UGA legend Charley Trippi was surprised by this accolade

(Note: This column will be included in my upcoming book, People Die Twice, Second Time Stories Stop.)

Who’s the best Bulldog to ever play football for Georgia?

My generation would probably say, “Herschel Walker.”

But the “Greatest Generation” and plenty more history-savvy fans will bark, “Charley Trippi!” 

One barking that claim in the 1940s was a strapping farm boy turned soldier in the Philippines. And when the Japanese surrendered, Lamar Shirah couldn’t wait to get back behind the plow in Mitchell County. But he wanted to make one more trip, first chance he got. Lamar had been following the gridiron phenom Charley Trippi.

So, when his pal Buddy Davis planted the idea of going to Atlanta to see Charley play, Lamar couldn’t drop his plow lines fast enough. On Dec. 1, 1945, at Grant Field, they witnessed a Trippi-led team wallop Georgia Tech, 33-0.

Lamar couldn’t have been happier, he thought.

But on the way home—at a traffic light between Macon and Fort Valley—something caught his eye: two young women in the car ahead of them. Guys being guys and girls being girls, they struck up a conversation out of the windows of their cars. 

Lamar and Buddy asked the beautiful ladies whether they’d like to ride around. Willene Lavender replied, “My daddy told me to never ride with strangers, but you can follow us to Wheeler’s Drug Store in Fort Valley.”

After chatting over Cokes at the soda fountain, Lamar asked, again, “Would you ladies like to ride around with us?”

Willene countered, “Thanks, but I live just two blocks from here. Would you like to come and meet my parents?” Lamar and Buddy took up the offer and followed them to the Lavender home on Peachtree Street.

When Willene started to introduce Lamar and Buddy, she blushed. She couldn’t remember their names. Never bashful, Lamar stuck out his calloused hand and said, “Pleased to meet you. I’m Lamar Shirah from Hopeful, Georgia, and this is my friend Buddy Davis.” 

So far, so good.

Mrs. Lavender said, “You fellows must be hungry.” She disappeared into the kitchen and returned with sandwiches. 

As the visit stretched into the afternoon, it was apparent the farmers weren’t in a hurry to get back to Southwest Georgia and their mules. And Charlie and Meddie Lavender were warming up to the two just-home Army veterans who had appeared with their daughter and her friend. 

Lamar asked Willene, “Is there a place we can take you and Elaine to supper?” Heads nodded, and the foursome was off to Fay’s Restaurant in Macon. At 10:30 that evening, the Lavenders were waiting for Willene and Elaine to return with Lamar and Buddy.

Before the plowboys headed home, they exchanged addresses and telephone numbers with their new acquaintances. 

The first impression was powerful enough that Lamar was back in Fort Valley the next week. Serious courting began, as Lamar began the back-and-forth trips to see Willene. Because his car didn’t have a heater, he’d wrap warm bricks in towels to keep himself from freezing during the cold commutes.

On Nov. 23, 1947, Willene and Lamar exchanged vows. Elaine sang at her best friend’s wedding. And Buddy was Lamar’s best man.

The new bride left asphalt and streetlights to move into a shanty—minus indoor plumbing—down a washboard dirt road. When Willene’s parents made their first visit to Shirahland, her dad said, “Sister, it must be love. Because there ain’t another damn thing down here.”

Charlie Lavender, the prosperous businessman, was right about love. But he was wrong about the couple’s future. Lamar became one of the most successful farmers in Mitchell and adjoining counties. 

With his own hands, he built a house—many times expanded—for his wife and four children: Pam, Ray, Tim and Krista. In that home, the two former strangers—who had met at a traffic light—shared their love for 73 years. They died under that roof within 60 days of each other in 2020.

Years ago, I was invited to enjoy Tuesday breakfasts with a small group, mostly long-ago UGA baseball lettermen. I am one of the few that hadn’t played for their coach, Big Jim Whatley. The magnet drawing us together was Charley Trippi. The stories swapped could fill books.

Long before Charley died in 2022, at age 100, I told him how Lamar met Willene. I thanked him for inspiring my future father-in-law to go see him play football. Without Charley, there would not have been that farmer’s daughter for me to meet at UGA and later marry in 1969. 

