FASTEST -- Female Runner in Savannah, GA
N 32° 02.627 W 081° 02.811
17S E 495576 N 3545289
The inscription on her grave marker denotes Julia Denise Backus Smith as "Savannah's Fastest Female Runner."
Waymark Code: WMGQB8
Location: Georgia, United States
Date Posted: 03/31/2013
Views: 2
Inscription on front of headstone:
Julia Denise Backus Smith
August 12, 1946
December 22, 2003
Humble, Brave, Beautiful, Determined.
Deep in her Faith.
Julie served her fellow man
regardless of race, walk or worth.
Julie was her family's "rock"
She's sorely missed, dearly cherished.
Inscription on back of headstone:
Savannah's Fastest Female Runner
Marathoner
Twenty One Races,
Two Mountain Ones
Last Marathon at Age Fifty Five
Always Setting Her Goals High
Julie Excelled in Each Endeavor.
Educator, County Commissioner,
Telfair Museum Trustee,
Historic Savannah Guide, Advocate,
Trail Blazer, AAU Swimmer,
Sail Enthusiast, Beauty Queen.
"Julie Backus Smith, age 57, died Monday, December 22, 2003. The native of Atlanta was a lifelong resident of Savannah. She graduated from Savannah Country Day School, attended Mary Baldwin College in Staunton, VA and graduated from the University of Georgia with a degree in Special Education. While at Georgia she was a member of Kappa Alpha Theta and the Pandora Court. She was a longtime employee of Backus Cadillac/Pontiac, Inc. and was a member of Renaissance Savannah and St. John's Episcopal Church. She was a member of the Board of Directors of the Telfair Museum of Art, the Mathew Reardon Center and the Backus Children's Hospital. She was a former chairman of the board of Tidelands, Inc. and a former member of the Junior League of Savannah She was an advocate for the Chatham/Savannah Citizen's Advocacy and represented District 1 on the Chatham County Commission from 1988 until 1992. She was a founding member of the Savannah Striders and promoted running in the Savannah area. She ran in the Boston, New York and Grandfather Mountain Marathons on numerous occasions and at the age of 55 she also participated in the Disney World Marathon. At one time in her career she earned the title of fastest female runner in the Savannah area."
-- Source