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Community News

Potts Camp News
Dale Hollingsworth

Anna Rose Work honored on fifth birthday

Pretty American flags are flying on all the light poles to celebrate the 4th of July. Thanks to the town board.

Henry Tutor came home for the holidays from Ripley Veterans Home. Get well to him!

Vacation Bible School was held recently at Temperance Hill Baptist Church.

Tony and Tammie Fincher of Memphis, Tenn., spent last weekend with his mother, Betty Fincher. They also enjoyed seeing his sister, Connie and Andy Work nearby. They are all camping now (not Betty).

Happy birthday to David Greer Jr. on July 9, my grandson; and also a special friend, Emily Stone on July 22; to Joan Gurley on July 16.

My friend, Hazel Foote, fell in New Albany and was rushed to the doctor. Her leg was badly hurt, but is healing. Get well to her!

On Sunday, June 26, I was surprised when my nephew, Dean Potts, his wife Beth, and daughter Lindsey, age 14, came for a visit. Lindsey had a friend with her. Dean is the son of my late brother I loved so much, Rev. Charles L. Potts. Lindy was 13 years younger than me. Dean looks so much like my late brother. They were on their way to take the girls to band camp at Itawamba Jr. College. I was glad to see them.

Dean’s mother, Lindy’s widow, Joann Potts of Olive Branch, has had back surgery. She is almost well. Joann is a special sister-in-law. I love her.

Please add Jimmy Armstrong, son of Ann Boren Armstrong, to your prayer list. He underwent surgery for a kidney/pancreas transplant last week. He is in the hospital in Birmingham, Ala., and is the second son of Ann to undergo this type surgery. Her other son, Mark, is doing well following surgery last year.

Congratulations to Ashley Forester, granddaughter of Jimmie and Margaret Hart, who was a contestant in the Miss Mississippi Pageant last week. At the time of this writing, we do not know the winner of the pageant. Margaret, Sherry Colhoun (aunt of Ashley), and Mary Minor (great-aunt) traveled to Vicksburg on Wednesday for the first night of competitions and also attended Ashley’s autograph session on Thursday morning. They said it was a wonderful experience and really enjoyed the pageant and production numbers as well as meeting several contestants during their stay. Ashley is the daughter of John and Judy Hart Forester and has a brother, Will.

Please continue to pray for Jimmie Hart, who is very sick, at the time of this writing. His family also needs our prayers.

Correction: Mrs. Kirk, not her son, Cary Kirk, fell recently and broke her shoulder. We are thankful she is feeling better.

Pretty little 5-year-old Anna Rose Work was honored on her birthday, Friday, July 1, with a birthday party. Many people attended and she received many gifts.

Hill Country Picnic was exciting! We heard all about it. Some people could hear the music in the night.

Thoughts

1. The wonderful gift of the love of Jesus was never intended to be kept to ourselves! People everywhere are hungry for the reality of a personal touch of God!

2. Jesus said, “I am the way, the truth and the life; no one comes to the Father, except through me.”

3. As a child of God, we are called to be alert to the lonely, disabled, homeless, grieving or need a helping hand.

Poem

When the world falls down around you and a prayer will see you through, say an extra prayer for someone who may need it more than you. For Christ’s sake, amen.

Memories
History of Potts Camp Schools

The first Potts Camp School was located near the Potts Camp Methodist Church and was very crowded. Several men of vision in our town purchased the present school lot. (It is across the road from me.) That was 1917; a two-story school was built.

One day, an airplane landed across the railroad tracks. The children had never seen one before; they started jumping out the doors and windows to go see it. The teachers could not stop them.

In 1924, the year I started to school, it burned. Smoke and flames were blowing over our house (two or three caught fire).

In 1925, part of our school today was built. I was in the first grade.

Country schools were scattered everywhere, but you had to have a 12th-grade education to teach in one. (Our school had only 11 grades.) So the girls who wanted to teach country schools had to board a year at Slayden School. People told me how awful it was; they had to make a truck patch, milk cows and clean barns.

Some of the country school teachers were Addie Mollida, mother of Mary Jo Whaley, grandmother of Rodney Whaley; Vidal Mae (Stone) Whaley; Ruth Clayton; Rosa Cox; Irene Stone; Evelyn Whaley; Grace Watts; Susie and Nettie Henderson. Irene Stone (my aunt) rode a horse across Tippah River bridge to teach the Gurley children.

When the schools were consolidated about 1930, all the country schools were closed and the teachers all had to go to college.

Susie Henderson went to Blue Mountain College. All my family, even my dad, went to school to her. She taught in Potts Camp School for 50 years.

In 1958, we had a “Miss Susie Day” at Potts Camp School. (Five hundred people attended.) We all loved her.

The first two graduates at Potts Camp were Dallas King and Willie Mae Potter.

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