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Some Stuff I Wrote (2001) H. Morris Williams

remember that man very well myself — R. O. Williams - he was my daddy!

SPECIAL CHS DIPLOMA... George and Bill Brannon have donated to our museum the
CHS diploma of their aunt, Mary Elizabeth Brannon, a 1924 graduate. The beautifully framed

diploma measures 16 inches by 21 inches and is in perfect condition. It is signed by Principal D. C.
Trexler, County Board President L. C. Owens, City Board President R. B. Harkness and County

School Superintendent J. W. Bums. Many local people will recall this honor graduate and longtime
local school teacher by the name of Mrs. Mary Futch. Our sincere thanks go to the Brannon family

for contributing this historically valuable 70-year-old document to our school museum.

Guest Editorial
Rest in Peace, Benjamin Duke

May 30,1994

This week’s guest column is written by Lake City Reporter columnist Morris Williams

Forestry Service
U. S. Department of Agriculture
Ocean Pond Picnic Area
Dedicated to the memory of
Benjamin Franklin Duke
Forester on the Osceola and
Choctawhatchee National
Forests in Florida
in 1939 and 1940
Who gave his life in the
Service of his country on
June 18, 1943, World War II
Who, of all American war dead, did you think of on Memorial Day?

I thought of Benjamin Duke and the day my unexpected prayer became part of his memorial
service.

You have probably never heard of Benjamin Duke. He was a young forester who worked
in the Osceola National Forest in 1940. When World War II came, he left the Forestry Service to

join the army. He was killed in action while serving his country. I never knew him. In 1947, the
Forestry Service decided to dedicate the brand new Ocean Pond Picnic Area in Benjamin Duke’s
memory. The ceremony was set for March 1947.

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