The Fort Brooke Record

March 1999

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FISH FRY - YA'LL COME

This month there will be no regular meeting.   In place, there will be a fish fry:

Saturday, March 20, 1998

Music begins @ 6 PM
Food served @ 7 PM

Music provided by:

Compatriot Blanco Beasley (Mr. B) &

The Society
For the Preservation of
Early Country and Western Music

@ the residence of

Commander Jim Hayward

651 Pine Forest Road

Brandon, Florida

It is always a thrill to announce that it is time for the Spring fishfry. The realization that we can still enjoy the cool weather but watermelon and Spring tomatoes are just around the corner, means to Lesley Camp members that it will soon be time to fellowship at Cmdr. Haywards. As always we anticipate the grandest and best event ever.

Remember that there were several changes made that enhance this event. First is the new lighting. Cmdr. Hayward has put up three new outdoor lights which much decrease the shadows and will give us more room to place tables and chairs. Commander Hayward even sacrificed a tree and in its place went a pole upon which he placed one of the lights.

At past fishfrys we always placed the band under a period "fly" in front of an A frame tent. As we did last Fall, to give us more room and a better vantage point to the band, we will use our parade float as a stage. The float will be placed next to the gate on the hardtop next to the entrance gate.

But the best enhancement was the music. We were infinitely fortunate that when Mr. Blanco Beasley joined our camp we obtained one of the members of a fine music group called the Society for the Preservation of Early Country and Western Music. If you like Grand Ole Opry then you will love this music. This evening will be a little bit of the Nashville sound. We expect from 15 of so musicians to perform and when we say "musicians" that is exactly what is meant. These folks are talented and assuredly you will be highly entertained. They will begin playing a 6 PM so come early and as the catfish cooks listen to some very fine music.

Remember that this is a covered dish fellowship. So do what you can to bring a dish of your favorite food. The catfish, grits, swamp cabbage (if available), and tea are furnished.

Please remember the following three very important items:

There is a $7.00 cover at the gate for adults. As always, children 12 and under are free.

Do call Cmdr. Hayward (685-4850) and let him know the number who will be coming in your party. He needs to have the tally so that sufficient fish, tables and chairs can be ordered.

Don't forget your covered dish.

See you on the 20th of March!

Late Breaking News Item

For its superb skills, the Camp Colour Guard was presented the award for Best Marching Unit in the Grand Strawberry Festival Parade held on March 1 by the Strawberry Festival Parade Committee. This is definitely sweet news as we continue our efforts in taking to the community our flag and its heritage. This unit was ably led by Captain Mike Herring and Lt. Ross Lamoreaux. The unit this day was composed of 1st Sgt. Mike Bethune, Corporal Wayne Sweat, Corporal Mark Salter, Corporal Randy Tyler, Corporal Gregg Chappell, Corporal Wesley Sainz, Corporal Leroy Rogers.

Strawberry Festival Parade a Hit!

A total of 27 men, women, and children turned out in Plant City at the Strawberry Festival Parade on Monday, March 1, to experience the thrill of being in a GOOD parade. For our camp, parades only seem to get better. The parade float was decorated better than ever by Compatriot Mark Salter with the invaluable aid of Compatriot Wayne Sweat. The Colour Guard had a total of nine men which included five flags. We were restricted to only two "units" in our contingent so we chose the tractor pulled Float and the Colour Guard. The parade started with but few spectators and as the seemingly long 2.5 mile length neared the end the number of onlookers seemed to swell to huge proportions. Mark Salters vintage tractor was driven by new camp member Alvin Livingston. Mr. Eddie Gay provided the one man civilian provost and Jake English walked as an armed guard to the float. The camp banner was carried by Tracy Knox and Mark Miller. Marion Lambert was the roving photographer who took these pictures. All in all, this was a grand parade. It was a total thrill to be a part of this parade.

An unidentified man rises to his feet and acknowledges the flags of the South with his cap over his heart. Scenes like this were very common throughout this parade. Although this picture was perhaps the best shot of this nature taken this day there were many, many others that showed similar scenes. The thrill of being a part of a Confederate contingent in a parade is in witnessing these singular and multiple acts of Southern patriotism. Upon seeing these acts you, as a participate, are assured of the absolute worth of our personal and group sacrifices made to be a part of public events like this.

