We arrived in Swifton on June 10, 1963, tired, hot, hungry, and about as ragged as three people can be. When we got there the folks from church had unloaded our meager amount of household belongings and put them in the place that they thought we might want them. Loyd Hulett and Henry Webb had brought a big truck to Manila to get our things. We had a small 5,000 BTU air conditioner and they had put it in our bedroom and that was just great. We could make it alright in the rest of the house but at night we really needed that AC in our room so we could sleep better. Every time someone would come to visit when it was really hot, we took off to the bedroom and just piled up to visit because that was the only cool place. Later, we were able to buy an 18,000 BTU unit and installed it in the living room and we thought that we had really moved up town.
The wonderful people of the whole town of Swifton could not have been better to us. I am going to mention some names and I will miss someone for sure, but I certainly do not mean to slight anyone. From the very beginning, the elders of the church were so supportive and encouraging. Ira Hulen, Henry Webb. W.O. Hulett, Sr., Homer Smith, and C.G. Holt were the elders and we loved them and their wives so very much. I just cannot adequately describe how they shepherded us and were so patient and kind. I could write a book about each one of those couples.
There were a lot of people that I admired who did not attend the services of the church of Christ in Swifton. I am not just 'name dropping' when I say that we loved and admired George and Charlene Kell. George was a great professional baseball player who had just retired and began his career as broadcaster for the Detroit Tigers. We watched him play one time in an Old-Timers game at Yankee stadium in New York on a Saturday and on Monday morning he woke us up to sell us a new car. When My Lady was expecting our baby girl, Charlene Kell hosted a baby shower for her and every person in Swifton was invited. What a shower that was! We bought two new cars from George and just paid him each month whatever amount we could afford. He was a STAR in many, many, other areas than baseball and only the people from Swifton knew it.
I hung out a lot at Buck Hulen's grocery store and Ray McNutt's Gulf service station. I made more contacts with the people of Swifton at those two places than probably anywhere else. I met characters like Burrhead Russell, Claude Mitts, Junior Templeton, Alfred Moon, and many others and listened as they told stories of the past in the Swifton area. I don't know if half of them were true or not, but they sounded good.
Stan and Oneida Chapman became two of our dearest friends and they owned the theater in Swifton. That was quite a popular place in those days. We could go to the show any time we wanted to by just walking in and taking our seats. We didn't go much but a few times we enjoyed seeing a good movie. It was a real treat to eat at Lola Thompson's Cafe over on Highway 67. Lola fed us so well when we would go in, especially on Sundays after Bible study and worship.
I often went to O'Bannion's grocery store and just sit and visit with Walter and Beulah O'Bannion who owned the store and attended services at the church there. It was there that I met a candy salesman named J.B. Milligan. J.B. sold candy and also was a gospel preacher. We would sit and visit and eat Baby Ruth candy bars so long that sometimes he didn't have time to finish his route and he would just go home and finish it later. Baby Ruth candy bars then were what they call 'Family size' now but J.B. and I could eat one each without any problem at all. It was from those visits that J.B. decided to devote his life to preaching the gospel full time and at the age of 88 he is still preaching near Batesville, Ark.
Places and events like these reminded me so much of being at Herman Junction and Bay, Ark. They were the same kind of people and maybe that is why we loved them so much. Ah, Herman Junction and Swifton, how we loved you.
Friday, January 15, 2010
SWIFTON, HERE WE COME: POST#68, JAN.15, 2010
When we decided to leave Manila, Arkansas after two years, I first decided that I would quit preaching. I just thought that there must be a better way of life. I went to Jonesboro to talk to my brother, Ray and he would not help me find another job. He wanted me to preach. I went to my old friend, Floyd Winningham and talked to him about a job in his business or about him helping me find a job. Floyd said, "I would never help a preacher quit preaching!" He gave me some really good advice and we decided to continue our life in preaching the gospel. So, I began looking around and setting up times to "TRY-OUT" (I sure didn't like that term and still don't.")
Someone told me about the church at Swifton, Arkansas looking for a preacher. I didn't know one thing about the church there, but I made an appointment to go there to preach on a Wednesday night in May 1963. We rolled into town with a flat tire and three of the poorest looking characters in the country. I went to Lewis Hudgeons Texaco station to get the tire fixed and then we went on to church services. I don't remember much about that night except the sermon that I preached and it was probably about as flat as the tire was. However, they greeted us like we were really something and the next day they called and invited us to move there. I accepted the offer and began making plans to move in about 30 days.
