Descendants of EZEKIEL DUNAGAN FAMILY REUNION 2022 MINUTES

Summary of the October 2, 2022,

Dunagan Family Reunion

at the Gainesville Marina,

Including (unapproved) Business Meeting Minutes

We had 15 people at the reunion on October 2, 2022. We had a new

couple from South Carolina. The husband’s name is George Dunagan.

Wife is Mary. Kenny Dunagan, his two sons, and grandson attended last

year’s reunion for the first time. Kenny and his son Cody attended this

year, too. Jean Dunagan traveled the farthest from Greensboro, NC, (by

train) to attend this reunion.

The weather was a little windy and mildly cold, but it was a beautiful day at

the Gainesville Marina pavilion. After honoring the lives and passing of

Sandra Dunagan Deal and Roger Dunagan with a moment of silence, we

shared some vittles. The blessing was given by Michael Dunagan.

After the meal, we had a business meeting. The Secretary/Treasurer

Report was given by Michael Dunagan. There were no formal minutes to

be approved. The verbal report consisted of the current fund balance and

the following two motions made and approved at the 2021 reunion:

1) To postpone the placing of signage to the Ezekiel and Lydia Dunagan

gravesite and

2) To create a family tree centerpiece to feature at each reunion. Kenny

and his son, Cody, had volunteered to create the centerpiece.

Both motions were extended.

After the old business discussion was completed, Brad Dunagan led the

new business discussions. The following motions were presented,

discussed, and approved:

1) The attendees voted to continue the reunion as it is now, 1 year at a

time. [The original motion was to close down the reunion, but it was voted

down. Those present seemed to want to continue the reunion in spite of the

sparse attendance]

2) The attendees voted to approve Joan Wilson to supervise a project to

buy and sell Sandra Deal Camellias. [The selling price to relatives and

other interested individuals should cover the carrying cost and all related

expenses. This is not a fundraiser, but any surplus funds from this project

will be given to the Sandra Dunagan Deal Foundation. We will attempt to

procure wholesale costs.]

3) The attendees voted to give $500 from the reunion fund to the Sandra

Dunagan Deal Foundation.

A question was raised in passing about having entertainment at the reunion

meetings, which was formerly arranged by Brad Dunagan. An informal

recommendation was made, and the majority of the attendees seemed to

agree, that they wanted to have music at the next reunion [in particular, a

family jam].

The meeting was adjourned. We did not take a collection.

Respectfully submitted,

Michael Dunagan, Secretary/Treasurer

—————————————————————————————————

Not a part of the Minutes

Empirical Analysis

By Michael Dunagan,

October 2, 2022

1) An interesting observation was that only 4 out of 15 (27%) attendees

were local, that is from Hall County.

Georgia

Gainesville - 4

Toccoa - 1

Cornelia - 1

Rome - 2

Madison - 2

Bethlehem - 2

South Carolina - 2

North Carolina - 1

2) Jean Dunagan traveled the longest distance. She said it was her first

time by train from Greensboro, NC.

 

HALL COUNTY SCHOOL TO BE NAMED AFTER SANDRA DUNAGAN DEAL

 

Emilie Sandra Dunagan Deal

 Obituary

Former First Lady Emilie Sandra Dunagan Deal, age 80, of Demorest, passed away Tuesday, August 23, 2022.

Born on February 1, 1942, in Gainesville, Georgia, she was the eldest daughter of the late George Jeter and Ida Lou Waldrep Dunagan.

Mrs. Deal’s bright light shone throughout the state. As Georgia’s First Lady, Mrs. Deal promoted community service, volunteerism, and literacy initiatives alongside her husband of 56 years, Former Governor Nathan Deal. Mrs. Deal launched a statewide campaign called “With a Servant’s Heart” in 2011. In 2015, she co-authored a book, Memories of the Mansion. Mrs. Deal’s crowning achievement as First Lady was reading to more than 250,000 students across every Georgia county in over 1,000 classrooms.

Mrs. Deal was proud of her humble upbringing in the mill town of New Holland where she and her family attended New Holland Baptist Church. As a graduate of East Hall High School, she remained a vocal advocate of public education and community involvement. Prior to Mrs. Deal’s marriage to John Nathan Deal on June 12, 1966, she graduated from Georgia Women’s College (Georgia College and State University), where she later returned to earn her master’s degree in Education. As the daughter of two educators, Mrs. Deal made it her lifelong mission to teach and inspire all who would listen, particularly young children. 

