Thank you, Jerald, for slowing me down enough to send me back to Madge's email, for the picture attached which I hadn't noticed in my hectic race through emails. And thank you for this perfect extended recollection of the important, sweet beings missing from the celebration of this anniversary.
And Madge, once again you prove yourself an indescribable treasure.
Alice
From: Jerald Head jlhead1952@gmail.com Date: Wed, 18 Aug 2010 20:51:54 -0500 To: Madge Darlington mmdarlington@gmail.com, Shakespeare at Winedale 1970-2000 alums winedale-l@lists.wikimedia.org, Terry Galloway tlgalloway@aol.com Subject: Re: [Winedale-l] Thanks to Angeline
Terry and Madge, What a sweet and special thing to do, to visit Angeline. How thoughtful of you to remember her and remind us of those who worked so quietly to provide us with such a remarkable experience. For the younger folks, Angeline and Edith Clump, who was also the organist at the Lutheran church, worked tirelessly in the hot, hot, hot kitchen of Lauderdale House to provide amazing, wonderful meals, which allowed us to to pursue our efforts even though I am sure those efforts may have seemed a mystery to them. I always remember the meals as a time to gather as a group and process the events of the day, just like a family should. But as a foodie, I remember such fabulous meals. Who would serve hot lentil soup in July in Texas, but it was incredible, hearty, earthy, and delicious. I had never even heard of a lentil much less eaten one before Winedale. I was a cracker from East Texas. Mushrooms were what we used to knock off our crazy cousins. I have at times tried to recreate the most special meal,"Chicken in a Garden," without success. A plain, simple, meal of chicken on a large platter surrounded by the bounty of the country garden. I waited for it every year. " When are we gonna have "Chicken in a Garden? "No matter what I do, no matter how much I spend at the Farmers Market on fancy chickens and organic vegetables, I have never recreated the taste of such a simple yet luscious meal. Only my dear mother had such magic. All of the members of the Winedale staff deserve our thoughts. Rosalie and Delphine, Ronnie and Liz, cooking the Hunters Stew in that giant black cauldron all day, fueled only by longnecks and firewood. God knows what was in it. No one dared to ask. And how great was it to see Gloria? She made so much happen in the early days. And then there was Rollie and Marilyn Wagner. I cannot say how much the memories of these people fill out our experiences at Winedale. For the youngsters, the Wagner store was a special place, to have a beer, dance, chat, decompensate after the trials of the day. So many of us smoked then. To have a Merit and a Pearl while discussing the day , flirting, dancing on formal night. So many memories of the early years revolve around the store. See what just one picture of Angeline conjures.
We were not as connected to current events as we are today, but in 1974 we went over to the store to watch Richard Nixon resign the presidency. Doc, always mindful that we were guests in this community, reminded the long haired and outspoken of us to be respectful of our conservative hosts, and we went over to watch the historic occasion and did so quietly. I remember the day , as if it were yesterday. We sat watching the devil resign , and no one said a word. If I were at home, I might have cheered and toasted to the departure of this hated leader, but we watched quietly and with respect for the historic nature of this occasion. In hindsight, I am happy for having experienced it that way ,in such a unique place. In my four years there, I cannot remember ever as a group watching any other event on TV, not even the death of Elvis, who died in my last year at Winedale, 1977.
As I ramble on and on,, as an old timer, my thoughts go to those who made our lives so special, those hard working German- Americans, some who are no longer with us. The Austinites of the class of '75, Carol, Rob, Laura, Buddy and I struggled to remember all of their names, in many ways as important to us as our classmates. We want to remember them as part of our Winedale experience. And once again, a special thanks to Madge and Terry who were so thoughtful to remember Angeline, to visit her, present her with flowers of appreciation, and send us that lovely picture. I am such a softy, I tear up seeing her. Time takes its toll, but her sweetness really shines through. Jerald On Aug 16, 2010, at 1:48 PM, Madge Darlington wrote:
Terry and I stopped at Angeline's house in Carmine and gave her flowers from all of us. She didn't feel up to attending the reunion but said she read about it and was thinking of us all and how much she cared for the Shakespeare students.
Thinking of you all.
Love, Madge
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