We have made the drive from home to Florida dozens of times over the years my parents lived in Florida. Each time I saw the sign for Wesleyan College, I thought how nice it would be to visit the home of the Macon Magnolias, the two NPC organizations, Alpha Delta Pi and Phi Mu, founded at Wesleyan College.
However, traveling with the Becques means that you will get in a car and drive, stopping only for fuel. On our last trip to Florida, we had no reason to hurry, and Macon, Georgia, was a reachable goal for us leaving home at noon. I made a reservation at a pet friendly hotel in Macon. As we left the hotel in the morning, I set the gps for Wesleyan College and we took the dogs on a walk around campus.
My husband kept saying, “Fran, what are we looking for?” and I kept telling him I’d know it when I saw it. We found it! The Alpha Delta Pi Memorial Fountain is located in the center of Wesleyan College’s quadrangle; it was a gift to celebrate the college’s centennial in 1936. Made of Georgia marble, the Alpha Delta Pi coat-of-arms is engraved on the large slanting block at center. The names of the Alpha Delta Pi founders are engraved on the stairs leading up to the fountain. Other elements of the fountain were added on other commemorations including two lions, the mascot of Alpha Delta Pi, given in 2011 to celebrate the College’s 175th anniversary.
Those traveling east on Interstate 24 near Chattanooga might have seen something that has intrigued me for years. There is monument just off the highway, but seemingly in the woods, near mile marker 176. It’s white with the words “New York” on it. I tried to take a picture of it, but at 70+ miles an hour, this is what happens.
So I started sleuthing. To the best of my efforts, it appears to be a Civil War monument to the New York Troops. The inscription reads, ” To the New York Troops in Howard’s Eleventh Corps of Hooker’s Command, 11th and 12th Corps, Army of the Potomac, at Wauhatchie, October 28 – 29, 1863.
And because I love carnations and find it easier to write with them nearby, here are the ones I am enjoying this morning as I write this. It’s a shout out to my Gamma Phi Beta friends. Here’s a refresher on the flowers of the NPC groups.
