News: Ruth Shaw Retirement

Unknown date 1993

 

At Grantville with Mama Shaw

L-R: James Edward Shaw, Carol Shaw Johnston, Lillian Ophelia Wilkerson Shaw, Sheila Ann Matthews Shaw

 

Gleaning Facebook: Mama Shaw's 90th Birthday

 My grandmother, Lillian Ophelia Wilkerson Shaw - "Mama Shaw" - in the polka-dotted dress and red corsage, at her ninetieth birthday celebration surrounded by thirty of her direct descendants. 1992.

Time Machine: 1992 Clinton Gore Campaign

 

In 1992 Brannon and I campaigned for Clinton & Gore. Here we are at Rome’s Democratic HQ with Senator & Mrs. Al Gore Sr. He spoke at the Floyd County Jefferson Jackson Dinner that year. I will correct to the actual date when I can.

Time Machine: Father's Day 1992

 

Christmas 1991 Shaw Family

 

Lillian: Some Spots

 A very deliberate artwork she entitled "Some Spots" and presented to her Papa (me).

Time Machine: "My Family" by Lillian

 

Christmas 1990

 

Time Machine: Brannon writes from Tallahassee

 

Brannon spent a few days on her own with her grandparents in Tallahassee just before her seventh birthday. Here is her letter home.

Charmaine & Jack's Wedding

 Under construction

Charmaine wore the same dress that many of our family members used, beginning with her mother, Janice in 1961.

Chubbtown

Democrat of the Year

Rome News-Tribune, Sunday, April 1, 1990, page 1

Newspaper Archive: Democrat of the Year

The date of publication is only a coincidence, I promise. I have the framed award to prove it!

Tony Pope, my fellow McHenry School faulty alumnus and also Rome History Center worker, found this old clipping and sent it to me on Dec. 10, 2022, and I put it in the time machine and returned it here to 1990. In 2022 the Floyd County Democratic Association will have been incorporated into a single Floyd County Democratic Party organization and the Jefferson Jackson Dinner will have been replaced by the Georgia Giants Dinner. And 32 more years will have passed.

 

Happy Sixth Birthday Brannon!

 

Time Machine: Dear Family...

This date is a guess. I wish there were a date on this letter I found among my Mother's correspondence. I suspect Brannon dictated this to me when she was 4-6 years old. It was written before she totally gave up calling me "Papa" under the influence of her "Kid's Stop" and McHenry kindergarten friends who called their fathers "Daddy".

One of the things she describes is what she and I called "acrobatics". It began with her cousin Larisa in the early eighties and has continued to the present (2023) with any 5-7 year-olds in the family. The child runs across the yard toward me from the side as I project both forearms before me . The child grabs my left arm, swings his/her legs up and over my right arm to swing by the knees till I bring him/her back upright and she/he dismounts with a grand smile and a shouted "Ta-dah!" Clemmie, Ruth, and I have just recently given it a try.

Those dance positions were an obsession for a while.

Brannon also mentions our stories. I used to invent impromptu and at least partly plagiarized stories usually starring Brannon and/or Lillian and other friends and relatives. I had totally forgotten "Terry and the Dinosaur" -- I have no idea of the plot. I vaguely remember a whole series of stories inspired by C.S. Lewis's Narnia series. On the spur of the moment I named our fantasyland Tanzania. Later, as new episodes were demanded, I tried to slightly alter the name so that it wouldn't share a name with a real location! I remember that instead of a wardrobe entry our first and most frequent door to "Tanzintennia" (or something like that) was a bottomless tide pool at the beach. Under certain conditions when we jumped into the pool we'd just pass right out of its bottom into a new land. But sometimes we made our imaginary way through the crawlspace behind the wall of the girls attic bedrooms and other surprise fantastic portals. 

I don't remember "the Sad Part". 

I suspect the stories were pretty lame but Brannon and Lillian loved them. 

Jackson Irvin Baird

 

Jack Baird and Porterdale friends in Atlanta

Jack Baird, one of my mother's older brothers.

Jack Baird and his wife Georgia

Time Machine: Trinity Kids c. 1989

Copied from Carol Payne's Facebook, February 9, 2017

That's my baby on the left and little Lisette next to her.

Time Machine: Brannon's Art at Five

The caption I wrote for Brannon on this kindergarten masterpiece: "Lillian pulling up holding Papa's fingers - 1-29-89
6 mos. 2 days old - by Brannon"

Abiyoyo by Pete Seeger was a story I often told Brannon. Here she drew "Obie Yoyo" chasing her cousin Amanda.

Another of her favorite storybooks was The Hungry Thing. Here she illustrates that story.

 

Lillian & Lillian

 This picture is labeled:

Lillian Matthews Shaw (5 most.)

Lillian Wilkerson Shaw (87)

Christmas 1988

My grandmother and her namesake on about this date. This is taken at the Shaw house on Main Street in Milstead, Georgia. I now (2024) have one or two of those doves for our Christmas Tree though they are a little worse for many years wear and tear.

Time Machine: Democratic County Committee

An election I actually won! 

 

Time Machine: Laurie's Gift for Lillian

On about this date, Laurie Craw painted this watercolor to commemorate the birth of Lillian Matthews Shaw. Thanks, Laurie! 

Time Machine: Lillian Matthews Shaw

(Comments are from 2019)

On this day in 1988 a great blessing entered my life. Lillian Shaw you were and are a great joy to your ol’ man. I am so happy for the person you have become. You are thoughtful, talented, kind, and loving. You are wonderful writer, an amazing actress and singer, and, dadgum it, a doggone good dancer too!

I learned that day that the human heart is greatly expandable. My heart was bulging with love for he bookends in this picture just a few minutes before, then like magic it expanded to love the bundle in the middle no less than the other two.

On the phone with Granny and Granddaddy.

 

I was so proud of yo' Mama! Lordy that beautiful woman worked to get you here. Labor ain't called that for no reason.

Brannon was so sleepy, and so happy to have a little sister! BUT she did sneeze right in your face to introduce herself.

How I love this photo.

I love you, yes I do, I love you… beyond words.

This delivery room nurse was wonderful. She had also been on duty five years before for the birth of our elder daughter Brannon Shaw! We were glad to see a familiar face.

Lillian Matthews Shaw