Can five months have fallen from the calendar since I last sat down at the keyboard for a one-sided "conversation" with you from the Miles' Files? It is very apparent that my ability to keep track of time is deteriorating and I know that can't solely be my fault. This disappearance of time is a conundrum . . . a broken timepiece is the only likely answer. Usually when a watch or clock is faulty it loses time or simply stops. But my timepiece seems to be moving faster than the electric meter on a scorching hot summer day. Have you ever watched one of those meters spin out of control? Makes me dizzy, or is that the fumes from this glass of scotch sitting in front of me? I find myself buried in a landslide of time and life events that I've had difficulty in crawling out from under. I'm confident that most all of you find yourselves in similar plight from time to time. Such is life. So it goes.
I took my love, I took it down
Climbed a mountain and I turned around
I saw my reflection in the snow covered hills
Till the landslide brought me down
We spend life climbing onward and upward pausing only occasionally to look back down the path to recount the accomplishments and the setbacks. When I take the time to stop and reflect on life's journey it is not the successes and failures that jump from my heart into my mind, but it is the faces of the people who helped me succeed and those who comforted me when I failed that I see with mind's eye. Last month Major League Baseball acknowledged the sixtieth anniversary of Jackie Robinson's breaking the color barrier when he joined the Brooklyn Dodgers line-up on April 15, 1947. Jackie Robinson's stepping onto that baseball diamond sixty years ago changed not only his life, but the lives of countless others, both black and white, to follow. What did Robinson learn from this experience? I believe the answer to that question is found in his own words, which are inscribed upon his tombstone . . . "A life is not important except in the impact it has on other lives." So it goes.
Jackie Robinson's life is certainly stamped with importance, but his is not the only life so noted. Reflect. Reflect upon those lives that have left impressions upon your heart. May I recount the names of a few who impacted life as I know it?
"'Tis good will that makes intelligence." These most appropriate words attributed to Ralph Waldo Emerson appear below the senior class photo of Rebecca Cathey in the 1970 Lakeside yearbook. Becky's very being was marked by "good will" and, if indeed goodwill begets intelligence then Becky Cathey was one of the smartest individuals I have ever known. I'm confident that those of us in the Newport High School class of 1970 had little appreciation for the close friendships we enjoyed as a litter of young pups attending school together in the late '50s and throughout the '60s. Our class has been extremely fortunate that those friendships have grown stronger as the years have melted away. Becky has been a leader in bringing our classmates together from time to time and in assuring our strong bond. I am thankful for her efforts. Even though she had a quite, well mannered, unassuming quality about her, she stood out from the crowd. Our class voted her "best dressed" in its Who's Who acknowledgments. Becky Cathey was the total package. Her family asked her NHS classmates to be honorary pallbearers at her memorial service after she succumbed to cancer in early April. Just as we all stood together as high school seniors on a spring day in 1970 exiting our youth, we once again stood alongside Becky in body and in spirit as she exited this life. Becky Cathey Landreth leaves her husband, Bill, daughter Nicole, son Will, her mother Geneva Cathey, and her sister Debbie Collie (NHS Class of '72) in addition to her many friends. She was my classmate, my neighbor and my friend. I was able to visit Becky in the hospital in early February when we shared some tears and some laughter. She had the sweetest laugh! While Becky has left this life, she has not left my heart.
Since our last time together in this forum two "young" men departed this life who left favorable impressions on me. Steven Rutledge (NHS Class of '66) was not someone I knew well in our youth, but he was one of those "older" students who I admired from my place on one of the lower rungs on the ladder of school hierarchy. I came to know Steven better when I returned to Newport in the 1980s. He was a well respected farmer and businessman. Newport and Arkansas will miss his leadership. Bill Lindsey (Class of '67) was one I knew much better as a youngster since his "little" sister Lou was in my class. The Lindsey family moved from Newport the summer following Bill's junior year and he graduated from Wilson High School. Banking provided the opportunity for our paths to cross again later in life. Bill was executive vice president and senior lending officer with First National Bank in Crossett. Crossett and Arkansas will miss his leadership. In recent years Bill has been a regular correspondent with the Miles' Files. I will miss his friendly phone calls and email messages. So it goes.
