St Anthony Association of North Carolina

Silt fence is in place to prevent erosion (right)

And so, the regrading and reseeding of the backyard is complete. (Thanks to Michael W. for the pics.) Apparently it has been raining nearly every day in Chapel Hill since this was completed (July 23rd). This can be a good thing (no need to rely on residents to have to remember to water) or a bad thing (raining so much that the seed washes away). Hopefully, the washing away will be deterred by the layer of straw on top of the ground. In the category of “one thing gets fixed, another thing gets broken” is the chain link fence on the SPE parking lot side of the property. It had been taken down to be used as an access point during the demolition, and then again during the regrading and is now, essentially, unusable in its current state.

(More pictures under the cut.)

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A few years ago, rose bushes were planted along the front of the yard at the Hall.  Bro. Dave Ghiradelli and Sis. Garner planted them so that they would use as a trellis the wooden fence donated by Bro. Hop Swift in the 1990′s.  Every year the rose bushes are a little bigger but this year they are really outstanding:  covered in heavy, pink blooms with many more on the way.

This weekend was Commencement 2009 and I thought the rose bushes’ really remarkable display of blossoms made a particularly fitting tribute to our graduating seniors at the Hall given the pink rose’s association with statements of friendship and admiration.

In a couple of weeks I’m going to be mailing out a short thank-you postcard to everyone who donated or served on the Board last year or is serving this year.  The image below is one of the pictures I took on Saturday morning and will be the front of the postcard.

New Dawn roses at 207 Pittsboro Street, May 2009

The rest of the pictures I took in the process of getting this one can be seen in the photo gallery I keep on my personal site.

The onset of drier weather is being awaited – in order to remove the remainder of the bamboo as well as regrade and reseed the AnnexSpot.

I must confess, here, that my memories of Swingout are like looking through a camera with a foggy lens… nonetheless, the 60-70 folks who came at various points during the weekend looked healthy, happy and jovial!

The St. Anthony Association of North Carolina voted to accept the draft bylaws for the organisation as proposed by Gary Stahlberg X’89. The new bylaws update ones which SAANC has been operating under since 1964, and bring the group in line with current state and federal regulations. Also – and this is a big big plus – THERE ARE TERMS. Say, I want to be on the board. My term is 2 years! I can renew if I want, but I’m not on it foreverandeveramen.

I think this is a HUGE step in renewing involvement on a leadership level for SAANC. Additionally, more detail is set out for the commitments that the board members and the officers of the board are signing up for. EIGHT MILLION SNAPS FOR GARY!

Next year’s Swingout weekend is set for April 9, 10 & 11, 2010. Mark your calendars now!

There’s still lots of work to be done but progress is made on removing/destroying the bamboo in the backyard.

Next steps involve finishing the removal (in the back left-hand corner) &  getting rid of the pile of bamboo currently there (which the contractor, Jim Riley of New Growth Landscapes, will be doing within the week). Then, there will need to be some regrading of the land plus reseeding of the yard to function as an actual place to hang out. Who knows, maybe some flag football is in the offing?

Pictures are thanks to Amy Olsen! Thanks!

Pictures of Xians and others at the most recent GC in Charlottesville, VA are available on the photo gallery section of stanthonync.org. While you’re there, stroll down memory lane with some other galleries from decades past. Interested in contributing to the archives? Comment here for more info.

Some of these photos are also available for purchase (photos taken by KJ Garner; 10% of net sales donated to SAANC). Click on Galleries – St. Anthony Hall – answer the challenge password and then click on GC2009.

A page from the St. Anthony Hall Xi Chapter scrapbook from 1982. It’s refreshing to see the time-honoured tradition of leaning over the railing of the deck, as well as taking pictures from above, continues to this day. Can anyone identify the people in the pictures?

Andy Casler X’97 and Mary Margaret (Williams) Burch, X’95, out in front of the Annex. Picture taken sometime in 1999.

As far as “archives” go, this one is a little more recent – I was fortunate enough to have some current actives drive through Nashville on the way back to Chapel Hill from visiting the Phi Chapter down at Ole Miss. Another alum in Nashville, Donald Ball X’94, came out for some lunch at an East Nashville restaurant.

L-R: Donald Ball X’94, Dan Wright X’05, Eric Mills X’07, Claire Davis X’08, Shauna Gonsalves X’08, Tasha Wilson X’05, and Linnea Olsen X’05.

Brad Hall X’54, outside the house at 111 Cameron Street. Picture taken sometime late 1955. His Blue Book entry lists him as “The Rev. Gordon B. Hall, Jr., DD”. I am unable to find anything specifically online regarding his life after the Hall.