Like many Americans, having reached the age of 60, I find myself becoming more and more interested in history in general, and the history of Nashville, Tennessee (my home town) in particular. Having grown up in what is still often referred to as "the Highlands of Belle Meade," a district in the southwest area of Nashville, I have wondered more than once how some of the streets and roads in my old stomping grounds came to be located where they are, and have the names that they do.
Happily, within the last year, Ridley Wills II, one of Nashville's best-known and most respected historians, has answered many of my questions on this subject in his latest book, "Nashville Streets & Their Stories." Some five hundred of Nashville's streets and public roads have their history explained in this work, written in a relaxed and entertaining style.
To be sure, there ARE some faults in this work. For example, there are a number of glaring typo's (i.e., "Inquirer" instead of "ENquirer," and the year that Cheekwood was donated to the State of Tennessee is listed as "1969," when in fact it was "1959"!). And, unfortunately, there are a number of omissions (e.g., West Tyne Boulevard and Nichol Lane; the latter, I believe, was named after my paternal grandfather, who resided in a house at the corner of West Tyne and Belle Meade Boulevards for a number of years), some of which are mentioned in passing in other listings, but are not given listings of their own! In the case of a lesser writer, such mistakes would be considered inexcusable. On the other hand, when one is writing a ground-breaking work such as this, some such miscues are all but inevitable. And not all of Nashville's streets have historical information about them as readily available as others. Hopefully, at some future date, an updated version of this volume can be prepared and published.
Overall, in spite of the minor flaws I have just detailed, "Nashville Streets & Their Stories" would be an invaluable addition to the library of anyone who calls Nashville home, and is interested in the colorful and eventful history of Music City, USA.
"Nashville Streets & Their Stories," by Ridley Wills II. (Franklin, Tennessee: Plumbline Media, LLC, 2012.) $18.95 (paperback). ISBN: 978-1-937824-01-3. Available through Amazon and Barnes and Noble, and at local bookstores and gift shops.
Saturday, June 1, 2013
Thursday, May 9, 2013
Book Review: "Storm Kings" by Lee Sandlin
I have been a SKYWARN volunteer storm spotter for the National Weather Service since 2009. As such, I am constantly striving to learn more about severe weather, and especially tornadoes. Until recently, however, I was largely ignorant of the history of severe weather forecasting--not just the academic side, but the human side as well. Although there have been other books that have gone into specific severe weather outbreaks, there have been few if any books that would provide a broad and readable overview of this important subject.
The recently-released book, "Storm Kings," by Chicago-based author and essayist Lee Sandlin, steps in to fill this gap. From the first recorded severe weather outbreaks of the 1600's to the Joplin, Missouri disaster of 2011, Mr. Sandlin does an excellent job of bringing the human side of severe weather forecasting, and especially tornado forecasting, home to the general reader. Ignoring the temptation to veer off into an abstract study of the complex mathematics and computer models that are so prevalent in today's weather forecasting, Sandlin wisely chooses to emphasize the human, practical side of meteorology.
Perhaps nowhere in the entire book is this made as clear as in the story of Ernest J. Fawbush and, especially, Robert C. Miller, the team who made the first successful tornado forecast in March of 1948 at Tinker Air Force Base, near Oklahoma City. Another example is that of the late Ted Fujita, of the University of Chicago. None of these men put any real stock in theory, nor in computers, when it came to severe weather forecasting. Yet the work that they carried out has long been considered to be of fundamental importance in providing severe weather information that has helped save countless human lives, prevented innumerable injuries, and reduced or even prevented property damage down through the years.
By far the saddest part of this book is the repeated exposure of the darker side of human nature which Sandlin furnishes in "Storm Kings." Yet, in order to put the subject matter into proper perspective, Mr. Sandlin frankly, and rightly, exposes the numerous instances of arrogance, infighting, backbiting, and politicking on both sides during the long history of weather forecasting in general, and severe weather forecasting in particular. The display of mutual disdain, arrogance, and outright snobbery between the military and civilian weather services during the time when Messrs. Fawbush and Miller were doing their groundbreaking work is especially disgusting to this reviewer. Yet, in order to fully understand and appreciate their accomplishments, their flaws, as well as their virtues, simply have to be made clear to the reader, and Mr. Sandlin has done just that, without hesitation or apology of any kind.
Overall, "Storm Kings" should be one of the first books that the prospective storm spotter, or storm chaser, should add to their library. Even those who just want a general understanding of severe weather, and those who deal with it on a daily basis, will find this book well worth the investment.
"Storm Kings: The Untold History of America's First Tornado Chasers," by Lee Sandlin. (New York: Pantheon Books, 2013.) ISBN: 978-0-307-37852-1. $26.95 hardback. Also available in Kindle and Audible Audio formats from www.amazon.com.