Parents of many friends have also passed from this life in the past few months. Those whose names are etched upon my heart include Ernestine Keedy, Helen Long, Betty Taylor, Ed Madison and Bruce Brantley. My memories of them live on in their children......
I went to church with Mrs. Keedy and she was one to keep a watchful eye on every child. She wrote the most thoughtful notes to those for whom she cared and I have many in my possession I hold as keepsakes. After many a Miles' Files I would find a beautiful handwritten note from Mrs. Keedy expressing her thoughts and appreciation. A few weeks back I was in Newport going through some old files at my parents' home and ran across a sweet and caring letter Mrs. Keedy had sent to my dad when he was hospitalized in Houston in 1971. My dad and Bill Keedy, Sr. (Mrs. Keedy's late husband) enjoyed a long and special friendship. I placed that long lost letter among my keepsakes and received the news of her death the very next day. This past Friday I watched her grandson, Billy Keedy, receive his diploma from the Barret School of Banking in Memphis where I sit on the Board of Regents. I thought of the long time friendship our families have shared and I smiled.
Betty Taylor was my eighth grade history teacher at Newport Junior High School. She peaked my curiosity about people and events from times passed and instilled in me a keen interest in history. I am an incessant reader and most enjoy picking up biographies of interesting characters and historically based fiction for my reading pleasure. I believe I learned a good bit in Mrs. Taylor's class despite having to put up with Linda Matthews sitting beside me and being distractive (I'm sure Linda remembers those times in the same light). Thank you Mrs. Taylor. I will miss you.
Bruce Brantley worked at the post office in Newport for many years. We had regular conversation there in the '80s after I had returned "home" to enter banking. I always enjoyed and appreciated the banter. Thank you Bruce for being my friend. I will miss you.
Helen Long and Ed Madison left their marks on my soul through their children. Bobby Long and Phil Madison (both members of the NHS Class of '68) were (and are) good friends in my mischievous high school days. Today both Bobby and Phil stay in touch fairly often and I attribute that to sound parental influence as well as the friendships we share. I have fond memories of Mrs. Long assisting me at the family owned jewelry store and Mr. Madison kidding around with me at church as only he could do. I will miss them both.
Losing one's parent is the natural order of things. The death of a child is always punctuated by questions without answers. Good friends Marcia and Zack Curtner's oldest daughter Jennifer passed from this life at the end of March from injuries sustained in an auto accident. She was 22. I knew Jennifer all of her wondrous life. She was always the thoughtful and courteous young girl. From my vantage point she had a serious style about her with an ever present glimmer in her eye reflecting mischievous ambition very similar to the way I am reminded of her father, her uncle Clay and aunts Melissa and Jennifer. Two pictures of Jennifer prominently displayed at her funeral will remain with me as I remember her. One depicted her as a toddler in the garments of an angel with a slightly crooked halo which bespeaks that vision I have of her as a serious mischief maker. The other was taken of her as a young adult at a microphone in front of a picture of Elvis Presley in the old recording studio of Sun Records in Memphis. Jennifer may have been an Elvis fan, I'm not sure, but I do know that Elvis had that serious mischief maker persona much like the one I saw Jennifer possessing. I stood in front of that very same microphone this past week at Sun Records and thought of Jennifer's smile. I smiled with misty eyes.
It is also tough to say farewell to a beloved pet. Aging and illness caught up with Tipper, our thirteen year old Schnauzer, who was wife Kathryn's number one pal. She had battled diabetes and blindness the last two years and smiling with the wag of her tail had noticeably slowed in the last few months. She crossed over the "rainbow bridge" into pet paradise a couple of weeks back. Tipper, our house feels empty without you.
I would be remiss in not mentioning two others whose words have had influence on me. I never met either David Halberstam or Kurt Vonnegut, but both men let me know them through their writings. I first read books by both of these noted authors when a teenager.
