Letter from Southeast Tennessee Executive Director, Julia Wright - June 2017

1917 was a year of amazing events. Albert Einstein applied his theory of relativity to model the structure of the universe as a whole. Harry Houdini performed his first “buried alive” stunt. A young Al Capone was working at Coney Island and got into a knife fight, earning him the immoral gangster name, “Scarface.” Woodrow Wilson took his second term in office while the world was engulfed in the Great War.

1917 also saw The International Committee of the Red Cross in Geneva, Switzerland given a mandate to protect the victims of worldwide conflicts.  Victims included war wounded, prisoners, refugees, civilians, and other non-combatants.

And finally, 1917 was the year the American Red Cross was officially chartered in Tennessee. Proudly, we celebrate the birth of the American Red Cross in Tennessee and our Southeast Tennessee Chapter in its one hundred year history.

On June 21 at 11:30 A.M, we will host our Annual Meeting. This very special commemorative celebration will feature a display of historical items and conversations with board chair from the past who will share their experiences.  The event is open to the public. Please RSVP me at Julia.Wright@redcross.org  if you plan to attend.

I look forward to seeing you there!