Pictures from Brooks' past, and a couple of notes

I ran across some old pictures of Brooks and our parents and thought you might enjoy seeing them. These were taken by "street photographers". Unless you've been around for awhile, like 50 years or so, you probably never heard of such a thing, but in the larger cities, at least, there were photographers on the street with big boxy cameras that took candid photos of people just walking by. They took your picture and gave you a slip of paper that you could later use to get a copy of the picture. I can remember this, but it had disappeared by the time my own childhood was over. It's a shame, really, because I find these pictures particularly enjoyable. They bring back the memories and the "feel" of those days much better than just about anything else.

This is a picture of Brooks and our dad. This was probably downtown Fort Worth since mom an dad both worked at Convair aircraft plant there during World War II. Dad's name was Wilson Pershing Best but he was always known as "Til". In the little town where he grew up, McCrory, Arkansas, the local "character" (town drunk, reprobate) was a Mr. Tilman. Dad's father came home for lunch one day and found dad playing in the dirt, filthy from top to bottom. His father took one look at him and said, "Well, hello, little Tilman". The nickname stuck.

By the way, Brooks was also born in McCrory.

This is Brooks with our mother. She was born Mary Dell Brooks, which is where Brooks got her name. Brooks' full name was Mary Brooks Best and my earliest memories are of everyone calling her Mary Brooks. Eventually she dropped the Mary and became just Brooks. I always called her Sister. Eventually she got old enough (probably early teens) that she thought that was unsuitable and demanded that I start calling her Brooks, which I did. Many years later she said she regretted having done that, that she missed her little brother calling her "Sister". So I started calling her Sister again, and did so for the rest of her life, and will continue to think of her that way for the rest of mine.

Again, this is probably downtown Fort Worth during or shortly after the war.

I guess all that walking finally got to Brooks. Dad doesn't seem at all unhappy with carrying his tired little girl.

I love this picture! Everyone looks so happy and all "dolled up" in typical 1940s style, everyone wearing hats. And Brooks! Talk about style, she always had it. I'm sorry to say I do not remember the name of the woman with them, though I do remember her as a close friend of the family.

Brooks and me with a bunch of cousins, taken in front of our grandparents house in McCrory, Arkansas. It's obviously winter and was probably during our annual reunion with the family during Christmas. Brooks is the taller girl in the center with me leaning against her on her left. I don't recall who the boy on the far left is but the other three kids are our cousins from Memphis. We really only saw them during this annual visit, and once those trips stopped we never saw any of them again.

As I said, Brooks and dad were both born in McCrory. Mother was also born in Arkansas, but in some little town whose name I can no longer recall. I was born in Fort Worth, Texas, right at the end of the war. The picture I put in an earlier post, of Brooks sitting in a wicker rocker holding me, was in front of the little house we lived in there.

On another note, efforts are still being made to restore Brooks' original blog, but it seems there is more to it than any of us had suspected. So far Kris has not heard from the Blogger people, so we can't expect any help there. We do have the complete blog backed up to disk, but we might have to put that up on another site, as a searchable archive, with a link from this site.

I personally feel this could be an ideal solution. Brooks' original blog will no longer be open to entries or comments but it will be intact for those who wish to revisit her writings. That would be appropriate, I think, because the author is no longer with us to make new entries and what she wrote and the comments to those entries will remain as they were when she stepped away from the keyboard. This site, the original blog site, would become a place to share memories of Brooks where we can make entries and comments.

I know the loss of the original blog has been distressing, but a restoration is in the works. It probably won't be that much longer that we'll have to wait.

And on yet another note, let me take this opportunity to wish one and all a wonderful holiday season. And remember, Brooks was really concerned that she was going to spoil everyone's holidays, so make sure that doesn't happen! Enjoy, celebrate, and take this opportunity to more fully appreciate those who are still with us.