August 2020 www.bishopgadsden.org Issue 364 GADSDEN GAB

August 2020



Issue 364

GADSDEN GAB A publication of Bishop Gadsden

HIGHLIGHTS:

PAGE 2:

Message from President/CEO

PAGE 6:

Semmelweis:The Man Who Figured Out that Unwashed Hands Could Kill

PAGE 8:

Back in Time: Augustus

PAGE 10:

August Birthdays/New Move-Ins

PAGE 12:

BG Cooks In

GROWING A DREAM

By MP Wilkerson

"It all began when a group of builder to clear the land, build the

people who loved the outdoors beds, gazebo and shed. BG would

and liked to garden bonded

supply irrigation, gravel, and the

together to pursue a dream,"

picking up of trash. He outsourced

said Katy Huger, a member of the the construction to Buzz Cody of

original committee that started Coastal Landscapes who drew up

the Bishop Gadsden Community plans and did the landscaping.

Garden. She is the spokesperson

At that time, the only space

for the garden and the garden's available was where The Quay 400

current co-chairman along with building now stands.This was a

Kay Meek, who grew up on a farm huge area covered with weeds and

in Texas and has always gardened. trees.While the committee knew

In 2011, residents who were this space was temporary, they

gardeners were trying to grow

proceeded.

a few tomatoes and flowers but

The plans called for 30 raised

needed a place with more sun.

garden beds, which Peter Read

From this, the idea of a community designed, and a park where

garden grew and a group was

community-wide activities such

formed to make it happen.

as Oktoberfest, a spring wine and

The first committee chairman cheese festival, and a Fourth of July

was Smiley Putman who had been celebration could be held.

active with a hospital's community The committee received almost

garden in Ohio. On the committee 70 donations that ranged from

were Katy, Peter Read, Bob Xidis, $10 to $10,000, and construction

Barbara Burbello, and Kathy Harms. started in early 2012.

To start, they visited seven or

"The years 2012 to 2013 were

eight community gardens and

glorious years," said Katy. The

drew up a proposal for a garden garden was dedicated in May 2012.

at Bishop Gadsden.They sent this Over 100 people attended the

to the Environmental Services

dedication, and community-wide

Committee, and the committee activities were held along with

endorsed it. Next they presented garden tours for residents in Myers

the idea to Bill Trawick, then Bishop Hall and Read Cloister. Bishop

Gadsden's president and CEO. He Gadsden's annual report even

suggested the committee survey featured the garden on its front

the residents to see how much cover.

interest there was, which they did The people were wonderful and

and 25 replied.

Katy fondly remembers some of

Bill told them that with

the original gardeners who are no

fundraising, Bishop Gadsden would longer with us. Col. Jake Burrows

allow them to the have space and a had a patriotic garden and would

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GROWING A DREAM CONT'D

visit the garden with nature and the varied plantings. Past Wellness Weeks

his caregiver. Jimmy included tours of the garden for Myers Hall residents.

Evans was out every

The garden is a resident-driven project. The

day and Ab Middleton committee maintains the garden and plant life, and

had potato vines that does the fertilizing, weeding and pruning.

spread all over the

There are now 38 residents who are bed holders

garden.There was

or share one of the 37 raised or "tabletop" beds.

a moon vine on the Plus, several residents who do not have a garden bed

back fence and viewing volunteer for maintenance or special projects. The

parties were held to current committee is a standing committee of EVS

watch the flowers open at 5 p.m.

and includes Bob DeMarco, Jakie Fleet, Inge Gabler,

Then in 2013,The Quay project became a reality Carolyn Lee, Barbara and Dave Mann,Trilla Minkel,

and the garden was moved and rebuilt in its current Lynn Pagliaro, Peter Read, Ike Smith and Melly Troia,

location. From 2015 to 2016, the garden was

plus co-chairwomen Kay and Katy.

expanded.The small park in the back of the garden

Recently, garden flowers have been donated for

was improved and made into a pollinator garden and good cheer arrangements to brighten up the rooms

bee sanctuary that included bluebird houses. The path of Myers Hall and Read Cloister residents who are

was rebuilt and expanded in honor of Fran and Peter quarantined.