And that was one accolade Georgia’s greatest athlete never knew he had. 

dnesmith@cninewspapers.com

Dove season’s opening day is Christmas morning in September

        The opening day of dove season for our seven grandsons is as exciting as Christmas morning. The preparation and anticipation are almost as much fun as the real thing.

Almost, but not quite.

You don’t sit on your hands until the last minute and then say, “Let’s have a dove shoot on Saturday.” 

Oh, no.

The planning and the work begin months in advance. This year, we added sunflowers to go along with the traditional crop of brown-top millet. Timing is everything. 

And then, there’s the looming question: “Will it rain at the right times?”

For two years in a row, drought and pigweed infestation hammered our opening-day hopes into disappointing duds—cancellations. 

But hallelujah, not this year. All the good-luck stars were aligned.

Grandsons and their dads were ready for legal shooting, 30 minutes before sunrise on Sept. 5.

The evening before, it was pow, pow, pow, as clay pigeons were launched and burst over the back pasture. Everyone wanted to make sure they hadn’t lost their shooting skills since last season.

As for me, Grandpa was scrambling to check off details on the to-do list. 

On Saturday morning, I didn’t wait for the 5 o’clock alarm to sound. My feet were on the floor long before. Coffee had to be hot by 6. And if the boiled peanuts were going to be ready by mid-morning, the flame had to be lit by 5. 

Hunters are famously hungry.

Coffee, orange juice, bananas, apples, oranges, doughnuts and granola bars got them fueled for the walk into the dove field. Awaiting their return was a mountain of hot cathead sausage biscuits. And more coffee and juice. 

But the most popular drink was ice-cold water. Oh my, it was as hot as the door hinges of Hades.

By 9:30, family and friends were transitioning from catheads to boiled peanuts. I insist on boiling only green Valencia peanuts from Hardy Farms in Hawkinsville. And I don’t skimp on the Morton salt. 

Yeah, I know. We’re supposed to go easy on the salt. But on opening day of dove season, I think it’s all right to loosen the doctor’s rules. 

Doctors tell us to go easy on fried foods, too. But I don’t think they’ve tasted our son Alan’s swamp recipe for fried catfish nuggets or his hushpuppies. Country folks declare, “They’re “fittin’.” 

Son-in-law Tom was the fry cook’s helper. Don’t forget the cheese grits and coleslaw. And gallons of sweet tea and lemonade.

Eventually, it was time—for those who wanted to sweat some more—to hike back to the dove field. 

Some of us comfortably witnessed the Dawgs gnaw up Tennessee State, courtesy of air conditioning. I kind of felt guilty in such comfort. But not too much. 

By game’s end, Alan was out of the field and getting the griddle hot. Another of his specialties are double-stacked cheese smashburgers with toasted buns. 

Meanwhile, grandsons were peppering me, “Grandpa, when are you going to make swamp sherbet?” 

It’s a family favorite: a 2-liter of Orange Crush and a can of Eagle Brand condensed milk. Twenty minutes later, delightful. Especially on a nearly 100-degree day.

An hour after sundown, the doves were cleaned and all the pots scrubbed. The highlights of the hunt and the verbal replays of Georgia’s victory were winding down. 

As I watched taillights disappear down the gravel road, I thought of three things:

• A hot shower
• A soft pillow
• But most of all, the memories made on a Christmas morning in September.

dnesmith@cninewspapers.com

Hinson’s last phone call was powerful, from his heart

 (Editor’s note: Hinson Mosley called last month. I didn’t need caller ID. His voice was distinctive. I say “was.” Hinson died Sept. 1. When I learned of his death, I reflected on our last conversation. Hinson was bedridden and fading. Now I realize my friend was calling and saying, “Goodbye.” His last words were, “I love you and your family.” Powerful and from his heart. That was Hinson. Here’s what I wrote, in 2020, as the foreword to his book God Knew). 

        Looks can be deceiving. If you’re meeting Hinson Mosley for the first time—and he’s dressed in sweat-stained denim—you might make a mistake by thinking you are looking at a fellow who hasn’t strayed too far from the plow hitched behind his mule. And if you aren’t careful, you might think that again when he speaks in his signature aw-shucks monotone. 

But stop right there, or you’ll be going down the wrong dirt road.

