Wednesday, May 25, 2005 | ||
Bad Links? | Reeves gives talk at WhitewaterBy Michael J. Thompson Joyce Blake's seventh-grade Whitewater Middle School connections class was treated Monday to a guest lecture by area resident Frances Reeves. Reeves, 84, who has been a Fayetteville resident since 1949, spoke to the students about Georgia's early history as a colony to the formation of the Fayette County in 1821 and highlighted some of the recent history of the area. "During Prohibition, Fayette County got a reputation for being the whiskey supplier of Atlanta," she said. She is the author of the pamphlet, "A Short History of Fayette County, Georgia, 1821-1977," and the students read that book as part of their connections class, Blake said. "The class concentrates on the study of cities, and we start with ancient cities and make our way up to contemporary American cities and then finish with a study of Fayetteville,"said Blake. During her talk students asked questions about Reeves younger days and what it was like for her growing up. "I was just in Best Buy the other day, and saw these tiny cell phones and plasma television sets; in my day, we didn't even have television," she said. When Reeves moved her in late 1940s, she said the entire county was politically Democrat, and that you could count the Republicans on two hands. Blake then said,"Now, the reverse is true, as this county is a Republican bastion." A student asked her what the biggest change was since she has lived in the county and Reeves smiled and said, "Traffic." After her speech ended, Reeves said her favorite thing about speaking to the students was to answer their questions and help them better understand the history of the county. "This is a different world that they live in, then when I grew up," she said. In some ways, I'm a fossil. This is the fourth time this year she has spoken to students. "It is something I really enjoy doing," she said. |
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