Sharon Gnau

Reverend Mike Lumpkin blesses the site of the Frances Suddeth Josephson Garden at Pinewood Preparatory School.

It was standing room only in Freedom Hall at Pinewood Preparatory School as students and faculty gathered to remember Pearl Harbor Day. On the stage, the chair draped with uniform of a service veteran set the mood for the program, reminding everyone in the darkened hall of war's enormous toll.

Present at the somber ceremony were World War II veterans Mayor Berlin Myers, Mr. William Baechtle, Admiral Flatley and Lt. Col. Otts. The ceremony featured video clips from the attack on Pearl Harbor, segments from Ken Burn's documentary on World War II, and a moving recognition of the veterans by Pinewood Headmaster Dr. Glyn Cowlishaw.

The focus of the ceremony was two-fold, to recognize the commitment of those who served at Pearl Harbor, and to bless the site for a beautiful garden on the Pinewood campus being built to honor Frances Suddeth Josephson, a World War II code breaker.

Josephson served for years in the Navy and later became an artist, fashion model and teacher. What people didn't know about her was that she was also a code breaker. Her role in deciphering messages from the enemy was, in fact, so classified in nature even her husband and family had no knowledge of what she was doing when she headed off for work every morning.

A short film titled "What's the Code," which told the short version of Josephson's contributions and highlighted her selfless and previously unrecognized service to her country, was shown during the ceremony.

As the program drew to a close, Johnny Linton, chairman of Freedom Reigns -- the committee charged with developing  Freedom Hall, the garden and the day's program -- talked to the student body about the origin of the song Taps. John Roland punctuated the program's end as he played Taps, leaving no eye in the house dry.  

Following the ceremony, the crowd moved outdoors to the site that will soon be transformed into a garden to honor Josephson and the important role she played in the war effort.  Reverend Mike Lumpkin blessed the garden as the Pinewood faculty honored guests including Josephson's son, Jed Suddeth looked on.

Contact Sharon Gnau at 873-9424 ext. 215 or sgnau@journalscene com.

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