Shannon's Plaque

The caller ID feature of my home phone indicated the call was from Richard Jaggers. Upon answering the phone, I heard the voice of Sammie. I don’t recall the words verbatim, but when she asked had I heard about Shannon, I braced myself for bad news.
Shannon Carter and my dad were first cousins, the result of their respective fathers being brothers. Born in Thaxton, Mississippi, Shannon spent much of his life in Starkville, where he owned a thriving wood products business where his company manufactured grandfather clocks. Shannon is now widowed and living in an assisted living facility in Birmingham near where his younger daughter works.

Thankfully, there was no bad news. Sammie was calling to inform me that Shannon and his two daughters were coming to Pontotoc on Saturday and would be at the Post Office Museum for a recognition ceremony. Sammie wanted to let me know of Shannon’s visit, in case I was free to attend the ceremony. I thanked her for the information and shared I would plan to attend.
An hour or so earlier, my New York uncle, Lamar, had sent me an email asking for help in locating Liberty Hill Cemetery, the site where several of our Carter ancestors are interred. He had written that Shannon and daughter Brenda wanted to visit the cemetery and while Shannon, whose memory is failing rapidly, thought he could find the remote location, Brenda wasn’t so sure and had asked Lamar for help. There was nothing in the email stating the visit was planned for Saturday, else I might have been better prepared for Sammie’s phone call.
I found a couple of maps on the Internet and sent Lamar a response to relay to Brenda. I even offered my willingness to help her and Shannon find the cemetery if their planned visit coincided with me being in Pontotoc. After Sammie called, I sent Lamar another email stating I would be available to help them.
It was my understanding the recognition ceremony would be at 3:00 p.m. Saturday. Shortly before 2:30 p.m., Neal Huskison phoned to ask if I were going to the museum.
"Yeah, I’m going in a little while," I shared. "Are you?"
"Virginia and I are about to leave. I think they’re going to be there at two-thirty."
"Okay, I’ll leave in a few minutes." Continue reading>>