Gerald Meredith Garmon (1932-2015) & Lucille Burnett (1936-2015) m. 1956 Aug 25
|---Steven Meredith Garmon (1959) m. Kaye Stevens (1958) m. 1980
| |---Morgen Leigh Stevens-Garmon (1980)
| |---John Meredith Stevens-Garmon (1982)
| 2nd marriage: Kim Lorraine "LoraKim" Joyner (1957) m. 2000
| |---Yency Contreras (b. 1987, adopted 2004)
|
|---Alizon Margaret Garmon (1963) m. James Michael Carpenter (1964) m. 1991
|---Leora Leigh Carpenter (1992)
|---Avery Carpenter (1995)
|---Mimi Garmon (b. 2008? adopted 2012)
2015-12-14
Jerry Garmon Memorabilia & Souvenir Scrapbook
Lucille Burnett: Memorabilia & Souvenirs Scrapbook
Lucille Burnett Ancestor Tree
BACK TO 2ND-GREAT-GRANDPARENTS
(Naming 15 of the 16)
(Naming 15 of the 16)
Nathan Seal Burnett 2nd-great-grandfather
William Charles Burnett 1836-1920 great-grandfather
| Rebecca Christman 2nd-great-grandmother
|
Charles William Burnett 1873-1960 grandfather
| |
| | Joseph J. Sorber 2nd-great-grandfather
| Elizabeth Sorber 1836-1932 great-grandmother
| Mary Lambert 1814-1912 2nd-great-grandmother (more below)
|
Thomas Edison Burnett 1908-2005 father
| |
| | John Speicher 1822-1902 2nd-great-grandfather
| | Tobias Speicher 1860-1930 great-grandfather
| | | Susanna Boyer 1830-1861 2nd-great-grandmother
| | |
| Leora Belle Speicher 1884-1963 grandmother
| |
| | Jonathan Kimmel 2nd-great-grandfather
| Mary Kimmel ? - 1948 great-grandmother
| ____? 2nd-great-grandmother
|
Lucille Burnett 1936-2015
|
| Johannes von Mueller 1797- 2nd-great-grandfather
| Henry S. Miller 1832-1915 great-grandfather
| | Frances Sagster 2nd-great-grandmother
| |
| Ira Alphonso Miller 1879-1948 grandfather
| | |
| | | John Bair 2nd-great-grandfather
| | Mary Ann Bair great-grandmother
| | Elizabeth Hummel 2nd-great-grandmother
| |
Mary Margaret Miller 1909-2004 mother
|
| John Brown Richardson 1823-1897 2nd-great-grandfather (more below)
| William Johnson Richardson 1850-1928 great-grandfather
| | Mary Ann Wagner 1827-1905 2nd-great-grandmother (more below)
| |
Ethel Richardson 1881-1964 grandmother
|
| William Hunter 1826-1861 2nd-great-grandfather (more below)
Lucy B. Hunter 1858-1925 great-grandmother
Elizabeth Walker 1828-1890 2nd-great-grandmother (more below)
GOING BEYOND THE 2ND-GREAT-GRANDPARENTS
(With relationship to Lucille Burnett indicated)
(With relationship to Lucille Burnett indicated)
MARY LAMBERT 1814-1912
(mother of Elizabeth Sorber, mother of Charles W Burnett, father of Thomas Burnett)
Abram Brant 3rd-great-grandfather
Mary Lambert 1814-1912 2nd-great-grandmother
|
| John Lambert 4th-great-grandfather
Elizabeth Lambert 1795-1820 3rd-great-grandmother
|
| Casper Statler 1743-1798 5th-great-grandfather
Mary Statler 1769-? 4th-great-grandmother
Rebecca Walters 5th-great-grandmother
ETHEL RICHARDSON'S FOUR GRANDPARENTS
These 2nd-great-grandparents of Lucy Burnett have known-and-named ancestry going back well beyond the generation of the 2nd-greats.
JOHN BROWN RICHARDSON 1823-1897
(ER's paternal grandfather)
forthcoming
MARY ANN WAGNER 1827-1905
(ER's paternal grandmother)
forthcoming
WILLIAM HUNTER 1826-1861
(ER's maternal grandfather)
forthcoming
ELIZABETH WALKER 1828-1890
(ER's maternal grandmother)
forthcoming
2015-11-20
Gerald Meredith Garmon Obituary
Gerald Meredith Garmon, of Carrollton, died from Alzheimer’s disease on January 6, 2015. He was 82. Dr. Garmon was born August 2, 1932 in Washington, DC, the third child and second son of Orion Meredith Garmon and Flora Hatch Garmon.
He graduated from John Marshall High School in Richmond, Virginia and attended the University of Richmond, receiving both bachelor’s and master’s degrees with a major in English.
He married Mary Lucille Burnett in 1956. They had a son, Steven Meredith Garmon, born 1959, and a daughter, Alizon Margaret Garmon, born 1963.