The recently-released book, "Storm Kings," by Chicago-based author and essayist Lee Sandlin, steps in to fill this gap. From the first recorded severe weather outbreaks of the 1600's to the Joplin, Missouri disaster of 2011, Mr. Sandlin does an excellent job of bringing the human side of severe weather forecasting, and especially tornado forecasting, home to the general reader. Ignoring the temptation to veer off into an abstract study of the complex mathematics and computer models that are so prevalent in today's weather forecasting, Sandlin wisely chooses to emphasize the human, practical side of meteorology.
Perhaps nowhere in the entire book is this made as clear as in the story of Ernest J. Fawbush and, especially, Robert C. Miller, the team who made the first successful tornado forecast in March of 1948 at Tinker Air Force Base, near Oklahoma City. Another example is that of the late Ted Fujita, of the University of Chicago. None of these men put any real stock in theory, nor in computers, when it came to severe weather forecasting. Yet the work that they carried out has long been considered to be of fundamental importance in providing severe weather information that has helped save countless human lives, prevented innumerable injuries, and reduced or even prevented property damage down through the years.
By far the saddest part of this book is the repeated exposure of the darker side of human nature which Sandlin furnishes in "Storm Kings." Yet, in order to put the subject matter into proper perspective, Mr. Sandlin frankly, and rightly, exposes the numerous instances of arrogance, infighting, backbiting, and politicking on both sides during the long history of weather forecasting in general, and severe weather forecasting in particular. The display of mutual disdain, arrogance, and outright snobbery between the military and civilian weather services during the time when Messrs. Fawbush and Miller were doing their groundbreaking work is especially disgusting to this reviewer. Yet, in order to fully understand and appreciate their accomplishments, their flaws, as well as their virtues, simply have to be made clear to the reader, and Mr. Sandlin has done just that, without hesitation or apology of any kind.
Overall, "Storm Kings" should be one of the first books that the prospective storm spotter, or storm chaser, should add to their library. Even those who just want a general understanding of severe weather, and those who deal with it on a daily basis, will find this book well worth the investment.
"Storm Kings: The Untold History of America's First Tornado Chasers," by Lee Sandlin. (New York: Pantheon Books, 2013.) ISBN: 978-0-307-37852-1. $26.95 hardback. Also available in Kindle and Audible Audio formats from www.amazon.com.
Thursday, May 2, 2013
Fritz Borum: An Unsung Pioneer
The
year 2013 marks the 65th anniversary of the operational
tornado forecast. It is not so well known, however, that it also
marks the 65th anniversary of the first successful
implementation of a large-scale tornado safety plan, particularly at
a government facility. While the two men responsible for the actual
forecast, Robert Miller and Ernest Fawbush, have been justly
celebrated and memorialized for their work, another individual played
a part in this dramatic sequence, which, while much less celebrated,
was just as important in reducing property damage and injuries, and,
especially, saving human lives. The purpose of this article is to
remedy this injustice, and give this individual the acclaim that this
writer feels is his rightful due. His name: Major General Fred
Sydney Borum, better known to his friends as “Fritz” Borum.
The
events in question took place at Tinker Air Force Base, not far from
what is now Will Rogers World Airport, near Oklahoma City, in March
of 1948. At 10 P.M. on the evening of March 20, a large, ferocious
tornado funnel began a 7-minute trip across the base, damaging or
destroying some 100 aircraft. One such plane, a B-29 bomber,
weighing in excess of 68 tons, was picked up by the twister and flung
more than 100 yards away. A C-54 was flipped on its back as if it had
been made of paper. Winds speeds on the ground as high as 78 miles
an hour were recorded before the base’s weather instruments broke.
(Local weathermen later projected wind speeds in excess of 100 MPH.)
Heavy hail, torrential rains, and continuous lightning only served to
make matters even worse. Although only 6 persons were reported as
having been injured, Miller (in an unpublished manuscript entitled
“The Unfriendly Sky”) bluntly stated that, “The control tower
personnel were badly cut [by flying glass and debris].”
It
was at this point that Fritz Borum came into the picture. A
respected
expert in the field of air materiel
management, Borum had been in command of Tinker AFB since July 1945.
He had only recently returned from a 3-month assignment in which he
had organized and supervised the care and maintenance
of the aircraft involved in the Berlin Airlift. He had grown up in
Oklahoma, and was actually more familiar with Oklahoma's violent
weather patterns than Miller and Fawbush, both of whom had been
assigned to Tinker's weather station only
weeks before. An avid amateur weather buff in his own right, Borum
was a radar expert as well. Miller, in fact, stated: “He
was very interested and most knowledgeable when it came to weather.
He was highly proficient in the operation of our local radar and
loved to watch the scope during thunderstorm outbreaks.”
