For Aunt Kathryn, my Dad's sister

Aunt Kathryn was a big fan of Lewis Grizzard. Turns out the current editor of the Ft. Payne Alabma Times Journal is as well and did a column about Grizzard a week or so ago. He was kind enough to publish my letter in Saturday's paper:


The Editors:

I found editor Clemons tribute to Lewis Grizzard a few days ago sparking lot of memories. I liked Grizzard but always thought of Decatur Georgia's Roy Blount to be a better humorist, had a little more substance for the thinking Southerner.
Still Lewis was a card. And upon his recommendation I found myself at Sprayberry's BBQ in Newnan a few years ago. Didn't quite match up to my favorite, Bridges in Shelby, N.C. but the Brunswick stew was first rate.
In early 80's I was living in Rome Georgia, where a sister of one of GRizzard's interests was married to an influential Baptist preacher. Grizzard wrote a tribute published in the Atlanta Constitution about their Mother, who was a big Auburn fan. And word got out he was their guest at Thanksgiving Dinner in those days. Well you never have seen a more proud fundamentalist Baptist preacher in all your life than the fellow was who had Grizzard for his guest.
Before he died Grizzard had married a woman he found at what he called the Peachtree Street Opera House. I think she wore his favorite red dress to the funeral.
He and his cousin Ludlow Porch had some great stories. One of my faves was about the time a stick of dynamite got lit and tied to the dog's tail. He ran under the barn and blew it up. Ludlow said Thank God he didn't run under the house!!!
My fellow Furman alum humorist and short story writer George Singleton carries on with the tradition. The title of his best known collection of stories says it all: "Half Mammals of Dixie."
God Bless Em All, as Singleton says with another title, These People Are Us.