Gerald began doctoral studies at the University of Virginia, then taught at North Carolina Wesleyan College, before completing his Ph.D. at Auburn University. He moved to Carrollton in 1967 to join the English Department faculty of what was then West Georgia College, where he taught for 29 years before retiring in 1996.
In addition to teaching an estimated 300 English classes over his career, he was instrumental in reviving the Georgia-South Carolina College English Association, organized several Tolkien symposia at Modern Language Association meetings, organized a conference, “The Word and World of Discovery,” in 1992, and was active with the American Association of University Professors, the West Georgia chapter of which he served as president. He authored a biography of the American poet, journalist, and editor, John Reuben Thompson (Twayne, 1979), and his dissertation, Tragic Realism in English Literature, was published (Peter Lang, 1988).
Jerry, as he was known, was active in the Carrollton Optimist Club for over 40 years, serving as the club’s newsletter editor, director of its annual Oratorical Contest, and twice serving terms as president. He was active with Common Cause and served as secretary of the Georgia chapter. He was a founding board member of the West Georgia Credit Union, later absorbed into the Southern Credit Union. He served as president of the West Georgia chapter of the American Civil Liberties Union. He enjoyed playing tennis and golf, and was for several years a coach of youth baseball and football teams. Raised as a Baptist, he became a Unitarian Universalist in adulthood. He is remembered as a man of humor and sharp wit and of deep conviction in the values represented by the institutions he served.
He was preceded in death by his parents and by his brother, Wilton Ellis Garmon, and his sister, Laura Lee Thompson. He is survived by his wife of 58 years, Lucille, son Steven, daughter Alizon, six grandchildren and numerous nieces, nephews, grand-nieces and grand-nephews.
A memorial service will be held Friday, January 23, 2015 at 11 a.m. at St. Margaret's Episcopal Church in Carrollton, GA.
Expressions of condolences may be left at www.almonfuneralhome.com. Those wishing to make memorial donations can give to ChildFund International, P.O. Box 26511, Richmond, VA 23286-8818 or the Cure Alzheimer’s Fund, 34 Washington St., Wellesley Hills, MA 02481. (http://curealz.org/sites/default/files/DonateByMail_DownloadForm_R4.pdf for donation form).
He graduated from John Marshall High School in Richmond, Virginia and attended the University of Richmond, receiving both bachelor’s and master’s degrees with a major in English.
He married Mary Lucille Burnett in 1956. They had a son, Steven Meredith Garmon, born 1959, and a daughter, Alizon Margaret Garmon, born 1963.
Gerald began doctoral studies at the University of Virginia, then taught at North Carolina Wesleyan College, before completing his Ph.D. at Auburn University. He moved to Carrollton in 1967 to join the English Department faculty of what was then West Georgia College, where he taught for 29 years before retiring in 1996.
In addition to teaching an estimated 300 English classes over his career, he was instrumental in reviving the Georgia-South Carolina College English Association, organized several Tolkien symposia at Modern Language Association meetings, organized a conference, “The Word and World of Discovery,” in 1992, and was active with the American Association of University Professors, the West Georgia chapter of which he served as president. He authored a biography of the American poet, journalist, and editor, John Reuben Thompson (Twayne, 1979), and his dissertation, Tragic Realism in English Literature, was published (Peter Lang, 1988).
Jerry, as he was known, was active in the Carrollton Optimist Club for over 40 years, serving as the club’s newsletter editor, director of its annual Oratorical Contest, and twice serving terms as president. He was active with Common Cause and served as secretary of the Georgia chapter. He was a founding board member of the West Georgia Credit Union, later absorbed into the Southern Credit Union. He served as president of the West Georgia chapter of the American Civil Liberties Union. He enjoyed playing tennis and golf, and was for several years a coach of youth baseball and football teams. Raised as a Baptist, he became a Unitarian Universalist in adulthood. He is remembered as a man of humor and sharp wit and of deep conviction in the values represented by the institutions he served.
He was preceded in death by his parents and by his brother, Wilton Ellis Garmon, and his sister, Laura Lee Thompson. He is survived by his wife of 58 years, Lucille, son Steven, daughter Alizon, six grandchildren and numerous nieces, nephews, grand-nieces and grand-nephews.
A memorial service will be held Friday, January 23, 2015 at 11 a.m. at St. Margaret's Episcopal Church in Carrollton, GA.
Expressions of condolences may be left at www.almonfuneralhome.com. Those wishing to make memorial donations can give to ChildFund International, P.O. Box 26511, Richmond, VA 23286-8818 or the Cure Alzheimer’s Fund, 34 Washington St., Wellesley Hills, MA 02481. (http://curealz.org/sites/default/files/DonateByMail_DownloadForm_R4.pdf for donation form).
Moms and Moms of Moms
The maternal line of Steven Meredith Garmon (1959 - ) and Alizon Margaret Garmon (1963 - )
Our mother was Lucille Burnett (1936 - 2015).
Her mother was Mary Margaret Miller (1909 - 2004).
