Western Tidewater Living Spring 2016 by The Tidewater News

Western Tidewater

Living

Down country lanes

Isle of Wight County homes chosen for Virginia’s Garden Tours: an experience for people who love homes

Making an IMPACT

Old Dominion University women’s lacrosse team makes impact on Windsor teen with cystic fibrosis

Zuni Blue Sox

A tale of 3 surviving “old timers” from the original Zuni Blue Sox baseball team SPRING 2016 • vol. 7, no. 1

It’s delightful. It’s delicious.

The V lage Vil g ge at Woods W Edge d dge

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A lovely time of your life lies ahead when you make your

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4 western tidewater living

Cover photograph submitted

Down Country Lanes

ON THE COVER: Oak Level house featured on the Virginia Garden Tour

Western Tidewater

Living

Tony Clark Publisher Rebecca Chappell Staff Writer Stephen Cowles Staff Writer Andrew Lind Sports Editor Ryan Outlaw Designer Loretta Lomax Editorial Assistant Mitzi Lusk Advertising Director Sameerah Brown Advertising Representative Michelle Gray Office Manager Western Tidewater Living is published four times a year by Tidewater Publications, LLC P.O. Box 497, Franklin, VA 23851 757-562-3187 Advertising rates and information available upon request to ads@tidewaternews.com. Subscriptions are $20 annually in-state, $24 annually out of state and $30 annually overseas.

Sharon, Godfrey and the School Bullies

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28 Making an IMPACT

spring

2016 contents party pix

6 western tidewater living

The Zuni Blue Sox

Chamber of Commerce Meeting Left: Kim Williams and Teresa Beale at the 62nd Annual Franklin Southampton Area Chamber of Commerce Meeting. Below: Pat Cleveland, Austin Brown, Jamie McFarland, Judy Pulley, Collin Pulley, Frances Gladding and Nick Grizzard. PHOTOS BY MITZI LUSK

western tidewater living

where am I?

In each edition, our magazine staff provides a challenge of sorts for readers, testing how much of Western Tidewater they really know. We photograph a scene in Western Tidewater that is visible to motorists or pedestrians. Whoever can identify the location pictured above will be entered for a chance to win a $25 gift certificate. So, if you know where this issue’s photo was taken, let us know. If you’re right, you could be a winner. E-mail your answers to magazine@ tidewaternews.com

For the winteredition, photo by Andrew Lind

Party pix See what Western Tidewater has been up to this past season.

Tell us where our photographer took this photo and get a chance to win a gift certificate.

Go out and enjoy Western Tidewater!

western tidewater living 33

what to do THURSDAY, APRIL 7

Bingo night: The Newsoms Ruritans will have

bingo night on the first Thursday of every month, at 29204 Main Street at the Ruritan building. Hot dogs, chips and drinks will be on sale at 6:30 p.m. and calling begins at 7 p.m. For more information, call Betty Darden at 654-6355.

FRIDAY, APRIL 8

Spring fashion show: The Paul D. Camp Com-

munity College Spring Fashion Show will be from 5:30 to 7 p.m., at the Regional Workforce Development Center, 100 N. College Drive, Franklin. Proceeds will support the PDCCC Foundation. Fashions will be provided by the Mini Pearl Boutique. A light dinner and cash bar will be provided. Tickets are $20 each and may be purchased at pdc. edu/FashionShow or by calling 569-6790.

SATURDAY, APRIL 9

Community yard sale: Century 21 Gold Mar-

ket Realty will be hosting a community yard sale from 8 a.m. to noon. Spots can be purchased for $15 each. All proceeds go to Relay for Life. Call the office for a spot in advance or come out to purchase an array of items. Call Angela or Darren at 562-2295. Bingo night: The GFWC Sedley Woman’s Club

will have bingo night on Saturday, April 9, at 7 p.m. at the Sedley Fire House on Johnson’s Mill Road. Free children’s games at intermission. Light refreshments will be available for sale. Golf tournament: The 5th annual Child

Abuse Prevention Golf Tournament will be on Saturday, April 9, at the Cypress Cove Country Club, 20333 Country Club Road, Franklin. This event is sponsored by Joyner Gray Yale Ruritan Club and Southampton Social Services. Registration and purchase of Mulligans at 11 a.m. Shotgun start at noon. Rain date is April 16. Hot dogs will be available for purchase during the event. Complimentary BBQ plates will be served after the tournament. Proceeds will be returned to the Southampton County community through programs to support Child Abuse Prevention. For more information, call Jerry Stivers at 630-8604 or Michelle Stivers at 556-2623.

Down Home Day: Down Home Day will be

from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the Southampton Agriculture and Forestry Museum.

TUESDAY, APRIL 12

Contractor Business Licensing course: “Basic

the yard sale or to reserve a space call 8992365. Food and drinks will be available for purchase. This event is sponsored by The Wakefield Foundation.

