Flannery O'Connor

Flannery O'Connor

American author Flannery O'Connor was born in Savannah, Georgia, on March 25, 1925. She later moved to Milledgeville, Georgia where she graduated from Georgia State College for Women in 1945. She earned an MFA in 1947 from the State University of Iowa.

After living in New York and Connecticut, O'Connor returned to Milledgeville to live at her family's farm, Andalusia, from 1951 until her death from lupus in 1964. O'Connor often commented about Andalusia in her letters and described with great humor and affection the operation of this dairy farm managed by her mother, Regina Cline O'Connor. At Andalusia, O'Connor also found the source of many of the settings, situations, and fictional characters of her stories. While living at Andalusia, she completed two novels and two collections of short stories. Andalusia is open for public tours (478-454-4029 or http://www.andalusiafarm.org/).

Carl Vinson

Carl Vinson's service in the House of Representatives exceeds that of anyone elected to the Congress of the United States since it first convened in 1798. During his unparalleled tenure of fifty plus years, he also completed a record breaking twenty-nine years as Chairman of the House Naval Affairs and Armed Services Committee. In that position, Congressman Vinson forged and moved through Congress the landmark Vinson-Trammel Act which provided authority for the eventual construction of ninety-two major warships, the birth of the two ocean Navy.From Capitol Hill, he also guided the establishment of a separate air academy and the launching of the Navy's first nuclear powered submarine.

Carl Vinson

Carl Vinson's service in the House of Representatives exceeds that of anyone elected to the Congress of the United States since it first convened in 1798.

Stating that, “The most expensive thing in the world is a cheap Army and Navy,” Congressman Vinson became a powerful force in the growth of America's land, sea and air forces. His skilled legislative abilities assisted in the creation of the Army Air Corps, the improvement of aviator and aircraft procurement, and the pre-World War II expansion of the Navy's air arm.

Few men in American history have made so profound an impact on the nation'sdefenses. The crew of this aircraft carrier is proud to serve on the ship that bears his name and proud to honor his outstanding service to the United States of America.