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​​Savannah has been home to many celebrities. Whether it be Academy Award winner Charles Coburn, Stacey Keach of Mike Hammer fame, Johnny Mercer, the Lady Chablis, or Paula Dean Savannah has never been without a dash of the famous. But Fredricka Washington (Fredi) was probably the celebrity known most for her groundbreaking ways. She was born in 1903 here in Savannah. She lived here until she was thirteen when her mother died. At that time she was sent to live with her grandmother in Pennsylvania.

At the age of 16 she went to New York where she was discovered by Josephine Baker. Baker hired Fredi for a cabaret show called the Happy Honeysuckles. Fredi was a talented entertainer and quickly created a dancing career. She danced with her partner Al Moiret throughout the world. Her film career did not start until she was in her thirties. In 1926, Washington was recommended for a co-starring role on the Broadway stage with Paul  Robeson in Black Boy. This was a big break in her acting career. In 1934 she appeared in the film ‘Imitation of Life’. She played the part of a black woman who passed for white. The film would earn an Academy Award Nomination for best picture. Time magazine would rank the film one of  "The 25 Most Important Films on Race". Because of her light colored skin many people thought she would actually want to ‘pass’ and was ashamed of her black heritage. In 1945 in response to a question on the subject she said:

"You see I'm a mighty proud gal, and I can't for the life of me find any valid reason why anyone should lie about their origin, or anything else for that matter. Frankly, I do not ascribe to the stupid theory of white supremacy and to try to hide the fact that I am a Negro for economic or any other reasons. If I do, I would be agreeing to be a Negro makes me inferior and that I have swallowed whole hog all of the propaganda dished out by our fascist-minded white citizens.”

Washington became a major civil rights worker and leader of the black community in the entertainment industry. Washington was among the founding members of the Negro Actor’s Guild in 1936. The organization was created to provide opportunities for African-American entertainers during a time when they struggled to find work. She also showcased the work of other black artists as the entertainment editor for “The People’s Voice,” an African-American publication in New York. The newspaper was founded by New York congressman Adam Clayton Powell Jr., in 1942.

Because of her role in ‘Imitation of Life’ her sometimes bemused public continued to speculate about how she felt about her blackness. She told reporters in 1949 she identified as black "Because I'm honest, firstly, and secondly, you don't have to be white to be good. I've spent most of my life trying to prove to those who think otherwise ... I am a Negro and I am proud of it.”

Washington, ever the advocate, had an important dramatic role in a 1943 radio tribute to black women, Heroines in Bronze, produced by the National Urban League. She challenged the radio industry in an editorial for the black press in which she discussed how limited the opportunities in broadcasting were for black actors, actresses, and vocalists, saying that "radio seems to keep its doors sealed" against "colored artists." 

Washington was very much a part of the Harlem Renaissance scene. She dated Duke Ellington for a while. She had a short marriage with one of his band members, and was sister-in-law to Adam Clayton Powell Jr. She also appeared with Paul Robeson in several plays and movies. Washington was inducted into the Black Filmmakers Hall of Fame in 1975. She died from pneumonia in 1994 at age 90, and was posthumously honored with a U.S. Postal Service stamp in 2008. Here in Savannah she was honored by SCAD’s Women of Vision Memorial.

In closing I leave you with her words:

I am an American citizen and by God, we all have inalienable rights and wherever those rights are tampered with, there is nothing left to do but fight...and I fight. How many people do you think there are in this country who do not have mixed blood? There's very few, if any. What makes us who we are, are our culture and experience. No matter how white I look, on the inside I feel black. There are many whites who are mixed blood, but still go by white. Why such a big deal if I go as Negro? Because people can't believe that I am proud to be a Negro and not white. To prove I don't buy white superiority, I chose to be a Negro

​Fredericka Washington was a Savannahian who graced the world with her talent and hunger for justice.

* The previous picture above was of Hedy Lamarr and not Fredi Washington. Thanks to the two readers Cat and Filmfan for alerting me to this in the comments.

Savannah has always been one of America’s great port city. Our maritime history stands second to none. Even the National Maritime Day honors a Savannah maritime event. The day is celebrated when the US Savannah, the first steamship to cross the Atlantic, left for its trek from our port. So it is no wonder that we have a grand hostess who during her life welcomed all the ships that entered the harbor of Savannah. Her name was Florence Martus and she was known throughout the sailing world as the Waving Girl. For over forty years she greeted, from Elba Island, every ship that came to the Savannah harbor where her father first and brother later served as lighthouse keepers.

She was as much a landmark of Savannah for the world’s sailors as the lighthouse her father and brother kept up. Sailors sent her presents and wrote her letters even though they never could visit her on the isolated Elba Island. But they would look forward to her and her dog waving a blanket in the day and a lantern at night to say to sailors from around the world: welcome to our safe harbor. She never missed a ship, and each ship, as it passed, returned her salute with three blasts of the whistle. She was Savannah’s ambassador par excellence.

