Tutwiler News

TUTWILER NEWS


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News from Tutwiler
by Janie Bruister

    It was announced on 20/20 a few nights ago that "male pregnancy is closer to happening than we might think". Well, that upsets me almost as much as the Dolly incident! Remember Dolly, the sheep "they" cloned? Now they're discovering Dolly's vitals aren't strong and she might not last long.....my thinking exactly on male motherhood. Perhaps, Gamaliel's counceling is needed here. See Acts, Chapter five.
    Can you believe the latest incident by our own State's Supreme Court member, Judge McRae? According to Gina Holland who covers State Government for the Associated Press in Jackson, "his arrest pleased his enemies". Well, I don't even know the man and it frustrates the heck out of me. His term doesn't end till 2004 and this is his second DUI arrest. What's next? I was reminded of this situation today when I opened my pantry door looking for an onion. Didn't take me long to find the bin where they're kept, for one had gone bad and needed removing.....even then the odor lingered. Onions are like Judges....flavoring, enhancing, adding to....but what would a rotten one do for your casserole? We need to do more than talk about it as State lawmakers did after his first arrest. He needs to be removed from the court with no time wasted in so doing.
    I consider it a privilege to state my opinion on such issues. It's a job half done if I only congratulate on achievements and "overlook" things this serious.
    We have so many young people graduating both from high school and college, while others are excelling where they are. College graduates from our area are Essie Hooper and Mary Hawkins, both from Glendora; Selena Jenkins from Sumner; Jason Pryor from Webb and Gaye Melton from Tutwiler, all from DSU. Joshua Guest recieved his Masters Degree in Math from Ole Miss and his brother, Luke, graduated from high school at the Math and Science School in Columbus. They are the sons of Donny and Starr Guest of Oxford, and grandsons of Mr. and Mrs. Stan Bright and Mrs. Ada Frances Guest of Sumner. Ada Frances and daughter, Trisha Webber of Brookhaven, spent several days recently in Minneapoli, Minn. with daughter and grandaughter, Misty Webber, and attended her graduation from Aveda Institute. She graduated last May from Mississippi State with honors. Our grandaughter, Shelley Bruister, graduated from MS. State with honors and is now working on her Masters and teaching as well. Our middle grandaughter, Keryn Bruister Page, has completed her second year at MS. State with a 4.0 to date. She is on the Reflector staff as well, majoring in Journalism. (I'm bragging, and it feels good!)
    Congratulations to Catherine Fong of Webb for earning her induction into the chapter of Lambda Sigma at Ole Miss, and congratulations to Oliver A. Stevenson of Tutwiler (RFD) for being named an All American Collegiate Scholar. He attends Mississippi Delta Community College in Moorhead.
    Graduating from various high schools in our area are Anginette Pennington and Jonathon Fortner of Webb; Jennifer Evans, Cecilia Joubert, Ellen Catoe, and John Whitten IV, all of Sumner; Lauren Baker, Natalie Downs, Lauranne Vance and Kimberlee Grissom, all of Tutwiler, and Paul Bacon Berryhill of Dublin.
    What you do "in between" is important, too, and I'm seeing a lot of familiar names on the sports pages such as Kathryn Smith, Mary Tackett, Julye Clark, Megan Mize, Corley Luckett, Melinda Brett, Mary Beth Hubbard, Brittney Barnard, Sara Dunavent, Bradley Tubbs, Mitchener Turnipseed, John William Jennings, Phillip Jennings, Oliver Preus, Bo Catoe, Nathan Newton, Will Luckett, Josh Bright, and Kelvin Newton. Some of these names may show up later as Matthew Duff's is for he is playing in the Minor Leagues for the Altoona Curve. We'll be looking for him in the Majors in the future.
    We rarely have a deadline without deaths to report and this is no exception. Billy Kent died after a very long illness. I know he felt "gifted" with extra time with his devoted family, for he survived months at a time in Intensive Care, to come home again. Claudie Williams of Sumner died of cancer. We sympathize with each of these families as they accept their loss. Our prayers are with Barbara Jamison Smith, Postmaster at Vance, who lost her husband, Jimmy, just recently. He was only 45 years old. And Tutwiler Baptist's former pastor, Aubrey Martin, lost his father in death a few weeks ago.
    That's about it again from Tutwiler where schools are out and summer is beginning......make it a good one everybody!

