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The True Citizen, Wednesday, January 26, 2022 — Page 5
Ronda Rich
THE GIFT OF MRS. WANDA PARKS - PART ONE
Several years ago, my niece,
Nicole, called to ask a favor.
This is something she rarely
does.
Nicole is a talented and smart
physical therapist. She is so
smart, in fact, that she earned
a seven-year degree in six. In
science. The only ancestors in
my family who knew anything
about science used that knowl
edge to make moonshine. And,
to be honest, they didn’t realize
science had anything to do with
fermenting.
Nicole, also a terrifically
compassionate person, has a
particularly tender heart for
older patients. She loves their
stories, appreciates their wis
dom, and treats them with the
respectful healthcare they have
earned.
“I have a patient at the nurs
ing home who is there for reha
bilitation for a few weeks. She
is so sweet. Her name is Mrs.
Wanda Parks and she is one of
your biggest fans. Would you
stop by and meet her one day?”
Here’s how it happened:
With my hair pulled back in
a ponytail, no makeup other
than lipstick and mascara, and
dressed in jeans and a sweater,
I popped by the nursing home.
Several of the women were in
the recreation room, putting a
puzzle together. Nicole walked
over, put her arm around one
of the women and said, “Mrs.
Parks, I have someone I want
you to meet.”
When this handsome, stately
woman with thick gray hair
turned her head and saw me,
surprise and delight fluttered
over her face.
“Oh, my!! It’s Ronda!”
That’s how I came to know
one of my favorite people in
the world. We chatted for a
while, took a picture together
(this is where I learned that I
should always wear make-up),
and I personalized a couple of
books for her.
During the conversation,
Nicole asked, “Do you know
where Mrs. Parks lives?” She
told me which road in which
county and described the pick
et fence and gardens of brightly
colored flowers. I knew imme
diately the house.
“Are you excited about go
ing home next week?” I asked.
A cloud skittered across her
face. “Not really. I’m really
enjoying the company here. It’s
lonely at home.”
Mrs. Parks is a widow with
many stories to tell. An Ap
palachian girl, she married
her sweetheart and, no sooner
were the vows said, than the
couple took off to Brunswick,
Georgia, so Mr. Parks could
work in the shipyard, building
the renowned Liberty ships
for the World War II effort.
This shipyard on the Georgia
coast illustrated the integrity
and spirit of that war’s people.
When word arrived in De
cember, 1944, that six ships
were needed by month’s end,
the employees stepped up to
promise SEVEN ships and
even worked Christmas Day,
refusing to take extra money.
With the war ended, the
Parkses did not return im
mediately to the Appalachian
foothills. Mr. Parks took a job
with General Motors in Atlanta
and proudly worked there until
he retired. The couple bought
a 3.25 acre lot near a country
road in Norcross that would
one day become the overly-
congested Jimmy Carter Bou
levard.
In the 1970s, they sold three
quarters of an acre - for sev
eral times the original purchase
price of the full acreage - to
Waffle House. This store has
the privilege of being the res
taurant closest to Waffle House
Corporate Headquarters and
last year the company had to
make a decision: completely
remodel the store or demol
ish it.
Perhaps more for sentimental
reasons, they chose to remodel
it.
“That store is special to
us because it’s just around
the corner from our offices,”
explained Walt Ehmer, the
company’s President and close
friend of ours. “We wanted to
keep it.”
Nicole’s “favor” became a
treasured gift to me.
A Chinese proverb says:
When an old man dies, a library
bums down.
Through my visits with
Mrs. Parks and the history she
shares, I have found new truth
in those words.
Next week, I want to tell you
more about my friend, Mrs.
Parks.
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To be included in the Burke
To be included in the Burke
County Business Directory,
County Business Directory,
contact Roy Chalker
contact Roy Chalker
at 706-554-2111.
at 706-554-2111.