Grace Notes - Memphis Scottish Society

Grace Notes
Newsletter of the Memphis Scottish Societ y, Inc.
Vol. 31 No. 9 • Se ptember 2015
From the President
Memphis
Scottish
Society, Inc.
Board
President
John Schultz
901 754-2419
john.schultz@memphisscots.com
Vice President
Robert Hawks
901 857-1520
robert.hawks@memphisscots.com
Treasurer
George Malone
901 385-1938
george.malone@memphisscots.com
Secretary
Joe Lyle
901 754-1811
The Memphis Scottish Society was at the Mid-South Renaissance Faire
for the first weekend. George Malone and Phyllis Davis where there
from opening to closing both days. Also helping were Wes Kirkpatrick,
John and Kathy Schultz, Nancy Shields, and Amelia Rose-Tummalipalli
and her daughters. It seemed to hit a sweet spot between Highland
Games and local city festivals in having a good number of people
interested in Scotland who live in the Memphis area.
Our Memphis Scottish Country Dancers were also there Saturday
morning with two demonstrations of simple dances done to Renaissance
era Playford tunes.
An interesting event occurred when when one group of the
entertainers, “Haggis Rampant” of New Orleans, came by. Upon seeing
the Burns Nicht flyer on the table, they launched in to a “Haggis off.”
Several of us joined in and matched them verse for verse on Burns’s
“To a Haggis.” Too bad nobody got a video of it!
September Meeting
Melissa Gibson will present the program at the September meeting
of the Memphis Scottish Society. The topic is Aspects of Early Celtic
Life. As you may remember, Seldon Murray taught a class at Rhodes
on Early Celtic Christianity, and he is graciously sharing his notes and
pictures from the first few classes.
joe.lyle@memphisscots.com
Members at Large
Kent McAden
901 509-7701
kent.mcaden@memphisscots.com
Joyce Varner
901 382-3640
joyce.varner@memphisscots.com
Debby Sellmansberger
901 465-4739
debby.sellmansberger
@memphisscots.com
Tennessee Tartan. Created by the Heart of Tennessee Scottish Celebration as a State tartan. Passed by Tennessee Public Acts 1999,
Chapter No.82, Senate Bill No. 73. The source of the tartan 2526 was: Bill Bickford of the Tennessee Tartan Committee.
Memphis Scottish Society, Inc.
Burns
Nicht Ticket Order
___ General Admission: $55
___ Patrons: $75 (Preferential seating, private
reception and whisky tasting 6:30-8:30
Jan 15th at the home of Greg and Ellen Koziel,
341 Grandview Street, Memphis)
___ Benefactors: $100 (Patron benefits,
plus acknowledgment in program)
___ Table of 8: $400
Name(s): ________________________________
Address: ________________________________
ty fosters education
and good City, State, ZIP+4:
Tennessee area
________________________________________
ritage and other
h matters,
Memphis Scottish
Scottish Society’s
Society’s
Memphis
33nd
33nd Annual
Annual
Burns Nicht
Nicht Dinner
Dinner
Burns
Telephone: _____________________________
their Scottish
Email: _________________________________
January 23,
23, 2016
2016
January
h similar groups in
e general public
ottish heritage.
zations and
it of education and
ottish heritage.
Memphis Scottish Society, Inc.
P.O. Box 770028
Memphis, TN 38177-0028
the Memphis Check
area or money order, made to Memphis Scotvoted to certain
tish Society, Inc., must be received by January 13,
, traditions, history,
2016.Mail to:
Woodland Hills
Hills Event
Event Center
Center
Woodland
10000 Woodland
Woodland Hills
Hills Dr,
Dr,
10000
Cordova, Tennessee
Tennessee
Cordova,
MSSI, 10134 Serenity Dr.,
Lakeland, TN 38002.
Grace Notes
Grace Notes is the official publication of the Memphis Scottish Society, Inc. It is published monthly.
Like the Society itself, the credo of Grace Notes is
“to foster education and promote understanding
of things Scottish.”
If you have something of interest to readers
of this newsletter, please submit a typewritten
manuscript to the editorial staff. If the article or
notice is very brief (30 words or fewer), e-mail
or just use the telephone. Grace Notes will accept
and publish good quality photographs.
