The Rock Wall

Thursday night the Eastern Star ladies (and a few gentlemen) hosted an appreciation dinner for the Sun staff to thank us for doing the job that they help us do. Good food, good company. We thanked them then and will thank them again here. Everyone appreciates being appreciated. During the event, I whispered to Kimball, “They are thanking us for doing the job we are supposed to do.”

One of the ladies started to introduce me to Tom and Lana Sue (Lewallen) Jones. I told her I probably have only known Tom since I’ve known anyone. We likely met soon after my parents first carried me into Glade Springs Missionary Baptist Church. I think Tom was two or three at the time, the youngest of Edna Mae and Herb’s young ‘uns – Howard, Nora and Anna Jo. If that’s not the right birth order, I know they will let me know.

Now Lana Sue is a little harder to figure. If she went to Liston, I met her there. If not, I met her after the 4th grade when they sent us to the big school. Don’t know if we were ever in the same class. Her mother, who I only knew as Ms. Lewallen, was never one of my teachers. Of course, I don’t know that the one with her name on the door of any classroom was ever able to larn me much. But all my teachers ran a tight ship and you can be assured I didn’t give any of them a hard time. They only sent the survivors to the principal’s office. I don’t recall any of my teachers having to do that.

Before my senior year, the powers that be, probably the counselor, Ms. Medaris, said I needed to take Art but it was only offered at the same time as Math Analysis and Trigonometry. I asked my favorite teacher, Miss Mina Althen, if I could take it by correspondence or something like that. Next thing I knew, High School Principal Joe Walsh scared me to death by sending for me to come to his office. I had no idea what I had done. As I quaked in my boots, he said he had heard I wanted to take the math class. He said they would let it count as my Art if I wouldn’t tell anybody. I didn’t for 30 or 40 years. Loved the class. My diploma says I got the math award that year. Can’t tell you a thing I learned but I still like math.

– It looks like a miracle to me that Lon Peruzzi came out of that trailer alive the way the tree mashed it in. I was a little distracted with a root canal Friday morning so I didn’t hear about it right after the event. When I did hear about it through the grapevine and told you here last week, someone came in and left a message to set me straight. His cell phone wasn’t nearby, he said. That caused me to meet some nice folks and one rambunctious pup.

I think this is an even better ending than just a routine story in the paper. After I wrote the article, I called all three participants and they told me they were happy with it. And we are all happy that Lon and Skeeter are alive and on the road to recovery. Actually, Lon is. Skeeter just has to mature a little. KL