SUNDAY, APRIL 17

Contractor Business Licensing” will be held from 5 to 9 p.m. on Tuesdays, April 12 and 19, at Paul D. Camp Community College’s Regional Workforce Development Center, 100 North College Drive, Franklin. The deadline to register is April 11 by 4 p.m. This eight-hour, non-credit course earns .8 CEUs for participants. The cost, which includes the textbook, is $175. Register at pdc.augusoft.net. For more information, call the Workforce Development office at 569-6050, or email workforce@pdc.edu.

Historical society program: The Southamp-

WEDNESDAY, APRIL 13

Library hosts author: Windsor Library hosts

Oyster roast: The Chuckatuck Ruritan Club

will have its 40th annual oyster roast from 3 to 6 p.m. at the Kirk Farm on Everets Road. Tickets are $35 in advance and are available at Pretlow Jackson, P.C., 200 N. Main Street, Suffolk, Saunders Supply Company and the Office of J. Dwight Bradshaw.

FRIDAY, APRIL 15

BBQ fundraiser: The Bethlehem Ruritan Club

will have a BBQ fundraiser on Friday, April 15 at the clubhouse at 140 Manning Road, Suffolk from 11:30 a.m. to 6:30 p.m. Menu includes fried chicken and BBQ, slaw, yams and hush puppies. There is a donations of $9. There will be 2 pound tubs of BBQ available for a $12 donation, eat in or take out. All proceeds go back into the community. Call Fred Brinkley at 617-9317 for tickets.

SATURDAY, APRIL 16

Elvis is coming: Elvis, aka A.J. Outlaw, will be

in the house at the Wakefield Foundation, 100 Wilson Ave., Wakefield at 7:30 p.m. Admission is $10 per person. Tickets can be purchased at the door or in advance from Kids Korner, Britt’s Service Center, Wakefield Pharmacy (Wakefield) and Waverly Drugs (Waverly). Food and drinks will be available for purchase. For more information or tickets call 899-2365. This event is sponsored by The Wakefield Foundation. Community yard sale: A community yard sale

will be held on the grounds of the Wakefield Foundation, 100 Wilson Ave., from 8 a.m. to noon. The cost to reserve a spot is $10 per space. For more information on

ton County Historical Society will have a program at 3 p.m. in the Administration Building in Courtland. The program will feature Dr. Aaron De Groft, a professor at William and Mary. He will talk and show a new publication of the College of William and Mary by alumna, Ms. Martha Wren Briggs, class of 1955, and her writings about Louis Comfort Tiffany, America’s first industrial artist.

TUESDAY, APRIL 19

local author: The friends of Windsor Library will be hosting a visit from local Tidewater Author Allie Marie. She will visit the library from 6 to 8 p.m. to talk about her writing, sign books and sit in with the Book Club to discuss her first book “Teardrops of the Innocent” which is set in the Olde Towne District of Portsmouth.

WEDNESDAY, APRIL 20

Chinese seal printing: Rawls Museum Arts

will have a free Chinese seal printing workshop from 4:30 to 7 p.m. This is a teacher’s workshop from the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts that is being opened up to everyone. After artist, Mary Sweezy, discusses Chinese Seal (or Chop), participants will translate their names into Chinese characters on paper. The characters will be transferred to soft printmaking blocks and cut out using carving tools. The blocks will be inked and printed on blank greeting cards, with each student creating their own set of Chinese Seal cards to frame or send. Please call to sign up 653-0754.

SATURDAY, APRIL 23

3-D printing program: Join Ruth Camp Camp-

bell Memorial Library for a demonstration of this new-to-consumers technology that prints objects, just like a computer printer produces paper documents. You’ll learn how it works and what it can do. Find out about design tools like Tinkercad and take home a 3D-printed object. The library is located at 280 N. College Drive in Franklin. For more information, call 562-4801 or email broblin@blackwaterlib.org.

Looking for something to do? Check out our calendar of events.

6 western tidewater living

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Chamber of Commerce Meeting Right: Jim Strozier of Highground Services and Kim Williams, former chamber president. Below: Mary Stauffer, Darren Stauffer and Angela Denson PHOTOS BY REBECCA CHAPPELL

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Chamber of Commerce Meeting Right: Judy & Collin Pulley with Carolyn Purvis, right. Bottom left: Beneta & Ellis Cofield Jr.. Bottom right: Jamie & Jason McFarland. PHOTOS BY MITZI LUSK

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Y E R F D O G , N O R A SNHD S E I L L U B L O A O H C THE S nd

Li w e r nd

yb stor

ost authors draw inspiration from a muse. Sharon Daniels, meanwhile, attributes her writing acumen to her experiences as a special education and resources teacher in the Greensville County Public School System. Having two special needs children of her own, Daniels was forced to deal with bullying on a daily basis. Her students and children were teased regularly because of their disabilities, and Daniels always saw to it that the oppressor was disciplined. In both her scholastic and personal life, Daniels saw children who were developmentally delayed in an environment that was not beneficial to either party. “My students [at Emporia, Hicksford and Zion elementary schools] came to me in groups of three or four for remediation in reading or math,” she said. “These students were different from regular education students in that they generally excelled in

one major area like math and failed reading, or vise versa. They were often picked on by regular education students because they were mainstreamed into regular classes for the remainder of the day. “Whenever one of my students came to me about an issue that occurred with a regular education student, my instincts and responsibilities as a [special education teacher] often led me outside of the comforts of my undersized trailer classroom into the long halls of the school building. It did not matter whether the

problem occurred on the bus, in the bathroom, cafeteria or another class, my steps were always the same.”

