Home is where the heart is: Ms. Josephine Fulcher-Anderson

They say “home is where the heart is,” and even though Josephine Fulcher-Anderson — a native of Perry currently residing in Norwalk, Connecticut — lives over 15 hours and nearly 1,000 miles away from Middle Georgia, she made her way back south to celebrate what she and her loved ones called her “75th plus 1” birthday.

The Journal made contact with Josephine’s niece, Dr. Jackie Hodges, and arranged for an interview with her, her Mother Mary and Aunt Josephine, followed by a walkthrough tour of the Perry Area Historical Society Museum on Monday morning.

“Believe me, in Connecticut, she [Josephine] is very well-known,” Jackie said. “So I would think she would want to do that [there], and we would fly there — but she said she wanted to come home.”

Ellie Loudermilk, president of the Perry Area Historical Society, said Josephine’s visit was not only a momentous occasion for her birthday, but also considering her visiting from Connecticut now marks residents of 49 states traveling to witness the museum’s offerings. The only remaining state is West Virginia.

Josephine’s birthday was on Tuesday, but she said the festivities had been going on for a handful of days even up until that point Monday. The pandemic ceased in-person birthday celebrations last year, hence the “plus 1.”

“We’ve been partying and eating since I got here,” Josephine said. “It’s a blessing to be able to come home, I mean really.”

Friday, April 22, featured a party with entertainment, games, food, as well as friends and family from out of town and different states gathering at the Courtyard Marriott.

The day after, the family went and ate brunch at the home of Dr. Vernard Hodges — another member of the family and famed “Critter Fixer” — that morning, and that evening they decorated the pool area for a 70s-themed party.

“It was so much fun, and these two [Mary and Josephine] — I mean, I didn’t even recognize my mother, I’m telling you,” Jackie said, laughing.

The family celebrated at Jackie’s sister’s home in Fort Valley that Sunday, featuring a luncheon with a soul food buffet. Barbecue, fried turkey and collard greens, among other things, were on the menu — and Mary added that the collards were prepared by someone in Perry.

Jackie said she saw family she had not seen in decades, including some first cousins. The whole group involved around 50 people.

Ironically, Mary’s birthday was the day before the interview, and the ladies planned to have some French food in Macon for dinner Tuesday evening in honor of both her and Josephine’s birthdays.

Josephine added that some friends drove from New York; some from Buford, South Carolina; her son and his family flew from Maryland; her goddaughter living in Texas flew down; a friend and her husband drove from the Douglas, Georgia, area; and some others came from Atlanta. Some nieces of hers surprised her, and she said she had not seen some of them since they were babies.

“I wouldn’t even call it a family reunion; it was a gathering,” she explained. “I see it as a gathering and people just coming together — and the energy was so positive.

“And people were just so glad to see each other, and I’ve been going to New York a lot the last couple of months to Broadway shows and stuff. And it’s just like I’m getting back to normal, and it’s so exciting to see so many people.”

When asked what presents the guests brought for Josephine, Mary responded: “Flowers, flowers, flowers.” Josephine said she received so many presents she had to ship some items back home.

Following this, Josephine began elaborating on what all has led her to this current point in time, speaking on her passion for reading, receiving an education and treating fellow humans in the same way she would want to be treated. It is also important to note that she serves as a librarian back home.

“I’m just so passionate about reading; it’s power,” she said. “My dad went to what, seventh or eighth grade, if that.

“But he always told us — I’ll never forget it: ‘Get an education.’ He said: ‘They can’t take that away from you. Get an education.’ And we drilled the same thing into our children.”

She explained that she sees reading as a kind of vacation from the struggles of life.

“With the reading, you just travel — you just go anywhere you want to go,” Josephine said. “But at some point, you’ve got to visit those places, too.”

She has traveled to South Africa for six weeks to set up libraries, has been to Ghana twice and she and her sister have been to Israel among other places.

“It’s just been a wonderful life, you know,” she said. “Life is good, up and down; just find a balance and work through things.”

The group began speaking of their humble beginnings in the Oldfield area of Perry and Jackson Lane, where their home no longer stands but rather an empty lot full of wholesome memories.

“My great-grandmother, she raised them [Mary and Josephine] in that house, and when I tell you, Mrs. Loudermilk, it was probably maybe a little bigger than this room — [it was] three rooms, but it was very small,” Jackie said. “You know, my great-grandmother, I was very young; so I don’t have a lot of events to remember of sharing with her, but when I hear her name, I feel love. All I know is love because that’s what she showed to us and to all of my aunts and everyone.”

Josephine continued during the conversation of meaningful locations they visited around Perry during their visit.

“Every time I come to Perry — and before COVID I was here like every time it was somebody’s celebration — I always go back to where we lived,” Josephine said. “God just said: ‘Lest I forget.’ I will never ever forget my past and where I grew up and how far God has brought us. And the story is not over.”

Josephine was born as the fifth child of seven to the late Joe and Lula Mae Hodges. Following her high school graduation, she moved to Connecticut since she had some family living up north.

Josephine shared some details on her education, explaining that at one point, she was working at a factory making bedroom slippers during the day and attending Norwalk Community College at night.

She graduated with her first associate’s degree in human services, continuing to work after that. She kept working and pursuing other opportunities until eventually receiving another associate’s degree in library science.

She went on to receive a bachelor’s degree in sociology with a minor in psychology from Charter Oak College, along with a master’s degree in information and library science from Queens College in New York.

Among her degrees, she also holds a certificate in Bible storytelling from The Academy of Biblical Storytelling and a certificate in executive management from Columbia Business School.

She grew up attending the Baptist church, but she eventually made the move to the African Methodist Episcopal Church. She now attends Bethel African Methodist Episcopal Church in Norwalk, where she serves as a deacon among other leadership roles conference-wide and at the district levels. She is currently the New England Conference Church School Superintendent.

She loves her one son, Richard Anthony Fulcher, and his family, including his wife Patrice, and children, Marley and Trinity.

Josephine is no stranger to community involvement, where she has and continues to serve in various capacities, including: NAACP member, facilitator for the Parent Leadership Training Institute, as well as founder and coordinator for the Mayor’s Kwanzaa event for the city of Stamford, Connecticut, for the past 27 years.

She has received numerous awards for community service, including: the United Way of Coastal Fairfield County Community Service Award, the Librarian of the Year Award from the Connecticut Library Association and the Distinguished Woman Award from the Darien WYCA to name a few.

She was appointed by Senate Majority Leader Bob Duff to serve on the African-American Affairs Commission for the State of Connecticut, she served as a delegate for the General and Connectional Lay Conferences, is a member of the Association of Black Storytellers as well as a member of the Black Caucus American Library Association.

She married her husband, Air Force veteran and esteemed firefighter Sanford Anderson, and they experienced 35 years together.

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