Before the parade began the Colour Guard assembled for a group portrait behind the float. Notice the wonderful artwork that Mark Salter used to enhance the rear of the float. From left to right in this picture are Lt. Ross Lamoreaux, 1st Sgt. Mike Bethune, Corporal Wayne Sweat, Corporal Mark Salter, Corporal Randy Tyler, Corporal Gregg Chappell, Corporal Wesley Sainz, Corporal Leroy Rogers and Captain Michael Herring.

To the left is a scene on the deck of the float showing the ladies, some soldiers and the children. On the float were the ladies Lauretta Groover, Paula Nunnery, Becky Jordan, Charlotte Lee, Ronda Bethune, Margaret Cyrise, and Joann Jenkins. The children were Jared Broward, Kirstin Broward, and Jailun Miller.

To the right is a marvelous shot showing the Colour Guard at the end of the parade in the stadium saluting the multitude in the stands. Up until this point the spectators were a cross section of our community, black, white and Hispanic. Unlike our community or even our float contingent, the make up in the stands was totally white. We surmised that the reason for this was that the stands were occupied by northern snowbirds, better know as Yankees.  It was good that we were there - we were followed by a 200 member marching high school band from New York state - an all white band.

Canter Brown Resigns

The"Historian in Residence" of the Tampa Bay History Center and a person who revises our Southern history to fit a politically correct paradigm, Dr. Canter Brown, has resigned from the Tampa Bay History Center effective as of 20 February. There was much media anguish over the "loss" as reflected by Steve Otto and Patty Ryan both writing in the Tampa Tribune.

No doubt, Dr. Brown was a very talented, highly educated and personally likable fellow. It is just that he maintains that the South was fighting the War over primarily slavery issues. He went head to head with us in the press during the time of our camps involvement in the black Juneteenth celebration last June. We certainly hope that his replacement turns out to be one who understands the true history of the South.

BOCC Proclamation

***Southern Heritage Month***

On Wednesday at 9 AM on the 7th of April the Board of County Commissioners will present to the Lesley Camp their annual proclamation declaring April as Southern Heritage Month and April 26 as Confederate Memorial Day. This will occur on the 2nd floor in County Commission public meeting auditorium in the County Center on Pierce and Kennedy Streets in downtown Tampa. This will be the 6th year in a row that this has occurred and we usually have about two dozen well dressed folks there. That is where you come in:

We need you to come to represent yourself and the Southern community in the Bay area. Wouldnt it be grand if we were able to muster Three Dozen Well Dressed souls for this presentation. Perhaps we will not change any hearts but we will let the "powers that be" understand that our resolve only waxes stronger.

Unless we go out for coffee and doughnuts you will be gone and back to your normal daily routine by 10 AM.

Juneteenth

It was just about a year ago that we of the Lesley Camp sent the nay-sayers a-scampering. We were invited to Juneteenth, a predominately black celebration of "Freedom from Slavery," we went, had a totally positive experience, got ourselves on National Public Radio and vowed that if invited back we would surely go. Because of the 1998 invitation we put together a class display on Black Southern Heritage. That display has been a part of our camp display ever since. We proved that the black community wants to be educated about the truth. And remember that we go as we are. Our flags and uniforms are always on prominent display

We have it from high placed sources within the Juneteenth organization that we will be invited back this year.

Confederate Ball Scheduled

The annual Sabre and Rose Ball is scheduled to be held April 10, 1999, in St. Petersburg at the Museum of Fine Art located at 255 Beach Drive NE. Tickets for the event are 55 dollars. Entertainment will be provided by the Rebelaires with Dancemaster Tim Key calling the dances. There will be the presentation of the 1999 Southern Belle Debutante. Also this evening there will be horse drawn carriage service available. Waltz lessons and ballroom etiquette will be given prior to the event by Ms. Kay Holley. For further information on this event please contact Mrs. Shelly Jakes (286-2575) or Mrs Pam Cosentino (920-9740).

Editors Note: Do contact the above mentioned persons for current and pertinent information on this event. This editor and the Lesley Camp highly recommend this ball for its value to the Cause in this community.