Then, a preacher that lived close by told me that the Swifton church just fought all the time. That was one thing that we didn't need. I drove over to Swifton and met with the elders and told them what I had heard. Ira (Buck) Hulen said, "We don't have enough energy to fight" and they assured me that they had no desire to have anything but peace and unity. The first Sunday that I preached there I told the entire church about what I had heard, and that if they wanted to fight they would have to give us time to get into fighting shape because we had been through some hard times the previous two years. I will say right now that the 3 1/2 years that we lived at Swifton were some of the greatest years of our life, even until right now.
We had been in the house for about two days and a man knocked on the door. When I answered, he pushed me aside and walked through every room of that house and came back through and walked out and never said one word! I was in shock. What had I moved My Lady and Son into? I thought that the elders had lied and had sent a guy to whip us before I had even preached my first sermon as the local preacher. But, in a few minutes to same man came back, carrying a cold watermelon, introduced himself and we sat down and ate watermelon and had a great visit. The man's name was Bill Wheeler, Sr. He and Vesta his wife and thier family became very, very, dear to us. He was one of the most outstanding Christian men that I have ever known and taught me lesson after lesson about living for the Lord. I could write a book about Bill Wheeler. How we loved them! I could not possibly write in one blog post all the people at Swifton and what they meant to our lives.
It was at Swifton that our KATHY DEANN KNIGHT was born on February 16, 1966. When she was born at 2:30 in the morning I was so excited that I ran down the hall and woke up Oneida Chapman who was a patient there and told her about our baby girl. Then, I went to Tuckerman and stopped and called Ewell and Eloise Webb and told them that our Kathy had just arrived. Ewell could have shot me for waking him up that early but he was gracious. Our Kathy was named after their daughter, Kathy. So now we had a Son and a Daughter and Barbara thought that we were the only couple in the world with a child of each sex.
Life sure was good and we were still only about 40 miles from Herman Junction and could go there often and visit.
Someone told me about the church at Swifton, Arkansas looking for a preacher. I didn't know one thing about the church there, but I made an appointment to go there to preach on a Wednesday night in May 1963. We rolled into town with a flat tire and three of the poorest looking characters in the country. I went to Lewis Hudgeons Texaco station to get the tire fixed and then we went on to church services. I don't remember much about that night except the sermon that I preached and it was probably about as flat as the tire was. However, they greeted us like we were really something and the next day they called and invited us to move there. I accepted the offer and began making plans to move in about 30 days.
Then, a preacher that lived close by told me that the Swifton church just fought all the time. That was one thing that we didn't need. I drove over to Swifton and met with the elders and told them what I had heard. Ira (Buck) Hulen said, "We don't have enough energy to fight" and they assured me that they had no desire to have anything but peace and unity. The first Sunday that I preached there I told the entire church about what I had heard, and that if they wanted to fight they would have to give us time to get into fighting shape because we had been through some hard times the previous two years. I will say right now that the 3 1/2 years that we lived at Swifton were some of the greatest years of our life, even until right now.
We had been in the house for about two days and a man knocked on the door. When I answered, he pushed me aside and walked through every room of that house and came back through and walked out and never said one word! I was in shock. What had I moved My Lady and Son into? I thought that the elders had lied and had sent a guy to whip us before I had even preached my first sermon as the local preacher. But, in a few minutes to same man came back, carrying a cold watermelon, introduced himself and we sat down and ate watermelon and had a great visit. The man's name was Bill Wheeler, Sr. He and Vesta his wife and thier family became very, very, dear to us. He was one of the most outstanding Christian men that I have ever known and taught me lesson after lesson about living for the Lord. I could write a book about Bill Wheeler. How we loved them! I could not possibly write in one blog post all the people at Swifton and what they meant to our lives.
It was at Swifton that our KATHY DEANN KNIGHT was born on February 16, 1966. When she was born at 2:30 in the morning I was so excited that I ran down the hall and woke up Oneida Chapman who was a patient there and told her about our baby girl. Then, I went to Tuckerman and stopped and called Ewell and Eloise Webb and told them that our Kathy had just arrived. Ewell could have shot me for waking him up that early but he was gracious. Our Kathy was named after their daughter, Kathy. So now we had a Son and a Daughter and Barbara thought that we were the only couple in the world with a child of each sex.
Life sure was good and we were still only about 40 miles from Herman Junction and could go there often and visit.
Friday, January 8, 2010
BACK AGAIN: POST #67
It has been some months since I wrote and I have been quite neglectful. I could also say that I have been very busy and that would be true. However, I have found that we can make time to do what we really want to do.
I stopped the journey from Herman Junction with POST #65 and inserted one concerning a trip that My Lady and I made in July 2009 to Hot Springs. I was just so 'inspired' when I got home from there that I could not restrain myself from writing about that trip. Now, I will go back to the time when were on our journey in the early days of our married life.
