The annual Profile magazine for The Enterprise-Tocsin has come to mean a lot to me over the past few years.
It’s about digging deeper into local folks’ lives in Sunflower County and learning what makes them tick or how their businesses and lives make a difference for those around them. As one of the writers for this publication, it’s a chance to talk to and listen to folks but today after finishing a few assignments it made me ponder a bit.
What about those who we never got to profile? With an Inverness zip code, I grew up around quite a few legends now long gone. One man I wish I could go back in time to visit with would be Bill Bennett. I knew him as one of my dad’s close friends and a founder of Cordy Brake Hunting Club. I spent many hours wandering around his shop in town while he and my dad fixed a problem or created some new tool or implement that made something easier. He had a stockpile of watermelon wine in his shop office and there was always something good to eat, whether it was on a cracker or in a sammich. Today’s tailgaters had nothing on Mr. Bill Bennett. A welder by trade, he created a vessel that has fed thousands for decades – the famous Inverness United Methodist Church Brunswick stew pot.
It was just something he did, probably ten times over. A veteran of World War II he was nearly starved and vowed to never be hungry again, nor would anyone close by. He planted vegetable gardens in corners of fields that farmers couldn’t really use due to the angles.
But Bill Bennett coddled that land and dispensed the treasures from it to those in need. I heard those stories from someone who had taken the time to observe and listen. Just wish I’d been as curious with a tape recorder.
Then there’s Red Bell. He lived in town, had a ham radio and talked to the world. He was good with his hands as well and created a whole bunch of stuff that helped farmers and others make their work life easier at Bell Incorporated.
But he also made crosses out of nails and yes, was another hunting buddy of my dad’s. His wife, Fannie, played the organ at church and they made a great couple.
There’s a thousand questions I’d ask him today but he's been gone quite a while.
The list goes on and on. Facebook is a good spot to corral stories. I’ve been reading about some of the adventures of JP Faulk, oddly enough, another Cordy Brake hunting buddy of my dad’s. I did get to talk to Bill Tinnin way back when and got his stories saved digitally and in print and yes, another hunting club member.
Looking back, I reckon the hunting club was filled with legends that should be remembered, should be profiled. I’ve been trying to get with Buddy Bennett, one of Bill’s sons, to learn more about the history I paid no attention to as a kid. With each passing day, that mission gets a bit more critical.
Do me a favor? Look around Sunflower County and let me know who we should profile next. I’d greatly appreciate it.
