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2003 House of Jossey-Josey
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2003 House of Jossey-Josey
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 Hurrah
for the Red, White, and Blue Reunion of the House of Josey/Jossey family
in Valdosta, Georgia, April 25-27, 2003! If you were there, you know
what a wonderful, patriotic reunion it was. If you were not there, shame
on you! You missed a great one. The theme for this year's reunion was
Patriotic Family Ties, a theme our president, Ray Josey, and wife,
Janeen, demonstrated beautifully at each event.Upon arrival each attendee registered and received a goody bag, maps, agenda, and a Scavenger Hunt Guide - the Scavenger Hunt turned out to be a  popular activity. Our secretary/treasurer, Jackie Helfrich, had every
detail of registration carefully planned and her team of volunteers
(Rachel, Winnie, Bessie, Lisa, Jean and Pansy) moved over 100 of us through the process smoothly and quickly, so we
could get on to the "visiting" with relatives we had not seen
for two years. As always her husband, Chuck, served as trouble-shooter.
What would we do without Chuck? He is our most devoted HOJJ volunteer.
(If you didn't make it to the Reunion, be sure to contact Jackie
regarding your HOJJ dues for 2003-2004.)
Trophies were given in the following
categories:
Ray presented three awards and I was delighted to be the recipient of
his Appreciation Award. He said it was because I had been a mentor,
coach, and sounding board to him, but I think it was
J. Diane Josey
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start of what will
surely be a HOJJ reunion tradition: door prizes! Lots of folks brought
handmade pieces and items representing their home area to be used as
door prizes, and what a hit this was! (Swapping prizes afterwards was
almost as much fan as winning a prize.) Matt Smith of Tifton, Georgia
was in charge of door prizes and he did a fantastic job, handing out
dozens and dozens of prizes during the weekend. Thanks, Matt. After the
dinner, family members got re-acquainted and caught up on the news of
the last two years.
especially in the spring. Other family
members gathered in the hospitality suite to chat & enjoy the dozens
of wonderful teacakes provided by Faye Josey. When was the last time you
had a homemade teacake? These were great. Let's hope they become a
reunion tradition too - please, Faye? Bud & Marion Josey set up
their computer in the hospitality suite & were busy all weekend
updating Josey/Jossey family files, and selling CDs containing the
updated HOJJ books. All 8 volumes are now available on CDs to those
people who have longed for a copy of their family's book. If you want to
buy a CD or if there have been births, deaths, or marriages in your
family recently, be sure to let Bud know. It's almost worth a trip to
the reunion just to hear Bud laugh, something he does well and often.
Thanks, Bud!
historian, William
"Bill" Downing of Washington state. As he explained it,
"Your family owned my family." Colonel Downing is a descendant
of Joseys who were slaves owned by the J. J. Josey family in Texas. When
he addressed our Saturday afternoon meeting, it was immediately clear
that he had done a great deal of genealogical research on his family and
was a history scholar as well.
If you have attended a HOJJ national reunion before, you know that
Saturday night is our big banquet event and this year's banquet was
truly outstanding! In keeping with our theme of Patriotic Family Ties,
the banquet hall of the Woman's Building was beautifully decorated by
Janeen and her team (Emily Hunt, Sheila Koldenhoven and Mary/Chip
Adams) with balloons, flags and table decorations in red,
white, and blue, and most attendees were dressed in our patriotic colors
as well. The total effect
was stunning. The Valdosta High NJROTC
provided a color guard, and Valdosta Mayor Jimmy Rainwater welcomed us
all to Valdosta. He read a proclamation declaring Saturday, April 26,
2003, House of Jossey/Josey Day in Valdosta! That has to be a first for
us, and a much appreciated honor.
We
gave lots of prizes and awards at this year's banquet. Jackie presented
the Top Recruiter award to Margaret Josey Howard of Union Point, GA.
Julia Josey (Bartow, GA), Jean Josey Bonneau (Galveston, TX), and Neline
Josey Farmer (Milledgeville, GA) were the judges for our costume contest
and John Ryan Josey (St. Simons Island, GA) helped keep the contest
organized. Winners were: Best Era - Melinda Josey Haynes of Lucedale,
MS; Most Patriotic - George "Bob" and Karin Josey of
Crestview, FL; Best Husband &
Wife Costumes - George Michael
"Mike" and Priscilla Josey Knight of Gautier, MS; and Best
Landmark - Myrtle Josey Fowler of Holt, FL. The judges insist that they
were not intimidated by the shotgun carried by Mike Knight, but they may
have been influenced by the jug of what he claimed was White Lightning!
Most living
children (7)
really because I
let him con me into writing these articles! He inaugurated the
President's Award, which was presented to our tireless
secretary-treasurer, Jackie Helfrich, for all of her hard work on our
behalf. In addition to getting out the newsletters, Jackie is the
Webmaster for our HOJJ website. If you have not already done so, be sure
to check it out. She has done a fantastic job! A very special award was
begun this year, the J. Edward "Bud" and Marion Josey
Distinguished Service Award. This award will be presented to persons who
have served the interests and pursued the goals of the Jossey/Josey
family for many years. Ray explained that his inspiration was the saying
"You make a living by what you get, but you make a life by what you
give". Certainly no two people have done more for the House of
Jossey/Josey for many years than Bud and Marion Josey, so it was
appropriate that the award was presented in this its inaugural year to
Bud and Marion. If you would like to nominate someone to be a future
recipient of this award, notify Ray.
After all of our awards were presented, Matt gave out more door prizes,
and William Josey conducted our live auction of items made and
contributed by family members. The auction earned the HOJJ almost $700
and was more fun than I could begin to relate - you just had to be
there!
4 or more Reunions - does that tell you something? Why
don't YOU plan NOW to be at the next Reunion. Don't let the rest of us
have all the fun. See you in Biloxi in 2005!
2003
FALL NEWSLETTER