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Archiver > KYCLAY > 2000-01 > 0946783675


From: "Jerry Martin" <>
Subject: Re: [KYCLAY] POSSUM TROT UNIVERSITY
Date: Sat, 1 Jan 2000 22:27:55 -0500


----- Original Message -----
From: Jess Wilson <>
To: <>
Sent: Saturday, January 01, 2000 11:01 PM
Subject: [KYCLAY] POSSUM TROT UNIVERSITY


> Donna Gisiger, You asked, "Okay "Mr. Jess" what is the "Possom
> Trot pledge?"
>
> Some years ago, some friends and I were seated in front of a
> roaring fire in the Cabin when someone suggested that we should
> have Possum Trot sweat shirts. Someone suggested "Possum Trot
> University" for a name and I added "School of the Elegant Arts."
> Thus was born an idea that became a vision for us all.
>
> Lois Gray (Pretty Mama) of Louisville contacted a firm in New
> Albany, Indiana that made the first bunch of sweat shirts. Soon
> we were ordering more and then Mike Gutherie, ( Possum Trot
> Wizard) a historical researcher and contributor of scholarly
> articles to the Filson Club Quarterly conceived the idea for
> some diplomas. He designed and had the first diplomas printed.
> There were BE's for those who were Barely Elegant, ME's for
> those deemed Mighty Elegant and PhE's for those Phantastically
> Elegant. Although I considered it a bit raw to designate anyone
> as being less elegant than someone else. However, I did not make
> an objection.
>
> In due time I became known as The Grand Possum and Ruth became
> Grand Mama Possum, hence the possum hats, a picture of which
> graces the wall paper of our youngest granddaughter's computer
> at her egg-head school of higher learning in the hills of
> Vermont.
>
> In an unguarded moment I envisioned a crest, patterned after the
> Great Seal of the Commonwealth of Kentucky which has a
> buck-skinned mountain man and a nattily dressed Bluegrasser
> shaking hands with the motto, "United We Stand, Divided We
> Fall." My idea was two possums hanging by their tails with a
> motto with the words uttered by Benjamin Franklin at the signing
> of the Declaration of Independence. The words: "WE HANG TOGETHER
> OR MOST ASSUREDLY WE SHALL HANG SEPARATELY.
>
> I first asked my half first cousin, once removed, Howard Wilson,
> to design the crest. He got hung up on a Latin translation of
> the motto and never did anything. Next, Dan DeYoung of
> Louisville, a young man in charge of designing a new water front
> for the city. His possums had no hind legs. He had some tee
> shirts printed but the printer had the design upside down, the
> possums were standing on their tails. When he pointed this out
> the printer did another batch and sent the misprinted ones to
> Africa. So if you go to Africa, keep a look-out for some native
> wearing one. Some of us tried to add the missing hind legs but
> any drawings we made looked like something else.
>
> The problem was finally solved when Dan O'Connell spent a
> week-end in Possum Trot, went home to Chicago, took off work
> for three days which he spent in the municipal library. He
> finally found a suitable picture of one possum. His secretary
> succeeded in straightening out the tail on a computer then
> making a flip flop for a second one and the deed was done except
> for one thing.
>
> The motto was in a circle around the hanging possums. Dan
> lettered "WE HAND TOGETHER" across the bottom with the rest "OR
> MOST ASSUREDLY WE SHALL HANG SEPARATELY around the top. Ruth,
> being a reading teacher, objected that the motto should read
> continuously. This I solved by enlarging the pattern on my copy
> machine, Then I cut out the offending portion, snipped between
> each letter and curved it the other way and glued it in place.
> Then reduced the pattern before we sent it to the printer. In
> the process I got the lettering slightly out of line. The
> printer suggested that the blank space below the possums be used
> for a date when we first got the idea. So this was added to the
> design "Established 1970", 30 years ago.
>
> I think the ultimate compliment to our creation was made by a
> college professor, speaking at our 50th Wedding Anniversary
> Celebration. He had been awarded a PhE many years before for his
> help in making a loft in our old tobacco barn where Buddy Hall
> could store some of his junk. His remark was, "Since receiving a
> degree from the School of the Elegant Arts, I have endeavored to
> add elegance to my lectures."
>
> JESS WILSON
> 99 POSSUM TROT ROAD
> MANCHESTER KY 40962
> ----------
> > From: Donna Gisiger <>
> > To:
> > Subject: Re: [KYLAUREL-L] New Year's Day 2000 in Possum Trot
> > Date: Saturday, January 01, 2000 10:26 AM
>
>
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