Beautifying the landscape of Lawson General Hospital 1942

Lawson General Hospital opened April 15, 1941, along Chamblee Tucker Road, West Hospital Avenue and Buford Highway.  After the U. S. entered World War II, it was determined that the current medical facilities across the country were not adequate. Lawson General Hospital is one of several hospitals constructed to meet that need.  Adjacent to Lawson was Naval Air Station Atlanta.

Almost a year later, in 1942, plans to improve the Lawson Hospital grounds with plants were underway. The area around the buildings had no trees, no grass and no blooming plants. The buildings were originally constructed quickly, but there was no landscaping. That meant a lot of red clay.

Celestine Sibley wrote about the upcoming improvements for the Atlanta Constitution, beginning with her thoughts on the season of Spring. “That well-known makes-you-want-to-live season of the year-the time of green-gold sunshine, sticky buds unfolding, birds singing in the trees, green grass-is going to have pretty tough going out at the new Army hospital this year.”

The Peachtree Garden Club, Atlanta affiliate of the Garden Club of America, took on the task, starting with the Red Cross building and recreation hall on the hospital property. They also planned terraces around the auditorium, croquet grounds, a horseshoe throwing space and more outdoor recreation. The garden club asked Atlanta gardeners to donate by digging out from their own plentiful gardens.

This image of Lawson General Hospital reflects the beautifying plan of 1942, with plenty of flowering shrubs and newly planted trees. 

Mrs. Frank Neely was a member of the garden club committee and said, “It will mean refreshment of spirit to soldiers, airmen and sailors who have already made physical sacrifice for their country.”

Drop off locations were set up around the city of Atlanta for people to contribute plants. WPA workmen came on the Lawson grounds to plant flowering shrubs. Trees were planted for shade.

Celestine Sibley was a reporter, author, and columnist. She wrote for The Atlanta Constitution from 1941 to 1999. Her article on the landscape improvements of Lawson and the positive effect they would have for patients was written in the first year of her long career.

(Atlanta Constitution, January 20, 1942, “Shrubs sought for Lawson Hospital Area, Atlantans asked to help beautify grounds”)

Homeowners fight widening of Ashford Dunwoody Road

If you travel in the Perimeter area today, where I-285 meets Ashford Dunwoody Road, then you are probably accustomed to the traffic and the businesses, hotels, restaurants and apartments up and down Ashford Dunwoody. In 1980 there were still many single family homes on the road and only two lanes.

Ashford Dunwoody Road was widened in 1981. The announcement that the road would be widened came in 1980, nine years after the opening of Perimeter Mall. The community of Dunwoody opposed the widening, predicting commercial development would push its way into the residential areas.

The Dunwoody Homeowner’s Association started a petition and worked to stop the widening of Ashford Dunwoody Road and of Mount Vernon Road. Protestors gathered along the side of the road with signs. Attorney Bill Hurst filed a class action suit on behalf of the DHA. The suit asked for a court ordered injunction to halt the four-lane construction.

The DHA was successful in stopping the widening of Mount Vernon Road, except for the section from Ashford Dunwoody Road to the Fulton/DeKalb County line. They were also able to keep the speed limit from moving 35 miles per hour to 45 miles per hour. (“The Queen of Dunwoody: Remembering Community Visionary Joyce Amacher,” by Lynne Barfield Byrd)

Although the plan to widen Ashford Dunwoody Road was not stopped, DHA President Terry Huetter felt the efforts of the community to stop the widening did have a positive effect, saying “It probably wouldn’t have ended up being a parkway otherwise.” (Atlanta Constitution, April 23, 1981, “Homeowners cringe as Ashford-Dunwoody expands”)

Once the battle to stop the four-lane expansion of Ashford Dunwoody Road was lost, the Dunwoody Garden Club campaign to beautify the median began. The club decided to make the best of the situation, led by club president Joyce Amacher. (Dunwoody Crier, March 25, 1982, “Ashford Dunwoody median landscaping begun last week”)

After several conversations with Tom Moreland, Director of the Georgia State Highway Department, Joyce Amacher and Lynne Byrd were able to convince him to use funds intended for a concrete median towards landscaping.

