Vol. 8 Copies - 61 Issue 1

Editor: Homer S. “Chip” Durden, P.O. Box 478, Swainsboro GA 30401

Compatriots:

Our next Wiregrass Chapter meeting will be Thursday night, January 11, 2018 at 6:30 p.m. at the New China

Restaurant in Swainsboro. This month we will have Major General Donald Burdick visiting us to install our 2018

Wiregrass Chapter Officers. General Burdick currently is our Georgia Society Senior Vice President. See below

the photo of the 2017 Installation of President Wilder Smith, Jr. by Senior Vice President Wayne Brown.

Wiregrass Courier Wiregrass Chapter

Swainsboro, Georgia

At last month’s Wiregrass Chapter’s meeting, our Chapter met at Compatriot Julian and Norma Sconyers club

house. We were presented with an outstanding meal of “grilled” pork chops and all the Christmas trimmings.

We also were presented the nominating committee’s report on its recommendations for the 2018 leadership.

The following Compatriots were elected: President Wilder Smith, Jr., Vice President Steve Burke,

Secretary/Treasurer Ruskin Powell, Chaplain Emory Fennell, Registrar/Historian Dess Smith III, Chancellor Julian

Sconyers, Sgt-at-Arms George King and “The Courier” Editor Homer S. “Chip” Durden. See below is a photo of

Compatriot Thomas Miller and his daughter Lauren, dressed up in her Colonial dress.

Our Secretary/Treasurer Ruskin Powell reports that all members have renewed their dues for 2018 except for

two members. We hope that during the coming year, these two SAR members will re-new their membership.

This puts our membership for the Wiregrass Chapter at 65 for January 1, 2018. See below Compatriot Ruskin

Powell presenting program to the Brier Creek Chapter in Sylvania at their July 2017 meeting.

This Friday, President Wilder Smith and Registrar Dess Smith will be traveling to Spartanburg, South Carolina to

participate on Friday, Saturday and Sunday with the events surrounding the Cowpens Battle Celebration. Also,

Dual members Lee Smith and Steve Burke will be attending Cowpens. Friday morning they will present

carnations at the Daniel Morgan monument in downtown Spartanburg. After lunch they will attend the National

Society South Atlantic District meeting at the Marriott at Spartanburg Motel. That night, they will attend a

symposium at Wofford University. On Saturday morning, they will attend the wreath presentations at the

Cowpens monument located on the Cowpens Battlefield. Also, there will be a wreath laying ceremony at the

Washington monument located at the edge of the battlefield. During the day at Cowpens, we will witness,

Calvary demonstrations, cannon firing, flintlock firing, reenactments, militia campsite, Ranger tour of the entire

Cowpens battlefield, music by the Guilford Courthouse Fifth and Drum, and a Colonial Church Service. See

below photo #1: Wilder, Ed Rigel, Dess Smith at the South Atlanta District Meeting. Photo #2 Dess and Wilder

with Wofford Symposium Actor Marquis de LaFayette. Photo #3: Wilder presenting the Wiregrass Chapter

Wreath at the Cowpens Monument. Photo #4: Wiregrass members Dess, Steve, Ruskin, Wilder, and Lee as

militia at the Cowpens monument.

Photo #5: On Friday morning, January 13, 2017, President Wilder Smith, Jr., presented the Wiregrass Chapter

wreath at the Daniel Morgan Monument in downtown Spartanburg. Daniel Morgan and his Militia and

Continentals were the hero’s at the Cowpens Battle that completed destroyed Col. Banastre Tarlenton’s British

forces. See Below>

Photo #6: Wiregrass Members with President General Michael J Tommi at the 1856 Washington Light Infantry

monument on the edge of the Cowpens Battlefield. Photo #7: Wiregrass Chapter members at the re-enactment

encampment.

On January 28, 2017, Compatriot Steve Burke received the Georgia Society Sons of the American Revolution’s

“Militiaman of the Year 2016” Award from the Georgia Society Color Guard Commander, Ed Rigel. This year, the

Georgia Society SAR Annual Conference will be held on January 26-27, 2018 at the Sonesta Hotel in Duluth, GA.

So far, those attending are: Wilder Smith, Jr., Dess D Smith III, Chip and Jane Durden, and Lee Smith. Lee is the

2018 President of the Brier Creek Chapter and a dual member of the Wiregrass Chapter.

Your Wiregrass Chapter Board of Management received a large handmade knife forged and made by Compatriot

Emory Fennell that is valued at around $600.00. Each member is asked to sell as many tickets as possible for the

drawing to be held at our SAR/DAR joint meeting to be held on February 8, 2018 at the First United Methodist

Church. The money that we will earn will be used to purchase materials used by our Chapter, such as

certificates, medals, and powder for our 6-pounder Navel Cannon. These tickets will be given out Jan 11th.

On February 9, 2018, there will be a wreath laying ceremony at Elijah Clarke State Park. This event will include a

wreath laying ceremony by Chapters from all over the Georgia Society, plus cannon firing by our very own

Compatriot Steve Burke. Included will be flintlock firing by several militia. At lunch, the DNR will feed us a great

meal.

See below photo #1 from the February 2016 event of President Wilder Smith, Jr. presenting the Wiregrass

Chapter Wreath. Photo #2 is the Combined Elijah Clarke Color Guard at the “Hornet’s Nest”.

On February 10, there will be a Washington, GA downtown parade around the square, a reenactment behind

the Courthouse and that afternoon a wreath laying Ceremony on War Hill at the Kettle Creek Battlefield. See

Photo #1 below: Wiregrass members are Ruskin Powell, Wilder Smith, Jr., Lee Smith, Steve Burke and Dess

Smith (not in Photo).

Photo #2 is the reenactment behind the courthouse in Washington, GA.

Photo #3 was taken on February 13, 2016 at the top of “War Hill” on the Kettle Creek Battlefield in Wilkes

County, GA.

1st Quarter Events in the Georgia Society Sons of the American Revolution:

January 11, 2018: Wiregrass Chapter Meeting and 2018 Officer Installation by Major General Donald Burdick.

January 12, 2018: Daniel Morgan Wreath Laying in Spartanburg, SC

January 12, 2018: National Society South Atlantic District meeting at the Marriott Motel in Spartanburg, SC.

January 12, 2018: Cowpens Symposium at Wofford University, Spartanburg, SC.

January 13 – 14, 2018: Cowpens Battlefield Celebration and wreath laying at the Cowpens National Battlefield in

Spartanburg, SC.

January 26 – 27, 2018: Georgia Society SAR Annual Conference and BOM at the Sonesta Hotel, Duluth, GA.

February 8, 2018: Wiregrass Chapter monthly meeting and joint meeting with the DAR.

February 9, 2018: Elijah Clarke State Park event, Lincoln County, GA.

February 9, 2018: Kettle Creek Battlefield Association Banquet, Washington, GA.

February 10, 2018: Kettle Creek Annual Battlefield Celebration and wreath laying at War Hill, Washington, GA.

March 2 -3, 2018: 2nd Annual Brier Creek Battlefield Celebration in Screven County, GA.

March 8, 2018: Wiregrass Chapter monthly meeting.

In SAR friendship and service, Chip