Help Viola's Baby Girl Rouse Sparta
Donation protected
Greetings to All!
My name is Leslie Jae Wallace, and ... I am Viola's Baby Girl.
As the eighth of nine progeny of Gary Eugene Wallace, Sr. and the late Jazan Winona Horton Wallace, also known as "Viola" from the original, 1967 Academy Award-Winning Film, In The Heat Of The Night, I am on a mission to raise funds for the first of many well-meaning, uber-exciting, awe-inspiring and salutary+ business ventures spawned from the countless hours, days, nights and years spent with my brilliant siblings, while pondering ways to make an immeasurable difference in our hometown, that is, Sparta, Illinois (and ultimately, to the whole wide world). Before I dish the deets on said venture(s), please allow me to provide you a brief history of my existence.
* * * * * * * * *
Born on November 23, 1977, I was the last little girl conceived by my parents.
Before me, came Stuart Eugene in '62, Stephanie Lyn in '65, Shelli Joy in '71, Matthew David in '73, twins, Norman Albert and Kenneth Drew (deceased) in '74, Cari Dannielle in '75, I in '77, and finally, Gary Eugene Wallace, Jr. in 1979.
As the first, and only, child whom our Mother nursed, I will be honest with you when I say that I do feel a tad more exceptional than the rest of the bunch (however, there is simply no denying that we are all especially special ~ just ask anyone).
...
On April 24, 1980, when I was 2 years old, our beloved Mother, Ja (pronounced "Jae"), as she was so lovingly called, age 34, departed this Earth, leaving a husband and father heartsick, as well as 8 children, ranging in ages from 17 years to 6 months then, unexpectedly motherless. To seemingly add insult to injury, a few short months later, our family home was burned to the ground due to an electrical fire. My first memory of this time is rather vague, as I do not remember my Mother in a physical sense, and regarding the fire, I recall standing across the street near the woods, watching a building burn as my Aunt Frances (aka Aunt Pooh) who lived a block away from us, came walking toward me from around the corner, with tears in her eyes and applesauce in the crevice of her lips. As an adult, I later learned from my brother, Norm, that yes, that was the day our house caught fire, and we were all standing in the street at various points watching in amazement, and also, utter disbelief, as our house burned to the ground. The blessings of that day were that each of us made it out--safe, sound & sans injury.
My Father, a United States Marine Corps Veteran, and a young letter carrier with the USPS, who delivered the mail daily to Sparta High School--the only one in town wherefrom each of his children graduated--skillfully managed to keep us all together, continuously providing love, care and nourishment for each of us throughout our childhoods, despite not having his Life Partner and the Mother of His Children there to physically assist. He finally retired following his baby girl's high school graduation, and he never married again, always reasoning that, he 'could never find another Mom.'
Since Sparta, Illinois is such a small town--pop. barely 5,000--in 1980 and beyond, everyone about town likely knew that Gary Wallace, the town's first, and for many years only, black mailman, with a school of little kids himself (as 6 of us were under age 10), had lost his wife in April, then, his home shortly thereafter, so I do credit the community as a whole for helping to raise, guide and positively influence my siblings and me throughout the most formative years of our lives. It certainly was not easy, but I think each of us grew up feeling as though Mom, our Guardian Angel, was, and still is, with us and watching over us everyday, in every way, through each and every encounter we have with others; in fact, I am confident that She and The Most High are leading and engineering our every footsteps along the way, as people we've encountered in our town, and even out-of-towners, most everyone alike, were and are genuinely nice and naturally benevolent and loving to us when, they neither did not, nor do not have to be such ...not necessarily, you know.?..
So, in summary I will just say that, while today in 2016, I am 38 years young, as my Mom's Mom (age 92) still says, having made it past the 'dreadful age of 34'--the age about which I was so worried all my life, incorrectly surmising that, if and when I ever reached it, Lord willing, I would most assuredly pass away from an aneurysm or worse, as my Mother had before me-- and despite being diagnosed with multiple sclerosis at that very age (on February 14, no less--but, what's in a date or a diagnosis by a human who admits up front that he is only "practicing" his craft?), I firmly believe that my work on this Earth is just beginning and that My Ja, by way of My Jah, is the only one in complete control of My Destiny, which has led me to this very message being sent to the masses. I am tremendously and undoubtedly blessed with my son, Austin Blayne, all of my siblings-1, my Dad and my maternal Grandparents, my dear family and a host of friends, acquaintances, and loved ones, and it is my sincere hope and prayer that with your generous compassion and assistance, I and my siblings may continue fulfilling our Creator's wishes, with our first order of business being breathing new and fresh life, resources, and purpose into the town in which we were born and raised, Sparta, Illinois.
I thank you for your time, your interest, and your thoughtful consideration.
Best,
Leslie Jae Wallace, aka Viola's Baby Girl
BV-1
GG's Cafe in Sparta, IL
GG's Cafe (short for Gary's Girls' Cafe) is a coffee shop-esque, Internet cafe that will be open to the public, yet cater to the town's high school-age and professional populations, as well as anyone seeking a respite from the office, home, Library or anyplace, where they can relax with their laptops or tablets, while sipping a warm or cool beverage and simultaneously handle their business. There will also be various PC stations where customers may rent the computers with Internet access for up to an hour at a time, and a sitting area where they may just relax with their beverage(s) and enjoy the ambiance, if they so wish. The Cafe will potentially be located on Main Street in the building where the Sparta News Plain-Dealer was once housed. It is sure to be a huge success as there are no other coffee houses or Internet cafes in town that would or could offer up any competition.
Stay tuned for more updates and additional information.
