MYRNA COPELAND

MYRNA COPELAND: 

MYRNA COPELAND The name Myrna is of Irish and Gaelic origin and means “Beloved.”

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Easter 1966 “What a beautiful woman with angelic eyes.” Teresa Doyle

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Myrna was so happy with the first snow after moving to Huntsville from NewYork in 1958 .

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Myrna letting Jim row the boat; 1964

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Myrna was the leader of the National Democratic Party of Alabama in 1968. She was one of the few white women who marched from Selma to Montgomery with Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., and attended strategy sessions with him in his home in Atlanta. Myrna took Pearly Gates from a small cooperative to a successful natural food restaurant and store, using her immeasurable passions, skills, inclusiveness, humor, and wisdom. One of the first female Methodist ministers in the South.

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Myrna and Don; Civil Rights march. “Perfect Myrna picture.” Jim Baines “The ubiquitous cigarette.” LeOtis Duvalier “Powerful.” Steve Jones “Of all of the pictures, I think that this i s my favorite.” Jane DeNeefe “This is the face that would send bread pans back to the dishwashing s tation…” Jane DeNeefe “I know “the look.” the Myrna we all know and love.” Angelah Ross Hart

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Myrna, Don, and Joan at the Selma-to-Montgomery march. “Myrna’s feet had blisters that were too bad for her to stand on. I don’t know how she walked. She was a woman of strength and d etermination.” Bettye Dixie

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Mule Train in 1968 in Mississippi with Nick Gable

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“She was a great lady and a wonderful friend to me at a fairly difficult time in my life. I will always appreciate her .” Linda Wood Prince “Myrna taught me that using a credit card costs the merchant on each and every purchase. She would walk right up to the cash register and tell each and every friend and customer. I remember this always, and try to pay with cash or check, and not to use a credit card, for small, local business purchases .” Katheleen “Kat” O’Donohue “She had compassion for everyone. She never lost the spirit o f fighting for the underdog. The goodness just oozed out of her.” Verna Rizvi , Madison County Democratic Executive Committee

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Myrna and Joan Cashin “This is Mama and Myrna on a boat in the Bahamas. Five couples f rom the Drek Set went down there for vacation. They were a ctivists and friends; lives completely intertwined.” Sheryll Cashin

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Myrna and her brother, Monte, presiding over Deanna’s 4 th birthday

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“Possibly the coup de grace of family pix and almost too revealing to be released to the p ublic. Exposes the deeply rooted hippies that we were and are and will always be.” Jim Copeland

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Deanna and Myrna

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“Myrna had a way of meeting you wherever you were and helping you get where you needed to go.” Rob Glover “One of the most important things that she said to me was that organizations were not meant to last forever. If they go on and on, it means that the people who run them are not growing.” Grisselda O’Brien Myrna taught me “the value of hard work with a joyous heart, how to make a Spruce salad, the value of watching what we put in our bodies, being one with our planet, and to never stop searching to find and follow your passion in this life, and once you find it, to pursue it anew every day .” Lance Tolman

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Myrna caught the biggest fish at the lake house.

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“She opened my eyes to a world of healing and living that has stayed with me all these years. I can remember sitting at Pearly Gates listening to her talk about the store and tell stories. I was amazed at how determined and strong she was .” Shania Michele Perris- Dannenmueller “I remember when a good afternoon was going by Pearly Gates and then Books as Seeds .” William Tippins I remember Myrna scolding me for cutting off the stems of broccoli and throwing them away. To this day, I put the broccoli stems in my food .” Angelah Ross Hart I admire Myrna for her bravery because she feared nothing, not even death. Knowing her has partly made me who I am today. She helped many of us along the way. I love that about her and will miss her greatly.” Casey Ross

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Jim, Sas , Myrna, and Joan when Myrna graduated from UAH with an MA in Psychology. “Mom worked at the Scottsboro mental health clinic for a time after this. She didn’t work in the field too long, though. There were more important things, like Pearly Gates and Civil Rights.” Jim Copeland

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Pearly Gates’ collage bathroom.

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“I worked for Myrna for a number of years in the 70's, some of the best times in my life. She was a positive influence and always encouraged my music. She was a true friend and will always have a place in my heart. “ Kevin Osburn “Myrna was a pivotal figure in my life to say the least, as she was with so many others as well. What a positive influence she was. “ Lance Tolman I knew Myrna, effectively, my entire life… 30 years. … she was like a favorite aunt. Nikos Carcosa “Myrna was nice to me when I was only a shiftless hippie and let me play for my dinner at Pearly Gates Restaurant when I really needed it and I am lucky to have shared time on earth with her.” Jeff Glover

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Colin and Dee Lane Nichols ceremony, May 2003. Myrna officiated many weddings and ceremonies.

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“Unsure how the store received its name – heavenly food?” hmmm We all love its origins and love her smiling down and laughing with us.” John Kersting “Myrna had a way of always making a person feel welcome; not just as a guest but a fellow traveler on earth. I spent so much time at Pearly Gates just because it felt good. That’s just the way people felt around her. And I am so grateful she passed through my life. Beautiful Soul.” Jan McCoy Beier “Myrna , Myrna, Myrna... You and Don were a huge influence in my life. What can I say other than I honor and appreciate all you've done, not only for me but for the greater good. “ Phyllis D. Light

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“She had the BEST laugh.” Leela DeVere “This is how I always think of Myrna; Full of life and that laugh.” Steve Jones

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Myrna celebrating Obama’s inauguration. I love this picture. It makes me f eel like I was right there with her. Myrna had spent her entire life striving for racial equality. With the election of Barrack Obama, she was able to see, at least in part, the fruits of her labor. What a passionate picture! - Melody Evans

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“Happy chicks dancing” on the night of President Obama’s election. Kathleen Murphy

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MYRNA Caustic, Compassionate , Flawlessly flawed, Smart, Sassy, Wicked, and Wild Inrepublicanated Noncorporated Unrepentant Hippie ACTIVIST is gone. I HOWL To warn the afterlife That Myrna is coming and They Better Have Their Shit Together . Barry Ward

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Thanksgiving 2010

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Myrna teaching a Zen retreat at the lake house.

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Myrna and Master Gilbert

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April 18, 1938 – Dec. 13, 2011