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- [S24] The Newport Plain Talk, (http://www.newportplaintalk.com), 14 Dec 2008.
Just Plain Talk - I heard from your friends
Snow in flurries and mountain top covering created a pre-Christmas atmosphere with winter yet a week away in our hometown, slipping to the shortest day of the year.
From time to time I hear from readers who comment on the column, as happened last month. Maybe you know these folks. One was Belinda (Hall) Hilliard, who lives in Greenville, SC. I agree with her that what the Plain Talk does best is "paint a wonderful picture of the people of Cocke County." She is the granddaughter of Singing Sam Hall, who I lost track of years ago. Her parents were James Robert and Ollie (Murr) Hall. So, it is no surprise that Iva Lee Rathbone and Vivian Barnes are cousins. She shared a bit of family history for you genealogists: "When I did research to compile the Hall history book a few years ago, I found that we are related in two or three ways. We knew our Dads were first cousins but didn't know of the other connections through the Ellisons. My maternal grandmother was Emaline Ellison." Belinda recalls the column when we visited Kenneth Presnell, who makes a blueberry concoction to help his wife suffering from Alzheimer's disease. An article she came across on the Internet, www.naturalnews.com, seems to confirm that Kenneth is on the right track. Being from here, she is familiar with kudzu and says that, one day, doctors may discover it cures cancer. Her family tells the story that one of the aunts brought a kudzu cutting from SC to Hartford and that's how it all got started. Many years ago, I did a promotion for the newspaper using kudzu as the theme: "We cover Cocke County like kudzu." I recall that artist Joan Beaver did some kudzu artwork. Belinda also prompted me to see that the many local community news columns we publish get posted on our newportplaintalk.com Website, which we now do. As she aptly and correctly says, "The columns give an interesting account of life in a small town. The columns are full of news, and the columnists show concern for their neighbors. They celebrate good times together, and at times, cry and comfort neighbors. When life gets awful busy, it is so nice to sit a spell and visit communities in the columns."
Another popular use of our Internet service is the obituary information from local funeral homes such as Manes, Brown, and Costner-Maloy. Clara Gaskins wrote about the Timmy Bryant death notice. He lived not far from me off Lower English Creek Rd. and died unexpectedly some months ago. She was hoping to see a photo of him on our Website, but we did not have one and not all obituaries do have photos. We encourage family members and funeral homes to use photos because these are so important for us to remember. I was saddened to hear that my long-time neighbor James Edward Bryant died this month. It seems that just yesterday he was busy helping folks at the Newport Post Office. I remember him as a hard worker with a good sense of humor, and he will be missed by many. By the way, Clara was in the military and is from here, her mother being Reva Ramsey. It was my privilege to photograph many of the family members and get their faces and names into the Plain Talk. Clara retired from the Army in 2004 but still works for the military as a civilian. The Gaskins family makes their home in Sierra Vista, Arizona.
Another reader in early December got reconnected with a former schoolmate after reading "Just Plain Talk," when we featured Marine Trey Jones and his family from Newport. Rachel (Lunsford) Hester went to school with Donna Jones, sometime in the early 1990s. Rachel is not originally from Newport but Florida and moved here in 1987. Her mother lives in Bybee and it was she who married into the Lunsford family. Rachel and Donna attended high school together and then were friends for a short time at Carson-Newman College. Rachel went into the Air Force and lost track of Donna about 17 years ago. I passed the information to the Jones family and hope they were able to reconnect.
Let me return to share some more information that Belinda sent to me along with the photo today. She reminded me that we met at John Edsel Green's birthday dinner last year. Looking at the photo you would not believe she is 57 and much younger than her siblings. Furman is 22 years older; Bea, 20 years older; Mildred, 18 years older and Faye, almost 15 years older. So, it is possible to be an aunt when you are a year old. She grew up with the grandchildren. "Delbert Hall, brother of Olin Hall, is one of those who can tell wonderful stories. We received a call this week from Olin and Ruth that Delbert had surgery on Wednesday and he has cancer. We go to Hall's Top each October, and Delbert has entertained the group with some funny stories and
interesting history. Family stories need to be recorded," she said, and I agree. I will share some she sent with you soon and, as promised, give you a tour of the Arvis and Yvonne Keys home, which I photographed on Sat. If it could talk, their 72-year-old home could recount much of time past. Some other stories I wandered across include more counterfeit bills about town. National Bank of Tenn. branch manager Ruthie West and I chatted on Friday about this problem and she showed me the black light machine used to detect bogus bills. You will see a photo of this soon. Another story may never be told but it should be and concerns George Ralph Trent. He is an amazing woodworker who built a Biblical themed piece of furniture. If you know him, see if you can urge him to share this story with my readers.
In plain talk, among the great gifts we can give to one another is to share the stories of our families, stressing how we overcome and positively influence those along this meandering road.
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Abt 1951 - (~ 73 years)
, d. 11 Nov 1998 (Age ~ 91 years)