Read. Kay and Kelsay Meek provided bushes and plants What began with a wish to grow a few tomato

and repaired the garden's teak benches. Several trees plants and zinnias has emerged into the beautiful

and bushes were donated in memory of residents

community garden whose raised beds are aglow with

who had passed away.

flowers and vegetables and herbs, all designed to

The year 2020 has given an even wider role to

tempt the secret gardener that resides in all of us.

the colorful garden during the spring "Stay at Home" "So many people worked so hard in the past and

period. It was a source of uplifting spirits as many

present to make this happen," Katy said, "and the

residents walked through to admire the beauty of

present garden honors everybody's work."

MY 2020 EPIPHANY By Talia Dillahey

As I slowly got used to loneliness and isolation as becoming a daily activity. Finishing and wrapping

the pandemic progressed, I asked, how am I going to online-ordered Christmas gifts was another endeavor.

use my newfound eight hours of free time? Should

Cleaning out drawers and closets instigated another

I adopt a cat? Should I write my autobiography?

chore. Undertaking online grocery shopping was a

Watching TV was not an option. Newscasts were

first in experimentation.Turning on my car once a

projecting doom and gloom, fueling anxiety for parents week and driving around in circles for twenty minutes

who were zooming and homeschooling their school- empowered me to save my battery. My blue recyclable

aged kids and for college students trying to finish their bag with disposable food containers was taking over

semester with virtual assignments. Fears of catching my kitchen floor, necessitating I travel to the nearby

the virus lingered silently.

trash bin more often than not.

To combat boredom, I discovered my Kindle and

To lift the residents' spirits, BG suggested, on a

began voraciously reading the likes of Mary Kay

given Wednesday afternoon, that everyone be creative

Andrews, Mary Alice Monroe and Dorothea Benton and venture out on their balconies and patios to

Frank, S.C. authors espousing on the environment

wave, scream, and shout hello, cheering on their

and conservative issues within the realm of the

neighbors. I decided to roll up my bedroom windows,

Georgian sultry breezes, salty seas and the beauty

turn the volume up full blast on my Roland keyboard

and magic of the Carolina lowcountry.The fictional synthesizer and serenade my fellow human beings with

novels portrayed insights into family relationships

alluring music. I even got a toot from a distant driver!

with humor and tragedy.Walking the halls now was Five months later, my invisible audience continues to

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MY 2020 EPIPHANY CONT'D

listen in on my Wednesday interludes.

? How to practice Aristotle's seventh virtue of

After months of encountering a restricted lifestyle, PATIENCE.

BG slowly returned to the following activities: off

? How to live with changes in life, challenging as they

campus trips; limited 15-person classes, with six-feet may be.

distancing; carry out from the Market Place Caf?;

? How to care for one another, and how to thank

assigned gym time slots; outside entry into Eliza's Attic; our healthcare workers, administrators and team

four-person gatherings.

members. (Our weekly sign waving cheering squads

In closing, I learned:

demonstrated to them our respect and love as they

? What leadership means to CEO Sarah Tipton.

arrived and departed the BG premises).

By viewing her daily virtual broadcasts, she not only I try to remind myself that my current way of life is

updates residents on the status of the coronavirus, but only temporary, firmly believing that in the future I will

directs her administration to adopt new and different return to some sense of normalcy.

ways to safely improve our lives while urgently

Oops, we just had an uptick in virus cases and have

committing to strategies to keep residents healthy. now all of our precautions are back in place!

? How to adjust to a much simpler lifestyle.

MESSAGE FROM THE PRESIDENT/CEO By Sarah Tipton

The heat and humidity tell us that August is here. As we continue to adapt to the constant new challenges this pandemic throws at us, August brings the added reality of hurricane season - which has become all too immediate in recent days. It feels like the sarcastic, comic image someone sent me recently of a face from an old infomercial pointing straight at the camera saying that familiar phrase,"But wait, there's MORE." If only we could snap our fingers and turn the "more" into that bonus gift...if we just act now!

