiration to involve some of the more
prominent citizens of Clinton, thus assuring an even larger
audience. Some of those recruited, in spite of their lack of
knowledge of theater, were B.K. Miller, Ernest A .Loveless, Sr.,
Frank Small, Jr., T. Alan Penn, Fred Garner, John Wagnon, Cy Wildes
and Milton Harris. The premise of the play is that Mary is not
guilty and that she was wrongly tried by a military tribunal instead
of a jury of her peers. Billie"
[Ed Note: If we only had some 8 mm
sound film of that truly historic performance!]
21.
MUSINGS FROM YOUR EDITOR ON THE MOST
UNUSUALLY-NAMED SCHOOL IN AMERICA.
"The Conspirator" and related
press inspired me to re-visit a number of scholarly books about the
Lincoln assassination and its planning and aftermath, and to read
for the first time some recent scholarly works on the subject,
including several great ones on Mary Surratt and/or the conspiracy
specifically.
As a result, I have two non-expert, editorial
observations that might interest some of our readers. First,
it now seems fairly irrefutable that Mary Surratt – often
characterized throughout history as a "victim" -- was involved not
just in the planning of the failed Lincoln kidnapping, but probably
in the planning of the Lincoln murder as well. (However, it
seems just as irrefutable that Mary was deprived of anything even
approaching an American version of a fair trial.)
Second, and perhaps of more "local interest"
to our readers, the historical information confirms that our beloved
Surrattsville truly has what must be the most unusual name of all
American high schools. Here's the short version of that story
based on the available scholarship to date.
In 1854, John Harrison Surratt, Sr. was named
postmaster of the post office at the location of the Surratt Tavern.
In keeping with then federal policy, the town for which he served as
postmaster took his name, and became "Surrattsville." By all
accounts – none ever challenged in the scholarly literature – John,
Sr. was a bum: a notorious slave owner, drunkard and debtor who
treated his wife and three children poorly. When John, Sr.
died in 1862, his son John Harrison Surratt, Jr. was appointed
replacement postmaster, and therefore the name of the town didn't
have to change.
John Harrison Surratt, Jr. arguably was more
of a bum than his old man, because, in addition to being a slave
owner (no evidence of drinking, borrowing or mistreatment of family
members in the historical record, however), he bragged openly and
for years about being a traitor, serving as a Confederate courier
and spy, and participating in the failed Lincoln kidnapping.
There's also a suggestion in the historical record that he had at
least some early planning involvement with the Lincoln murder.
(He was out of the country at the time of the murder and for
approximately the previous month.)
Of course, these are not the types of model
citizens that we all wish our towns (and, derivatively, our high
schools) to be named after. However, I'm guessing that many
American towns carry the names of town founders and others who have
less-than-unblemished life stories.
Continuing this unusual story, in 1863, the
federal government got word of John, Jr.'s disloyal activities, and
replaced him as postmaster with Andrew J. Robey. You guessed
it: our hometown was re-named "Robeystown." In 1878, the
practice of naming towns after their postmasters apparently had
ended, so the town was re-named once again, this time as "Clinton."
I haven't come across anything in the literature suggesting that
there was any intervening name between "Surrattsville" and
"Robeystown." (And, curiously, I haven't come across any
explanation of where the third and final name came from.)
A grade school was built in
Surrattsville/Robeystown/Clinton "sometime soon after the conclusion
of the Civil War," on the spot where the future (Old) Surrattsville
High School, the Surrattsville Junior High School, and now Grace
Brethren School would sit (at the intersection of Brandywine and
Surratts Roads). The local citizenry apparently named the
school, and they chose "The Surrattsville School" (even though it
apparently was built after the town was re-named "Robeystown,"
although it was at the Surratts Road intersection. In 1906,
that school "got promoted" to the second high school in Prince
George's County, retaining the "Surrattsville" name.
If the original Surrattsville School had been
built between 1854 and 1863, when the town was officially called
"Surrattsville," the story wouldn't be so unusual, but it would
still be interesting. That is, the simple story would be:
"That was the name of the town when the predecessor to the current
high school was built, and of course schools often are named after
the towns they are in, and the school name has come down through the
ages without change even though the town name has changed twice."
However, it appears from the scholarship that
the locals purposely named the new school after the old town, which
is why we're not talking about "Robeystown High" or "Clinton High"
today.