David Halberstam delivered the stories of real people and events with prolific style. His The Fifties is an outstanding chronicle of that decade into which the NHS Class of 1970 was born. Also, The Best and the Brightest brings excellent insight into the Vietnam conflict and October 1964 is a revealing account of the 1964 World Series between the St. Louis Cardinals and the New York Yankees played when I was twelve years old. My collection of baseball memorabilia includes a prized autographed ball from this 1964 world championship Cardinals team. Halberstam died in an auto accident in April. His books live on.
On the other hand, Kurt Vonnegut was a novelist and satirist with a somewhat twisted view of the world formed from real life experiences like being a prisoner of war in World War II and his mother committing suicide on Mother's Day. Vonnegut's writing style probably influences me more than I realize. Not knowing much about creative writing, I'm not certain I can describe it or explain it. So it goes. My first introduction to Vonnegut was Slaughterhouse Five published in 1969. Slaughterhouse Five introduced us to Billy Pilgrim who was "unstuck in time" allowing him to visit and revisit different times of his life in random and haphazard order. I often find myself "unstuck in time" when thinking of my life. So it goes. Vonnegut frequently used the catch phrase "so it goes" in Slaughterhouse Five as comic relief for "downer" moments and as explanation for things unable to be explained. I couldn't say it better myself. Go out and pick up a Vonnegut book as a map to becoming "unstuck in time." In addition to Slaughterhouse Five, I recommend Slapstick and Breakfast of Champions. Mr. Vonnegut, I'm glad I will have your words to accompany me on the rest of life's journey.
Death is a step on the road of life. It is perhaps the best place from which we can view the entire journey. The death of a loved one, a dear friend, a mentor, a person unknown yet admired is often a time for reflection. Of course the only reflection you can truly see is your own. And that reflection is your life and it is unique and wonderful. Whether you find your reflection in "snow covered hills," in a crystal clear lake, in a gilded mirror, in the stars in the sky, in the wag of dog's tail, in the smile of child, or in the eyes of a lover is not important. What is important is that you find the time to reflect and remember. It will help you embrace the future.
Oh, mirror in the sky
What is love
Can the child within my heart rise above
Can I sail through the changing ocean tides
Can I handle the seasons of my life
At this stage day to day life is much like the seasons of the year we experience in Arkansas. This past month I turned 55 (as did several long time friends not to be named so that they can continue basking in their youthful remembrances). There are days when I feel like it is early Spring and then there are times when I know it is clearly Autumn. In Arkansas it can "feel" like it is Spring and the next day can bring a Winter freeze. So it goes.
To remain "unstuck in time" I seek out events and people that can allow me to visualize the future and to better experience the past. For instance, in January Kathryn and I attended many of the events of the Inauguration of Arkansas Governor Mike Beebe (NHS Class of '64). Attending these inaugural activities was a homecoming of sorts. Everywhere I turned there was a familiar Newport face in the crowd. Seeing State Treasurer Martha Shoffner, Robin Sibley, Jane Roberts Parnell, JoAnn Biggadike Drew, Ron Michaels, Kenneth Grady, Jamie Darling and others at the ball was rejuvenating. We had good conversation with Sally and Jim McLarty and Steve Kelley at State Auditor Jim Wood's office. And of course watching Mike Beebe step into our state's highest office was comforting and reassuring. A landslide of emotions came down upon me. I know the future of Arkansas is in good hands.
Kathryn and I also went to see Leon Russell in concert at the end of March in a small theatre in Bull Shoals that probably holds about 400 people. Great show! The master of space and time has not lost his touch. Songs like "Delta Lady," "A Song for You," "Hummingbird," and "Jumpin' Jack Flash" took me back in a heartbeat to the early '70s when I saw Leon on several occasions with college friends. I'm thinking the last time I saw Leon was in 1976, at least I have a ticket stub from that gig. So it goes.
