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Potts Camp News
Dale Hollingsworth

Jake Hollingsworth to be honored as Eagle Scout

The Potts Camp School reunion will be held in the school cafeteria on Saturday, June 7. It is a wonderful time of the year for our town.

Congratulations to the Potts Camp High School graduating class of 2008! We wish them a happy future!

Robert Hugh King has returned home again after being in the hospital the second time. We are thankful he is doing better. He needs our prayers.

Pray for those who lost their homes in the recent tornadoes in the New Albany and Myrtle areas.

Congratulations to Deane Allen of Lamar and Jody Edwards on their wedding May 17. She is the daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Gary Allen and he is the son of Mr. and Mrs. Kenneth Edwards of Bethlehem (near Potts Camp).

Friday evening, Kerry and Lela Hale enjoyed the company of relatives, J.C. and Lou Ella Smith; Marty Sims and sons, Scott and Garson; and grandson, Ethan from Greenwich, N.Y. Additional guests included Knowlton and Betty Shaw; Brook and Alana Hale; Barry, Robin, Hannah and Caleb Smith and Pat Westmoreland. The Smiths also attended the Smith reunion at Wall Doxey State Park on Saturday.

Congratulations to Jake Hollingsworth, my grandson, who will become an Eagle Scout on Saturday, May 18 at First United Methodist Church in Starkville. He is the youngest son of Danny and Elizabeth Hollingsworth. The two older boys are Eagle Scouts, also.

Joyce Clayton visited her sister-in-law, Billie Crouch, at Thaxton, where she was visiting her son. Billie lives at McComb.

The athletic banquet was held at Potts Camp School recently with a large group attending; parents and grandparents were invited.

Guests of Bro. Steve and Pat Wilson have been their daughter, Stephanie and grandchildren, Sydney and Symon from Eureka, Calif. While they were here, they traveled to West Monroe, La., where they met their other daughter, Carla, and grandson, Klein.

Pat, Stephanie and Carla were all speakers at a Ladies “Esther” conference last Saturday.

Happy Mother’s Day to all the wonderful mothers!

I was glad to hear from Sylvia Akin of Memphis when she called. I grew up with her mother, the late Margaret Alvis Seymour and her twin sister, the late Mary Alvis Fowler. Sylvia plans to visit me the day after the Potts Camp reunion. She served as president of the Marshall County Genealogy Society the last part of the year.

Congratulations to Craig and Kenyon Work on the recent birth of a son, April 21. His name is Pipkin Lee Work. He weighed seven pounds, four ounces. He has a big brother, Trevor. Grandparents are Kenny and Gayle Work; great-grandparents are Joe and Irene Pipkin and Lena Faye Work and the late Andy Work.

I enjoy the free Tombigbee Country Magazine Clyde Wilson sends me. I knew him when he was a child; they were our neighbors.

Thoughts

The disciples came to Jesus to ask Him which one of them would be the greatest in the kingdom of heaven. Jesus called a small child over to Him and said, “Unless you turn from your sins and become as little children, you will never enter into the kingdom of God.” “Therefore anyone who humbles himself as this little child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven.” Matthew 19:1-3

Let your light so shine before men that they may see your good work and glorify your Father which is in heaven. Matthew 15:16

Poem

My life was dark until the light shone in; that light was Christ who saved me from my sin. His light I received I long to share, with loving deeds for people everywhere. God bless!

Thoughts

Mother’s Love

1. When you became a mother, you were given a special, unique gift from God. It came straight from heaven and was placed at your heart’s door!

2. It is so wonderful that the same love we have for our children, God has for us!

3. We may not realize it, but our children are watching everything that we do; that’s the way they learn. If we pray, they learn to pray; when you show patience, a seed of patience is implanted in their hearts. When we choose honesty over dishonesty, a silent witness is watching and listening with his small ears.

5. Encourage your child to always do their best; hold on to their dreams and behold the hand of God. These things build character and will last a lifetime!