Mrs. Deal remained dedicated to her community.  She was a long-time member of First Baptist Church of Gainesville, serving as a Sunday School teacher and a Prayer Group leader. She was dedicated to helping those in need and graciously gave her time and resources to local charitable organizations, such as Randy & Friends, Good News Clinic, and local food banks. Mrs. Deal served on several boards throughout her life, most recently Piedmont University and her alma mater, Georgia College and State University.

Survivors include her devoted husband, Governor Nathan Deal, son and daughter-in-law, Jason and Denise Deal of Gainesville; daughter, Mary Emily Deal of Atlanta; daughter and son-in-law, Carrie Deal and Clint Wilder of Rome; daughter and son-in-law, Katie Deal and Sam Comeau of Demorest; grandchildren: Fallin Deal, Rosemily O’Bradovich, Noah Deal, Dawson Deal, Cordelia O’Bradovich, Ethan Wilder; sister and brother-in-law, Brenda Dunagan and Frank Sims of Clermont; brother, Michael Dunagan of Cornelia; brother and sister-in-law, William Bradley and Mary Grant Dunagan of Rome; along with many nieces, nephews, and cousins.

Reverend Bruce Morgan, who officiated the wedding of Governor and Mrs. Deal, will officiate the private service and interment. A public Celebration of Life is scheduled for 2:00 pm on Saturday, August 27, 2022, at Lanier Technical College, Ramsey Conference Center in Gainesville with Reverend Bill Coates officiating.

In lieu of flowers, the family encourages honoring First Lady Deal by supporting The Deal Foundation. The Foundation will continue her commitment to spreading the importance of lifelong learning and community leadership through scholarships, book distribution, and literacy programs. Donations can be made to The Deal Foundation, PO Box 2, Demorest, Georgia 30535. www.thedealfoundation.org.

The Celebration of Life service will be live-streamed, and details can be found at Memorial Park Funeral Home of Gainesville, Georgia.

JOHN D. DUNAGAN OF ROCKY FACE GEORGIA

 

When John D Dunagan was born on 16 August 1799, in Jackson(Hall), Georgia, United States, his father, Ezekiel Dunagan, was 28 and his mother, Lydia Ann Brown, was 23. He was the 4th child born to this family. He married Martha Harlan on 17 March 1828, in Jackson, Georgia, United States. They were the parents of at least 7 sons and 6 daughters. He died on 10 August 1857, in Whitfield, Georgia, United States, at the age of 57, and was buried in Dunagan Cemetery, Rocky Face, Whitfield, Georgia, United States.

GEORGE DUNAGAN EARLY YEARS

 We recently visited the small town of Summerville GA where my father was the Assistant Principal circa 1943-46. My sister, Brenda was born there and I believe this was dad's first job as a school administrator. The old school was still standing but abandoned for many years.

Brenda was with me and remembered the house they lived in at the time and is now being restored

CONFUCIUS SAY EAT WELL, EXERCISE, DIE ANYWAY.

William Bradley Dunagan

After 6 years and five different Neurologists I finally received a diagnosis. They determined I do have a brain. However, that's not the problem. I was recently diagnosed with Sporadic Inclusion Body Myositis.

This is a recent photo on my 69th birthday. The first thing you may notice is the muscle tissue in my forearms are gone, just hanging skin. I have very little strength remaining in my hands, wrists and feet which for a long time I thought was arthritis developing in my extremities. Turns out, not to be the case. My quadriceps muscles, the large muscles on the front part of the thighs, have weakened to the point it's becoming a real challenge to stand up from a sitting or lying position. When I first begin to notice these developing symptoms, almost six years ago, I was scared to death that it might be ALS. However, the diagnosis of Sporadic Inclusion Body Myositis now has been confirmed by three Neurologist from Emory and The VA. They still want to do a nerve and muscle biopsy to be sure.

There is good news though! Life is Good! I've been told that this rare muscular degenerative disease should not shorten my life expectancy. However, the probability of me ending up in a wheel chair in a few years is very likely. The best news of all is it is not believed to be genetic or hereditary and this is the reason I wanted to post this information on the family blog primarily for the benefit of my children and my10 grandchildren. As I understand it, there is an autoimmune factor involved and it happens to mostly men past the age of 50. They don't know the cause or cure.


