Mamie

My first wife was never satisfied with her engagement ring. She did not realize how hard I worked, how long I saved, to buy this ring for her. During my years in school, I worked at night and went to school during the day. Then, on Saturdays, I worked at Goldsmith's Store in Memphis, in the Red Cross shoe department, selling shoes. The money from the Saturday work was used to buy her engagement ring. Later, I learned that she was not happy with her jewelry because so many of her friends, at church and elsewhere, were flashing large rings which their successful ”doctor” husbands could afford. I had received an advertisement about fake diamonds. So, you know exactly what I did...I ordered a 2 carat fake diamond for her...which she never realized, nor did anyone else because who goes around with a jeweler's loop appraising a woman's jewelry? So, after this, she would remark about how everyone was so impressed by her wonderful diamond.

I heard yesterday about a woman in Texas who was beaten almost to death when her 7.5 carat diamond ring was robbed from her in the grocery store parking lot. These are the personalities we deal with on a daily basis. Pity the person who has no memories, or appreciation, of unusual personalities. Life would really be dull if everyone were just a cookie-cutter replica, same everything, as you find in collectivist, communist countries.

I was one of the first Americans into China after the Nixon-reopening in 1973. Everyone, men and women, young or old, wore the same costume: pants, coat, and hat. Everyone's hair was cut the same. Everyone looked very much the same except the women were fatter, the men more muscular, even the children wore uniforms.

Those of you so anxious to put your school children into uniforms, your employees into uniforms, so anxious to take away all the personality of the individual except for the “name tag”, will be happy when America is fully communized just like China, Cuba and North Korea. Your Home Owner's Associations, your housing projects, foster homes for your children (90% of all children in foster homes are physically or sexually abused), all cloaking personalities and individuality in sameness.

In China, in a factory where child slave labor was turning out vases for you Walmart shoppers, I said to the guide, “what if one child decided to use some personality, some artistic talent in making one vase particularly beautiful.” Such as vases in the Ming Dynasty which now sell for millions of dollars. She said, “We would destroy it.”

Mamie Pedigo was my next door neighbor, not a cookie-cutter, Chinese, replica-type personality. When Mamie died, I purchased her house, next door to me. I paid $12,000 (this was 50 years ago) for the house...a 3 bedroom, very nice house, totally furnished in antiques. Of course, I could remember when you could buy such a house for $5,000. I probably appreciated her more after her death in going through all the “stuff” in the house. She had no relatives, she had outlived them all. Her estate was left to the local hospital to be used for poor people who could not afford hospital care.

Mamie had worked at one company most of her life, secretary to the owner and general manager. She knew more about the company than anyone else, knew every employee, every employee's children, their birthdays, etc. Her life consisted of her job and her faith. Her mother had lived with her until her death at 94. Mamie's husband, Ed, was a WWI veteran who had never recovered from his injuries. Mamie always sat between the two of them at the dining room table and she still, until her death, set their places at the table each night and kept fresh flowers in front of each place in their memory. When my driver took me to the funeral home for me to say good-bye to Mamie, he said, “only two people have signed the registry, you and the neighbors who live on the other side of her house.” She was to be buried the next day with a simple service.

Think of it, the owner of the company, many employees, a member of her church for 70 years, not one had been by to look at her closed casket and sign the book. She always wrote a note to each employee on their birthday, at Christmas, or in case of family trouble. She spent each night of her life doing this. Always prepared cookies each Christmas which she lovingly boxed and used old Christmas cards for decorations. When any employee had a child graduate from high school or college, Mamie would always send a small check ($5 high school, $20 college). Yet, at her death, not one employee had been to the funeral home...so the funeral director told me. She had long passed the age of retirement, the company owner seldom went to the office because he was old and retired and, besides, she and the foreman could run things.

Mamie had a fantastic book collection...books which I am now selling on Amazon. I gave to the drama department at the high school such unusual items as a widow's veiled hat (the black hat with the veil which widow's wore to a funeral), her great-grandmother's hand-made bonnet, shoes and dresses which went out of style in the 1800's...it was obvious that she and her mother had never thrown anything away. Mamie was loyal to her friends, when abroad on a trip, she kept a sharp eye on my house. Her loyal yard man was there everyday keeping her many flower beds and flowering shrubs in order. Mamie did not have much time for church activities, but she proved her faith by her devotion to work, her fellow employees, her neighbors, and caring for her elderly mother and husband. R.I.P. Mamie.