Wednesday, January 9, 2019

 

 

 

 

 

Brad Walker and his wife Laura had the good fortune to meet and visit with “The Father of Rock and Roll,” Jerry Lee Lewis, on New Year’s Eve. They saw him at Jerry Lee Lewis’ Café & Honky Tonk on Beale St. in Memphis. Only about 100 persons were present for the event.

Back in August, Brad, Laura and their children Allen and Ellie visited the Lewis Ranch near Hernando, MS. There they got acquainted with Jerry Lee Lewis III, known as “Lee.”

Lee told them at the time that his father would put on a New Year’s Eve show if he felt like it. And he did.

Jerry Lee was born in Ferriday, LA and started playing piano by the age of nine. His music was influenced by the singing at the Pentecostal church he attended and by Black musicians in the area.

He recorded for Sam Phillips at Sun Records in Memphis in 1956, following on the heels of Elvis Presley and Johnny Cash. He was with the first class voted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1986.

He is also “The Last Man Standing” in what has been called “The Million Dollar Quartet.” That was when Jerry Lee, Carl Perkins, Elvis Presley and Johnny Cash got together on Dec. 4, 1956 for an impromptu jam session at Sun Records in Memphis.

At the New Year’s Eve show, Jerry Lee’s sister Linda Gail Lewis opened up the show. Jacob Toliver, who played the part of Jerry Lee in a production about the Million Dollar Quartet, was also on the program.

“Jerry Lee took the stage at 11 p.m. and played until after midnight,” Brad related. “He is 82-years-old. I talked to him about 10 minutes.”

Continuing, Brad said he told the legend that he was in law enforcement in Sabine Parish and that if he could ever help him to just call. Jerry Lee responded, “I probably won’t be coming that way.” Brad joined the Sabine Sheriff’s Department in January 1997 as a reserve, served two years as a jailor, then joined patrol and for the past three years has been in investigation.

Brad told Lewis he wished he would do a Gospel album, and Jerry Lee said he had been thinking about it. He and sister Linda Gail did their lone Gospel album in 1971.

This was Brad’s third time to see Jerry Lee, and this time he and Laura made some wonderful memories.

Saturday was my 79th Birthday, and I had told my family I didn’t want to celebrate and to please just forget about it, but they wouldn’t.

Birthday night found us at Mayeaux’s Steak and Seafood on Front St. in Natchitoches. There was my wife Laurie, daughter Verity, daughter Amber and her children Carson and Bree.

What a surprise, treat and true blessing when Tenth Judicial District Judge Lala Brittain Sylvester came to our table and sang “Happy Birthday” to me. It was a great birthday gift I shall ever remember.

I first became introduced to her family when her grandmother, Mrs. Ora Garland Williams, tried to teach me English at Northwestern in the early 1960s. Then I helped her grandfather, Judge Richard B. Williams, in my hometown of Marthaville the first time he ran.

And in Natchitoches I met her mother and father, Jack O. and Ann Williams Brittain. As a reporter for the Natchitoches Times in the early to mid-1960s, I wrote a lot of stories about the two of them as they were very active in community affairs.

After I moved to Many, for many years Mrs. Brittain sent me her beautiful Christmas greetings which in word and picture told of what the Brittain family had done during the year. I miss those days.

I don’t think there are a lot of people who can say, “The Judge sang Happy Birthday to me!” I am glad to be in that number. Thanks much, Judge Sylvester.

Movies in Many and Music in Many, two ongoing series at the Many Community Center [Sabine Theater] on San Antonio Ave. sponsored by the Town of Many, Mayor Ken Freeman and the Many Cultural District, are gearing up for a wonderful 2019 season.

Some upcoming highlights include the showing of “Old Yeller” on Saturday, Jan. 19 at 7 p.m. to benefit the Sabine Humane Society and a number of special musical programs. For the first time ever, authentic Cajun music is coming to the parish in the form of Choupique, a unique French-singing band who will appear here on May 11 sponsored by the Shreveport Regional Arts Council. Their concert is free.

Other special shows are the big annual Elvis Valentines Show featuring tribute artist Richard Bruce Cook who will present an “Elvis Loves You” concert on Feb. 9; a trip back to the fabulous ’50s with Flashback on March 9 – they were a big hit last year and as before, attendees are invited to don their best 1950s fashions and come ready to dance. Rock and Roll master Brandy Roberts returns on April 13, and on Memorial Day weekend, Willie Stewart Family & Friends will present “God Bless America,” a free concert to honor all Sabine Parish veterans.