Her mother was Ethel Richardson (1881 - 1964).
Her mother was Lucy B. Hunter (1858 - 1925).
Her mother was Elizabeth Walker (1828 - 1890).
Her mother was Catherine Fritz (1801 - 1868).
Her mother was Susanna Palm (ca. 1770 - 1829).
Her mother was Magdalena Shaulis.
Her mother was Catherine Groff.
Thus Catherine Groff was my 7th-great-grandmother. I know the names of only three other 7th-great-grandmothers:
My records also include the name of one 8th-great-grandmother: Sybilla Speltman. She was Susanna Palm's father's father's mother. (Sybilla Speltman married Matthias Palm. Their son was the John Palm who married Christina Kern.)
Sybilla Speltman is as far back as I can go. She was my mother's mother's mother's mother's mother's mother's mother's father's father's mother.
Elizabeth Walker, my 3rd-great-grandmother, brought with her, and passed on, more complete ancestry information than any of my other 32 3rd-great-grandparents. The 4 of 256 7th-great-grandmothers I can name are 4 of the 8 2nd-great-grandmothers of Elizabeth Walker.
The missing 2nd-great-grandmothers are:
Our mother was Lucille Burnett (1936 - 2015).
Her mother was Mary Margaret Miller (1909 - 2004).
Her mother was Ethel Richardson (1881 - 1964).
Her mother was Lucy B. Hunter (1858 - 1925).
Her mother was Elizabeth Walker (1828 - 1890).
Her mother was Catherine Fritz (1801 - 1868).
Her mother was Susanna Palm (ca. 1770 - 1829).
Her mother was Magdalena Shaulis.
Her mother was Catherine Groff.
Thus Catherine Groff was my 7th-great-grandmother. I know the names of only three other 7th-great-grandmothers:
- Christina Kern (1709 - 1750): Susanna Palm's father's mother. (Christina Kern married John Palm. Their son, [Hans] Adam Palm, married Magdalena Shaulis and was the father of Susanna Palm.)
- Barbara Meyer: Catherine Fritz's father's father's mother.(Barbara Meyer married Johan Peter Fritz, Sr. Their son, Christian Wilhelm Fritz [1744 - 1797], married Eva Margaretha Dorworthan [1742 - 1817]. Their son, Valentine Fritz [1771 - 1833] married Susanna Palm and was the father of Catherine Fritz.)
- Barbara Laubinger: Elizabeth Walker's father's father's father's mother. (Barbara Laubinger married George Michael [or Jerg Michel] Walker [or Wacker]. Their son, Georg Jacob Walker (1740 - 1783), married Elizabeth Kuhlman [or Coleman] [b. 1743]. Their son, Jacob Walker II (1770 - 1843), married Catherine Marker [1775 - 1857]. Their son, Jacob Walker III (1799 - 1881), married Catherine Fritz and was the father of Elizabeth Walker.)
My records also include the name of one 8th-great-grandmother: Sybilla Speltman. She was Susanna Palm's father's father's mother. (Sybilla Speltman married Matthias Palm. Their son was the John Palm who married Christina Kern.)
Sybilla Speltman is as far back as I can go. She was my mother's mother's mother's mother's mother's mother's mother's father's father's mother.
Elizabeth Walker, my 3rd-great-grandmother, brought with her, and passed on, more complete ancestry information than any of my other 32 3rd-great-grandparents. The 4 of 256 7th-great-grandmothers I can name are 4 of the 8 2nd-great-grandmothers of Elizabeth Walker.
The missing 2nd-great-grandmothers are:
- EW's mother's father's mother's mother (Eva Margaretha Dorworthan's mother).
- EW's father's father's mother's mother (Elizabeth Kuhlman/Coleman's mother).
- EW's father's mother's father's mother (Henry Marker's mother).
- EW's father's mother's mother's mother (Catherine Marker's maternal grandmother).
Lucille Burnett Garmon Obituary
Lucille Burnett Garmon, of Carrollton, died on Sat Oct 17, 2015 following a battle with cancer. She was 79. Dr. Garmon was born 1936 Jul 1 in Johnstown, PA, the first-born child of Margaret Miller and Thomas E. Burnett.
Lucy graduated, class of ’53, from Warren County High School in Virginia and attended the University of Richmond, receiving both bachelor’s (1957, Phi Beta Kappa) and master’s (1960) degrees with a major in chemistry.
She married Gerald (Jerry) Meredith Garmon in 1956. They had a son, Steven Meredith Garmon, born 1959, and a daughter, Alizon Margaret Garmon, born 1963.
Lucy earned her PhD from the University of Virginia (1966) in physical chemistry. Dissertation: Formation and Epitaxy of Nickel Oxide on Nickel. Her career included service to: Virginia Institute for Scientific Research (research chemist, 1957–1961), East Carolina College (associate professor, 1964–1966), Auburn University Physics Dept (assistant professor / research associate, 1966–1968), West Georgia College Physics Dept (assistant professor, 1968–1973; associate professor, 1973–1978), West Georgia College Chemistry Dept (professor, 1978–2002; department chair, 1982–1995; part-time professor, 2002–2015; professor emerita, 2007–2015). Professional activity in committee service to the university and to the University System of Georgia, consulting, reviewing, offices held in professional organizations, grants received, publications, conference presentations, and supervision of student research was extensive.