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News from Tutwiler
by Janie Bruister

    Where just a short time ago the farm lands were "fields of yellow"...beautiful though they were...they are now green with cotton, soybeans, and some are quite lush with corn. Hopefully the corn crops will fare better this year than last. Even so, everything's looking good at this point in time. Our corn crop consists of one stalk that came up of its own accord this spring in a pile of gin mulch out in the back yard. Just for fun I transferred it to a planter thinking it would be just another green plant among those blooming. Much to my amazement, it about doubled in size after the last rain, has tassled, and sports 2 tiny ears of corn! Any of you who might be skeptical about miracles, think again about that little seed you plant. For instance, a black seed that produces a red radish with green tops! (Just one example among many) My favorite is the little black seed that produces sweet, juicy, red-meated, mouth-watering watermelons and that's just part of it's benefits. The outside has an interesting zig-zag pattern that can be artfully cut and used as a container. All of this from a little, insignificant sliver of nothing (almost).
    We know that from seeds of faith come ministers of the gospel like John Thomas, son of Charles and Jean Thomas, who has been called to pastor the Morrison Chapel Church just outside Cleveland. John and his family will be moving from Texas for this new chapter in their lives. Our local Baptist TNT group was entertained at last months meeting by Bill Moore of Clarksdale who sang several favorite and familiar hymns that are a blessing in themselves and, Bill, being a former church member/ deacon/ choir member made them an even bigger blessing. His sisters Coleen Vaughn and Geneva McGee attended the luncheon with him.
    The season of Sandwich With Books recessed for the summer with the May meeting. Savannah Kellum gave two short book reviews, both interesting and recommended for summer reading. They were We'll Meet Again by Mary Higgins Clark and From the Ashes of Ruin by Miriam Rawl. Two more good ones I just finished are The Eleventh Commandment by Jeffrey Archer and The White House Connection by James Higgins.
    The traveling trio have been on the road again. This time with Wilma Dyess along with Anne Barnes and Barbara Jennings, going to Lilbourn, Missouri for Anne's 51st high school class reunion. There were 23 graduates back in 1948 but 12 have died leaving 11 and 9 of those attended. Wilma stopped off in Sikston where she visited Lil Brewer and family. Wilma wedged this trip in among the gadding about she and Earline Burton have been doing...they recently attended special services at Wister Gardens in Belzoni where they were guests of Greg and Velmarie Burton of Isola and they also attended a bridal shower for Brandi Smith which was held in Greenwood at the home of Mrs. Richard Avant. Before going to Missouri, Anne had just returned from a trip to the coast with her children, Joy and Jake Bellipanni and family of Belzoni, who attended the Bankers Convention.
    The Dorris family (as in Annette Dorris Brand) gathered this past weekend at Maumelle Park in Little Rock. There are 45 decendants of Annette's parents and 44 attended the reunion. Annette is our neighbor and I'm concerned about her, for at the present she is undergoing tests, etc. at the Baptist East Hospital in Memphis. Her daughter Becky is with her. Back home, their grandchildren Caitlin and Ryan Johnson of Houston, Texas have arrived for the summer.
    Another home towner back for the summer is Anne Starr of Mersede, Texas. And, another Tutwilian, Hazel Weatherall, broke her leg a few days ago. She now lives in Sugarland, Texas near her children. Her nephew Harold Blaine of Winona (yet another former Tutwiler resident) is on his way there to see about her, hopefully bearing our prayers and good wishes for a speedy recovery.
    In naming the graduates last time, somehow I omitted Charity Swindoll who graduated with honors from Lee Academy. She also excelled in basketball. Her brother, Chad, a fourth grader, received special awards as well. They are the children of Mike and Cheryl Swindoll and grandchildren of Floyd and Margaret Swindoll and Thomas and Jean Callicutt.
    Tutwiler's Manda Seymore was the beautiful bride when she and Thomas James, Jr. of Canton were united in marriage on May 22nd at Tutwiler Baptist Church. Manda is the daughter of Aubrey and Dottie Seymore and grandaughter of Aubrey, Sr. and Bea Seymore and Mrs. Barry Parish of Charleston. Congratulations to William and Slybra Smith of Vance for 50 years together. Their children honored them with a celebration at the Walnut Baptist Church recently.
    Our community has been saddened by the death of Mary Catherine Spinosa Brown. Her funeral was held in Anniston, Alabama where she and husband, Sam, lived and graveside services were here at Rosemound Cemetary where she was buried. She is survived by her sister, Eva Jones of Tutwiler, and several uncles, aunts, and cousins. Her uncle, Ira Ousley, came with wife, Bettye, for the funeral services. Of course, they visited her mother, Daisy Wolfe, in Rena Lara while here, as well as other relatives and friends like us.
    That's about it again from Tutwiler where a bear may be in our midst....could be, but that's another story for another time.

