FLAG BOARD
History

As Archivist I am compiling a history of the organization. In order to accomplish this I am going through the old issues of The Beacon which I have been given, but several are missing, and in many of these early years, few details are given about the meetings. Some years, no dates are given, and other times two different dates are given with no explanation. Sometimes I find meeting locations, themes, and names of guest speakers, but often these are missing. Mrs. Hamilton has been very helpful in filling some of these details, and if anyone else is able to help complete the picture, I would appreciate your assistance. If any of you can add details or missing information, or if you have interesting stories, please send them to me so I can include them. Also if you have corrections, please send them. * Jane Hursey, Archivist

Here is a summary of the earliest years of FLAG.

1970	On October 24, 1970, CMFLA (Classical and Modern Foreign Language Association) and GMLS (Georgia Modern Language Studies) met and voted to merge. The proposed constitution had to be approved by the parent association, GAE. Dues of $2 were decided upon. The proposed name was Georgia Foreign Language Association, or GFLA. Before the next meeting, Lindsey Few had proposed rearranging the name so it could be called FLAG, and the idea was accepted.
1971	On April 2, 1971, FLAG held its first meeting. The constitution had been approved, and officers were elected: President: Dr. Herman Bostick; 1st Vice President: Mrs. Lillie B. Hamilton; 2nd Vice President: Mr. Manuel T. Rivas; Recording Secretary: Miss Nellie Lamar; Corresponding Secretary: Mrs. Billie Davis Gaines; Treasurer: Mr. William L. Gatlin. Teachers of the Year were Miss Ruth T. Wells (Latin); Mr. Charles Morrison (French); Miss Nellie Lamar (Spanish); and Mr. Julius T. Stevens (German). FLAG met again during the SCOLT conference in Atlanta, in October, 1971, and in April, 1972 during the GAE convention. State foreign language contests were scheduled for spring, 1972, in French, German, Latin, Russian, and Spanish. Teachers of the year were Mrs. Catherine Matthews (Latin); Mrs. Dorothy Connell (French); Mrs. Joyce Gosha (German); Mrs. Lillie B. Hamilton (Spanish); and Mrs. Billie Davis Gaines (Russian).
1973	On March 30, 1973, FLAG met in Atlanta. Two candidates for president were nominated, Lillie B. Hamilton and Ruth Keaton. Voting was by mail-in ballot. Teacher of the Year was Dr. Mirian T. Felder, who had "taught and worked with the three most generally taught foreign languages..."
1974	March 29, 1974 FLAG met in Atlanta. Lillie B. Hamilton was President, and Ruth Keaton was President-Elect.
1975	On April 4, 1975 the FLAG meeting was held in Atlanta. Ms. Ruth Keaton was elected President and served until 1977. Mr. William Rice was President-Elect. Teachers of the Year were Mrs. Wanda Bokoski (French); Dr. Alexandro Becerra (Spanish); Miss Jane Swann (Latin); and Mr. Kline Howell (German). Nov. 15, 1975 FLAG met in Macon. No further details are given.
1976	March 26, 1976 FLAG meeting at Georgia State University Teachers of the Year: Simone Cronk, Lovett School, Atlanta (French), Francine Blanke, Kendrick High School, Columbus (German); Carol Webb McChesney, Cross Keys H.S., DeKalb Co (Latin), Roslyn Sprayberry, Clayton Co Schools (Spanish) Nov. 13, 1976 FLAG meeting, Macon
1977	April 2, 1977 FLAG meeting, Atlanta President Mr. William Rice (1977-1979); Pres. Elect Mrs. Martha McClure Teachers of the Year: Judy Smith, Westminster School, Atlanta (French), Yvette Simpson, Northside High School, Atlanta (German), Ron Felds, Westwood High School, Atlanta (Latin), Beverly Warinner, Riverwood H.S., Atlanta (Spanish)
1978	FLAG meetings: March 31, Atlanta; November 4, Macon
