February 22

Sheila Butler introduced Dr. James Cook. Dr. Cook has recently completed Carl Vinson: Patriarch of the Military, a biography of the late US Representative. Representative Vinson, known as "Uncle Carl" to many of his Georgia constituents, was elected to Congress in 1914 and served for 50 years. His influence on naval policy in the 1920's and 1930's enabled the US to have a strong navy when we entered WWII. Following WWII, Vinson was the Chairperson of the Armed Services Committee, where he continued to fight for a strong military. In 1980 Vinson became the first living American to have a US ship named for him. The "Carl Vinson" was the third nuclear aircraft carrier built, and is still in service. Vinson died in 1981 at the age of 97. Dr. Cook's biography of Vinson and his earlier publication about Georgia Governors are available through Mercer Press.

February 15

Brooke Johnson, a cardiac care unit nurse at Tanner and a member of the American Heart Association board, talked with us about heart disease. Diagnosed with heart disease at age 14, Brooke related her own experiences when she went into cardiac arrest in June 2004. She has fully recovered from that episode, and is helping spread the word about heart disease --specifically heart disease and women. For more information about heart health, visit the American Heart Association's website. Tommy Bohannon introduced Brooke.

February 8

From "Folsom Prison Blues" to "Amazing Grace," we were entertained by "Blind Willie" (aka Alan Bell). What a voice! Maybe next year Alan can be the entertainment for the Christmas party! A duet of "Amazing Grace" was performed by Alan and his mom, Hazel Bell.

February 1

We welcomed Mike Dunn, General Manager of the Rome Braves. The Rome Braves are an affiliate of and owned and operated by the Atlanta Braves. The purpose of this Class A club is to recruit and nurture players to get to the next level of professional baseball.  In their inaugural season in Rome, the team won the 2003 South Atlantic League Championship. You can see them in action at State Mutual Stadium in Rome, GA, beginning April 6. For additional information visit their website: http://www.romebraves.com  Play ball!