Reflections of life can be found in things with non-reflective quality. In my closet hangs a small green and white striped jacket I wore in a dance recital about age ten while going to Miss Bobbie Sibley's School of Dance. I'm thinking this jacket was worn in a jazz routine with my sister. Each time I see this jacket out of the corner of my eye I am back on the studio dance floor on South Walnut Street in Newport practicing new tap steps. I have recently reconnected with Miss Bobbie via email and I appreciate her thoughtful counsel today much more than I did when I was in her dance class. Watching "Dancing with the Stars" on television in present day makes me wish I had continued to take lessons from Miss Bobbie for more years than I did.
On my bookshelf at home is a pair of baseball cleats that takes me back to game days at Memorial Field in Newport alongside teammates Cledy Pollard, Steve Ahart and Mickey Doyle. Further up on the shelf is an old canteen used on frequent campouts with friends Clay Wright, Donny Appleton, Gene Bennett and Kenny Thaxton. In a shadow box on the wall is my Eagle Scout pin awarded me the same day pals Clay Wright, Terry Scoggins, and Eddy Scoggins received theirs. My Scoutmasters Bob Guthrie and Van Manning always come to mind when I look upon that Eagle. In the drawer of my nightstand is a leather pouch filled with marbles held many times over in the hands of neighborhood buddies David Sibley, Donny Appleton and Jerry Ashley. How life changes around you yet reflects exactly who you are!
Well I've been afraid of changing
Cause I've built my life around you
But time makes you bolder
Children get older
I'm getting older too
While I have bounced around the state of Arkansas in my working life, my life is grounded in the values embraced as a child in Newport. One might say my life is built around those values. The people of Newport are important to me regardless of where they hang their hat today. Earlier I mentioned watching Billy Keedy receive his diploma at the Barret School of Banking in Memphis. At that graduation ceremony I saw several Newport friends. Terry and Debbie Dillon, Jim and Nita Gowen, Thelma Ruddell Welch, Carla Stiger, and Sheridan Cole were there to watch fellow Merchants & Planters Bank employee Leslie Lowery receive her diploma. And I saw Harry Mack Adams for the first time in more years than I can count. Harry Mack is working in financial services in Marion and is a student at Barret. Two of my associates at First National Bank & Trust in Mountain Home, Sammie Smith and Brenda Dover, also graduated from Barret this week. Sammie finished number one in her class. Friends supporting friends, new and old.
Children do get older. Earlier this month grandson Oliver celebrated his first birthday. When I see my reflection in his smile there is no finer feeling. Watching Kathryn being a grandmother transcends time for me. A landslide of love overcomes us each time Oliver is in our presence. I'm sure others who are grandparents know this feeling since their grandbaby stories are of similar theme. My gift to Oliver on his first birthday, a George Kell autographed baseball of course. The ball serves as an introduction to one of my passions and connects the generations through relationships important to me.
I'm getting older too. Self reflection is a good and necessary thing. As the days of life pass by (albeit all too quickly) I am having more and more difficulty recognizing myself regardless from where my reflection stares back at me. But on those days when I do slow down and take a good look at myself I like what I see and appreciate what I've learned. The hint of gray at my temples reminds me a bit of my father. The lines at the corners of my eyes bespeak an experienced point of view that can temper my thoughts on some subjects. My all too graying moustache allows me to laugh a bit at my human condition in that I grew this moustache at age nineteen to give myself a more mature look; keeping it may indicate that "I've been afraid of changing" even though I pride myself in being a change agent. The small deep oval scar on my left cheek reminds me of my good fortune in surviving a pretty serious auto accident in the summer of 1973. The burn scars on my left arm serve as a cautious reminder that going forward with a project without concern for surrounding conditions is foolish. All these things remind me that age and maturity do not progress at the same rate. The smile on my face reflects the love I have for my wife, my family and my friends. Each beat of my heart reminds me that Newport was a wonderful place in which to grow up. A recent conversation with Terry Long Bogle (NHS Class of '71) following the death of her mother made me realize that the Newport of today is an equally good place in which to grow up. While the landscape may be somewhat different, the people of Newport remain a caring people. A good place to live is determined by the relationships built and nurtured there.