All concerts start at 7 p.m. and admission for most shows is only $5 per person. Some, as noted above, are free, and a few others we’ll tell you about soon will have a different admission price. Veterans are always admitted free of charge, regardless of ticket price.

 

We mentioned the showing of “Old Yeller” to benefit the Sabine Humane Society in the previous article and speaking of, we were amazed at the tremendous response that came pouring in following last week’s “Observations” which noted Ellen Abington is no longer on the board of the Humane Society.

Former Many resident Tammy Mangum Fiscus shared on social media, “It is a shame that Mrs. Ellen is no longer on the board of the animal shelter. She has been the face and voice of the shelter since its inception. It is doubtful that anyone will ever donate their personal time and money or open up their heart and home to the animals as Mrs. Ellen has.”

Many, many people have shared that same sentiment with us. And it’s a fact – we know of no one else who runs the roads every single day like she does searching for dogs who need rescued, gets the animals medical treatment if needed (often at her own expense), and then hurries home to post photos so pets can be reunited with their owners. When animals are dumped, abandoned or victim of some other misfortune, Abington works tirelessly to place the dogs in “forever homes” – homes she diligently verifies as responsible pet owners who will give the animals the life Abington believes every dog deserves.

“Ellen has served animals in Sabine Parish since the beginning,” Donna Ammons noted on Facebook. “I can’t think of a kinder animal-lover than Ellen.”

According to a few, there are some who simply feel Abington should not be involved in Humane Society leadership any longer. Considering Ellen’s years of experience and well-placed contacts around Louisiana and the U.S. to place dogs in new, loving homes, we have not gotten any definite answers as to why her input is not wanted.

Apparently, there was a Fall 2018 board meeting at which tempers flared, voices were raised and hands were slammed on the table as points were made and directed at Abington – and we hear there’s a tape to prove it, though we have not heard it for ourselves yet. At any rate, it seems if all are truly concerned about the welfare of the animals, surely there is a peaceful, productive path that everyone involved with the Humane Society can take to reach a good resolution.

We have not attended the board meetings and do not own a cat or dog, so as the old cliché says, “We don’t have a dog in the fight.” But regardless, it looks like the rub is between Ellen’s long service to the shelter and local animals, and newer leadership who may not have the same experience or animal contacts that Abington has.

“The Sabine Shelter has an excellent reputation and I feel this will continue under the direction of Manager Lisa Butler,” Abington said. “It is also my hope that the vacancies left on the board will be filled with people who will support the shelter and be a voice for the animals.”

It should be noted that since these troubles unfolded, Abington resigned her position on the board under duress. Several of her shelter director partners, contacts at the Louisiana Dept. of Agriculture and other advisors have encouraged her to rescind her resignation.

It is with great sadness we report the death of Mr. Ernest Rodrigues. He was a fine man, a patriot and an all-around wonderful human being. He leaves behind a loving family, and he will be deeply missed.

Back in 1978, when I owned and published The Sabine Index, we had a fire one summer when I was away on vacation with my family. Our offices were completely gutted. We got the news and hurried home to survey the damage. Ernest immediately offered us space in the back of his Rodrigues Florist located next door to continue publishing until we could get on our feet. That was just the kind of man he was. We took him up on it and stayed there until we could purchase and renovate a building across San Antonio Ave. to move into, (which we ended up selling in the early 2000s to Midsouth Bank.) On a side note, the “new” Sabine Index office, between Ed’s Sheet Metal and Many Pawn Shop is the old Rodrigues Florist location that we used after the fire.

Another good memory of Ernest was when we used to run a “Working Woman of the Week” feature in the newspaper. Each week we would recognize a local working woman and feature her in the paper. Rodrigues Florist would also present each lady with a beautiful bouquet of flowers as a part of her recognition. We did that together for a long, long time.

Our love, prayers and sympathies are extended to the entire Rodrigues family at this sad time.

That is all for this second Wednesday of 2019. We love to hear your thoughts and suggestions for future articles, so call me at (318) 332-8653 or write to robertrgentry@gmail.com. Recently archived columns appear below. Older ones are archived on our Facebook page under Photos, where they are listed by date. To print this week’s column, simply right-click anywhere on the content and select Print.

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