| Helton Carmichael, Past President of Clan
Carmichael USA, passed away Saturday, September 15, 2001, while on
vacation with this wife in Aruba. Helton traced his Scottish ancestry
back to Dougal Carmichael who was born in Scotland in 1750 and came to
America from Fort William, then fought for the British during the
Revolutionary War.
Helton and wife, Tommie Anne, were
married in 1954. They have two children, Alana and Scott, and all reside
in Marietta, Georgia, USA.
Helton had a degree in Forest Management
from Mississippi State University. In 1984 he retired from the U.S.
Forest Service after 25 years and began a new career working with
training programs for underprivileged youth. In recent years he had led
teams of workers in building homes for Habitat for Humanity and just
this summer led a team, including several Carmichaels, to New Zealand to
build homes there. He was in the process of organizing a team of
volunteers to go to Scotland next year to help our Chief, Richard
Carmichael of Carmichael, with some work on the Carmichael estate in
Lanarkshire.
Helton has been a member of Clan
Carmichael since October 1982 and has attended all international
gatherings since 1986, and in 1997, he was part of a group who went to
Scotland for Roots ’97. In 1984, he and his first cousin Rodney
Waltman, together with their wives, manned the first Carmichael Clan
tent at the Stone Mountain Highland Games. They signed up one new
member. The Clan has had a tent at the Stone Mountain Games every year
since then. He has been a Commissioner, first vice president, and
president of Clan Carmichael USA. He originated the name and was the
first editor of the Eagle Gate newsletter. As immediate Past President,
he was currently chairman of the Nominating Committee for Clan USA.
In his own words, "If ever a man was
proud of his name and heritage, it is I."
Memorial donations may be made to the
Clan Carmichael USA Scholarship Fund or to the Carmichael Mansion Roof
Fund. |
