Beth Gay, DCTJ, FSA Scot

Beth Gay, DGOTJ, LOK, FSA Scot

PO Box 2693
Moultrie, GA 31776-2693

She attended Bartram School for Girls and Robert E. Lee High School in Jacksonville, Florida and the Florida State University School of Music in Tallahassee, Florida. She has attended various community college classes and graduated in 1998 from Moultrie Technical College with a certificate in Microcomputer/Desktop Publishing.

She has worked in advertising all of her adult life and was the first woman ever hired in the advertising department of the Sears, Roebuck chain of stores. She was the first woman ever in Southern Bell Telephone Advertising Sales to sell a display ad.

She was a graphic designer, writer, editor and promotions director for radio stations and was one of the first women ever to be awarded a Certified Radio Marketing Specialist certificate, and for many years was the only person to receive an A+ on the CRMC examination. She spent about 20 years in radio during which time she was a featured speaker at the National Association of Broadcasters Convention in Las Vegas, Nevada and was the recipient of Florida Immie’s (The highest honor) for copywriting/advertising campaigns for WMOP and WFUZ Radio, Ocala, Florida.

Since 1989 she has served as the Promotions Director for the Moultrie-Colquitt County Library and The Odom Library. She is Scottish Liaison and Editor-in-Chief of The Family Tree, the largest genealogical publication in the world and the largest Scottish publication in the world outside Scotland. Now an Internet only publication, The Family Tree receives some 20,000 visitors each day. She now works half time at the library.

She is a free-lance writer with her articles and stories appearing in Horse, of Course!, The Country Journal, Woman’s Day, Genealogical Helper, Reunions magazine, etc.

She was a regular columnist for The Moultrie Observer and The Mailbox Post for almost 15 years. She was a columnist for 10 years for The Florida Times-Union (Jacksonville, Florida).

She is listed in Who’s Who in the Southeast and Who’s Who in the United States.

She was the 1994 Moultrie/Colquitt County Chamber of Commerce Woman of the Year and also an Olympic Torchbearer in the Community Heroes Division for the 1996 Olympic Games.

She is an Honorary Kentucky Colonel.

Beth is a Grand Officer in the Sovereign Military Order of the Knights Templar of Jerusalem and is one of the few women so honored on their own merit.

She is a 10-year Fellow of the Society of Antiquaries of Scotland.

Beth Gay was honored by Clan Donald USA with a $2000 Cultural Grant for travel in Scotland and with the Distinguished Service Award.

She has been awarded Distinguished Service Awards from both The Clan Henderson Society in the United States & Canada and The Council of Scottish Clans and Associations, where she serves as editor of The Claymore. Clan Chattan also recognized Beth for her service to their group.

She was honored with the Flora MacDonald Award from St. Andrews College in Laurinburg, North Carolina.

She has presented programs all over the United States and in Scotland.

She was Honoured Guest at the San Diego, California Highland Games, the New Mexico Highland Games at Albuquerque, New Mexico and the Atlanta Celtic Festival in Atlanta. She was a Special Guest in the Living History Section of the Pleasanton Scottish Highland Games, Pleasanton, California.

In 2001 she was Honoured Guest at the Ocala, Florida Highland Games and Celtic Fest. She was Special Guest at the 2005 Northeast Florida Highland Games and Festival and is scheduled to be Honoured Guest at the 2005 Culloden Highland Games near Macon, GA. She will be Special Guest at the San Diego, California Highland Games June of 2005.

Beth Gay has been awarded Honorary Memberships in Clan MacNichol, Clan Shaw, Clan Chattan, Clan Skene, Clan Gordon and Clan Forrester. There is no other person who has been honored in this way.

Beth has recently been made an Honourary Member of The Michigan Clan Donald Society...and was presented with an Honourary Membership in the new (and fun) Clan MacBubba!

Beth was made an Honorary Member of the Coweta Tribal Town of the Creek Indian Nation in Creek Nation, Indian Territory (Now Oklahoma) by Chinnubbie Hacoce McIntosh.

Beth has been made an Honorary Member of The Clan Macfie Societies which include The Macfie Clan Society of America, The Cathey Reunion Association and The MacDuffee/Macfie Clan Society of America, Inc. by A.C. (Sandy) McPhie, Commander of Clan Macfie.

Beth has been made an Honorary Member of the Clan Turnbull International

She is a member of Clan Donald USA (national newsletter editor emeritus), Clan Henderson, Clan Home and Clan Buchanan, currently serving as national newsletter editor. She previously served as both 1^st and 2^nd vice president.

Beth is a member of the United Daughters of the Confederacy, The National Society of the Daughters of the American Revolution, The American College of Heraldry and The Jamestowne Society.

References are available on request.

My MacDonald Family

Beth's Grandma

Annie Roberta McDonald Bishop (born 11 July 1888, Madison, Florida - died 30 October 1960, Jacksonville, Floirida) with her two daughters, Elizabeth Clyatt Bishop (born 10 October 1910, Madison, Florida - died 19 November 1990, Jacksonville, Florida) and Lois Mildred Bishop (born 13 February 1908 Madison, Florida - and still wonderful at almost 95!).
Elizabeth Clyatt Bishop is Beth's mother...Beth is a "Junior" being named Elizabeth Bishop Palmer.

MacDonald siblings

Annie Roberta McDonald Bishop (my grandmother), Oscar McDonald, Estelle McDonald Stuart and Jessie Mae McDonald Copeland. This was the family of John Daniel McDonald and Zillianne Zaradora Phillips McDonald.

Note the watermelon slice on the ground. My mother, Elizabeth Clyatt Bishop Palmer Brown, put her slice of watermelon on the ground long enough to take the picture!

MacDonald Siblings

This is a photograph of the McDonald children: Oscar McDonald, Annie Roberta McDonald, Jessie Mae McDonald and Estelle McDonald...the girl on the bottom right is Ora Lee Bishop, daughter of Walter Bishop's sister (This is all of the information I have on her identity.).

It's sort of interesting - and I just noticed - that the McDonald bunch lined up exactly the same way eating watermelon years and years and years later.

A few years later, Lois Mildred Bishop, Annie Roberta McDonald Bishop and Elizabeth Clyatt Bishop (my mother). Annie Roberta McDonald Bishop was a very talented seamstress and made all of the clothes for herself and both girls in both of the pictures shown here.

When she was left a widow, shortly after this picture was made, she supported her little family by sewing "on black cloth" which was eye-killing work.

My mother, Elizabeth, grew up to do the most exquisite needlework. She crocheted, tatted, embroidered. My baby dresses would have been "fit for a princess." They are made of Irish handkerchief linen and are all embellished with the tiniest hand-made lace and embroidery.

My beloved Aunt Mildred grew up to be a Lifetime Flower Show Judge and was responsible for flower arrangement being brought into an art form. She lectured at universities all across the US and taught design and flowers-as-an-art-form for many years. She has just this year retired from teaching an advanced, college level, bible class. She is almost 95.

Beth Gay - April 2003