“Just as time and circumstance conspired to cut short the life of Byron Herbert Reece, so time and circumstance again conspire to enable us in the Reece Society to revive interest in and extend knowledge of his literary and cultural legacies.”  With these words Chairman John Kay convened the November 15, 2003 meeting of the Board of Directors and Advisory Council.

The meeting featured positive reports in all areas of activity.  Recently published brochures describing the nature of the Society were distributed, and a membership of over 80 members was announced.    The Society is now incorporated and the application for 501©(3) tax-exempt status has been submitted.  Plans are already underway for a series of informative and entertaining events at the annual meeting in 2004, which was set for Saturday, June 5, 2004.  The Committee on Programs and Literary Activities will be examining a number of alternatives for making this a memorable day for members of the Society.

An oral history project will be launched early in 2004, beginning with a special course on Reece in the winter term curriculum of the Institute for Continuing Learning at Young Harris College, taught by Dr. Bettie Sellers and Dr. Helen Lewis.  Members of this class will not only learn about Reece and his writings but will be trained to assist in the interviewing of persons who actually knew Byron Herbert Reece.  Already a sizable list of prospective interviewees has been identified.  The end result of this endeavor will be new and valuable additions to the Reece archives, including audio, video, and written materials.

Fleming Weaver, chair of the Reece Farm Development Committee, reported that the Reece Farm property, presently owned by the Chattahoochee Oconee Forest Interpretive Association, is in process of being deeded to Union County.  In turn, it is expected that the Union County Development Authority will grant the Reece Society a 50-year renewal lease for purposes of developing the nine and a half acres on Wolf Creek as an historic site.  Mr. Weaver described features of a proposed design for this development created by Gainesville architect Garland Reynolds.  This design includes passive interpretive pulpit sites in a plaza area, a Reece Museum (possibly housed in barns on the property), a bronze statue of Reece at the plow in the open field area, a performance amphitheatre, a festival ground, an open field pavilion, and a nature trail connecting the Reece property to Vogel State Park.  Though the evolution of this project will involve a number of years and a sizable financial investment, there is a compelling incentive for moving ahead with the development in predetermined phases.

A newsletter edited by Dr. Alan Jackson will be published and mailed in December.  This first issue will feature articles concerning all aspects of the Society’s work, including more specific information about the activities mentioned above.

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