It was 1952, and Mr. Grady Reynolds, Mr. Morgan Reynolds’ father, built the home on Blue Creek, right across from Blue Creek Lodge. It’s very nice now, but I can imagine how it was then.

One of the people that stand out that I met when I first came to Clanton was Mr. Morgan Reynolds, who was always accompanied by his beautiful wife. I would sometimes go over to his office, climb those creaky stairs (which had character), watch him work and ask lots of stupid questions, and he always had time for me. I was so impressed with the way he dressed, carried himself and spoke—a genuine gentleman who was indeed a credit to his profession.

He and his family loved the lake; he enjoyed just talking about the lake. Of course, Skip and Sibley grew up down there and enjoyed everything about it. Sometimes, I had to help them decide who was going to use the boat, etc. We all enjoyed it back in those days.

I must admit that I was curious as to how Mr. Morgan and Mrs. Barbara would be dressed in the casual atmosphere—smart casual! They were always so distinguished.

I used to enjoy watching Sibley trying to “talk over” the older boys. He mastered that quite well, wouldn’t you say? I had to watch him—he would take over my job! Of course, his beautiful girlfriend, Rhonda, was always at his side. Sibley became our circuit judge, and Skip is in Memphis in the television programming business.

Sibley’s venture into catfish farming was not quite as productive. You see, the farm was actually in his boathouse! He had a huge floating net filled with hundreds of catfish fingerlings. Sometimes, when it was “feeding time,” I would go over and watch—looked like a giant can of worms! As they grew, it caused a bigger problem. I said, “let’s have a fish fry.” Let’s wait, he said. We waited and one day he noticed a “blight.” I told him it was that they were rubbing against each other so much. Anyway, a few days and they had all gone!

I enjoyed this family very much, watching them grow. I regret not being around while Mary Elizabeth and Mac were growing up. What comes next?