Many of the Clan know and love Leonard, a very close family friend for the past 54 years. Leonard a bachelor for all these many years is one of the dearest men in all the world. He was Smith County Court Clerk at Carthage, Tn for many years and served in that office at the same time Sissy (see Forward on Almond Tree was serving as Smith County Register.

As a boy of 9 years old, Leonard was going hunting with his companions and as he stepped down into a fishing boat , the shotgun he was carrying went off and his arm was amputated.

Leonard being the very special lad that he was and the man he became never indulged in self pity and to this day he will tell you that he is Not handicapped. He became to Grandma like a son and ferried Grandma and Sissy everywhere they needed to go as Grandma in later years stopped driving and Sissy never chose to learn to drive.. He became a fan of Grandmas good home cooking like so many others were. I hereby  grant to Leonard a  place of honor and respect in the Clan. This is as legal and binding as all the Honorary Phd,s conferred on individuals.

I remember one day the phone rang while I was unusually busy. It was Leonard who often called to talk with his friend and my husband. Leonard:What are you doing? Me: Oh Leonard I am busier than a one armed paper hanger. ! Long Pause ensued.;;;

Leonard: I cant beleive you said that ...Me: Oh Leonard I am so sorry , I forgot all about your arm . You know thats an old saying, youve heard it before , havent you? Leonard: NO !! Let me speak to your husband ..... Me after taking foot shoe and all out of mouth said to husband"Its for you".

When Robby and Betty were helping Sissy take care of Grandma after she had her stroke, for almost 4 years Robby would go to Carthage one week and Betty would go the following week. Sissy was working at the Hospital then and every day Leonard would pick her up and bring her home and Robby/Betty would have supper ready. One day Leonard a man of condiderable means having farms, and Zinc Mines on his property with sizable royalties coming in told Robby/Betty that he was proposing a contest. To the Best cook of the week he was going to award a cash prize of 500.00. Well needless to say the girls quickly vied to win the big prize. They cooked and sliced and diced and chopped and slaved over that hot stove and dreamed of how they would spend that money , each gal thinking she had it hands down. They cooked everything Leonard ever thought about liking and then some. He brought in Green Beans, Cabbage, Turnip Greens .etc from his gardens and they peeled and washed and picked out the gravels from those turnip Greens and did their dead level best . HOT SUMMER IT WAS. On Sunday before Robby got there, Betty said tremblingly ,Leonard who won the contest? Leonard said "I did, I gave it to myself cause I can fry fish better than anybody". Betty bravely took the news and for once kept a civil tongue in her head for Sissys sake. When Robby came for her weekly tour, she breathlessly asked " Did I win the contest" Betty got a fiendish glee out of giving her the bad news. Robby was so mad she said, Wait till I tell him not to EVER bring any of that old garden stuff in here.< especially that old cabbage. And so she did and Leonard had the  greatest time laughing about how we really flew around there trying to win the contest . Oh Well, even with all that those two wuould still vote for Leonard. Note: Betty said she hasnt cooked turnip greens since.