VOLUME 46, NUMBER 4 WINTER 2019/2020 A.W. Jones Heritage Center COMMEMORATING THE 75TH ANNIVERSARY 610 Beachview Drive OF THE END OF WORLD WAR II St. Simons Island Admin Oces: 9 a.m. – 5 p.m., M-F Store: 10 a.m. – 5 p.m., M-Sat THE EPIC HUNT 12 p.m. – 5 p.m., Sun Lighthouse Museum FOR A LOST 101 12th Street St. Simons Island WORLD WAR II World War II AIRCRAFT CARRIER Home Front Museum 4201 1st Street, East Beach Annual Meeting and Lecture by award-winning St. Simons Island British journalist Ed Caesar Museum Hours of Operation 10 a.m. – 5 p.m., M-Sat 12 p.m. – 5 p.m., Sun Last tickets sold: 4:30 p.m. Museum Admission Fees Single Tickets $12 Adults $6 Ages 6-12 Combined Tickets $20 Adults $10 Ages 6-12 $2 Military discount with ID Children under 6 and Society members are admitted free of charge. ACCREDITED BY THE On September 15, 1942, in the South Pacific, three Japanese torpedoes slammed into the US aircraft carrier Wasp, setting o a series of explosions, followed by uncontrollable fires. Thirty-five minutes after impact, Captain Forest P. Sherman gave the order to abandon ship. The irreparably damaged ship drifted until nightfall, when the destroyer USS Lansdowne was ordered to torpedo and sink the IN THIS ISSUE Wasp. Almost 200 sailors The Epic Hunt for a Lost had perished. Among the WWII Aircraft Carrier 1-2 dead were young men from Membership Highlights 2 Atlanta, Dalton, and Tifton, Recollections with Amy Roberts 2 Georgia. Among the Honoring our Veterans 3 survivors was fighter pilot Museum News 3 David McCampbell, who Leaving a Lasting Mark 3 later became the U.S. Navy’s Event Rentals 3 all-time leading ace. Buddy Sullivan Course 4 Lecture and Book Earlier this year, the Signing 4 Calendar of Events 4 Research Vessel Petrel Exploring African located the Wasp, resting at American History in a depth of 13,800 feet in the Savannah, Georgia 5 On board the Petrel Coral Sea. Membership The Epic Hunt for a Lost Highlights! World War II Aircraft Carrier Thank you to those who have Continued From Front Cover generously upgraded their membership. At our Annual Meeting on Sunday, January 19, at The General Cloister, British journalist Ed Judy and Peter Aydelott—Lamplighter Caesar will describe the Marn Larsen-Ball—Family fascinating hunt for the carrier. Lillian Clarke—Curator Pamela and Simon Curtis—Family He spent two weeks with the Cay and George Ellis—Curator expedition and witnessed the Christina and Thomas Ernst—Assistant Keeper discovery of the Wasp. The Petrel Margaret and Douglas Hunt—Lamplighter was retrofitted by Microsoft Jim Lanier—Curator co-founder Paul Allen in 2016 to Mark Propst and Jim Wolf—Family Linda and Steve Smith—Family search for historically significant Terry Trotochaud—Curator wrecks located in deep waters and challenging conditions. Welcome New Members Ed Caesar Caesar is highly acclaimed for his Keeper of the Light in-depth feature stories on a wide variety of topics, including Leigh and Melvin Deese—Sustainer Russian oligarchs, African civil wars, and Stonehenge. He has Teresa and Jim Ervin—Sustainer contributed to The New Yorker, The New York Times Magazine, Donn Vecchie-Campbell—Sustainer The Atlantic, and Smithsonian. His award-winning book Two Hours: The Quest to Run the Impossible Marathon explores the General history, science and psychology of professional marathon Hugh Breslin—Individual running. Named the Foreign Press Association’s Journalist of the Larry Brown—Individual Year in 2014, he has won nine journalism awards. Russell Busbee—Individual Cherise Cartwright—Family Kathryn Cathey—Individual The Annual Meeting will be held Sunday, January 19, 2020 at 3 Sara and William Cook—Family p.m. at The Cloister on Sea Island. Society members attend the William Cope—Family meeting and lecture free of charge. The cost for non-members is Michelle DeHaven—Family $25. Registration is required by visiting Nancy and Charlie Drummond—Family Kristin and Larry Everson—Family coastalgeorgiahistory.org. Karen and Rich Fleming—Family Kim Friend—Individual Charles Jones—Family Carol and Stuart Kiernan—Family Jane Adams MacKenna—Individual Haile McCollum—Family Elizabeth and Johnathan Olson—Family Recollections with William Rawlings—Family Debbie Salyer—Individual Amy Roberts Memorial and Tribute Gifts On February 6 at 6 p.m., local historian Amy Roberts will pull In memory of Dr. Irwin Berman from her memory – and her new Mimi and John Rogers book – to discuss the African In memory of Janice Brothers American history of our area. Kathryn and Steven Brothers Patrick Holladay, co-author of Joseph Greenberg Gullah Geechee Heritage in the Joanne Johnson Golden Isles, will join Roberts in an Rita Purdy engaging conversation about the In memory of Edith and Earl Cook important cultural experiences Carol and Marc Lane they are working to