JANUARY 17TH is always happy and sad for Nira and myself. Nira and I will be celebrating our 45th wedding anniversary on Saturday (17th). That is a very happy event. The sad part is that my dad (Myron) passed away on Jan 17th, 1990. So, of course, our family remembers him on that day (which is not all bad at all). Today (14th) Nira and I ate at McAllisters in Nixa. And by happenstance I sat next to a photo of my dad showing off one of his restored autos in the 1980s. When McAllisters opened about 12 years ago (?) the new manager of the facility asked me if I would share some copies of some of the Nixa pictures I had used in my first Nixa book. He picked out about 20 and this one of my dad was one of those he chose. And it has remained on the McAllister wall every since, although they recently moved it to a new spot! SO Nira took this photo of me and my dads photo (he is on the right). I know it is kinda strange to pose this way, but at this late date I have nothing but good memories of my dad. He was a fine role model----first because he was a Christian! So I dug out 2 old family photos from 1951 to add to the show and tell. Both of the photos of mamma and daddy and Wayne were taken at Riverdale (on Finley Creek) in the summer of 1951. My Glenn roots at Riverdale date back to 1855. Daddy grew up about 2 miles from Finley Creek. When the Riverdale Baptist Church was reorganized during World War II my dad quickly joined. When he returned from Navy service (1946) our family attended the Riverdale Southern Missionary Baptist Church. In the era in which these 1951 photos were taken, many many of the folks who belonged to the Riverdale Church were long time residents of the Riverdale Community. So nearly every Sunday after church in the Summer time my folks, my uncle and aunt (Freman and Villa Ann); relations Maude Glenn and husband Bernice Gardner, Bill and Viola Harris Gardner, Howard and Edith McCafferty Hedgpeth, Faye and Frona Davis Harding, our Pastor Roscoe Harding and wife Gertie Tennis, Jack and Clara Harding Gardner, Melvin and Irene Blevins Martin, the Johnny Gardners and lots more took picnic lunches and congregated on the Finley at the Riverdale bridge and dam. And if there was a baptism, of course it would be a part of the festivities! In those days roots were still a big part of the old Riverdale community. The photo of the lovebirds at Riverdale has nothing to do with the Glenn family or the Riverdale Church. I just think it is one of the neatest photos I have from that era. Peggy Payne and Loyal Stewart are from Highlandville and couldnt have done a better job of posing if they were professional models!
Posted on: Thu, 15 Jan 2015 03:20:34 +0000