Page 32 - FDCCFlyer_Summer2025

FDCC Meetings - Looking Behind
presentation, led by FDCC member
Jack Delany and featuring Diane
Foley, Dennis Fitzpatrick, and
Colum McCann, gave attendees
a moving personal view of
grace, empathy and forgiveness
in response to unimaginable
violence and tragedy. Ms. Foley
is the president of the Foley
Foundation and the subject of
Mr. McCann’s recent best-selling
book American Mother. Ms. Foley’s
son, James Foley, was murdered
by ISIS terrorists while working
as a journalist in Syria. The book
tells her story as she confronts her
son’s killer after a federal court trial
prosecuted by former Assistant
U. S. Attorney Fitzpatrick. The
presentation was moving and
uplifting in its message, and the
audience riveted as the participants
in this real-life drama recounted the
agonizing path from a violent death,
to justice, and to forgiveness.
Charleston is renowned for its
history, amazing food scene, natural
beauty, and Southern hospitality
and charm. The afternoon activities
provided a sample of everything the
city has to offer. Attendees explored
Charleston’s cobblestone streets,
pre-Revolutionary War architecture,
and Civil War sites, through
walking, biking, and carriage tours
of downtown, visits to Ft. Sumter
National Park, excursions to historic
homes, and tours of the recently
opened International African
American Museum.
Members indulged in their favorite
food and drink in Charleston
through an evening “Dining with
Friends” and various fun afternoon
activities, including a brewery and
barbecue tour, a cooking class, a
mixology class in a Prohibition-style
speakeasy, and distillery and pub
tours.
28 Summer 2025 | Federation Flyer www.thefederation.org