As many of you know, I have written a book, titled The Walk to Walden Hillwhich will be released in July or August.
What most people don't know is the main character is one most who lived in Southside, will remember...Paul Walden. Though the story is fiction, much of the character of the "real" Walden resides in the pages of the book.
If you lived in this community for a while, then you remember these names:
"Spider", who came around us at football practice in the late 1980s. He told dirty jokes and had to be at least 130 years old. He reminded me of Ole"Blue" from the movie Old School with Will Ferrell.
Barney Hood. We named a stadium after him. A longtime Southside resident and coach, Barney was a fixture at sporting events, contributing in so many countless ways. I know of several boys who attended college on his generosity.
"Egg". Where the current Shell station now sits in Southside used to be an old service station. Perched on an old bench, you could always find him relaxing with a whole lot of nothing to say.
These were all wonderful, kind and interesting men in their later years who made an impression on many of us as young adults. There was one old man that really stood out to me in particular:
Raise your hand if you remember Paul Walden. In Mr. Lloyd Cleveland and Mr. Jimmy Sewell's Shop class (Ag), it was common to take the field trip to prune his peach trees. He was always around supporting the Southside baseball and football teams in the 80s and 90s. I don't remember the first time I met the man, I just remember him always being a faithful supporter. As time passed, Mr. Walden became more than a supporter, he became a trusted friend. I was regularly with him in his final years, helping with his garden or just sitting in his kitchen, talking about anything. His stories were typically repetitive, but I loved hearing them.
Over time, he became like family to me. In his final years, Mr. Waldens health slowly declined to the point to where he was placed in a nursing home, not too long after Grace passed away. He missed her so much and I could tell that she was indeed part of him.
I wanted to preserve Mr. Walden. Though he is definitely a larger than life character in this book, he surely lives in it. The town of "Milton" is different, but you'll recognize Southside in the descriptions. The Coosa is replaced by the "Tennessee" and lots of the names are different, but it's still visible in my head.
Please comment if you remember him or the other prominent men who played a part in your life in the community.
Hope you will all buy the book! It will be out soon.
Robert Abernathy
My mother gave me your book over Christmas when visiting my family in Alabama. I've read it three times since Christmas and will order copies to give to friends. Growing up in Southside, our property backed-up to Mr. Walden's property. It seems like yesterday when he was tending to his peach trees and cows in the field behind our house but it's been almost forty years since I left Alabama yet those memories and the character of the man still resonate with me. A giant of a man in statue whose huge hands I can still recall. When I was small, I jumped the fence and took some peaches without asking. My mother made me go confess to Mr. Walden what I had done. What did Mr. Walden do? He brought me to back to the house on his tractor and told my mother he was declaring the peach tree I took the peaches from my tree and I could take peaches any time I wanted. Your stories of his gentleness and kindness are no surprise to me.
ReplyDeleteThank you for making me tear up this morning. He was a great man and I think about him often. Its nice to see others who can relate to so much of the book. I am sure you especially do, given that much of the book setting is a visual snapshot of your childhood.
ReplyDeleteGlad you enjoyed the book!