The deadline for all submissions is the fourth
week of each month preceding the month of
publication. Please include a self-addressed
stamped envelope with each submission, if you
want the material returned.
Editorial Staff
Doors open
open at
at 6:00
6:00 PM
PM
Doors
Program begins
begins 7:00
7:00 PM
PM
Program
Melissa Gibson
Editor, (901-299-3170)
melissa.gibson@memphisscots.com
Sammy Rich
Publisher, (901-496-2193)
sammy.rich@memphisscots.com
Gavin Anderson
Circulation Editor, (901-485-8270)
gavin.anderson@memphisscots.com
Karen English
Circulation Editor, (901-396-9134)
karen.english@memphisscots.com
info@memphisscots.com
2
to foster education
and promote understanding
of things Scottish
Please address all correspondence to:
Grace Notes
The Memphis Scottish Society, Inc.
gracenotes@memphisscots.com
P. O. Box 770028
Memphis, TN 38177-0028
Thistle Cottage News
give you some success stories. Some, of course teach at
universities, but some with masters degrees have become
the important administrators of Scottish Historical sites.
One is the woman who ran Dunfermline’s Abbott
House for a while. Some have become the company
historians for large corporations like FEDEX in Europe
and such; others have become librarians and researchers
at archival institutes, two are at the University of St
Andrews. Others are simply knowledgable librarians or
researchers. One gent works for ancestry.com. These are
not positions that offer huge salaries, but they provide
comfortable livings. One of the most successful people
I know lives next door to my home in Scotland. He
is an American lawyer who studied British law, and
he is married to one of the Scottish representatives to
the European Union, who is his wife. As such, he not
only practices Scottish law, but also takes care of the
kids whilst mom is in Belgium conducting important
business and wrangling over the future of Greece!
I am going to start by being quite serious....
Several years ago the MSSI gave me a scholarship to
attend the University of Guelph in Canada, which was
and still is the only university in North America that
offers graduate degrees in Scottish Studies (history,
literature, government, law, etc.). These subjects
all result in Masters and PhD degrees in Scottish
history, and they are examples of the types of focus
a student can take. There is a university in the US,
namely Old Dominion University, that does offer an
undergraduate degree in Scottish History. But that is
about all we have on this continent to get young people
interested in Scottish history. There are other inroads:
architecture, international business, international law,
language studies, and so forth. But getting young
people interested in “Scottish-ness” is not easy nor is
it necessarily profitable for them. One must love what
one does and this is how it has worked for me. I am
fortunate in that I have a nice pension that allows me
to do what I love and still get by.
In the end, what I would say is that the most important
job qualification is that the person seeking these sorts of
positions must have a love for what he or she does. A
business course here or there certainly helps, and some
beginner law classes are also
a must. It is not easy being an
American trying to become a
part of the Scottish fabric.
Sammy asked me how a student becomes interested
in or can be encouraged to pursue a degree in Scottish
Studies, and I would say that in this day and age of
computers and hi-tech jobs that
this is difficult, and the monetary
potential is fading. Quite honestly,
a student must first have a love
for things Scottish and how that is
achieved is very random. For me
it was my father’s love of bagpipe
music. He was a businessman,
but every project he did in our
house was done to the Black
Watch pipes and drums. He
took me a time or two to see the
Black Watch perform at our local
venues. But it was not until much
later that my interest bloomed. In
university I loved history, and at
one point wanted to go into law.
But the day I graduated, I knew
I could not leave history and
literature behind. I stayed with
“humanities” because I loved
them and if you love what you
do, I believe you find a way to
make it work.
So play bagpipes for your
kids or grandkids, get them
a kilt, moreover... take them
to Scotland many times.
In some respects this is a
call to all who have interest in
things Scottish, but it should
be said that there are many of
us still trodding on to make
Scotland’s history its own,
outside of England’s history,
which it is not.
Thanks so much
Susan Murray (did you
know the name Murray or
Murie comes from Moray?
There was a famous Murray
who had quite a bit to do with
William Wallace... see what
you find.)