Hinson is proud that his roots are deep in rural Georgia’s soil. He’s felt the prick of sharp cotton hulls as he’s plucked the fluffy white bolls from stalk after stalk on rows seeming to reach the horizon. He’s no stranger to back-breaking labor or grease under his fingernails. Put a wrench in his hands, and Hinson knows where and how to turn it. 

For the people who know—really know—Hinson Mosley, they saw something more than a master pulp-mill instrument technician or dawn-to-dusk farmer/mechanic. His slow-speaking tone didn’t fool them at all. They saw and heard more, much more. Those are the people who encouraged him to do more than fix industrial or agricultural equipment. They wanted him to go to Atlanta and take his commonsense wrench to what needed fixing in state government. That’s how Hinson came to represent his District 171 constituents in Georgia’s House of Representatives.

I had known Hinson for years, but I knew his in-laws better. During my college summers, I worked for his future father-in-law, Don Lawson. Don was general manager of Rayonier. In the late 1980s I was director of the Adult 1 Sunday School Department, and Don was my Sunday school teacher at First Baptist Church. We served as fellow deacons.

In 1974 Hinson married Linda Lawson. Linda had taught with my wife, Pam, at Jesup’s Orange Street Elementary School. For 50-plus years, Pam has worn the diamond that I bought with my $2.725-per-hour pulp-mill paychecks. 

When First Baptist Church on Brunswick Street opened its door, the Lawsons and NeSmiths had our customary pews. I can still hear the way Linda’s mother, Irene, livened up the sanctuary when she sat down at the organ. Improvising as she went up and down the keyboard, Irene could knock the dust off musty old hymns. 

When Hinson ran for public office, I got to know him better.

I remember our first conversation about his candidacy. His opponent was one of my boyhood Sunday school teachers. Hubert Howard was also my personal and corporate attorney. Hinson said, “I know you’ve got to support Hubert, but I have one request. If you can’t help me, please don’t hurt me.” We shook hands, and the rest is history. Hinson went to Atlanta, and Hubert kept on being my attorney, trusted adviser and friend.

In time, Hinson and I got to know each other as friends, too. When he calls, I know that he has been thinking about an idea. In his unrushed, pensive way, he trusts me to be a sounding board, and I’m always ready to listen.

I’ve always believed there’s a book in every life. For years, Hinson has talked about putting his story between the covers of a book. Somewhere along the way, Hinson quit talking and teamed with his wife and Joy Waters Fowler to make his dream come true. He drilled into the Great Depression and the day—Oct. 21, 1932—that he was born. From that start, Hinson layered story after story into a thick and very readable stack of memories.

As you turn the pages, you will discover why God Knew is the perfect title. Just days into this world, pneumonia almost robbed the author of the next 88 years. Hinson is convinced the Lord had other plans. God knew—He really knew—where the Honorable Hinson Mosley was going in life. 

dnesmith@cninewspapers.com

Telling their stories keeps people ‘alive’

By Will Bacon

     Growing up in Wayne County, Georgia, meant growing up among people whose names and 

personalities became part of the landscape itself.

     Jesup and the Oglethorpe community were the center of my world, but Wayne County stretched into 

Gardi, Screven, Odum, the Altamaha River, pine forests, farms and dirt roads. What I remember most 

now, though, are the people who gave those places life.

     

     As a boy, I worked for Ralph Smith at Jesup Pharmacy as a “soda jerk.” Later, I topped, suckered 

and helped string tobacco near Beck’s Dairy. I loaded and hauled watermelons for my Uncle Tyler 

Surrency. As I got older, I worked at S&R Men’s Shop with Mr. Jimmy Sullivan and Don Miller, 

helping sell Gant shirts, Hart Schaffner & Marx suits, and Bass Weejuns.

     At the time, I thought I was simply working.

     Looking back, I realize I was being introduced to Wayne County through its people.

     Each of those people had their own way of doing things, his own expectations, his own personality, 

and his own place in the community. They taught me lessons without announcing them as lessons. You 

learned by watching. You learned to show up, to work, to speak to people, to treat customers well, and 

to understand that your name and your word mattered.

     My own family was part of that same fabric. Early in their careers, both of my parents taught at 

Piney Grove School, where Dad also served as principal. Dad was also a minister, and I often tagged 

along when he stopped by the funeral home to visit the family of a church member or friend who had 

died. Dink’s father was the undertaker and funeral director, so the connection between our families 

goes back many years.

