Installment 14 The Corner Trumpet

Twenty-Seven March 1943   Daddy went to see the preacher and the funeral director the next day and they decided to have the funeral on Tuesday morning. The Navy said Charlie could have a full military funeral, but Mama just wanted a graveside service with the...

Installment 13: The Corner Trumpet

Twenty-Five March 1943 One day in the middle of March, Mr. Spooner was too busy to give me a lesson. Besides, he kept saying that I’d been such a fast learner that he didn’t have much more to teach me. I didn’t believe that. Anyway, since it was early and Daddy wasn’t...

Visiting Family Roots

A few days ago was my grandfather’s birthday. He would have been 124. He died 34 years shy of that mark, which means he still lived to a ripe old age. My mother grew up in Arkansas, and her family had been in Arkansas for at least a couple of generations before...

Installment 12: The Corner Trumpet

Twenty-Three January 1943   “Hey! Billy Byler! Whatcha got in the black box?” It was the first day of school in January. Bobby and Jerry Runyan looked well scrubbed and friendly in their new clothes, and they were very curious about what I was carrying as they...