On February 1, 1960 we left the church at Michigan City, Indiana and moved a few miles away to work with the church of Christ at Laporte, Indiana. The church there had elders to oversee the work and I really needed the guidance and leadership of a good Eldership. There were three elders in the beginning....Leo Bailey, Ernie Bush, and Collie Owens. Brother Owens resigned shortly after our arrival there and began worshipping in Michigan City where he and his family lived. I worked the entire time that we lived there under the oversight of Brothers Bush and Bailey and I will always be thankful for the great work that they did and the wonderful influence that they had on our lives.
The entire congregation at Laporte was was wonderful to us. When we moved into a small house at 707 Division Street, there was one house between us and Bryan and June Butts. They were from Arkansas and they were as happy to meet us as we were to meet them. We developed a friendship that lasted as long as they lived and we loved them dearly. I spoke at both of their funeral services. We also became dear friends to their children and grandchildren. It is sad for us that today all of their children have also passed away but we cherish the memories of the great life that we had with them. We still go back to Laporte from time to time to visit those who are still living from years ago and to enjoy a wonderful relationship with the church.
In July 1961 we moved from Laporte to Holland, Missouri. We had such a hard time there that I do not even like to think about it. Yes, there were some good people that we learned to love but it was while we lived at Holland that Johnny (Pete) Earls, the youngest brother of My Lady got sick and passed away. It was such a sad and difficult time for us.
Do you know how that sometimes we jump out of the frying pan into the fire? We did that when we moved from Holland, Mo. to Manila, Ark. We wanted so much to leave Missouri and when we were offered the opportunity to move to Manila we accepted it and moved there. But, it was a sad mistake. The best thing that happened while we lived there was the birth of our son, Martin Andrew Knight on My Lady's 21st birthday, September 17, 1962. What a great joy and one that made a lot of bad things kind of disappear.
Marty got his name from my mother's maiden name and a dear friend, Andrew Simpson of Buchanan, Michigan. We had met and fallen in love with Andrew and Mary Simpson while we lived in Indiana. It was about one week before Marty was born that Andrew died and I was afraid to leave My Lady and go to the funeral at Dover, Arkansas. Marty has blessed our lives more than he will ever know.
In June, 1963 we moved on again and life began to be better than the last two years had been. I will tell you about that next.
I stopped the journey from Herman Junction with POST #65 and inserted one concerning a trip that My Lady and I made in July 2009 to Hot Springs. I was just so 'inspired' when I got home from there that I could not restrain myself from writing about that trip. Now, I will go back to the time when were on our journey in the early days of our married life.
On February 1, 1960 we left the church at Michigan City, Indiana and moved a few miles away to work with the church of Christ at Laporte, Indiana. The church there had elders to oversee the work and I really needed the guidance and leadership of a good Eldership. There were three elders in the beginning....Leo Bailey, Ernie Bush, and Collie Owens. Brother Owens resigned shortly after our arrival there and began worshipping in Michigan City where he and his family lived. I worked the entire time that we lived there under the oversight of Brothers Bush and Bailey and I will always be thankful for the great work that they did and the wonderful influence that they had on our lives.
The entire congregation at Laporte was was wonderful to us. When we moved into a small house at 707 Division Street, there was one house between us and Bryan and June Butts. They were from Arkansas and they were as happy to meet us as we were to meet them. We developed a friendship that lasted as long as they lived and we loved them dearly. I spoke at both of their funeral services. We also became dear friends to their children and grandchildren. It is sad for us that today all of their children have also passed away but we cherish the memories of the great life that we had with them. We still go back to Laporte from time to time to visit those who are still living from years ago and to enjoy a wonderful relationship with the church.
In July 1961 we moved from Laporte to Holland, Missouri. We had such a hard time there that I do not even like to think about it. Yes, there were some good people that we learned to love but it was while we lived at Holland that Johnny (Pete) Earls, the youngest brother of My Lady got sick and passed away. It was such a sad and difficult time for us.
Do you know how that sometimes we jump out of the frying pan into the fire? We did that when we moved from Holland, Mo. to Manila, Ark. We wanted so much to leave Missouri and when we were offered the opportunity to move to Manila we accepted it and moved there. But, it was a sad mistake. The best thing that happened while we lived there was the birth of our son, Martin Andrew Knight on My Lady's 21st birthday, September 17, 1962. What a great joy and one that made a lot of bad things kind of disappear.
Marty got his name from my mother's maiden name and a dear friend, Andrew Simpson of Buchanan, Michigan. We had met and fallen in love with Andrew and Mary Simpson while we lived in Indiana. It was about one week before Marty was born that Andrew died and I was afraid to leave My Lady and go to the funeral at Dover, Arkansas. Marty has blessed our lives more than he will ever know.
