We had originally planned four social events for the society, but immediately expanded to five: There were two "formal" events: A Burns Nicht celebration, obligatory in any Scottish society, of course;  a Tartan Ball … Yup, you heard that right … A Tartan Ball!   It was the second formal event on our busy society social calendar!  We usually had a musical combo for ballroom dancing as well an opportunity for members to participate in Scottish Country dancing.  There were active Scottish Country Dance groups in both Williamsburg and Gloucester at that time. The need for informal events resulted in two Ceildhs, one in the spring and another in the fall.  We also designated a Kirkin.’ eventually directing that it be held on or about St. Andrew’s Day … the 30th of November.  What about Founders Day?  Well, Bob Duncan envisioned that as an informal event, a cocktail party for the remaining founders hosted by the sitting board of directors. 

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.    On a personal note, Carolyn and I were blessed to have Jim and Alex as the pipers for our wedding at Fort Eustis' Chapel of the Transportation Corps.  Incidentally, making another connection to the founders, Jack McPherson was the best man at our wedding after his return from Viet Nam.  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.  I still have my Battle Dress jacket ...... Er, but seems to have shrunk somewhat in the closet. .

Stories of the early days? My favorite story concerning our two founders, Bob Duncan and Dave Shepherd is this one: Bob didn't like to drive his Cadillac out of town and would occasionally ask that I drive him to distant Scottish functions. On one such occasion Bob, Dave and I drove in Bob's Cadillac to Newport News for a kirkin' at Jim Forrester’s  Presbyterian Church. However, while returning to Williamsburg, we had a flat tire. The three of us got out of the car in full Scots regalia to assess the extent of damage.  I had knelt down by the tire with Bob and Dave peering over me. At that moment a rickety Chevy pick-up screeched to a stop and a young man hopped out, reaching into the truck bed he pulled out a floor jack, and began walking toward Bob’s caddie. Then, he suddenly stopped with a stunned expression on his face. He began to laugh. Seeing the surprised look on our faces he said, "Excuse me for laughing, gentlemen, but when I stopped I thought I was helping three little old ladies."