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News from Tutwiler
by Janie Bruister

    Before moving to the pecan grove just outside town some twenty plus years ago, we lived next door to the church where we belonged then and still do today. Some Sunday mornings I would be a little late getting there which always seemed to intrigue (the late) J.W. Kellum. He told me once as I was coming in late that "if I tripped and fell at my back door my chin would land on the church steps", so how could I possibly run late? My reply (which seemed to amuse him) was "it wasn't how far I had to go to get there, but the distance I traveled before I ever left home." I'm not sure he understood my meaning but all you mothers and housewives can, I'm sure.
    It's some of that kind of mileage Teeny and Pelham Turner can identify with, having spent the last 67 years together. They celebrated their anniversary Saturday, reminiscent of times past, at the Peabody in Memphis. They are just as happy and young at heart as ever. I think it's because, as Pel says, they don't play with "old" people.
    Playing is what Mrs. Margaret Rice and daughter Meadie Williams of Sumner have been doing. Maybe play-acting is a better word, for they are appearing as extras in the movie "The Rising Place" now being filmed in Jackson and Canton by her grandson, Tom Rice, who recently brought several members of the cast to his grandmother's to see what farm life was like and enjoyed the day and their Southern hospitality.
    Regressing just a bit, back to Memorial Day in rememberance of our veterans, many townspeople gathered at Rosemound Cemetary, placing flags on veteran's graves, numbering in the high seventies with one a confederate, William Larkin, DOD March 8, 1918, age 22; one yankee, John Brittain, 1838-1926; one Spanish-American War veteran, John Montague, 1880-1940 and the remainder from the wars following.
    Some of the Mississippi Craftsman's Guild members exhibited at the Jackson Arts Center last weekend. Those from here were Carroll and Mara Califf of Clarksdale. This exhibit was in conjunction with a traveling exhibit of Bats and Bowls, A Celebration of Lathe Turned Art, courtesy of Entergy, which was most interesting and innovative.
    Congratulations to Maudie Clay of Sumner whose photographs of Delta Landscapes are being published. Her husband, Langdon, is a professional photographer and you can see his beautiful work in today's most fashionable periodicals.
    That traveling group Anne Barnes, Barbara Jennings, and Tom and Polly Jennings made their "spring" trip to Texas, visiting Anne's brother and wife, Harlan and Mary Meyer. Harlan was scheduled for surgery this week so they got to enjoy a visit and now we're hoping all will be well with him. Martha Campbell has returned from Texas after visiting her brother who is ill.
    Savannah Kellum's brother, Jackie Waller, who lives in Texas also is improving, we're happy to report. She spent the Father's Day weekend with her children, the Rev. Jimmy Kellum and family in Bartlett, Tenn.
    The Rev. J.B. Hays and family returned from the Southern Baptist Convention in time for the Father's Day Services where Wilma Dyess remembered fathers both past and present with a beautiful arrangement of red roses and white mums. Wilma had just returned from attending the wedding of Duray Horton and Amanda Tull in Selmer, Tenn. Then on Thursday her guests were Mr. and Mrs. Bill Evans of Banning, California and Jo Beth Janoush of Cleveland, Ms. The Evans participated in the Hanks Golf Tournament in Vicksburg.
    Last time, I reported my concern for Annette Brand and today I'm so happy to report she's much improved and may be home soon. Also, Billy King of Vance is home and improving after a very near death battle and Bobby Billingsly of Como, who is the husband of Delanne Bruister, is improving at home, even being allowed to ride horseback, which is where he's more at home than most any place else.
    Willie Belle Castle is doing well after breaking her collar bone. She just keeps bouncing right back after all these things happening to her. What a spirit!! Joy Sossaman is also doing great (so far) after having out-patient surgery on her knee in Clarksdale this week. Bobbie Clark is seriously ill in the Clarksdale Medical Center. Our prayers are with her. Florence Martindale is critically ill in Monroe, La. where her sister, Agnes Martindale, and Agnes' daughters, Carolyn Shook and Joyce Brown, are enroute at present and other family members have already gathered.
    We sympathize with Nancy Pennington of Webb whose mother, Mrs. Thelma Tucker, died this week.
    That's about it again from Tutwiler where I'm still catching up on omissions. I failed to mention (because I didn't know then) that John Moyer also made the Dean's List at DSU. Congratulations, John!
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News from Tutwiler
by Janie Bruister
Painting, repairing...surviving?

