HERBERT HENRY KNIGHT, APRIL 22, 1910-JAN.30,1994:#14

I have often wondered why Dad chose Herman Junction to buy a small piece of land to build a house for his family. And, I have often wondered how in the world he managed to do it at all! He was working on the railroad and Mom said that he would buy some materials every time that he got paid until he got enough to get started. Then, there were some other men who helped him voluntarily and one or two that he had to pay some money for thier work. Most of you have never heard of 'swapping labor' where someone would help you in your crop or wherever you might need help and then you would return the favor. But, I remember that well

There are several things that always come to my mind when I think of Dad. He was one of the finest singers and song leaders that I have ever heard. I can hear him now as he gets ready to begin a song..."Do, sol, mi, sol, do.....On the first." He knew music and seldom got one too high or too low. My favorite song to this day is the one that I first learned sitting on his knee and singing with him as a child..."Each day I'll do a golden deed, by helping those who are in need." You remember that as "A Beautiful Life." I have some tapes of him leading singing and some of him singing at our family reunions. One time a cousin objected to us singing at our reunions but Dad said, "When the Knight's get together, the Knight's sing." And, we sill do.

I viewed him as the strongest man that I ever knew. When there was a horse that needed shoeing and no one could get it done, Dad would throw that horse just like he would throw a man and the horse had new shoes in a few minutes. I heard the story about someone stealing all the clothes off the clothesline and dad ran him down. The guy crawled under a cotton gin and it was at night, and dad crawled under and took away his knife, got the clothes, and crawled out. There is no way that you could get me under a gin in the dark. I would have just worn the drawers that I had on until I could get some new ones.

Dad and Mom would get the early morning paper, divide it, and sit at the breakfast table and read the news. I remember that My Lady and I stayed all night with them once and we laid and listened as they read things to each other. Dad said, "Well, I wonder what old Clinton is up to today?" Later Mom would say, "They have three loaves of bread for a dollar at Young's Big Star in Truman." It was like that until they got the whole paper read.

Among the very last words that I heard him say was when he had his last stroke. When he had suffered strokes before and then get better, he would say, "Let's go." "Where do you want to go Dad?" someone would ask. He would say, "Let's go out on the porch." The last time he had a stroke I went to Jonesboro and as I entered the room where several others were already there, he was sitting up in his bed and he looked at me and said, "I'm going!" I asked, "Where you going Dad?", expecting to hear him say 'to the front porch.' But, this time he said, "I'm going to gloryland!" That was on Thursday and on the next Sunday morning he went to gloryland. I suspect that when he arises from that rest, he will proably lead the saved creation in 'A Beautiful Live' and that will be a joy. Yes, all is well at Herman Junction tonight.