Our relationships are our smile makers and our heart breakers. The song "Landslide" was penned by Stevie Nicks in 1975 following a broken love affair. Its words are reflective of separation from a relationship whether it be from a break-up, a divorce, a death, or a simple difference in time and space. You can also find smiles in the midst of the lyrics, in the self reflection. So it goes.
Recent smile makers worthy of note . . . Mary Wynne Parker Perryman has rebounded strong for the third time in her bout with ovarian cancer. Her latest good news is that her ca125 blood test marker is well below the point of concern at a "perfect 10." Victor Proffitt has entered the auto racing world and is currently racing in the limited late model class. He has been in the top ten in every race this season and was chosen feature driver of the week in mid-April. Victor is enjoying beating all the "kids" on the track. Kathy Woodruff Pearce was chosen Teacher of the Month of May in the Newport Special School District. John Sink has a new band making the nightclub circuit in Dallas. The group is Cycle 7 and their song list includes many of our old favorites performed by the Mystic Blues back in another time. Freeman Travis' daughter Kristin was married to Aaron Simpson in March. Freeman has recently shared some tunes he recorded in the '70s with me . . . and those songs are real smile makers! In February Jenetta Ashley was presented with her sixth grandchild, Ayden Bradley Pearson. Jeannie Rogers Blackburn and husband Charles announce the birth of their first grandchild, Katherine Elise Blackburn, in March. I bet she will be able to throw a pretty mean curveball like her grandpa when she is old enough to play Little League. Peggy Cox Hayes has grandchild number two in her presence. Owen Neil Hayes was born earlier this month and some health issues have kept him in the hospital for an extended stay. May your prayers accompany him as his little life unfolds. Marvin Hare and Lynne Minor are getting married in Newport on June 2. I regret I will be unable to attend, but will lift a glass high in celebration. Cheers!!! On June 14 wife Kathryn and I will celebrate our tenth anniversary. Talking about a time machine malfunction . . . it seems as if it were just yesterday that our friendship caught aflame and we found ourselves in a landslide of love.
Oh, take my love, take it down
Climb a mountain and turn around
If you see my reflection in the snow covered hills
Well the landslide will bring it down
Today is Memorial Day. Reflect and remember. Remember the brave men and women of our nation's armed forces who have fought and died for the freedoms we enjoy. I ask special remembrance for those serving our armed forces today under the able leadership of Major General James Eddie Simmons (NHS Class of '69) who is serving as Deputy Commanding General of the Multi-National Corps in Iraq. James Eddie, thank you for your service!
Remember all those who have departed this life. Remember your teachers. Remember our government leaders. Remember the children. Remember your friends. Remember family. Remember yesterday, enjoy today, imagine tomorrow.
Where will I find my reflection today? When you are "unstuck in time" it could be anywhere. It could be in the bright red reflector on the back of that brand new Schwinn bicycle I got on my seventh birthday in 1959. It could be in the shiny chrome bumper of the 1957 Chevy that Bruce and John Pennington owned. It could be in the store front window of the Ben Franklin Store as I peered in to see if new baseball cards had arrived. It could be in the eyes of a friend. It could be in the ice cubes that are slowly melting in the two fingers of scotch sitting at my fingertips. It would be nice if the days would melt away from the calendar as slowly as these ice cubes are dwindling under the "heat" of this scotch whiskey. But that takes me back to the beginning . . . these days are speeding by much like I envision Victor Proffitt in his race car. It is apparent I need a new timepiece. Maybe John Cameron Swayze can deliver a reliable Timex. I believe an old Timex is the ticket . . . my life has taken a few lickings, but it keeps on ticking! So it goes.
I will close this Miles' Files in remembering a couple of lines from Leon Russell's "A Song for You."
I love you in a place where there's no space or time
I love you for my life, you are a friend of mine
May you be "unstuck in time." I wish you a landslide of memories! I wish you love and laughter! I'm Miles from nowhere . . . . . guess I'll take my time!
joe