With
such a background as this, it was not surprising that, at a formal
inquiry the next day, General Borum thoroughly grilled Miller and
Fawbush as to why they had not in fact forecast a tornado. When he
was told that forecasting tornadoes was impossible, and that the U.S.
Weather Bureau had expressly forbidden even the use of the word
“tornado” in any official weather statement since the 1870's,
Borum all but went up in smoke. He forcefully rejected any
and all such
notions,
and specifically directed Miller and Fawbush
to begin research into the
subject without delay.
While the two
forecasters were conducting their research, in compliance with the
formal directive of the board of inquiry, Borum got together with his
staff to prepare a Base Tornado Safety Plan to help reduce or
minimize injuries and property damage in the event of any future
tornado or other severe weather outbreaks. Within three days, the
new plan was complete and ready to put into effect.
As it
turned out, Borum and his staff completed their work none too soon,
for on the morning of March 25th,
Miller and Fawbush reported that developing weather patterns in the
central Oklahoma basin were becoming frighteningly similar to those
that had existed only five days before. Borum immediately went to
the Tinker weather station to discuss the situation with the two men.
After looking at the
images
on the radar scope, Borum's
initial response was to direct Miller and Fawbush to issue what today
would be called a Severe Thunderstorm Watch. In conjunction with
this forecast, the initial phases
of the Base Tornado Safety Plan were implemented. The
General then returned home, asking to be informed
of further
developments.
Those
developments were not long in coming, for by 2 o'clock in the
afternoon, a squall line had
developed,
and became increasingly dangerous and intense. Borum was notified,
and immediately returned
to the weather station. He spent ten long minutes watching the scope
and discussing the squall line's movement and intensity. Then,
suddenly, Borum shot to his feet, looked the two forecasters in the
eye, and asked, “Are you going to issue a tornado forecast?”
Fawbush
and Miller, realizing that their careers could well be on the line,
made a desperate attempt to back out. They pointed out that the odds
against a second tornado hitting the base in such a short period
of time were less than 1 in 20 million. Borum, however, was in no
mood to accept such hemming and hawing. His face turning brick red
with anger, his vocabulary liberally seasoned with military
expletives,
Borum yelled at the top of
his lungs, “ARE WE GOING TO HAVE ANOTHER TORNADO
OR NOT? YES OR NO?”
Swallowing hard,
the two men took a deep breath and answered, “Yes, sir, we believe
we are.” Borum thereupon ordered them to prepare a tornado
forecast for immediate dissemination throughout the base. As they
began doing so, they timidly pointed that no one had ever prepared a
tornado forecast such as this before. “Fine!” Borum snapped.
“You are about to set a precedent!”
Realizing
that further arguments would
be worse than useless, Fawbush composed the world's first operational
tornado forecast—what would be called a Tornado Watch
today—and handed it over to Miller, who typed it up and took it to
the Base Operations office for immediate distribution. Meanwhile,
Borum got on the phone and directed his staff to put all remaining
phases of the new Tornado Safety Plan into immediate execution.
Despite
its bureaucratic detail, Borum's Tornado Safety Plan can be boiled
down into five basic steps, all of which have long since become
accepted practice in severe weather safety. First, as many planes as
possible were moved into hangars on the Base, the doors and windows
of which were then shut. Secondly, all remaining planes on the Base
were tied down as securely as possible. Third, all loose objects and
equipment were moved indoors and secured. Fourth, all incoming air
traffic was diverted away from the Base until further notice. Fifth,
and most importantly, all personnel were evacuated to basement
shelters and to the lowest
floor interior areas of thick, solid, sturdy buildings.
Shortly after his
shift ended at 4:45 P.M., Miller left and drove home. Both he and
Fawbush felt certain that their careers as weather forecasters were
about to go down the drain. So much so, in fact, that Miller later
wrote that he actually wondered if he could make a living as a
civilian elevator operator!
As it turned out,
they needn't have worried, for just before 6 P.M., another tornado
formed, striking in almost the exact same place, and following almost
exactly the same path, as its predecessor from five days earlier.
From his back porch, Borum watched what he later described as a
radish-shaped, dirty yellow colored funnel tear through his base like
a gigantic buzz-saw, only to dissipate five minutes later.
When
all was said and done, the final damage estimate was an additional $6
million on top of the $10
million in damage from 5 days before.
84 aircraft, primarily B-29's and P-47's, were hit by the twister, 35
of them damaged beyond repair. Hundreds
of yards of steel planking, used as a parking surface for the
aircraft, were ripped off the ground and crumpled. Winds on the
ground at the edge of the storm were measured at approximately 80
miles per hour, accompanied by “moderate” hail.
Despite all of
this carnage, there was, in fact, considerable good news to report.
