"Resident Profiles"

  For Dr. Bill Tally, nothing beats the pleasure of attending classical music concerts. "It's fair to say music is my passion," he says. "For as long as I can remember, I have had a deep appreciation for classical music. I don't play any instruments but I love listening to music and learning about it." His wife, Phyllis, says, "The Muses just endowed him with this love of music."

  Bill grew up in rural Alabama five miles from a town of 750. He says the population of his town was 750 during the Civil War and 750 when he left. An internist, specializing in the chest and alcoholism, Bill lived in Gadsden, Alabama for 40 years. He and Phyllis have six children and even with his medical practice and busy family life, he found time for classical music. In Gadsden, he was a classical music disc jockey taping two-hour daily radio programs.

  The Talleys moved to Friends Homes West seven years ago. Their six children are scattered around the world with one in Australia, one in Spain, and the others throughout the United States. Since two children are in Greensboro, the Talleys decided to move here. Another big draw for this area was the close proximity to the Eastern Music Festival and the fact that Greensboro is home to seven colleges. "There are wonderful music programs, lecture series, and cultural offerings that were attractive to us," Bill says.

  In addition to attending Greensboro Symphony performances and the Eastern Music Festival series, Bill teaches a Music Appreciation course for residents of Friends Homes West. The weekly course has been going for about three months. He has an extensive collection of phonongraph records covering one wall of his apartment. If you are fortunate, you may be invited to his apartment to listen to music on his state-of-the-art sound system. Phyllis laughs, saying,"You may get invited to listen but if you talk while the music is playing, you won't get invited back."

  Phyllis Jones is a retired Professor of Accounting who taught at UNC-G. She formerly worked as a CPA and taught in Texas, Kentucky, Indiana and West Virginia before coming to Greensboro in 1978. Phyllis said, "Being in education and having summers free gave me the opportunity to travel. I've been very fortunate to have seen much of the world."

  Phyllis's apartment in New Hobbs is filled with artwork from her travels. When asked to name her favorite travel destinations, Phyllis said, "Within the United States, my favorite area is the Southwest. I have a time share and go as often as possible to that part of the country. I really enjoy Scottsdale, Sedona and Santa Fe. We were in Albuquerque on time when the hot air balloon festival was taking place and seeing hundreds of colorful balloons was a beautiful sight."

  Internationally, Phyllis has covered much of the world having been to China, thoughout Europe, to Russia and South America. Without hesitation, however, she says that her favorites trips were to Australia and New Zealand. She particularly enjoyed the outback area of Australia and found Melbrooune a fasicinating city. She has visited Down Under twice; going the first time with a friend from UNC-G and the second time, she, her son and grandson went together on a Grand Circle tour. Phyllis said, "Grand Circle does a wonderful job. My grandson had just graduated from college and was far the youngest person on the trip. The tour leader allowed time for him to go bungee jumping as we all watched."

  Phyllis moved into Friends Homes at Guilford in January of 2006. She says, "I was so fortunate to move when I did because in April 2006, my cancer returned. Living here is wonderful because you have a group of friends who are interested in you and you in them; that makes a difference."

  At the time of this interview, she was leaving the next day for St. Louis to visit with her son, three grandchildren and three great grandchildren. "My travels have been somewhat limited lately," she said," so this trip is going to be special. When I get back, I'm looking forward to using the work-out equipment in Hinshaw Hall." Actively engaged in the life of Friends Homes, Phyllis is secretary of the Residents Council, and on the Vespers Committee and Library Committee.

  Take three friends, mix with knowledgeable tour guides who are Biblical scholars, and a great tour group, and you have a memorable trip to the Holy Land. Virginia Vernon, Nancy Purcell, and Gerry McCall, all residents of Friends Homes West, say their trip was marvelous and a spiritually moving experience. The three left Greensboro on April 22nd and returned May 6th on a Holy Land Pilgrimage hosted by Dr. Randall Lolley and Dr. Steve Pressley, ministers at First Baptist Church in Greensboro.

  The tour group included 48 people, and the itinerary was planned by Dr. Lolley who has visited the area thirteen times. "The group had some suggested reading to do prior to going and then the ministers related the Biblical events that happened in each place they visited. Virginia Vernon said,"We were right where Islam, Judiasm and Christianity all trace their roots. To think you were walking where Biblical events unfolded was very moving."