Sharon Daniels’ sixth-grade class at Belfield Elementary School.

western tidewater living

Left: Artwork from â&#x20AC;&#x153;Godfrey and the School Bullyâ&#x20AC;? by Sharon Daniels. Right: Godfrey the giraffe, as depicted on the front cover of the book.

18 western tidewater living Daniels explained that she sought out the student[s] who caused the problem, explained the consequences if the problem persisted and followed up to make sure that it did not continue. “Most of the time, a warning was all that was needed,” she said. “My son, Matthew, and daughter, Caitlin, were also both placed in special classes at a very young age, and I spent much of my time as a parent dealing with the problems that came up on the bus or at school with their peers — and even adults — that were making fun of or bullying my children, too.” The reoccurring incidents that the now-retired Adams Grove resident saw during her 32 years in the classroom motivated her to create stories for children of similar circumstance. The subject of her first book, “Godfrey and the School Bully,” was a no-brainer, she said. “I always taught my students to be respectful of others and to understand that as a member of my class, you were going to be treated with fairness and equality,” Daniels said. “I want children to understand that it is much more fun and easier to be a friend to someone than it is to be a bully.” “Godfrey and the School Bully” tells the story of a giraffe who is about to start third grade at Tumble Town Elementary. On the first day of school, Godfrey is confronted by the school bully, Danny, who ultimately finds himself in quite the predicament. “G o d f r e y

Daniels with her son, Matthew, and daughter, Caitlin

ends up becoming the hero when he saves Danny,” Daniels said. “I don’t want to share too many details, but the thing that Danny teases Godfrey for plays a significant role.” With Matthew, 30, and Caitlin, 26, becoming more independent — Matthew works part-time at Shoney’s Restaurant and Caitlin volunteers at Eugene H. Bloom Retirement Center, both in Emporia — Daniels has made writing a fulltime gig. Her autobiography, “Unknown Justice,” provides more specific details about the hardships and humiliations she and her children experienced. Both it and “Godfrey and the School Bully” can be found on Amazon.

“My children have been through a lot, but they’ve been strong enough to overcome the punches that life has thrown their way. I’m happy to say that they are very caring and compassionate adults,” Daniels said. “Children who are being victimized like they were should just know that the bully is probably a very unhappy person and does not make friends easily. Like Godfrey, they must be strong enough to rise above the behavior of the bully and not let them pull you down.”

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Dow Cou La Painting by B. Marchand

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wn ountry anes

Owne, Ann’s son, wearing matching Superman shirts with Jonas.

story by Rebecca Chappell photos submitted

hat has become what some would consider an attraction in Virginia is Virginia Garden Week and the tours that are featured in the different communities. This year, local garden clubs have chosen Isle of Wight County as the local site for their tour, inspired by “Historic Isle of Wight,” a book written by Helen King and later updated by the Isle of Wight County Historical Society. “The purpose of garden tours is to provide an experience for people who appreciate gardens and homes,” Chairman of Franklin Garden Club

Betsy Brantley said. “The proceeds from garden tours fund the restoration and preservation of historic gardens, landscapes and state parks.” In her book, King went through Isle of Wight and documented historical homes, their history and prior ownership. The Isle of Wight County Historic Society went back and made sure that there were old pictures and updated pictures of each home and site. This year’s tour will be on Saturday, April 23, from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. According to the brochure, the following eight properties will be featured:

22 western tidewater living BOYKIN’S TAVERN 1746 MONUMENT CIRCLE, ISLE OF WIGHT, 23397

You will be greeted by the man for whom the Tavern was named, Major Francis Boykin (as portrayed by local historian Albert P. Burckard). Boykin served with Patrick Henry and later with George Washington at Volley Forge. He acquired the property for the tavern in 1780 and began construction around 1790. Architectural experience reflect that the building may have been one story at one time and expanded a number of times in the late 18th and 19th centuries, explaining the combination of Colonial and Federal architecture inside and out. A smart businessman, Boykin donated two acres of land adjacent to his “mansion” for the Isle of Wight Courthouse and jail of 1800. It is known that the Boykin family and subsequent owners ran a tavern there until 1907. It served as a meeting place for influential state and local government

leaders and was the center of county social activity. Additionally, it housed architectural facets that are rare in rural Virginia. Used as a private home early in the 20th century, the tavern was purchased by the County in 1973. Recognizing its value, Isle of Wight had the tavern placed on both the Na-

tional Register of Historic Places and the Virginia Landmarks Register. Renovations occurred from 1999 through 2001 when it was reopened as Boykin’s Tavern Museum and furnished with period furnishings. Now the second floor houses the county’s Economic Development Department.

and renovations, this historical home emerged with preserved, with additions that included matched moldings and other complementary architectural elements. The home is furnished with fam-

ily antiques, including numerous sets of china, which serve as the basis for the color scheme in many of the rooms. Regina Holland Hobson and children, owners.

