Center Mayor Oz Metz led the Center Musicians Band

50 Years Ago …

From the Wednesday, January 23, 1974 issue of The Center Champion

Mattie’s Corner

Today is Monday April 22, 2013. The birthdays for the week are: Apr. 22: Curtis Menefee and Howard Sanders. It was the birthday of Linda Meeks and Charles L. Nutt.

Apr. 23: Joseph Blazer Person, Sarah Jackson, Deck Jones, Mark Massey, Curtis Eaves. It was the birthday of Johnny Ruth Massey Brown, Tincy Griffin, Bessie McLeroy, Addie Wicker and Bessie Oates.

Apr. 24: Jeremy Whitton and my niece Cindy McLendon McCracken. It was the birthday of Imogene Jackson, Buster Ballard and Lula Genter.

Apr. 25: Kathy Mahan, Beverly Chambliss, Jennifer Ihlo and Lisa McAdams. It was the birthday of Mrs. Pep (Dorothy) Parker.

Apr. 26: Tem Morrison, Ken Hillyard and Helen Schmidt. It was the birthday of Viva Lee Eaves, Roosevelt Griffin, W.C. Bell and Carl Littleton.

Apr. 27: Sue Ann Beckham. It was the birthday of Velma Owens.

Apr. 28: Terry Carriker, Lynda Risinger, Judy Williams Winger and Letitia Hibbard Poindexter. It was the birthday of Juanita Shillings and Mildred McCary.

Apr. 29: Willie Nelson, born 1933 in Abbott, Texas, Kandi Conner, Charles Paul Hughes and Bonita Collard. It was the birthday of Yondall Barr and Ruby Walker.

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We need to send “Sympathy and Thinking of You” cards to Dr. Hookers’ brother Dixon. Dixon is home now out of rehab and will appreciate cards. Mrs. Hooker has his address. His phone number is 1-386-467-8664. He and his wife live in Welaka, Florida.

••••••• When I see James Arness riding on his horse as Matt Dillon on Gun Smoke, I always think of former Sheriff Paul Ross.

Sheriff Matt Dillon is too large for the small horse he is riding. His long legs nearly reach the ground when on the horse. Paul’s did too as a youth.

I watched Paul Ross when he was a long-legged teenager riding his pony about town.

Paul had trained that horse to be almost human. Bryan McCallum and Grady Jarrett, local lawmen often chased Paul as he and his horse rode through the halls of the 1885 courthouse when the doors were open.

Paul trained Tex, his horse, to climb stairs. There were several open stairwells leading from the sidewalk to the second story buildings. Paul’s horse liked the one on the John R. Smith Building best.

Tex and Paul were often seen going up and down those stairs.

All that time, Paul’s parents were busy operating their city market and grocery store on the east side of the Center square near the now Light and Champion office.

Paul had a colorful and useful life. I’ve written lots of feature stories about him, and his wife Bobbie, and they still have a lot of living to do.

Friday, April 12, I called and talked with Paul for about 30 minutes. Well, he talked, and I listened. He was enthusiastic about my writing about him, and he confirmed all the stories and more as well as his trained horse, Tex.

“I went bare footed ‘til I was grown because they couldn’t find shoes big enough for me,” Paul said. “I remember Buddy Hancock looked at my feet and saw how tough they were and stuck a lighted cigarette and cigar to the bottom of my foot. I couldn’t feel it”.

He continued, “In riding old Tex up the stairs on the square, Tex made it with no effort. Once, we showed up in the domino hall over the now Toledo Finance Building on the second floor. The men were surprised to look up and see me and Tex looking on.” They let us know that we were not welcome.”

Paul’s 6-foot 7-inch height became another great experience when he joined the Army to serve in Korea.

He had to remain in camp over five months after he trained because they didn’t have clothes and shoes to fit him that he needed to fight in the Korean War.

A full book could be written about Paul’s career as Sheriff of Shelby County.

Paul said that when he went in as sheriff, he didn’t own a gun. He told me that Jimmy Jones of Dad’s and Lad’s led a citizen’s group to buy him a gun. Paul added that he never pulled the gun on anyone.

Paul’s parents, the Louis Ross,’ owned the Padon house property and had the old two-story house torn down.

“There was a lot of lumber in the old house and most of it is still stored in my barn,” Paul explained.” Dr. Clifford got some of the lumber and part of the painted glass on the door”.

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I used to know the names of all the Jim Ross’ children from hearing Miss Nona mentioning them. Here are the ones I recall now. There were seven boys and two girls. Nona and Cecile, and then seven sons- J.B. (Booty), E.B. Sr., Mize, Louis, Norman, Elmo and Carroll.

Mrs. Ross was a Mize and a sister of the Mize Brothers who established Mize’s in Nacogdoches.

Paul also told me that his granddaughter and husband had named their new baby Mattie after me.

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I wonder if there are any horns still around that were used in the Duke Samford band. There were other bands. One was called the Latimer band. Those instruments should be valuable now. Oz Metz, Mayor of Center, led the Center Musicians Band. My father was in the Samford and city bands. He played a cornet.

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J.W. Braden asked for prayers and cards for his friend and former CHS classmate Lamar Nicholson,3738 East 64th Place, Tulsa, Okla. 74186. Lamar has serious health problems. He was a 1943 CHS graduate.

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Here’s a question for this week, who was the County Attorney of Shelby County who did not run for the office, but was appointed by the Commissioner’s Court?

This was years ago. The answer next week.

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Mattie