Local News
Georgia Women of Achievement focus of historical society meeting
Business leader Jack Bandy will be the guest speaker at the Tuesday, Nov. 17, meeting of the Whitfield-Murray Historical Society. The meeting will begin at 7 p.m. in the James E. Brown Center of Dalton State College.
Bandy grew up hearing about the bedspread industry from his parents, Dicksie Bradley Bandy and Burl J. Bandy. He recently founded the Heritage Center at Dalton State College to preserve northwest Georgia’s industrial, Civil War and American Indian histories. An exhibit from the Georgia Women of Achievement will be on display both at the Nov. 17 meeting and at the Crown Garden Archives this fall.
Georgia Women of Achievement is a nonprofit organization founded in 1990 by first lady Rosalynn Carter; the first induction ceremony was in 1992. Nominations come from individuals and organizations. The nominee must have been deceased for at least 10 years; be a native or clearly identified with Georgia; have made exceptional contributions in her field of endeavor; and inspire others to make use of their talents. Dalton is fortunate to have two area ladies so honored.
Dicksie Bradley Bandy (born in Bartow County in 1890) and her husband, Burl J. Bandy, began buying chenille bedspreads during the Great Depression from local hand tufters and marketed them in Northern cities. As primarily a female industry at first, women were given much needed jobs during the Depression. The tufted fabric industry became the economic salvation of Dalton and northwest Georgia. The business later became a vital part of the international textile and carpet industry. As their business prospered, the Bandys bought and developed industrial sites in Dalton, Rome, Cartersville and Ellijay.
As she achieved success in the business world, Dicksie turned her efforts to the public good. She was the first moving spirit in the Dalton Regional Library and chief fundraiser for the Dalton Salvation Army. She and her children donated the intensive care unit of the Dalton hospital. Mindful of the Cherokee Nation’s suppression by the state and federal governments, Dicksie led the successful effort to restore the Chief Vann House in Spring Place. Dicksie was inducted into the Georgia Women of Achievement in 1993, not only for these achievements but also for her energy and skill in initiating the industrial recovery of northwest Georgia and encouraging women to enter the business world.
In March of 2001, Catherine Evans Whitener, born in a Whitfield County farmhouse in 1880, was also inducted into Georgia Women of Achievement. She began a cottage industry hand tufting chenille bedspreads. Women making bedspreads offered not only a source of income but also a source of hope for the people of northwest Georgia. Whitener brought the state and this area untold wealth and opened doors for countless women who entered the business world to find their own success in manufacturing, sales and support industries.
The trustees of Georgia Women of Achievement believe that the history of Georgia and the part played by women is of prime concern today and for the future. The community is invited to learn more about these two remarkable women at the Nov. 17 meeting.
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