Everything is amplified these days. If we're fearful or discouraged or grieving, it is turned up to max volume. Thankfully, our experiences of grace, community, and love are amplified too. In these slowed-down days, we have more time to focus on how even the smallest ways we can lift one another up are deeply soothing to our souls. Truly, not a day goes by that I don't witness this and experience it personally. Everyone in this community is playing an important part in the journey, and we will emerge in strength because of the very unique and important gifts we each bring. Gifts like the lovely melodies we hear on Sundays at Brunch thanks to Talia. Gifts of phone calls and encouragement to a neighbor who is in the dreaded quarantine for one reason or another. The gift of a note for a team member ending a long hard shift, or residents who come out to show appreciation in the heat and say thank you in person. Gifts of incredible generosity in support of the BG mission and the Employee Appreciation fund. The comfort of the gift of hospitality, as Kanuga extends its mission arms to BG once again, inviting us to take refuge there in any storm that may come our way. Each and every gift is vital and necessary. If even one thread is missing, the fabric would surely tear. Most especially, I am thankful for the gift of shared hope through faith. Yesterday, over a snow cone, a team member described her family's tragic loss from this virus.When I winced and told her how deeply sorry I was for what she had been through, she lowered her mask to take a bite and I saw a bright smile. She said,"I'm still smiling. God is faithful. I am here.This is a good day." But wait, there is MORE.Yes, there are bonus gifts. Hope and faith and community are right here at BG. Caring for each other is how we "act now" to receive them.

View the GAB online at

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DOC TALK: THE MOSQUITO VS. CRISPR

By Dr. Jack Hisley

Mosquitoes have ruled the planet

there are restraints, excessive

for 190 million years. Serving as

population growth would eventually

vectors or carriers of disease seems

exceed food production, and

to be their only contribution to the

human life would not be sustainable

earth's biosphere. For the 200,000

because of famine, disease, and

years of man's existence, mosquitoes

endless wars. He concluded that

have harassed humankind, killing one

periodic catastrophes such as global

half of all humans who have ever

pandemics, extreme weather and

lived. Thankfully, of the 3500 species

destructive wars would provide

of mosquitoes on the planet, only

a more balanced ecosystem and

200 carry deadly viruses such as

prevent mankind from breeding

malaria, yellow fever, dengue fever,

himself into extinction. Professor

Zika fever, and Ebola, as well as St. Louis,Western

Malthus would most likely disapprove of our massive

Equine, and Japanese encephalitis.

broad scale efforts to permanently exterminate the

When ready to attack, the female mosquito hovers menace mosquito.

for approximately 10 seconds before locating a blood In 2012, American biochemist Dr. Jennifer Doudna

vessel and alighting. Sharp little blades saw the skin and her team of scientists at the University of

and puncture the blood vessel, thereby creating a

California at Berkeley discovered CRISPR (clustered

pathway for her syringe-like proboscis to extract a regularly interspaced short palindromic repeats).

small amount of blood. Her saliva, which contains an CRISPR is an ingenious technique that snips a section

anticoagulant to prevent the blood from clotting, is of DNA from a gene and replaces it with another

quickly deposited at the fresh puncture site to hasten "desirable" piece of DNA, thereby permanently

the extraction. If she is carrying a viral pathogen,

altering the genome and changing a particular species

it is carried in her saliva and is not actually injected forever. Currently, over 3,000 laboratories worldwide

into the blood vessel. Since the anticoagulant is an are working on CRISPR, which is also called "gene

allergen, a whelp on the victim's skin rapidly appears drive".

and itching soon follows.

