Living in the Neighborhood, p. 2
HORSESHOES, BOCCE BALL, OR CROQUET ANYONE?
The lawn area south of North Faulkner Way can be remodeled to accommodate
some permanent lawn sports for those who have an interest. Please
contact Doug Boone at 704.987.5099 if you would like to know more
or if you want to get involved.
LOST AND FOUND FROM SPINN
Did you lose two folding chairs in green bags at the May SPINN party?
If so, they can be picked up in the foyer of Doug Boone’s office
at 122 St. Alban’s Lane.
FEEDING THE FISH – CLEMENS SQUARE
The fish in the pond at the Clemens Square waterfall only eat from
March 15 through November 15 and then hibernate through the winter.
Beginning this spring the children around Clemens Square have passed
the responsibility to feed the fish from house to house, starting
with Phoebe and Lily Klett, then Susie Watt, and then Leslie Hamic.
We understand the fish food now resides at the Furlong household with
Shae. If you have an interest in taking a turn at feeding the fish,
please call the Furlongs at 704.896.6059. The most important thing
is to make sure someone has the responsibility. This task should be
easy considering the number of children that live nearby.
We should thank these kids for a job well done! The fish sure appreciate
the attention.
NEWSLETTER DELIVERY VOLUNTEERS
Many thanks are due our newsletter delivery volunteers each month.
The June newsletter was delivered (in the rain) by Barbara Doster,
Tom Fischer, Nick Macos, Norm Reid, Norman Richards, Dave Smith, John
& Marcia Williamson, and Chuck Womack.
NEIGHBORS . . . START YOUR ENGINES!
Last year Jack Christine hosted a Porsche Club Rally that started
from his townhome at 117 N. Faulkner Way. He is planning the event
again this year on Saturday, July 30. Neighbors should not be alarmed
or concerned that these cars will be racing through the neighborhood
streets and byways.
There are usually anywhere from 15 to 20 cars that will be lined-up
on North Faulkner for a morning start. They will be here about an
hour and then will exit the rear of the neighborhood via Wolfe Street.
These are considerate folks and they will not be creating any disturbance.
If anyone wishes to get a glimpse of these beautiful European road
machines before the start of the rally, please feel welcome to come
by and watch them leave. If you have any questions, please call Jack
Christine at 704.987.1527.
WHAT’S IN A NAME? NEIGHBORHOOD STREETS AND BYWAYS [INSTALLMENT
8]
We continue our discussion of the streets and byways of the New Neighborhood
this month with the biography of a giant among American authors, William
Faulkner. His name has been given to the two central avenues and lawn
area within the Neighborhood. With the exception of Fairview and Caldwell
Lanes, the primary streets and roads throughout the neighborhood are
named after Southern authors and writers. The narrow “byways”
are all named for local people who were in the chain of title for
property purchased for the New Neighborhood.
NORTH FAULKNER WAY
SOUTH FAULKNER WAY
FAULKNER SQUARE TOWN PARK
William Cuthbert Falkner (NOTE: the original spelling of his name)
was born in New Albany, Mississippi, on September 25, 1897. Although
talented in drawing and writing poetry at an early age, William was
bored with his studies as early as the sixth grade. As the result
of a mutual interest in poetry, a lawyer named Phil Stone became an
early literary mentor to Faulkner. Never finishing high school, Faulkner
moved in with Stone in New Haven early in 1918, and took his first
job with the Winchester Repeating Arms Company. His name was spelled
“Faulkner” in employee records, most likely due to a typing
error.
Shortly after this period, William tried to join the U.S Army Air
Force, but was turned down due to his height (five feet, six inches
tall). He then applied to the Royal Air Force in Canada, keeping his
name “Faulkner” because it looked more British. The war
ended before he completed training and he received an honorable discharge.
Although having seen no combat, Faulkner returned to Oxford, Mississippi,
in December of 1918 and created exaggerated stories of his RAF service.
