The major clue in today’s Mystery Photo is the expansive front lawn, and the distinctive silhouette of the main building. Can you figure it out? If so, send your guess to ebrack2@gmail.com, and tell us your hometown.
The most recent mystery was of the Sir Walter Scott Monument in Edinburgh, Scotland, the Scott Spire. The photo came from Susan McBrayer of Sugar Hill.
Among those recognizing the spire were John Talipsky, Lawrenceville; Kay Montgomery, Duluth; Margot Ashley, Lilburn; Gloria James, Lawrenceville; George Graf, Palmyra, Va.; and Jay Altman, Columbia, S.C., who said: “On the death of Sir Walter Scott in 1832, the great and good of the city came together to agree on a fitting monument to this outstanding Scottish literary figure. In 1836, an architectural competition was launched, inviting designs for an appropriate memorial. Two years later, the trustees approved the design submitted by George Meikle Kemp, and construction began in 184I an was completed in 1844. It is just over 200 feet tall.”
Allen Peel of San Antonio, Texas, added: “While difficult to see in the mystery photo, there are a total 68 statues in the monument. Of these there are 16 busts of famous Scottish poets and writers (including James Hogg, Robert Burns, Tobias Smollett and Allan Ramsay). However, there are 32 unfilled niches at the higher levels, and there is some growing interest and advocacy in the writer’s community to fill some of the empty niches with a more inclusive set of statues that better represent the diverse nature of more contemporary and modern writers. Many believe that if Sir Walter Scott were alive today, he would support such an effort.”
- SHARE A MYSTERY PHOTO: If you have a photo that you believe will stump readers, send it along (but make sure to tell us what it is because it may stump us too!) Send to: ebrack2@gmail.comand mark it as a photo submission. Thanks.
Duluth DAR chapter honors two nonagenarians
Ann Odum and Kathryn Willis
Duluth’s William Day Chapter National Society of Daughters of the American Revolution saluted the Parsons sisters Kathryn Willis, 93, and Ann Odum, 92, with its Women In History Award. The event was held at an afternoon tea at the home of Debbie Bush on Sunday, August 4. The sisters grew up in small-town Duluth under the influence of their enterprising, community-centered parents, Calvin and Kate Parsons. They both worked in the family stores in several North Georgia locations for many years; Kathryn retired in 2015.
The sisters are no strangers to volunteerism. Their father was 1982 Gwinnett County Citizen of the Year, and Kathryn held the honor in 2018. She is also founder of the iconic Duluth Fall Festival. A local hospital claimed her to be “the heart and inspiration of Gwinnett Medical Center.” The Georgia State Senate calls her life “a salute to service.” Both women love and are deeply committed to Duluth First United Methodist Church.
Founded in 1871 by their third great-grandfather, Evan Howell, Duluth is commemorated in Ann’s book, Duluth, Georgia: Through the Eyes of One of Its Own. She is a painter, and holds many art awards, including Member of Excellence in the Southeast Pastel Society, and Best Artist in Gwinnett. Ann: “I’m famous for about one square mile.” Among her outstanding paintings are the large wall murals at the Southeastern Railway Museum.
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