The 100th Anniversary Walter Stewart Clan Reunion
We celebrated the 100th anniversary reunion in 2007. A great deal of planning went into this special occasion and record numbers of Stewarts came out. Many details and events of the original 1907 reunion were reincarnated. We distributed ribbons modeled on those handed out 1907. Special commemorative coins were minted, and perhaps most specially a photographer was engaged to replicate the all-reunion portrait in front of New Harmony Presbyterian Church. Lastly, a cookbook was published to preserve the recipes of all the fine Stewart reunion food. This page scrapbooks together some of the details related to this special reunion.
Credit Where Credit is Due: The 100th Planning Committee
Back L-R: Chief Charles Stewart, John Hellams, Dick Newton, Polly Hellams.
Middle L-R: Beth Hall, Mary Newton, LaMarr Brooks, Becky & Joey Henderson.
Front L-R: Linda Clark (chairman), Anne Shaver.
Not pictured: Alan & Kathy Fields, Chelsea Clark, and Judy Smith.
The Commemorative Coin
These are the mockups for the commemorative coin. The actual coins are made of heavy bronze-colored metal.
The Ribbon
This (left photo) is a ribbon from the 1907 reunion owned by 151222 John & Polly Hellams. They generously provided replicas to attendees at the 2007 reunion. A photo (right) of one is also seen below.
The Program
This is a PDF of the program that was handed out at the centennial reunion.
The Photo
At the first Walter Clan reunion they gathered everyone together in front of New Harmony Church for a group portrait. To carry on the tradition we engaged a professional photographer to gather together the hundreds of Stewarts that attended the centennial reunion and take another portrait in the same place. Below is first, the orginal 1907 portrait copied from The Walter Stewart Family History, and second, the new 2007 portrait. If you would like a higher quality digital copy of the 2007 photo, please contact Judy Smith ("jmlesslie_777 at yahoo.com"). If you would like an 8" x 11" print sent to you, please mail $15 to John and Polly Hellams at 108 Nash St., Fountain Inn, SC, 29644.
(Click to see a larger version)
Trivia: Why is it the 100th "anniversary"?
The first Stewart reunion was held in 1907. By the original count, 1908 was the 2nd annual reunion, 1909 the 3rd annual, etc. This count is the one that was traditionally used, even until the most recent decade. However, this count suffered a lapse during World War II when one reunion year was missed. So in order to remain accurate, and to honor the span between 1907-2007, we began using an "anniversary" count instead of a strictly "annual". Thus in 2007 we celebrated the 100th Anniversary Walter Stewart Reunion.
Other tidbits...
The newsletter that details all the plans for the 2007 reunion is here, and the 2008 newsletter, which has minutes of the 2007 reunion, is here. Various talks and presentations were made in honor of the centennial. Carl Kramer's presentation and James M. Stewart, Jr.'s talk are both posted on the History Presentations page. Also, the photo albums from 2007 are on the Past Reunions page.
During the reunion meeting Cathy Kaemmerlen gave a performance based on the life of the Walter Stewart Clan's most famous member, 422 Synthia Stewart Boyd, who was an eyewitness to Sherman's march through Georgia. You can see Ms. Kaemmerlen's website at www.tattlingtales.com or learn more about Synthia on our House of James page. Synthia was also the subject of a book called "North Acress the River" by Ruth Beaumont Cook.