     I did not understand it then, but funeral homes were places where stories were told. People gathered 

to remember what someone had done, something funny they had said, how they had helped another 

person, or simply what it had meant to know them.

     Years later, after college, I returned to Wayne County, married a wonderful Cherokee Lake 

sweetheart, and went to work at Rayonier alongside Bob McCrary and Gerald DeWitt. Angie worked 

for Glenna Parker, who had taken over the insurance business where she herself had worked for 

“Snooky” Littlefield. Once again, our lives were intertwined with familiar Wayne County names and 

stories. Eventually, education and opportunity carried our family elsewhere.

     But the people of Wayne County traveled with me.

     In my own work as a minister and marriage and family therapist, I have heard thousands of stories. 

Over time, I have come to understand that our stories are one of the ways we keep one another alive.

Ralph Smith and Uncle Tyler, Jimmy Sullivan and Don Miller, Bob McCrary and Gerald DeWitt, 

Glenna Parker and Snooky Littlefield—these names and so many others belong to the Wayne County I 

remember. Some are gone now, but when I speak their names and remember the lessons, laughter, work 

and ordinary days we shared, they are present again.

     In People Die Twice, Dink helps us understand why those stories matter. We die once when life 

leaves us, but there is another kind of death that comes when our names are no long spoken and our 

stories are no longer told.

     So we tell them.

Will Bacon is a retired minister and the son of the late Rev. James E. and Nanelle Bacon. The following was written as the foreword of Dink NeSmith’s upcoming book, People Die Twice, Second Time Stories Stop.

Alabama foot log was original link to our families

     Two girls were born in “the other LA”—Lower Alabama—in 1900.

     The McNeal family lived on one side of a tea-colored creek.

     The Mercer family lived on the opposite bank. 

     Before mothers ever tied bows onto the pigtails of their daughters, Essie McNeal and Katie Mercer spawned a friendship that spanned 80-plus years. 

     When the girls were 10 years old, Ezra McNeal and Will Mercer hitched their mules to wagons. And with a pop of the reins, they rolled toward “Jawja,” where they had heard schools were better. 

     Pulling up to the Flint River, Will drove his wagon onto a ferry and settled in Mitchell County. My great-grandpa, Ezra, clucked to his mules and ordered, “Whoa,” on the west side, in Baker County.

     Essie and Katie stayed in touch through marriage, children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren. And one of their most memorable visits was in 1968, sipping Christmastime eggnog.

     But I’m getting ahead of myself. 

     Eleven months earlier, I had been frazzled as rush chairman for my UGA fraternity. Over Sunday lunch, I realized I didn’t have a date for that night’s party for our new pledges. In mid-bite, I dropped a piece of fried chicken and announced, to no one in particular, “I don’t have a date.” 

     Spunky Good, from Camilla (Mitchell County), piped up, “I know just the girl. She’s a beautiful freshman. She’s a good friend of my sister Ouida. Want me to call her?”

     “Thanks,” I said, “I can do that.” 

     Spinning the blind-date roulette wheel was my only option. Back then, you phoned Brumby Hall’s front desk. The receptionist scanned a list of 1,000 names and rang the room. Pamela Leigh Shirah answered the phone.

     If she hadn’t told me what she would be wearing, I could not have found Pam among the throng of coeds in the high-rise dormitory’s rotunda. 

     Spunky was right. 

     She was special. 

     Then came the second date. 

     We sat on steps in the coliseum’s nosebleed section to watch our Bulldogs take on basketball phenomenon Pistol Pete Maravich and his LSU Tigers. With a hook shot from half court, among other feats, the Pistol was dazzling. But I was being bedazzled by the hazel-eyed brunette sitting beside me.

     Now, back to that eggnog sipping at Shirahland, Pam’s dad’s farm. 

     Pam and her family remembered me as a 12- and 13-year-old, when I had attended Hopeful Baptist Church with my Uncle Billy’s family. I lived with them for two summers, while working in Riverview Plantation’s tobacco patches. 

     And during that Yule gathering, our grandmothers, Essie and Katie, told us how our two families were linked. As young girls, they scooted back and forth to each other’s houses over a foot log that stretched across the creek.

     Then came the spring of Pam’s sophomore year. 

     She called her folks and announced we’d be coming for a weekend visit.