It would be very interesting to discover some
scholarship on why they did this. Was it to "honor" Mary
Surratt because of the then widely-held belief that she was
innocent/railroaded/victimized/"murdered by military tribunal"/etc.,
or was it some racist longing for the days of slaves and cotton with
a dollop of "The South Will Rise Again" thrown-in for spice?
Perhaps this would be an excellent senior honors research project
for a student at Surrattsville!
Of course, this resurgence of interest in our
school name history could reinvigorate the "let's change the name of
the school!" cry that was heard briefly from at least one quarter
several years ago (and reported in an e-Notice). However, as a
former secondary school social studies teacher, I think changing the
School's name -- because of its very unique, and arguably blemished,
heritage -- would not only create a loss of "valuable branding" (and
extremely unique branding at that) enjoyed by the entire
Surrattsville High School community, but also sacrifice a treasure
trove of "teachable moments" presented by our school's very unusual
name and other history.
Put another way, it's not like the School was
named "John Wilkes Booth High School" sometime after the Lincoln
murder, and that wrong has somehow persisted for a century and a
half. Instead, the unique – and history-rich – school name is
the result of a series of fascinating historical accidents that
provide a contemporary and continuing opportunity to revisit, and
therefore not forget, the lessons of the Civil War and the almost
unthinkable evil of the slavery system that caused it.
The communities that host high schools with
names like "Southwestern" and "P.S. 196" certainly can't claim any
of that! Henry
[Naturally, we'd love
to hear our readers' thoughts on this intriguing issue. In
fact, my "teachable moment" comment above has already proven true in
a great reader comment we received from Duke Coleman (53).
Duke was kind enough to send a paper on the Mary Surratt subject his
sister recently found in a dusty box and that Duke had prepared in
10th
or 11th
grade at Surrattsville – wow, kids back in those days could write
beautifully! Duke sent a note observing that the paper, which
reflected the Mary-was-railroaded-view that was prevalent in the
mid-20th
century, was "unquestionably the result of the influence of at least
a couple of teachers back in the day." Duke added that, like
many (but likely not all) of us following the current scholarly
research on Mary, "my sentiments at the time regarding the
culpability of Mary Surratt were about 170 degrees apart from today;
the ten degrees shy of diametric to coincide with only 90% certainty
today of her complicity." And who says American history is not
an "alive" and dynamic subject that should be a centerpiece of an
American education – especially at schools within a stone's throw of
major historical sites!]
Best wishes for an enjoyable holiday weekend!
Henry Smith (71)
MANY THANKS TO
THESE EARLY DONORS TO THE 2011 CAMPAIGN!
Patricia
Becker Oles (71)
Steve Profilet (71)
Bob Marr (71)
Debbie
Cox Marr (72)
Thomas V. Mike Miller (60)
Vicky Simontacchi
Young (57)
Valerie Parker Allard (73)
Bob Freitas (70)
Linda Dorsey Blum (66)
Coach Lew Jenkins
Helen Bovbjerg
Niedung (54)
Melissa Gilcrest (69)
Henry Smith (71)
Donna
Rae Sturtevant Smith (70)
Susan Loweth Melton (63)
Judy Gordon
Mentlik (65), In memory of Gloria Grady (65), Linda Soper (65) and
my 65 "brother," Richard Gordon (65)
Patti Williams Makielski
(74), In memory of Kathy Williams Sheppard (76)
Judy Crawley
Gibson (71), In memory of Debbie Bastek (71), "a tough cookie who is
gone too soon"
Duke Coleman (53)
Carmen Gines Frotton (65)
Paul Rickett (69)
Gloria Blandford Rickett (71)
Tom and Sally
Travis (72)
Lawrence Romjue (57), In memory of Lois Marie Osgood
(57), "26 miles – Santa Catalina"
Surrattsville Foundation Achievement Award
Recipients
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 – Wiley Prize Recipient 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 – University of MD Women's Basketball
Head Coach Chris Weller (62)
2010 – Legendary Coach Lew Jenkins
2010 – International Aid Worker Rix Mills (62)
2010 – Community
Activist Ann Weaver Pelle (71)
2011 – Community Activist, Pilot
and Parachutist Maj. Elizabeth Lee Gleisberg May (78)
2011 –
Award-Winning Musician Dave Chappell (75)