Labor Day weekend was a gift to each of us with beautiful weather and a peaceful lull as many businesses closed and traffic was at a minimum.  Now that September is here, it is time to put away white shoes and prepare for fall.  Leaves are already falling and summer plants are looking puny.

Today Around Davidson has happy news from four families in our town.  There were celebrations in the Kimbrough household as they welcomed a new grandchild and happy smiles all around in upstate New York for the Grosch-Jacksons as Ulysses Jackson wed Cristina Toro.  In addition, birthday greetings go to John Swallow and Rusty Knox who recently turned another year young!

Cristina & Ulysses

WEDDING BELLS FOR ULYSSES JACKSON and CRISTINA TORO

Cristina Toro and Ulysses Jackson were married on August 28, 2010 under ancient trees in the garden of the Brewster Inn, located in Cazenovia, N.Y., by Cazenovia Lake. Judge Moore presided over the ceremony that was attended by their parents and siblings. The Toro family came from their home in Tampa, Fla., where Mr. Toro is an assistant United States Attorney in Tampa. Parents of the groom, Herb Jackson and Laura Grosch, traveled from Davidson, NC while Ulysses’ brother Leif Jackson came from Atlanta with his wife, Nicky Jones, and their daughter, McKinleigh, who is three. Assisting in the wedding party were best friends of Cristina and Ulysses who are a family of artists from Gilbertsville, N.Y.: Simone Mantellassi, served as Best Man while his wife, Zena Gurbo, was the Matron of Honor (best woman), with  their children, Zara (10 years old), and Mia (under 2).

Ulysses and Cristina. Not your typical wedding portrait.

Both bride and groom are artists. Ulysses works for Golden Artist Acrylics in research and development and is an accomplished artist.  (Many have viewed his work at showings in the Christa Faut Gallery in Cornelius.)  Cristina Toro creates images with dense patterns. She collected antique cloth which was made into her beautiful wedding dress by a woman in Austin, Texas. Ulysses Jackson wore Mr. Toro’s tie and his father’s belt.  This talented young couple plans to honeymoon in Hawaii next February when it makes the most sense to escape the ice and snow of upstate New York.

Congratulations to all the family and especially to Ulysses and Cristina.

Poppy and Mimi with new grandbaby Ann Margaret

CRADLE ROLL – ANN MARGARET KIMBROUGH

Happy news for ”Mimi” Tish and “Poppy” Lawrence Kimbrough of Davidson who have a new grandchild.   Ann Margaret Kimbrough was born on August 13 and weighed 6 lbs. 2 oz. and will be called Annie. Proud parents are Colleen and Will Kimbrough who live in Powhatan, VA.  At home to welcome the new arrival were big sister, Mary Ardrey (5) and big brother, Thomas (3).  Mimi and Poppy Kimbrough got to the hospital in Virginia just before the baby’s birth and stayed to help for a few days.

Mary Ardrey and Thomas with Mom and new baby sister Ann Margaret

Colleen’s parents, Tony and Suzy Hackenberg, also live in Powhatan, Va., so are close by to help.  Colleen works as a wedding coordinator at nearby “Mill at Fine Creek” while Will teaches English and Drama at Blessed Sacrament Huguenot School.  What a busy, happy household!

Annie’s North Carolina uncle, Pat Kimbrough, lives in High Point and continues to enjoy his employment as a staff writer for the newspaper, the High Point Enterprise.  Congratulations to all the Kimbrough and Hackenberg families.

Dad John Swallow receives a birthday hug from his daughter, Sophie

A BIRTHDAY BASH FOR JOHN SWALLOW

Could it be that John Swallow is 40?  Must be from the size of the crowd of party-goers gathered in his Walnut Street backyard on August 28 who came to celebrate his “odometer” turning over a BIG one!  John’s wife, Cameron, who teaches Math and French at the Davidson IB School, “engineered” the occasion for friends and family.  John is the Kimbrough  Professor of Mathematics and Humanities at Davidson College.  The family has lived in our town since 1994 and both daughters, Ruth (14) and Sophie (12) were born here.

The fete included several original musical compositions. One that was particularly significant was played by John’s sister, Chris Lastovicka of Philmont, N.Y., who is a classical composer and wrote a fugue based on three piano notes that John taught her as a child. Another musical score was created by John Wertheimer of the band Davidson Express, which includes John’s wife, Cameron Swallow. John W. is a history professor at Davidson College and has written dozens (maybe hundreds) of fun, quirky and touching songs about modern life in Davidson and the South. For this birthday occasion, John W. was assisted by a group of singers from among John Swallow’s friends and invented a tale of trying to use an internet song service to write a birthday song for John Swallow. It had a marvelous punch line: When it arrived in the mail, it was a bar mitzvah song, instead of a birthday song!

John Swallow's birthday bash was a wonderful time to visit with friends

The best of the birthday toasts and jokes was from Irl Bivens, a professor in the Math Department at Davidson College who works with John. He gave a hilarious Top 10 list of reasons why John Swallow almost didn’t get hired at Davidson. There were many other toasts by family and friends, and the music went late into the night including tunes by Cynergy, the rock band that includes John Swallow’s daughter Ruth, John Wertheimer’s son Sharad, and friends.

Other family members in town for the party included John’s parents, Richard and Carolyn Swallow of Hartsville, SC, and Cameron’s parents, Tom and Celia Wallace of Fayetteville, Tenn.  Although John’s true birth date was July 30, the party was delayed until late August to make sure everyone was back from summer vacation.  It was certainly well worth the wait:  Happy Birthday, John!

Listen to John Wertheimer’s birthday tribute to John Swallow, as sung by friends at the Aug. 28 gathering.

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(MP3 format, 5 min. 25 sec.; can’t see the player? Click here.)

Music is never labor for Rusty Knox who had a birthday on Labor Day

CELEBRATING WITH RUSTY KNOX

Yesterday really was the birthday of Rusty Knox who celebrated with family and friends – even stopping to strum his guitar at a neighbor’s barn lot.  Rusty claimed yesterday was simply the 13^th anniversary of his 40^th birthday!  Why not for this well know Davidsonian who was born in Joanna, S.C., grew up in Davidson, left the area for a while but returned to our town in 1994.  Rusty loves music – and we like to joke that he does a little real estate “on the side.”  He took a first guitar lesson in 1972 from the late Truscott Rhodes and since then taught himself to play.  His favorite instrument is a Martin acoustic guitar but watch for him to begin banjo picking in the near future.

Music has always been important to the Knox family and singing was a part of every family gathering.  Rusty admits that he was a bit nervous about playing his guitar and singing in public but after a first “gig” at Summit Coffee in 2004, he was hooked.  Look for CDs of his music as well.  In the meantime, best birthday wishes to you, Rusty.  We are glad to have you in town.

Send us your news

Have news for Around Davidson? Write to Brenda Barger at hbarger@bellsouth.net.