     When we arrived Friday night, Pam’s dad stayed up past his bedtime. He was expecting me to bring up “the subject.” About 11 p.m., he said, “Good night.” And he went looking for his pajamas.

     After Saturday’s breakfast, her dad asked whether I’d like to check on the crops. In his 1966 pea-green Ford pickup, we rode for three hours, looking and talking. And as he pulled back into the yard, under the pecan tree, he looked at me and said, “Don’t you have something you want to ask me?”

     “Yes, sir. I’d like to ask for your daughter’s hand in marriage.”

     “Well, I have two questions. First, do you love Pam?”

     “Yes, sir, I do love Pam.”

      “How to you plan to take care of her?”

     “I wish that I could tell you how we will manage. But I have always believed that where there’s a will, there’s a way. I promise to take care of Pam, and we’ll finish our education.” 

     We shook hands, and that was that.

     On Aug. 23, 1969, Lamar Shirah parked his peanut picker to escort his older daughter to the altar. I remember Katie and Essie—arm in arm and smiling—on that night inside Hopeful Baptist Church. They sported it-was-meant-to-be looks on their 69-year-old faces.

     And it has been. 

     For 57 years.

dnesmith@cninewspapers.com

Rick Jackson will keep Georgia moving forward

        When Rick Jackson announced his campaign for governor, had you ever heard of him?

I had not.

And that was surprising.

Starting with my January 1966 Gold Dome visit with Gov. Carl Sanders, I have known every Georgia governor since. That’s not a boast. But when Jimmy Carter, Lester Maddox, George Busbee, Joe Frank Harris, Zell Miller, Roy Barnes, Sonny Perdue, Nathan Deal and Brian Kemp tossed their hats into the ring, they weren’t strangers.

But health care businessman Rick Jackson was a 100 percent unknown to me. And when he won the Republican nomination by defeating Lt. Gov. Burt Jones, I decided it was time to pick up the phone.

In fairness to Democrat candidate Keisha Lance Bottoms, I have followed her political career since she was mayor of Atlanta. More on that later.

Reaching into Jackson’s campaign network, I asked one of his operatives to arrange a one-on-one with the billionaire businessman. If Rick has a chance to become Georgia’s 84th governor, I wanted to know what’s behind the man who is willing to spend more than $150 million of his own money to get the job.

Thanks to Brian Robinson, I got that opportunity Aug. 5.

Here’s what I knew before our sit-down:

Rick’s life is a Horatio Alger’s up-from-your-bootstraps story. His childhood was a poverty-stricken wreck—an absent father and an alcoholic mother. Moving through five foster homes, he was bullied and called no-good white trash. At 19, he used those misfortunes as rocket fuel to launch his career.

In our meeting, I told Rick that my childhood couldn’t have been more different. Big Dink and Margie—with modest means and abundant encouragement—showered my sisters and me with daily affection. And when each of our parents died, their last words were “I love you.”

Rick married at 19. The young Jacksons started out in a single-wide trailer, and he sold used cars. I laughed and said, “Pam and I married at 20. Our first home was a single-wide mobile home, and I sold used cars before going off to Army basic training. You and I entered business on borrowed money, but to compare our financial balance sheets is laughable. “

Years ago, a political strategist explained, “Only negative advertising moves the campaign needle.” I don’t like character-assassinating trash talk, but that’s today’s sad state of politics. And I said as much to Rick. 

I went on to add that I understand candidates—Democrat and Republican—huddle to support each other. However, I do not support the egotism and dysfunction that has taken over Washington. And I explained that I believe character and credibility are essential for leaders. 

This is what I believe about Rick Jackson. His personal story is one that exemplifies what is possible in America. He demonstrates how hard work and common sense solve problems. I trust his business savvy to keep Georgia fiscally sound while continuing our state’s legacy of robust jobs creation. 

I admire how Rick embraced the experiences of his childhood to support today’s foster children. He preaches, “It’s not your fault that you are a foster child. But it’s your fault if you do not take advantages of the opportunities available to you.” And Rick, as they say, “puts his money where his mouth is” with his foundation’s investments in disadvantaged youth.