COLONEL THOMAS DARDEN HOME 20485 ORBIT ROAD, WINDSOR, 23487

A tree-lined lane leads to this Federal-style house built in 1834. At some point, an older two-story section with numbered beams was attached to the home. The property includes the original detached kitchen, other dependencies and a Darden family cemetery. Thomas Darden passed the house to his son, Colonel William H. Darden, who was both a surveyor and an educator. He and his daughter, Novella, ran a small school in the front yard. Once public schools opened in the county, Colonel Darden served on the School Board and was issued the third certificate to teach in the county. The Griffin family bought the home in 1905. When the current owner, a descendent of the Griffins, moved into the home in 1985, there were few modern amenities. After five years and four phases of building

western tidewater living

WOODLAND UNITED METHODIST CHURCH

THE 1850 DARDEN FARMSTEAD

20051 ORBIT ROAD, WINDSOR, 23487

19614 ORBIT ROAD, WINDSOR, 23487

Luncheon site. The sanctuary is also open. This county church traces its beginnings to 1873 when members from Sycamore and Liberty churches decided to unite and together constructed the oldest part of the current building. It has been enlarged or remodeled at least five times during history, even creating a fellowship hall from an old school house relocated to the church site. Woodland United Methodist Church, owner.

Special events from 11 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. and 2 to 4 p.m. The smokehouse will be open with a ham-smoking demonstration. The old kitchen will be open with a demonstration of loom weaving. Beehives will be available to inspect. A beekeeper will explain the importance of bee colonies to pollination. Fair gardens created by garden club members will be displayed. William Bell, owner.

OAK LEVEL 15107 COURTHOUSE ROAD, SMITHFIELD, 23430

Like many older dwellings, this one was constructed in two stages. The more forward projecting center-passage section was constructed in 1848 adjacent to the earlier 1768 side-passage dwelling. This site is also known as the Young House for previous owner Nathanial P. Young and his ancestors, to whom the county and many genealogists owe a tremendous debt of gratitude. They served as Clerks of the Court for 118 years and served the court records from destruction during both the Revolutionary and Civil Wars. During the Revolution the records were buried in a hair trunk by the wife of Francis Young. During the Civil War, a slave of the Young family, Randall Booth, was entrusted with the records, which he kept in a cart, hiding out in the woods in Greens-

ville and Brunswick Counties. In 1925, the property was bought by John Godwin, Jr. who owned adjacent property. His granddaughter and her husband now continue to preserve the family home. A front fence was recently constructed to

reproduce one seen in old photographs. In the yard is an aging one-room school where Godwin children were educated before there were county schools. There will be a display of antique quilts at this site. Marie and Tim Johnson, owners.

24 western tidewater living DAVIS DAY HOUSE 154000 MOKETE TRAIL, SMITHFIELD, 23430

Davis Day built the original house in 1809. He was descended from Edward Bennett, who founded the second plantation south the James River in 1622. Representing a prosperous two-and-ahalf story Tidewater cottage with a high windowed basement, the original house was constructed of Flemish bond brick made in a kiln nearby. The current owners obtained the property eight years ago and spent two years working with an architect to perfect plans for wings on each side of the original structure in order to minimally impact it and complement it. They included reclaimed wood from an old warehouse in Wilson, North Carolina, for flooring and exposed overhead breams and ceilings. The interior

Aside of touring the sites, garden tour participants will get to experience other activities as some of the places. At the tour headquarters, Boykin’s Tavern Lawn, the Isle of Wight Museum will be selling books on local history, master gardeners will be available to answer questions and there will be a display of antique tractors. Plein Air artists will be painting at most sites. There will also be a display of antique quilts all day. Participants will also have the opportunity to indulge in the luncheon. The box lunches are $15 and available for eat in and take out at Woodland United Methodist Church, 20051 Orbit Road, Windsor. Reservations are required by mail by Saturday, April 16, for the lunches. Checks can be made payable to Woodland United Methodist Church, Attn: Maria Bell. For further information call 357-

style varies from soothing to dramatic, including a range of antiques from formal to primitive and elements that reflect the owners’ love of animals and nature. The house is surrounded by 21 acres of pastures for the Gypsy Vanner

horses that are the heart of the family business, Mokete’s Village, which breeds and shows the horses. “Mokete” was the name of an Indian village which once existed along the James River. Wendy and Richard Dean, owners.

