Year in Review 2022

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Atlanta Grade School Friends

YEAR IN REVIEW 2022

Restoring, Renovating and Re imagining a WPA era Icon

THANKS TO OUR GENEROUS DONORS, VOLUNTEERS, AND PARTNERS

WE ARE PLEASED TO SHARE A FEW OF THE MANY THINGS

THAT HAVE MADE THIS YEAR SO SPECIAL FOR ATLANTA GRADE SCHOOL FRIENDS

Happy New Year!

“Volunteers are the only human beings on the face of the earth who reflect this nation’s compassion, unselfish caring, patience, and just plain loving one another.”
Erma Bombeck, American writer (1927-1996)

Board of Directors 2022 | Thank You!

Jane Cook Barnhill, President

Kevin Stingley, Vice President

Danny Stanley, Treasurer

Cyndy Vaughan Chamblee, Secretary

Lee Ellen Arnold Benjamin | Camille Smith Dawn

Tammie Duncan | Gary Endsley | James Joslin

Judy Waldon Lanier | Margaret Miller-Fitts

Donna Rice | Phil Rice | Leigh Walker Stanley

Jerri Mason Steger

We Learned a Lot About Ourselves This Year

This year, we took the time to count our volunteer hours. Volunteers saved AtlantaMiller Grade School from destruction. They painstakingly removed debris and stabilized the building. They added important safety features, and this year, Atlanta Grade School Friends acquired the property next door to pave the way for an off-street parking lot.

Volunteers have remained active in fundraising and promoting the restoration project, for which we are forever grateful!

A New Long-range Plan Guides Us

and We Welcomed a New Architect

Stanley O. Graves, Senior Principal Architexas | architexas.com

Stan’s addition to the Atlanta Grade School Friends team means our WPAera school building will become one of the finest restoration projects of its kind in Texas.

We Rallied New Champions to Our Cause

Jim Steely, a 6th generation Texan from East Texas, shared his expertise in WPA-era architecture with us by authoring one of our enewsletter articles this year. Jim has a distinguished twenty-year long career at the Texas Historical Commission, and he is the author of several books on Texas history and architecture. Our dialogue continues.

New Campaign Theme | Three Rs: Restore, Renovate, and Re-Imagine an Historic Icon

Phase I: Restore (2001 to 2021)

• Now complete, the school was saved from destruction, cleared of debris, and stabilized

Phase II: Renovate (2022 to 2025)

• Organizational infrastructure improvements, fundraising campaign organization, groundbreaking and construction, with educational offerings planned

Phase III: Re-imagine (2026 to 2036)

• Grand opening, planning for 100th anniversary in 2036, first employee sought and hired, community activities scheduled and managed going forward

Community Endorsements and Teamwork

We wish to thank the following for so graciously lending their endorsement to Atlanta Grade School Friends and occasionally, an extra hand. It means more than you know!

❖ M. James Brooks IV, Mayor, City of Atlanta

❖ Donna and Tom Caver

❖ Nancy Coe and 903 Artisans

❖ Ricky Dickson, CEO and President, Blue Bell Creameries, L.P.

❖ Gary Endsley, Director, Collins Academy

❖ Jason Harris, Superintendent, Atlanta Independent School District

❖ Sidney Harrist, Retired Superintendent, Atlanta Independent School District

❖ Del Polikretis, Texas Forest Trail

❖ The Honorable R. Travis Ransom, County Judge, Cass County

❖ Lynne Spivey

❖ Carolyn Thompson, Branch Manager, 1st National Bank Atlanta

❖ Edward R. Stanley, CEO and Founder, Stanco Manufacturing, Inc.

New Website

atlantagradeschoolfriends.org

Modernized after 20 years, the new website is more secure, and it provides:

• Thanks to our supporters past and present

• History, mission, and future plans

• Historic photo gallery

• MailChimp e-newsletter sign up

• Qgiv online giving

• Contact form Thanks to Chris Wood, owner of HandsomeWeb and Atlanta-Miller Grade School alumnus

We Enhanced Our Organizational Infrastructure

New Monthly E-newsletters Sign Up on MailChimp!
New YouTube Channel: Telling Our Story Visually youtube.com/@atlantagradeschoolfriends

New Flagpole Dedicated and Texas Historical Commission Marker Installed | August 2022

The flagpole was donated in memory of Mrs. Jay Sterling "Shirley" Clements by her family.

