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Members of the Southern Tennessee Ladies’ Society enjoyed fascinating guest speakers at their January and February luncheon meetings held at the Franklin County Country Club.

Julie Cobb, General Manager at the Franklin County Country Club, spoke to the group about women in the distilling industry.  Cobb also provided her “Whiskey Bread Pudding” recipe to the cooks at the Franklin County Country Club which was prepared and served to members for dessert.

The February meeting featured award-winning country recording artist and writer Jimmy Wayne who entertained the ladies with his beautiful music as well as inspirational stories of his life as a former foster child who aged out of the foster-care system.

 In an effort to raise awareness about issues in the foster-care system, Wayne once walked halfway across the United States from Nashville to Phoenix, a total of 1,700 miles in seven months, finishing on a broken foot. He explained that he started the walk with absolutely nothing except what was given to him to simulate what it is like to be a child in the foster-care system with nothing to depend on except the kindness of others.

Wayne talked to the STLS members about how he overcame his turbulent childhood and eventually moved to Nashville, landed a record deal and went on to record such hits as “Stay Gone,” “I Love You This Much” and “Do You Believe Me Now,” which topped the country charts.

STLS member Edith Nunley said, “Jimmy Wayne is a gifted artist, both as a writer, singer/songwriter and speaker. The ladies thoroughly enjoyed his music and we were all spellbound by his story. We were so excited to buy one of his books, which he graciously autographed.”

Wayne’s books include “Walk to Beautiful: The Power of Love and a Homeless Kid who Found the Way,” “Ruby the Foster Dog”and “Paper Angels,”which was made into an inspirational holiday story. The story follows a child in the Salvation Army’s Angel Tree program who encounters the disillusioned businessman who picked his name.

“’Paper Angels’ was inspired by lots of pieces of my life,” Wayne said.

Wayne’s books are available on Amazon as well as from other major book sellers.

The STLS’s goal is to promote social fun and fellowship and provide educational scholarships. Meetings are held the first Wednesday of the month at the Franklin County Country Club. Membership is open to all women. Anyone interested in attending should contact Tina Roth at 931-967-4813 a couple of weeks prior to the meeting. 

The March 1 meeting will be held at 10 a.m. with social time at 9:30 a.m. Deputy Kason Bolin and his K-9 partner Ruku will be featured.

Bolin’s talk will focus on law enforcement and the use of a multipurpose canine on everyday patrol. He will be welcoming questions from attendees. All are welcome.