In June, 1963 we moved on again and life began to be better than the last two years had been. I will tell you about that next.
Friday, July 31, 2009
HERMAN JUNCTION BOY IN HOT SPRINGS: POST #66
You can take the Herman Junction boy out of Herman Junction, but don't leave him forever in Hot Springs. Really, I love Hot Springs and have had many enjoyable and pleasant times there. We try to go for a short stay at least one time each year but sometimes don't make it. One of my favorite places in the world is the famous Arlington Hotel in downtown Hot Springs. I like to think of the history of that 134 year old structure and all of the things that have gone on there.
It is said that there were a lot of big time crooks who stayed there many years ago and I suppose that is true. Speaking of crooks some of our nations Presidents have spent some time there too and I suppose that you can guess who at least one of them was. But, there have also been a lot of other famous and not-so-famous people who have walked the halls of the Arlington Hotel.
One time Barbara and I were there between Christmas and New Years. In the past we have gone there at that time of year many times. We were sitting in the lobby one day and an elderly lady was sitting across from us and she seemed so alone. Barbara went over and invited her to sit with us and visit if she desired to do so and she came over immediately. She lived at the Arlington and had done so for many years. She had never married and owned a farm in Illinois consisting of almost 2,000 acres. Her nephew farmed it for her while she enjoyed living at the Arlington. She told us that she was 93 years old and that she needed to get a will made soon to take care of that farm and other assets. I didn't tell her, but I thought that she needed to hurry!
We just returned from a short trip to Hot Springs and I learned a lot. I strongly believe that "NURDS" should not be allowed to reproduce. Now, I have my own definition of a 'Nurd' but I am not telling you what it is, you will have to make up your own. We were sitting on the veranda of the hotel and here came a NURD with a bunch of little NURDS right behind him. He had no idea where he was going and the baby Nurds kept telling him that Momma said that she would meet them in the lobby. Finally, Papa Nurd listened to them and they strung into the lobby and sure enough Momma was there and she was a NURD too! How they got into that hotel I will never know and it must have been real interesting to see them get around the city.
Has your companion ever talked you into doing something that you really didn't intend to do? I have had that experience many, many times. This time she talked me into having a thermal bath and a massage. Can you imagine Booie Woods from Herman Junction doing that? I can't imagine me doing it either. But, here I was and at least I thought that I had no choice.
I went in for the bath and here was a great big guy handing me a key to a locker and telling me to get COMPLETELY undressed! I hid in a closet and did it and wrapped up in a towel. Then, he took the towel away and made me get in a tub of scalding mineral water and that almost took the hide off me. He took a mit and put it on his hands, rubbed off my arms and then told me to lift up my leg! When I did he could see where I didn't want him to see but he was much bigger than me and was in charge. He got me bathed off and that was my first time to have a bath by someone other than my Momma or me and I don't want to make that a habit. He gave me a cup of that HOT water and told me to drink it. SHOO! He left me in there for 20 minutes and came to get me and put me in a 'HOT BOX" he called it and it sure was a "HOT BOX". Much hotter than the "SWEAT ROOM" at Bay High School.
When he took me out of that hot box he put me on a table with a hot towel under my neck and left me again and then he put me in a COLD SHOWER! He didn't know it but I kind of hunkered over in a corner where just a little bit of it hit me because it was really COLD. That ended my bath....I mean it really ended my thermal baths at Hot Springs. Never again!!
Now it was time for the massage. Everyone had told me how wonderful a massage is and how they felt so wonderful after it was over. So, here I go and a guy named "Bob" came out to administer the massage. He rubbed me down on both sides for about 15 minutes. It seemed to me that he got his hands all wadded up in the flab and after getting untangled he told me that he was through and I could go. He held out his hand and said, "Bob" again and I thought that anyone could remember a man's name for 15 minutes. I really did not feel any different than I do when I get out of Barbara's whirlpool tub at home. Barbara said that I should have given him a good tip before he started and he would have done a better job. But, where is a man going to find a tip when they have taken all his clothes away and locked them up? Besides, I think that they should have paid me for all that.
From now on I am going to just stay at home or maybe go visit Herman Junction where they all do their own baths and if someone gets a massage I never have heard of it.
It is said that there were a lot of big time crooks who stayed there many years ago and I suppose that is true. Speaking of crooks some of our nations Presidents have spent some time there too and I suppose that you can guess who at least one of them was. But, there have also been a lot of other famous and not-so-famous people who have walked the halls of the Arlington Hotel.
