First Methodist Church

First Methodist Church (built 1832) on 113 3rd Street in Cheraw, SC. This is the church I mentioned in an earlier blog. The Burruss Finlayson family went here, and perhaps my great grandfather Murdoch Uriah & Lucinda Pate Finlayson.

The house on Arcade

The family moved to 2624 Scenic Highway while Mom was expecting me. Before that, the Finlayson's lived in a little house on Arcade Street from 1953 until 1958. Arcade Street is over in East Gadsden, just a few blocks beyond Gadsden State Community College, off of George Wallace Drive. In the above photo, Jennie is sitting on the floor while Aunt Florence Finlayson, Dad (showing Jennie the magazine), Jennie Wait Foster Finlayson and Uncle Pat Finlayson sit around the coffee table. I happen to still have that old coffee table at my house. It's a pretty beat up old table these days - lots of little scratches and dents. It didn't have a chance with all those kids growing up around it.

This photo was taken at the house on Arcade Steet too. Jennie is just a baby in this picture. Brook is the toddler with his head in between Aunt Florence and Jennie. Come to think of it...add a beard and Brooky still pretty much looks the same. I miss Florence. She passed away not long after Gina and I got married (1990). The last time I talked to Florence was on the way to my wedding. I know that out of all the Finlayson children, Florence loved Brooky the most.

It's nice looking through these old photographs. As time goes by, there are more absentees among the Finlayson clan. I vaguely remember my Grandmother Finlayson, who passed away in 1969. I do remember her sweet smile. I remember Christmas' in Columbia. Florence, Rutha and Wofford have been gone for a long time now. I look forward to that day when we'll see them all again.

cheraw finlaysons

I posted not too long ago about my grandfather Burruss Finlayson. He was a dry goods merchant in Cheraw, South Carolina (Chesterfield County). Click on the photo to get a nice gander at it. Burruss Finlayson is the elderly gentleman in the dark suit and hat. My aunt Rutha Finlayson Dyal is standing next to him. Mr. Burruss Finlayson died before I was born. I had the wonderful opportunity to get to know Rutha.

There's a Finlayson family plot in the corner of the historic St. David's Episcopal Church in Cheraw (c1770) where both Burruss and Rutha are buried. My great grandfather and grandmother Murdoch Uriah & Lucinda Pate Finlayson are buried at St. David's but in a different location. Burruss Finlayson and his family were members of the First Methodist Church of Cheraw. Last time I was there (a decade ago) he still had a pew with his name on it...information for what it's worth.

times are a chang'n

I graduated from Emma Sansom in 1977. Gina asked me if I wanted to go to my 30 plus 1 reunion later this month. For the price of the reunion - I could put some pull-offs on my old van. Wow -1977 - that was a long time ago. I've seen a handful of old classmates down through the years. I went to the 20th reunion. It was nice. It doesn't seem that long ago.

I see Tommy Puckett every Sunday. We graduated together but where not close back then. Keith Buchanan works with Puckett. I see him from time to time. People that I'd like to bump into? 1977 was the last time I saw Greg Ford. He was a buddy, and so was Mitchell Gregory. Mitchell and I go back to elementary school together (R.A. Mitchell). I've seen Mark Condra off and on down through the years. We go back to childhood together. I bump into Joey Pullen from time to time - we rode together when we were young - tricycles. I saw Rosh Harris this morning at the Post Office. She is as beautiful and as sweet as ever. I shared a lot of art classes with Pam LeCroy. We were buddies, I would not have made it through French Class l & II without her tutoring. Pam was also involved with Christian Brothers Association (F.R.E.E. House) back in the day.

Isn't school funny? You go to class day in and day out with a bunch of people and then don't see them again after graduation. I looked over the list of names at the reunion site and know that I wouldn't be able to place many names to faces.

Speaking of school -believe it or not - I am going back. I've recently been accepted in the Gadsden State Community College's (AKA: RedneckTech, Cambridge on the Coosa, University of Iran Extension) Therapeutic Massage Program. It will take me a year to go through but it will enhance what we do here at OT of Gadsden. I've ordered all my books from Ebay Half.com and I'll be heading over to enroll tomorrow morning.

