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June 25, 1980
Were you in town to meet the Amtrak when it came through Soperton? It was quite a turnout! The train stopped only long enough to let out a special passenger who had ridden all the way from Dublin: JAMES MERRITT!
Others that week: Somebody's office, a reunion group, baby mocking bird, Sportsmen's Club cook-out, GPA Convention, T-ball, Ronnie Reid and Ronnie Phillips with rattlesnake, string of catfish and eels caught by Willie Shivers.
1 comment:
THANK YOU SOOOO MUCH! Haha! I was beginning to think I had dreamt an extremely vivid dream!! [not really - but no-one seemed to remember!]
I'm so excited to have a PHOTO! Thank you Mr. Bill! I knew if anything could be found - you'd be the one to find it! I surely didn't expect it so soon!! Hope it's okay that I post my previous "letter" to you as well. If you need to remove it - do so! I'm just so glad to see this photo! I was there! Haha!
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I was telling Mattie [my daughter] about James and how he had probably experienced more in his life and situation than I had in mine. I told her about seeing him walking in one town and by the time I drove 3 towns over ... he beat me there! Mostly I was telling her about the time that the "new" Am Track Train was coming thru' Soperton. It was my understanding that it was just passing thru' - it would not be stopping. So we all gathered around the train track to watch this amazingly fast train pass by.
Well ... it stopped!! It stopped ... a train car door opened ... and James Merritt stepped off the train! We couldn't believe it! [at least many of us couldn't] I never found out how that came to be. I only know that James Merritt rode the Am Track ... years ago ... and I "never" have. We all clapped and cheered when he stepped off that train! There must have been some news about this ... ???
I always tried to help James in little ways as I am sure most everyone did. I took him to see his mother in the home and I'll never forget how they held onto each other and ... sobbed! I'll always remember James with a certain fondness!
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