That having been said, I want to
3
The Kirking of our Episcopal Church
Saint Elisabeth’s Episcopal Church
6033 Old Brownsville Road
Bartlett, Tennessee
We are going to celebrate our heritage as people of
in our borders now than ever before in the history of
our nation. Diversity can mean growth and perhaps the
Kirkin’ may be a way to bridge by finding our common
dedication. The heart of every Kirkin’ o’ the Tartans
service is the Presentation of the Tartans of the Clan,
Regiment and/or Region.... a constant symbol of the
rededication of Scots folk everywhere to the service
of our Heavenly Father. Yet, the Kirkin’ o’ the Tartans
always serves as an exercise for all peoples, all faiths
--- enhanced by such wonderful
elements as the singing of the
Psalms, the dignity, honor
and sacrosanctness of the
Presentation, and the close
bonds of fellowship shared by
those who become a part of this
very unique, extremely reverent
ceremony.
God with a “Kirkin of the Tartans” on Sunday, September
20, 2015 at the 11:00 AM Sunday service.
The Reverend Dr. Peter Marshall celebrated the first
“Kirkin of the Tartans” on April 27, 1941. The event
took place in Washington, DC, at the New York Avenue
Presbyterian Church. At the time, Dr. Marshall -himself
a native Scotsman, having been born in Glasgow - was
pastor and presided at the first
Kirkin’ O’ the Tartans in the U.S A.
Dr. Marshall was named the very
first Chaplain of the United States
Senate --- a post he would hold for
what proved to be the final three
years of his life. One could say the
tradition behind what is now known
as Kirkin’ O’ the Tartans is neither
very long, nor altogether Scottish.
While Scottish traditions scan many
centuries, this unique service is
strictly American.
With all of this in mind on
Sunday, September 20, we will
celebrate our third Kirking of
the Tartans at St. Elisabeth’s
with the Wolf River Pipes and
Drums playing for us. We will
have snare drums, a bass drum,
and number of bagpipers. For
those who have never been around bagpipes, we easily
will be heard outside, even with the doors closed.
There were more non-Scots
than Scots at the first “Kirkin’” in
Washington, DC. This is itself a very
Scottish thing since the Scots are a
mix of peoples: Picts, Angles, and Scots from Ireland,
Britons, and Scandinavians, to name a few. So, whether
you think of yourself as Scottish or not, the variety of
our ethnic origins is symbolic of the mix of peoples that
make up Scotland. The church when occupied by people
of different origins bespeaks our common standing
before the one God in Whom “we live, and move, and
have our being.” This is what Dr. Marshall sought
through the Kirkin’, to unite not only members of his
church but the country as a whole. While the US was
not yet in WWII it was apparent to many that it would
be forced upon it and unity must prevail. The United
States then as now was a diverse lot. More religious,
ethnic and racial groups as well as political views exist
Samuel Seabury was elected to become the first Bishop
in a new church. Of course, the community had been
around 177 years and had hundreds of buildings, but the
Church of England could not exist in a brand new and
free nation. So, after the War of Independence ended,
a group of ten priests elected Samuel Seabury to go to
England to be consecrated bishop. The only problem
was that no English bishops would ordain him unless he
swore an oath of allegiance to King George III. Seabury
declined to make such a pledge after seven years of
war against that particular monarch and made his way
north. The Episcopal Church of Scotland (notice the
4
name) had a group of bishops that saw an opportunity.
In Aberdeen, Scotland, on November 14, 1784, Samuel
Seabury was ordained the first bishop in the American
Succession on the condition that the new church would
use the Scottish Episcopal communion prayer instead
of the Anglican version.
In other words, our family tree goes first through
Scotland and then to Canterbury. This is why we are
the Episcopal Church and not Anglican Church of
America, why we have nine white crosses in the shape
of St. Andrew’s Cross on a blue field on our shield (the
flag of Scotland), and why our service has always been
different from the rest of the Anglican Communion.
The nine crosses represent the first nine dioceses of our
new church. So, we are celebrating this Kirking of the
Tartans because our church traces its roots to Aberdeen
and because a kirking is always about family. With the
permission of our bishop, we will be using that original
1790 Book of Common Prayer and the Scottish Communion
Rite. We will have a small army of bagpipers and drums.