Of course romantic legends have emerged about her. She started waving at every ship entering the harbor hoping it would be returning her lover from afar. We men like to think women sit around pining for us. There is no evidence this is true. What she, her family and friends say is she as a young girl, out of something to do, started greeting ships as they came. After the freshness of this idea wore off she did it out of civic duty. The sailors expected to see her so she showed. She felt this was one small act she could do to celebrate Savannah. And because she did her duty for over forty years without fail she is celebrated. Florence Martus passed away in 1943.

Since her death, she has been celebrated in various ways: having a Liberty ship SS Florence Martus made in the harbor of Savannah named in her honor in 1943. In 1999, the city of Savannah named one of its ferries that cross the Savannah River Florence Martus. More importantly the Altrusa Club of Savannah wanted to honor Florence with a monument. They chose the sculptor Felix De Weldon to create it.

Felix De Weldon was one of the greatest sculptors and monument makers of his day. He has over 1,200 sculptures across the world.  He is the only sculptor who has a monument on every continent. His Admiral Byrd bust can be found in Antarctica. He even has a monument of Elvis Presley in that strange continent called Graceland. He is most famous for his Iwo Jima Monument. He also has a noted Monument in Malaysia. It is the Tugu Negara (National Monument); it is a sculpture that commemorates those who died in Malaysia's struggle for freedom, principally against the Japanese occupation during World War II.

He was a well-respected and honored artist. In 1950, President Harry Truman appointed de Weldon to the U.S. Commission of Fine Arts. In 1956, he was re-appointed by President Dwight Eisenhower, and again in 1961 by President John F. Kennedy. In 1959, he received an honorary knighthood for his service to the British Crown. Felix de Weldon died on June 3, 2003 at the age of 96, in Woodstock, Virginia and was buried in Arlington National Cemetery.
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In Savannah we have brought together two world citizens. One who seldom left the island where she was born and the other who traveled the world. One who welcomed the world to her hometown and one who constructed monuments worldwide that celebrated persons on every continent. So the next time you travel to the land of Savannah be sure to travel down to River Street and see a monument that still welcomes sailors and now tourists to Savannah. If you look real close one might catch a woman of pride embracing you with her smile. 
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​There are places that have an ongoing and developing history for the people of Savannah. Some of it precedes me and much will remain after me. One of those places is Oatland Island. It sits east of Savannah and is one of the first islands you encounter once leaving Savannah. It was cleared to plant cotton in the 18th and 19th centuries when cotton was king. But cotton was dethroned. The railroads came and in 1927 a large columned and brick building was constructed as a retirement home for the International Order of Railroad Conductors. The conductors, caught up in the spirit of the unions, wanted to provide a home for those who had no family or needed more care than their family could provide. Across the waterway sits Bonaventure Cemetery. In Bonaventure Cemetery the Order of Railroad Conductors have a burial ground section for conductors.

But time continues and after World War Two the railroads prominence had passed. There was a need for a hospital for the U S Public Health Service and the Center for Disease Control to have a place in the south to research different diseases. So from 1941 to 1973 the land and building served these two purposes. Research was conducted for a cure for syphilis but when penicillin came this research was no longer needed. The no pest fly strip was first created here. The use of DDT of Rachel Carson fame was experimented with as a pesticide but that too was ended with a government ban on DDT.

In 1973 the CDC no longer needed the site and offered it to the Savannah-Chatham County Public School System. They took the land and made it the Oatland Island Wildlife Educational Center. This is what it is today. It has offered itself as an educational resource to the children and adults of the community. Over 20,000 children are served there every year. It is over 150 acres of land with exhibits of animals native to Georgia thus its sometime moniker of Savannah’s Zoo. One of Savannah’s more infamous books The Dangerous Lives of Altar Boys written by Chris Fuhrman (I have an archived article on Fuhrman)  places Oatland Island and its cougar into the plotline.

One of Savannah’s thriving businesses received its start here. The Savannah Bee Company founded and owned by Ted Dennard started here. Dennard, who as a young man taught beekeeping in Central America as a Peace Corps volunteer, worked at Oatland Island after the Peace Corps. In 2002 he decided to follow his bee passion. He used an old 800 square foot classroom at Oatland Island.  When he started he had no money and paid his rent in honey. Today his business is a multimillion dollar business and the Savannah Bee Company literally sells its honey all over the world. Dennard, keeping to his Oatland Island and Peace Corps values, sponsors a non-profit that educates schools and communities in how to keep their own bees.
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Today, Oatland Island has not only the animals but a heritage homesite where annual Sheep to Shawl and Cane Grinding Festivals are held. It is one of the cultural centers of the Savannah area that everyone who grows up here has spent some time being educated about nature and wildlife. It maintains a beautiful lagoon and marsh boardwalk. The land and building have serviced Savannah in many ways through the years. It reminds me of the importance of places and the keeping of them close to heart and hand.