Kate Waas Clegg - A remembrance

Student Reporter

July 18, 2014 10:52 a.m.

Kate Waas Clegg was a member of the Fernandina Beach community for almost a century. As her grandnephew Joseph Waas remarked, “She was a bridge between modern Fernandina and the Victorian era.” Kate was born in Fernandina on December 2, 1905, to Dr. and Mrs. William Theodore Waas. In 1924, she graduated from Fernandina High School, and later attended the Florida State College for Women in Tallahassee.

Pictured front row left, Kate Waas Clegg with friends.
Photo courtesy of the Amelia Island Museum of History.

She returned to Fernandina and married Henry Daniel Cook. They lived in Fernandina until his death. Her second marriage to L.L. “Luke” Clegg took her to Social Circle, Georgia, where members of her family still reside today. After Luke’s death, Kate returned to Fernandina, where she finished her life in a small house on Atlantic Avenue, where she lived with her niece, Betty Jo Taylor, who still lives on the island.

Kate pictured with her great-great niece Morgan Waas.

During her time in the house, it was host to numerous birthdays, holidays, and other celebrations with her family members living on the island. Her signature dish for these family gatherings was lemon-merengue pie, which she made perfectly every time, and Christmas dinner was often graced with quail and other delicacies, despite the age of the youngest attendee.

Despite the technological advances of the early 2000s, Kate had almost none of the amenities found in newer houses. When asked about the most important invention in technology during her lifetime, Kate answered with the rotary-dial telephone. That, along with a small television set, was the only technology in the house.

As with everyone, Kate had her quirks. Her most memorable was her reluctance to cross traffic while driving. When possible, she would take rights instead of lefts so that she didn’t have to cross. She drove a Cadillac up until her death, though her size forced her to sit on a pillow so that she could see over the dashboard.

Kate died on the way to the hospital in April of 2005, following a brief illness. She left behind numerous family members and a Persian cat named Bootsie, who survived her by almost five years. Kate Clegg’s presence may be forgotten in this town, but those who knew her will never forget her contributions.

Editor's Note: We welcome Morgan Waas to the Fernandina Observer staff as  student reporter. For generations, Morgan's family has lived in Fernandina. She is an upcoming Junior  at Bolles School in Jacksonville where she plays flute in the band, is  a member of the crew team, and serves on the newspaper staff. In her spare time, Morgan volunteers, reads, writes, and enjoys swimming. We thank Morgan for her contribution to the Fernandina Observer.