5810. Complimentary refreshments will be served from 2 to 4:30 at the Davis Day house. Horses will be on display, as well as musicians performing from this time. Parking is available at all sites except the Davis Day House, where a shuttle will run from the VDOT parking lot at the corner of Route 10 and Route 258 in Smithfield. This garden tour is put on by the Franklin Garden Club, The

Elizabeth River Garden Club and The Nansemond River Garden Club. Tickets the day of the event of are $35 at the Information and Ticket Headquarters Tent at Boykin’s Tavern Lawn. Advance tickets are $30, and can be purchased at www. vagardenweek.org, Alphabet Soup, The Peanut Patch and Windsor True Value Hardware.

western tidewater living

where am I?

For the winter edition, photo by Andrew Lind

So, if you know where this issueâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s photo was taken, let us know. If youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re right, you could be a winner. E-mail your answers to magazine@ tidewaternews.com Go out and enjoy Western Tidewater!

26 western tidewater living

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story by Andrew Lind photos submitted by Holly Goetz and Rick Voight

Left: Hannah Goets, in light blue, is a 14-year-old with cystic fibrosis. This life-threatening genetic disorder limits the eighth-grader’s ability to breathe. Here, she is pictured with her brother, Peyton, and the members of the Old Dominion women’s lacross team. Top: ODU senior Alex Danks looks to pass to a teammate in the Lady Monarch’s win over Campbell earlier this season. Bottom: Hannah and the ODU women’s lacross team visited Hunt Club Farm in Virginia Beach together last October.

f you watch her play basketball, you’d never guess that 14-year-old Hannah Goetz suffers from cystic fibrosis, a life-threatening genetic disorder that severely limits her ability to breathe. She’s a dancer, a cheerleader and a soccer player, too, not held back by a disease that she could have easily let define her for the rest of her life. The same thing could not have been said four years ago when she was first diagnosed. Hannah’s frequent bouts with the cold and ever-fluctuating weight caught the eye of a school nurse, who wanted to test her for scoliosis. But when a pediatrician took one look at her clubbed fingers, she knew that Hannah had cystic fibrosis. “She had a lot of mucus in her lungs, and that plus her fingers led us to get the testing for cystic fibrosis, which came back positive,” Hannah’s mom, Holly, said. “I was devastated. I had coached a girl [as Windsor High School’s girls basketball coach] that had cystic fibrosis, and I knew all of the complications that she dealt with. I was devastated. It’s not an illness that is going to go away, and it’s only going to progress the older she gets.” Hannah immediately began treatment at Children’s Hospital of The King’s Daughters in Norfolk, a place which she visits every three months for roughly 10 days at a time for increased monitoring. There, she has to inhale medication through a nebulizer and wear a vest that shakes her body to break up the mucus in her lungs four times daily; Hannah does this twice a day when she’s at home. “[The treatments] are very time consuming,” she said, explaining that taking the medication exhausts more than two hours of her day. The gravity of the situation came to a head about a month after the diagnosis,

30 western tidewater living

Danks and the Lady Monarchs cele

as the continuous trips to the hospital and the overall stress began to stretch the family thin. “[The most difficult part was] knowing that there isn’t a cure and all of the medication and treatment she was dealing with,” Holly said. “It’s just a lot for someone.” So, it was seemingly fate that the Windsor Elementary physical education teacher was introduced by a colleague to Team IMPACT, a group that connects children facing life-threatening or chronic illnesses with local college athletic teams. Hannah was drafted by the Old Dominion University women’s lacrosse team, whose coaching staff was look-

ing for way to build camaraderie among their athletes by joining the organization. But little did they know that they were going help transform a shy 10-year-old with a life-changing illness into a courageous and energetic teenager who isn’t afraid to share her story with others. “We thought Hannah would be a good match for us with her being a female and her age range,” ODU assistant coach Ashley Waters said. “Since [she was paired with the team], we’ve made her a part of everything we do,” said senior attacker Alex Danks. “She comes to our games and tailgates, and she even went on a bus trip with us to

“She comes to our games and tailgates, and she even went on a bus trip with us to William and Mary. Whenever she has time, she’s always welcome to come.”

brate after a goal.

William and Mary. Whenever she has time, she’s always welcome to come.” The Lady Monarchs return the favor by creating their own cheering section at Hannah’s basketball or soccer games and dance recitals at Windsor’s Georgie D. Tyler Middle School. “They’ve been great and so supportive of Hannah,” Holly said. “What kind of college kids give up their Friday nights to drive 45 minutes to an hour here and then 45 minutes to an hour back? They’re a great group of girls, and they do a little bit of everything for Hannah.” That includes visiting her in the hospital, which is a short trip for their Norfolk-based campus. They drop by individually or in groups to see how Hannah is doing with her treatments, play games or just to chat. “She gets so happy when we come to see her. It feels good to go and hang out with her because it makes her day,” said

western tidewater living

Danks, in red, and other members of the ODU womenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s lacross team visit Hannah in the hospital. Their visits to CHKD in Norfolk are always filled with laughter.

