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| North Carolina Friends of John Denver |
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| I have to say it now, It's been a good life all in all. It's really fine to have the chance to hang around. And lie there by the fire and watch the evening 'tire, While all my friends and my ol' lady sit and watch the sun go down.............JOHN DENVER |
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| About Our Group The North Carolina Friends of John Denver began quite by chance. In the days shortly following John Denver's tragic death, I met a very nice person named Lynn Marshbanks online, who felt the loss of John in much the same way that I did. He had been a very important part of both our lives, and had, and continues to be, a very large inspiration in our lives. As we were talking, and getting to know each other a bit more, we began thinking that it would be great if we could have a memorial service here in North Carolina, for the fans who feel as we do to get together, and pay tribute to and remember the man, and what he stood for. |
| So, Lynn got permission for us to use a shelter at Umstead State Park, near Raleigh, NC, for our first "meeting", and we got the word out as best we could, in newsgroups and on websites of friends online, as well as printing posters to put up in stores and public places in our area. So, on November 15, 1997, we had a North Carolina Memorial Service for John Denver. Lynn printed a wonderful program for the event, and led it as well. We were quite impressed by the turnout of fans at this memorial, and many of them spoke to the group about John, and what he had meant in their individual lives. We played some of John's music, and some had brought their own guitars, and shared as well. Toward the end, we lit candles, and had a moment of silence, to remember John, and reflect on his life. It was a somber event, but also a heartfelt celebration of the life of John Denver, and how he has instilled so much in all of us. As we were parting, I decided that we would try to have another get-together at some point, so I had everyone put their e-mail address down, and I appointed myself "keeper of the addresses", so to speak. At this point, Lynn and I realized that this was a great possibility, we envisioned a group of fans from our state, coming together in a positive light, to carry on the work of John Denver, and hopefully, helping to preserve his legacy as not only a wonderful singer and songwriter, but more importantly as a humanitarian and environmentalist. Everyone we spoke with that attended the memorial service seemed interested in pursuing this, so out of that first meeting, grew the North Carolina Friends of John Denver. |
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| Along the way, there have been some changes with the group. Lynn's son has since developed a health problem, and she has to devote more of her time and energy to that now. Although she isn't available to attend all the meetings, and participate as much as she'd like, she's still a very vital and integral part of our group. I think Lynn Marshbanks is the one person who deserves the most credit for getting our group together, and moving forward. Then, in April 1998, we had a meeting at Hagan-Stone Park, near Greensboro, NC, mostly just a fun day, with a cookout, and sharing memories of John, and his music. It was at this meeting I had the opportunity to meet Greg Lemons. We had met online earlier as well, and he was very interested in getting involved with our group. Greg took a very active role in the group, and began helping me with the administrative duties, as well as with newsletters and planning. He was very much the boost I needed to get things moving since Lynn was unable to be as active. I not only found a very capable and willing helper for the administration of our group, I gained a wonderful friend as well. As time went on, we began getting more organized, and started projects that we felt reflected things that John Denver had inspired in us, to make this world a little better place for future generations, to promote understanding, and work positively toward a sustainable future. While it's true we're not making a huge impact, each little action counts, and they all add up for a brighter tomorrow. We have planted trees at Hagan-Stone Park in memory of John Denver, and we hope to one day get a plaque of some sort placed by a White Ash tree we planted there, so that others will know. I hope to get more involved in tree planting in the coming months as well. Greg's project is the "Adopt A Highway" section of US 220 we have in memory of John. He has put lots of long hours into this behind the scenes, and we'd like to see this grow as well, hopefully one day adopting sections of highway in the eastern and western sections of North Carolina as well, enabling our members to have a section close to their homes that they can work on, and not have to travel so far each time we do a clean up. We've also donated in the past to Windstar and Plant-It 2000. |
| We are excited about the prospect of becoming involved with Windstar, which was very important and dear to John's heart. We are hoping to become an official "Windstar Connection" in the coming months, and we look forward to the opportunity of working with them. This is an exciting possibility, as Ron Deutschendorf, John Denver's brother, has taken over the leadership position at Windstar. So, my friends, there is a lot of work ahead for us, there are so many problems facing not only mankind, but the entire Earth and all living things that dwell here. John shared with us, and showed us the importance of getting involved, and that we can indeed make a difference. We hope you will join us, and share in the vision. The future looks bright for our group, and we hope to sprinkle some fun times in along with the work, such as hopefully having more concerts like we had in August of 2000, featuring our friends Kevin Yeargin, Chris Westfall, and Darryl Clark, more cookouts, and maybe even some camping trips. Who knows, perhaps one day, maybe even a group visit to Colorado! |
| Charles Paschal Former President, Cofounder NC Friends of John Denver |
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