Dunwoody Garden club members went to developers and tenants in the Perimeter area, local civic organizations, local businesses, and elected officials to raise the necessary funds. All property owners on Ashford Dunwoody Road between I-285 and Mt. Vernon Road were asked to participate.

County Commissioner Jean Williams assisted Amacher in obtaining $10,000 from the developers of the Ravinia-Hines Development. A donation of $10,000 was also secured from Lane Properties. State representative Bruce Widener was able to secure $16,000 from the state. Taylor and Mathis paid for the landscape plan, which was completed by Hickory Hill Landscaping.

The original landscaping plan called for a variety of maple and oak trees, along with Bradford pears, many types of shrubbery and 18,000 pieces of ground cover. The median is maintained today by the Perimeter Community Improvement District.

A DOT official predicted in 1981 that traffic along Ashford Dunwoody Road would increase 60 to 70% over the next twenty years.

Civil Defense, Air Raid shelters and blackouts in Atlanta area during WWII

In 2021, Dr. Howard Cotton shared with me what it was like in Boston as a 12 year old after Pearl Harbor Day, December 7, 1941. As a child, he was concerned that his town could be invaded or bombed as had happened to cities in other parts of the world. He remembers, “All automobile headlights were required to have black paint covering the top 1/3-1/2 to lessen visible light from possible bombers at night.” Cotton’s dad served as an air raid warden as part of the Civil Defense Corp, patrolling the neighborhood to ensure no lights were visible during air raid drills.

That made me wonder about Atlanta. Were precautions in place for Atlanta?

Before the U.S. entered WWII, Atlanta and other cities were receiving instructions on what actions should be taken. Atlanta was considered a railway and air transportation gateway in 1941. A May 2, 1941 article in the Atlanta Constitution originating from Washington, D. C., gave information about what steps Atlanta needed to take. Frank Bane, Director of the Division of State and Local Co-operation, Office of Emergency Management did not want to cause hysteria in the city. He advised Atlanta there was no immediate need for air-raid shelters, but they should give thought to what steps they would take if they were necessary in the future.

A pamphlet was provided, “Civil Defense Protective Construction.” However, Frank Bane cautioned that, “The issuance of this bulletin is not the signal for starting work on any of the protective structures described.” Once again, he advised plans should be prepared, “even though we hope they will never have to be put into effect.”

The information in the pamphlet was mostly technical information based on the experiences of European cities since the beginning of WWII. Many entrances and at least two exits were recommended for air-raid shelters. They would need to provide necessary conveniences and first aid facilities. It was also suggested they be built in a way that could be utilized during peace time. Perhaps they could serve as a garage, storage shed or bank vault.

Just three days after the bombing of Pearl Harbor an air-raid shelter was announced in Decatur at 401 Oakland Street, the home of Mrs. W. Guy Hudson, Executive Secretary of DeKalb Chamber of Agriculture and Commerce. The 1500 square foot concrete underground structure already existed before Pearl Harbor, having served as a city sewerage disposal tank 20 years earlier. A flower garden was planted at ground level.

In November of 1942, an air raid shelter was opened at the Municipal Market on Edgewood Road in Atlanta.

By February 1942, 20,000 people had already completed a 25-hour course and received certificates as Atlanta air raid wardens. The first certificates were issued at Grant Park School.

Registration of DeKalb County citizens for civilian defense positions began December 15, 1941. The DeKalb County Civilian Defense Corps, under the leadership of Vernon Frank, met in the 401 Oakland Street shelter for coffee and donuts. The shelter was complete with electric lights and running water. (Atlanta Constitution, Dec. 10, 1941, “DeKalb Boasts First Air Raid Shelter in Dixie.”)

A blackout test was held on February 26, 1942. You can read more about blackouts in the Atlanta area in my recent Dunwoody Crier article here.

Also, look for this article of memories of Pearl Harbor Day, published in the Dunwoody Crier in 2021 to commemorate the 80th anniversary.

Time to talk peaches

The August 13, 1962 Atlanta Constitution featured a story about dried peaches, “Home Dried Fruit Wakes Memory.” You need some dry, sunny weather to dry peaches. Apparently peaches don’t handle a rain shower well. The instructions read, “To dry peaches, you simply wash the peaches, cut in about 1/8 inch slices, lay on a piece of tin and place in the hot sun. Bring in at night and put in a cool, dry place and return to sun the next day. The peaches should be dry. If not, place in a very low oven and stir occasionally until completely dry.”

