Foxfire Fund - The Foxfire 45th Anniversary Book

Over a period of six months, a group of dedicated individuals have worked earnestly to see The Foxfire 45th Anniversary Book come to fruition, and so many people have contributed ideas, time, knowledge, and information toward the finished project. We would like to sincerely thank present and past students of Rabun County High School for much of the content you will read through the sections of this book. Due to his love of gospel music, we would also like to dedicate the music section to Mr. Mark Earnest, Rabun County High School principal, and thank him for his commitment to and support of the Foxfire program. We would especially like to thank students Brittany Houck, Alyssa LaManna, Katie Lunsford, Kayla Mullen, and Kelly Smith for their many hours of interviews and transcription. We would not have been able to meet our deadline without their help.

We want to recognize Rabun GapNacoochee School, Billy Joe Stiles, and William Thurmond for their information, input, and help with the history and information used in the Farm Family stories. We also thank Mrs. Dorothy Carnes for the picture she provided of the Woodard family, and the Clerk of Court staff of Habersham County and the Northeast Georgia Regional Library for their assistance with research on some of the crime stories.

Former Foxfire book editors Margie Bennett, Kaye Collins, and Lacy Hunter Nix brought their expertise back to the mountain and provided knowledge and help that made this whole thing possible. They proved to be such valuable assets, and their contributions were enormous. Kaye Collins sacrificed her summer vacation from teaching and spent countless hours in the archives of Foxfire, training students, researching, writing, interviewing, and providing guidance to those of us who were new at this task. Lacy Hunter Nix stepped in to fill a void in the middle of the project, and her knowledge and dedication proved to be a godsend. Margie Bennett, longtime Foxfire teacher and ally, even worked from a hospital bed in Tennessee and was so willing to tackle any task, whether it was interviewing, transcribing, writing, or just securing permission slips from contacts to have their stories published. Sheri Thurmond worked extensively on the Farm Family section and conducted several interviews. Teresa Gentry was instrumental in getting this book project off the ground and also interviewed and edited several articles. Museum curator Barry Stiles and former student Ben McClain also provided expert knowledge and helped to organize and write many of the how-to articles.

Special thanks go to Rev. Delbert McCall and Reagan Riddle, who allowed us to use the lyrics of their songs, and to all the musicians who allowed us to record their musical compilations for a CD. Lee Carpenter worked tireless hours to format tons of material and get it ready for publication. His creative ability and sense of design provided the needed touch in the books completion.

Finally, our deepest appreciation goes to the contacts whose stories are featured within these pages. This book would not have been possible if they had not been willing to share their lives with our readers. And then theres Ann Moore, Foxfires president and chief executive officer. Ann is a remarkable woman who remained calm during the most stressful times even though she carried the heaviest burden of us all. She sacrificed meals and sleep and worked through her vacation to provide the direction and guidance we desperately needed. She proofed all the copy numerous times and was definitely the glue that held us all together. I truly admire her dedication and commitment to Foxfire and our contacts and students.

Joyce Green and Casi Best, editors

In addition to the acknowledgments from our editors, I, too, want to thank everyone, especially the writing staff, who played such a huge part in the compilation of this book. My appreciation to Lee Carpenter, as well, who spent many nights after his regular job, pulling the book together as a whole for us; the excellent design is also his work. Lee is a patient man! He always allowed us to make last-minute changes and rewrites, and though it may have been a bit stressful, he took it all in stride! I also want to acknowledge and say a special thank-you to the two editors for all that they have contributed to bring this book to fruition. As you can see, so much of the work that is included was accomplished by them. Casi is a former Foxfire student who made a huge contribution to Foxfire during her high school years, and she continues to do so. While a student, she contributed over three hundred volunteer hours to us, in addition to her classroom work. She is an intelligent, wonderful young Christian woman whom I think the world of. She is now at Piedmont College becoming a nurse, and she will be a great one! Joyce Green: What in the world can I say? She is so incredibly creative, as you can see from her introduction to the book, her section introductions, and the songs she wrote that weve included here. What you dont know is that she is a wonderful person, a great teacher, a brickmason and carpenter, an interior decorator, a beautiful singer and talented musician, and a caring Christian wife, daughter, and mother. Joyce is so talented in so many ways! Without her dedication to this book and the untold (and unpaid) hours she spent writing at night, on weekends, and during the final stages of this draft, we would not have been able to put this manuscript to bed on time. With sincerest appreciation to Joyce, Casi, Lee, and our book crew members for this latest, terrific addition to the Foxfire collection.