For one thing, the final damage total was an incredible 40% LESS than
the damage total from only five days previous. Even more important
was the fact that only one minor injury was reported—a stark
testament to the wisdom of General Borum's Tornado Safety Plan, which
had now officially passed its baptism of fire.
As was
characteristic of him, Fritz Borum receded into the background,
allowing Fawbush and Miller to receive the glory they rightly
deserved. To the end of their lives, however, both men, and Miller
especially, repeatedly stated that they felt that Borum should have
received as much credit as they had. After all, they pointed out to
anyone who would listen, it was Borum who had pushed the two men into
making the historic tornado prediction in the first place. Even more
important than that was the fact that it was Borum and his staff who
had devised the Tornado Safety Plan for Tinker Air Force Base, which,
in turn, had produced such a spectacular reduction in property
damage, and, especially, in injuries to base personnel. Thus, Borum
had played just as vital a role in the development of severe weather
safety practices and procedures as Fawbush and Miller had in
developing techniques for predicting severe weather.
Fritz Borum
retired from the Air Force in June of 1954, at the age of 62. He
spent his last years as a vice president of Liberty National Bank and
Trust Company in Oklahoma City, and played a major role in the
development of what is now Will Rogers World Airport. He died of
bone cancer on October 25, 1978, in Cocoa Beach, and was buried, with
appropriate honors, at the Florida Memorial Gardens in Cocoa,
Florida.
Thursday, April 5, 2012
Animated Screensavers
Screensavers have been around almost from the very beginning of the personal computer era in the early 1980's, and especially since the development of color monitors. You see, very early on in the development of monitor technology, it was discovered that when an image was allowed to remain on the screen unchanged for more than a few minutes, the image began to literally burn itself into the phosphor coating on the inside of the cathode ray tube, or CRT, that formed the screen. This was not only annoying, but, over time, it actually began to damage the CRT, and eventually rendered the monitor unusable. When this happened, the monitor invariably had to be replaced, as it was simply not economical to replace only the CRT.
As time went on, software developers came up with ways to work around this problem. One of the simplest ways was simply to insert a program code into the operating system which would cause the image on the screen to be altered in some way after a given length of time had passed. Since this saved the screen from what was known as "image burn-in," such a feature was naturally called a "screen-saver." Eventually, separate screen-saver programs were developed which could be added on, or "plugged in," to the operating system, providing a wide and growing variety of visual images for this important function. Such programs became even more popular as color monitors became both more popular and more sophisticated.
With the development of LED and LCD color monitors, which do not rely on an internal phosphor tube coating, the actual need for screensavers diminished to some extent. However, there is still a surprising number and variety of screensavers available for computer owners to use with their monitors. Many PC owners, myself included, actually enjoy watching the screensavers when they are in operation. Many screensavers, in fact, now offer 3D graphics, animation, sound effects, and even music among their features, all of which can, at least to some extent, be set or controlled by the user to suit their needs or preferences.
Just recently, I added several screensavers to the more than 1 dozen I already have on my system. I now have at my disposal a wide variety of nature-related scenes, such as gardens, waterfalls, and even an awe-inspiring picture of a tornado! Most of these include animation, sound effects (even bird calls and quacking ducks!), and music! I can switch from one to another simply by using a drop-down menu in the "Control Panel" section of Windows XP Home Edition. (I should also mention that similar technology is available for background screens, also known as "wallpapers.") This allows me to vary the images that show up on my screen, depending on the season of the year, or simply my own mood! Being able to watch such imagery on my computer screen when I take a break from writing or other PC-related tasks is soothing to the spirit, to say the least!
By now, you're probably asking, "OK, smart guy, who pays for this stuff, and how?" The simple answer is that they are advertiser-supported. When the initial screensaver is downloaded, the user is asked to choose one or more services to subscribe to, which then occasionally send emails or display an advertisement prior to the screensaver's activation. I have found, however, that in most cases, such ads can be declined or bypassed in some way. I do, however, recommend that the new user subscribe to the screensaver developer's own newsletter, as new screensavers are made available from time to time, which the user may wish to add to their collection.
One caveat: This kind of software involves extremely sophisticated graphics, especially if 3D images are generated. It therefore makes significant demands on both the graphics card and the CPU. In many systems, this may cause the system to generate more heat than you might realize. That being the case, the use of fan-control software, such as SpeedFan, is strongly recommended. You may also wish to consider upgrading your PC's cooling capacity.
For more information on animated screensavers, go to www.freeze.com, or search on the phrase, "animated screensavers," with your preferred search engine.
As time went on, software developers came up with ways to work around this problem. One of the simplest ways was simply to insert a program code into the operating system which would cause the image on the screen to be altered in some way after a given length of time had passed. Since this saved the screen from what was known as "image burn-in," such a feature was naturally called a "screen-saver." Eventually, separate screen-saver programs were developed which could be added on, or "plugged in," to the operating system, providing a wide and growing variety of visual images for this important function. Such programs became even more popular as color monitors became both more popular and more sophisticated.
