There are two kinds of people who grow up in a small town: those who embrace it and can’t envision any better life anywhere else than home or those who can’t wait to get away to a bigger and supposedly more exciting world. I was one of the latter who never understood the former. I may not ever understand, but I am developing a deep appreciation for their decision.
One of the features of a small city is the dedication of those who have always believed in and been part of the fabric of the community. They are the guts of their town. They also hold the history for the rest of us who lost the continuity when we blasted off for parts unknown.
For whatever reason, some folks never left town. Cradle to grave they have chosen to stay. Some of them are even still married to their high school sweethearts. We go to them for the history on what happened to so-and-so and when did so-and-so get divorced and didn’t so-and-so use to live next to so-and-so?
I am reminded of them as I participate in a committee for our 45th high school reunion this summer. I was one of those who left, but returned for Round 4 of a mishmash of employers and careers. Some of my high school classmates went to college here, found a position in the community and stayed. They are probably part of one of the last generations for whom having a single career for an entire working lifetime is the norm.
Though I would not change what I did, I am grateful for those who stayed and supported our childhood home. They held it together with their loyalty and desire to be close to community and family. They are the participants in the organizations that have a steady, supportive presence such as Rotary and Kiwanis and Junior Auxiliary.
They are the ones who have witnessed and experienced the changes. They have seen the growth and decline of areas that were new and fresh when they were children, but have now gone through the ebb and flow of time. They have had a front row seat to watch the life of the neighborhoods and the adjustments in the corridors of business development.
This steadfastness applies also to neighborhood businesses whose existence is geared just to our community. They aren’t Gulf States or Southwire or Coca Cola who undoubtedly are great corporate citizens. They are the single non-franchise businesses. They are the Bell Building Supply and the East Mississippi Lumber Company and Sullivan’s Office Supply and Montgomery Jewelry. They are the children or in-law family members who have carried on the family business or have taken up the banner of a long existing business.
There aren’t as many of them as there used to be, but those that remain act as a reminder of what is special about knowing the owner who is also your neighbor. It lets you access your old high school classmate on a weekend for an emergency. He will more likely than not open his store up to help you.
Since I have come back home to stay, I have watched some of my childhood acquaintances as they operate their businesses here in town. They have been the paragons of support for causes throughout the community from MSU to United Way to chamber functions. They support the school system, the summer sports programs and the museum.
You know they are doing it not necessarily because it makes good business sense for that particular event or cause; they are doing it because this is their hometown and they care. They are doing it because someone they know asked them to.
Oft times it is hard for someone new to feel part of a small community. I have been able to participate with these community stalwarts to some degree because my family stayed and I remember them when they were smoking in the bathroom and skipping school and struggling to pass Latin I with Ms. Brooks. I imagine for those who were not part of an original crowd it is more difficult to be accepted.
Columbus and Starkville are both fortunate that we have sources for regular infusions of human capital from MUW and MSU and Columbus Air Force base. The trick for those of us with community history is to remember we will have the best of both worlds as long as the fabric that holds us together can stretch enough to embrace the newcomers and value them and their fresh perspective. Our past should inform and support our future not choke out our opportunities.
The Dispatch Editorial Board is made up of publisher Peter Imes, columnist Slim Smith, managing editor Zack Plair and senior newsroom staff.
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