September was a busy month for the Atlanta chapter. There were the usual preparations for the Annual Reunion and Awards Banquet, but this year we decided to design the Souvenir journal in house, employing the graphic design skills of the newsletter’s webmaster, Earl Adams. And so for the first time ever, we are pleased to share our magazine with readers around the world via a link on the World Wide Web.
On the day of the banquet, there was a luncheon reception at the hotel for our visitors from Jamaica: Dr. the Honorable Barbara Gloudon, and Coach Lennox Graham and his wife Valrie. Barbara Gloudon was our keynote speaker at the banquet while Lennox was our honoree for his achievements as Track and Field coach at Kingston College.
Attendance at the luncheon exceeded our expectations and we were especially happy to be joined by Robert Kelly, president of the New York chapter and Clinton “Fat” Clarke who along with their wives drove all the way from the Northeast to be with us. It was quite moving to witness the camaraderie and spirit of fellowship that flowed throughout the afternoon.
Seymour “Ricky” Edwards, a director and former treasurer of the Atlanta chapter, took care of the arrangements for the Grahams and hosted them at his home in Buford, Georgia. I had the pleasure of “driving Ms. Gloudon” around so she could do some shopping and also to the airport on Monday morning for her return trip on Air Jamaica. She is a great Jamaican and I hope we are still producing more people like her in JA.
There are several articles about the banquet in this edition of the newsletter and although Barbara Gloudon did not use a prepared text, we have captured the essence of her speech in an article. We also have lots of photos that you can peruse at your leisure.
