Meeting Highlights- Beth Kuzmick
Club President Kristin Keller welcomed all to the meeting at Palmera Inn and Suites
photo credit Lynn King
Assistant Governor Area 4, Dot Jeger, presented a district grant check of $2500 to President Kristin. This will be matched with funds from VLR for a total of $5000. The grant check helps to fund our holiday food basket program.
Speaker:
Speakers were Hilton Head residents Jim and Carol Alberto. Jim wrote the book, "Daufuski Daze" that chronicles his and Carol's 9 years as teachers on Daufuski Island in a two room school house heated by a wood burning stove.
photo credit Lynn King
He answered a newspaper ad in 1974, which led to the many adventures. They shared stories of their initial experiences on the island: Jim's first home on the island was a rusted out two hundred square foot trailer.. a Rust Bucket with bad water - the water, coming from a shallow well was undrinkable and was so corrosive it made a hold in the tub and shower...made taking showers very interesting according to Jim as he wondered if he'd get a visit from the island's reptiles. He related stories of his wrangelings with the school district to get supplies for their school...example - getting a 16 person school bus. They were first offered a station wagon that would only hold 7...Jim's answer, to paraphrase: the station wagon would sit and rust as it would go unused! They had 13 students at that time and thus, would have to make two trips to pick up kids. They could not afford the precious gas or time to do so! Official called him "cheeky", they eventually got their bus. Jim and Carol would always read to the children. Jim would read the "Hobbit" to his older students, Carol taught the little ones. The kids didn't exhibit a desire to read in those first days. One day, a student names Daryl, asked if he could read from the book in front of the class which surprised Jim but, even more, the other students! Jim and Carol discovered that the kids thought only white children could read, not them. This was a defining moment for the students. Daryl went on to become a writer himself and now lives in Atlanta. GREAT STORY!
Other facts:
Jim graduated from University of South Carolina in 1973
He and Carol had to learn quickly how to survive on an isolated island by fixing up and using delapidated old cars and boats
After his 9 years on Daufuski, he went on to teach history on the mainland
Jim and Carol live in Hilton Head Plantation
Pat Conroy was on Daufuski from 1969-1970 and Jim and Carol inherited his boat
Carol had Arthur Ash in her class at one time.
Other facts:
Jim graduated from University of South Carolina in 1973
He and Carol had to learn quickly how to survive on an isolated island by fixing up and using delapidated old cars and boats
After his 9 years on Daufuski, he went on to teach history on the mainland
Jim and Carol live in Hilton Head Plantation
Pat Conroy was on Daufuski from 1969-1970 and Jim and Carol inherited his boat
Carol had Arthur Ash in her class at one time.
The Daufuski Kids Magazine - their first edition, 800 copies. The money they made from selling the magazines was put in a college fund. The Today Show came to the island after hearing about the Kids' Magazine and did a 10 minute spot about the school and the island. The story was in the Top 10 Charles Kuralt Type stories that were replayed at the end of the year.