Heritage Sandy Springs announced its continuation of an educational program for adults, to be held on the first Tuesday evening of each month from 6:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. Titles @ Twilight promotes local authors, whose stories of history and the South represent a variety of topics from early aviation in Georgia to the memoirs of Jerry Lee Lewis’ child bride and cousin. Titles @ Twilight is free to attend and takes place in the Garden Room at the Williams-Payne House, 6075 Sandy Springs Circle, Sandy Springs, GA.
February 7: “A President in our Midst: Franklin Delano Roosevelt in Georgia” – Kaye Minchew
Minchew was the Executive Director of the Troup County Archives for over 30 years. Now retired, she serves as an archival consultant. Her book A President in our Midst details President FDR’s forty-one visits to Georgia between 1924 and 1945. A native New Yorker, FDR called Georgia his “other state.” Seeking relief from the devastating effects of polio, he was first drawn to Georgia by the reputed healing powers of the waters at Warm Springs.
March 7: “Suffer & Grow Strong: The Life of Ella Gertrude Clanton Thomas” – Carolyn Curry
Curry received her Ph.D. in History from Georgia State University, and has since taught at the University of Kentucky and Westminster Schools. Currently she serves as the Founder and Director of Women Alone Together, a non-profit that works to build confidence and community among the growing number of women who are alone in our culture because of death, divorce, separation, estrangement, or being single by choice. The inspirational woman Ella Gertrude began keeping a diary at fourteen. The Civil War and its aftermath changed her life forever. She experienced poverty, illness, and devastating family strife. She saw four of her ten children die. She grew to question the “peculiar institution” upon which the antebellum South was built and, in her later years, she became a leading voice in the suffrage and temperance movements.
April 4: “To Lasso the Clouds: The Beginning of Aviation in Georgia” – Dan A. Aldridge, Jr.
Vice President of the Friends of Georgia Libraries, Aldridge tells the story of the first airplane flight in Georgia. Epps and Zumpt A. Huff, brothers from Athens, GA, were described by a contemporary newspaper as a “second pair of Wright brothers.” Most surprising of all, Aldridge’s book reveals that their flight was the first flight of a monoplane in the United States – a record of which even they were not aware.
May 2: “The Spark that Survived” – Linda Hughes and Myra Lewis Williams
Singer-songwriter Jerry Lee Lewis’ former child bride and cousin presents her own memoir in an unflinching, down-to-earth, Southern storytelling sort of way that reveals how she crawled out of the darkness and came to stand in the light of building a new life for herself. Myra hopes that her story will show women that they are stronger than they know.
June 6: “Mom’s Soul Café” – Jennifer Webb
Webb began mindful meditation practice in 2008. The discipline and personal benefits of meditation and mindful living encouraged her to share her practice with others through her book Mom’s Soul Café, where she weaves stories of motherhood and the soul in a unique and inspiring way.
For more information about Titles @ Twilight, contact Melissa Swindell, Director of Historic Resources and Education Programs, at mswindell@heritagesandysprings.org or 404-851-9111 x2.
About Heritage Sandy Springs
Heritage Sandy Springs is a nonprofit organization dedicated to promoting history, stewarding a community park, and enhancing the cultural identity of Sandy Springs. Through partnership with the City of Sandy Springs, Heritage Sandy Springs manages and operates the Heritage Green park site in the heart of the City. Heritage Green is the home of the original springs, the Sandy Springs Society Entertainment Lawn, and the Heritage Sandy Springs Museum at the Williams-Payne House. Heritage Green is one of the few precious green spaces within the city limits and the only gathering spot in the heart of Sandy Springs. A true “people’s park”, Heritage Sandy Springs enriches the quality of life for Sandy Springs residents and visitors through recreational, historical, and educational opportunities.