One time Barbara and I were there between Christmas and New Years. In the past we have gone there at that time of year many times. We were sitting in the lobby one day and an elderly lady was sitting across from us and she seemed so alone. Barbara went over and invited her to sit with us and visit if she desired to do so and she came over immediately. She lived at the Arlington and had done so for many years. She had never married and owned a farm in Illinois consisting of almost 2,000 acres. Her nephew farmed it for her while she enjoyed living at the Arlington. She told us that she was 93 years old and that she needed to get a will made soon to take care of that farm and other assets. I didn't tell her, but I thought that she needed to hurry!
We just returned from a short trip to Hot Springs and I learned a lot. I strongly believe that "NURDS" should not be allowed to reproduce. Now, I have my own definition of a 'Nurd' but I am not telling you what it is, you will have to make up your own. We were sitting on the veranda of the hotel and here came a NURD with a bunch of little NURDS right behind him. He had no idea where he was going and the baby Nurds kept telling him that Momma said that she would meet them in the lobby. Finally, Papa Nurd listened to them and they strung into the lobby and sure enough Momma was there and she was a NURD too! How they got into that hotel I will never know and it must have been real interesting to see them get around the city.
Has your companion ever talked you into doing something that you really didn't intend to do? I have had that experience many, many times. This time she talked me into having a thermal bath and a massage. Can you imagine Booie Woods from Herman Junction doing that? I can't imagine me doing it either. But, here I was and at least I thought that I had no choice.
I went in for the bath and here was a great big guy handing me a key to a locker and telling me to get COMPLETELY undressed! I hid in a closet and did it and wrapped up in a towel. Then, he took the towel away and made me get in a tub of scalding mineral water and that almost took the hide off me. He took a mit and put it on his hands, rubbed off my arms and then told me to lift up my leg! When I did he could see where I didn't want him to see but he was much bigger than me and was in charge. He got me bathed off and that was my first time to have a bath by someone other than my Momma or me and I don't want to make that a habit. He gave me a cup of that HOT water and told me to drink it. SHOO! He left me in there for 20 minutes and came to get me and put me in a 'HOT BOX" he called it and it sure was a "HOT BOX". Much hotter than the "SWEAT ROOM" at Bay High School.
When he took me out of that hot box he put me on a table with a hot towel under my neck and left me again and then he put me in a COLD SHOWER! He didn't know it but I kind of hunkered over in a corner where just a little bit of it hit me because it was really COLD. That ended my bath....I mean it really ended my thermal baths at Hot Springs. Never again!!
Now it was time for the massage. Everyone had told me how wonderful a massage is and how they felt so wonderful after it was over. So, here I go and a guy named "Bob" came out to administer the massage. He rubbed me down on both sides for about 15 minutes. It seemed to me that he got his hands all wadded up in the flab and after getting untangled he told me that he was through and I could go. He held out his hand and said, "Bob" again and I thought that anyone could remember a man's name for 15 minutes. I really did not feel any different than I do when I get out of Barbara's whirlpool tub at home. Barbara said that I should have given him a good tip before he started and he would have done a better job. But, where is a man going to find a tip when they have taken all his clothes away and locked them up? Besides, I think that they should have paid me for all that.
From now on I am going to just stay at home or maybe go visit Herman Junction where they all do their own baths and if someone gets a massage I never have heard of it.
Thursday, July 9, 2009
PREACHER MAN: POST #65: July 9, 2009
I worked at Independent Steel Co. for some time and really enjoyed my time there. One day as Ray Brown and I were sitting side by side working, he asked, "What do you plan to do with the rest of your life?" I said, "I hope to someday work as a full time preacher of the gospel." I had already been preaching for a few months every Sunday morning and the other men of the church rotated the preaching duties on Sunday evening. We talked about that for some time that day and I had absolutely no idea what was about to happen.
One day Ray came to me and asked if I would be interested in preaching full time for the church at Michigan City and I told him that I would like that. A few days later the men of the church had a business meeting and to my utter surprise asked me to begin working with the church on a full time basis. I began on February 1, 1959. I had four books...my Bible and four volumes of Hardeman's Tabernacle Sermons which had been delivered by Brother N. B. Hardeman and published shortly after that. My two older brothers who were preachers sent me some helps and I bought other helpful books and materials as I could afford it.
I would write out my sermons and go over to the church building and preach to the empty seats all week. When we moved into the preachers house in September 1959 Barbara said that she could hear me all the way over inside our house as I would 'lay back the hide and pour in the salt' on those empty seats. One day I was able to buy a small tape recorder at Sears and then I would go to the building and record my sermons and listen to them over and over again as I prepared for the next Sunday. Of course, I did all the other things that a 'minister' does such as visiting the sick, hospitals, etc.
