 My Brother and I liked fishing much
better than dressing up for a portrait session, but some things were unavoidable.
This circa 1930 photograph would stand up to anything done professionally today. In
the spirit of self revelation, I would like now to quote form "Nellie L Parks: An
Oral History" as compiled by my youngest son Brian Parks. This interview with my
mother was very candid and much appreciated.
Question: "How
were the boys [Jim and I] alike and different as children?"
Mom's Answer:
"Well, Jim was always more outgoing than Tom. Jim was a lot like his
father, he never met strange people. Tom was a little more reticent. Folks
would say, 'What are your names?' People thought they were twins because Tom grew so
quickly and Jim wasn't so tall. If Tom answered he'd say, 'Jimmy and
Tommy'. And a lot of people thought that Jim was his name, but they'd start
to ask questions and Tom would say, 'You tell them Jim.' He wasn't a talker when he
was little. Neither one did really well in school except for reading. There
were other things that were more fun. But they were good readers and Tom was always
an extra special good speller."
Question: Can you tell
us more about Jim? You said he was outgoing.
Answer: He was very
outgoing. He was very like his father in that he could go into any group and be with
them right away. Although Tom did make some lasting friendships, particularly in
high school. I think his chief activity while he was in high school was sneaking off
and going to the lake that was just down the hill from the school. On hot days the
daring boys, the ones that weren't afraid, would sneak around the bleachers and go skinny
dipping in that lake." |
|
