You have just read a smattering (the perfect word for it) of a hundred and
twenty page biography I started in 1989 while living in Albuquerque. (my
favorite city) So you might say I've been writing it since Hector was a
pup. Actually a project like this becomes so addictive that it is difficult
to put the pencil down. Then you spend a portion of the night thinking
about what you are going to write next.
This started as a biography of my parents, but after dredging the backwoods
of my mind, I realized early on that there really wasn't that much that I
knew about my parents. So, I thought this would be a short bio, indeed, if
I didn't use an awful lot of filler. So I've taken the liberty of including
all of the family members and a few of the local citizens and how we lived,
worked and played.
Pop died on 9 January 1962, in the small liquor store where he played
countless games of "ole sol", roasted his in-shell peanuts on top of his
gas heating stove, enjoyed a lot of cornbread and buttermilk, greeted and
passed the time of day with his many friends, and people that he had met
for the first time. He was a hometown fixture for over thirty-one years,
befriending many people during his lifetime. He died of a massive heart
attack at closing time or the next morning, after opening for business. It
was never determined which was the case. It was a very cold night with few
people out and about. Chill Lancaster was the last person to see Pop alive.
He had asked Pop that night if he could have the photograph of Dan Patch
(race horse) that hung on the front wall of the store. Dan patch was the
most famous race (harness) horse of all time. He never lost a race and
eventually had to compete against his own record. Pop being the generous
type that he was, told him that he could, not realizing that it would be so
soon. Pop's one burial request was that he be buried in a yellow suit. A
request that Glenn had either forgotten, ignored or he was unable to locate
a yellow suit. The request always seemed a little strange to me, but no one
ever said that Pop was an average bear.
He had the house painted passionate pink before it was painted fire engine
red. So I guess that it wasn't so unusual that he requested to be buried in
a yellow suit. I rest assured that many people have fond memories of him
with suspenders helping to support his rotund stomach, (he never wore a
belt with his suspenders, as some men did) his hat with the brim turned up,
frame-less octagonal glasses, diamond stickpin in the front of his shirt
and a large stogie in his mouth. Pop never let any hair grow on his face
and I can't recall Glenn ever trying to cultivate facial hair. Although,
Pop did let his hair grow a bit longish at times which had wide waves,
flecked with gray that he loved to comb with a fine-tooth comb. With all of
his flaws, faults and failings Pop was still a treasure.
All of the original buildings are gone today. To include the two Taverns,
liquor store, house and theater. Both the tavern and liquor store had false
fronts like the buildings in the old westerns. It was learned a few years
after the second tavern was torched that the retarded son of a neighbor had
started the fires to destroy the evil spirits. Which he did along with
everything else. The liquor store burned while Claudie, Pat and Marty still
lived in the red house which burned after they moved. The theater had been
converted into a grocery store by the Williams family and burned in the mid
eighties. The cement for the store can still be seen at Second and Plum (it
was called Plum because it was a choice street that went plum through
town). That's it, kids!
If this makes sense, I owe thanks to Carol, my wife and Mary Hudson for
editing it into much better form. Thanks, girls.
This biography was never considered for the general public so I trust that
anyone mentioned will accept it in the spirit for which I intended.
Charles Lee McClure
August 30, 2003
Owasso, Oklahoma
|
