High and Dry in Wrangell
Duane Bell was thirteen years old when his dad decided to leave his wife and five kids to fend for themselves in Modesto, California. The mother took a job waitressing while Duane’s uncle, Bill Bell, went about finding his older brother’s whereabouts. Eventually, Bill discovered that his brother Gilbert had moved to the southeastern tip of Alaska, to the commercial fishing community of Wrangell. So, in the summer of 1972, Bill (then...
Song of Scampy
Although I loved Lil and Tom, I was somewhat discomfited when they insisted I meet Scampy, a displaced squirrel who recently had relocated to their back yard. How could they know small rodents made me uneasy? However, since it seemed important to them, I accompanied Tom onto the patio. A Bruno Walter phonograph of Beethoven’s Pastorale Symphony Number 6 played on the turntable in the den. It was a personal favorite of the...
Mr. Jimmy Bryant
One of the finest men I’ve ever known was Mr. Jimmy Bryant who was a board member of Haynes Cemetery and a very active caretaker of the property during his years of service. One of my most cherished memories of him was of one Saturday afternoon before Decoration Day. I pulled into the cemetery driveway to find Mr. Jimmy and one of his sons landscaping and placing flowers on his parents’ and grandparents’ graves. At...
Crocker Ridge, Bound and Determined
This is a story told me by Wayne Baskins — In 1961, a fella couldn’t start deer hunting legally until he was twelve years old. That’s why Jim Renfroe was all-fired delighted when his dad told him that come opening day, he (having recently celebrated his momentous twelfth birthday) could indeed carry his very own rifle into the woods, and accompany his father up on Crocker Ridge. Crocker Ridge, one of 34 high ridges...
A Most Worthwhile Cause — The Rescue Team at Henry Horton State Park
Located on more than 1,000 acres of beautiful Tennessee woodlands and golden, native grass pastures, Henry Horton State Park is a beloved destination for campers, hikers, golfers, competitive skeet shooters, and boating enthusiasts. Bounded by the State’s longest and most biologcally-diverse waterway, the Duck River, the park attracts its share of the 150,000 anglers, paddlers, and boaters who use the river annually. A PRESENT...