All in a Name

As I continue to write this blog, it is dawning on me that you will have the opportunity to read more than you ever probably wished about Reynolds Georgia and the fascinating people who made up that town during my growing up years. As I have said so many times before, I wouldn’t take a million dollars for growing up in Reynolds.

I was wondering what it would be like if I could have taken each of you around town to meet some of my friends a few years ago.

I would certainly like to take you down to Jessie Mae Koochie King’s house and introduce you to her son, Billy Boo. And I would love to take you by the hospital and let you meet Bay Humphries. I would certainly want you to meet my gorgeous sister Kikky and would take you across the street to Hoot Russell’s house so you could meet his son Brer. I would not want you to confuse Brer Russell with Bur Montfort who lived down the street. I would also walk next door so you could meet our neighbor Higgie James and hopefully we could at least talk to her brother Booty Weaver who had moved away. We would definitely walk across the street so you could meet the Whatley’s and their youngest daughter Tuggie. I couldn’t introduce you to Coot Payne because he died before I was born but you would love Sink Marshall who always had a practical joke to pull on someone. Maybe we could even find Ducker Whatley and catch him before he moved away. If not I’m sure we could find Duck Powell hanging around the police station. I would love to take you out Highway 128 so you could meet Mud Duck Hartley. Maybe we could even find his cousin Beanie while we were in the neighborhood.

If Little League Baseball was in season, I would introduce you to two of the best infielders Reynolds had to offer, Cobby Patterson and Runt Lowe. We would try to get Dink Hooten to drive us out to Beechwood so you could meet Pig Payne. And we could circle back through Potterville so you could meet Fuzzy Childree and stop by the Edmonson’s to see if Yak Yak Youngblood happened to be visiting his in-laws.

I could take you around town and by the clothing store so you could meet Cat Brady. Kitty Beeland may be in the store shopping when we stop by. I would hope you would get to see Son Buddy Mathis around town. If you seemed to be having a sad day, I would take you by the bank and introduce you to Happy Smith.

I would love to take you the home of Lt Governor Byrd so you could meet his son Woochie. And I would take you to Whatley’s pond so you could meet Harold Helm’s wife, Wootie. Actually before we drove to the pond, we would drop by Doodum Goodwin’s house so you could buy some worms. After thinking about it, while we were at the Byrd’s house, it would be nice if they could help us call Sen. Talmadge’s office in Washington so we could speak to Tac Brunson, who was also from Reynolds. We would have to go out by the golf course so you could meet Snookie Harrell and drive by Hobbsville so you could meet Snook Hobbs. And we certainly couldn’t leave Reynolds unless you met the Crawley twins, who were known as Big Hippo and Little Hippo.

On the way out of town we would have to stop by Sydney Bryan’s farm and meet Peter Rat, Thirteen, Jaypan, Big Head, Yoke, Cheese and Bennie Bird.

As we headed back home you would probably ask me how the people of Reynolds got such names. I’m sure I could have explained it somehow.

I don’t think I would have ever had the nerve tell you that everybody called me Lucy.