The Chattooga County Historical Society announces the sixth annual Robert S. Baker History Awards, named in honor of Chattooga’s distinguished historian. The 2019 banquet is scheduled for 6:00 p.m., Saturday, September 28, 2019 at the Family Life Center of the historic Summerville First Baptist Church. Catering will again be by “Classic Fare” from Berry College.
Historical Society president Gene McGinnis said, “This is our most prestigious annual event and the highest honor the Historical Society gives. We always have a good crowd and an entertaining program. We invite anyone in the county who is interested in our history. We promise you’ll enjoy it!”
Awards to be presented include a posthumous and a living historian category. Mr. and Mrs. Baker, married 71 years, are expected to attend. The awards honor those who, like Bob Baker, have worked to preserve Chattooga County’s rich history.
Farrars and Hammett, Living History Awards
The 2019 Living Historian Awards go to people who are still busy with their efforts to preserve our history.
Local attorney Archibald A. Farrar Jr. will be recognized for his years devoted to the preservation of the historic resources of Chattooga County. Mr. Farrar’s term as president of the Chattooga County Historical Society was a period of growth and productivity that has continued to the present day. He played an integral role in the restoration of Summerville’s historic Central of Georgia Railroad Depot. He has helped facilitate a number of other historical projects through his service on the board of the Tillotson-Menlo Charitable Foundation. He has served for several years and continues to serve as Secretary-Treasurer of the Summerville Cemetery Corporation which manages the historic Summerville Cemetery.
Nell Wilks Farrar will also be included among the Baker honorees this year. Following her career as Physician Assistant in cardiac and then vascular surgery, Mrs. Farrar devoted countless hours as a volunteer with the City of Summerville Better Hometown Program from 1999 until 2009, assisting in the writing of the application for the designation, serving first as co-manager and then manager of the program. She participated in the restoration of Willow Spring Park, improvement of activities for local train excursions, and sought the National Historic Register District designation for downtown Summerville. Mrs. Farrar continued promoting awareness of Chattooga County’s history by updating the Chattooga County Timeline of History, distributing it to students, and coordinating the installation of the timelines at the Chattooga County Courthouse and the Summerville Depot.
Barbara Crowe Hammett will be among this year’s honorees also. Mrs. Hammett has been a lifelong resident of the Chattooga County/Cherokee County, Alabama area. An accomplished family historian of many years, more recently she has spearheaded efforts to preserve the history of Menlo, Georgia, and Gaylesvillle, Alabama. Her social media pages chronicle the written and pictorial history of both these places, and are among the most popular of such sites in our region.
Mosley and Myers Receive Posthumous Awards
Benjamin J. Mosley (1926-1994) was selected to receive one of the posthumous awards in 2019. Mr. Mosley is remembered as a beloved teacher of history in the Chattooga County school system. Well-versed in all subjects, Mr. Mosley had a passion for teaching and a passion for history—and a great love for his family and his fellow man. Like his mother before him, he took enormous interest in the preservation of the history of his church, his school, and the Gore community where he spent most of his life.
Sarah Agnew Myers (1919-2002) will also be honored. Mrs. Myers is remembered not only as a devoted wife and mother, but as a highly-respected educator and school administrator. Born in Alpine, her marriage to Alexander McMillan Myers Jr. led to her becoming one of Trion’s most avid historians. She served as Editor of the Trion Facts during World War II. Her writings and research continued to appear regularly in the Facts through subsequentyears. For a decade, she was one of the most popular writers in the quarterly publication of the Chattooga County Historical Society.
Students Also Honored
Historical Society board member Cynthia Hubler has announced that historians from the county’s schools (Chattooga and Trion) will also be honored. “Students are asked to submit essays on historic topics related to Chattooga County. Essays must be submitted by September 17 for consideration. Contact the Historical Society, by email at the address below or through Facebook, for additional information.”
Historical Society program chair Reba Phillips Welch commented, “Whether or not you are able to attend, please consider sponsoring seats for our student honorees and parents or for others who might enjoy attending but who are unable to purchase a ticket. Sponsored seats may be paid as contributions to the Historical Society.”
Reserve a Seat Now!
Seating is available from board members at numbers listed below. Mrs. Welch continued, “Seating is limited so respond early! Every effort will be made to honor seating requests that are made at the time of the ticket purchase. Consider sponsoring a table for family and friends. Paper tickets will not be necessary for those who are on the paid list.”
Reserve your seats today by email at chattoogahistory@outlook.com or by contacting Reba Phillips Welch (770-427-1174), Steve Strickland (404-630-9249) Brenda Lanier (706-857-4037) or Gene McGinnis (706-857-7997). Individual tickets are $25; couples are $45. Tables of eight are $180. Charitable gifts to sponsor seats for students are $25 each.
Other Historical Society board members include Ella Cox, Dianne Fulton, Linda Farmer Hawkins, Elaine Patterson Miller, Sue Houston, Tippy Sanford, Maxine Mosley West, Cynthia Hubler, Randy Rush, Sharon and Ron Stephens, and Rosita ChevremontMcCamey.
Contributed Article: Steven Strickland