With the development of LED and LCD color monitors, which do not rely on an internal phosphor tube coating, the actual need for screensavers diminished to some extent. However, there is still a surprising number and variety of screensavers available for computer owners to use with their monitors. Many PC owners, myself included, actually enjoy watching the screensavers when they are in operation. Many screensavers, in fact, now offer 3D graphics, animation, sound effects, and even music among their features, all of which can, at least to some extent, be set or controlled by the user to suit their needs or preferences.
Just recently, I added several screensavers to the more than 1 dozen I already have on my system. I now have at my disposal a wide variety of nature-related scenes, such as gardens, waterfalls, and even an awe-inspiring picture of a tornado! Most of these include animation, sound effects (even bird calls and quacking ducks!), and music! I can switch from one to another simply by using a drop-down menu in the "Control Panel" section of Windows XP Home Edition. (I should also mention that similar technology is available for background screens, also known as "wallpapers.") This allows me to vary the images that show up on my screen, depending on the season of the year, or simply my own mood! Being able to watch such imagery on my computer screen when I take a break from writing or other PC-related tasks is soothing to the spirit, to say the least!
By now, you're probably asking, "OK, smart guy, who pays for this stuff, and how?" The simple answer is that they are advertiser-supported. When the initial screensaver is downloaded, the user is asked to choose one or more services to subscribe to, which then occasionally send emails or display an advertisement prior to the screensaver's activation. I have found, however, that in most cases, such ads can be declined or bypassed in some way. I do, however, recommend that the new user subscribe to the screensaver developer's own newsletter, as new screensavers are made available from time to time, which the user may wish to add to their collection.
One caveat: This kind of software involves extremely sophisticated graphics, especially if 3D images are generated. It therefore makes significant demands on both the graphics card and the CPU. In many systems, this may cause the system to generate more heat than you might realize. That being the case, the use of fan-control software, such as SpeedFan, is strongly recommended. You may also wish to consider upgrading your PC's cooling capacity.
For more information on animated screensavers, go to www.freeze.com, or search on the phrase, "animated screensavers," with your preferred search engine.
Friday, June 4, 2010
From Humble Beginnings--The Genesis of Callaway Gardens
There's an old saying that "mighty oaks from little acorns grow." In other words, sometimes a little incident can produce unexpectedly big results. So it was that, just 80 years ago, an incident in the life of a Georgia businessman set in motion a chain of events that would change his life forever. This is the story of that event.
In the summer of 1930, Georgia industrialist Cason Callaway, weary of the many business-related telephone calls that were even coming in on Sundays, began the custom of walking around a farm property that was for sale in the area of Pine Mountain, Georgia, some 75 miles south-southwest of Atlanta. The property in question was known as Blue Springs Farm. Like many similar properties in Georgia, its soil had been worn down by years of heavy over-cultivation and over-cropping, especially cotton. Yet, there were nooks and crannies, here and there, where there was still perceptible fertility in the soil. Although Callaway had been described by many of his friends as "a completely practical businessman," there was a strong streak of sensitivity in his character. That sensitivity made its presence known in a variety of ways, especially where his lovely wife, Virginia, was concerned. He was powerfully influenced by her love of nature, and he eagerly sought to share it.
On one Sunday in particular, Callaway was wandering around the more remote areas of Blue Springs Farm. Suddenly, he spotted a small valley he had never seen before. His curiosity aroused, he walked deeper into the valley to investigate. He little dreamed that that investigation would alter the entire course of his life.
As he reached the far end of the valley, Callaway spotted a small stream, boiling out of the ground at a rate that later tests would disclose to be some 300 gallons a minute. From that point on, on either side of the stream, flowing like the lava from a volcanic eruption, stood wave after wave after wave of the most gorgeously blazing orange-red flowers Callaway had ever beheld. A closer look revealed that all of the plants were of the same variety. He recognized that they were some type of azalea, but they were of a type that Callaway had never seen before. As it turned out, they would be a type of azalea he would never forget.
Callaway thereupon snapped off one of the flaming blossoms and took it home to his wife, Virginia, a self-taught and knowledgeable horticulturist. She promptly identified the flower as the plumleaf azalea (Rhododendron prunifolium). She explained to her husband that this particular variety of azalea was especially noteworthy, not only for its blazing orange-red color, but for its exceptionally late blooming season, which begins in June and, in some cases, extends all the way into early September. She further explained that this particular species was native only to an area within a 100-mile radius of the very area of Pine Mountain where he had found it. (Today, efforts are underway to have this species declared endangered.)
