Highlights from the Highway

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The ride into Jacksonville went by rather quickly for me, as I was writing a paper for class. I officially put it off until the last second, so I had no choice. We got into Jacksonville in time for a late lunch and some chill time in the hotel. While we are having a great time, our bodies are starting to get tired from all the travel. So needless to say the chill time in the room was nice.

Joining us at the American Café tonight were Susan Peacock Griffith ’82, mother /daughter Elizabeth Williams Wright '38 and Alice Shinkos ’74. What a treat it was to meet all of them, especially the oldest alum on the tour. I found it most interesting to learn that Mrs. Wright’s mother was also a graduate of Shorter. In fact, Alice’s sister who still lives in Rome was too. How cool would it have been to have a picture of all those generations of Shorter graduates? While Alice was in Rome, she studied biology and art. She is still very passionate about art, and I am excited to see her website featuring all her current work. Susan, while I didn’t tell her this at dinner, reminded me a lot of my neighbor back home who I just adore. She has that presence about her that makes you instantly feel comfortable and like an old friend. I’m looking forward to seeing her on the Hill at homecoming in October!

After our dinner tonight, as we were walking towards the parking lot, we learned that Mrs. Wright’s husband and Alice’s two kids were actually having dinner below us the whole time. Upon meeting them, I saw one of the sweetest sights of the tour. As soon as Mr. Wright spotted Mrs. Wright he stretched out his arms and welcomed her over to the bench where he was seated. You could see the love they have for each other written all over their faces. That’s priceless in my book!

My shoutout for tonight goes to all of you out there actually reading these entries! I love getting messages letting me know you are following us. In a weird kind of way YOU are getting to take this journey with us too! Thanks for all the support friends!! Also, all these entries wouldn't be possible without Dana Thompson! An amazing person, she is also Shorter's web manager. Thank you Dana for all your behind the scenes work! You are truly a part of this team!

Till next time,

Rach

So i'm sitting here next to Rachel who has now written close to 8 pages for her recap on today's events. I'm pretty sure we've only spent six hours in Jacksonville....where is she getting her material?? Am I missing something??

This evening we had a small intimate dinner with three alums: Alice Shinkos ('74) and her mother Elizabeth Williams Wright ('38), and Susan Peacock Griffith ('84). We ate at the American Cafe in the Jacksonville Landing area. It was delish!

We talked for a little over two hours---and by "we" I mean not me. The way the table seating was set up, I sort of got squeezed into the corner and it was hard for me to participate in the conversations. But I WILL say that I had a good time being the listener. Sometimes its good to just sit back and listen to others around you. All three women had great stories to share about their days at Shorter. In fact I learned that Alice was Elizabeth's daughter and Elizabeth's mother had also gone to Shorter back in 1908 (I think was the year!). That was back when Shorter was not on the Hill, but in downtown Rome. I thought that was so neat that they made Shorter a family affair.

Alice Shinkos also has an art website (www.aliceshinkos.com) so check it out if you like art! She has loads of wonderful pieces for sale.

Well, it is late, and I must go to sleep. If you'd like a more detailed account of our day, please see Rachel's section of this live journal. :) We've got a busy day tomorrow, so it's sleepy time for moi.

Over and out,

Mal

Jacksonville got off to a bang...lightning that is. We had our first real storm of the trip, but luckily the rain stopped just before our event. Luckily that didn't discourage our alumni from coming out.

I was very fortunate to meet Elizabeth Williams Wright '38 and her daughter Alice Shinkos '74 both alumna. In addition, Mrs. Wright's mother was also an alum who attended classes when the college first moved to its present location in 1910. In fact, Mrs. Wright's mother painted a scene of the new Shorter Campus during that first year on the Hill that I would love to see one day. Mrs. Wright led a very interesting life as a botanist as well as working with the intelligence agencies during the war decoding messages. Alice Shinkos picked up a biology degree from Shorter and then came back several years later and received an Art degree as well. She is an artist in the Jacksonville area and is active with many arts programs in the area. Susan Peacock Griffith '82 is originally from the Rome area but moved to Jacksonville in the past several years. She is a very wise woman because she passed up scholarships at Berry to attend the more prestigious university across town. Susan has been following our Road Tour journal and it was great to know that folks are reading what we post.

Maybe in order to understand mankind, we have to look at the word itself: “Mankind”. Basically, it's made up of two separate words—“mank” and “ind”. What do these words mean? It's a mystery, and that's why so is mankind.