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WWII Lawson General Hospital discoveries lead to more questions

I have returned to the subject of Lawson General Hospital again and again. It is intriguing to me that during WWII this hospital was located in Chamblee, adjacent to Naval Air Station Atlanta. Also, the people involved were sometimes from Atlanta, Chamblee or other nearby towns, but most of the people who worked, trained, or were treated at Lawson General Hospital were there for a brief time. They went home or to another hospital after being treated or they received their orders and left to serve their country using the skills received as part of the MDTS, Medical Department Training School.

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Jean Fallon and the 1996 Olympics

When Ethel Warren Spruill married Stephen Spruill in 1933 and moved to Dunwoody, she became a member of the Dunwoody Home Demonstration Club. At the time, Katherine Strong Rudeseal was the Home Demonstration Agent for DeKalb County. (“Story of Dunwoody,” by Elizabeth L. Davis and Ethel W. Spruill)

Home Demonstration Agents traveled around their assigned county demonstrating methods of preserving food, such as canning or freezing. They sometimes shared other skills including sewing. Many counties in Georgia had agents, but not all.

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1996 Atlanta Olympic Torch passes through Dunwoody

In the fall of 1995, newspapers across the country announced three ways to become one of 10,000 torch bearers in the 1996 Olympic Torch Relay, which was sponsored by Coca-Cola. 5,500 community heroes would be selected by United Way chapters.

The Atlanta Committee for the Olympic Games and the U.S. Olympic committee selected 2,000 present and former Olympians and other VIPs to complete the list of torch bearers.  According to olympics.com the total number of torchbearers for the 1996 games reached 800 in Greece and 12,467 in the US.

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WPA, Works Progress Administration projects

The Works Progress Administration (WPA) was a government program created by President Franklin D. Roosevelt in 1935 to help the country during the Great Depression by providing jobs. It was part of a group of policies, programs and projects known as the New Deal. Many public works projects were part of the program, as well as projects in the arts. Over 8.5 million people participated in the WPA.

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1891 Atlanta, smallpox vaccine debate

Depending on when you were born, you may have a small circle scar on your upper arm as a reminder of your smallpox vaccine. In 1972, it was determined the vaccine was no longer needed and it stopped being administered to children

Looking through cemetery records, it is obvious that many deaths around the end of the nineteenth century and beginning of the twentieth century near Atlanta were due to smallpox. During the height of the Covid-19 pandemic and the discussions regarding vaccines, I found a similarity with discussions of smallpox vaccine from about 130 years earlier.

There were people on both sides of the smallpox vaccine debate in Georgia. A September 7, 1891, Atlanta Constitution column titled “Against Vaccination” featured a lengthy letter from a citizen strongly opposed to vaccination and Atlanta’s rule that students could not attend without vaccination.

The letter is followed by an explanation and opinion by Dr. J. B. Baird, secretary of the board of health. “The more the people become enlightened, the more they believe in it and know its worth, and if wanted of its benefits to humanity, thousands and thousands can be given.”

Nine years earlier Atlanta’s Superintendent of Schools, William Franklin Slaton, stated that every child in Atlanta schools was vaccinated against smallpox. When one student’s family asked for her not to be vaccinated, she was removed from school. (Atlanta Constitution, April 28, 1882)

A notice titled “Public Schools” on August 31, 1882, informed the public that the “Office of Superintendent, 75 E. Mitchell, will be open from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. for the next three days. Persons applying for school tickets must bring certificate of vaccination.”

Whether the vaccine was required or even available to the small communities surrounding Atlanta, I do not know. I do know that smallpox was causing devastation to these communities.

At Nancy Creek Primitive Baptist Church Cemetery in Brookhaven, Solomon Goodwin was buried in 1849 and is believed to have died of smallpox. Goodwin was later reinterred on Goodwin land along Peachtree Road only to be later moved back to Nancy Creek Cemetery.(“The History of DeKalb County, Georgia 1822-1900, Vivian Price)

In Dunwoody, the Bennett-Rainey cemetery and Donaldson cemetery had their beginnings around the time of a smallpox epidemic. The Bennett-Rainey cemetery was referred to as a smallpox cemetery by Franklin Garrett, Atlanta historian who documented cemeteries in DeKalb County in 1931. (Atlanta History Center, Franklin Garrett necrology, 1931) Fannie Adams, Lonnie Adams, Maggie Adams, and Minnie Adams all succumbed to the disease around 1884 and 1885 and are buried at Bennett-Rainey Cemetery, a small, unmarked cemetery along North Shallowford Road.