1999 Debutante

Miss Heather Mitchelle Bethune , a senior at Plant High School and a member of Tampa Chapter 113, United Daughters of the Confederacy, will be presented at the 1999 Sabre and Rose Ball as the 1999 Debutante. Miss Bethune is a member of the National Honour Society, is Captain of the Danceros, the dance team for her high school, and is Editor for the school year book. She will share the first waltz at the Ball with her father Compatriot Michael D. Bethune, a very talented artist and invaluable member of the Lesley Camp.

As a follow-up it should be noted that Heather was the instrumental reason that the Lesley Camp and Co K 7th Florida were invited to and did a Living History at Plant High School in the Spring of 1998. With talented and involved young folks like Heather around there surely is hope for our Southland. Our congratulations to Michael and Rhonda Bethune for having given us such a shining and exemplary young Southern lady. And to Heather, we wish you the very best.

"We Request The Honour of Your Presence"

The Society for the Preservation of Southern History, Inc. and Tampa Chapter#113 United Daughters of the Confederacy wish to extend an invitation to a Debutante Silver Tea in honor of Miss Heather Michelle Bethune, daughter of Mike and Rhonda

Bethune as the 1999 Sabre and Rose debutante. The tea will be held in the Windsor Room at the Palma Ceia Country Club on Saturday, March 13th from 1:00 P.M.to 3:00 P.M.  The country club is situated on MacDill Avenue between Kennedy Blvd. and Bay to Bay. The menu will include Scones, Muffins, Assorted Finger Sandwiches, Florentines, Profitterile Swans, Chocolate Mousse, White Grapes and Chocolate Dipped Strawberries. Iced  Raspberry, and Orange Spice Tea will be served along with hot beverages if preferred. Checks made payable to Tampa Chapter #113 in the amount of

$20.00 can be mailed to 2916 Harbour View Ave. Tampa , 33611 or call : Sandra Shackleford at 2547201  or Shelly Jakes at 286-2575.  We would like to encourage the John T. Lesley Camp to support Heather in this special event.  Her father and brother are members of the camp and her mother is a member of Tampa Chapter #113.

Little League Sign

This will be the sixth year in a row that the Lesley Camp has paid for its Camp sign to be placed on the outfield fence of the girls softball field. The cost of this community youth outreach is $125.00. If you would like to contribute to this effort, please call Marion Lambert at (813)839-5153.

Branch Cemetery Flag Raising

Tentatively, the joint effort between the Temple Terrace Historical, Tampa Chapter 113, UDC, and the Lesley Camp of installing a 30 foot flagpole with accompanying black granite monument at the Branch Cemetery is scheduled for Sunday, June 20. Belinda Womack has offered her singing talents to us for this occasion. Also, there has been good movement on negotiations on a cemetery site in Hudson, Florida. Since this is a very important part of our community outreach we will certainly keep you the reader informed.

Camp Yard Sale

by Jake English, Quartermaster

Do not miss out on an opportunity to clean out your garage, tool shed or house and help the Camp at the same time. On Saturday, March 27, we will hold our first ever Camp Yard Sale at Commander Jim Hayward's home in Brandon. Please see the map to Cmdr. Hayward's home on the front (below left) of the Fort Brooke Record for directions. It is asked that all items to be donated be delivered no later than Friday at 11:00 PM. We will price everything that night so all you have to do is drop off the items that you would like to donate for this sale. We will start the sale at sunrise and continue till 2:30 in the afternoon. All items not sold will be donated to the Salvation Army at the conclusion of the sale.

We are excited about the possibility of raising a large amount of funds for the Camp. Just think, if everyone brought something to this event imagine how much merchandise we could have to sell. Items that sell well are: tools, clothes, books, fishing equipment, household accessories, kitchen items, etc.. We are asking that due to space limitations, not to bring sofas or mattresses. In addition to selling donated items, we will also be selling Coke and hot dogs. Mike Herring will have our Camp Store on full display as well.

For drop off information or to volunteer to work on this day, please contact Jake English at 971-8153. If you are coming to the Fish Fry at Cmdr. Hayward's on the previous Saturday, you may bring your donations then and leave them after the event is over-

Please support this first time event for our Camp.

