Reflections
Conversations About Old Times With Old Friends
By Charles Cooper
Hello everyone. Hope you’re having a good week. As I always do, I’d like to acknowledge some readers I heard from this week. Jim Allen is always good for an interesting email and Barbara Brown sent a long complimentary email which is always appreciated. Barbara said that her mother worked at the old Rice-Stix and she and her husband operated a car lot on #315 West. Barbara, I hope to meet you in person some day and I hope you will let me hear from you from time to time.
Winfred McCain called me from his home in Shoreline, Washington in the Seattle area and we had a long conversation going over old times. I hadn’t heard from him in a long time and it was good to know he is doing all right. Gloria Gardner sent me a hand written letter which is always appreciated. Gloria is currently in rehab as a result of a stroke and she says she is making good progress. She is one of my first correspondents when I started writing this column along with Cathy Ward and Teresia Olivis. On a personal note, I graduated from a walker to a cane last Monday and the therapist says I should discard the cane in a couple of weeks. Again I want to thank all of you for your prayers and calls and letters. I also talked on the phone to Josie Simpson and was glad to hear that he won’t have to undergo the surgical procedure he mentioned in our last conversation.
He has started a new treatment and he says he already feels better. Josie was the president of our senior class and a long time friend and I’m glad he is doing better. I just realized that I knew Jeanette when we both were at Camp Ground before we transferred to Water Valley, and friends, that’s many years ago. They both are fine people and I’m proud to call them my friends.
I notice these days that it seems that people have a way of taking things out of context and using it to fit their own agenda and I think that is unfortunate. I know first amendment rights but that reminds me of a story. A man had just gotten his citizenship papers and he was so happy that he started waving his hands and struck his neighbor in the nose. An argument ensued and the man said, “I have a right to wave my arms.” His neighbor replied, “but your rights end where my nose begins.”
I just saw on the internet that Charlton Heston has died. I don’t know about you but when I read about Moses in the Bible, I think that Mr. Heston’s face comes to mind. When I wrote about Main street prior to WW11 I failed to mention the Walter Hunter Standard Oil station which was located between the Masonic Temple and Howard Kelly’s Gulf station. Mr. Hunter late was City Clerk for many years and Johnny Crumby owned the station for a long time.
I recently learned of the death of John Lynn Crumby and I remembered at a funeral some years ago this man walked up to me and said, “I’m John Lynn Crumby” and we had a long conversation. We rode the same school bus to Camp Ground for many years.
Received a nice note from Mr. Paul Parker reminding me that I’d left out the Parker Building when making my journey down Main Street in the last two columns. Mr. Parker’s writes, “Dear Charles, We were very surprised that you did not mention the largest store front in Water Valley, Parker’s 5 & 10 Ben Franklin. We came to Water Valley in 1936 to open on the corner of Main and Wagner Streets. I went to war for three years with Mrs. Parker managing. We continued the store while I served as Postmaster of Water Valley, finally selling out. P.S. Lawyer Kimmons was over our building and not over Claude Terry’s.”
I apologize for omitting your building, Mr. Parker. Thanks for writing to jog my memory.
Someone told me that they had an email that didn’t go through and I thought I’d go over it again.
Be sure that it is all lower case and no spaces and you should have no problem as I get emails every day. The address is charlescooper3616@sbcglobal.net or write me at P.O. Box 613189 Memphis, Tn 38101 and have a great week.