What is inclusion body myositis (IBM)?


Inclusion body myositis (IBM) is an inflammatory and degenerative muscle disease that causes painless weakening of muscle.

IBM gets worse slowly and is sometimes misdiagnosed as treatment-resistant polymyositis, another inflammatory muscle disease that causes muscle weakness. IBM also may be misdiagnosed as amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS or Lou Gehrig's disease).

Symptoms of the disease usually begin after the age of 50, although the disease can occur earlier. IBM occurs more frequently in men than in women and is the most common muscle disease in people aged 50 and older.
What are the symptoms of inclusion body myositis (IBM)?

In IBM, the onset of muscle weakness usually is gradual, occurring over months or years. 

Falling and tripping usually are the first noticeable symptoms. 

For some people, IBM begins with weakness in the hands. 

People with IBM may have: Difficulty with gripping, pinching, and buttoning.
Weakness of the wrist and finger muscles.
Atrophy (shrinking or wasting) of the muscles of the forearms.
Weakness and visible wasting of the quadriceps muscles (the large muscles on the front part of the thighs.)
Weakness of the lower leg muscles, below the knees.
Weakness of the esophageal muscles, which can cause dysphagia (difficulty swallowing) in about 30 to 40 percent of patients.
Weakness of other muscle groups as the disease progresses.

From a medical historical perspective for the Dunagan Family on my side:

My father, George Dunagan, died a few weeks shy of his 93rd birthday from kidney failure and just old age. His brother, William Melvin Dunagan, suffered from diabetes before his death.

My Grandfather, William Andrew Dunagan, suffered from diabetes and heart disease. He died at age 59 from complications of Diabetes.

My great Grandfather, Jeter Andrew Dunagan, died in 1923, at the age of 60. Dad told me he was a builder and a craftsman carpenter. He fell from a scaffold working on a house and he never fully recovered from his injuries. I'm not aware of any health issues he may of had.

My 2nd Great Grandfather, John Franklin Dunagan, died at the ripe old age of 58. The only photo we have of him, he is sitting in a wheel chair and looks like he is at least 90 years old. He fought with the 43rd Infantry Regiment of Georgia in the Civil War and participated in over 100 battle campaigns which had to have taken a lot of years off his life.

My 3rd Great Grandfather, Joseph Ellis Dunagan, died at the age of 68. As far as we know he had no serious health issues but died from what they called "the fever" on his return trip back to Georgia from his second gold prospecting adventure out west.

Darline Dunagan Scroggs thinks that her great grandfather, Joseph Alexander Dunagan, one of 4 sons of John Franklin, may have had Parkinson's.

Ezekiel Dunagan, the patriarch of us Georgia Dunagans, and beyond, was my 4th great grandfather, died at the age of 66 in 1837, after fathering 19 children before viagra was invented, I might add. I stand in awe of this man! Veteran of the War of 1812, as was his first born son, Joseph Ellis Dunagan. To my knowledge he had no specific health issues that contributed to his death other than he was one horny dude. 😂

My Grandmother Dunagan - Cochran Family Relations

Martha Meldonna "Mellie" Cochran Dunagan

William "Willie" Andrew Dunagan

My grandmother Dunagan was Martha Meldonna "Mellie" Cochran (1883-1960) of Gainesville, Hall County Georgia, buried at Corinth Baptist Church, and married to my grandfather William Andrew Dunagan (1880-1939) on March 17, 1912.

Mellie, as she was called, was the daughter of George Washington Cochran (1858-1929) of Gainesville, Hall County Georgia. Her grandfather was John Cochran (1834-1906) aka Benjamin or Bennie.

William Andrew Dunagan aka Willie and Mellie Cochran Dunagan had four children:

George Jeter Dunagan, my father. (1913-2006)
William Melvin Dunagan (1915-1996)
Lucille Dunagan (1918-2003)
John Dempsey Dunagan (1925-2012)

I don't have a lot of information on my Cochran Family side. If anyone is able to provide additional data on this lineage please leave comments or email me at wdunagan@gmail.com

 

George Washington Cochran and Mary Adeline "Mollie" Couch

Sources: George Dunagan, Katherine Cochran Slaton, granddaughter of J. B. Cochran/daughter of Margaret Cochran Clark and C. Randall Clark