In 1919, Faulkner enrolled in the University of Mississippi in Oxford,
never mentioning that he had not completed high school. While a student
he published poems and short stories in the Mississippian, the school
newspaper. He dropped out of school after only three semesters and,
between 1920 and 1924, held several odd jobs, including an assistant
in a bookstore in New York City and a period as postmaster of a university
post office. He seemed to spend most of his time reading, playing
cards, and drinking with friends, while losing and misplacing mail.
William’s friend Phil Stone was able to publish a volume of
Faulkner’s poetry in The Marble Faun in 1924. Following this
period, he spent time in New Orleans, Paris, France and England. Shortly
after his return in 1925, he published his first novel, Soldier’s
Pay (1926). Although struggling early with some of his novels on controversial
topics, he entered what was probably his greatest artistic period
from 1929 to 1942. During this time he completed The Sound and the
Fury (1929), As I Lay Dying (1930), Light in August (1932), Absalom,
Absalom (1936), The Unvanquished (1938), and Go Down Moses (1942).
Faulkner married Estelle Oldham, a childhood sweetheart, in 1929,
following her divorce from another man that same year. During the
30’s, Faulkner struggled with the Depression Era and had trouble
making ends meet. He even signed a contract with MGM in 1932 as a
screenwriter. He later also worked with 20th Century Fox and Warner
Brothers. In the mid-thirties, Faulkner began spending time at Wright’s
Sanatarium, a nursing facility, where he would go to recover from
his drinking binges.
In 1946, a gentleman named Malcolm Cowley (editor of The Portable
Hemingway, 1944) published The Portable Faulkner, a book which was
to recreate popular and critical interest in Faulkner’s works.
William Faulkner received the Nobel Prize for literature in 1949.
He earned the National Book Award for Fiction and a Pulitzer Prize
in fiction for A Fable (1954). He also received a Pulitzer Prize for
The Reivers (1962). Faulkner was writer-in-residence at the University
of Virginia [this editor’s alma mater] from February to June,
1957.
Following a series of falls from horses, William Faulkner died of
a heart attack on July 6, 1962, at the age of 64. He is buried at
St. Peter’s Cemetery in Oxford, Mississippi, his hometown.
How did William Faulkner achieve such greatness as an American author
in spite of never finishing high school, never receiving a college
degree, living in a small town in one of the poorest states in the
USA, and experiencing constant financial troubles during the Great
Depression? William Faulkner – a truly remarkable man!
Information for much of this article was obtained from an article
by John B. Padgett who maintains a website, William
Faulkner on the Web.
NEIGHBORHOOD TIES TO WILLIAM FAULKNER
What are the incredible chances that not one, but two, of our neighbors
(living on Faulkner Way) have personal ties to William Faulkner! Astronomical?
Not Actually!
Meredith Jennings (317 N. Faulkner Way) used to fox hunt with William
Faulkner when she lived in Memphis, Tennessee. He even helped her
with an English class project when she was a senior in high school.
[Meredith is not telling what her final grade was on that project.]
Beth Fountain (213 N. Faulkner Way) told me that her grandfather tutored
William Faulkner in math in Oxford, Mississippi. In her grandfather’s
diary, he wrote that he [William Faulkner] would never amount to much
because he couldn’t “get” math. Beth’s comment
regarding this note is worth printing: “Now as I look through
the neighborhood, I don’t see a street named after my grandfather,
but I do live on Faulkner! Lesson learned – don’t say
anything negative about anyone!”
These two stories are priceless among many that we probably have among
our neighbors. If you or one of your neighbors has an interesting
anecdote or story to share, please let me know. Thanks to Meredith
and Beth for sharing these stories from their past.
• • • • • • •
The series of articles on streets and byways is nearing an end.
The Marler S. Tuttle Sr. and Miriam G. Tuttle Byways and Wolfe Street
are the only roads not yet covered. If anyone has information or stories
regarding the Tuttle family, call Dave Smith at 704.987.1472. If you
are new to New Neighborhood and missed some of the early articles
on our roads, the entire series
has been preserved on the neighborhood website.
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