One of the more interesting things that we did was working with inmates at the State prison in Michigan City. The first time that I went there I was absolutely scared out of my wits. I had never been behind so many locked doors in my life and I wondered if I would get out or become another inmate. We baptized some men and when they were released we were able to get jobs for them and they worshipped with us. But, I must admit that every one of them that we worked with returned to prison and that was disappointing to me. I saw enough that I surely knew that I never wanted to reside in one of those places.
The preachers house was a wonderful place. It was a huge, two story house with a full basement and here were two kids from Herman Junction moving in. Dad and Mom had come to Michigan City and he co-signed the papers for us to buy a cook stove, refrigerator, bedroom furniture, living room and dining room furniture, at Montgomery-Ward's and we moved in. It was so big that we could just get lost in there but we loved it so very much. That house still stands and looks almost exactly the same and we often wish that we could spend just one more night there.
What a wonderful place Michigan City was and is. There is one special thing to me....the first check that I ever received as a full time preacher was signed by brother James Alred on Feb. 1, 1959. Today in 2009 the church there helps to support us in our present ministry and the check they send each month is signed by brother James Alred. We are still blessed to go there almost every year and preach in a gospel meeting and it is one of the highlights of our year.
We had left Herman Junction less than one year before, planning to go back home but it has been fifty-one years and we have never lived at Herman Junction again.
One day Ray came to me and asked if I would be interested in preaching full time for the church at Michigan City and I told him that I would like that. A few days later the men of the church had a business meeting and to my utter surprise asked me to begin working with the church on a full time basis. I began on February 1, 1959. I had four books...my Bible and four volumes of Hardeman's Tabernacle Sermons which had been delivered by Brother N. B. Hardeman and published shortly after that. My two older brothers who were preachers sent me some helps and I bought other helpful books and materials as I could afford it.
I would write out my sermons and go over to the church building and preach to the empty seats all week. When we moved into the preachers house in September 1959 Barbara said that she could hear me all the way over inside our house as I would 'lay back the hide and pour in the salt' on those empty seats. One day I was able to buy a small tape recorder at Sears and then I would go to the building and record my sermons and listen to them over and over again as I prepared for the next Sunday. Of course, I did all the other things that a 'minister' does such as visiting the sick, hospitals, etc.
One of the more interesting things that we did was working with inmates at the State prison in Michigan City. The first time that I went there I was absolutely scared out of my wits. I had never been behind so many locked doors in my life and I wondered if I would get out or become another inmate. We baptized some men and when they were released we were able to get jobs for them and they worshipped with us. But, I must admit that every one of them that we worked with returned to prison and that was disappointing to me. I saw enough that I surely knew that I never wanted to reside in one of those places.
The preachers house was a wonderful place. It was a huge, two story house with a full basement and here were two kids from Herman Junction moving in. Dad and Mom had come to Michigan City and he co-signed the papers for us to buy a cook stove, refrigerator, bedroom furniture, living room and dining room furniture, at Montgomery-Ward's and we moved in. It was so big that we could just get lost in there but we loved it so very much. That house still stands and looks almost exactly the same and we often wish that we could spend just one more night there.
What a wonderful place Michigan City was and is. There is one special thing to me....the first check that I ever received as a full time preacher was signed by brother James Alred on Feb. 1, 1959. Today in 2009 the church there helps to support us in our present ministry and the check they send each month is signed by brother James Alred. We are still blessed to go there almost every year and preach in a gospel meeting and it is one of the highlights of our year.
We had left Herman Junction less than one year before, planning to go back home but it has been fifty-one years and we have never lived at Herman Junction again.
Tuesday, May 19, 2009
MOVING ON: POST #64
It was a very hot day on August 22, 1958. I will never forget that day as long as I have my right mind. Late in the evening when it got a little cooler, My Lady and I along with my sister Linda and her husband got in their old 1949 Ford car and left Herman Junction. We drove to St. Louis where we spent a little time with Linda's brother-in-law and his wife before resuming our journey to Rochelle, Illinois to work in the Del Monte Company canning plant. We got lost on the way and spent some time on roads that we had never heard of and it was during a terrible thunderstorm. We began to wonder if we would ever make it to our destination.
Our plans were very simple. We would work at Del Monte for a few weeks and go back to Herman Junction, build a Jim Walter home on Dad's place, get a job at the Singer sewing machine plant in Truman, and live happily there until we went to heaven. I hadn't really thought about people going to heaven except the folks at Herman Junction and a few from Bay and Truman. Our plans and dreams were simple and we had no doubt that everything would work out perfectly for us. We even took very few clothes because we fully intended to be back to Herman Junction very shortly.