Gov. Brian Kemp has been an exceptional leader in some tumultuous times. (Remember COVID-19?) So, I asked my friend about Rick Jackson. This is what our governor said: “For Georgians still struggling to afford groceries, pay their rent or provide for their family, Rick Jackson knows how you feel because he’s been there. As your 84th governor, he will fight for every Georgian—no matter your zip code or circumstance—each and every day. I also know Rick will continue the last 24 years of strong conservative leadership by continuing to cut taxes, keep our communities safe, improve education, and bring good-paying jobs to every corner of our state.”

On Nov. 3, Georgia voters can choose between a Democrat or a Republican. I respect everyone’s individual right to vote for whomever.

Here’s how I made my decision: 

        I evaluated the performance records of both candidates. How did Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms lead Atlanta during her tenure? What has Rick Jackson accomplished in his career? And then I decided, in my opinion, which candidate is better suited to keep Georgia moving forward.

My choice was easy.

I am voting for Rick Jackson.

dnesmith@cninewspapers.com

Buffaloes lost, but Dawgs and our family won

 

            The Georgia Bulldogs are gearing up for 2026’s kickoff.

            But let’s roll back the clock 20 years to a game in Athens.

            With a name like Ralphie, you’d think the University of Colorado’s mascot would be a boy. But it’s not. The burly bison should have pink bows on its curled horns.

            On Sept. 23, 2006, when Ralphie romped through the gap in Sanford Stadium’s fabled hedges, UGA’s English bulldog mascot didn’t know what to think. Apparently, the Dawgs didn’t know, either. Georgia salvaged a 14-13 win in the last 46 seconds.

            But there’s another victory that didn’t flash on the endzone’s Jumbotron.

            It started with a three-minute conversation during the game, a chat that evolved into a historic win for our family.

            While Ralphie was chewing her cud and Uga was lounging in his air-conditioned doghouse, the two-legged Buffaloes were scaring the two-legged Dawgs. Trying to take my mind off the game, I walked away from the window in the president’s box. I struck up a conversation with then-president Dr. Michael Adams’ senior event planner.

            Heather Hammond was and still is an auburn-haired beauty from Fitzgerald. She has a songbird voice and a sunny smile. We had known each other for several years through her work with the university.

            “Heather,” I said, “if there is no one special in your life, I know someone whom you might like to meet.”

            Wrinkling her nose, she asked, “Who?”

            “Well, he’s a young businessman and outdoorsman in South Georgia,” I said. “He’s in his 30s, and he has never been married. And he’s just about given up on finding the right young lady to take to dinner or go to the movies.”

            Animated expression is one signature of Heather’s personality. Arching her eyebrows, she said, “Oh, my, that sounds like my luck.”

            I countered, “But there are so many eligible bachelors in a university town.”

            “Yes, but they’re college boys,” she said. “I’m way past that. Who is he?”

            “He’s our older son, Alan,” I answered. “Like you, he’s a graduate of the University of Georgia. He is publisher of the Tribune & Georgian in St. Marys.”

            Opening her purse, Heather pulled out a business card. “My email address is right here if Alan would like to contact me,” she said. We chit-chatted for a few more minutes before peeking out the window to see what was going on between Ralphie’s cleated Buffaloes and our Dawgs.

            I mailed Heather’s card to Alan. Eventually, he sent an email of introduction to her. They exchanged emails for a couple of months, before Alan drove north for six hours.

            By summer, Alan and Heather were standing barefoot on the beach of a barrier island. On Aug. 11, 2007, they exchanged vows before a tiny congregation of family and friends.

Another story is how out-of-nowhere howling winds, salty waterspouts and a pop-up monsoon tried to wreck the wedding. Instead, it was just a testament to how the couple would endure in their 20 years of togetherness.

            After defying Mother Nature’s wrecking ball, our family was huddled again the next year. Three days before Thanksgiving, we were in the Brunswick hospital to welcome the birth of William Alan Jr. Two years later in November, William was joined by his brother, Samuel Fenn NeSmith. Today, William is a senior at Tallulah Falls School, and Fenn is a sophomore. Both are scholar athletes, with their dreams focused on UGA, of course.

            Imagine if Ralphie hadn’t trotted between that gap in Sanford Stadium’s iconic hedges. And try to imagine if Pam and I hadn’t been there to witness it?

            I can’t.

            Happy 19^th anniversary, Alan and Heather.

dnesmith@cninewspapers.com