"Go Faster" by Neal Murphy

August 26, 2022 - The call was received around midnight at Wyman Roberts Funeral Home. I was alone and upon answering heard an excited male voice stating that his wife was in labor and needed to be rushed to the hospital.

In the summer of 1956 Charlie Lawrence hired me to work for the funeral home. I had previous experience from working at the Oakley Metcalf Funeral Home in Nacogdoches for a year while in college. I suppose he felt that I knew what I was doing around this type establishment.

“Does a Second Helping Make a Square Meal?” by Neal Murphy

August 19, 2022 - Growing up in East Texas taught me about “second helpings” and “square meals”, some of which I will share with you via this article. I think that most all of you readers understand my title. However, I am not sure just what a “helping” is. So, I consulted Webster’s Dictionary. One can always depend on old Webster to know the real meaning.

“The Snake Bite” by Neal Murphy

August 13, 2022 - I have heard it said that “perception is reality”. How a person perceives something, whether rightly or wrongly, to him it is real. I encountered this theory at an early age.

“Cufflinks and Neckties” by Neal Murphy

July 29, 2022 - I recall that when I graduated from San Augustine High School in 1954, I received a couple of pairs of cufflinks as gifts. I wore those links for many years to various “up-scale” functions. I still have a couple of them in my jewelry box… yes, men can have jewelry boxes! Looking around me today, I seldom see any man wearing a white shirt with cufflinks. Neckties seem to be on their way out, also. Why is this?

“Miss Belle” By Neal Murphy

July 25, 2022 - My mother was a beautician for over sixty-five years. She usually had around forty standing appointments each week. I have often wondered how she could stand on her feet for eight to ten hours a day, but she did.

“What Color Clothes Do You Wear?” by Neal Murphy

July 21, 2022 - Ladies, this article is for you especially. Men are not as affected by the color of their clothes as you ladies. So, this is for ladies to consider. The color that you wear the most has a huge influence on your mood, attitude, and how you are seen by others. When you purchase new clothes, you may give them more attention, particularly after reading about what the colors that you wear say about you. The following are eleven colors that are closely tied to your personality,

“Kissing Cousins” by Neal Murphy

June 10, 2022 - The other day I met a young woman who told me that we were kin to each other. She said that her great-great-grandfather was also mine. I said to her, “Then we are kissing cousins”. It seems that she had never heard that term before. So, just what are “kissing cousins”, you ask?

The official definition is this: “A relative close enough to be kissed in salutation, hence anyone with whom a person is fairly intimate.” Generally speaking, that means that first cousins are considered off limits, but second, third, and fourth cousins are fair game.

“The Demise of the Pay Telephone” by Neal Murphy

May 31, 2022 - The pay telephone has been around for a long time. I can recall that there was a pay telephone booth in the first floor of the courthouse. There was one in the Wyman Roberts Funeral Home here in San Augustine, Texas. These, of course, have been long gone. What happened to them?

"Going Once! Going Twice! SOLD!" by Neal Murphy

May 23, 2022 - P.T Barnum was right when he said that “there’s a sucker born every minute.” I am living proof of that, having been taken for a sucker while on a vacation trip in 1965. I hope that my experience will be a warning to others who let their eyes overpower their brains.

"What's Happened to the Newsboy?"

May 13, 2022 - When I was growing up in the 1940’s and 1950’s in San Augustine, Texas, I can recall only two newspapers, the San Augustine Tribune, and the Beaumont Enterprise that were common to us. As far as I can recall, the Tribune was never delivered by newsboys. The Enterprise was usually delivered by an adult in an automobile.

In the big cities newsboys were commonly used by news papers to deliver their papers in neighborhoods. It would appear that these newsboys are no longer being used by the few remaining large newspapers across the nation.

Shelby County Today

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By Neal Murphy