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with that deer leg! Back
then that exchange kinda
hurt my feelings. Now that
I’m older and wiser I don’t
take people so seriously.
Kids or teachers!
I have a student now that
I think is the cat’s meow.
So smart and so funny in
such a dry way. Whenever
I get wound up about
something and start using
what my students call my
“high pitched voice”, he
always says, “Calm down,
Ms Bennett. It’s just not
that deep.” I warned him to
never use that phrase on his
future wife because never
in the history of ever has a
woman been calmed down
by the words, “just calm
down.” But you know, he’s
right. Most of the day-to-
day inconveniences that
make us clinch our jaws
and fists actually aren’t that
deep in the big scheme of
things. Maybe today when
you feel yourself getting
irritated, picture that red
faced teacher and my Chris
doing his morning math
with that pencil between
the toes of a deer leg. I hope
you’ll chuckle. Because in
the big scheme of things, it
really isn’t that deep.
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By Joe Brady, Editor
for
The Times
it long after you’re dead
and gone. Maybe that’s
why I tell my folks, “Don’t
embarrass me.” Ask Joshua
how many times I tell him
that.
So, as my sister is
detailing a recent run
in with the law that our
father’s stepson had, I was
reminded of this. I asked
Tracey, “I hope they aren’t
spreading the name Brady
around.” Tracey replied,
“I don’t care, my last
name hasn’t been Brady
in years!” Maybe I should
change my name to Mons!
That’s all for now, take
care.
in high school for 500 per
100 pounds.”
The Gunn family
attended Millen Baptist
Church and Evelyn was
saved at twelve. She is
the oldest member of
Millen Baptist Church.
Until recently she taught
Sunday School and held
that position for 67+ years.
“And for 31 of those I
taught five-year-olds”. She
is a member of the Reva
Gay Sunday School class
and was the church organist
off and on for 57 years.
Evelyn began attending
Millen Elementary School
in 1932 and graduated
from Millen High School
in 1943. After graduation,
she attended Tift College
in Forsyth, Georgia,
and majored in Home
Economics. She went on
to teach in Eatonton for
five years and in Millen
for twenty-five years. She
is so proud of the students
she taught that will see and
remember her and come
up and say hi. She's also
worked for Gunn Wood
Company for 37 years and
then Gunn Farms until
see GUNN page 5
My students would tell
you that I just love a good
story! Last week I told
them the waaaaaay back
story of Chris Mingledorff.
All my Effingham County
friends will remember.
Chris was a unique kid.
One of a kind. Pain in the
tail. And I LOVED him.
He drove everyone insane,
but he was funny as all get
out and, in my opinion,
humor covers a multitude
of juvenile transgressions.
He really was my brand of
crazy. Chris ended up in my
ag shop many an afternoon
when his academic
teachers had reached their
limit. One afternoon, we
were making cement casts
of animal tracks and Chris
piped up with his thick
South Georgia accent and
said, “Miyuss Bennett caint
I just brang a real deer leg
and plop it right in that
there seee-ment and make
my track?” I said Chris
you can do that, but you
better not take it to another
class. You bring that deer
leg STRAIGHT to the
Ag shop in the morning.
STRAIGHT HERE YOU
HEAR ME? Yassss ma’am
he yells. Monday morning
rolls around and I’ve
forgotten all about Chris
and his authentic deer leg
Just off
the
Paved
Road
Carmen Bennett
Columnist
The Times
Oh Deer!
until I see a very upset,
not very funny teacher
peering in the window of
my classroom door and
banging on it like there’s
a fire. Her nose and mouth
were all twisted up in a
way that instantly made me
recall Chris and that deer leg
and I just knew. That lady
looked at me and snarled
“Ms Bennett did you tell
Chris Mingledorff he could
bring a REAL deer leg to
school???” Before I could
even answer, she yells
“because let me just inform
you that Christopher is
sitting in my Mathematics
class right now and he has
put that dreadful DEER
LEG up his shirt sleeve and
not just THAT Ms Bennett!
He ALSO has a PENCIL
between the toes of the
hoof, and HE IS TAKING
NOTES WITH IT!” I mean
honestly my immediate
thought was that this lady
should be thanking me.
That’s probably the first
time he’s taken notes in
math all semester but at this
point she is piping hot, and
I am about to lose it and
so is every kid in my class
who is listening to this
exchange. All I could think
was if I could get my hands
on Chris Mingledorff I’m
going to beat him to a pulp
A text message from one
of my sisters prompted
a whole discussion as to
why I never talk about my
father’s side of the family.
Y’all, them people are
crazy. The Brady’s come
from Emanuel County
where they don’t have the
best of reputations!
One afternoon, after
lunch at that house, I
can’t remember the name
of it now, I went down
to the antique mall. On
the table at the front door
were genealogy books
about the founding settlers
of Emanuel County. As
I thumbed through the
book, I mean my family
was one of the founding
families, the book’s author
approached me. “Oh, do
you have a connection
to Emanuel County?”
Holding the book, I looked
at her, “yes, I do. My family
are Brady’s oh no, down
here we were Braddy’s.”
Y’all, this woman visibly
backed away from me.
“Oh, you won’t find
those people in that book,”
she said, as she pointed
for emphasis. So, we are
judged by long dead family
members. Y’all know that
is the southern way. You
better not do anything to
embarrass your family,
folks will be talking about
This home just
i
0 0
By Debbie Hearn
for
The Times
This week I'd like to
introduce you to one of the
first people I met in Millen,
Evelyn Marie Gunn Young,
affectionately known to
most as "Mama Gunn".
Born on November 3,
1926, in a two-story framed
building on Cotton Avenue
known as Mulkey Hospital
to parents John and Marie
Wacker Gunn.
Evelyn is the oldest of
four children and the only
daughter. Her father owned
a logging company and
mainly logged for cypress
trees in the swampy areas
along the Ogeechee River.
During the depression,
needing to provide for his
family, John and Marie
traveled until Evelyn
was five or six years old
from Rocky Ford to near
Louisville staying with
whomever would allow
them to, while her father
logged the area.
As times improved
the family settled down
in Millen. Evelyn said,
"Growing up we were
always outside playing
unless the weather wouldn't
permit." I asked what they
Evelyn
Gunn
Young
played when outside.
“We played lots of games,
hopscotch, jump rope,
hide and seek, sell the
thimble, cards, yo-yo's,
roller skating, and riding
bicycles.
The police didn't allow
the kids to skate on the
road. Seems like there were
a lot of kids running from
the police at any given time.
Kids would hide under
houses since they were
all built off the ground.
On Sunday afternoons the
police would block off an
area around the courthouse
where the kids were
supposed to skate.
Throughout her
childhood. Mama Gunn
worked many jobs. Fries
Grocery Store in the
seventh grade making 500
a day. Mrs. Fries would
buy her supper for 35c.
“I’ve worked at United 5 &
100 store. I got $1 a day. I
also worked at Wade Drug
Store, Gunn Pharmacy,
Lund Pharmacy, Linder
Pharmacy, Corbett's Store,
Barker, Thom, & Warring
Dry Goods Store, and
picked cotton when I was
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issue 7 April 2023 is published weekly by on Friday
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