John 3:16, “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. Amen

Happy birthday to Cathy Edwards on May 16; also Leah Page Goolsby on May 16; to my cousin, Mary Jo Tillman, on May 17; to Kevin Poole on May 23 and Fred Whaley on May 24; to April Shaw Stacks on May 25.

Happy wedding anniversary to Jack and Pebble Gadd on May 26. Happy birthday to Mike Muraco, husband of Holley Stone, on May 26. Happy birthday to Beverly G. Farr on May 26.

Prayers: Nadine Vest, Jean Derryberry, Bobbie Price, Mary Jo McCallum, Henry Tutor, Roy Foote, Mary Frances Clayton, Connie Work, Betty Fincher, Robert Hugh King, Lena Faye Work, Willie Thomas Wicker, Juanita Howell, Jessie Pipkin

History and Memories

One of my fondest memories includes the battery radio my dad purchased and placed in the dining room near the window. Our home had not been wired.

On Saturday night, my older brother, James, would bring two friends, Melvin Stone and Dallas King, home with him to listen to the “Grand Ole Opry.” They become special to us.

Dallas had a younger brother who was my classmate, C.C. King; he kept us all laughing. Their dad was the town mayer, Maud King. Many years ago, he fell over dead one night on a Potts Camp street. During World War II, C.C. King was an airline pilot. He was killed when his plane crashed. Because Dallas was his only relative, he received a large insurance payment. Dallas had met his future wife while attending Ole Miss University and had visited a friend in the hospital, George Cook. Louise Gooch was a nurse there. Later she read about C.C. King’s death, so she called Dallas to express her sympathy. They married a few years later.

The Potts Camp Memorial Museum was built in 1978 in memory of C.C. King and all veterans in Marshall County by Dallas and Louise.

At one time, Dallas was principal of Potts Camp Grammar School. Our children enjoyed the magic shows Dallas would show after school. Later he became a Potts Camp mail carrier, and he collected letters asking about the people of Potts Camp. That’s when he started the famous Potts Camp Memorial Museum we enjoyed until after his death. A picture of his brother, C.C. King was on the front door with a light shining on it night and day. On the walls inside there were pictures of the Marshall County veterans, from all the wars.

Dallas told the story of one special article, the “Badge of the Seven Confederate Knights.” His granddad, William Nathaniel King, was captured at the Battle of Look-Out Mountain and sent to prison at Rock Island, Ill. They offered the prisoners a pardon if they would pledge allegiance to the U.S.A. and go west to fight the Indians. They refused and his granddad and six other Confederates hand carved the badges.

A few years after the museum was built, visitors came from 32 states, the District of Columbia and Canada. Two file cabinets were filled with neatly folded family histories. Glass cabinets held interesting items from the past and pictures were everywhere. I really enjoyed them! A picture of our town’s first settler, Colonel E.F. Potts, and other famous people were on display. Many of Col. Potts’ descendants live in Marshall County; I am one of them.

A large room was filled with tables and benches, also a kitchen and bedroom. It was an ideal place for the Potts Camp Civic Club, the Lions Club and others to meet.

During the celebration of Potts Camp’s 100th birthday, back in 1988, we chose Mr. King to be the grand marshal in the parade. Louise was beside him in the large limousine behind the parade and go-carts.

I’ll never forget Dallas and Louise King, my special friends.

In 1926 the first two graduates at the new Potts Camp School built in 1925 were Dallas Mae Potter (Pierce). Until then both the first Potts Camp School with two rooms and a stage near the Methodist Church and the second two-story school on the present lot that burned in 1924 had only 11 grades. Many people boarded at the agricultural school at Slayden to get a high school diploma.

I started to school in 1924 in first grade then finished first grade in the new school in 1925 (still a part of the present school).