We will be parading banners and kirking (blessing and
praying for) our families, from every corner of the globe,
present and absent alike. And for all of those reasons,
for history, for fun, and for family, this is going to be
loud.
Everyone is invited to this wonderful service! We will
have extra tartan banners available for people to carry
if they do not have one of their own. The Church is at
the corner of Billy Maher and Old Brownsville Road
in Bartlett.
Bartlett Fall Festival
The annual Bartlett Fall Festival will be held in Freeman Park on 25 September, from 6:00 to 9:30 pm, and on
Saturday, 26 September, from 9:30 am to 5:00 pm. Freeman Park is located on Bartlett Blvd, south of Hwy 64.
Set-up will be on Friday, from 8:00 am to 4:00 pm. Enter through the main gate off Bartlett Blvd. and check
in with the officials. All moving vehicles must be out by 5:00 pm. Our booth site is #32, located on the right
side (north) about halfway down the main paved strip. George Malone will bring the tent, table, and other
materials and plans to be at the park at 2:00 pm. Help setting up the tent and booth shouldn’t take very long
and will be very much appreciated.
On Saturday, those manning the booth will have a parking pass to park for free on the far west side of the
park, behind the ball fields. To get there, from Bartlett Blvd., turn west on Magnolia Woods, which is the
residential street just south of the main park entrance. Follow it all the way to the back of the neighborhood
which will connect you to the park. If you need to drive to our booth to drop something off on Saturday, you
must do so before 8:00 am.
Although not as strict as the Renaissance Faire, please wear some kind of Scottish attire. Golf shirts or T-shirts
with a kilt is sufficient.
Those who plan to help man the booth on Saturday, see George Malone at our next regular meeting so he
can give you your parking pass. Thanks. George
5
Collierville Teen Shares Talents
with the Community
Scottish Traditional Music
Hall of Fame Dinner 2015
Storytelling has impacted cultures all over the Earth
for centuries ranging from dinner-table conversation
to public speaking forums. Capturing these tales
developed much later as humans progressed, learned,
and understood the value of the written word.
Collierville resident, Joisinga Noble, began storytelling
in the traditional way sharing stories with her family at
four years of age. Now at fifteen, Joisinga has written
a series of books, leads storytime for area children and
has plans to share stories for many years to come.
Are you coming?
The Scottish Traditional Music Hall of Fame
Performers Dinner is on September 11th in Inverness
Airport this year. As usual it will be a special
celebration of some of Scotland’s finest musicians
and singers with music from Rona Lightfoot and
students from the Music HNC course at University
of the Highlands and Islands.
The inductees are:
Her series, A Small Mouse with a Diary, chronicles the
lives of a family of mice who live in Joisinga’s home.
There are currently four books in the series, which she
began writing at age ten. The Diary of Martha Mouse,
her first book, was a 5,000-word story created for
the Young Writers Program with the National Novel
Writing Month in 2010.
Ossian
The Singing Kettle
Seonaidh Macmillan
Maureen Jelks
Violet Tulloch
Willie Scott
“My other books are better, since I was only ten
when I wrote the first one,” said Joisinga. She even
converted a couple of her mouse diary books into
children’s books with her own illustrations. She has
led five story times at the Morton Museum this year
and one at the Collierville Library as well. Not only
does Joisinga read her stories, she occasionally brings
along her guitar.
Matt McGinn
G.S. McLennan
Angus Fitchet
Iain Mackintosh
If you would like to attend this event you can buy
a ticket at the link below. Tickets are £30 and feature
a 3 course meal. The meal starts at 7.30pm.
“I typically sing a song written to a tune that the
children already know. The songs go along with the
theme of that storytime,” said Joisinga. Along with
guitar, she plays the piano and even the bagpipes.
www.blas-festival.com/inverness-airport.html
“This is a great chance to promote my band!” she
says, “Wolf River Pipe and Drums. We’re made up
of all ages and play at lots of different venues and
participate in parades.” When asked what she likes
to do for fun, Joisinga enjoys it all. She sews, cooks,
crafts (she’s been scrapbooking since age three) and
even has a blue belt in karate. Not to mention, writing
and music are in the fun category as well.
