Dear Facebook; just getting that out of the way. So I drove my mom back home today, and asked a few questions that I’d asked before. Always get new information when you ask the same question to anyone over time. Two of my best friends are black. They both called while I was driving my mom to Huntsville. We were on speaker phone, and at the end of each conversation we shared “I love you, I love you too”. My mom asked me after both calls “who was that, he seems like a great friend”. We talked about friendships with people of a different color or race. She brought up my grandfather being run off from Ole Miss by Ross Barnett when the attempt at desegregation was underway. I had always taken pride in my grandfather supporting a movement that so many others would not. He was one of 4 faculty members that stood up for James Meredith being admitted to attend Ole Miss. He was a dean, and the “highest ranking” supporter of the movement. I always knew he was instrumental in that taking place, and knew that he and his family were threatened for his support. Bricks through the window, threatening phone calls, and horrible letters to his office and home. He was given the option to leave the state of Mississippi to see another day, or he wouldn’t live to “do anymore damage”. That’s the way he ended up being the dean of arts and science at Auburn for a long time. As sad as that is, and as much as he hated to leave Ole Miss, he and my grandmother quickly embraced Auburn. Back to my original point. After a little back and forth with my mom, she told me something she never had. Her dad never weighed over 160 lbs in his life. He wasn’t a confrontational individual unless needed for someone else. She told me that he sent a letter to the governors office before packing up and heading for Auburn and said any threats to him were not a bother, but if he threatened the lives of his wife and children again, he would personally address the situation. I spent the majority of my life worshiping my paternal grandfather because he was a “manly man”. I admired my maternal grandfather for his many accomplishments. I didn’t know until today how big Ed Hobbs balls were. He had no choice but to leave, but he wouldn’t not address a threat to his family. I thought that was pretty badass and just wanted to share.
EDIT: cool thing I left out. My grandfather always did things without seeking recognition. My mother has horrible depression and it’s plagued her forever, and she and I relate well there. When she was at her worst, my grandfather shared letters and things he did with her alone. Things never meant to be seen or recognized. He wanted to be a bright point in her day and show her what our purpose was. It’s about taking care of other people without recognition . He had a pretty cool reflection for her. He said “I never intended anyone to see these things”. He later told her “if we don’t know there’s a problem, we can’t help”. Wish I had that man back for just a day.
EDIT: cool thing I left out. My grandfather always did things without seeking recognition. My mother has horrible depression and it’s plagued her forever, and she and I relate well there. When she was at her worst, my grandfather shared letters and things he did with her alone. Things never meant to be seen or recognized. He wanted to be a bright point in her day and show her what our purpose was. It’s about taking care of other people without recognition . He had a pretty cool reflection for her. He said “I never intended anyone to see these things”. He later told her “if we don’t know there’s a problem, we can’t help”. Wish I had that man back for just a day.
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