  The three Friends Homes residents each commented on how diverse yet congenial the tour group was. They also said the daily schedule was grueling since they got up at 6:00 AM each day and returned to their hotel anywhere from 6:00 to 9:00 PM at night. They never felt unsafe although they frequently say a military presence. Clearing customs was challenging and each person had to walk across the border between Israel and Jordan. Security in Jordan was particularly tight with x-ray screening devices in every hotel. The three laughed saying that Virginia took pliers since she had a faulty zipper on her luggage. Much to their amazement, the pliers successfully made it through each screening and more importantly, Virginia made it without being detained.

  An added challenge for Gerry was that three days into the trip, in Narareth, she slipped on a rock and broke two bones in her ankle. She says she had excellent medical care in setting her ankle but subsequently was confined to a wheelchair for eight weeks. Once the ankle was set, she had no pain and gamely decided to finish the trip with the group. "Everyone was wonderful," Gerry says. "They took turns pushing me in the wheelchair and made sure I did not miss anything."

  On the 15-day trip, there were many places that were particularly meaningful. Nancy Purcell said for her, the Garden of Gethsemane was deeply moving and the group had a communion service there. They also went on a boat ride on the Sea of Galilee where Peter and other disciples made their living as fishermen. They visited Jerusalem and Gerry McCall said for her, touching the Wailing Wall was significant. Throughout the trip there were times planned for the participants to be alone with time for meditation and reflection.

  These three Friends Homes West residents had a trip of a lifetime and have pictures, stories, and wonderful memories. They realize with the volatile nature of that part of the world that future travel opportunities may be limited. They are compiling their scrapbooks and looking forward to a reunion of the group in the fall when everyone can share pictures and reminisce.

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"Residents Enjoy Participating in Chess"

  Residents of Friends Homes at Guilford and Friends Homes West are enjoying playing chess together on a weekly basis. For several months, chess players from the two locations have met on Friday afternoons at Friends Homes West for chess activity. As a result of the interest and activity, "Friends Homes Chess Club" recently enrolled in the United States Chess Federation (USCF). This membership creates the eligibilty for members of USCF to have chess skill ratings and provides the authority for the club to hold "official" chess competitions if so desired.

  Several of the Friends Homes residents who are now playing chess have never played before, or had played very little some years ago. (Pictured to left: In foreground, left to right-Wade Phillips, Earnest Miller (background) Diana Clark, Andy Westhead, Henry Jacobs.)The entire group of players is having a very enjoyable experience both socializing and learning this most ancient game. While it is enjoyable to win, they are finding that the fun of playing chess lies in exploring the beautiful relationships present in the strategy of the game - with the losing of a challenging game often much more fun than winning an easy victory.

  To promote and support the residents' interest in chess, Friends Homes at Guilford has designated space in the new periodical library for three permanent chess tables and has room for more temporary playing space when needed. The chess area in the library also houses the extensive colletion of chess books, magazines and literature belonging to the Friends Homes Chess Club. Instruction is available for anyone wanting to be introduced to chess and refresher courses are available for those who may have played years ago and are intersted in playing again.

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"Nature Trail Resurfaced"

  Joan and Dick Hanson, residents of Friends Homes West, have honored Joan's mother, Beatrice Folger, in a thoughtful way. The Hansons provided funds to resurface the Nature Trail at Friends Homes at Guilford.

  Joan says, "Mother loved walking on the Nature Trail enjoying the wildflowers. She and a friend would go out separately and then compare notes on the wildflowers they saw. Mother kept a notebook of sketches and descriptions of the various flowers. I spent many happy hours there with her as well, and I always thought it was a shame that wheelchairs could not go on the trail. We wanted to see the trail resurfaced so that more people could enjoy it."

  Joan continued by saying, "Last week, Dick and I went over to the Nature Trail for the first time in years. I couldn't believe how much everything had grown. I kept thinking what a lovely place it is with the tall canopy of trees and the sunlight filtering through the trees. It is a wonderful, quiet place to meditate and enjoy nature."

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