Cooking Up Memories | 2022 Cookbook

Thanks to the Cookbook Committee for its outstanding work!

o Margaret Miller-Fitts, Chair

o Cyndy Vaughan Chamblee

o Camille Smith Dawn

o Judy Waldon Lanier

o Leigh Walker Stanley

o Jerri Mason Steger

We Shared Our Story During Founders Day Atlanta’s 150th Anniversary | September 2022

In Memoriam

Amidst the exciting changes underway, we regret the loss of three friends: Angela Heath Barnes, Robert William

(Bob) Grabarschick and Mary Nell Tyson.

We are grateful for their friendship and support through the years.

Thank You for Supporting Atlanta Grade School Friends This Year

John Barnhill and Jane Cook Barnhill

The Summerlee Foundation

AHS Class of ‘71 in memory of Terry Thompson

AHS Class of '74 in memory of Lee Ann Smith

AHS Class ‘74 Bunko Girls in memory of Angela Heath Barnes

Bobby Allday

Carolyn M. Appleton and Toni Turner in honor of Jane Cook Barnhill

Kim Babb

Susan Bedier

Lee Ellen Arnold Benjamin

Gary Boland

Julie Braddock

Michelle Brock in honor of Jane Cook Barnhill

Becky Burrows

Princess Cameron

DaWayne and Eileen Capps

Gerri Carlise

Donna and Tom Caver

Chair-ish Auction, Nancy Coe, JDT Memorial Foundation and 903 Artisans

Sarah Childress in memory of Shirley Clements

Jay Stirling Clements and Family

Debbie Cockerman

CL Collins Enterprises and Bob’s Printing

Dwain Currie in honor of Marilyn and Sonya Felkins

Tom and Peggy Currie in honor of Jane Cook Barnhill

Mary Dowd

Duncan Family in memory of Neal Peacock

Tammie Duncan in memory of Angela Heath Barnes

Mary Jane Dunnam

Amanda Ellis in memory of John Pierce Ellis

Sherry Estes

Bill and Rosalie Griffin

Sherry and Ricky Griffin

Marsha Hagin

Tresa Hall

Jan Hamilton in memory of Katherine Stubbs

Donna Hanner

Tommie Hannon in honor of the Class of 1958

Debbie and Bill Henson

Joan J. Holton

Sandra Dees Howell

George Hudspeth

Mary Garrett Jackson

Doris Johnson

Dr. A. B. Jordan, Jr.

James Joslin in honor of Katherine Stubbs

Reese Lockett

Gary Lovelace

Meg McGoogan

Margaret Miller-Fitts in memory of Angela Heath Barnes

Margaret Miller-Fitts in memory of Shirley Clements

Margaret Miller-Fitts in memory of Terry Thompson

Paul M. and Nalga Jane Mebane

Joanie Miller in memory of Martin Miller

Mary Lynn Miller-Sopher

David Nichols

David Nichols in memory of Katherine Stubbs

Mr. and Mrs. Travis Partain

Kathy Peacock in memory of Dr. John Haynes

Henry Quinn

Julie Barr Rhodes in memory of Shirley Clements

Mary Ruth Roberts-Hudson

Diane Nichols Rogers

Glenda S. Sanders

Sandra Ragsdale Sanders

Donald Sherman

Lisa Sloterdijk

Eddie Ray and Charlotte Stanley

Debra Ragsdale Venn

Walmart of Atlanta, Texas

George Welch

Dr. John C. Wilkey and Stephanie Smith-Wilkey

Chris Wood and HandsomeWeb

Kathy Wren in memory of Shirley Clements

Atlanta Grade School Friends

“LET US BE GRATEFUL TO PEOPLE WHO MAKE US HAPPY, THEY ARE THE CHARMING GARDENERS WHO MAKE OUR SOULS BLOSSOM.”

MARCEL PROUST, AUTHOR (1871-1922)

Contact Us WEBSITE | ATLANTAGRADESCHOOLFRIENDS.ORG EMAIL | ATLANTAGRADESCHOOLFRIENDS@GMAIL.COM FACEBOOK | FACEBOOK.COM/ATLANTAGRADESCHOOLFRIENDS YOUTUBE | YOUTUBE.COM/@ATLANTAGRADESCHOOLFRIENDS Fundraising and communications provided by Carolyn M. Appleton and Toni S. Turner

Updated January 2023

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