Comments on: Veterans Day in Decatur

By: Chris Billingsley

Chris Billingsley — Tue, 12 Nov 2013 12:20:59 +0000

Thanks Decaturish. Very interesting.
Hopefully readers recognize names like Guy Rutland and Scott Candler but another name deserves further attention, Mr. Frank Thomas. I assume that this is the same person who lived two doors down from me on Ponce Place, next door to Buddy and Jan Goodloe’s home today. Mr. Thomas paid me to clean his gutters ($10 as I recall) and in one of our few conversations, told me that he had once served on the Decatur Board of Education. I would not be surprised if he was also a big supporter of the Harold Byrd lodge.
In addition to having a street named after him near the Decatur YMCA, Harold Byrd also has a memorial plaque on the old courthouse grounds. It’s usually covered with mulch but I found it and another marker dedicated to Marion Footman Wilson Sunday morning and placed flags nearby. Byrd and Wilson are two of around fifteen men from DeKalb County who lost their lives while serving in the military during World War I. Wilson is the only one buried in the Decatur Cemetery. His flat monument, next to the road at the high point of the new cemetery, is very interesting and contains quite a bit of biographical information.
Back to the letter. There was a time when people like Scott Candler, Guy Rutland and others were not only influential in Decatur, but DeKalb County and Georgia as well. And how many important decisions were made over dinner at the East Lake country club? Do we have anyone in Decatur today who is as influential as these earlier leaders?
God bless all our veterans and their families.

By: Golfball

Golfball — Mon, 11 Nov 2013 18:48:11 +0000

Thanks to all from a vet and thanks to the current service members serving everywhere around the world.

By: Rick Julian

Rick Julian — Mon, 11 Nov 2013 18:42:28 +0000

excellent. now that you mention it I seem to recall hearing them talk about the new cemetery management software during a city council meeting.

wonder if it’ll enable social media postings?

@son, just because i’m pushing up daisies it doesn’t mean you shouldn’t be flossing every night
#mom4evar

By: Steve

Steve — Mon, 11 Nov 2013 18:08:16 +0000

Actually, the cemetery is implementing new software that will allow all gravesites to be identified vis GPS, so it would be great project.

By: Rick Julian

Rick Julian — Mon, 11 Nov 2013 17:26:58 +0000

My son and I were there on Saturday too. I think it’s important for kids to practice reverence even when they don’t completely “get it”. Great experience, especially for me, as my father served 27 years and in three wars.

Our Packmaster suggested some Boy Scouts had suggested identifying all veterans’ grave locations via GPS coordinates as part of an Eagle project. I think that’s a great idea that will help us easily identify all of their grave locations—some can be hard to find.