The first third of her long career was dominated by research interests in materials science, electron microscopy, and crystallography. In the middle third she developed a special focus on the history and philosophy of science. The last third centered on chemistry pedagogy where she was a significant contributor to research and development of peer-led team learning approaches to undergraduate education in chemistry.
Lucy was active with a number of causes and organizations, most prominently the League of Women Voters and the American Association of University Professors. In the LWV, she was a member of the Carrollton LWV for over 45 years during which she served multiple terms as chapter president (1973-76, 1982-84, 1992-94, 2002-04) and was the chapter treasurer at the time of her death. In the AAUP, she served a term as President of the WGC chapter (1982-83) and from 2011 until her death was treasurer of the AAUP Georgia conference.
Raised Lutheran, she, with Jerry, became Unitarian in 1959. From 1968 through the 1970s she was a member of the Unitarian Universalist Congregation of Atlanta.
Lucy is remembered as extraordinarily devoted to helping others gain the empowerment of greater scientific understanding. She was driven by faith that the world could be made better through wider participation of an engaged and scientifically literate citizenry. The history of science, she well knew, like human history generally, is replete with missteps and the distortions of ego, yet science, more than any other endeavor, she believed, is ultimately self-correcting, continually teaches humility, and represents our best hope for expanding knowledge and, thereby, human freedom.
She is preceded in death by spouse Jerry, both parents, and a sibling, John Ira Burnett. She is survived by son Steven, daughter Alizon, six grandchildren, several nieces and nephews, and siblings Tobias Burnett and Gertrude Burnett Riley.
A memorial service will be held Fri Oct 30, 2015 at 2 p.m. at Almon Funeral Home in Carrollton, GA, with a reception to follow at St. Margaret’s Parish Hall.
Expressions of condolences may be left at www.almonfuneralhome.com. Lucy’s preferences for those wishing to make memorial donations are the University of West Georgia Foundation (http://www.giving.westga.edu), and the Unitarian Universalist Association (http://www.uua.org/giving).
Lucy graduated, class of ’53, from Warren County High School in Virginia and attended the University of Richmond, receiving both bachelor’s (1957, Phi Beta Kappa) and master’s (1960) degrees with a major in chemistry.
She married Gerald (Jerry) Meredith Garmon in 1956. They had a son, Steven Meredith Garmon, born 1959, and a daughter, Alizon Margaret Garmon, born 1963.
Lucy earned her PhD from the University of Virginia (1966) in physical chemistry. Dissertation: Formation and Epitaxy of Nickel Oxide on Nickel. Her career included service to: Virginia Institute for Scientific Research (research chemist, 1957–1961), East Carolina College (associate professor, 1964–1966), Auburn University Physics Dept (assistant professor / research associate, 1966–1968), West Georgia College Physics Dept (assistant professor, 1968–1973; associate professor, 1973–1978), West Georgia College Chemistry Dept (professor, 1978–2002; department chair, 1982–1995; part-time professor, 2002–2015; professor emerita, 2007–2015). Professional activity in committee service to the university and to the University System of Georgia, consulting, reviewing, offices held in professional organizations, grants received, publications, conference presentations, and supervision of student research was extensive.
The first third of her long career was dominated by research interests in materials science, electron microscopy, and crystallography. In the middle third she developed a special focus on the history and philosophy of science. The last third centered on chemistry pedagogy where she was a significant contributor to research and development of peer-led team learning approaches to undergraduate education in chemistry.
Lucy was active with a number of causes and organizations, most prominently the League of Women Voters and the American Association of University Professors. In the LWV, she was a member of the Carrollton LWV for over 45 years during which she served multiple terms as chapter president (1973-76, 1982-84, 1992-94, 2002-04) and was the chapter treasurer at the time of her death. In the AAUP, she served a term as President of the WGC chapter (1982-83) and from 2011 until her death was treasurer of the AAUP Georgia conference.
Raised Lutheran, she, with Jerry, became Unitarian in 1959. From 1968 through the 1970s she was a member of the Unitarian Universalist Congregation of Atlanta.
Lucy is remembered as extraordinarily devoted to helping others gain the empowerment of greater scientific understanding. She was driven by faith that the world could be made better through wider participation of an engaged and scientifically literate citizenry. The history of science, she well knew, like human history generally, is replete with missteps and the distortions of ego, yet science, more than any other endeavor, she believed, is ultimately self-correcting, continually teaches humility, and represents our best hope for expanding knowledge and, thereby, human freedom.
She is preceded in death by spouse Jerry, both parents, and a sibling, John Ira Burnett. She is survived by son Steven, daughter Alizon, six grandchildren, several nieces and nephews, and siblings Tobias Burnett and Gertrude Burnett Riley.
