Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4, Part 5, Part 6
URBANNA — The first time I went to Deltaville I was accompanied by a Middlesex County native. She introduced me to a native of Deltaville and added that I lived in Urbanna, “Ha!” the lady said in immediate huff with her hands on her hips. “You people from Urbanna think you’re so fancy!”
Now I am used to hearing all sorts of comments in this world we live in today but I wasn’t expecting anything like this. It took me a few moments to recover. I realized she didn’t much care for people that lived in Urbanna and she had assumed I was an “Urbannaite” even though I had hardly lived in the town more than a few months.
I decided to respond in humor. I drew myself up to a full height of 5 foot, 6 inches and said proudly with hands on hips. “I’ll have you know, Madame, that I am not from Urbanna, I’m from Vermilion, Ohio, and furthermore no one from my hometown is fancy!”
The woman laughed. Comedy sometimes is the perfect response.
Later I asked Larry Chowning why the woman would have said such a strange thing to me. He explained that many years earlier both Urbanna and Deltaville had baseball teams that were highly competitive and a natural feeling of animosity had sprung up between the two towns especially during the baseball season. (Deltaville still has a baseball team and has an excellent winning record against area teams and the games are fun to watch at the old ballpark.)
The more I thought about our conversation, I realized that Vermilionites weren’t that crazy about the people in Huron, Ohio, either. Huron was a town 15 miles west of us also on Lake Erie and their basketball teams were stiff competitors against the Vermilion “Sailors.” Not that we ever called anyone from Huron “fancy” but we weren’t that “buddy- buddy” with them either. They beat us too many times in basketball.
Which I now believe was the woman’s thoughts. Those fancy Urbanna athletes had probably provided a bit too much challenge in past years to Deltaville’s baseball team!
One of the most positive things I have ever done in Middlesex was become a charter member of the Middlesex Rotary Club, which led to meeting many new friends, years of hard work and great fun. Our projects were all about raising funds to help our community.
When Rotary began the annual “Pride of Middlesex” awards to raise money for whatever organization was to be featured that year, good times really began.
Our first recipients were the two volunteer rescue squad units in Middlesex County. We felt they could use our financial backing, but also since they were volunteering their time, they deserved to be honored.
That’s when I learned how hard it is to start a new tradition or sell a new idea. I knew it generally takes three years before something new is accepted by a community. Rotary went up against the entire county rescue squad members when we first announced the honor Middlesex Rotary Club was about to bestow on them.
This meant, however, after planning a lavish program and banquet at Cameron Hall at Christchurch School, we not only had to sell tickets to the community to support the event but talk the members of the two squads into coming to the event.
I soon realized no one wanted to be honored and I would have to personally call every volunteer in the two squads and talk them into coming.
“I don’t want to be honored,” or “I never heard of Pride of Middlesex award” were the initial responses. Which triggered a long harangue from me about the community wide wish to show appreciation for all they did for us. Still, the conversations started to wear thin my usually short supply of patience.
“You’re coming to our banquet we are having to honor you if I have to come over to your house, capture you in a net, tie you up, throw you in the back seat of my car, and drag you to dinner to be honored!” I finally told someone from the Deltaville squad.
There was a long and very pregnant pause. I wondered if I had perhaps used too strong of an approach or was a tad too pushy.
“Yes Ma’am!” the man finally said. I thanked him and said goodbye. As far as I know we had a 100 percent rescue squad showing that evening.
(I laughed about that episode for years and am still laughing now as I recall the incident. No one fools with a Rotarian that is determined to honor someone!)
Another Rotary project was helping the late Dr. Nichols at White Stone Family Practice raise money to help provide health care on Tangier Island.
Dr. Nichols was a wonderful man. Every Thursday he flew his helicopter to Tangier Island to address sick patients since they had no physician practicing there.
I had heard of his efforts to build a new clinic on the island to replace the rat trap facility they were now using. I knew Rotary could help and indeed, all the Rotary Clubs in the Middle Peninsula and Northern Neck eventually came together to raise money to buy equipment for the good doctor.
Dr. Nichols invited me to tour the island in his private helicopter. I will never forget the shock of getting into his helicopter, attaching my headset, and rising straight up to hover over his home. “Are you ok?” he spoke to me like a doctor through the radio. I was terrified, shivering so much I could hardly stay in my seat-belted perch, but determined not to show it. Off we flew down the Rappahannock River and across Chesapeake Bay to land on the tiny island. I still remember looking down at the midget boats skimming across the blue water, leaving an intricate pattern of white wake in their tracks, and the occasional larger ships heading toward the mouth of the bay and ocean beyond. It was a God-like experience, looking down on earth like that, seeing all as one.Rotary and all other civic groups like Kiwanis, Lions, the Middlesex Woman’s Club, just to mention a few, are to be commended for all the good work they do to raise funds for those many groups that work to better our community. Thank you! (To be continued.)
© 2024.