32 western tidewater living

Senior defender Maggie Clough snatched the ball from the wair in a matchup with Virginia Tech last season. Clough, a nursing major, was one of the few players on the team to have heard of cystic fibrosis before the Lady Monarchs joined Team IMPACT.

freshman midfielder Alyssa Sebesto. “[When we go to the hospital], it’s hard for us to leave. We end up ordering pizza and stay for like three to four hours because she’s fun. She used to not want to hang out with us. But now she entertains us, we don’t entertain her. She’s hilarious. We’ll come in and she’ll show us her new cheerleading dance moves, tell us a joke or just pick at each other. Her humor level is up with us, so she can really connect with us and it’s really fun. We love it,” Danks said. It’s an enormous help to Holly, who can’t always take time away from work to be by Hannah’s side. And, being 14 years old, none of Hannah’s friends can drive yet to visit her. “Since we’re so close to CHKD, we can easily drop by,” said senior defender Maggie Clough. “Those moments really go an extra step. She can look forward to that, and she doesn’t have to worry so much about all of her treatments because she knows she is going to have somebody

come talk to her.” Though the Lady Monarchs have helped Hannah make significant strides socially and in her ability to manage her illness, the impact that she’s had on them is not lost, either. Their improving win percentage on the field can attest to a team that has rallied together around a common cause — which just happens to be a young girl in need of 27 big sisters. “It’s been really special to watch the team grow and embrace this. Team IMPACT’s goal is to benefit both parties. I think the team has really matured and seen that there are things bigger than themselves, and Hannah has become like one of them. She’s like a teammate to them,” Waters said. “It has changed the entire team because the attitudes from four years ago to now is so much different. She’s helped us become better role models and people, and we’ve helped her mature,” Danks said.

“It’s a whole new perspective. You get to see and reflect on everything we have the opportunity to do as student-athletes,” Clough said. “On the other side, she gets to see what’s out there and what she can become and how far she can really go. She’s not limited, and we can really help her see that.” Hannah, grinning from ear to ear, boasts that her good grades are going to help her get into the University of Virginia, where she hopes to become a surgeon. “I like dissecting things on Surgery Squad [an interactive computer-based surgery game],” she said. Most kids who have spent nearly 200 days in the hospital over the last four years would want to avoid going back at all cost. Hannah, meanwhile, relishes the opportunity to spread the cheer to children in similar situations to her own. “She’s full of life and has such a positive outlook on things,” Holly said, “and it’s because of Team IMPACT.”

western tidewater living

what to do THURSDAY, APRIL 7

Bingo night: The Newsoms Ruritans will have

FRIDAY, APRIL 8

Spring fashion show: The Paul D. Camp Com-

SATURDAY, APRIL 9

Community yard sale: Century 21 Gold Mar-

Down Home Day: Down Home Day will be

from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the Southampton Agriculture and Forestry Museum.

TUESDAY, APRIL 12

Contractor Business Licensing course: “Basic

the yard sale or to reserve a space call 8992365. Food and drinks will be available for purchase. This event is sponsored by The Wakefield Foundation.

SUNDAY, APRIL 17

Historical society program: The Southamp-

WEDNESDAY, APRIL 13

Library hosts author: Windsor Library hosts

Oyster roast: The Chuckatuck Ruritan Club

FRIDAY, APRIL 15

BBQ fundraiser: The Bethlehem Ruritan Club

SATURDAY, APRIL 16

Elvis is coming: Elvis, aka A.J. Outlaw, will be

will be held on the grounds of the Wakefield Foundation, 100 Wilson Ave., from 8 a.m. to noon. The cost to reserve a spot is $10 per space. For more information on

TUESDAY, APRIL 19

WEDNESDAY, APRIL 20

Chinese seal printing: Rawls Museum Arts

SATURDAY, APRIL 23

3-D printing program: Join Ruth Camp Camp-

34 western tidewater living

Western Tidewater Baseball History

The Zuni Blue Sox T

here were no cheering crowds in the stands today. Nor were there former managers, booking agents, gatemen or score keepers readied to pat them on their backs as they made their way to the diamond. It didn’t matter. On this brisk, sunny February morning, three Old Timers gathered at the Windsor High School baseball field, not to offer tearful speeches, but to remember their glory days as the formidable Zuni Blue Sox. It had been over 50 years since William “Wilbur” Johnson, George “Elliott” Eley Sr. and Floyd Ricks Sr., the last surviving original Zuni Blue Sox, stepped onto a baseball field together. Over the decades, they had seen each other at graduations, weddings and funerals, or exchanged pleasantries at the grocery stores, pharmacy or post office. But today, they slowly made their way across the baselines one last time to take their positions on the field. Wilbur Johnson’s love of the game was conspicuous. Adorned in his beloved Los Angeles Dodgers baseball cap, he carried his Louisville Slugger over his shoulder onto the field. This wooden bat, manufactured by the Hillerich and Bradsby Company in Louisville, Kentucky, for over 100 years and made famous by baseball legends Ty Cobb, Babe Ruth and Lou Gehrig, was the official bat of the Zuni Blue Sox, along with the Wilson glove and the Spaulding baseball. Wilbur gave his bat to Mr. Elliott Eley,

