Growing Up In Louisa… Famous People
Weekly feature . . . by Mike Coburn
When I tell people that I grew up in Kentucky they will sometimes ask if I knew so-and-so, usually a person of celebrity from the Bluegrass state. Why not? Shoot, it’s a small area of the globe. Let’s see, besides myself, a native son, even if I was taken to Huntington for the birth, there are folks like Muhammed Ali. He was exactly the same age as me, but from the Louisville area and not from the hills. Besides, I didn’t box or know anyone who did.
Then there’s our chicken friend, Col. Harland Sanders. I did see him briefly once in Richmond, Virginia, at one of the chicken outlets, but he didn’t see me. The Clooney’s, Rosemary and George are well-known, but I’ve only seen them on film as far as I remember. They tell me Tom Cruise was a Kentuckian, but again I’ve only seen him in celluloid. Same for Johnny Depp, William Shatner, railroader Casey Jones, old John Brown, Jefferson Davis, Mary Todd Lincoln and her husband, (Illinois claims him), and the ole too familiar Charles Manson. Brrh! There’s two Cyrus’s (Billy Ray and daughter), the two Judd’s, and Loretta Lynn. Well I could go on naming names, but what’s the point? I didn’t cross paths with any of them. Yes, the world is definitely smaller than it was, but frankly, I’m not sure I ever saw or greeted any of those more famous folks who came from, or were related to people I knew from the foothills of Lawrence County.
Memories are funny things. Even if we could get past the false memories caused by the tricks of time, or an over-reactive imagination, it’s hard to look back to all those years ago to really understand the big picture of how people fit and effect this world. First of all, there are truths and perceptions, which don’t necessarily match. In fairness, when I was growing up, I was usually only privy to quick snapshots of life. Often those pictures were not connected or fully comprehended. People are more complicated than we can ever fully appreciate.
My high school class only had perhaps eighty kids. Many of us had grown up pretty much together, but a few were added at various points along the way. Yes, I knew them all, but as kids we tended to ‘hang out’ with various groups and therefore know some better than others. I sometimes struggle to pull their faces out of the shadows and rush to the old high school annual to look the person up. Once done, a surge of old memories refresh my mind, filling gaps long forgotten. I then remember those faces and the experiences eroded. In fairness, to ask me after all these years about how well I know someone who has not been part of my life for decades, is bound to bring stutters while my mind frantically sorts through those dusty cerebral files. It’s not you, or my opinion of you. It’s me. My mental file room is a mess.
In the case of the famous Kentuckians, of course I would be honored to meet them. That is primarily because of the commonality of community and heritage that connect us all. Meanwhile, truth be known, I probably know less about a given musical artists than the person asking. After all, if they know a star was from my area of Kentucky, then they are likely a fan and know a great deal more than me on the subject. As one who has reached the winter of life, my interest is not necessarily the same as may be found in the younger populace. I tend to listen to the classics that play on satellite radio with the purpose of calming my soul. Even the more famous of the local stars escaped my attention back in the day, perhaps because they were not even born when I left for Virginia. Some were from other generations barely connected to mine.
Take my personal non-relationship with the Vinson family. I said it right, non-relationship. Oh, I was privileged to see the Chief Justice in person once or twice, but after all I was just a little child. I think my family knew the Vinson family well, but a snotty-nosed kid like me wasn’t much to notice if you were a big and powerful man. I doubt I ever spoke to him, nor he, me. Once, when I was a teen, my aunt introduced me to his sister when we ran into her at the opening of the first little library. It had just opened in a small outbuilding behind a big house that was later demolished to become the current site the public library enjoys today. One look at that lady and you’d know at once who she was. She looked for the world just like the Honorable Chief Justice, except that she wore a dress instead of a suit or a robe. She was very nice to me and was very friendly. I felt honored to meet her. I’d seen her brother enough on the street and in newsreels, so there would be no mistake picking either of them out in a crowd. I knew other Vinson’s, but have no idea of their respective relationships to His Honor.
I do remember seeing him at the dedication of the memorial of his birthplace, just behind the church I attended every Sunday. The crowd that day was the largest I had ever seen. I was told that the speakers and dignitaries on the raised platform were famous and important men from Washington and Frankfort. Wow! It was no wonder that the first traffic light in Louisa was installed then, just in time to citify the little town for the distinguished guests. What a day! I think nearly everyone in the county was there, and a few more to boot. There were men with cameras running around taking pictures while the Sheriff’s department was busy rerouting traffic. Remember, there was no bypass in those days. The new traffic light was probably helpful. I don’t think Bernard Nelson was on the force then, or maybe even out of high school, but either way he was surely at the event. Many of you readers were there and have memories of that day, I suspect.
What about my memory of other famous folk from around there? Well, who knows? I went to school and knew many people with now-famous last names. I knew a number of Cyrus’s from everywhere, but not the two that most of America is familiar with. Harry Richard and Jack were two of my LHS classmates, but I don’t know if they were distant relatives to those who rose to become stars. I know both of the one’s I knew were characters in their own right, and stars in my mind. It was the same for the Skaggs clan. My grandfather knew Doc Skaggs really well and counted him as a close family friend. I saw him often, but I’m sure he regarded me as some street urchin. No, wait a minute. That isn’t quite true. He knew me as the kid who came in regularly to pick up my grandmother’s medicine. Sometimes he’d see me coming and have it ready. I doubt he knew my name, though.