The Donaldson cemetery, adjacent to Donaldson-Bannister Farm, includes the grave of Nuty A. Donaldson who died in 1883. She was the daughter of original owners William J. Donaldson and Millie Adams Donaldson. On her marker are the words “died from smallpox.”

Smallpox began over 3,000 years ago according to cdc.gov. History tells us that Spanish Explorer Hernando de Soto brought smallpox to Mexico in 1520. The first smallpox epidemic in New England occurred in the Massachusetts Bay Colony in 1635.

Native Americans of Georgia were hit hard by smallpox outbreaks in 1735 and 1759.

Dr. Edward Jenner’s discoveries in 1796 led to a vaccine. Concentrated efforts by the World Health Organization to eradicate smallpox began in 1959. By 1966, smallpox was considered eliminated in North America and Europe. The Intensified Eradication Program began the next year and in 1980 the World Health Organization declared smallpox eradicated.

The November 25, 1974 Atlanta Constitution carried the headline, “Within a Few Months Smallpox Will Have Been Wiped Out.” They reported that 43 countries had outbreaks of smallpox in 1967 and that number had been reduced to four countries in 1974.

Ice Storm of 1973, major power outages around Atlanta

These below freezing days we have been having recently in Atlanta bring my mind back to the ice and snow storms from years past. Everyone knows these storms can bring our city to a halt. It happens so rarely, which means many of us have little experience driving in snow or ice.

The ice storm that struck Atlanta in 1973 is a memorable one for those who lived here. My family moved to a new home off Briarcliff Road in 1972. The ranch home had a fireplace, unlike our previous house. The fireplace was very useful during the ice storm, but I don’t remember exactly how many days we were without power.

A few years ago, I asked some people who were living in Dunwoody at the time about their experience. Time without power ranged from four days to two weeks. Trees and power lines had a thick coating of ice. Kathy Florence remembers pine trees bent over from the weight of the ice and the constant sound of trees snapping.

Lynne Byrd lived on Spalding Drive in the Branches neighborhood in 1973 and was without power for four days. She needed to get to her job at Piedmont Hospital. Lynne says she was able to get up her driveway in her small Volkswagen and drive on to work by not taking her foot off the gas until she got to the office.

Jeff Glaze was in the eighth grade at Peachtree High School and his family was without power for about ten days. Jeff’s uncle owned Glaze’s Hardware at the intersection of Winters Chapel Road and Peeler Road. The recently opened Winn Dixie across the road couldn’t operate because they had electric cash registers, but Uncle Glaze kept ringing up groceries because his older model electric cash register also had a hand crank.

The family lived near high tension lines that were coated with about an inch of ice. Jeff remembers, “…days when temperatures started to rise a bit, the ice would break off those lines and fall to the ground one hundred feet below. Sometimes they would hit the ground vertically and ‘spear’ the ground... it was pretty amazing to see and scary to consider what might happen if you were under them when the ice broke free.”

The January 3, 1973 Atlanta Journal reported that DeKalb police estimated 90% of residents were without power. Police and fire departments were inundated with calls about fallen trees, fallen power lines, and power outages.

I’ve been talking with people that lived in Atlanta during our past ice and snow storms about their experiences. The ones I remember are 1973, 1982, 1993, and then more recent ones. Apparently there was a big one in Georgia in 1935 and 1940, as well as the early 1960s. I was around in the early 1960s, but don’t remember that one. Look for my recent article in the Dunwoody Crier for more memories of Georgia ice and snow storms.

If you live in another state and are thinking those silly Georgians and their reactions to snow and ice, plus their inability to drive, you are right and we know it. Besides, it can be fun to miss work or school just because less than an inch of snow is falling!




