A STORY WORTH TELLING
“Things that make you go ‘hmmm.’” — Arsenio Hall
Things that make you go, “Hmmmm…” include interesting and surprising turns of events and seemingly unrelated occurrences connecting in unexpected ways.
“You don’t know me, but I recognize you,” said the man approaching the table where I sat. “You look just like your picture.”
“Oh man,” I thought to myself. “Didn’t post offices stop displaying wanted posters a long time ago?”
We were both guests at a 50th weddinganniversary celebration in my hometown of Mount Pleasant a couple of weeks ago. He was a family member.
I was longtime friends with the celebrating couple.
“My name is Gerald Hampton,” he said.
“I read your column.
You look just like your photo.”
“Nice to meet you,” I said, standing to shake his hand. “I know another Gerald Hampton. From Naples.”
“I’ve heard of him,” the Gerald Hampton standing in front of me said. “But I’ve never met him.”
“Really nice guy,” I replied.
I continued the chat.
“You know, it’s funny that you recognized me from my picture,” I said. “I met a nice lady a few minutes ago who said she heard someone mention my name and wanted to tell me she reads my column. Then she added, ‘But you don’t look like your picture.’” We shared a chuckle. “Gerald Hampton in Naples is a really nice guy,” I added. “I met him many years ago, working my first newspaper job as a photographer and reporter at The Monitor newspaper in Naples.”
I sorted through old memories as I spoke.
“Gerald’s day job was a fireman at a plant near Texarkana,” I said. “It might have been the Lone Star Army Ammunition Plant. That one shut down some years ago.
“Gerald also had a sideline business as the local printer. He had a small shop just off Main Street back when almost every small town had someone that printed things like letterheads, business cards and invitations.
“He was a longtime good friend of Monitor publisher Morris Craig and was in the newspaper office on a regular basis. I want to think he and Craig may have also worked together at The Monitor when it was owned by Lee Narramore.”
My memories started to trail off, but I had one more recollection to share.
“I do know he was also a co-founder of The Printing Factory in Naples,” I said.
“I never met him,” the Titus County Hampton said. “But I’ve heard good things about him. And I do have a story about him. My wife asked me about a bill from Sears one evening some years ago. I told her I hadn’t bought anything from Sears recently, and she said, ‘Well, we got a bill from them for two bicycles.’” Hampton said when he checked with Sears, he learned it was the Naples Gerald Hampton who made the purchase that was mistakenly billed to their account.
The last time I saw the Naples Hampton, 20 years or more ago, he talked about how he and his wife were enjoying retirement, managing camp sites and entertaining campers with their bluegrass music.
My short visit with the Titus County Gerald Hampton taught me he was a lifelong educator. It didn’t take long to also learn about his congenial nature and his ease in getting to know people, very much like Morris County Gerald Hampton.
Shortly after that visit, however, I learned the Gerald Hampton I called friend from Naples had died just days before I met the Mount Pleasant Gerald Hampton.
I wondered how two Gerald Hamptons with similar personalities lived less than 20 miles apart and never met.
I also wondered about two people seeing the same picture and disagreeing on whether it resembled the person they were talking to.
You know, just things that make you go, “Hmmm!”
Contact Aldridge at leonaldridge@gmail. com. Other Aldridge columns are archived at leonaldridge.com.
