Mystery Monday - Young Man In Uniform

Here's another unidentified photograph from my collections.  This picture was found between the pages of a cookbook (just pages, no book) that my Aunt Sue tells me belonged to her Grandma Susie (Dunstan) GREEN.



At first glance, I wondered if the young man could have been my Uncle Fred YARBOROUGH, my father's 1/2 brother, who passed away in 1947 at the age of 34.  (He was hit by a car.)  However, my aunt insists that the picture is not of Fred, so I have to believe her (for now...lol).  There is probably no connection between the picture and the original owner of the cookbook, since there was only a remnant of the publication left, and because Susie Dunstan never even lived in the house where it was.  Apparently, the cookbook came into her daughter's possession (my grandmother, Anna (Green) Yarborough), after her death sometime in the early part of the 20th century.  I discovered the picture after being given what was left of the cookbook, and bringing it home (it a plastic bag) a couple of years ago.  When I called my aunt to ask her about the picture, she didn't even know it was in there, so I'm sure that it ended up there quite by accident.

I'd really love to know who this is.  Perhaps there's a clue in the uniform that the young man is wearing.  My one guess is that it might be a Civilian Conservation Corps uniform, but I'm not sure about the thing on the cap.  (I haven't been able to find a clear picture online.)  I do know that some other members of my family did serve in the CCC, though, so this could be a possibility.  My only other thought is that perhaps this could be a school uniform of some type.

This young man would have most likely been from Louisburg/Franklin County, NC.  My guess is that he is between 15-20 years old in this picture, and that it was probably taken in the 1930's or 1940's.  What do you think?

Sentimental Sunday - Farewell, Whitney Houston

I'm going to make this short, but I can't let this day go by without sharing a bit about how I'm feeling with my readers. 

Yesterday, the world lost another musical icon, but with Whitney Houston's death, I felt almost as though I'd lost a part of myself.  Now, I know that it's just a feeling, and it will probably pass, but for almost three decades now, since Whitney first came on the scene, I've felt an almost spiritual-like connection to her.  I've never known why, but that's just the way it was.  Her music touched me deeply, and though I know I don't even come close to sounding just like her, I've sung along with her as if I did. :)  But, it wasn't just her music.  It was something about Whitney, the person.  We were close in age, and (at that time) about the same height and size.  And, I really wasn't much of a dancer, an oft-heard criticism of Whitney.  She loved the Lord, and so did I. 

My two daughters grew up knowing of my connection to Whitney. I had a tape of her greatest hits that I played in the car on every road trip, and soon, they began to sing along.  We have great memories of trying to see who could hold the long notes with Whitney, especially on, "The Greatest Love", "Saving All My Love", and, of course, "The Star-Spangled Banner".  My girls learned early-on that to bad mouth Whitney Houston for any reason was totally and completely unacceptable, and could land them on punishment (for real!).  As they got older, they made sure their friends knew this, too.  If anyone had negative opinions about Whitney, they'd better keep them to themselves until they got from around me, or they'd no longer be wecome in my home!  Even when Whitney made choices that most of the world questioned (including me), criticism was to be silenced, and prayers sent up. 

There are so many "Whitney songs" that I love; I can't even begin to name them, and I definitely can't share them all.  However, in tribute to "my girl", I'd like to share these three:
;


Whitney performed, "I love the Lord" in the movie, The Preacher's Wife, along with several other beautiful songs.


No one has EVER sang the Star-Bangled Banner better than this!  To this day, no matter how many times I hear this, I get chills as I sing along with her.

Last, but not least, the one song that brings the tears everytime - The Greatest Love.


Thank you, Whitney. Thank you for your voice, and for your spirit.  Farewell.

Renate