Page 41 - some-stuff-i-wrote-and-some-stuff-i-didn't-(2011)-h-morris-williams

Some Stuff I Wrote (2001) H. Morris Williams

children for 40 years, then “retired.” She immediately went back to teaching as a volunteer and has
now taught reading to Five Points children for 19 years, three morning a week, without pay.
Naturally all the children love her and all the teachers are inspired by her never-ending love of

teaching.

In September 1971, then School Superintendent Silas Pittman made this landmark
announcement: “For the first time in the history of Columbia County School System, every teacher
in the county has at least a 4-year degree.”

The CHS Class of 1934 recognized good leadership ability when they elected James Young
Wilson their class president. Later in life, he became president of Wilson National Life Insurance

Company and president of the statewide University of Florida Alumni Association.
The CHS football team for the Class of 1953 also knew good leadership. For the first time

in CHS football history, the team elected three captains: Matt “Pee Wee” Burns, Hoyt Horne
and John Wood. All three captains became and are now doctors.

Skip Weigel, the gifted Live Oak photographer, is seeking information on Virgil Boozer,
an innovative Lake City photographer who lived here around 1910. Virgil developed a special

photographic effect: he would photograph the subject, then his wife — an artist — would “paint in”
the background. Call Skip at 1-904-362-2223 in Live Oak if you can help.

Last week I wrote about the Azons and E-Phi’s. A former Azon president read the column
and called to say he personally never knew of any severe hazing done by the Azons: “Our initiations

were fun and certainly not anything to be dreaded. We had lots of practical jokes but we never did
anything to hurt anybody. We look back on our Azon days with pleasant memories and lots of

laughs.”
Olustee Festival super volunteer Jimmy Greene was at it again, donating two full days to

the CHS alumni to help them boil and sell peanuts for their fund-raiser.
The enormously-talented Donald Johns handled all the sound systems at the Olustee Festival

for all musical performers in super fashion. Then toward the end, he sang an incredibly lovely
rendition of “Dixie,” delivered so slowly and beautifully and soul-stirringly that he gave a spiritual
quality to it that left the crowd standing reverently silent at the end.

The Rev. Forest Combs of the Lake City First Full Gospel Church, a former professional

country and western singer who has turned to preaching, also delivered solid, crowd-pleasing

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