Welcome to Debedeavon Toastmasters Club!
Debedeavon was chartered in 2005 at NASA Wallops Flight Facility, Wallops Island, Virginia. The charter was initiated by the Women of Wallops (WOW) and membership is open to NASA civil servants, contractors, tenants, partners and the general public. Our club meets on the first and third Wednesday of each month at the NAVY MWR Cropper Center from 11:30 to 12:30. Visitors and potential members are welcome!
Origin of Debedeavon Toastmasters Club name:
In honor of the rich history of the Eastern Shore of Virginia, we chose Debedeavon as the name of our club. According to historian Thomas T. Upshur, author of The Early History of the Eastern Shore of Virginia (Richmond, 1911), the "King of the great Nusswattocks" ruled the chieftains of the Indian villages on Virginia's Eastern Shore and headquartered on present Nandua Creek. Upshur states that the "laughing king" was the earliest emperor on record, and that this sachem's name was Debedeavon.
Material presented by Terry Ewell - Charter Member/Shore Native
The sign, located on U.S. Rt. 13 one mile south of Eastville reads "Here in Savage's Neck, was the home of Ensign Thomas Savage, who came to Virginia in 1608, granted a tract of land by Debedeavon, the "Laughing King" of the Indians in 1619. Savage became the first permanent English settler on the Eastern Shore. A Mile west is Old Castle built in 1721.
Eastern Shore of Virginia:
The Eastern Shore of Virginia is the southern tip of the DELMARVA Peninsula. DELMARVA is occupied by the state of DELAWARE, and portions of MARYLAND (9 counties east of the Chesapeake) and VIRGINIA (2 counties east of the Chesapeake). The Atlantic Ocean is the eastern boundary and the Chesapeake Bay is the western boundary. DELMARVA connects to mainland Virginia at Virginia Beach via the 17 mile long Chesapeake Bay Bridge Tunnel and the rest of Maryland at the 4.35 mile long Chesapeake Bay Bridge near Annapolis. Debedeavon Toastmasters Club is located in Accomack County at the NASA Wallops Flight Facility near the Virginia-Maryland stateline.
NASA Wallops Flight Facility:
Established in 1945 under NASA's predecessor, the National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics (NACA),
Wallops is one of the oldest launch sites in the world. Our support of scientific research and orbital and suborbital payloads places us at the center of NASA's space and Earth sciences.
NASA partners and tenants include the U.S. Navy, Surface Combat Systems Center (SCSC), NOAA, U.S. Coast Guard and the Mid-Atlantic Regional Spaceport (MARS). Club members represent most of these organizations.
