After my father died in March of 1942, my mother, who grew up in the Auburn community and knew few people in Plantersville, and I moved in with my grandmother and Doris. My grandmother had one of the first telephones in Plantersville.
Andrew McNary Moore Jr., son of Mac and Juanita Moore, attended Mississippi State, and while hitchhiking was struck and killed by a car at Mayhew Junction.
Either Mac Jr. had put our number on his application at State or the Columbus funeral home chose our number randomly from those available in town.
My mother answered the funeral home’s call. Mother often wondered why she didn’t ask George Perry Partlow, our neighbor, who was outside as she left, to deliver the message. She, however, broke the news to Mrs. Juanita, and then returned to the house and called Mr. Mac, who was working at a defense plant somewhere up north, and told him the tragic news.
In the spring of either 1968 or 69, I attended the spring football game at State, and as I took my seat, someone called my name. Mr. Mac Moore was sitting among ten or fifteen of his former classmates. They may also have been former teammates, as I think Mr. Mac played football at State.
Mr. Mac introduced me to each of them the same way. “This is George, the son of the lady who called to tell me my boy had been killed.”
I wasn’t surprised as I don’t recall being around Mr. Mac many times that he didn’t refer to my mother’s role in what must have been the darkest day of his life.
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