A memorial service will be held Fri Oct 30, 2015 at 2 p.m. at Almon Funeral Home in Carrollton, GA, with a reception to follow at St. Margaret’s Parish Hall.
Expressions of condolences may be left at www.almonfuneralhome.com. Lucy’s preferences for those wishing to make memorial donations are the University of West Georgia Foundation (http://www.giving.westga.edu), and the Unitarian Universalist Association (http://www.uua.org/giving).
By Thomas Burnett
Writings by Thomas E. Burnett (b. 1908 Dec 9)
Letter from Tom Burnett to Toby Burnett, 1999 Aug 4:
Our Family
Trudy is our little cherub
She's always on the go and run.
Sometimes she gets right awful mad,
But mostly she’s a lot of fun.
We love our boy, John Ira, too,
He's mighty handy with a cake.
He'd be a champ if all he did
Were like the pictures he can make.
Farther up the line is Toby,
With Lucy standing in the lead.
It's not required to praise them here,
We love them all--we do indeed.
But it is Mother we have to thank,
Because she somehow meets the need
To iron a constant pile of clothes,
With always hungry mouths to feed.
Two girls, two boys--four spokes we have.
(Our family's like a wheel, you'll learn.)
Mother is the center pivot,
A hub around which we turn.
Where's Dad? A wheel needs tires--that's him.
No wheel should roll upon its rim.
* * *
TO A DRAFTSMAN
Though days go by and years pile high
The prints that draftsmen do,
But still the tale, of square and scale
Is told in fond review--
The lines he drew, so straight, so true,
The letters formed so neat
Still give notice to the novice
What goes upon a sheet--
"Now when you show where pipes shall go
“That drain the tub or 'head',
"Put them under the floor b'thunder!
"Not the ceiling o'erhead,"
At drafting well he did excel,
But 'tweren't his only bit.
For few there are can match his star
At dishing out the wit--
As we have said, the life he led
Wasn't shallow nor confined.
He could expound, as colleagues found,
On topics quite refined--
Of quail or sleigh or Chevrolet,
Communists or women:
You can be sure you'd get it pure --
Knowledge freely given --
Now for an end I'll condescend;
And then I'll say no more.
We'll park our tools; get off our stools,
When we are ninety-four --
* * *
TO DAD
You loved the land. You worked it hard.
You spared neither your back nor your days.
You came to grips with the difficult tasks
Without seeking the easy way out.
You had the courage that prevails
In the face of setbacks.
Your thoughts went beyond the edge of the farm;
Beyond the horizon--to the remotest land.
You sought the knowledge
That still lies hidden from the mind of men
And which only a few mortals
Your road was lonesome many times
(Though you did not wish it so)
Because your path was not always
You sought the evidence
And did not fear the truth,
Even though it may mean
That an old belief was more fanciful than fact, and
Even though you had to stand alone.
You knew there is much
Which no one knows--but only thinks;
Like the child who said he knew
No bird could tell on him
But he believed it anyway
Because his elders told him so.
You also sought and tried the new,
Where the old fell short to meet a need.
But you liked the old where it was proven,
And did not change just for the change.
We shall remember what you taught us.
We salute you, dad, for what you brought us.
* * *
Not a poem, but a favorite of Tom Burnett's
A man returned to the town where he went to college a decade or so ago. As he was walking down the street, he saw an old school friend he had not seen since graduation. The friend was walking with a young girl.
After exchanging hearty greetings, the man asked who the little girl was. “My daughter” was the reply.
The man asked, “Who did you marry?” and received the response, “No one you know -- someone I met on a business trip”.
“And what is your daughter’s name?” asked the man.
The friend replied, “Her name is the same as her mother’s.”
The man turned to the young girl and said, “Hello, Mary, I’m very glad to meet you.”
How did the man know the girl’s name?
Letter from Tom Burnett to Toby Burnett, 1999 Aug 4:
As you know, in the late fifties and early sixties my work was away from home and I was home only on weekends. From time to time I would be inspired and would write out what I was thinking just to see what it would sound like. This I would pass on to Mom as a home-grown variety of reading material.
Recently, she and I were reminiscing and I said I wished that some of the stuff I wrote had been saved. I was curious to know what I had said. She dug out a file labeled “Poetry” and there were some of my words which she had converted to type.
I think the verses headed “Our Family” were written when the family was still living at Reliance and I worked at Winston-Salem and got home only every two weeks. The one headed “To a Draftsman” was written in the mid fifties while I worked for a consulting firm in Baltimore. The one headed “To Dad” was after I left Westinghouse but the family was still in Verona. I was back in DC but with the NIH when I received notice of my Dad’s death in 1960. I dashed off this “salute” which was read at the memorial service which John and Dot had at their home.
Our Family
Trudy is our little cherub
She's always on the go and run.
Sometimes she gets right awful mad,
But mostly she’s a lot of fun.