“We are very happy to have Joisinga involved in the
story times,” commented Morton Museum Director,
Ashley Carver. “She is extremely talented and we
appreciate Joisinga and her family’s support of the
Museum.”
Joisinga will be back at the Morton Museum, 196
Main Street in Collierville, on Friday, September 25
from 10:30-11am. She said her theme will most likely
be “Animal Habitats” and plans on reading one of her
children’s books, Amelia Pied Piper. Her books are also
available at the Collierville Library. Thanks to Misty
Noble for sharing this with us.
6
Thursdays
Wolf River Pipes & Drums,
7:00-9:30 St. Luke’s Lutheran
Germantown Pkwy.
753-9494 for info.
Sgt.Singleton Pipes & Drums
5:00-7:00 Bartlett Baptist at
Yale and Whitten Road
Gordon Abernathy - 412-6846
www.sgtwksingletonpipesanddrums.org
C a l e n d a r o f E ve n t s
Sundays
NEAC Pipes&Drums
2:00-4:00 - St. Mark’s Episcopal
Church, 531 W. College
Jonesboro, AR exit 45
Monday- First and Third
MSSI Scottish Country Dancers
7:00 pm All Saints Episcopal
1508 S. White Station Rd.
Monday September 14
MSSI Monthly Meeting
Jason’s Deli/Poplar/Highland
Dinner 6:00 - 7:00
Program 7:00: Aspects of Early Celtic Life
Thursday September 24
MSSI Board Meeting
5:30 p.m. - St. Luke’s Lutheran
Germantown Pkwy.
Scottish - Celtic
Radio Shows
Sundays, 6-7 p.m.
“The Thistle and Shamrock”
WKNO-FM 91.1
Saturdays, 10 a.m.-1
p.m.“Strands of the Celtic
Knot” Robert Campbell, host
WEVL–FM 89.9
Sun and Mon 6 p.m. and
Fridays, 7 p.m.
“The Thistle & Shamrock,”
WMAV–FM 90.3
Sept 6: Harpers
Hear innovation on an ancient
instrument with harpers William
Jackson, Wendy Stewart, Maire
Brennan, Grainne Hambly, Savourna
Stevenson, and Alan Stivell all
feature in an hour dedicated to
small harps.
Sept 13: The Great Tapestry
Follow the great musical migration
from Scotland, through Ulster to
Appalachia. Maggie MacInnes, Tim
O’Brien, Cara Dillon, Jean Ritchie,
Sheila Kay Adams and others
share songs that tell the story of a
remarkable musical diaspora.
Sept 20: The Long View
Fiona picks a few favorite extended
arrangements of traditional tunes,
including classic recordings from
Kevin Burke and Alan Stivell.
Sept 27: Brian McNeill at
Swannanoa
Join Fiona and the multiinstrumentalist/songwriter/
7
singer Brian McNeill as they share
conversation and music at the
Swannanoa Gathering in the North
Carolina Mountains.
Oct 04: Harlaw
Music and song has carried the story
of the Battle of Harlaw through six
centuries. Fiddler Bonnie Rideout
led a gathering of musicians to
record ancient music of the battle.
Travel back in time with them and
music historian John Purser who
tells us of this legendary conflict in
the age-old struggle between war
and peace.
Oct 11: Bass Rock
Contributions by acoustic and
electric bass to Celtic music are
subtle, imaginative and, with
players like Alain Genty, firmly in
the foreground.
Publisher’s Pick: I support Sheila
Kay Adams for Burns Nicht.
Gie an ear on September 13.
From Misty Noble’s camera at the
Scottish Breakfast
I thought I’d submit the picture of the 5 ‘younger’
members from the breakfast (Joisinga, Jordanna, &
Josiah Noble, Eleanor and Abigail Gibson. This was
the only one that all 5 were close to all looking the same
direction - lol.
Next Monthly Meeting - Monday, September 14
Jason’s Deli - Poplar and Highland
Dinner at 6:00, Program @ 7:00
Regular Board Meeting, September 24 at 5:30 - St. Luke’s Lutheran 2000 N. Germantown Pkwy
Grace Notes
The Memphis Scottish Society, Inc.
P. O. Box 770028
Memphis, TN 38177-0028
www.memphisscots.com