Robert Ratonyi at Atlanta WW2 Round Table, "A Holocaust Childhood: Wounds that Never Heal"

As a survivor of the Holocaust, Ratonyi now shares his story with groups of middle and high school children, as well as adult audiences. He has presented at The William Breman Jewish Heritage Museum and other venues. He wrote a book about his life experiences, “From Darkness into Light: My Journey through Nazism, Fascism, and Communism to Freedom,” published January 12, 2022.

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Ina Evans runs for District 55 House seat 1972

New post every Monday.

Sometimes when I’m looking through a newspaper archive, there will be an article, photo, or even an advertisement that catches my interest. Ina Evans caught my interest and I wanted to know more about her life.

The pages of the August 3, 1972, DeKalb New Era newspaper features ads and articles on various local political candidates at the time. One of those candidates was Ina C. Evans and the article is titled “Ina Evans Offers for House Post.”

This photograph of Ina C. Evans appeared with the 1972 article announcing her as a candidate for House seat 55. (The DeKalb New Era, August 3, 1972)

Ina C. Evans was running for the District 55 House seat. Her platform included better health facilities, tax reform and better educational facilities in DeKalb County. She and her campaign team went door to door talking to voters and distributing material.

Evans spoke to The DeKalb News Sun about her campaign, “We are hoping that voters will decide on the basis of qualifications. I firmly believe that office holders are elected to voice the needs and concerns of the community. Win or lose, I’ll be right here next year and the year after battling to put this community up front in DeKalb.”

Evans lost the race, which went to a runoff between Betty J. Clark and Sherman S. Barge. Betty Clark won the runoff, and as a Democrat who was unopposed, she won the seat.

Ina Evans was born in Gallatin, Tennessee in 1935. She graduated with honors from Mississippi Valley State College. Her resume included working as a poll monitor in the Democratic primary in 1968 and during the presidential election that year.

In 1969, she was campaign manager in the Kirkwood area for H. E. Tate, the first Black candidate for Mayor of Atlanta. Evans also worked as area coordinator for the Committee for Sensible Rapid Transit.

Evans was secretary for the Georgia Shirley Chisholm Fund when Chisholm ran for President in 1972. She was an alternate delegate for the 1972 National Democratic Convention.

Evans would later serve 14 years on the Atlanta Public Schools Board of Education. She worked with Maynard Jackson, first Black Mayor of Atlanta, and civil rights leader and activist Rev. Hosea Williams, founder of “Hosea Feed the Hungry.” Later, she would work in the office of Governor Jimmy Carter. (meadowsmortuary.com)

She was married to John Evans for 30 years. He was President of the DeKalb County chapter of the NAACP for sixteen years before retiring in 2016. According to a 2012 oral history with John Evans in the archives of DeKalb History Center, he was appointed to the DeKalb County Executive Committee in 1968, on recommendation of Maynard Jackson. He also worked on the Shirley Chisholm 1972 Presidential campaign.

In the 1970s, Ina Evans operated the Loving Care Day Care Center in Kirkwood.

She passed away June 30, 2021.

The Moving Pictures in Atlanta

The first moving pictures in Atlanta were shown at the Cotton States and International Exposition of Georgia, held in 1895 at Piedmont Park.  A movie theater was constructed along an area called Midway Heights on 10th Street. The attraction was called “Living Pictures,” where the newly developed vitascope projector was demonstrated. It wasn’t very popular at the exposition so visitors were allowed to enter for free.  People made use of the opportunity to step inside the small theater and rest for a few minutes. It may have been destined to close due to lack of attendance, but never had to because a fire destroyed the theater space. (“Atlanta and Environs Volume II”, by Franklin Garrett)

The first movie house opened in Atlanta in 1904.  It was called The Star and was located at 36 Decatur Street.  It was successful enough for a second movie house called The Eldorado to open soon after at 146 Marietta Street.

By 1907, fourteen theaters were listed in the Atlanta directory.  They were known as “electric” theaters and were usually small store front buildings with chairs nailed together to form a row. The early films lasted about fifteen minutes. 

The Montgomery Theatre at 87 Peachtree Street opened in August of 1911, advertising a small balcony for vocal performers, an organ and an orchestra.  This was the beginning of longer films with an actual story line.  The theatre was later known as Georgian, Odeon and Tudor Theatre.