This is a big step for me...because school has always given me the heebee-geebees. I am committed to do this thing because it will be good for me, good for my family and good for business. Everything so far has fallen into place. Gina said that she will be teaching me lymphatic massage techniques after I achieve my massage certification. This service will benefit Gina's past patients, as well as give us another source of revenue. We've got the room here to expand and it's a good time to take this leap. Kelsey is going into kindergarten in the Fall and I will start taking a couple of classes starting this Summer. The Mr. Mom roll is fading and I'll be taking on a new roll. Keep us in your prayers as our family enters yet another phase.

i miss this place

Gina and I were married in September of 1990. We immediately moved to Bowling Green, Kentucky and lived there until 1996. We refer to that blissful period in our lives as the honeymoon years. We lived in several different apartments within Warren County but finally found a beautiful little place on Robinhood Trail. At the time, there was a big field filled with horses out front and deer showed up in our backyard all the time. It was just a great time in our lives. The house itself had the feel of a chalet - not a lot of room but what the house offered was quaint and inviting. I had a loft studio and we had a whirlpool bath in the master bedroom.

We had the best neighbors, the family of Donnie & Cheri Obermiller (just a few houses down). We also attended the same church with them, Fountain Square First Methodist. Donnie, Cheri, Gina and I spent a great deal of time together - and we had great times. We still miss them and think of them often.

Gina and I were in good shape back then. We put good use to our mountain bikes that have now hung unused in the garage for the past decade. Covington Park was our favorite spot for picnics and tennis. I'd never seen a white squirrel before Covington. I wonder if they still dash from tree to tree there. There were lots of parks in and around that town. I'd never heard of Frisbee golf until living in Bowling Green. I also enjoyed the annual hot-air balloon shows. Unlike Etowah County, there were so many things to see and do.

I ran across the above photograph and a flood of memories rushed back. Life has changed a lot since we moved back to Gadsden. We have only passed through Bowling Green once in the past eleven years. I miss that town, I think of it in the Fall. We made a lot of friends that we will probably never see again. I will though, always have the memories.

ye olde cheraw baseball ticket

B. Finlayson is my grandfather Burruss Finlayson. I need to ask Jennie Llew if she can identify the H.A. Finlayson listed here on this ticket. I posted an old article from the Cheraw paper back in January. Dad loved to watch baseball, his favorite team was the Atlanta Braves. You have to really love that team to be willing to brave Atlanta traffic to see a game...what a hassle.

I remember when I was but a wee tater-tot, Dad getting all his kids outside for Sunday games. He liked to bat and would get a young one to run for him. I don't think he would've gotten that far on crutches. I guess dad got his love for baseball from his dad. I didn't. I liked playing as a kid - but have never enjoyed sitting down and watching sports on the television.I never watch sports of any kind. I've got all these ESPN channels that I don't know what to do with.

crippled leader

I ran across this article amid a huge box of family photos that mother brought by the office earlier this week.  I read the word "crippled" and remembered how much my Dad disliked that word.

Life for my dad might have been more of a challenge than it was for those with two good legs, but dad never let an obstacle stop him. A lot of people today try to find any way to get on disability and let their handicap be an excuse not to pursue their dreams - but dad just plowed on through life. He wasn't just following, I watched him orchestrate his life, and be a leader. He went from orchestra to law school - law school to career. He had a very full and eventful life - in spite of the braces and crutches. No, he might have had a handicap - but he wasn't crippled by it.

I remember as a kid, his starting the Gadsden Table Tennis Association (GTTA). We even had national table tennis competitions in town. Here's a link to the History of U.S.Table Tennis IV (you'll have to do a name search for Finlayson or Gadsden...scroll down a little). People remember the man in the wheelchair that could play table tennis. My mom could play a mean game - won tournaments - can you imagine that? Dad also started up the Extended Ministries Association (EMA) in the early to mid-seventies. He loved camp-meeting so much that he wanted to bring a taste of it to Etowah County one weekend out of the year. Dad's profession was an attorney - but I guess - if he had life to do over again - he'd be a pastor. He even pursued his doctorate (of divinity) back in the seventies. I can't tell you how many Sundays dad would ask me to help him get to and fro, in and out of all the little churches in and around Etowah County and beyond. He loved to preach and would fill in for sick or vacationing preachers - and yes - he would often sing a song or two to boot.

