Monday, April 27, 2009

Another Remarkable Man At Foxfire

I mentioned in a previous post that one summer we had taken B’s Boy Scouts to camp for a week at Blackrock Mountain State Park in Mountain City, Georgia.

We watched the Fourth of July fireworks from at least 3 different communities exploding simultaneously while sitting out on these rocks. It is different looking out and down on fireworks, rather than up.

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It was at that time that we made our first visit to the Foxfire Museum. They did not know we were coming. We were met at the visitors’ center by a man named Robert Murray, who said he was a jack of all trades at the museum. He stopped what he was doing and gave us a tour. He taught us skills of rope making, fire starting, bullwhip cracking, plant use and identification, and how to make a drinking cup out of a poplar leaf.

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The Scouts and adults alike ate it up, and came away very impressed with Robert Murray.

Quite by chance, we learned last fall of Robert’s death to cancer. It was only then that we learned he was the curator of the museum. With his friendly manner, I’m sure he is missed by many. A memorial stone has been placed in front of the visitors’ center at the very place where we first met him.

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The newest building has been dedicated to him and there is a nice tribute to  him with pictures showing him doing what he loved and what he did so very well.

No doubt during his years at Foxfire, he taught hundreds of people to value the skills from the past.  His legacy is the impact he had on those of us who were fortunate enough to have been  his student for a few hours.

Rest in peace, Robert. Your work continues.

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