Virginia Callaway's explanation somehow struck a responsive chord within her husband. He promptly made arrangements to buy Blue Springs Farm, and began a campaign to nurture and protect this species from extinction. One of his first acts in this campaign was to employ a man to wander into the nooks and crannies, the ridges and valleys, of his newly-acquired property, and gather as many seeds of the plumleaf azalea as he could find. The resulting 20,000 seeds were carefully germinated and then tenderly planted beside the bubbling waters of the Blue Springs, in an area adjacent to the existing plantings. Five years later, to Callaway's great satisfaction, the transplanted seedlings burst into glorious, blazing bloom.
These were the first "baby steps" in the chain of events that would culminate in the formation, incorporation, and endowment of one of the premiere vacation resorts in the southeastern United States, appropriately named Callaway Gardens. Along the way, in 1946, the Garden Club of America presented Mr. Callaway with its "Frances K. Hutcherson Award" in recognition of his efforts to preserve and nurture the plumleaf azalea.
Today, plumleaf azalea plants are readily available from selected vendors, both online and by mail order. And from June through September, visitors to what is now known as Callaway Gardens Resort can enjoy and admire the extensive plantings of the plumleaf azalea, as well as many other azalea and rhododendron varieties, that form the glorious and colorful backdrop--the foundation--the backbone of the resort that all started from this truly humble beginning.
For more information about Callaway Gardens Resort, go to their website at www.callawaygardens.com.
In the summer of 1930, Georgia industrialist Cason Callaway, weary of the many business-related telephone calls that were even coming in on Sundays, began the custom of walking around a farm property that was for sale in the area of Pine Mountain, Georgia, some 75 miles south-southwest of Atlanta. The property in question was known as Blue Springs Farm. Like many similar properties in Georgia, its soil had been worn down by years of heavy over-cultivation and over-cropping, especially cotton. Yet, there were nooks and crannies, here and there, where there was still perceptible fertility in the soil. Although Callaway had been described by many of his friends as "a completely practical businessman," there was a strong streak of sensitivity in his character. That sensitivity made its presence known in a variety of ways, especially where his lovely wife, Virginia, was concerned. He was powerfully influenced by her love of nature, and he eagerly sought to share it.
On one Sunday in particular, Callaway was wandering around the more remote areas of Blue Springs Farm. Suddenly, he spotted a small valley he had never seen before. His curiosity aroused, he walked deeper into the valley to investigate. He little dreamed that that investigation would alter the entire course of his life.
As he reached the far end of the valley, Callaway spotted a small stream, boiling out of the ground at a rate that later tests would disclose to be some 300 gallons a minute. From that point on, on either side of the stream, flowing like the lava from a volcanic eruption, stood wave after wave after wave of the most gorgeously blazing orange-red flowers Callaway had ever beheld. A closer look revealed that all of the plants were of the same variety. He recognized that they were some type of azalea, but they were of a type that Callaway had never seen before. As it turned out, they would be a type of azalea he would never forget.
Callaway thereupon snapped off one of the flaming blossoms and took it home to his wife, Virginia, a self-taught and knowledgeable horticulturist. She promptly identified the flower as the plumleaf azalea (Rhododendron prunifolium). She explained to her husband that this particular variety of azalea was especially noteworthy, not only for its blazing orange-red color, but for its exceptionally late blooming season, which begins in June and, in some cases, extends all the way into early September. She further explained that this particular species was native only to an area within a 100-mile radius of the very area of Pine Mountain where he had found it. (Today, efforts are underway to have this species declared endangered.)
Virginia Callaway's explanation somehow struck a responsive chord within her husband. He promptly made arrangements to buy Blue Springs Farm, and began a campaign to nurture and protect this species from extinction. One of his first acts in this campaign was to employ a man to wander into the nooks and crannies, the ridges and valleys, of his newly-acquired property, and gather as many seeds of the plumleaf azalea as he could find. The resulting 20,000 seeds were carefully germinated and then tenderly planted beside the bubbling waters of the Blue Springs, in an area adjacent to the existing plantings. Five years later, to Callaway's great satisfaction, the transplanted seedlings burst into glorious, blazing bloom.
These were the first "baby steps" in the chain of events that would culminate in the formation, incorporation, and endowment of one of the premiere vacation resorts in the southeastern United States, appropriately named Callaway Gardens. Along the way, in 1946, the Garden Club of America presented Mr. Callaway with its "Frances K. Hutcherson Award" in recognition of his efforts to preserve and nurture the plumleaf azalea.
Today, plumleaf azalea plants are readily available from selected vendors, both online and by mail order. And from June through September, visitors to what is now known as Callaway Gardens Resort can enjoy and admire the extensive plantings of the plumleaf azalea, as well as many other azalea and rhododendron varieties, that form the glorious and colorful backdrop--the foundation--the backbone of the resort that all started from this truly humble beginning.
