Friday, October 03, 2008

Tommie Alexander (1925 - 2008)


Above: Left to right, Tommie Alexander (wearing overalls), ?, and Dora Hunter Spiva (Dora- age 101 – and still going strong), June 2006 at the Hunter Reunion at Track Rock Campgrounds. By the way, the gray-headed lady with glasses behind Tommie is Austine Hunter Wallis, who died about 6 weeks after this photo was taken – click to enlarge.

I read in this week’s Union Sentential newspaper, on-line, that my 3rd cousin, once removed, Tommy Alexander died on September the 21st, 2008, at age 83. Tommie’s mother was Hattie Hunter.

Tommie and his family owned and operated Track Rock Campgrounds and Track Rock Stables near Blairsville, in Union County, Georgia. Since I have been coming to the annual Descendants of John Hunter Reunion in the late 1970s Tommie had furnished a place for the Hunter clan to have annual gathering. Most of the time he was very busy working – moving equipment, or doing this or that. But he would take time to sit down and enjoy his kin-folk fellowship for a while, and get a bite to eat and rest a minute. His mother Hattie Hunter died when Tommie was 5 years old.

In 2006 I noticed he used a portable oxygen tank. We didn’t make the reunion in 2007. But in 2008, I went and noticed Tommie looked very tired and still depended on his oxygen tank.

I think Tommy’s son Frank is a hard worker, like his father was, and will carry on his legacy of a mighty fine campground operator.


Frank Alexander and son.

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