story and photos by Desiree Urquhart

who was standing at home plate, then made his way to the pitcher’s mound. Still a tall stature of a man at 82 years old, Wilbur walked with a confident gate. Days earlier, he had recounted the exhilaration he had felt when he threw a shutout against the Obit Braves in his very first game as a pitcher. “I was just 19 years old. It was a late-inning pressure situation and I struck out the last batter. I’ll never forget the roar of the fans,” he said with both pride and humility. Wilbur, who was 15 years old when he became a Zuni Blue Sox, used to walk 4 1/2 miles each way to Fairview Elementary in Zuni. He started eighth grade at Isle of Wight Training School in Smithfield. But his sharecropper father, Frank, had to force his son to quit school to help out on the farm. Both father and son loved the game of baseball. After working all day in the fields, they would practice pitching and hitting in the barnyard. The elder Johnson bought his son a book with illustrations on how to grip the ball. Soon, Wilbur learned how to throw a perfect curve ball to the approval of his father. Although he played 2nd base when he first joined the Blue Sox, it took no time for Wilbur to become the team’s designated pitcher. Elliott, who now suffers from a bad back and other ailments, made the valiant effort to join his former teammates at this recent reunion. Unable to walk without assistance, the 89-year-old proudly stood on home plate with Wilbur’s Louisville

western tidewater living

Slugger to show that he could still take a swing with the bat. Born in Surry County, Elliott attended the two-room Rosenwald Schoolhouse in Zuni. He, too, was 15 years old when he joined the Zuni Blue Sox and was the team’s trusted shortstop because he was

today, at 89 years old, he sprinted past Wilbur and decided to crouch down at shortstop to be closer to his former teammates. Floyd attended Sugar Hill Elementary, a two-room schoolhouse in Windsor. After finishing 7th grade, he also had to leave school to

glove at a hardware store in Suffolk for $15.” The Zuni Blue Sox, a Negro baseball team, organized sometime in the early 1930s, started playing on a field of sand owned by Mr. Willie Anderson located down a dirt road off of what is currently Thomas

The Zuni Blue Sox, circa 1950. Top, from left to right: James Tyler (Gateman), J.S. Chapman, Junious Whitney, Leland Chapman, James Kigler, Wilbur Johnson. Lloyd Ricks, J.P. Johnson, Sam Butler, Elliott Eley, James Henry Wilson (Empire), Frank Johnson, Sr. (Booking Agent)

quick with a fast throw within very short distances. “When I made my first double play between second and first base, the crowd went wild,” he remembers. Floyd Ricks, currently the most agile of the three, came to the reunion ready to take the field. During his Blue Sox career, he used to pitch on occasion. His true gift was as a fast runner, so centerfield became his regularly assigned position. Even

work in the fields. He chopped peas, but baseball was in his blood. With no money to purchase supplies, he made a ball out of socks and tape and would throw it up against the barn walls. At lunch time, he would practice with his brother in the lane. “I couldn’t believe it when my father bought me a bat from Portsmouth,” said the reflective Floyd. “I started saving my own money from the farm work and bought my first

Woods Trail, (Rt. 614), near Sand Pit Road. (They were not named the Blue Sox in the beginning; no one remembers the original team name). Although not affiliated with nor considered an “associate” team of any of the former Negro League teams, the Zuni team played other Negro teams from the surrounding towns of Windsor, Chuckatuck, Smithfield, Central Hill, Ivor, Berlin, Vicksville, Dendron, Wakefiled,

36 western tidewater living

BLUE SOX

WTL ‘16

Wilbur

Johnson

Blue Sox

S S R. FLOYD RICK

Waverly, Disputanta, Carrsville, Berlin and Obit. On Saturday afternoons, the “Sand Pit Diamond” baseball games became a celebrated weekly family and social gathering place for Zuni’s black community. While most visiting teams came by bus or open-bodied trucks, local fans came by foot, horseback, horse and cart, bicycle, motorcycle and cars. Other lovers of the sport came by train that let them off at the old Zuni depot. “Folks used to set up chairs and watched the games from the large sand dune hills above the diamond,” according to Wilbur. “Women would fry fish and chicken in deep black kettles and serve up dinners with butter beans, ham, corn-onthe-cob and cornbread. They also sold hot dogs, homemade cakes, ice cream and Ni-Hi sodas.” In August 1940, Zuni suffered one of its worst floods in the town’s history. The rising waters of the Blackwater River and the Blackwa-

ter Swamp severely damaged roads, crops and buildings in Zuni town center. The team was unable to play in the Sand Pit for many months, but team members continued to practice when and wherever they could. Frank Johnson was the team’s booking agent. He wrote to other team managers to arrange playing schedules. According to Wilbur, “We once played the Norfolk Navy Flyers that were supposed to be the best. We beat them 16 to 15. You couldn’t tell us nothin’ after that,” boasts the former star pitcher. Soon after WWII, Mr. Anderson closed the Sand Pit Diamond in order to excavate and sell sand to commercial interests. Two of the original team members, James Henry Wilson and Jesse Fulgham, approached Mr. Ben Walker, who owned a field located a couple of miles east of Zuni town center near the intersection of Highway 460 and the current Winston Drive. They convinced Walker

