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Archiver > TNCAMPBE > 2003-11 > 1067826422


From: "Mary Lou Hudson" <>
Subject: Re: [TNCAMPBE-L] Sterling Lawson 1976 by Eugene Siler
Date: Sun, 2 Nov 2003 21:49:08 -0500
References: <00d701c3a1a7$85c20040$d4b1dfd8@hudgo> <00a201c3a1b0$2eb907e0$6478fea9@oemcomputer>


You are welcome. I'm not connected to anyone mentioned either, but got a
kick out of the story. :)

Mary Lou
----- Original Message -----
From: "JoAnne Turner" <>
To: <>
Sent: Sunday, November 02, 2003 9:14 PM
Subject: Re: [TNCAMPBE-L] Sterling Lawson 1976 by Eugene Siler


> I so enjoyed this rememberance although I have no connections. Thank you
for
> sharing it with us.
> ----- Original Message -----
> From: "Mary Lou Hudson" <>
> To: <>
> Sent: Sunday, November 02, 2003 8:12 PM
> Subject: [TNCAMPBE-L] Sterling Lawson 1976 by Eugene Siler
>
>
> > The Whitley Republican, Williamsburg, KY - May 6, 1976
> >
> > heads or tales by Eugene Siler
> > A supersalesman, or how the mold was broken
> >
> > He was a giant of a salesman - the kind that could sell air
> conditioners to Eskimos or fur coats to Cubans.
> > This crack salesman was grandfather to John Lawson, who works at one
of
> the local banks, an uncle of J.Will Sharp who raises cattle on Wolf Creek,
> kin to all the Lawsons in these parts.
> > The salesman's name was Sterling Lawson. He originated on Capuchin
> Creek, later came to Newcomb, died somewhere around Jellico at the age of
86
> after selling dry goods all over southeast Kentucky.
> > In the beginning he rode a horse and buggy. Later he rode a Model T.
> Ford or something similar.
> > Sterling chewed tobacco, dressed carelessly, talked fluently, usually
> sprawled over a seat rather than an upright position and made friends
> easily.
> > One day J. Will Sharp was passing along where Sterling was resting in
> the shade during the sunset period of his life.
> > "Come in here, J. Will, I want to talk some with you." said Sterling.
> They talked about an hour. Then Sterling said, "J. Will, you're a fool to
> waste your time talking to me. You ort to get on down the road and do
> something better than wasting time with me." And so their conference thus
> came to an end.
> > Another time J. Will was driving Sterling over in the valley and
> suddenly Sterling said, "Pull over to that store and I'll buy you a cokie
> cola."
> > "How much are your cokie colas?" he asked the merchant.
> > "They are now six cents. We recently had to raise them a penny."
> > Sterling said, "Drive on, J. Will, we ain't going to pay no six cents
> for cokie colas."
> > One of the few times I ever met and talked to Sterling he related how
> he had made a selling trip up to Leslie County, which was then remote and
> quite isolated and had neither hotel nor motel.
> > Sterling accepted an invitation to go up on the mountainside and stay
> all night in a mountain home for a modest fee. They talked and talked
> before the open fire and finally got on the subject of funerals and
funeral
> sermons.
> > Sterling told his host he had taken part in several funerals and "had
> never had any complaints" on his talks.
> > The host spoke up and said, "if you don't care, just kinda go over a
> funeral talk for me and say what you would if you were talking over me."
> > "All right. Get some chairs and stretch out on them and I will stand
> up here and talk just like it was your funeral.
> > So the man stretched out, folded his hands and closed his eyes.
> > Sterling said, "You all knew this man better than I did, but there
are
> some things I'd rather not talk about, such as drinking moonshine and
> stealing watermelons and so forth. I just won't talk about such things on
> this occasion."
> > The "Deceased" jumped from his catafalque and said, "You shet your
> mouth, Lawson, before I break this chair over your head."
> > Lawson said, "Well I never told nothing - just stated, 'I'd rather
not
> talk about such things' - and now let's get to bed." And so they did.
> > Someone asked Sterling why he had joined a church in Jellico rather
> than one of the country churches close to where he was raised. His reply
> was that in a country church he might get put out if he drank any beer or
> whiskey or went out to a dance, whereas in Jellico nobody would pay any
> attention to things like that since most of them were following the same
> conduct over in town.
> > There never was another one like Sterling. He was a product of our
> hill country and I am certainly glad I came to know him and listen to him
> talk occasionally on Courthouse square. The mold is now broken -- there
are
> no more Sterling Lawsons.
> >
> >
> >
> >
> > ==== TNCAMPBE Mailing List ====
> > To See the Campbell County Web Site
> > http://www.rootsweb.com/~tncampbe/
> >
>
>
> ==== TNCAMPBE Mailing List ====
> Does Anyone Ever Read the Taglines ??? Just Curious..Also, Please change
your Subject Line. We all tend to forget that.Self included.
> http://archiver.rootsweb.com/th/index/TNCAMPBE
>


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