Memorial Work Day Scheduled

-Quartermaster Jake English

Memorial Work Day,

A Report

By Jake English

On Saturday, February 27, it was my pleasure to work with some outstanding individuals during our cemetery clean up day. The weather was fantastic as we cleaned many of the old grave markers around Hillsborough County. Thanks to the wisdom of Jeannie Harwell, we were prepared with the appropriate cleaning supplies. We were sure to use non-abrasive cleaning agents on the tombstones, so as not to damage the fragile monuments. Besides cleaning the markers we placed a "perpetual" 12 x 18 inch Confederate flag at the base of each gravestone (a total of 150 flags this day), we also surveyed the cemeteries to record the resting places of our heroes. Twelve Veteran Administration grave markers were also installed in the cemeteries that day. Four markers for unknown soldiers were placed at Oaklawn Cemetery in downtown Tampa, five markers were placed in the Cedar Grove Baptist Cemetery in southeast Hillsborough County and three were placed at the Providence Cemetery in Brandon. We also had the pleasure of working in Pleasant Grove and the Brandon family cemeteries.

Not only did we have a wonderful time working together, but we also had an opportunity to get to know each other as we enjoyed a BBQ diner in the afternoon. The hard workers present that day were: Becky Jordan, Dana Greenblat, Jim Hayward, Jim Harwell, Eddie Gay, Larry Knight, Doug Howze, Jeff Gordon, Kirby Halbert, Dwight Tetrick and Jake English. I cannot say enough about the wonderful work ethic of these fine people. After I left for home that day, I not only felt a sense of accomplishment but also a great feeling of comradeship that is so unique to our camp of the Sons of Confederate Veterans..

Compatriot Kirby Halbert Appointed

At the Officers Call held March 2, Mr. Kirby Halbert was appointed to the Aid de Camp position of Memorial Chairman. The purpose of this appointment is to take a little of the burden off of the shoulders of Jake English and to acknowledge the importance of the job of surveying, ordering gravestones, installing those stones, and maintaining the many cemeteries in our area that contain Confederate soldiers.

Although Kirby Halbert came into our camp only about a year ago, he is no stranger to the SCV or to the Lesley Camp. If you were to look at the original 1969 Lesley Camp charter which is displayed on a wall at the home of Commander Hayward, you will notice the name Kirby Halbert listed as a charter member of this camp.

Kirby has worked as a Funeral Director/Embalmer since 1947. Before that in WW II he was a Naval Corpsman assigned to A Co 1st Medical Battalion of the battle hardened 1st Marine Division in the Pacific Theatre from April of 1943 to June of 1944. Kirby was born and raised in Lowndes Co, Mississippi. His grandfather under who he joined (this time) the Lesley Camp was Private James M. Halbert, of the 5th Mississippi Infantry Regiment.

Camp Store

The inventory of the camp store continues to change. Please pay close attention to what is available. If you desire an item that is not apparent, Mike Herring will be the man to contact in order to procure those things and items that have a Southern Heritage flavour. Contact him at home (681-6922) or just come to the meetings and you will have an opportunity to see displayed what is available.

Some items currently available are as follows:

HERITAGE REPORT
by Walt Wingfield, Lesley Camp Heritage Chair

Black History Distorted by 'Political Correctness

from the Lexington (Ky) Herald-Leader (Feb., 1999)  By Larry Sykes

As a black Southerner, I am upset when witness to "knee-jerk" attacks on white Southerners such as Merlene Davis' "Class on Slavery Teaches White Man's 'Truth.'" Davis was in quite a lather to preach that a college class claimed by an Associated Press reporter to have taught that Southern slaves were "happy" should be muzzled. Her basic reaction to the report was that Southern whites should only be allowed to teach the "evil" parts of their heritage. There was one problem she missed out on, though: the story was a hoax. Videotapes of the class proved that the AP reporter had made up the story about a history class teaching that slaves were happy. While I saw this information on AP wires, I did not see anything carried in the Herald-Leader.

