A long time ago

I remember when I was 15 and my cousin, Harry, was MIA in WW2 in Holland with the US Army. His wife was pregnant with their first(and only) child. A few weeks later the baby was born and shortly there after his family received word that Harry was dead. Killed in action. Rachel, his wife. was only a few years older than I was. My aunt Nora, Harry's Mother,( Rachel was staying with her), called and invited me and my two girlfriends over to visit Rachel and the baby. Only a few days old and fatherless now. We went and got to hold the baby (little Lee) and talk awhile with Rachel. She looked so young and vulnerable. It was sad to think the baby would never know his Dad.

I moved away from Athens and lost track of Rachel and Lee. One evening, years later, I went to a party here in Atlanta and learned that Lee, all grown up now, was the caterer for the event. We met and hugged and talked about Athens and his dad. I was astonished that Lee was the "spitting image" of his dad , Harry, even down to the same friendly personality and never met a stranger attitude. A real charmer. And Lee's dad had also been in the food, restaurant business.

Lee took an avid interest in our family history, paternal side, and with a family tree that a distant aunt of ours had compiled, he went to Donald S.C. and found the old family home of major John Donald (Donnald S,C, was named for Major John Donald) He would have been our a great- great- great grandfather or something like that. Lee bought the old home, had it moved to Athens, restored it to it's original condition (circa about 1800 and he lived in it for a while.

I just think it is touching that Lee was driven to delve back into time to obtain a sense of his Dad and his family history.

"Donald-Epting House "The Hill"

"On the outskirts of Athens, this Plantation-Plain-Style home (circa 1800), with period furnishings and gardens, is the private home of one of Georgia's most hospitable hosts and creative caterers. The Epting family represents the seventh generation of Major John Donald - the original owner - for which Donalds, South Carolina, is named.

No matter what the occasion, Lee Epting creates events that surpass the ordinary. Whether it's candle-lit dinners with waiters in period costume and fireplaces ablaze in every room, mint juleps on the porch, or receptions on the lawn - it will be an experience to remember."