Wednesday, March 19, 2008

Two Surprises - one good, one sad

We had two surprises last night. One good. One sad.

J.B. Quarles, one of our friends from Laurens, SC, who drives a truck for Wal-Mart, called yesterday evening saying he was leaving Petersburg, VA, and headed to Mayodan, NC. He was routed down US 58 and wondered how far he'd be from us. Only about seven miles or so. We met him for supper in Clarksville, VA, and had a great time with him.

Then we got home to have a message from home saying that Miss June Adair had passed away. Miss Adair was one of a kind, and one of my best friends in Clinton even though she was my high school teacher. Miss Adair gave me a love for history. She helped me start the Clinton High Historical Society, and I took her many years to Rose Hill Plantation to see the Christmas decorations the first Sunday in December.

We rode to visit many a battlefield like Cowpens, Hay's Massacre, and Kings Mountain. We went to scores of DAR, SCV, UDC, Laurens Genealogical Society, and Laurens County Historical Society meetings and scoured every probate court vault looking for ancestors all over upstate SC. Miss Adair was the cheerleader sponsor for years on end at the high school, a perfect person for the job. Her quiet, sweet voice and funny stories kept everyone laughing. My good friend is now without pain and enjoying everyone on her genealogical chart.

She always had a funny story to tell, and her wit and wisdom, her generosity and kindness, helped mold me. She was quintessential Clinton. She was a grand old lady of the South, a rare generation fast departing us. I love you, Miss Adair.

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