CVGS Program Meeting on 29 October - "Witness to Gettysburg"

 WEDNESDAY, October 29th PROGRAM MEETING

from 12 noon to 2 p.m.

At Bonita-Sunnyside Library Community Room (4375 Bonita Road)

Annette  Hubbell – “Witness to Gettysburg”

     The pursuit of family history includes the desire to carve out a place for one's family in the larger historical picture, a sense of responsibility to preserve the past for future generations, and a sense of self-satisfaction in accurate storytelling. 

     It is that last point, storytelling, which brings Miss Hattie to our October meeting. Behind the discovery of dates and family lineage are the stories of family. Miss Hattie Elizabeth Turner was a witness to the Battle of Gettysburg. Inspired by the diary of Hattie Elizabeth Unangst, Miss Hubbell spent nearly two years researching and writing this performance after spending time in Gettysburg in 2007. Miss Hubbell also draws upon the words and experiences from other witnesses to the war’s fearful struggle, weaving a compelling story of American grit and determination that cannot help but leave one with a renewed appreciation for the sacrifice our forefathers made to preserve the ideals of this Country. The women, the soldiers, the boys who found themselves in uniforms, and how the sheer number of the war’s dead forever changed our burial customs and traditions is told.

     Writer and actress Annette Hubbell takes us back to Gettysburg and its frightful aftermath. Thousands of soldiers converged, fought, and just as suddenly left, leaving 30,000 casualties. Just what does a town of 2,400 do when suddenly faced with this calamity? “Witness to Gettysburg” opens on the eve of the battle and ends with President Lincoln’s Gettysburg Address. “I love to tell her story,” Annette says. “It is one of courage and conviction and character.”

     Annette reinvented herself, acting and writing after retiring as General Manager from a San Diego North County water district. Currently she is performing in Witness to Gettysburg (over 120 performances) and as Eleanor Roosevelt in Tea with Mrs. Roosevelt. Witness to Gettysburg is also available on DVD. Adapted from the stage play, the film adds music and original photographs to this dramatic story.  The DVD will be available at the meeting for a special performance price of $10.00.