For more information about Callaway Gardens Resort, go to their website at www.callawaygardens.com.
Spotlight on Shannon Garst
Among the age group who grew up in the 1950's and 60's, there are many readers who fondly remember the writings of Shannon Garst. In a career that spanned nearly 4 decades, Mrs. Garst wrote some 38 volumes of the most popular and most respected children's literature of the 20th century, both fiction and non-fiction.
Born in Ironwood, Michigan on July 24, 1894, Doris Shannon (her step-father's surname) initially trained to be a school teacher and principal. She married Joseph Garst, an attorney, and settled in Douglas, Wyoming, the county seat of Converse County, Wyoming. Here she continued her teaching career, and began to write. Her first book, "The Story of Wyoming," was published in 1938. Because the publisher did not believe that a Western-themed book for young people written by a woman would be saleable, she adopted the pen name of "Shannon Garst," a name she would use for the rest of her writing career.
To both her surprise and the publisher's, "The Story of Wyoming" proved to be so successful that Mrs. Garst soon abandoned her teaching career and turned to writing on a full-time basis. Since she lived in ranch country, and with her background as a school teacher and principal, it was only natural that most if not all of her 38 books were oriented toward what today would be called a "tween" audience--that is, kids (especially boys) between the ages of 10 and 13--and that, especially during that era, cowboys and Native Americans would play a major role in most of those books.
In addition to juvenile Western fiction, however, Mrs. Garst authored a number of biographies of well-known figures of her time, including Will Rogers, Amelia Earhart, Buffalo Bill, Annie Oakley, Daniel Boone, and Wild Bill Hickok. Her last book, published in 1965, was a biography of Hans Christian Andersen. In addition, Mrs. Garst co-authored 3 books with her son, Warren Garst, who for many years was closely associated with the beloved TV series, "Mutual of Omaha's Wild Kingdom."
After the death of her husband, Joseph, in 1965, Mrs. Garst, now in her 70's, retired from writing. She lived very quietly in her adopted home town of Douglas, Wyoming, until her death in 1981. The Children's Reading Room of the Converse County, Wyoming Public Library is named in her memory.
Sadly, with the changing tastes of later years, juvenile Western fiction has largely gone out of style, and the works of Mrs. Garst and other authors of her time and genre have been largely forgotten, and have been allowed to go out of print. Indeed, many libraries, due to space and budget constraints, have withdrawn Mrs. Garst's works from their collections, selling their copies in order to make room and raise much-needed funds for newer books. More's the pity, in my opinion, for Mrs. Garst's books, even today, can still hold the reader's interest. One major reason for this is that character growth and development on the part of the characters in the stories involved is an integral part of the story lines in most if not all of Mrs. Garst's books, in a way that is sadly lacking in many tween-oriented books that are currently available.
Among the best-known of Mrs. Garst's books are "Cowboy Boots" (1946), "Silver Spurs for Cowboy Boots" (1949), "Rusty at Ram's Horn Ranch" (1951), and "Ten Gallon Hat" (1953). All of these, and many if not most of Mrs. Garst's other works can often be found on eBay, Amazon, and such used book websites as Alibris, at extremely reasonable prices.
UPDATE: Since I originally posted this entry in 2010, a number of Mrs. Garst's best-known books have been reprinted (presumably under license from the original publishers), and are available on eBay (and possibly through other websites as well). Unfortunately, these new editions do NOT include reproductions of the original dust jackets--possibly due to licensing and/or copyright issues, especially since the dust jackets were created by a number of different illustrators. Also, the prices of these reprints are substantially higher than one might expect, even given the rate of inflation since the books in question were originally published. Also, since Mrs. Garst is no longer as well-known an author as she once was, the demand for her works is considerably less than it was during the mid-20th century, when Western-related juvenile fiction was in its heyday. This in turn virtually eliminates the economy of scale which helped keep the prices of these books low. Given all of that, however, it is still heartening to see at some of Mrs. Garst's works coming back into circulation, especially for use in homeschooling situations, which still place a high value on character development.
Born in Ironwood, Michigan on July 24, 1894, Doris Shannon (her step-father's surname) initially trained to be a school teacher and principal. She married Joseph Garst, an attorney, and settled in Douglas, Wyoming, the county seat of Converse County, Wyoming. Here she continued her teaching career, and began to write. Her first book, "The Story of Wyoming," was published in 1938. Because the publisher did not believe that a Western-themed book for young people written by a woman would be saleable, she adopted the pen name of "Shannon Garst," a name she would use for the rest of her writing career.
