In 1985, the year that I was president of the Floyd County Democratic Association, Secretary of State Max Cleland was kind enough to inscribe a portrait of himself to me. Although he and I are not directly related to my knowledge I think our families have some connections. My Shaws and the Cleland's lived in the Lithonia area. My grandfather's first cousin Lou Shaw married a Cleland. So I suspect our families are connected by marriage at least, but I have not established the link. So, when I was working on my "family tree" I called Max's father, Joseph Hughie Cleland, and had a great time talking with him by phone about our possible family connections. He was a very friendly, articulate, and knowledgeable fellow. We were both pretty sure there was a connection, but did not get it figured out.
