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'Playmate' response overwhelming Delaney Russell, a senior at Washington-Wilkes Comprehensive High School, will be finishing her senior year at High Wycombe High School in Maidenhead, England. Delaney was selected by Two Worlds United for the tri-semester study abroad program. Two Worlds United promotes world peace and understanding by sending U.S. students abroad to learn and appreciate other cultures. She will return in time to graduate with the class of 2008. Delaney is the daughter of David and Cindy Russell of Washington-Wilkes.
A picture in the January 10 issue of The News-Reporter showed Georgia Department of Transportation (DOT) Commissioner Harold Linnenkohl presenting Johnny Gresham a DOT bridge sign in Gresham's name. Johnny is the son of Sarah Gresham and the late Johnson Gresham of Washington- Wilkes. Most people know that. But there is another Wilkes County connection. Harold is the nephew of Hazel Russell of Washington. He is the son of Hazel's brother, Glen Linnenkohl of Atlanta. . About three weeks ago, a fireat Second Time Around Mini Farm destroyed the building where all of the coats and other needed items for the llamas and cria (baby llama) were kept. Because of complications in insurance and purchase of coats, Vicky Moses, owner, is in need of both large and small blankets for the llamas, especially the babies. In this cold weather, the blankets are a necessity. You can drop the blankets off at the farm and they will be greatly appreciated. . Stephen Godwin and John Clemmons, two young Wilkes County men, have graduated from paramedic school at Augusta Tech as the top two in their class. . Sgt. Jonathan Chapman is back in the United States, at Ft. Hood, after 15 months in Iraq where he had several "close calls." We hope he will get home soon. He is the son of Pastor and Mrs. Jimmy Chapman of Victory Baptist Church. . The Pope Center on Lexington Avenue has its website up and going and it's beautiful. You will want to see it. It gives you all the information you need. Check it out at www. popecenter.com . Thelma Moore (on the Tignall Road) gave us some sweet potato biscuits and said, "Just brown them." We did and they were delicious. That's all we had for supper that night. I asked her how she made them and you know what she said: "Just a little of this and a little of that." Thelma is also an expert seamstress, monogrammer, needleworker, alterer, and most anything else that is done with a needle and thread. I would be "up the creek" without her services. . Late on Wednesday afternoon of last week, I got a call from my granddaughter in Athens. She said, "Grannaw, is it snowing there?" I said, "No, it's not snowing. It's not supposed to." And she said, "Well, if it does, call me." And I said, "Okay." But I said to myself, "It's not going to snow. I don't think it's even in the forecast." In less than and hour, I started out for church, and there it was. Snow. So I called my granddaughter. It snowed pretty steadily for a couple of hours and delighted the children at the church (and the grownups, too.) A few snowmen were made and lots of snowballs were made -- and thrown. ... But then, Saturday was a disappointment. Snow was forecast, but it never arrived in Wilkes County. It was all northwest of us. . . . Never mind. The snow, sleet, and rain brought us 1.85 inches of muchneeded precipitation last week, according to Norris, with a total so far this month of 2.8 inches. . . . It's just January. Still time for more snow. There was snow on the ground when I was born on April 28 many, many years ago. So there's still hope. . I have been overwhelmed with responses to the item in this column last week about the song Oh, Jolly Playmate. I have had e-mails, letters, phone calls, comments, and faxes, from as far away as Iowa and Colorado, and many other places in the United States. And I have had many responses from here in Washington-Wilkes and the surrounding area. I thank each one of you for responding. I have had responses from all ages, from a three-year-old who perfectly sang the whole song, to grandmas in their 80s. It has been most interesting. I now have not only the words that I remember as a child, but another verse! I am including some of these comments here, but remember, I appreciate every one. . . . The first that I received was on Wednesday afternoon. Arlene in Iowa read it on The News-Reporter online just minutes after it was placed there in early afternoon. She added another verse. (I wish that I knew who Arlene is.) . . . When I looked at the Playmates website Thursday, the item from this column was included there. . . . Vicki Adams Batrous called early Thursday morning to say that she remembered the song and that her mother, Jackie Adams, had sung it to her and to her sister
Kelli when they were little girls. Her version of the words matched what I remembered. . . . Peggy Barnett remembered the song; and e-mail from Joe Johnson on the Sharon Road said, "My mom used to sing this song to us when we were growing up. Thanks for the memory." . . . Dorla Adams also added another verse. . . . Betty Jackson remembered that her late husband, Norman Jackson, had a recording of the song and that it was recorded by either Spike Jones or Kay Kyser. On the website, it says, "Kay Kyser and His Orchestra lyrics," and had an extra verse. . . . Patricia Cheney Britt of Colorado e-mailed words that she remembered; as did Betty Burgess Lane in North Carolina. Betty said she even found the song played on the internet. . . . Wanda Jenkins, Washington-Wilkes Elementary School Principal, sent her version of the song, which is the one I remember, and also said, "I had not thought of it in years. Now I can't get it out of my head." . . . Mickie McGee in Lincolnton remembers singing the song in music class at Lincolnton Elementary School in 1955. (My memory of it goes back to the early 1940s.) . . . I had a real finetreat Sunday morning after worship service at First Baptist. Patricia Burton told me that her three-yearold grandson, Karthik Arora, had a song he wanted to sing for me. Karthik sang the song, just as I knew it, from beginning to end -- except that instead of saying "Oh, Jolly," he said "See, See, my Playmate." He had learned it in pre-kindergarten at his school in Augusta. He's the son of Vishal and Julie Burton Arora. . . . It has been very interesting. Here are the words as I remember them and as most people who responded knew them. I'll give you the extra verse next week. I've already run overtime on this column. The editor will be editing me, if I don't stop. |
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