Hayter article for June 23, 2024
Virginia and Freeman’s 60th Wedding Anniversary
Wednesday was the 60th Wedding Anniversary of Freeman and Virginia Pliler. Their son, Michael, hosted a celebration at Vernon’s Kuntry Katfish, which has been completely restored since the latest flood. As was Golf World which is next door to Vernon’s. Golf World owner Jeremiah Johnson also had a whale of a job getting his place good to go. But then, he doesn’t serve catfish.
Regardless, I think it necessary to tell
you something about the history of the Plilers and the Hayters relationship.
Virginia and Free were married for eight years before Kay and I met them. I
imagine both of them got along fine during that near-decade.
Had it not been for the Dispatcher at the Texas Forest Service, District 6, we would’ve never known the couple. Rodger Parker, Virginia’s Dad, was the dispatcher. Kay and I married shortly after I got a job as a Forester for the TFS. My new job opened the door for Kay and me to get married. It was November at the time, and we planned to tie the knot during the Christmas holidays.
When I mentioned it to Rodger, he said, “Why wait? You get Thursday and Friday off for Thanksgiving. Why don’t you two get married over the weekend?” Duh. We got married in the Preacher’s office on the Friday after Turkey Day. Both of our parents were there to witness it, so we’re good.
I had been working for the TFS for a few weeks when Rodger invited Kay and me to his house for supper. It was there that we got to meet Virginia and Freeman, as well as Rodger’s wife Ruby. What a jewel… which happened to be Ruby’s middle name. Meeting those four people was among God’s greatest gift to Kay and me.
Rodger and Ruby are no longer with us, so for
several years now, it’s always been the Plilers and Hayters. Their son,
Michael, was a youngster when Kay and I met him. He’s a bit older now, but
still as caring and helpful as ever. As I mentioned, he’s the one who planned
the celebration for his Mom and Dad’s anniversary. It was terrific. And Michael
brought along a delicious and beautiful Anniversary cake.
I could tell many stories about the
Adventures of The Plilers and Hayters, but I only have time for one or two. Thanks
to our friend, Darrel Jackson, the Plilers and Hayters got to use his camper a
lot. Darrel might’ve gone with us, but his camper would only handle four adults.
I can’t tell you all of the places we went
in Darrel’s camper. On one occasion we camped on Lake Somerville. During the
evening, we were sitting in lawn chairs, digesting our supper, when across the
lake, some stadium lights appeared. A few minutes later, we heard drums
playing. Hokey Smokes! There was going to be a high school football game!
Freeman drove us over there, and we got to
see the Somerville Yeguas play… somebody. We also got to sit on what I hope is
the first and only stone stadium in the country. No metal bleachers with wooden
slats. This was a solid structure of rocks held together by cement. It pressed
some serious dents in my rear.
The Yeagua marching band didn’t have many members, so a couple of cheerleaders grabbed some instruments and a few football players took off their shoulder pads and joined the band. I thoroughly enjoyed watching a football game played on such an interesting scale. The game was my most memorable football experience.
A few years back, I wrote an article about
the experience. That leads me to the story of how I became a columnist. It’s
tightly tied to Virginia. After one of the Pliler/Hayter tubing episodes,
Virginia recommended I write an article about it and submit it to the Courier. With
her encouragement, I chose to share a story about a camping trip we took near New
Bransfel. I believe it was our first tubing adventure
At
Virginia’s behest, I submitted the article to the Courier. Get this. Editor
Barbara Fredricksen agreed to print the piece in the Courier’s June 6, 1980, Sunday
Plus section. But first, she sent a photographer to take photos of me sprawled
out on an innertube floating in the San Jacinto River under the I-45 overpass.
After the publication, Fredricksen awarded me with a weekly column. It wouldn’t have happened without Virginia’s coaxing.
A few years later, Virginia mentioned that now that her son
Michael was in school she wanted to be more involved. Then I asked what she
would like to do. Turns out, she always wanted to be a teacher. I told her to
quit wishing and get her rear to Sam Houston University. She did and upon
graduation, she got a job teaching English at Conroe High. She was an
exceptional, well-respected, and liked English teacher. I would be proud to
claim credit, but Virginia would’ve gotten there without me.
And Freeman? He and I have helped one another a lot over the years. Free did most of the helping. For a good while, Freeman would get calls regularly from people who needed his help. Good ol’ Free would always be there for you.
Kay and I have lost a lot of friends during our passage through life. We lost a bunch because of our occasional need to relocate. And we lost several through their passing. Fortunately, God has blessed us with our continuing friendship with Virginia and good ol’ Free. Of course, Kay has always been their favorite. I can’t compete with that woman.
end
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