My best memory of Fred McKinney is him sitting in his office chair figuring up my bill. He always took a minute to visit with me. He had walked me through the 4-H chickens project a couple of of timea and he always encouraged me to do the Brightwater correspondent column. He knew that small communities soon lost their flavor and personalities after they lost one room school houses, churches and post offices.
It bothers me that Joe Pitts was the only one who remembered the Newburg community. That is where the Roney fruit market and Codling Corner used to be located.
One time when I mentioned that the last of Brightwater must be Wanda Bennett, Imogene Stanford, John Miser and myself, Fred acknowledged each name with a nod, but also told me he knew when we moved here. He thought maybe he was on the School Board then, but he knew that a junior high student (Allen) had moved into the Pea Ridge District in 1921. But, it was the student's new address that interested him. He wanted to know who had sold property on Sugar Creek Road. I'm proud of have known him.
Mary Higgens Clark wrote "May the road rise up to meet you." It did just that when I sat down on the bleachers to watch a junior high scrimmage against Greenland. Thomas is gone to college at Rolla and Conner is the last of my eight grandsons to play football.
My son and daughter are taking me to Iowa to celebrate my sister's 90th birthday. She likes to tell the story of how traumatized she was for 10 days because after my dad dropped her at the grandparent's house, she thought he had given her away. She thought they didn't like her any more. When our Uncle Dale came and told her about a new baby sister and he would take her home to see it, she didn't care a stitch about the sister. It was the words, take you home that she heard. It shows the difference in the generations. That generation didn't talk to or explain anything. Now days, kids are clued into about everything.
I can't do anything about the stock market or the fire out west. So I raise a little prayer for the people involved.
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Editors note: Edith Lammey has been a resident of the area for nearly 40 years. She can be contacted through The Times at 451-1196 or [email protected].
Editorial on 09/02/2015