Many people have influenced my growth as a person. I did not realize this until much later in life. Many people were involved, some individually, but all collectively whether they realized it or not. I recognize that anytime you mention someone, you run the risk of leaving out others. So I will apologize up front for those that I unintentionally leave out. Some of the people that had the most influence on me were my teachers. The same ones that many of you had. You know them. Most all of us had Mrs. Edna Baute in the first, Mrs. Brackett in the second and Mrs. Ward in the third. They laid the foundation for learning.
But what about some of the other activities? Do you remember the Bible Stories from Mrs. Hoskins? She made the rounds through the classes with her felt board. Remember how she would tell us the great Old Testament bible stories with heroes of the faith. I never got the chance to thank her properly. I have no idea if she is still alive. If not, I will thank her when we meet again in heaven.
Mrs. Adkins helped me discover and enjoy books from the school library, even though I wasn't very responsible in returning them on time. Books opened up a magical world to me. Some of the books that I read and enjoyed, were Robinson Crusoe, A Tale of Two Cities and the entire works of Sherlock Holmes. The author that had the greatest impact on me was Jesse Stuart, the poet laureate of Kentucky. I read all of his books that I could get. My favorite all-time book was his, "Hie to the Hunters." This was a book all mountain boys could relate to. I was also fascinated with a book about the first settlers that came to Harlan County. It was I believe, "Harlan County, A Dark and Bloody Ground."
I also have a special place in my heart for Mr. Maxwell, our band leader. Do you remember our band which he labeled, "The Biggest Sounding, Little Band in Kentucky." I feel very bad that I didn't personally thank him before he died.
Many of our teachers were also our friends and family members that we grew up with. Some were only a few years older than we were. People that come to mind were Pete Killgore, Bill Lee, Tuney and Pat Scott and Lanny and Carolyn Saylor. I should have paid more attention in their classes. Carolyn you don't know how much I wish I had followed your instructions in typing class, especially the one about not looking at my keys. I really need those skills today that you tried to impart to me then.
One person that deserves my eternal gratitude is Priscilla Nails. I don't want to embarrass her, but I need to publicly say thanks to her. My last couple of years in school, especially my senior year, was very hard. Times were hard and money was very short. She provided a lot of things that I would not have otherwise had, including a winter coat. I'm sure that she never knew how much I appreciated that. The coat she gave me belonged to her brother Wes. He never even realized it at the time. I didn't really know him when we were growing up. I later met him through work at United Parcel Service in Louisville. We have become very good friends. He also is a very generous person. It must be a family trait.
When I graduated from high school in 1964, there were not a lot of options open to me. I couldn't afford to go to college. I needed a job right away. The tragedy of our mountain economy is that there are no jobs for our youth. This means that families are ripped apart and friendships are lost when people move away to seek their fortune. One thing is for sure; this builds a hardy and industrious people. Some who leave, and others who scrape out an existence any way they can.
Others in the community that had a big impact on me were people in the church. I grew up in the Wallins Baptist Church. I mean that a big portion of my life was centered around church activities. I was baptized into the fellowship at the church by Pastor Roscoe Douglas when I was eight years old. I have never moved my letter from that church, and I probably never will. I am still a member of that fellowship, even if only on the books.
This church held a lot of memories for me. Pastors came and went as they are subject to do. This was especially hard when you are friends with their kids. I remember the Daves'. They had daughters, Hope and Muriell. Do you remember them? I really hated it when they left town. I have recently reconnected with them. They lost their father, Rev. W.M. Daves, in 2005. They are living in Mississippi and Alabama. They were able to come to back to Wallins a couple of years ago to attend the reunion at the school during Labor Day.
As a kid in the church, I remember special times we had. The watch services on New Year's Eve. We would stay up late in the church to ring in the New Year. The games we played in the basement, including shuffleboard. The Christmas Plays we had each year. As you can see, all the memories I have are centered around activities, not content. Even though I heard many preacher's sermons, I can't tell you too much about them. But I think that even though I was not aware of this, God hid these things in my heart. He used everything at a later time to reveal himself to me. God is so good. I remember some of the music also. Even today when I hear songs that we sung from the old hymnals, I can remember the words. I recall some of the people in the church that were often called on to sing. Bernard Wood and Pat Scott were a couple of my favorites. Mrs. Boone was called on for one song that I remember. It was "In the Garden." A big song for such a little old lady.
