Letter to the Editor

Dear Hayden,

Along with my subscription renewal, I want to tell you how much I appreciate the great job you are doing with the newspaper. You took on quite a challenge, and it just gets better and better.

I still consider myself a “Brinkley Girl,” even though I have not lived there for many, many years. My mother was Annyce Carroll. After our move to Oklahoma in 1953, Brinkley remained home for the next 18 years, until the passing of my grandmother, Ruby Carroll, in 1971. I spent a considerable amount of time there as I grew up – most holidays, the better part of all summers. During that time, we always subscribed to the Brinkley newspapers. We kept up with who was born, who died, who went to Memphis for surgery or Little Rock to shop, who had company from out-of-town or down the street. And the weddings! Not one scrap of lace detail, punch flavor or the plentiful bridal showers went unnoticed. A much-anticipated issue was the Farm Family of the Year, as we were always rooting for a Carroll relative to be honored. I still have some of those issues.

The newspaper not only kept us informed but was an endless source of play when I visited my grandmother. She would take me to the Argus office, and they would give me old slugs of hot type – parts of sentences from layouts that I would take to her house on Main Street, and spend hours on the front porch with an inkpad and paper, trying my best to make my own newspapers. The segments of sentences could never be put together to make sense, but it was such fun to try.

For the past many, many years, as I moved around the country, and world, with my Air Force husband, and now in his civilian work, I have toted Brinkley memorabilia with me – photographs, desks from the old white frame schoolhouse which were rescued by Audrey Compton in the 70s, my mother’s school memorabilia, and of course, many issues and articles from the Brinkley newspaper.

I don’t know many people I read about now, except for your family, but I’ll often have an occasional flashback when I see notices of clubs my mother had belonged to (such as Gli Amica), quilters I met through Audrey Compton, or names of distant relatives.

I haven’t been back in several years, but the last time I was fortunate to be at the Cottagemall Café and have lunch with the Duncan kids, and have Lew and Pat Sorrells sitting to the side of us. Just like when we all were on Main Street so long ago. How special it was!

So many memories – all of them wonderful! Thanks again for making my day, each time the Monroe County Herald arrives.

Sincerely,

Julianna Carroll (Aycock) Womack