We love our boy, John Ira, too,
He's mighty handy with a cake.
He'd be a champ if all he did
Were like the pictures he can make.
Farther up the line is Toby,
With Lucy standing in the lead.
It's not required to praise them here,
We love them all--we do indeed.
But it is Mother we have to thank,
Because she somehow meets the need
To iron a constant pile of clothes,
With always hungry mouths to feed.
Two girls, two boys--four spokes we have.
(Our family's like a wheel, you'll learn.)
Mother is the center pivot,
A hub around which we turn.
Where's Dad? A wheel needs tires--that's him.
No wheel should roll upon its rim.
* * *
TO A DRAFTSMAN
Though days go by and years pile high
The prints that draftsmen do,
But still the tale, of square and scale
Is told in fond review--
of Herman.
The lines he drew, so straight, so true,
The letters formed so neat
Still give notice to the novice
What goes upon a sheet--
by Herman
"Now when you show where pipes shall go
“That drain the tub or 'head',
"Put them under the floor b'thunder!
"Not the ceiling o'erhead,"
At drafting well he did excel,
But 'tweren't his only bit.
For few there are can match his star
At dishing out the wit--
from Herman
As we have said, the life he led
Wasn't shallow nor confined.
He could expound, as colleagues found,
On topics quite refined--
this Herman.
Of quail or sleigh or Chevrolet,
Communists or women:
You can be sure you'd get it pure --
Knowledge freely given --
via Herman.
Now for an end I'll condescend;
And then I'll say no more.
We'll park our tools; get off our stools,
When we are ninety-four --
like Herman.
* * *
TO DAD
You loved the land. You worked it hard.
You spared neither your back nor your days.
You came to grips with the difficult tasks
Without seeking the easy way out.
You had the courage that prevails
In the face of setbacks.
Your thoughts went beyond the edge of the farm;
Beyond the horizon--to the remotest land.
You sought the knowledge
That still lies hidden from the mind of men
And which only a few mortals
Your road was lonesome many times
(Though you did not wish it so)
Because your path was not always
You sought the evidence
And did not fear the truth,
Even though it may mean
That an old belief was more fanciful than fact, and
Even though you had to stand alone.
You knew there is much
Which no one knows--but only thinks;
Like the child who said he knew
No bird could tell on him
But he believed it anyway
Because his elders told him so.
You also sought and tried the new,
Where the old fell short to meet a need.
But you liked the old where it was proven,
And did not change just for the change.
We shall remember what you taught us.
We salute you, dad, for what you brought us.
Your Boys
* * *
Not a poem, but a favorite of Tom Burnett's
A man returned to the town where he went to college a decade or so ago. As he was walking down the street, he saw an old school friend he had not seen since graduation. The friend was walking with a young girl.
After exchanging hearty greetings, the man asked who the little girl was. “My daughter” was the reply.
The man asked, “Who did you marry?” and received the response, “No one you know -- someone I met on a business trip”.
“And what is your daughter’s name?” asked the man.
The friend replied, “Her name is the same as her mother’s.”
The man turned to the young girl and said, “Hello, Mary, I’m very glad to meet you.”
How did the man know the girl’s name?
2015-11-17
John Burnett, Dorothy Zwick, and Family
John Speicher Burnett (1912 Feb 28 - 2013 Aug 17) and Thomas Edison Burnett were brothers.
Tom Burnett and Mary Margaret Miller had four children: Mary Lucille Burnett (1936 Jul 1 - 2015 Oct 17), Tobias W. T. Burnett (1938 - ), John Ira Burnett (1944 - 1960), and Trudi Burnett.
John Burnett and Dorothy Zwick Burnett (1916 Aug 8 - 20??) also had four children:
Uncle Toby's caption: The John and Tom Burnett family, c. 1947; Back row: Charles, John, Dot, Leora, Peggy, Tom; Front row: Lois? (Is that you? What did you do to your skin?), Charles, John Ira, Lucy, Toby
Tom Burnett and Mary Margaret Miller had four children: Mary Lucille Burnett (1936 Jul 1 - 2015 Oct 17), Tobias W. T. Burnett (1938 - ), John Ira Burnett (1944 - 1960), and Trudi Burnett.
John Burnett and Dorothy Zwick Burnett (1916 Aug 8 - 20??) also had four children:
- Lois Ann Burnett McDonald (1937 Sep 20 - ). Married Charles Nelson (Slim) McDonald (1934 Jan 6 - 2015 Sep 16). One memorial service was held at the Abundant Life Church in Uniontown PA, (Slim was a founder of that church), and also at Buckton, VA where Slim and Lois met (and where Lois’s parent had been founders of the Buckton Church.)
- Charles Zwick Burnett (1940 Sep 22 - ). Married Rebecca Ann McKenzie (1940 Nov 16 - ).
- Robert Zwick Burnett (1943 Apr 28 - ). Married Katherine Denise Riley (1946 Mar 16 - ).
