Bolton Lunceford

Washington, Georgia:Bolton Newland Lunceford of Washington (widow of A. Mell Lunceford, Jr., of Crawfordvillle), born November 25, 1921 died peacefully after a long illness Sunday, January 11, 2009.She was born in Kwangju, Korea, daughter of Presbyterian missionaries LeRoy Tate and Sarah Louise Andrews Newland.She came to America to attend college (Agnes Scott, Peace Junior College, The University of North Carolina Women’s College); she completed her undergraduate degree at Georgia State University and her master’s degree at the University of Georgia. Throughout her long career, she was a businesswoman and teacher in Colorado, Oklahoma, Atlanta, Saudi Arabia, Crawfordville and Washington.She received many honors, especially for her teaching; she was runner up for Georgia Teacher of the Year and named the first recipient of the Sarah Louise Capen award by the Georgia Council of Teachers of English.She established the first adult education program in Taliaferro County, taught an extension course for Truett-McConnell College, and, under the auspices of the University of Georgia, created the first English as a Second Language program for adults in Wilkes County. Throughout her life, Bolton was active in her community, both in Atlanta and in Crawfordville/Washington.She created the Crawfordville Labor Day Fair and the Christmas Dinner in the Park in Crawfordville, both of which are still celebrated today.She and Mell were among the pioneers who established the Wilkes County Little Theater; this year the theater was renamed the Bolton Lunceford Playhouse in her honor.She has been a long time active member of the Church of the Mediator in Washington. Married to Paul F. Clark and George Keyser, both deceased, she is survived by a daughter, Dale Clark Farran and husband Christopher of Nashville, TN, a son, Robert Cottle of the home, two grandchildren, Alice Zillah and husband, Bryce Brown of Olympia Washington, Brendan Carroll Farran and wife Nicole of Nashville, TN, and two great grandsons, Jon and David Brown.In addition, she is survived by two sisters, Maie Minnick of Black Mountain, NC, and Keith McDaniel of Brookhaven, MS. In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made to the Wilkes County Little Theater Company, P.O. Box 803, Washington, Ga. 30673, or to the Church of the Mediator, P.O. Box 716, Washington, Ga. 30673. A memorial service to honor her life and the many lives she touched will be held at the Church of the Mediator, Washington, Ga. on Saturday, January 24, 2009 at 11:00am.A visitation with the opportunity to share personal memories will follow in the Parish House at the Church.