Talking movies came to Atlanta in 1928 with The Jazz Singer showing at the Metropolitan Theatre.  The Metropolitan first opened in 1911 and was located at the intersection of Luckie Street and Broad Street.  By 1929, several talking movies were shown around Atlanta, including The Virginian, starring Gary Cooper at the Paramount Theatre.  The Paramount, located at 169 Peachtree Street, originally opened as a live theatre in 1920 and was known as Howard Theatre. 

Gone with the Wind premiered at Loews Grand Theatre in 1939 with much fanfare and stars of the film attending.  The building was originally the home of DeGive’s Grand Opera House built in 1893.  In 1972, a fire burned the Loews Grand Theatre.

Other theatres included the Rialto on Forsyth Street, Buckhead Theatre on Roswell Road, Temple Theatre in Grant Park and Center Theatre (later Central) on Whitehall Street.  The old Rhodes Theatre was located on Peachtree Road next to Rhodes Hall. 

It wasn’t necessary to go downtown in the 1930’s and 1940’s to see a movie.  Theaters just outside of Atlanta included Brookhaven Theater opening in 1938, Avondale Theater in Avondale Estates opening in 1938 and Decatur Theater opening in 1940. 

The movies we associate with Christmas now did not necessarily premiere or show during the holiday season. Meet Me in St. Louis played at Rhodes Theatre in 1945, Christmas in Connecticut played at the Buckhead, Temple and Center Theatres in 1945, Miracle on 34th Street was showing at the Brookhaven Theatre in 1947, and White Christmas was featured at the Fox Theatre in 1954.   

Fred Donaldson, who was born at Donaldson-Bannister Farm in Dunwoody, grew up going to the movies in Brookhaven, Buckhead or downtown Atlanta.  He and his friends would either catch a ride or walk to Brookhaven and then if they decided to head to Buckhead or to the Paramount or Fox Theatre downtown, they would catch the trolley from Brookhaven. 

Joe Greear recalls that the first movie he saw was The Fly at Brookhaven Theatre. He describes the location. “Across Peachtree Street from the Building Supply and A & P was another cluster of businesses including a post office and a movie theater. The Brookhaven Theatre was where I saw my first scary movie-the original version of ‘The Fly’ starring Vincent Price. I was about six or seven and I remember being so scared that I couldn’t watch the end and left my seat to wait in the lobby for my brother to emerge. The Brookhaven Theatre was not an elaborate movie house like The Fox, and had only a few embellishments. Despite its simplicity it was a nice place to watch a movie and I always loved the smell of the popcorn in the lobby.” (From “Growing up on the Edges,” by Joe Greear, held in the archives of DeKalb History Center)

1965 Atlanta newspapers advertise the film The Sound of Music at Martin’s Cinerama at 583 Peachtree Street.  This theater was built in 1927 and was originally a live playhouse called Erlanger Theatre.  In the 1950’s it began showing movies and was called Tower Theatre, later becoming Martin’s Cinerama, Atlanta Theatre and then Columbia Theatre.  It was demolished to make way for a parking lot in 1995. 


Some memories and thoughts on Thanksgiving

With Thanksgiving just a couple of days away, I enjoy thinking back to the holiday during my childhood years. Since I grew up in Atlanta, we had a southern traditional meal with turkey, sweet potatoes, dressing, other side dishes and of course pie. My mom sometimes baked a cream cheese pound cake, two kinds of pie, and some chocolate chip cookies when she became a grandmother.

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7th grade school safety patrol program and the annual DC/NY trip by train

When Marissa Howard, Programs and Membership Coordinator at DeKalb History Center, sent this photograph to me, I thought perhaps it was a group of school safety patrol students. The group of students in the front have a sign that reads Morgan Falls, a former school in Sandy Springs I have written about before. The photograph is part of the Guy Hayes Collection in the DeKalb History Center archives.

I wondered if the groups of children may have been preparing to leave on the annual safety patrol trip by train to Washington, D. C. and in some years New York City also. I participated in the safety patrol at DeKalb County’s Pleasantdale Elementary School back in 1969 and 1970 but didn’t know the origins of the program or when it started. I also did not recall that it was associated with AAA, the American Automobile Association.

If you look closely, you will also see the name of two other Fulton County Schools at that time-Center Hill and Lakewood Heights Schools of Atlanta.  Several of the students are wearing badges and a few have on their safety patrol sash with the badge attached. There are quite a few suitcases.

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