About

  Julie was born Afalda Julia Taylor on August 16, 1946.  Her parents lived in Black Mountain, but they had to travel 30 miles on steep mountain roads to get to the nearest hospital in Asheville. Billy Graham’s father-in-law delivered Julie.      In the south in those days it was very common, the custom even, to call a child by his or her middle name.  So her sister Linda was Mary Linda and her brother Stan was Ray  Stanley.        As of this writing, some 75 years later, Julie is – according to all the records we can find – the only person named Afalda in the United States, past or present.       

Her grandmother Taylor had seven children. And she liked romance novels. She apparently got names for her children from romance characters. And the letter “A.”  Her children were Adrian, Arlanda, Gatchel A.,  Avonelle, Alvarata, Ardith and Julie’s father Yolanda Afalda.

While there is no record of others having the first name Afalda, there are thousands in the United States with the Italian name Mafalda.  One theory: Afalda came from Mafalda.     Seven children back then wasn’t that many.  Julie’s great grandmother Dotson had 17 kids.  She and her husband lived up in the mountains.  Once, one of her great grandchildren asked her why she had so many kids and great grandmother Dotson replied with her treadmark eye twinkle, “Well honey, there wasn’t much else to do of a night.”