On a political note - We live in such an ass-backwards culture where our government has encouraged dependency rather than independency. Rush is right - "we punish achievers" in this not-so-Great Society of ours - and reward those that prefer not to seize the day. They'd much rather seize the check. Instead of teaching a man to fish these days, we are just doling out fish to those who don't even care to put forth the effort. Growing up, I witnessed a man with two bad legs (and one bad arm) move forward and up in life without government handouts. I saw a man with braces take on life, and provide for his family of eight. Pretty darn impressive by today's standard. Now I realize it is a common tendency for kinfolk to glorify those that are dead and gone, but this was a good character of my father that I do not have to exaggerate. Thanks Dad.

my blue heaven

Yesterday, Jose' brought me a CD he burned of dad's orchestra. Mother brought me an old cassette tape made from the only recording of dad's music (circa 1939). There were only three songs on the tape and Jose' said he had to play with it a bunch of times to kill as much of the crackle and pop from the music. I didn't play the cassette prior to giving it to Jose' because I was concerned that the tape might be brittle. The music on the CD is pretty scratched up but it's great hearing my dad sing. He really had the chops back then and his band sounds pretty darn good. Thanks Jose' -This is a real treat! Two of the songs were instrumental and only one, My Blue Heaven, has dad's singing. Dad could always sing but it was the older voice that I always heard. This recording is the first time I've ever heard my father's orchestra or his younger voice. I'll share the other two at a later date. I've always enjoyed the music of Glenn Miller, and though dad knew Tommy and Jimmy Dorsey - the H. Westbrook & His Orchestra had some Miller influences. I'll post the other songs in good time.

the guytons

The following letter was sent to me from my aunt, Mrs. Jennie Llew Guyton, back in April of 1998. It’s a wonderful telling. Last year, Jennie Llew sent me my uncle Guytie's (Clarence Lee Guyton) service hat, as well as his discharge from the United States Army... I have the hat in a prominent place in my studio downstairs. I was just a child when he died, but I remember my uncle Guytie. I wish that I had a picture of him to share with you. This is a long letter Jennie Llew and I didn’t omit a word of it. This post might be a bit much for those who are not related, but to those who are, this is filled with plenty of interesting family history.

Dr. Clarence Lee Guyton, Jr came to Cheraw when I was in high school. He practiced medicine there and later, when I was at Columbia College, he moved to Monroe, N.C. (25 miles from Charlotte).
The surgeon at the Ellen Fitzgerald Hospital there in Monroe had cancer and realizing he couldn’t live long, came to Cheraw to ask Guytie to come take over for him. He had heard that Guytie had had training in surgery. So Guytie moved there. All this was during the Depression – the early 30’s. While there a year or so, we were married, in October 1935, in our church in Cheraw.
Later when the hospital became embroiled in politics, which Guytie couldn’t stand, we moved down to Chesterfield, S.C. (12 miles from Cheraw) – Guytie opened a practice there and I enjoyed the little town 0 near home. I did lots of singing n the churches and for women’s afternoon club meetings and civic affairs.
But 00 Dr. Wyman (South Carolina State Health Commissioner) came to Chesterfield and begged Guytie to join the South Carolina Department of Health – and he did. They assigned him the position of Medical Director for Colleton County and we lived in Walterboro, SC, a nice town only 40 miles from Charleston. We loved it. Guytie enjoyed the work and I drove around to the country schools with him when he went to vaccinate the school children. I took the crippled children once a week to clinics at the Charleston hospitals. I did loads of singing there, too, and we made many good friends.
Guytie did such good work there and was so highly respected. The state senator wrote Dr. Wyman who was considering moving us to Columbia. He gave him a glowing recommendation – unbeknownst to Guytie. Later a letter came from Dr. Wyman, asking Guytie to move to Columbia to establish the first Cancer Control Division of the South Carolina Department of Health.