But, it was not to be. The Del Monte plant was slowly closing down because the harvest was almost over and they were not hiring additional workers. I don't know when nor why we decided to go over to Michigan City, Indiana where our oldest brother, C.W. and his wife lived, but that is what we did. Sister-In-law, Emmie worked at the M & M diner on the main street of Michigan City and we walked in unannounced to her surprise. Barbara ordered a Dr. Pepper and the whole place responded in laughter at that little ole Southern girl coming in there and ordering a Dr. Pepper. That didn't set too well with her either. We went on to 202 California Ave. where C. W. and Emmie lived right on the edge of Lake Michigan. I mean when you stepped out their door there was sand on the driveway and it was just a few steps to the beach.
What a wonderful place. We slept on pallets on the floor and wherever we could find a place to lay down.
I got my old job back at Weil-McClain, a company that manufactured boilers for heating systems in huge buildings and maybe even some smaller ones for homes. I loved working there until the snow came and it got extremely cold. I think that I have mentioned before how hard it was to go to work at 6:00 in the morning to shovel the snow off the sidewalks so the people who worked in the offices would not have to wade through it. It was a hard job but one that afforded My Lady and I the opportunity to soon move into our own apartment on Franklin St., the main street of the city. The building is standing there today and we love to drive by and see it. We asked one time if we could go up to the third floor and see it but they would not allow us to do so.
Soon, I was offered a job with a company, Independant Steel where I would work inside where it was warm and it even paid a little more than my job at Weil-McClain. Ray Brown was a good friend and he called and told us that the job was mine if I wanted it. I considered it for about two minutes and took off for home to go with him to work at 1:00 in the afternoon. I really liked that job. I went in at noon Indiana time and was back at home at 8:00 PM and I loved that. When I got home My Lady would have a great meal and I ate like a full grown hog and went to bed and before long I weighed 250 pounds and was still gaining.
I love Michigan City, Indiana to this day and go there every time we have the opportunity to do so. But, we missed Herman Junction so very much, especially My Lady. A truck driver came through one day and he had a stalk of cotton and she just looked at it and cried like a baby. Seeing it almost made me cry too but not for the same reason. It was March of 1959 before we got to go home for a visit and it was a delight for us both.
We have never lived at Herman Junction again but we have visited there hundreds of times and we still do as often as possible. Why don't we just go there right now?
Our plans were very simple. We would work at Del Monte for a few weeks and go back to Herman Junction, build a Jim Walter home on Dad's place, get a job at the Singer sewing machine plant in Truman, and live happily there until we went to heaven. I hadn't really thought about people going to heaven except the folks at Herman Junction and a few from Bay and Truman. Our plans and dreams were simple and we had no doubt that everything would work out perfectly for us. We even took very few clothes because we fully intended to be back to Herman Junction very shortly.
But, it was not to be. The Del Monte plant was slowly closing down because the harvest was almost over and they were not hiring additional workers. I don't know when nor why we decided to go over to Michigan City, Indiana where our oldest brother, C.W. and his wife lived, but that is what we did. Sister-In-law, Emmie worked at the M & M diner on the main street of Michigan City and we walked in unannounced to her surprise. Barbara ordered a Dr. Pepper and the whole place responded in laughter at that little ole Southern girl coming in there and ordering a Dr. Pepper. That didn't set too well with her either. We went on to 202 California Ave. where C. W. and Emmie lived right on the edge of Lake Michigan. I mean when you stepped out their door there was sand on the driveway and it was just a few steps to the beach.
What a wonderful place. We slept on pallets on the floor and wherever we could find a place to lay down.
I got my old job back at Weil-McClain, a company that manufactured boilers for heating systems in huge buildings and maybe even some smaller ones for homes. I loved working there until the snow came and it got extremely cold. I think that I have mentioned before how hard it was to go to work at 6:00 in the morning to shovel the snow off the sidewalks so the people who worked in the offices would not have to wade through it. It was a hard job but one that afforded My Lady and I the opportunity to soon move into our own apartment on Franklin St., the main street of the city. The building is standing there today and we love to drive by and see it. We asked one time if we could go up to the third floor and see it but they would not allow us to do so.
Soon, I was offered a job with a company, Independant Steel where I would work inside where it was warm and it even paid a little more than my job at Weil-McClain. Ray Brown was a good friend and he called and told us that the job was mine if I wanted it. I considered it for about two minutes and took off for home to go with him to work at 1:00 in the afternoon. I really liked that job. I went in at noon Indiana time and was back at home at 8:00 PM and I loved that. When I got home My Lady would have a great meal and I ate like a full grown hog and went to bed and before long I weighed 250 pounds and was still gaining.
I love Michigan City, Indiana to this day and go there every time we have the opportunity to do so. But, we missed Herman Junction so very much, especially My Lady. A truck driver came through one day and he had a stalk of cotton and she just looked at it and cried like a baby. Seeing it almost made me cry too but not for the same reason. It was March of 1959 before we got to go home for a visit and it was a delight for us both.
