Monday, June 13, 2011

End of an era

{playing a comb on her 90th birthday...photo source}

I was saddened last night to learn of the passing of Kathryn Tucker Windham. This woman could tell a story like nobody's business. She was a treasure, and will be sorely missed in our great state.

I fondly remember my Girl Scout troop hitting the road and traveling to Selma for the annual Tale-Tellin' Festival. We enjoyed listening to the music, looking at the quilts, and hearing other story tellers, but what we really looked forward to was Kathryn Tucker Windham. She was always the last one on the schedule, and the one everyone wanted to see. She would have the room absolutely silent as she sat in a rocking chair and wove her tales. Our favorite were her stories about Jeffrey, a not-too-scary ghost who loved to stir up mischief.  We would always buy one of her ghost story tapes and listen to it on the ride home, huddled together in the backseat, convinced those rural highways were littered with ghosts. We treasured our autographed copies of her books, and it makes my heart happy that my students still enjoy reading her stories. Her "13 Ghosts" series (profiling states around the Southeast) is beloved.

Kathryn Tucker Windham saw the importance in sharing stories and history to preserve it for future generations. I sure hope that doesn't die out with her.

4 comments:

  1. I love her hat, it suits her. So sad to lose a good story tellers.

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  2. Val, I don't think I've ever seen her without some sort of straw hat. You're right...it suits her well! I think you might enjoy some of her books; she had a writing style that really draws you into the story.

    Thanks for stopping by. Hope your summer break is off to a fun start!

    *Julie

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  3. I'm always sadden when I read of some of the great people of this world passing. I hope her stories continue on to the future generations of all those little girl scouts!

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  4. Leesha, I agree. It makes me sad to know that future generations won't be able to "know" Kathryn Tucker Windham like so many others did, but I'm glad she left such a legacy behind. You better believe my kids will be reading her books some day :)

    Thanks for stopping by...I'm still voting for you!

    *Julie

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