So- we moved to Columbia, lived here a year, then, the state sent him to Boston to study cancer at Harvard. Since the medical part of Harvard is in Boston (near the hospitals, of course, and the rest of Harvard is across the Charles River over in Cambridge (naturally, we lived in Boston near the medical school. We were there a full school year and had not been there but a few weeks when I discovered that the New England Conservatory of Music was only seven blocks down the street, towards downtown Boston. I immediately enrolled and studied there that year – two lessons per week and had access to the practice rooms, which I used most every day except when I was attending functions such as “The Harvard Dames”, an organization of graduate student’s wives (who) received special invitations and faculty wives.
Guytie received his masters in Public Health degree there in May – on top of his B.S. from College of Charleston, Medical degree from Medical College of South Carolina and internships in New York City at Bellevue Hospital and a hospital on Staten Island (Seaside, I think it was called back then). Guytie also interned at Florence Infirmary, Florence, SC before coming to Cheraw. This was, of course, his early training. He graduated from Bailey Military Institute in Greenwood, SC (no longer in existence) before his father, also and M.D. and for whom he was named, sent him to College of Charleston. We stayed for the elaborate graduation at Harvard – I felt like we were at Oxford University instead of the United States. It was all in Latin!
We came back home to Columbia in May and lived in Singley Apartments and were there almost a year when we bought a house on Trenholm Road. Before we bought the house, the Japanese bombed Pearl Harbor (December 1941). Ainsworth was at University of South Carolina as a senior and Murdoch had graduated and was working for T.V.A.
Guytie received his commission as a Captain and, despite this, bought the house on Trenholm Road, right off of Gervais – thinking we’d have a place to store our furniture and, if all went well, we’d have a home to come back to after the war. He was stationed at first at Fort Jackson - then was sent to Carlisle, PA., the army training ground for medics. Later we were stationed in Salina, Kansas, almost the geographical center of the United States. Brrrrr! (I thought Boston was cold, but Kansas was bitter, and different! It was while there that Guytie was promoted to Major.
After Kansas, Guytie was assigned to Washington, DC to the Surgeon General’s Office which, at that time, was in downtown Washington. We rented a room out near Walter Reed Hospital. They soon sent Guytie to Walter Reed where he took a course in tropical medicine and received his degree – another one! We attended that graduation ceremony, also. Then, off to Florida for more training – for 2-3 weeks. I went home (Cheraw) and stayed during this time. Then, he was stationed in New Orleans – After arriving there, he called me and told me to get on the train in Hamlet, NC (18 miles over the line into NC from Cheraw) and come on to New Orleans. I got ready immediately for I know he’d gotten orders to go to the Pacific Theater of Operations.
I stood up all the way – the train was so jammed with soldiers and mothers with babies, etc. Couldn’t bend legs to even sit on a suit-case! There were air-conditioning and heaters back then but not in homes till 1950’s. The air conditioner on the train was broken! Terrible trip! I prayed with every revolution of the wheels that Guytie wouldn’t have to go. And, when I fell off the train, exhausted, he said, “I don’t have to go. My orders have been changed. We’re going back to Washington, DC!!!
We went back to Washington and Guytie was assigned again to the Surgeon General’s Office which was still downtown. We went back out where we’d rented before. Guytie found out about apartments (new) being built to house Army & Navy officers and their families over in Alexandria, VA., we looked at them and rented one. By this time Guytie had been promoted to Lieutenant Colonel. They moved the Surgeon General’s Office to the Pentagon which was more convenient to where we lived. Murdoch was sent home from overseas first and found our apartment in the night one night; there, later, when Ainsworth came home on his crippled ship (Murdoch came on the Queen Mary), he came to our apartment too. They were glad to be almost home and back in the USA. And we were glad they were back in one piece in the USA.
Rutha was visiting us when peace was declared – and Guytie and Rutha and I went to the wrought iron fence of the White House for the big celebration. It was interesting being in Washington during that time and especially, with news popping all the time. You see, we were there when Roosevelt died down at Warm Springs, GA and, of course, when Truman took over and dropped the BOMB that ended the whole mess!
After the war, we moved back to Columbia where Guytie resumed his work with the Department of Health. He headed several agencies of it and later was made Assistant Medical Director for the South Carolina State Department of Health. We had sold the Trenholm Road house during the war and rented and apartment again at the Singley.
In December of 1960 we moved to 322 Wateree Avenue into our new house. Guytie had a heart condition but enjoyed his new home for four years till he died in October 1964. A fountain was erected in his memory and is in front of the present State Health Department building on Bull Street here in Columbia.

happy birthday mother

Sunday is my mom's birthday. Don and Jennie are in town and all of the family will be meeting up at a local restaurant late Saturday afternoon for an extravaganza in her honor. I am looking forward to it.

The above photo was taken during Mom and Dad's honeymoon. I believe mom said that this picture was taken upon arrival at Cheraw, SC. Mom said that Dad drove her all over the place after they got married...huge-long road trip. Seems to me there would be more enjoyable things to do during a honeymoon than a state to state trip in a car without A/C. Oh well, what ever floats your boat.

It was a job at The Gadsden Times that brought Dad to town in the early fifties. He was a graduate of Mercer Law School and it was Frank Helderman, SR that hired the young legal eagle. Mother at the time worked as a receptionist for The Gadsden Times and Dad would pass her desk every day while heading to his office upstairs at the old Times building. The Gadsden Times in those days had a great deal of offices upstairs- dad's faced Broad Street. Anyway, Dad asked mom out one day and the rest is Finlayson history.