- Sharon Burnett Snapp (1947 Mar 11 - ). Married Harvey A. Snapp (1940 May 30 - ).
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| Lois and Charles Z, in front of their Buckton house, 1945 |
 |
| Lois Burnett |
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| Lois Burnett |
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| Charles Z. Burnett |
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| Charles Z. Burnett |
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| Robert Z. Burnett & Sharon Burnett |
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| Robert Z. Burnett |
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| Robert Z. Burnett |
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| Charles Z. Burnett, age 21 mons, in 1942, examining stonework of the Buckton house of his grandfather, Charles W. Burnett. |
2015-11-16
Sorbers and Burnetts
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| Charles William Burnett, my great-grandfather (mother's father's father) |
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| Great-Grandad, Charles William Burnett, a little older |
Uncle Toby says: I would not bet the farm on the dates (1893 and 1907) being correct....I put little trust in the dates, as I doubt he was a student at Central State Normal School when the second of these photos was taken.
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| Charles W Burnett |
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| William Charles Burnett, my 2nd-great-grandfather: Son of Nathan Seale Burnett, father of Charles William Burnett, grandfather of Tom and John Burnett. |
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| Joseph Sorber, my 3rd-great-grandfather (mother's father's father's mother's father). His daughter, Elizabeth Sorber married William C. Burnett and was mother of Charles W. Burnett |
Uncle Toby says: "I think the barn in the background is the barn of the Buckton property, but I do not remember the decorative gate."
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| Elizabeth Sorber, my 2nd-great grandmother (mother's father's father's mother). Wife of William C. Burnett and mother of Charles W. Burnett |
Having seen so many photos of my grandfather Burnett, I would like to add a few more words about him. I knew him as kindly and caring. He taught me to milk a cow, a skill that my namesake, great-grandfather Toby Speicher never mastered. (How many other Americans would be able to milk a cow? Damn’ few nuclear engineers, I’ll wager.) He also showed me how to care for cattle, including things that are not good to describe before eating.
He was a man of learning and many talents. The stonework he did on the exterior and interior of the Burnett house in Buckton is excellent. He was also well-read, including scientific matters. He explained to me (based on his own thoughts) why the earth’s rotation and polar climates caused winds and weather to come from the west.
But he was not a businessman. Many stories I have heard of his desiring to benefit others by giving away assets; or by making a bad business deal, such as selling cattle to a neighbor when the family moved from Bealton. He let the neighbor take the cattle without paying, and the neighbor never came up with the money.
I hope my John Burnett cousins can come up with more stories of Grandpa Burnett.
2015-11-12
2015-11-11
Toby: "My Dad and Uncle"
By Toby Burnett (b. 1938):
My father, Tom Burnett, and his brother, John Burnett, were very close, yet there was a tremendous difference between them.
In my childhood, I grew up with both families. The Tom and John Burnetts lived only 3½ miles apart as the crow flies, but 10 miles by car (via Riverton) or 12 miles (via Strasburg). Once I hiked cross-country with my Boy Scout compass (swimming across the Shenandoah River).
We almost always spent Sundays together, and we were very close with our cousins. There was a one-for-one match:
Lois and Lucy
Charles and Toby
Bob and John Ira
Sharon and Trudy (now Trudi)
There was never a holiday that we did not celebrate together.
We never locked doors – either my family or the John Burnetts. You opened the door, hollered “Hello”, and went in. If no one was at home, then leave a note or whatever, and come back.
But Tom and John, close as they always were in their life, were very different. And that is best described by describing their parents.
In their later lives, Charles and Leora Burnett grew apart. Grandpa lived with John and Dot Burnett, and Lorrie lived with my family.
Lorrie took after her Speicher father (Tobias) and grandfather (John). John Speicher was the last owner of the sawmill and grist mill that was center of Shanksville. He also owned two farms, one to bequeath to each of his two sons (Tobias and William). It was said that any horse spending a night in Toby’s stables became much more valuable. Toby Speicher was not a horse trader – but he knew value, cared for it, and did not sell it for less than it was worth.
Grandpa (Charles William Burnett) was the grandson of Nathan Seal Burnett, a doctor and hospital administrator (in two wars). Many are the story I have been told of Grandpa wanting to be a “benefactor”, helping friends and neighbors. Those stories ended with Grandpa losing money.
In my childhood (1940s and 1950s), Dad was a contractor and employer. Money was tight! First obligation was to meet the payroll. Next, the business bills had to be paid, or there could be no more business. Then, the question often was, “Do I get this person to pay his bill, or does my family go without eating?” Guess which decision Dad made. We never went hungry, but we did not eat high on the hog, and there was almost never money for toys. Dad was scrupulously honest and fair, but he did not let anyone take advantage of him.