My name is Leslie Jae Wallace, and ... I am Viola's Baby Girl.
As the eighth of nine progeny of Gary Eugene Wallace, Sr. and the late Jazan Winona Horton Wallace, also known as "Viola" from the original, 1967 Academy Award-Winning Film, In The Heat Of The Night, I am on a mission to raise funds for the first of many well-meaning, uber-exciting, awe-inspiring and salutary+ business ventures spawned from the countless hours, days, nights and years spent with my brilliant siblings, while pondering ways to make an immeasurable difference in our hometown, that is, Sparta, Illinois (and ultimately, to the whole wide world). Before I dish the deets on said venture(s), please allow me to provide you a brief history of my existence.
* * * * * * * * *
Born on November 23, 1977, I was the last little girl conceived by my parents.
Before me, came Stuart Eugene in '62, Stephanie Lyn in '65, Shelli Joy in '71, Matthew David in '73, twins, Norman Albert and Kenneth Drew (deceased) in '74, Cari Dannielle in '75, I in '77, and finally, Gary Eugene Wallace, Jr. in 1979.
As the first, and only, child whom our Mother nursed, I will be honest with you when I say that I do feel a tad more exceptional than the rest of the bunch (however, there is simply no denying that we are all especially special ~ just ask anyone).
...
On April 24, 1980, when I was 2 years old, our beloved Mother, Ja (pronounced "Jae"), as she was so lovingly called, age 34, departed this Earth, leaving a husband and father heartsick, as well as 8 children, ranging in ages from 17 years to 6 months then, unexpectedly motherless. To seemingly add insult to injury, a few short months later, our family home was burned to the ground due to an electrical fire. My first memory of this time is rather vague, as I do not remember my Mother in a physical sense, and regarding the fire, I recall standing across the street near the woods, watching a building burn as my Aunt Frances (aka Aunt Pooh) who lived a block away from us, came walking toward me from around the corner, with tears in her eyes and applesauce in the crevice of her lips. As an adult, I later learned from my brother, Norm, that yes, that was the day our house caught fire, and we were all standing in the street at various points watching in amazement, and also, utter disbelief, as our house burned to the ground. The blessings of that day were that each of us made it out--safe, sound & sans injury.
My Father, a United States Marine Corps Veteran, and a young letter carrier with the USPS, who delivered the mail daily to Sparta High School--the only one in town wherefrom each of his children graduated--skillfully managed to keep us all together, continuously providing love, care and nourishment for each of us throughout our childhoods, despite not having his Life Partner and the Mother of His Children there to physically assist. He finally retired following his baby girl's high school graduation, and he never married again, always reasoning that, he 'could never find another Mom.'
Since Sparta, Illinois is such a small town--pop. barely 5,000--in 1980 and beyond, everyone about town likely knew that Gary Wallace, the town's first, and for many years only, black mailman, with a school of little kids himself (as 6 of us were under age 10), had lost his wife in April, then, his home shortly thereafter, so I do credit the community as a whole for helping to raise, guide and positively influence my siblings and me throughout the most formative years of our lives. It certainly was not easy, but I think each of us grew up feeling as though Mom, our Guardian Angel, was, and still is, with us and watching over us everyday, in every way, through each and every encounter we have with others; in fact, I am confident that She and The Most High are leading and engineering our every footsteps along the way, as people we've encountered in our town, and even out-of-towners, most everyone alike, were and are genuinely nice and naturally benevolent and loving to us when, they neither did not, nor do not have to be such ...not necessarily, you know.?..
So, in summary I will just say that, while today in 2016, I am 38 years young, as my Mom's Mom (age 92) still says, having made it past the 'dreadful age of 34'--the age about which I was so worried all my life, incorrectly surmising that, if and when I ever reached it, Lord willing, I would most assuredly pass away from an aneurysm or worse, as my Mother had before me-- and despite being diagnosed with multiple sclerosis at that very age (on February 14, no less--but, what's in a date or a diagnosis by a human who admits up front that he is only "practicing" his craft?), I firmly believe that my work on this Earth is just beginning and that My Ja, by way of My Jah, is the only one in complete control of My Destiny, which has led me to this very message being sent to the masses. I am tremendously and undoubtedly blessed with my son, Austin Blayne, all of my siblings-1, my Dad and my maternal Grandparents, my dear family and a host of friends, acquaintances, and loved ones, and it is my sincere hope and prayer that with your generous compassion and assistance, I and my siblings may continue fulfilling our Creator's wishes, with our first order of business being breathing new and fresh life, resources, and purpose into the town in which we were born and raised, Sparta, Illinois.
I thank you for your time, your interest, and your thoughtful consideration.
Best,
Leslie Jae Wallace, aka Viola's Baby Girl
BV-1
GG's Cafe in Sparta, IL
GG's Cafe (short for Gary's Girls' Cafe) is a coffee shop-esque, Internet cafe that will be open to the public, yet cater to the town's high school-age and professional populations, as well as anyone seeking a respite from the office, home, Library or anyplace, where they can relax with their laptops or tablets, while sipping a warm or cool beverage and simultaneously handle their business. There will also be various PC stations where customers may rent the computers with Internet access for up to an hour at a time, and a sitting area where they may just relax with their beverage(s) and enjoy the ambiance, if they so wish. The Cafe will potentially be located on Main Street in the building where the Sparta News Plain-Dealer was once housed. It is sure to be a huge success as there are no other coffee houses or Internet cafes in town that would or could offer up any competition.
Stay tuned for more updates and additional information.
Organizer
Ellie S Lesliejaewallace
Organizer
Virginia Beach, VA