preserve. Roberts is the Executive Director of the St. Simons African In honor of Sandy Jensen American Heritage Coalition. Holladay is President of the Friends Cherokee Garden Club of Harrington School and associate professor at Troy University. In memory of A.C. and Evelyn Oliver This presentation will be followed by a book signing and is free Betty Oliver and Robert Fischer and open to the public. Registration is required by visiting coastalgeorgiahistory.org. Bequest The Estate of Lee Scheinman 2 Honoring our Veterans Leave a Lasting Mark Naming opportunities are still available at the World War II Home Front Museum. They are a meaningful way to honor loved ones, while also celebrating and preserving the history of Coastal Georgia. Benches, trees, exhibits, and museum interactives are available for naming. All proceeds will fund an endowment to maintain the Coast Guard Station and Boathouse. Please contact our Membership/ Development Coordinator Nina Witman at (912) 634-7096 or at [email protected] if you are interested in learning more. The Society participated in Burroughs-Molette Event Rentals Elementary School’s Veterans Day Program on November 8, highlighting the role of the Coast Guard in keeping America safe. World War II Home Front Museum Site Manager Kim Campbell demonstrated the use of semaphore and signal flags to communicate in code, while Education Director Sandy Jensen assisted students in cracking a “secret message” and coloring their own unique symbol flags. Society member Emerson Mungin, Jr. also participated in the event. Mr. Mungin discussed his family’s role in the military, part of which is featured within the Home Front Museum. He urged the students to seek out the stories of veterans who are family members or friends. Looking for a perfect spot to host your next event? Don’t forget about our beautiful Event Hall inside the Museum News A.W. Jones Heritage Center! We can accommodate a variety of events—weddings, rehearsal dinners, lectures, board meetings, corporate meetings, bridal luncheons, and more! We work with four caterers exclusively, so no Both Museums and Museum matter your budget or taste, one of them will suit your Stores will be closed for needs. When you rent the Event Hall, tables and chairs maintenance and inventory are included, along with access to our kitchen, and the January 6 – 10. use of our grounds. You may also keep the Lighthouse open for your guests for a minimal fee. If you are interested in booking an event, please email our Events Coordinator, Jessica Aldridge, at [email protected]. 3 Buddy Sullivan Course Calendar An Overview of Coastal Georgia History of Buddy Sullivan will present his six-week history course Events on Tuesday afternoons January 14 – February 18, 2020, from 4 – 6 p.m. at the A.W. Jones Heritage Center. The Storytellers Program cost is $65 for CGHS members and $110 for Ongoing – Tuesdays 10 a.m. - 12 p.m. World War II Home Front Museum non-members. Registration is required by visiting coastalgeorgiahistory.org. Museums and Museum Stores Closed for Inventory and Maintenance Lecture and Book Signing January 6 - January 10 An Overview of Coastal Georgia History Donald L. Miller’s Vicksburg: Grant's January 14– February 18 Campaign That Broke the Confederacy Buddy Sullivan 4 – 6 p.m. • A.W. Jones Heritage Center Event Hall CGHS members $65; non-members $110 On Sunday, February 16, at 4 p.m., bestselling Annual Membership Meeting author Donald L. Miller, January 19 Ph.D., is returning to “The Epic Hunt for a Lost present a program on his World War II Aircraft Carrier” Ed Caesar latest book, Vicksburg: 3 – 4 p.m. • The Cloister at Sea Island Grant's Campaign That CGHS members free; non-members $25 Broke the Confederacy. This deeply researched Recollections and Book Signing history tells the February 6 fascinating story of the Gullah Geechee Heritage in the Golden Isles Amy Roberts and Patrick Holladay longest military campaign 6 p.m. • A.W. Jones Heritage Center of the Civil War, which Free Admission put the Mississippi River under Union control, split Super Museum Sunday the Confederacy, freed February 9 12 – 5 p.m. • Free admission in celebration of more than 100,000 slaves, and solidified the reputation the Georgia History Festival of General U. S. Grant. Thousands of Georgia troops fought for the Confederacy in this campaign. As Grant Lecture and Book Signing wrote in his memoirs, “The fate of the Confederacy was February 16 sealed when Vicksburg fell.” Vicksburg: Grant's Campaign That Broke the Confederacy Donald L. Miller Dr. Miller is the John Henry MacCracken Professor of 4 p.m. • A.W. Jones Heritage Center Free Admission History Emeritus at Lafayette College and author of ten books, including the critically acclaimed bestseller Exploring African American History Masters of the Air.