From the Desk of the President
Saturday, January 28, 2023
Dear fellow members and friends,
It is with somber regret I must advise I heard from Tim Oates at 10:12 AM today that we lost our co-founder Joseph “Uncle Joe” Oates this morning in Tampa after a recurrence of the cancer he had battled off and on in recent years. Joe turned 87 on the 19th, but as many of you know he had not been in great health for much of the past year. Joe was determined to attend Prototype Rails in Cocoa Beach this month, and our annual meeting in Jacksonville, FL next week, knowing they would likely be his last events. I helped him put together two presentations for these gatherings, and escorted Joe to Cocoa Beach. The trip there took its toll and Joe returned home one day into the event and had been in and out of the hospital since then.
Next week I will be presenting Joes last two photo stories: “Along the Wayside” and “The Last Picture Show”. Those were his titles. These will subsequently be posted in the Members Only section. I look forward to celebrating his great life of accomplishment next week with the Society members and friends who plan to attend the annual meeting. Please keep Joe, his wife Chris, and son Tim and other family members in your thoughts and prayers. We will post more information when available.
Sincerely,
W. James “Jim” Langston, III
Joseph Oates, right, and the late Jack “The Doc” McGowan to the left, flanking Danny Harmon at our February 2018 Annual Meeting. We lost “The Doc” last fall; he was a few hours short of his 93rd birthday. I am sure “The Doc” greeted Joe this morning, no doubt with a glass of wine in hand.
Joe in August of 2007 at Folkston. (Danny Harmon photo)