Author Archives: sec040121

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About sec040121

Hello....I'm in possession of a priceless collection of memoirs and memorabilia left by my mother, Sara Evans Criss. She was a native and lifelong (88 years!) devotee of our small town, who covered this peculiar and volatile corner of the world for 30 years as the Memphis Commercial Appeal's Greenwood bureau chief, a job that started out with debutantes and high school football and wound up spang in the midst of one of the twentieth century's most enduring social upheavals. This blog is dedicated to her memory and the legacy she left behind, both for her family and her community.

Play Ball!

“On September 13, 1936 I wrote in my diary, ‘Tiny left today for Ole Miss. It will be lonesome without her but will be starting to school tomorrow anyway.’ We began having a few dates that year and boys were … Continue reading

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Back to Jackson

“Boys became a top priority that year [1936], and we soon learned that being a teenager could be both wonderful and terrible. Things seemed so important then and if you didn’t have a date on Friday night it was a … Continue reading

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Cruger Crushes

“In the fall of 1935 some of my friends and I rode the train to Jackson to the state fair. You could make the round trip for $1.00 and at each little town along the way other boys and girls … Continue reading

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Tiny

“It was different with Tiny. She was considered a beauty, and Mama I believe relived her own girlhood through Tiny. She was always so proud of Tiny being popular and going to all the dances and winning beauty contests. When … Continue reading

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The Light Fantastic

“Tricia provided a lot of pleasure to both of our families during those years. When she was six years old she started taking dancing lessons from Whitford Price, a big blonde woman who turned out many dancers who later became … Continue reading

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Dangerous Doctors

“In about 1934 there was a famous murder trial in Greenwood which made all the newspaper and tabloids as well as the detective magazines. A woman pediatrician, Dr. Ruth Dean, was charged with poisoning a prominent physician, Dr. Preston Kennedy, … Continue reading

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Perms and Penmanship

“I got my first permanent wave in the eighth grade and was so proud of it after all those years of straight hair and bangs. Getting a permanent was a real ordeal in those days and they really burned your … Continue reading

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Kind Cousin

“Cudn Ern, a familiar figure around the Stott house, was Ernest Stewart, a cousin of Uncle Roy’s who worked at the light plant. He had followed Uncle Roy from Tennessee to Greenwood to work. He was an old bachelor, rough … Continue reading

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Close Call

“We had a big electric heater in the living room at the Stott house. Big would get up early sometimes and turn it on to warm the house until the big heater in the front hall warmed up. One morning … Continue reading

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One Big Happy Family

“In 1933 Rawa left for Delta State Teachers College in Cleveland, Mississippi. In 1935, Buddy went to Mississippi State and in 1936 Tiny to Ole Miss so for at least part of the year we were not so crowded, and … Continue reading

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