Above: Athens, Georgia, May 4, 2017
Image Source = Kenneth Randolph Taylor
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After the rain the
earth, glistening with water,
sits refreshed, renewed.
KENNETH RANDOLPH TAYLOR
MAY 4, 2017 COMMON ERA
From The Scroll, LaGrange College, LaGrange, Georgia, May 1933
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I thank my sister, Barbara Jackson, for bringing this to my attention.
Nell Barrett (later Taylor) was my paternal grandmother.
http://home.lagrange.edu/library/hilltop_news_digitized/1933-05.pdf
Image Source = Kenneth Randolph Taylor
Blackie, my mother’s rescue cat, enjoys watching the avian visitors.
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Source for All Images = Kenneth Randolph Taylor
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Source of All Images = Kenneth Randolph Taylor
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Above: First Presbyterian Church, Athens, Georgia, After 1933 and Before 1965
Image Source = Library of Congress
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John Dodson Taylor, Jr. (1905-1976), my paternal grandfather, studied law at The University of Georgia (UGA) in the late 1920s. He was a lifelong Presbyterian. Presumably he attended church while in Athens. He might have worshiped at the First Presbyterian Church, founded in 1820.
The physical plant has expanded since the construction of the present sanctuary in 1855-1856. I have lived in Athens since August 2005, and I have noticed additions to the structure. The interior of the sanctuary retains box pews, which families used to rent; I have noticed the names of prominent people on small plaques inside box pews. The session of the congregation has done much to maintain the historic nature of the sanctuary while updating the physical plant to keep up with the times and the needs of the congregation. (The elevators in the educational building are quite nice!)
I am an Episcopalian and an active member at St. Gregory the Great Church in town, but I have had occasion to visit the First Presbyterian Church, most recently on a Sunday afternoon for a concert of fine organ music.
Scan by Kenneth Randolph Taylor
The historic and active nature of the place impressed me, a fan of old buildings. As a former priest of mine said, many congregations are functionally memorial societies. The First Presbyterian Church is not a memorial society, fortunately. Furthermore, according to the self-appointed rankers of church choirs in Athens, First Presbyterian has the best church choir and St. Gregory the Great has the second best church choir.
One reason for my interest in First Presbyterian is the possible link to family history. Have I been in the same space in which my grandfather worshiped during his law school days? Have I perhaps sat in the same box pew? The UGA School of Law is on North Campus (with the famous arch), which opens up onto downtown Athens, where First Presbyterian is located. One can walk from UGA’s North Campus to the front doors of the First Presbyterian Church in just a few minutes. My theory is plausible, if unproven.
KENNETH RANDOLPH TAYLOR
MAY 6, 2016 COMMON ERA
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Photograph Scanned by Kenneth Randolph Taylor
In the dining room at the family house in Summerville, Georgia