    We're painting our house. So what, you're thinking, everybody does. It's just one of the many things we've put off doing 'til after my retirement. Since we've always done just about all our maintanence ourselves, this would be "no big thing" as Mr. Clemmon Shields would say when we'd ask how he was doing. Mr. Shields was our neighbor when we lived in town but, more than that, he was a fellow logger with my dad in the early 1900's in the Yaconna area and later managed farms around Tutwiler until his death some fifteen years ago or thereabouts.
    We started our "no big thing" by replacing some boards and building shelves for storage purposes before the painting could begin but it didn't take long for us to realize we were going to have to have help on this one...it seems the past few years have taken away from our strength and stamina. In contrast to our added age taking away, one of our grandaughters, who just turned sixteen, got her driver's lisence and a "new car" (new to her but handed down from her older sister) and her comment was "power sure comes with age!" As you can see, it depends much from which end of the spectrum you're looking.
    So, we got estimates. Carroll said "he was glad he'd had cataracts removed from only one eye so far because it hurt enough looking at those figures with just one good eye."(Surgery on the other will be next week, by the way) The heavier, more strenuous parts of the repairs we're having done, but decided we'd persevere and do the painting ourselves. After all, I painted the house 20 years ago by myself. Did it with a brush (or several brushes) and 40 gallons of paint. This time we're doing it with a sprayer and we're taking turns. Got started two days ago on the storage area first (that's one of the parts we hired done) and found I needed a mask, in order to keep breathing, and didn't discover until I stopped that my whole head should have been covered, for my hair was sporting a "mellow brown" film. On my way to get more paint, I passed the purple house in town and realized my problem could have been worse.After much ado, my hair is back to normal. How "normal" we will be after the job is complete remains to be seen.
    Adelaide Steele is home after spending the past month in Tallahassee with her daughter Aide. She had a wonderful visit but "there's no place like home." Wiley Jenkins of Sumner will be away and "a ways" from home this summer studying in London which sounds exciting.
    Little Kelvin Newton (also of Sumner) is a member of the American League Little League's All Stars in the 7 and 8 year age group. Congratulations "big guy"! More Sumner residents, Katie and Gary Shepherd with Gary's daughter Crystal, vacationed in San Diego and Tijuana visiting Katie's mother who appeared on The Price Is Right and picked up some nice prizes.
    Fayette and Freddie Junkin of Wichitah, Kansas came by making a brief stop at all her Bruister kin before going on to his dad's in Cleveland. Also visiting us this past week were more cousins, George Johnson Rice and son Warner of Jackson.
    The community sick are Rodney Burton who was scheduled for surgery Wednesday; H.D."Bear" Tubbs who is home after having surgery and Annette Brand, now home after surgery and hospitalized four weeks. All were patients at Baptist East in Memphis.
    Florence Martindale lost the battle wth the disease which held her captive for months. She was surrounded by devoted family members throughout her illness and death.
    Eugene Cribbs, known to us as "Bean", was brought "home" to be buried on Saturday last. He and wife Bess moved to Clinton years ago with their young family and so many of the Cribbs clan have died or moved away that there are none left in Tutwiler anymore. Friends Sammy and Jerry Orman opened their home to them for a time of respite and refreshment before returning homeward. Polly Jennings had thoughtfully prepared a cooler of soft drinks at the cemetery where the temperature soared. Other members of the family took refuge at the home of Mrs. Madge Shaw in Webb who is Susan Cribbs family by marriage. Another local relation is Martha Henderson Clark.
         The Fifth Sunday Night Hymn Sing, which consists of Baptist churches in Webb, Sumner, Parks, Friendship West, Rome and Tutwiler, came together at Tutwiler and just about filled the church. It occurred to me that what once was an every Sunday experience, now takes five to six congregations to do and that was to fill the church. The choirs and individuals who performed were superb and sang with great feeing making each of us feel we were indeed "standing on holy ground". Anne Barnes, Tutwiler's Church Hostess, had her committee functioning at 110% and everybody had a great night.
    That's about it, again, from Tutwiler where the building of the new prison is growing steadily. It doesn't show as much so from the highway perspective as it does if you drive down the Sand Pit road and look at it from the backside. It is big! Maybe "sprawling" is a better word and it's only in it's first stages.
    Also, down that Sand Pit road is a picturesque nook that catches your eye and is worth seeing. It's where Sharon and Eddie Athey and his parents live, tucked in on the backside of the Sand Pit. They have pretty flowers, bird houses, and duck boxes in a refreshing setting.