The Bill Gates Foundation has invested a whopping

Mosquitoes are attracted to deodorants,

$75 million in support of gene drive technology.

perfumes, and, strangely enough, they seem to prefer By depleting or eliminating disease-transmitting

people with blood types A, B, and AB more than

mosquito populations, Gates hopes to eradicate

those with type O. Of all the virus carriers, the

malaria, a major cause of poverty in much of the

Anopheles, Aedes, and Culex mosquitoes are the

world. Targeted gene editing has the potential

most dangerous. Unfortunately, as the global climate to render the mosquito extinct in one or two

warms, mosquitoes have been steadily expanding their generations. The worrisome aspect of CRISPR is that

territory. In 2018, viruses carried by mosquitoes killed scientists have the ability to effect extinction of any

a staggering 830,000 people. In comparison, humans organism they choose. "With CRISPR, the DNA of

killing other humans accounted for 430,000 deaths, any organism, including humans, can be rearranged in

snake bites accounted for fewer than 50,000 deaths, endless ways. What are the unintended consequences

and only 10 people were killed by shark attacks in of gene editing?" Dr. Doudna asks. While genetic

the same year. Despite man's ongoing efforts to

manipulation may effectively eradicate biological

eradicate them, the mosquito has cleverly adapted disorders or undesirable traits, it could also be used

and survived. Charles Darwin once remarked, "It for eugenics, biological weapons, or a multitude

is not the strongest of the species that survives nor of other dark purposes. In 2016, James Clapper,

the most intelligent that survives. It is the one that is Obama's Director of National Intelligence, warned

most adaptable to change."

that CRISPR should be considered a weapon of mass

In 1798, Thomas Malthus, an English cleric, scholar, destruction.

demographer, and economist, wrote an essay entitled If he were alive today,Thomas Malthus most

The Principle of the Population. He posited that unless likely would not approve of total extermination of

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DOC TALK CONT'D

the mosquito, as that action would forever alter the balance of nature's equilibrium. The advent of CRISPR "designer babies" has prompted controversy and heated debate around the world. While many scientists believe they can control complex genetics-editing outcomes, unintended results can certainly be made worse. At this time, science has no reason to believe that perfect outcomes can be successfully engineered all the time. The enormity of ethical questions generated by this evolving technology is, simply put, mind-boggling. As Dr. George Church, a scientist at Harvard University observed,"With CRISPR, the genie is already out of the bottle". Stay tuned.

WITCHCRAFT By Ray Houlihan

You might think I'm stuck in the 1690s and perhaps I am.While piracy was attempting to rule the waves, witchcraft was attempting to rule in Salem, Massachusetts. We know that pirates were after plunder and witches were after your mind and soul. It was a transitional time in world history, shortly before the advent of the "scientific method", which led to great changes in how people thought about practically everything. However, before that, magic, religion, and primitive ideas along with peculiar social norms dominated medieval "science." A recent book by Katherine Howe with the unusual title The Physick Book of Deliverance Dane brings witchcraft to the reader. The heroine of the book is a successful midwife and healer who enjoys her social positions and importance in the late 17th century. Unfortunately, in that day, witchcraft accusations were often accepted as truth. Jealousy supported the notion, allowing Satan to inhabit a person's mind while gaining control of their souls. The author introduces us to Constance Goodwin, who is about to become a PhD student and has chosen witchcraft and Deliverance Dane as the subjects of

her thesis. Deliverance Dane, because of her success, had become the object of jealousy and suspicions. She was accused of possessing satanic powers. Unfortunately, at the trial, the angry crowd intimidated the judge and the midwife was given a death sentence.

Moving into the 18th century, the world was about to change and part of it came with the advent of what was known as the "scientific method." The old world thought of earth, air, fire, and water to describe the universe, so the advance of science provided the impetus for far ranging discoveries. It didn't take much to discard witchcraft for greater enlightenment.

Katherine Howe's book is a combination of truth and fiction. In reality, the life of Deliverance Dane did not end on the gallows. She was released from prison after 13 weeks and was able to continue her works as a healer and midwife. Clearly, the author understood that the 17th century mind was a captive of its time and broader concepts were on the horizon. They finally came to full flower in 1775 when a new free country was born.Witchcraft represented the last gasp of the old world and the excitement contained in the Declaration of Independence suggested that minds were opening up to new possibilities. Deliverance Dane would have loved to have been a part of the revolution.

IN LOVING MEMORY

Donald "Don" Shannon

Frances Hutson

Carol Shohet 2/1/1923-7/17/2020

Tom Brewer

7/28/1939-7/27/2020 Joan Cushman

10/12/1939-7/16/2020

9/15/1935-7/24/2020

12/25/1919-7/29/2020

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