Alex Howard proves ‘It’s a small world after all’

 

“It’s a world of laughter,

A world of tears.

It’s a world of hopes,

And a world of fears.

There’s so much that we share,

That it’s time we’re aware.

It’s a small world after all.”

—Lyrics by Richard M. and Robert B. Sherman

            How many times have you heard that tune?

            Walt Disney’s playgrounds made it famous.

            I haven’t been to Disney World in 30 years, but lately I’ve been humming it.

            Here’s why:

            All I wanted from the big box was a buggy full of light fixtures. What I got was a surprise, after all.

            Choices, so many choices and questions.

            The first associate was courteous but shrugged her shoulders when I rattled off questions. She signaled for help.

            Up walked a young man in an orange apron. His name badge announced: Alex. As an icebreaker, he said that he had just transferred from Ole Miss to UGA. And then he laughed and said, “This is my third Home Depot, so that makes me an electrical expert.”

            Alex was just joking. The college guy—with a mop of brown hair and a 1,000-watt smile—knew his lighting-department stuff, though.

            One by one, Alex answered my questions. He even gave Pam and me a crash course of the adjustable glow of LED light bulbs.

            With my buggy stacked high, I circled back to his I’m-new-in-town statement. With our family’s college “shopping cart” loaded with 10 UGA diplomas, I asked why he chose our alma mater.

            “I’m from Brunswick. I wanted to be closer to home.”

            (Actually, he is from Kingsland. But he usually says Brunswick because most folks don’t know where his hometown is. Our company publishes Camden County’s newspaper, the Tribune & Georgian.)

            “I’m from Jesup.”

            “Maybe you knew my great-grandfather?”

            “Probably.”

            “Hubert Howard.”

            And that’s when mental lightbulbs started popping.

            Hubert Howard’s family and our family’s friendship go way, way back. It was Alex’s turn to be surprised.

The doors of First Baptist Church rarely opened when all of both families weren’t there. Hubert, wearing his spit-shined wingtips and argyle socks, was one of my boyhood Sunday school teachers.

            When I was about 14, Hubert heard that I was thinking about a legal career. Somewhere—in my mountain of books—I have the paperback, So You Want to be a Lawyer, that he gave me. I toured his office. He pointed out where my one-day office could be, between him and his partner, Joe Thomas.

            Law school never happened, but Hubert Howard became my attorney for the rest of his career. A modest estimate would be 100 transactions. Pam was always more comfortable if Hubert was my legal guardian angel.

    Alex laughed and nodded when I asked him whether he had ever heard his great-grandfather ask, “In an abundance of precaution, have I made myself perfectly clear?”

            Another customer needed the electrical pro’s help. So I said, “Well, welcome to UGA. If you want to hear more about your great-grandfather, you have a standing invitation to visit our farm.”

            Ten days later, Alex rolled through Historic Smithonia Farm’s gate.

            For three hours, it was story after story, including tidbits of Alex’s great-grandfather’s Ludowici heritage. I watched Hubert and Alta Lee’s sons—Hubert Jr., Lawton and Lee—grow up in church pews across the aisle. I smiled when Alex talked about his grandfather Lawton and his uncles.

            The Howard family can be proud of Alex. He’s smart, articulate, poised and all-around likeable. UGA is lucky to have him.

            Imagine, all that I wanted was a buggy full of light fixtures.

            But I got a bonus—a new friend.

            That’s why I drove away humming, “It’s a small world after all.” 

 

 

 

 

 

dnesmith@cninewspapers.com