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News from Tutwiler
by Janie Bruister

    Have you ever thought about the fact that the unplanned things in life usually turn out to be the most memorable? Last Thursday was such a day for us. Carroll's cousin, June Hennington of Crystal Springs with daughters Marilyn and Lucy, were due to arrive "for a few hours visit" sometime after lunch. They had come by way of Indianola, lunching at the Tea Room and (we assumed) visiting relatives' old homeplaces, etc. before coming here.
    When June called earlier in the week, we assured her that though everything was in a mess, what with our painting and repairs going on, it certainly wouldn't interfere with us having a good visit. And it didn't, although it did take some doing just to get enough cleared space to do just that. I even baked a cake, and after cooling off with mint tea, we had cake and coffee later. It's amazing how the years between visits just disappear and it seems only yesterday that we saw them last. After a couple of hours of non-stop catching-up, we found they were incorporating some geneology in their travels and were headed for the Charleston Cemetery where June and Carroll's grandparents were buried. This we had found out sometime back, after not finding them in any of the outlying cemeteries like at Cascilla where their great-grandparents were buried. Since they didn't know the area and we had not looked there, we led the way and, indeed, found the grave stones they were searching for. Their grandmother was only 47 when she died, three years before their grandfather, who was 49 at his death. They left several children still at home, Carroll's mother being one of them and only seven when her mother died in 1915. I was touched by the inscription the husband had put on her stone and want to share it with you--
"Through all the years of our wedded life
Thy love was more valued than than gold-
And since thou art gone, my precious wife
The world seems lonely and cold
But beyond the stars and above the storm
We'll meet where naught can do us harm.
                            ~Husband
And according to his inscription (telling his children they'd meet again) he joined her in 1918.
    After a wonderful visit with our relatives, both living and dead, June and girls continued on toward Jackson and home. We backtracked several streets, passing many political hopeful's signs, to a gas station where we found prices to be higher than at home, therefore we didn't fill up, Carroll being the frugal shopper that he is. As I sat in the van while he was getting just enough gas to get us home, I couldn't help but notice the median and how pretty it looked with blooming flowers, crepe myrtles and manicured grass. Somebody is to be commended!
    We decided since it was so close by and nearing supper time we would go to "that fish place" near Oakland and get carry out. We noticed many Musgrove signs leaving Charleston and decided he must be the favored one among the many running for governor. Then, as we neared the former home of Scissors, I feared it might not be there, but it was, though deteriorating and overgrown with weeds. I almost wish a whirlwind would pick it up and set it down (intact) right close by at the Kenaff plant where the grass is kept mowed. Then I thought, why not move it to town?! It would be great in a spot tourists could visit--maybe a little fence around it, etc. (Here I go again!)
    What is it about the hills, do you suppose, that draws people? Don't misunderstand me, I love the delta where the cotton rows are as level and smooth as a walking horse rider's head and not a bobble in the whole field. The landscape unencumbered by curves or rises of any kind and nothing is more beautiful than a cotton field, white at harvest time. Still, there's something about the hills...maybe it's the feel of cleaness one gets from the pines or perhaps it's the "ramblingness" of the hillsides and pasturelands. The "Hills" have a special place in my heart and my childhood memories. Maybe it's nostalgia after all, but whatever it is, it's always a treat to go there even if it's no further than to get fish near Oakland. The parking lot was almost filled when we arrived--even with buses--yet we didn't have to wait long. Even so, it would have been worth it.

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