1979	On March 17, 1979, FLAG met at Clayton Junior College in Morrow. Guest speaker was Jane Bourque, president of ACTFL. The state had been divided into ten districts, and a Teacher of the Year was named from each district. James L. Westcot, district 1; Milton Bentley, district 3; Nancy S. Grantham, district 4; Marie-Jeanne Dane, district 5; Algy Edwards, district 6; Gregory W. Duncan, district 7; Patricia S. Walden, district 8; Cecilia E. Murphy, district 9; Carolyn T. Howell, district 10. No one was named from district 2. In November, 1979, ACTFL met in Atlanta at the Hyatt Regency Hotel in conjunction with SCOLT and AATG.
1980	Very few details are available about the FLAG conference in 1980, except that it was held in the spring, and that Christiane Arons was Teacher of the Year.
1981	October 1-3, 1981, FLAG met with SCOLT at the Airport Marriott Hotel in Atlanta. The theme was "Foreign Language Teaching: Building on our Successes," and dues were raised from $3.00 to $5.00. The FLAG Spoken Language contest was held at Kennesaw Junior College on March 6, 1982.
1982	The 1982 conference was held September 24-25 in Athens around the theme "Creating in the Classroom." At that time the registration fee was $6.00, and the Friday night dinner cost $11.00 and the Saturday luncheon was $7.00. Greg Duncan was elected President, and Mrs. June Legge was President Elect. Teacher of the Year was Dr. Shubael T. Beasley, and he also received the Certificate of Excellence.
1983	The 1983 Spoken Language contest was again held at Kennesaw Junior College on March 5, and on that same date, the Latin Contest took place at the University of Georgia Classics Department in Park Hall. The FLAG conference "Foreign Language: A Positive Image for the 80's" was in Athens November 4-5. Kathy Baird Brannan was Teacher of the Year. Her mother Allyne Baird had been a former Teacher of the Year. The Certificate of Excellence was given to Dr. James Alexander for his lifetime of service to foreign language.
1984	On March 3, 1984, for the first time, the FLAG Spoken Lanaguage Contest and the FLAG Latin Contest were held at the same location, Kennesaw Junior College. The FLAG Conference was held in Athens on October 5-6, 1984. The theme was "Kaleidoscope: What's New in Foreign Languages?" Carol Herron of Emory University delivered the keynote address on "Successful Experiences in Foreign Language Education." Dr. June Legge was elected President, and Algy Edwards was President-Elect. Teachers of the Year were Dr. Richard Beaton and Mrs. Betsy Frank, both of whom taught Latin.
1985	In 1985, the FLAG Spoken Language Contest and the Latin Contest were both held at Wheeler High School. October 10-12, 1985, the FLAG conference was held in conjunction with SCOLT at the Ramada Hotel Capitol Plaza in Atlanta. The theme was "Perspectives on Proficiency." Teacher of the Year was Carolyn Howell, Spanish teacher at Cedar Shoals High School.
1986	Wheeler High School again hosted the Spoken Language Contest in 1986. On September 26-27, 1986, the FLAG conference was back in Athens, and Dr. Richard Beaton was elected President. Lowell Bouma was President-Elect. Few other details are available about this year's conference.
1987	The FLAG Spoken Language Contest and the Latin Contest were held in the spring of 1987 at Riverwood High School in Fulton County. On October, 1987, at the conference, theme "Foreign Languages: Trick or Treat?" (no exact date or location available) FLAG named Dr. Clara Krug Teacher of the Year. Dr. W. Ray Cleere was recognized for his contributions to the advancement of foreign languages in Georgia, and Lee Bradley received a Certificate of Excellence. Martha G. McClure received a special award for her long years of faithful service to the profession. The 1988 Georgia Teacher of the Year was Jean Carolyn Williams, a Spanish teacher at Douglas County Comprehensive High School, and she was also recognized.

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Cover of the The Beacon (former title of the Journal) Sketch of Tybee Island Lighthouse Drawn for The Beacon by Thomas B. Daughtry (Clayton State College)

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