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A Native of Georgia, Dawna is married and has two grown sons. Dawna and her husband Jim reside in Marietta, Georgia. She holds a B.S. Degree of Education from Ga. State University and a Masters degree of Education from the University of Georgia. Dawna taught elementary school for 30 years and has recently retired from the Fulton County School System. She has been awarded many honors as a teacher during her long career in the classroom.
Dawna began her interest in egg art in 1978, when thumbing through a stack of old National Geographic Magazines, she found a 1972 copy that featured the Ukraine and beautiful Easter Eggs called Psanky Eggs. Inspired by the article, she quickly ordered a Psanky kit and taught herself the art of wax and dyed Ukrainian Eggs. Artists of Psanky are traditionally taught by their mothers and grandmothers on this beautiful style of Folk Art. Since then, each year during Lent, Dawna gets out the kitska, candles, beeswax, dyes, chicken eggs and begins to create lovely Psanky eggs for Easter. In the Ukraine, the eggs are taken to the local priest and blessed before they are given as gifts to loved ones for Easter. It is believed there, that the world will not end as long as eggs are being decorated.
About fourteen years ago, the Eggart Guild of Georgia was formed by Carole Kjellsen and Dawna became a charter member. She has served the club both as president and vice-president of the organization and is also a member of the International Egg Art Guild. The club projects feature eggshells decorated in Faberge’ style. The Eggart Guild of Georgia has been a wonderful experience and has led a hobby to now become a new career in egg art.
After many egging classes and several broken eggshells, Dawna is becoming skilled at this style of egg art as well as the beloved Psanky eggs. Her “Cherokee Rose” egg was chosen in 2007 by the Georgia Egg Commission to represent the state of Georgia for the White House Easter Roll Celebration and Eggs by State display, where all fifty states display and present a decorated chicken egg for first lady at the White House Visitor Center. It was a grand experience to meet Laura Bush, enjoy a wonderful luncheon sponsored by the American Egg Board and also have a private tour of the White House. Dawna presented a replica of the Georgia Egg to Governor Sonny Perdue, at the Georgia Capital Building, to launch May as Egg Month in the State of Georgia.
Other interests of the Godfrey family include being volunteers for the Marine Corps Key Volunteer Program. This organization is for helping family members whose loved ones have been deployed. Their service to the Marine Corps began when their eldest son was serving in Operation Iraqi Freedom. It is a rewarding experience to help families get information and services provided by the Marine Corps or comforting a worried wife, husband, parents or child of the brave Marines serving their country.
The Godfrey’s are also members of the American Kennel Club, the Bulldog Club of Metropolitan Atlanta, the Bulldog Club of America, and English Bulldog Rescue. They have enjoyed raising English Bulldogs for many years.