W. C. Reese

Waymon Carlton Reese served as pastor of the Washington church from  November 1939 to September 1945. During this pastorate the church constructed what is known as the "Nancy Mercer Annex" and dedicated it on March 7, 1943. Dr. Reese was known in the state convention for his interest in associational missions and led many to see the value in having an associational missionary. As a matter of interest, the total church budget for 1941-1942 was $6474.16. Of that amount the pastor's salary was $2700.00 and the amount for the Cooperative Program was $1618.51.

Biography of Waymon C. Reese

Before coming to Washington W. C. Reese was pastor of Ghent's Branch Baptist Church, three miles SE of Denmark, SC.

After leaving Washington Dr. Reese went to Alabama, where he was active in working for the Alabama Baptist Convention.

Dr. Waymon C. Reese,  Building Consultant with the Alabama Baptist State Convention, met with the Building Committee [of Harvest Baptist Church] to discuss plans which were presented to the church on March 26, 1967. Bids were accepted. The contract was awarded to Louis Vaughn. Cost to be $52,602.00 plus $5,885.00 heating and air conditioning by Priest Company; Total $58,487.00. The building was to be 10,000 sq. ft.


The new education building was completed and we moved in on September 25-30, 1967. Dedication Day was November 12, 1967 with Dr. Reese as guest speaker. Songs of praise were “Praise to the Father”, “To God Be the Glory”, “Doxology”, and “When We Walk With the Lord”.


 A retirement effective July 1, 1970 was that of Waymon C. Reese, church building consultant for the Alabama Baptist Convention, who will live in Talladega. Earlier, he had resigned as manager of Shocco Springs Baptist Assembly, Talladega, after 14 years. Shown below is a picture of the dedication service of a chapel at Shocco Springs in recent days.

 

Shocco Springs

I wrote a wonderful blog the other night while I was sitting up in my bed with my computer on my lap. The setting was Shocco Springs where I was present for a trustee summit, and since I serve as a trustee for Shocco Springs Baptist Assembly and Camps, I thought perhaps a few of us should attend. However, attempting to correct some spelling or grammar, I must have hit two buttons at once, and those wonderful words went to ethernet land, whereever that is.

First of all, let me tell you that I LOVE SHOCCCO. It is a long lasting love affair.

My first visit/stay was in 1961 for Church Music Week. I stayed at the then 'new' Mt. Moriah Hotel. It was nice for the time period. We took a group from our church. I "studied" beginning music reading and beginning voice. Our project for the week was to learn and sing Mendelsohn's oratorio, Elijah. David Ford, then a young man, was the baritone soloist. Charles Crocker sang the tenor solos. Eleanor Ousley was a soloist as well, and Dr. John Sims, directed the mass choir. I remember the great family style meals, the swimming pool adjacent to the snack bar in front of the auditorium, filled with cold green spring water. I remember the old hotels "500" and "400" and the cottages. RA campers were in cabins up the hill and Mr. B (F. Eugene Brasher), our minister of music, took us guys up a hill through the woods (seemed like forever) to a field to play football.

My next trip came during the Spring of 1968, as I delivered the Jacksonville State Baptist Student Union Choir to sing at the Spring Leadership Conference for BSU leadership. Of course, we sang and got back on the bus and I took them home. The next year, however, I was an attendee at the conference. During those days, we stayed in the cottages where you did not have any heat, and you had to furnish your own linens. Those were fun times, except when it turned cold.

The summer of 1968 I worked at the adjacent Royal Ambassador Camp for boys. That camp was operated separately from Shocco by the Brotherhood Department of the State Baptist Convention Executive board. Our outstanding director was Clayton Gilbert, a super individual who taught me many things (maybe a post for that alone)about leadership, myself, and serving God. I will also save RA Camp for another post.

During those days the Shocco summer staff was composed of a few college students and many high school students. The GA (Girls Auxiliary) Camp was up the hill behing Shocco. RA staffers often dated the Shocco staffers or the GA staffers.

Dr. Waymon Reese was the director the first two years I was at camp. Dr. George Ricker came in 1970. Dr. Reese usually had a couple on staff who helped chaperone and manage the summer staff. He did not put restrictions on some of the college students, and I remember a few who lived in cottage "G" and they did not have a curfew. When Dr. Ricker came, he stated very convincingly that he believed in the Virgin Birth, the Inspiration of Scripture, the Second Coming, etc, AND CURFEW.

Helen came to work in the office the summer after her freshman year at junior college. That summer I was the assistant director of RA Camp and Stan Stepleton was the director. Mr. G had resigned and left in May and we were quick fill ins.

One of my jobs each day was to pick up the mail, both at the post office and at the Shocco office. So, I got to know the girls in the office. They were a very friendly bunch. I was not. But they managed to engage me in some conversation, though since I was a college grad, I thought these were just kids.

Well, later I double dated with Helen, Debbie G. and Johnny C. We went bowling.

Nearer to the end of camp, I wrecked my Opal Cadet on the camp road. Helen offered to sell her car to me, but I would have to take her home after camp was over. Well, she has been my wife for almost 36 years, so you know Shocco is special.

When I wanted to take her to Jacksonville one day and evening to meet my friends, Dr. Ricker got her to get her mother on the phone to get permission. He did look after his staffers.

Five summer on camp staff were enough for me, but that did not end my Shocco days.

We took college students there every Spring and some Fall's for 19 years, took a youth retreat there, and I spent numerous cold days in January at staff retreat.

I have attended Sunday School conferences, Brotherhood conferences, music and youth conference, campus ministry retreats, associational leadership retreats and many other events there.

This past December Shocco celebrated our 60th annivesary. Helen and I sttended the weekend and reuninted with some old friends and made some new ones. Dr. Ricker released his book on the history of Shocco. (It's a great read.) We reunited with another couple that met at Shocco. They married in the chapel in 1969 and I served as best man. She had been the food service manager and he had served with me at RA Camp. Back in the early 90's, our sons were in the same camp group at RA Camp one week. Talk about coincidences, or is it Providence.

For the past five years I have served on the Board of Trustees at Shocco. It is just one way for me to promote the facility and give back to the place that gave me so many great life experiences.