To both her surprise and the publisher's, "The Story of Wyoming" proved to be so successful that Mrs. Garst soon abandoned her teaching career and turned to writing on a full-time basis. Since she lived in ranch country, and with her background as a school teacher and principal, it was only natural that most if not all of her 38 books were oriented toward what today would be called a "tween" audience--that is, kids (especially boys) between the ages of 10 and 13--and that, especially during that era, cowboys and Native Americans would play a major role in most of those books.
In addition to juvenile Western fiction, however, Mrs. Garst authored a number of biographies of well-known figures of her time, including Will Rogers, Amelia Earhart, Buffalo Bill, Annie Oakley, Daniel Boone, and Wild Bill Hickok. Her last book, published in 1965, was a biography of Hans Christian Andersen. In addition, Mrs. Garst co-authored 3 books with her son, Warren Garst, who for many years was closely associated with the beloved TV series, "Mutual of Omaha's Wild Kingdom."
After the death of her husband, Joseph, in 1965, Mrs. Garst, now in her 70's, retired from writing. She lived very quietly in her adopted home town of Douglas, Wyoming, until her death in 1981. The Children's Reading Room of the Converse County, Wyoming Public Library is named in her memory.
Sadly, with the changing tastes of later years, juvenile Western fiction has largely gone out of style, and the works of Mrs. Garst and other authors of her time and genre have been largely forgotten, and have been allowed to go out of print. Indeed, many libraries, due to space and budget constraints, have withdrawn Mrs. Garst's works from their collections, selling their copies in order to make room and raise much-needed funds for newer books. More's the pity, in my opinion, for Mrs. Garst's books, even today, can still hold the reader's interest. One major reason for this is that character growth and development on the part of the characters in the stories involved is an integral part of the story lines in most if not all of Mrs. Garst's books, in a way that is sadly lacking in many tween-oriented books that are currently available.
Among the best-known of Mrs. Garst's books are "Cowboy Boots" (1946), "Silver Spurs for Cowboy Boots" (1949), "Rusty at Ram's Horn Ranch" (1951), and "Ten Gallon Hat" (1953). All of these, and many if not most of Mrs. Garst's other works can often be found on eBay, Amazon, and such used book websites as Alibris, at extremely reasonable prices.
UPDATE: Since I originally posted this entry in 2010, a number of Mrs. Garst's best-known books have been reprinted (presumably under license from the original publishers), and are available on eBay (and possibly through other websites as well). Unfortunately, these new editions do NOT include reproductions of the original dust jackets--possibly due to licensing and/or copyright issues, especially since the dust jackets were created by a number of different illustrators. Also, the prices of these reprints are substantially higher than one might expect, even given the rate of inflation since the books in question were originally published. Also, since Mrs. Garst is no longer as well-known an author as she once was, the demand for her works is considerably less than it was during the mid-20th century, when Western-related juvenile fiction was in its heyday. This in turn virtually eliminates the economy of scale which helped keep the prices of these books low. Given all of that, however, it is still heartening to see at some of Mrs. Garst's works coming back into circulation, especially for use in homeschooling situations, which still place a high value on character development.
Monday, November 9, 2009
Computer-less--AGAIN!!
The last time I posted in this blog, I had just received a used Gateway 450 ROG laptop, after the IBM ThinkPad I had been using was stolen. Although the Gateway generally performed well--and running Windows 7 Release Candidate 1, no less!--I soon began to experience problems, first with the battery (which I had expected in view of the laptop's age), and then with the power terminal which the laptop's AC adapter plugged into in the back of the unit.
The problem has now worsened to the point that the laptop has become flat-out unusable. I have therefore been compelled to attempt to sell the unit, and am now confined to using computers at the Nashville State Community College library, the Fairview Public Library, and, on occasion, at the Vanderbilt University Central Library.
Thankfully, I was able to transfer all of my data files to an external hard drive before the laptop failed altogether. Unfortunately, since I have now been unemployed for some six months, I have no way of obtaining another computer on my own. I will have to wait until I can get another job to progress any further as far as building a "living room" PC is concerned. Until then, I will be writing in this blog on other topics, including (but not limited to) severe weather safety, sourdough baking, and--believe it or not!--Western clothing and fashion, especially vintage-style Western clothing. STAY TUNED!!
The problem has now worsened to the point that the laptop has become flat-out unusable. I have therefore been compelled to attempt to sell the unit, and am now confined to using computers at the Nashville State Community College library, the Fairview Public Library, and, on occasion, at the Vanderbilt University Central Library.
Thankfully, I was able to transfer all of my data files to an external hard drive before the laptop failed altogether. Unfortunately, since I have now been unemployed for some six months, I have no way of obtaining another computer on my own. I will have to wait until I can get another job to progress any further as far as building a "living room" PC is concerned. Until then, I will be writing in this blog on other topics, including (but not limited to) severe weather safety, sourdough baking, and--believe it or not!--Western clothing and fashion, especially vintage-style Western clothing. STAY TUNED!!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