Now to Uncle John: There has never been a better man or Christian than my Uncle John. If there had been any miracles that could have been attributed to him, he would be a candidate for sainthood. But there are still lessons to be leaned. A story to illustrate: Some years ago, Uncle John felt he could use another man to help around the farm. So he rented Millie’s trailer to a man and woman. (Millie was Aunt Dot’s sister.) But the man did not work out. But Uncle John let them stay with no rent, even when the guy went away and left his woman there with children and friends. For years, Uncle John and Aunt Dot let them stay, rent free, with John and Dot paying for utilities (and even paying for repairs for water service). Not until Uncle John died in 2003 were the tenants evicted. At that time, the trailer was completely trashed. I suppose it was an expense to have it hauled off.
So I leave to each of you to decide how much of Father Tom and how much of Uncle John to emulate.
A specific lesson I leave for all of you, Never invite someone to come live with you, especially someone in the family, without a clear understanding of how long the visit will be or what will determine its length.
My father, Tom Burnett, and his brother, John Burnett, were very close, yet there was a tremendous difference between them.
In my childhood, I grew up with both families. The Tom and John Burnetts lived only 3½ miles apart as the crow flies, but 10 miles by car (via Riverton) or 12 miles (via Strasburg). Once I hiked cross-country with my Boy Scout compass (swimming across the Shenandoah River).
We almost always spent Sundays together, and we were very close with our cousins. There was a one-for-one match:
Lois and Lucy
Charles and Toby
Bob and John Ira
Sharon and Trudy (now Trudi)
There was never a holiday that we did not celebrate together.
We never locked doors – either my family or the John Burnetts. You opened the door, hollered “Hello”, and went in. If no one was at home, then leave a note or whatever, and come back.
But Tom and John, close as they always were in their life, were very different. And that is best described by describing their parents.
In their later lives, Charles and Leora Burnett grew apart. Grandpa lived with John and Dot Burnett, and Lorrie lived with my family.
Lorrie took after her Speicher father (Tobias) and grandfather (John). John Speicher was the last owner of the sawmill and grist mill that was center of Shanksville. He also owned two farms, one to bequeath to each of his two sons (Tobias and William). It was said that any horse spending a night in Toby’s stables became much more valuable. Toby Speicher was not a horse trader – but he knew value, cared for it, and did not sell it for less than it was worth.
Grandpa (Charles William Burnett) was the grandson of Nathan Seal Burnett, a doctor and hospital administrator (in two wars). Many are the story I have been told of Grandpa wanting to be a “benefactor”, helping friends and neighbors. Those stories ended with Grandpa losing money.
In my childhood (1940s and 1950s), Dad was a contractor and employer. Money was tight! First obligation was to meet the payroll. Next, the business bills had to be paid, or there could be no more business. Then, the question often was, “Do I get this person to pay his bill, or does my family go without eating?” Guess which decision Dad made. We never went hungry, but we did not eat high on the hog, and there was almost never money for toys. Dad was scrupulously honest and fair, but he did not let anyone take advantage of him.
Now to Uncle John: There has never been a better man or Christian than my Uncle John. If there had been any miracles that could have been attributed to him, he would be a candidate for sainthood. But there are still lessons to be leaned. A story to illustrate: Some years ago, Uncle John felt he could use another man to help around the farm. So he rented Millie’s trailer to a man and woman. (Millie was Aunt Dot’s sister.) But the man did not work out. But Uncle John let them stay with no rent, even when the guy went away and left his woman there with children and friends. For years, Uncle John and Aunt Dot let them stay, rent free, with John and Dot paying for utilities (and even paying for repairs for water service). Not until Uncle John died in 2003 were the tenants evicted. At that time, the trailer was completely trashed. I suppose it was an expense to have it hauled off.
So I leave to each of you to decide how much of Father Tom and how much of Uncle John to emulate.
A specific lesson I leave for all of you, Never invite someone to come live with you, especially someone in the family, without a clear understanding of how long the visit will be or what will determine its length.
2015-11-10
21st Century
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| 2015 Oct 30, at Memorial for Lucy Garmon. From left: Michael Carpenter, LoraKim Joyner, Avery Carpenter, Alizon Garmon, Leora Carpenter, Mary Sue Burnett, Nick Burnett, Yency Contreras, Mimi Garmon, Steven Meredith Garmon, Toby Burnett, Charles Burnett, Morgen Stevens-Garmon, Jacquie Burnett, Susan Burnett Safford, Kaye Stevens, John Stevens-Garmon, Tawny Elgatian |
Toby Burnett says:
Note that in the back row, the ties of both Steven Meredith Garmon and Charles Burnett present the Burnett colors, the plaid of the Scottish Burnett clan (a sub-clan of the Campbells who were mortal enemies of the McDonalds). Those ties were a present from Peg Burnett, mother of Lucy Burnett Garmon and myself. To my shame, in my old age and trip packing, I forgot my tie and had to wear a store-boughten tie. I am glad Meredith and Charles presented the Burnett colors at Lucy’s memorial.
As a post-script: The marriage of Lois Burnett, Lucy’s first cousin and childhood playmate, to Slim McDonald put an end to any Burnett-McDonald unfriendliness, at least in this country.
2015-11-05
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