our history

(a spun yarn about the early years)

The following is an abridged segment taken from a speech made by Howard Topp in May 6, 2017 to celebrate Founders Day (see full version in magazine format below). It outlines the founding of Saint Andrew's Society of Williamsburg. Thanks, Howard!

​2017 Founders’ Day Talk​

When I was contacted by Marshall to work up a talk for Founders Day 2017, I was honored and quickly accepted. He asked that I describe the founding of the Saint Andrew's Society in Williamsburg. Well, let me take you back to Williamsburg in the mid-1960s. Oh yeah, Williamsburg was a very different place from today. Those were the days of "Bottle Clubs," State "Blue Laws," mom and pop motels rather than National chains, the By-Pass Road was actually a bypass, and there were only a handful of stop lights. In the succeeding years, Williamsburg has transformed significantly.

There were two unique and exceptional men who were the impetus behind the founding of our organization. These two extraordinary men could only be described as "the odd couple": Bob Duncan and Dave Shepherd.

Bob Duncan was a well-respected community leader and Williamsburg banker … unless I'm mistaken, the Peninsula National Bank on Duke of Gloucester Street was the only bank in town at that time. His family could certainly be described as a "first family," present in Virginia long before the American war for independence and the founding of the nation.

Dave Shepherd was quite different. Dave was a native-born Scot who served in the Royal Navy during World War One, immigrated to the United States and worked with Dow Chemical in Michigan, for many years. When Dow established a plant in Williamsburg, Dave was part of the team that was sent to the peninsula. He subsequently retired and opened a small Scottish shop on Bacon Avenue, just off Richmond Road.

They were indeed an odd couple, but they shared a strong bond: a love of Scottish heritage and culture. Jointly, these two men provided the leadership necessary for the creation of the Saint Andrew's Society of Williamsburg.

Now, if you were of Scottish descent and living in Williamsburg in the mid-1960's, Dave’s "Shepherd's Scottish Shop" was the place to hang-out. The tiny shop on Bacon Avenue was a gathering place where Dave and his many friends would spend hours cheerfully talking about all things Scottish. All the while we chatted, Dave's tiny wife, Betty, wrung her hands and anxiously worried that sales were being lost.

Dave had been a member of a Scottish organization in Michigan and wanted to form a similar society in Williamsburg. He had been in contact with several people who participated in Saint Andrew's and Scotia Society activities in other areas of the country, and his most rewarding contact had been with an officer of the Saint Andrew's Society in Washington, D.C.

Meanwhile, Bob contacted a man in the Savannah, Georgia, Saint Andrew's Society and persuaded him to share his administrative experience about such organizations. The most significant aspect of this contact was that it provided us with two valuable documents: the Savannah society's membership procedures, as well as a copy of the group's constitution and by-laws. These documents formed the basis upon which the early committees established the foundation for the Saint Andrew's Society of Williamsburg.

In 1967, Bob Duncan wrote the president of the Saint Andrew's Society of Washington, D.C. and asked for assistance in forming a Williamsburg organization. Their board of directors eagerly agreed, thus establishing a "mentoring" relationship that would continue for several years. Ten local men created the first working committee, a group that quickly expanded to sixteen. The first plans for establishing the society were formed during the summer and fall of 1967.

In March of 1968, a team from the Washington, D.C. society came to help us work out the details. With this invaluable assistance, a basic organizational structure was developed, important guidance documents prepared, and a number of functional committees formed. Our dream of a St. Andrew’s Society in Williamsburg had begun to take on form and substance.

The grand day had finally come. On the 8th of May, 1968, the founding members gathered in the boardroom of the Peninsula National Bank in Merchant Square on Duke of Gloucester Street (now DoG Street Pub.) The purpose was to formally establish the Saint Andrew's Society of Virginia in Williamsburg. In quick order the required legalities were accomplished. It was amazing! We finally had our own Scottish society! The date May 8th was designated as "Founders Day" and became the society's official birthday.

The founders represented a broad spectrum of the local Scottish community. There were retired people, senior officers of CW, professional people, both active and retired military, merchants, and college faculty members. There were even three William and Mary undergraduates.

We originally planned four social events for the society, which almost immediately expanded to five: Two "formal" events consisting of a Burns Nicht celebration - obligatory in any Scottish society of course – and a Tartan Ball as the second formal event on the Society’s busy social calendar! The need for informal events resulted in two Ceildhs, one in the spring and another in the fall, as well as a Kirkin’ – which was eventually scheduled on or about St. Andrew’s Day on the 30th of November.

There were other planned initiatives in the early days. One of these was to establish "The Saint Andrew's Society of Williamsburg Pipes and Drums" which was accomplished a few years later by the Rev. Doctor James Forrester from Newport News and the Canadian Liaison Officer at Ft. Monroe, Lt. Col. Alex Matheson. The band's name has changed over the years, but the Williamsburg Pipes and Drums is the lineal descendant of that original band. The society also established a "St. Andrew’s Society Color Guard" to participate in both society and civic events. Nattily attired in British Battle Dress jackets for cold weather events and Army Khaki shirts during warm weather activities, the color guard was active for a number of years.
 

Read the full unabridged speech here: