NEWSOMS, LEES, OLIN, GASTON

 

Across the Fence

 

By Arvord Abernethy

 

Every now and then you hear someone say how they wish we had the “good ole days” back. There were some good things about those past days, but we do have some things today that we should be thankful for.

 

The Charles Newsoms built a nice country home north of town off Highway 281 about two years ago and in it they installed some smoke detectors.

 

Recently Charles was at home alone at noon , so he started to prepare some lunch. Soon after he started cooking, Royce Poteet drove up, so Charles went out to talk to him. After they had talked some, they started hearing a strange sound. Charles thought at first that it was his pickup radio, but on checking found that it was not. Then he thought of the smoke detector and ran into the house and found the grease on fire on the stove. He feels certain that the house would have been afire had he not had the alarm installed.

 

I recently heard a news report on the radio as to the effectiveness of these alarms in reducing destructive fires and deaths by fire. It should be enough for us to think seriously about installing some, especially where there are upstairs bedrooms and children. The good thing about them is that they go off while the fire is still small and can be controlled.

 

 

Speaking of the Newsoms, Charles has just started construction on a new house on Meadowlark in the Newsom Addition. It will be a three bedroom, one and half bath, brick home.

 

One of the busiest men on the job is his “retired” father, Elmo, who has just celebrated forty years and going on forever with his bride, Mildred.

We have some new next door neighbors here on our street. Castil amd Meta Lee are in their new home at 706 Barkley Drive , a real nice brick home that Edgar Zschiesche recently built for them.

 

Castil grew up in Boston , Louisiana . Meta is the daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Gus Wenzel and grew up in the Aleman community, so she is just coming back home. They have one daughter, Kathryn Sue Moore, who lives in Garland with her husband and two daughters.

 

Castil has been with Pennzoil Oil Co. for a number of years and they have lived in several places, but Shreveport , Louisiana , was their home most of the time.

 

They have been mowing the native grass in their yard and have plowed part of it, hoping possibly to get some grass started before fall.  With weather like we are having, even a green thumb soon withers up.

 

Hope you can meet the Lees sometime.

 

A group of us drove out to Olin Baptist Church the other night to hear Bro. George Gaston speak in their revival. Bro. George was formerly pastor at the First Baptist Church here in Hamilton , so it was great to see and hear him again. His wife, Susan, and the children were along, so it was good to see them also. George H. III and Rebecca are making some fine looking children.

 

I haven’t been over Olin way lately, so was surprised to see their beautiful redone building. I can’t name everything that has been done, but did notice that the outside walls had been refinished with white stucco, and the front and entry had been finished in white pebble slabs. Really looked neat.

 

The inside had been paneled and that was probably new acoustical ceiling that had been installed. I know that the congregation is proud of their building and we are all happy with them.

 

The visit out there reminded me of a story I once heard about that church, and I am sure it is just a story.

 

All of us who got to know Bro. Clarence Morton know what a great pastor and preacher he was. But did you know that he did some of his early ministry at Olin?

 

The story goes that a traveler was passing there one Sunday morning. Noticing a good crowd there, he decided to stop, rest some and hear a sermon. Bro. Morton was already preaching when the traveler walked in.

 

He listened intently for some time and then got to thinking how he needed to be on his way. He would pull out his watch every few minutes, but that did not help time fly.

 

Then he leaned over and asked a man near him “How long has he been preaching?” The fellow replied, “About a year”.

 

The traveler then said, “Well then, surely he ought to be through pretty soon, I’ll stay a little longer”.

 

Shared by Roy Ables