We have never lived at Herman Junction again but we have visited there hundreds of times and we still do as often as possible. Why don't we just go there right now?
SMART BOY FROM HERMAN JUNCTION: POST #63: May 19, 2009
We had some pretty intelligent people at Herman Junction when I was growing up. Dad said that Booie Woods had more 'common sense' than anyone that he knew even though Booie could not read nor write. My brother Rayburn won the Math award when he was graduating from high school so I guess he was a pretty smart old boy. My Dad seemed to be able to do anything that he wanted to like farming, carpentering, painting, rail-roading, gardening, and all kinds of things. As I got to thinking about this, shoot, we weren't a bunch of Dumb Bunnies down there.
But, I learned this week that I am lacking somewhat in Computer knowledge. My computer began doing a few things that I didn't tell it to do and would not allow me to do some things that I wanted to do. Marty was too busy so I called "The Computer Doctor" that I found listed in the telephone book. What a nice guy! He took my computer off on Wednesday and said that he would get it back to me on Thursday. He didn't! Barbara called him on Saturday and he told her to send me to his office and he would go over some of my problems and I would see why he needed to keep it a little longer. So, I went over there.
He began telling me all this stuff and clicking on things and telling me things but I didn't have a clue what he was talking about. He said that I didn't have enough Mega Bytes and I told him that my Doctor said that I had been having too many Mega Bites and that was why I had to take the medicine that he prescribed. He said that wasn't the kind of bites that he was talking about. He said that I really needed a GIG! I hadn't heard of a GIG in years and had never used one because I never hunted for frogs in my life and had no idea where to get a GIG! He said that wasn't what he was talking about either and that he would take care of it. He must have clicked on 500 buttons and things would pop up and he would click them off or sometimes he would say, "Uh, Huh" and go on to something else. He sat there and talked to that computer just like it was a real live person and it never answered him one time that I heard. He would tell it to do this or do that and sometimes it would and sometimes it wouldn't and he would ask it, "What in the world is wrong with you?" Since he could tell that I thought that The Computer Doctor needed a Doctor, he told me that I could go on so I did, thinking that if Booie was here he could probably fix that thing!
He brought it back to me and it is working faster and some better than when he took it, but the problem that prompted me to call him in the first place is just like it was when he got it. He said that I would have to call my ISP for that problem and I did and after about an hour they told me that I needed to call Microsoft. I have a call in now for Bill Gates and he will probably call back in a few minutes.
At Herman Junction we didn't have this problem. When something went wrong with a tractor or plow or something, Booie and Dad just fixed and went on with their work. Where did those simple days at Herman Junction go? I think that I'll just go back there today and get some of the fog in my head cleared up!
But, I learned this week that I am lacking somewhat in Computer knowledge. My computer began doing a few things that I didn't tell it to do and would not allow me to do some things that I wanted to do. Marty was too busy so I called "The Computer Doctor" that I found listed in the telephone book. What a nice guy! He took my computer off on Wednesday and said that he would get it back to me on Thursday. He didn't! Barbara called him on Saturday and he told her to send me to his office and he would go over some of my problems and I would see why he needed to keep it a little longer. So, I went over there.
He began telling me all this stuff and clicking on things and telling me things but I didn't have a clue what he was talking about. He said that I didn't have enough Mega Bytes and I told him that my Doctor said that I had been having too many Mega Bites and that was why I had to take the medicine that he prescribed. He said that wasn't the kind of bites that he was talking about. He said that I really needed a GIG! I hadn't heard of a GIG in years and had never used one because I never hunted for frogs in my life and had no idea where to get a GIG! He said that wasn't what he was talking about either and that he would take care of it. He must have clicked on 500 buttons and things would pop up and he would click them off or sometimes he would say, "Uh, Huh" and go on to something else. He sat there and talked to that computer just like it was a real live person and it never answered him one time that I heard. He would tell it to do this or do that and sometimes it would and sometimes it wouldn't and he would ask it, "What in the world is wrong with you?" Since he could tell that I thought that The Computer Doctor needed a Doctor, he told me that I could go on so I did, thinking that if Booie was here he could probably fix that thing!
He brought it back to me and it is working faster and some better than when he took it, but the problem that prompted me to call him in the first place is just like it was when he got it. He said that I would have to call my ISP for that problem and I did and after about an hour they told me that I needed to call Microsoft. I have a call in now for Bill Gates and he will probably call back in a few minutes.
At Herman Junction we didn't have this problem. When something went wrong with a tractor or plow or something, Booie and Dad just fixed and went on with their work. Where did those simple days at Herman Junction go? I think that I'll just go back there today and get some of the fog in my head cleared up!
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