I don’t pretend to understand all the family relationships, but I knew those last names when growing up. Now, I live less than a half-mile from a university venue where some of those Kentucky folks have played in concert, but I haven’t turned out for any of the performances yet. I reserve the right to do so if circumstances allow. I live in a house once owned by a Hornsby, an apparent cousin of the talented star, and I’ve heard stories that Bruce himself was there when he was growing up practicing and learning his trade. I arrived too late to meet him. As far as I could tell he grew up and left before I gutted and remodeled the house. Ricky Skaggs has played some concerts with him and I’m sorry I’ve missed those. I enjoy Ricky’s music. He reminds me of Bill Monroe, a star I have heard in person, but still didn’t meet.
I’ve seen a number of famous people, but more as a spectator. I’ve seen politicians, actors, writers, and ball players. Once I did toss a ball with some famous baseball players, but I was out of my league and way too young to impress anyone. There was Satchel Page, (a very funny and likable guy), and Al Kaline, (who I thought was too thin to hit the ball so far), Tiger shortstop Harvey Kuhn, and some others, but I’m not sure I really formally met them, or exchanged names. It was more like, “Here kid, catch this.” I knew their names, but there was no reason for them to care to know mine. I was in Detroit at a ‘day-camp’ held by the Tigers for young boys. We were to learn some fundamentals about baseball. I think it was a public relations thing where the team would have a special field day and meet kids, sign autographs, and teach something of the sport. It was a fun. I often saw the Red Sox, the Yankees, Indians, and all their starts. Yogi, my hero, was there, as was Mantel, Marris, Whitey Ford, and others. Watching Ted Williams take one ‘out of the park,’ at Tiger Stadium was a thrill, and a piece of history.
To be real and getting away from the famous, what I really remember more, and what meant the most to me, were the folks who counted every day in my life. I will always remember those. Eddie Boggs would have to top the list. He wasn’t famous, but he was a good man and my best friend’s father. He was a surrogate father to me in many ways. He was my coach, mentor, and friend. I wrote an article about him a few years ago that you can look up and read the details if you missed it. I’d love to hear from others who shared his attention and support. I know that a lot of people benefited from knowing him.
I remember many episodes with Bill Cheek, a ‘John Wayne’ kind of a ‘man’s man.’ I rode in that red jeep with him a number of times as I grew older. We’d chat in the bookstore out back of the high school, but he was usually a very serious man. He didn’t swap many stories or jokes, per se, but could recite a poem at a blink. Whichever he chose, you can bet that it had a moral. He knew education was more than the three ‘R’s.’ He purposely focused on providing leadership and the real values of life. Whether it was a ‘grass killing’ demonstration around the flagpole, or a lesson on how to shake hands, he wanted to shape the character of his charges. He taught Sunday school at my church for the adult class, but I also know that every chance he had to bring an evangelist to speak to the student-body, he would do it. In spite of that being asserted later to be unconstitutional, a lot of students benefited from this guidance. He was sometimes gruff and opinionated, (like me today), but always focused on the lives of the young people he cared about. He had a big contagious laugh that would be hard to forget, too.
There were many people I respected and enjoyed knowing while I was growing up, but there were many more that I walked past every day that I really didn’t really know. I think that a ‘take home’ lesson I got from that was that I needed to care more about others, slow down and listen, and ask questions when appropriate. Teachers, merchants, pastors, railroad workers, barbers, politicians, doctors, theater owners, mechanics, janitors, clerks, salespeople, judges, and even delivery men were much more than merely workers or employees. Pat Brown was a locally famous knuckle-ball pitcher and the father of a friend. I caught a game once with ‘Lighting’ pitching and learned to stay alert. I never knew when he was going to throw the ball. We all remember ‘PeeWee’ and many other characters about town. None ran for president, or governor, nor were they famous actors, writers, or athletes, but they had something to do with my growing up, and I’m grateful. If I had been smarter and learned more about them, maybe I would be able to type out each of their legacies so the world would know that they were here and that they mattered. It’s sad I knew so little and life has gone so fast.
Our friends, whether celebrated or common, all add richness to our lives, and often their very memories give us so much pleasure. They give us an understanding that a diversity of opinions, or outlooks, sometimes carry the best solutions to our problems. They teach us to behave and not to be too one-dimensional. Life is too short not to be continually learning. We don’t have to agree, but we don’t have to argue, either. If we listen, we might learn something. Maybe that means we may wish to avoid particular issues, but remember that their right to believe differently is important, too. That’s how some of the best ideas in life are generated. The saying “think outside of the box” is a bit limiting, in spite of the intent of the phase. One should think inside and outside of the boxes of the world. There’s room above, under, beside, within, and on the parameters themselves. The one who knows and understands it all is richer than those of us who would shut doors, turn their backs, and close their minds.
When I was trying to start off my life on the best foot, I came to realize that if I wanted a degree of understanding and knowledge I would have to listen, instead of talk. There are plenty of very successful people in life that would be flattered if you showed interest and sought out their advice. Listen to those who have done whatever it is you want to accomplish. They will know the steps and know the pitfalls. Don’t listen to those who discourage, but to those who inspire you to move forward. I’ve made it a point to ‘hang’ with winners and it has made a difference. I was told by an old coach once that those who are most ‘coachable’ will become the stars of tomorrow. I only wish I had started earlier and listened more. Some direct advice from Fred M. Vinson might have changed my life, but in fairness, I was too young back then to have understood. Nonetheless, the little town had people enough to help me well on my way. I am grateful.
So, dear readers, giving the celebrities and famous their due, I thank you for being my friends. Please continue to give me your opinions and continue to be stars. You add an important dimension to other people’s lives. mcoburncppo@aol.com