SAR Grave Marker Dedication

Casimir Pulaski Chapter, State Society, National Society Sons of the American Revolution

James Donald Denney
by Dr. Michael Campbell, President NSSAR, Casimir Pulaski Chapter, Georgia State Society

Today (March 22, 2009) we observe a grave marker dedication ceremony for James Donald Denney. Donald was a charter member of the Casimir Pulaski Chapter here in Carrollton. He wasa recipient of the prestigious Liberty Medal for the recruitment of new members into the Society. Donald was a Veteran, a World War II veteran of the United States Navy having served in the Asian theatre.

Donald was raised here in Carroll County and grew up during the Depression. Those that bemoan our current economic plight could have learned valuable lessons from Donald. He grew up in the time when there were no bail outs, but there were pitch-ins, you had to pitch-in and work, help put food on the table, help make any money at all and save pennies, not dollars. He was a member of what has been called the Greatest Generation; a generation saddled with the depression and thrust into a two front World War. This generation set the bar for people around the world for making sacrifices to do the right things. This generation had so much to gain and so little to lose because they had very little to start with; it is because of them that our country has experienced a life style over the last 50 years that is unparalleled in history.

Donald had his priorities in order, he was a devoted Christian, he was a devoted family man, who loved his wife, his sons, his daughters-in-law, and his grandchildren, and he loved his country and was proud of his service and his family’s service to this country. He qualified for SAR by his ancestor Edward Denney of South Carolina, and later in life Donald was very active in the Veteran’s Memorial here in Carroll County.

Those of us in the Pulaski Chapter knew Donald as a quiet man, who was passionate about his faith, his family and his country. He was a true member of the Greatest Generation and was a quiet, humble man who worked hard and was a role model for so many.

To the Denney family, thank you for sharing Donald with us, for allowing us to learn from him, and to see a man that not only talked the talk, but also walked the walk.