Reflections

Hello everyone, hope you’re having a good week. And, I hope you are looking forward to this year’s Watermelon carnival which will only be a week away when you read this.  
As they do every year, Edward and Virginia Scan-lon will host an open house for all the class reunions at The Little Professionals day care at 521 North Court street. They are looking forward to a large crowd.  
As all of you know, this column has covered past Water Valley history and profiles of people who were a part  of it over the last 150 years. This year we have planned to interview people who are still with us with an emphasis on some who have moved back to the Valley.
When I was going through therapy at Corner-stone recently, I met a great couple, David and Trish Holman,  who moved here about 18 months ago. In our conversations, I learned that neither had ever lived here before but Trish, who was raised in Grenada, remembered visiting her uncle, Doke French here. David retired from The Air National Guard and Trish from Baptist Hospital Corporate offices two years ago.  
We discovered that we had a mutual connection as we learned that my good  friend, Bobby Schnitz, is her cousin. I also learned that David has a  connection back to his great-grandmother with the Holman family  who for generations had the funeral home in Newbern, Tenn.
It so happened that I had met Fala Holman, daughter of Elmer Holman when Johnny Middleton and I were there on  a funeral. I also met Eddie Johnson, who bought the funeral home when Mr. Holman died. So as the old saying goes, “It’s a small world.”  
David and Trish particularly like the business layouts on Main Street and how people speak even if they don’t know you—but then that’s always been Water Valley.  
They attend the Church Of Christ and also are good friends to David Freeman, pastor of First Christian.  
Water Valley is indeed lucky to have great people like the Hol-mans deciding to make this their home and I’m proud to call them my friends.  
As a foot note to all this, I would like to congratulate my good friend, Jack Gurner Jr. for probably the best picture ever of Main Street Water Valley.
The photo appeared on the front of last week’s paper. People have actually told me that if he should ever enlarge it they would like one for their home. Jack is tops in his field and I’m proud to be associated with him.
Let me hear from you either by writing to me at the Herald or by my email cncooper1@hotmail.com and have a great week.