Favorite Five from '25
/At the end of each year, I undertake the impossible task of selecting my five favorite Flat Rock Together stories from the preceding 12 months. It is, of course, a task that is both arbitrary and unfair. Every story is valuable and should be celebrated in its own right. Stories are how we mark time, celebrate relationships, bestow accolades on the protagonists, and give meaning to our existence.
In short, stories are the building blocks of our life’s narrative. They are all foundational. They are all important. And with that disclaimer, we present our five favorite stories of 2025.
Thanks to everyone who allowed their story to be told and to you, dear reader, for giving life to these stories with your time and attention. I am grateful for your continued interest in this project. - bh
Quiet Valor: The 100-Year Journey of George Sarros
On April 17, 2025, East Flat Rock resident George Sarros will celebrate his 100th birthday.
Over the course of his 100 years, George has seen the world transformed by war, peace, tragedy, and triumph. A man of quiet humility and remarkable strength, he stands as one of the last living witnesses to D-Day, the momentous Allied invasion that changed the course of World War II. His legacy, however, extends far beyond that fateful day in June 1944. George’s story is one of family, service, love, and resilience during a long and remarkable life well-lived.
Apr 12, 2025
By the early 1990s, Bill Walker was trying to keep his general aviation business afloat. Bill Walker & Associates was on the ropes financially. “I had to figure out how to keep my company going,” said Bill. Then came the phone call that changed everything. A man had seen an ad for Bill’s company and was asking a very strange question. He wanted to know if a jet Bill had for sale could fly from New York to Lithuania.
Oct 11, 2025
In 2020, the National Park Service published a study of Black history at Rock Hill/Connemara. The study is entitled Black Lives and Whitened Stories and was compiled by David and Anne Whisnant. In their introduction, the Whisnants explain that the study was undertaken to tell the untold story of the black slaves and servants who worked and often lived at Connemara during its long and rich history.
Mar 1, 2025
Roll into Flat Rock from the south on Greenville Highway and you’ll pass a blink-and-you-miss-it marker at the Kingwood entrance: “Mud Creek Watershed.” Not exceptionally interesting, and you might wonder why someone bothered to place the sign at that spot.
Until, that is, you realize what it really means.
Sep 13, 2025
From Flat Rock to Moldova:
A Journey of Hope
Upon arrival in Moldova, Ray West discovered that the “orphanage” he was sent to evaluate was, in fact, the private home of a local couple who had taken in eight older children - the kind too often passed over for adoption. Their kitchen table was bare, the walls austere. Yet the couple’s devotion was unmistakable.
“I was sitting there, looking across the table at this guy and his wife doing something far greater than anything I had ever attempted,” Ray recalled. “I felt that I was somehow at the right place at the right time.”
November 22, 2025
OK. So picking five favorites is impossible … and a disservice to all the other great stories of 2025.
Others too good not to mention:
Keeper of the Mountain Stories
Learning to Dance with Dementia
Thank you for another amazing year in Flat Rock. Your stories make a wonderful place to live all the more inviting. Wishing you a Happy New Year in 2026 - a year filled with more great stories about the people, places, and events in Flat Rock.
-bh