Instead of seeking the truth, "politically correct" blacks have created their own "truth", in which anything that can be connected with American slavery in the Old South is entirely evil - and anything less than this race-baiting propaganda is not acceptable to teach as history. This "truth" ignores the historical facts that American slavery would not have existed without blacks selling fellow blacks into slavery, or that the first slaveholder in the American colonies was black. What seemed to scare Davis the most, though, was that anyone might actually study the "Slave Narratives", since some of what is in them won't fall in line with the revisionist history we are taught today.

Davis says that just because blacks loved the South they didn't love slavery. No one claims that they did; the important point is that most blacks did love their home - the South. Davis then correctly says that thousands of blacks fought for the Confederacy, and did so with patriotism. This is an important truth, which is actively being erased by politically correct forces. Davis is to be commended for admitting this. She goes on, though, to speculate that blacks fought for the Confederacy because they were somehow duped by whites into doing so through a white conspiracy to keep them completely ignorant of events around them. I disagree; this is an insult to the intelligence of blacks that developed numerous methods of communication and ways to keep that information to themselves and who had eyes and ears with which they could witness the events unfolding around them.

The blacks who supported the Confederacy - by keeping the farm going at home, or by supporting and fighting with the army on the front - did not do so because they were duped. They did so because their homes were being invaded - the black wives, sweethearts and sisters were being abused and raped as well as the wives, sweethearts and sisters of the white Southerners by the northern "bands of angels" in Union blue - and because their patriotism overcame the fact that they did not yet share fully in the benefits of society.. Black Confederates did reasonably expect, especially if the South had won, some reward for their patriotism.

In spite of losing the war, though, the patriotism of Confederate blacks was still often rewarded, as evidenced by the Tennessee pension records and other sources. It is today that we try to avoid honoring their patriotism. Why else would Dr. Emory Emerson, a descendant of a black Confederate soldier and member of the Sons of Confederate Veterans have been "disinvited" from the services dedicating a monument which only memorialized the service of blacks in the Union army?

To end her attack, Davis says that Southerners can celebrate the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution, but must always remember that men who forged this heritage were evil racists. Then she says to Southerners about their brief years as an independent nation that they are, essentially, best forgotten. My hope is we never forget when the Southern states stood up to defend states' rights and the constitution against a military invasion of the most powerful army on the planet. Just as I hope my 26 years of military service defending my country and constitution would not be forgotten, we should never forget the bravery of the Southern soldier, most of whom didn't own slaves anyway, in taking arms and giving their lives to defend their civil rights, their constitution, and their country.

The civil rights movement of the 1960's in the South would not have succeeded without brave Southern whites that joined with us. The civil rights movement was not about taking away the justifiable pride Southerners have in their heritage, but in securing constitutional guarantees for all. Blacks enjoying constitutional freedoms is not in opposition to, but rather an extension of, states securing their constitutional rights as well. Somehow, though, today what we see is a "civil rights" movement which wants to rob the South of its heritage, pride and symbols. The best way we can stop this wrong is for Southern blacks to repay the favor from the 1960's, and stand today with our Southern white friends, to protect the heritage and symbols of the South, before our common history is completely rewritten and erased by "political correctness".

*Larry Sykes, a Mississippi native and an Army Airborne veteran, lives in Lexington, Kentucky.

From the Adjutants Desk

"A person who takes no pride in the noble achievements of remote ancestors cannot expect to be remembered for his noble deeds by remote descendents."

Now that we are through the time of the year that we call in dues we have time to take stock and to reflect upon our membership numbers. At the end of last year we were just over 200 members and now because of those who did not renew that number is near 180. Actually if we had not taken on new members over the past three months we would be around the 170 mark. My hope is that we we are stronger for this "wash out" of members.

Personally I cannot imagine how or why a true Southerner would ever want to part company with an organization as dynamic as the Lesley Camp. But be that as it may, there is certainly a mans work in front of us. Let the strong and the brave band with us as we approach the new millenium.

We are looking forward to Mr. Gordon Meadows, (a charter member of the Robert S. Garnett Camp 1470 of Huntington, West Virginia) joining our ranks in the very near future.

If you have any questions concerning camp business as it relates to you or to process membership paperwork, please do.

[email protected]

Adjutant Dwight Tetrick
19126 Amelia Circle
Lutz, FL 33549
(813) 949-4746
[email protected]

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