ELLIOT ELEY S

composition by Ryan Outlaw

to allow the team to play on his field for a couple of years until they could find a permanent home. In 1948, Mr. Johnny Urquhart opened “Urquhart’s Ball Diamond” on family property along Highway 460, about a mile west of Zuni town center and within a ten-minute walk to Urquhart’s Place, the restaurant/ dance hall owned and operated by his brother, Henry. Johnny, a career farmer, cleared his field by dragging a fence behind his tractor, chalked lines on the grass to create the diamond and built a small set of bleachers. The team built a fence around the diamond to keep onlookers from watching the game for free. For a time, Mr. James Tyler served as the gateman for the team. He and gatemen from opposing teams collected the 50-cents admission from spectators. The gate receipts were shared 60 percent to the winning team and 40 percent to the losing team. Women continued to play impor-

western tidewater living

tant roles. The team could never afford a scoreboard. Usually a female volunteer would record and keep track of game statistics. Wives and girlfriends sold hotdogs, peanuts, potato chips, candy and sodas brought to the ballpark from Henry’s store. After the games, women would join the team and fans at Urquhart’s Place to eat, drink and dance at this wellknown local juke joint that attracted local and renowned entertainers. It was during this time that the team named themselves the “Blue Sox.” Fans and players often heard rumors that minor league scouts secretly came to watch their ballgames in search of the next Jackie Robinson or Willie Mays. Before Branch Richie, owner of the Brooklyn Dodgers, signed Jackie Robinson to the major league, Wilbur, Elliott and Floyd admitted that they and their teammates were enamored by the power, ability and notoriety of The Babe. After Jackie Robinson came on the scene, they immediately switched allegiance and have remained Dodgers fans to this day, even after the Brooklyn team moved to Los Angeles. Urquhart’s Ball Diamond closed in the mid-1960s, and soon thereafter, brothers Leland and Joseph Chapman, sensing the need to continue the baseball tradition in the black community, opened “Chapman’s Ball Diamond” on a field they established behind their homes located on Highway 460, approximately 3 miles east of Zuni town center. This ball field closed its gates in the early-1970s and the team disbanded. Wilbur, Elliott and Floyd continued to play ball until shortly after each of them started raising families: Wilbur married Daisy Faulk in

Mr. Johnson’s Louisville Slugger

Elliott Eley at home plate

Wilbur Johnson on the pitcher’s mound; Floyd Ricks, Sr. at shortstop

38 western tidewater living

The three surviving original Zuni Blue Sox leave the Windsor High School baseball field.

1956 and had five girls and three boys. He worked at Crocker Stave Mill in Windsor (where he carved wood to make kegs for flour, meal and nails); the Virginia State Highway Department; Gwaltney’s; and Union Camp from which he retired in 1995. The first professional game he ever attended was between the Washington Senators and the Chicago White Sox. Never far away from his television, he pays extra to his cable provider to ensure that he can watch the Dodgers play on the west coast. Elliott married Mabel Hardy in 1953. From this union they raised four girls and three boys. From 1949 until 1960, he worked for the Norfolk Western Railroad as a track repairman; Newport News Shipyard; the Army Corp of Engineers; and finally for the Coast Guard from which he retired in 1995. He remains an LA Dodgers fan.

Floyd married Elsie Marie Knight in 1950 and had two girls and one boy. Floyd worked at Smithfield Packing as a truck driver for 40 years and played with the Blue Sox until he was 35 years old. In 1966, he organized and managed a Little League team, the Virginia Jets, for several years. He is an Atlanta Braves fan. These Old Timers have never lost their passions for the game. And it shows. Just ask Eli McEathron, Windsor High School’s Varsity head baseball coach, who allowed the men access to the field for their brief reunion and photo shoot. “I could see the memories brought back as they took their positions on the field. It’s so good to know first-hand what baseball has done to diversify the sport since the days they played for the love of the

game,” the 23-year-old coach said. As the surviving Zuni Blue Sox ball players walked off the Windsor High School baseball field, probably for the last time together as former teammates, there were no cheers from the empty bleachers, no calls of support from the school’s vacant dugout, no smell of hot dogs or the crackle of fire under big black kettles. Just the sound of slow dragging footsteps of three old men on a cold winter’s day, arm in arm, and of the subtle laughter they shared as they awakened those fading memories of a time when they were the boys of summer.

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