By Jeremy Gove, Information Systems Administrator,

All throughout history, November has been a month of great things. During its course, we exercise our freedom and right to vote, we celebrate the defense of freedom by honoring our veterans, and we celebrate the survival of the Pilgrims, men and women brave enough to leave England, the land they had always known, their families, friends, and hometowns in search of a place to worship freely. Freedom, freedom, freedom. All that and more happens every year during the 11th month. Over time, instances, circumstances, and situations have come and gone, leaving their marks upon history and milestones in our midst. This is particularly true in November. Some of these moments have been monumental. Some are funny. Others are harrowing and thought-provoking. Turning back the clock, here are a few milestones from history representing the past couple of days:
 

November 1st
1894 – Tsar Nicholas II began his reign.
1950 – President Truman survived an assassination attempt.

November 2nd
1889 – North and South Dakota were added to the Union.
1898 – Organized cheerleading began.

November 3rd
1783 – Tyburn public hangings ceased.
1957 – the Soviets sent a dog into outer space.

November 4th
1825 – The Eerie Canal was formed.
1847 – Chloroform’s anesthetic properties were discovered.
1899 – Sigmund Freud published “The Interpretation of Dreams.”

November 5th
1911 – The first US transcontinental flight ended.
1935 – The board game Monopoly first went on sale.

November 6th
1861 – Jefferson Davis was elected President of the CSA.

November 7th
1837 – Anti-slavery activist Elijah Lovejoy was killed protecting his home and printing press.

November 8th
1950 – The first jet-to-jet dogfight took place.

November 9th
1872 – The Great Boston Fire.
1939 – Nazi Germany began the systematic elimination of the Jewish people.
1967 – First issue of Rolling Stone hits the stands.
2004 – Mozilla Firefox (the first internet browser in competition Internet Explorer) was released.

November 10th
1969 – Sesame Street comes to PBS.

November 11th
1620 – The Mayflower Compact was signed.
1790 – Chrysanthemums introduced into England.
1918 – World War I ends.
1930 – Einstein’s refrigerator was patented.

November 12th
1859 – The first trapeze performance took place.
1912 – Frozen body of Arctic explorer, Robert Scott, was found.

November 13th
1833 – The Leonid meteor shower occurred.
1970 – The deadliest natural disaster of the 20th Century, the Bhola cyclone, hits land.

 
To be honest, all in all, most of these milestones seem to have little to nothing to do with us. Some do, but overall, our lives and histories have been insulated from majority of these events. But here in November we have another milestone, one that represents our community. On the 23rd, we have the the burying of a time capsule, the final Centennial Celebration Event for Evans County. 100 years from now, the future residents of Evans County will be able to catch a glimpse of what life was like in 2014. They’ll see physical artifacts, they’ll read captions and articles, they’ll turn back the clock and rewind to what I’m sure they will consider to be a simpler time. And while that impact is great, it causes me to pause and think. To stop, reflect, and ask myself, “What marks or milestones will I leave behind?”

Long ago, I made a personal commitment: “I want my life to count.” Milestones are great, but monumental milestones are better. We can make a list of happenings on a certain date, but what about the happenings that make a mark on us? The greatest investment a person can make isn’t to inscribe their name on a building or a road sign, it’s to inscribe the character–and the effects of said character–that stands behind that name upon people’s hearts and minds. Far outshining stocks, bonds, and IRA’s, people are the world’s greatest investment, and more often than not, they are the venture that reaps the best return. I hope the people of today’s Evans County are not strangers to the Evans County of 2114. Because if that’s the case, we’ve failed to leave our mark, not only on history, but on the hearts of those with whom we breathe, talk, hear, see, teach, learn, and live. Milestones, monuments and memorials are good, great, and greater, but to leave a positive mark, a lasting impression on a life and community is best. Evans County, let’s make our grandchildren, great-grandchildren, and their peers proud to have known us or to have at least known people who had. May we make our mark and impact on today, tomorrow, and the future.