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I wanted to share this family photo of 52 Weeks of Photos Reunion with the community. Location: Greeneville, Greene, Tennessee, United States. My father was orphaned at 7 yrs of age and came to Holston Homes for Children in Greeneville, TN to live for 10 yrs. He loved his new home. But, the first two nights and days were the hardest: he cried nonstop at being separated from his mother. His father had died in 1945, and his mother could not raise 10 children alone. The oldest siblings went to work or joined the Military. My dad and three (3) siblings lived at the orphanage. While at the orphanage, my dad enjoyed all the benefits of being in a 'real' family, joining the Boy Scouts and going camping, great holidays complete with Santa Claus, egg hunts, going to church, and playing at the barn riding horses, or playing horse shoes. At night, the whole group met at the fire pit and shared stories. After he grew up and had his own family, Holston Homes was having reunions every summer. Dad never missed a reunion. I have pictures of him being there as a newbie until his last days: he had cancer and went to the reunions anyway. That's how much my dad loved his new home. There is a tall tale circling the campus and that is that my dad buried a jar of marbles on the campus somewhere. Over the years as the campus expanded, he forgot where he buried the marbles. The staff has promised me that if they ever find the marbles, I am the beneficiary. Orphans call themselves cousins.
