I GOT CULTURE

                                                                 

I love that 1960s' slogan when the Savannah Symphony Orchestra handed out it printed black  on a large white lapel button to attendees. It brought a smile and inferred inclusion of everyone, not merely the usual elite, to their performances. Any reared and educated in Savannah were taught perhaps a uniquely Savannah saying: “Got is Rot and Gotten is Rotten” in proper English usage… so perhaps it was more amusing to us. As I’ve taught and traveled in many other places, I’ve learned got is apparently more acceptable now.

A decade later my son went to his school’s costume party as a hobo with a tattered white shirt, askew string bow tie, ragged tails (all reasonably priced and slightly altered via Goodwill store), five o’clock shadow cum eyebrow pencil, obviously recycled butt of a cigar, white gloves with holes in some fingers and that ‘I Got Culture’ lapel button. Don’t remember if he won the prize but his outfit was a big hit.

The Great Recession recently caused our state government to budget cut and relieved us of the 'non-essentials' like the Georgia Arts Commission. . even though it had served the state well through political contentions such as completion of the relief sculpting on Stone Mountain without ever losing sight of our heritage of remaining gracious in the face of aggressive and hostile rudeness. This now former Georgia Arts Commission served as a sort of aid and clearing house for the entire state for all of the Arts (visual, musical, literary, performing, etc.).

By 2016 I’d forgotten the ‘I GOT CULTURE’ button but on a mini-vacation trip to the coast was reminded of that lapel pin in reality. And it wasn’t even slightly amusing. An artist friend of mine and I set out to our mutual College reunion's Bar-B-Q etc. just west of the coast with the thought of making a side trip to the beach. All went well until the next morning when, awakened by said College mate at 8 AM. I looked at her as if she were insane since obviously she was. We'd known each other for 63 years and never in that time had I been a morning person. Her mantra was "Early to bed and early to rise" so I knew never to call after sundown. She knew never to call me before eleven in the AM. Why on earth would she wake me on the first day of a vacation? Apparently because someone on her cell phone needed to talk to me!! Really?? REALLY!

I don't remember the exact words she spoke but it was something about picking up my fellow college mate as she was to stay with them while I went on to Fripp Island. Nor do I remember my exact words but they were something like, I'll be having breakfast across the street from my motel on the picturesque bay so why not pick her up there. I was not rude as Southerners are not naturally so. Amazingly she, who had a vacation place in Beaufort didn't know where Beaufort Bay was! Would I bring her to Frogmore instead? (Not Frogmore as in Queen Victoria's favorite place belonging to the Royal family of the UK but a two story white wooden structure in the midst of St. Helena's Island in SC. about 5-10 miles distant from my motel). "Sure".

I drove to the gas station facing the house known as Frogmore and waited, having no coffee and not eaten but my friend had taken advantage of my motel's free breakfasts hours earlier. I gassed up the car but still no sign of the woman.  Earlier I'd expressed my feelings to my passenger about this pushy person who defended her by explaining, "She is, but she has to be to run our Art Association" (albeit as an unpaid volunteer). My jaw went slack and I said, "Oh, really", but kept the rest of my thoughts to myself... now mentally adding and obviously dumb and/or unpunctual woman to my impressions of her. Asked my passenger to call the woman on her cell and ask where she was as I waited coffee-free in Frogmore.  (To be contd.)