Snow Lake News
Barbara Salling

Snow Lake May Newsletter - Beware of contractors when getting repairs

Good gracious alive! Did we get a special delivery of climatic catastrophe Saturday night or what? We still don’t know whether it was “straight-line winds” or a tornado, but whatever it was, it wreaked havoc on our little paradise of Snow Lake Shores, the likes of which has never been seen until this past weekend!

Y’all all right? Y’all need any help? These phrases were heard by everyone you saw Sunday after the massive damage to our beautiful little community the night before. Gotta hand it to the wielders of the chain saws Saturday night; they sure got the roads cleared in a hurry. I heard that they were clearing the roads up until about three o’clock Sunday morning.

Mayor Pierpont asked that I acknowledge the assistance of HSUD for the immediate help and also to the Tippah County Utility Department for their assistance in restoring our utilities.

After making many calls and meeting with government employees, our mayor was disappointed when she was informed that our town did not qualify for any relief funds. In order to receive any government help we have to have 100 families who are displaced or millions of dollars in damages. Senator Bill Stone continues to work on our behalf in seeking assistance for our town.

It’s a total miracle that no one was hurt during this weather phenomenon, especially west side residents. Most of the many, many mature trees that were uprooted by the storm fell away from the houses. One house on the west side was surrounded by nine giant downed trees stacked like Lincoln logs around the house. Call these homeowners, as well as so many others who suffered damage, lucky, or whatever you want to call it, but we all know it was God’s helping hand keeping us out of harm’s way.

If you’re wondering why the siren on the east side suddenly stopped blaring at the height of the storm; drive by the town hall and you might still be able to see it lying on the ground beside the tower that held it in place before the strong winds.

Word is -- that if trees fell on your property without causing damage to any structures or vehicles, insurance companies are not paying claims as many homeowners expected. Some homeowners have been seeking financial assistance to help with the cost of removing giant trees downed on their property. Now is the time to go over your insurance policies for future protection. Remember, if your expected coverage is not spelled out in detail within the body of your policy, you may not have the protection that you thought you had. Many times when we are price shopping, we neglect to get the complete coverage that we need due to “bargain hunting.” This is Monday morning quarterbacking, but it is super important!

While in the commercial real estate business before retirement, I had the opportunity to work with Shelby County and learned a lot about large trees and their roots. County supervisors explained that trees, whether downed by Mother Nature or man, disturb the earth resulting in shifting soil and until the earth settles again, it is possible new uproots are possible during storms. We love being surrounded by a forest, but we must take special precautions when windstorms are expected as those who live on flat land take precautions during tornado weather.

If you were fortunate and suffered no damage other than leaves and a few branches deposited on your property, take time to help your friends and neighbors who suffered more than you. If the utilities are not on by now and you go to town for yourselves, bring your burdened neighbors a bag of ice and cold drinks, a hot pizza, a veggie plate or other appreciated treats. If you have a generator and refrigeration lend them your cooler filled with ice, or if you can brew a pot of coffee or cook a burger on the grill, share it with your neighbors. And please, let’s not forget to care for our elderly neighbors.

Beware! At this frantic time, we must all be aware of unscrupulous contractors who might be preying on Snow Lakers. If a contractor is not skilled and without insurance and does additional damage, your insurance will not cover the cost of his damages, as this would be considered a new claim and you will be out the cost of another deductable. Mayor Pierpont has a list of contractors in the town office who have done good work in the community and without complaints.

The Big Monthly Breakfast and the Property Owners Corp. meeting will be this Saturday, that is, if we have utilities.

Stephanie is still doing well, but a tree fell on the bedroom wing of her house. She’s gone through so much and now has to deal with this. Bless her heart! She is one strong woman and will pull through this as well as other Snow Lakers who suffered damage to their homes.

Our thoughts and prayers go out to the Bezzo family. Stanley went to be with his Lord Saturday night. He was a prominent member of our community as well as local respected businessman. He will be missed by all of the lives he touched.

Remember to help your neighbors that need your help and many of them do because of the recent devastation. Have the best week that you are able. barb.snowlake@yahoo.com.

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