Uncle Buddy
Bud Willis is one of my dad's lifelong friends.
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From the day they met, they had the same sharp mind and sense of humor.
When Buddy went off to school, ...
All during my growing up time, Dad described Buddy's college experience with this sentence: "When Buddy went off to school, he sent money home." I understood this to mean, don't be calling and asking for money when you go off to school.
Our family was fortunate. Melanie, Sheri, and I had everything we needed. Sometimes it may have been spread a little thin, but we always had food on the table, decent clothes, and took enough vacations to make some memories.
Our fortunate situation was the result of two hard working parents, and taking a great risk by starting a new business. We also had a thrifty life style. Mom made a lot of my sister's clothes when they were little. We collected Quality Stamps, and there was a store down town in the Arcade building to turn them in for all kinds of stuff.
The three of us earned scholarships, applied for and qualified for grants, and worked our way through school. Sheri played basketball at Motlow. After graduation, we each paid off our own student loans.
The "Buddy sent money home," message worked. Looking back, the mindset and hustle that resulted, was as important as the class room. Here is another story about jobs, and the U.T. Martin days: https://rdside.blogspot.com/2020/12/first-jobs-40-learning-to-enjoy-work.html
We found out later, that yes, Bud was a hard worker, and a thrifty guy. He was raised by a single mom, his older sisters and an older brother. Bud's personality was wired for hustle, survival, and success. To top it off, we found out much later, part of the, Buddy sent money home story was, he was also quite the card player!
Bud's book, Bluestocking, describes his childhood, and growing up experience. It is well worth the time and effort to read!
https://www.amazon.com/Bluestocking-Bud-Willis/dp/1449027415
Hanging out on the corner
East Lincoln St and Anderson Street, where Domino's Pizza is now located, is the corner. S.W. and Bud used to go to each others house, and all over town when they were kids. When it was time to go home, they went to that corner for awhile, then split up.
Dad says they told jokes, talked, and goofed off. Then, they were always late getting home. Bud would run down East Lincoln street, and dad would run to General Street. Dad says Bud could almost see his house, and dad's house was further away, and a block off the main road. Dad said he never minded the longer distance, and was just glad to have a good friend to hang out with. Bud is, and has always been, a natural salesman. He negotiated the corner, and shorter trip home, to his and my dad's satisfaction. Dad says they spent hours and hours there. He said if a car passed by more than once, Buddy would notice first. Then they would both get spooked that the people in the car were stalking them, and up to no good. All of this made the run home, alone, more urgent, scary and fast.
The Waffle Shop - "If one of us had money..."
The Daniel brothers, Raymond and Dan, owned the Waffle Shop in the alley in Tullahoma. Later, when Dan was elected Sherriff, Raymond bought Dan's part. In this photo Raymond Daniel is cooking at the grill.
(Thank you Pat Daniel Gaddis for the great picture!)
Dad says when he and Buddy were kids, they loved the Waffle Shop. When they had enough change, they got a honeybun, and two glasses of water. Then they would sit there awhile, and eat it. Dad says, "If one of us had money, we both had money. That's just how it was."
They shared the honeybun. Bud always got the outside, and dad got the center. Bud may have understood the geometry a little better than dad. They were both happy with this arrangement, and dad said they never kept up with who paid.
Dad drank his water plain, and Buddy added ketchup to his, stirring it to make a kind of tomato juice. Buddy has always had a way of taking something, or a situation, and trying to make it better.
The kitchen table
in 1957, Dr. Dale Hunter, was a dentist in Tullahoma. His new office was under construction on North Atlantic Street, by the railroad tracks. S.W. and Bud were 16 years old, and out in the Stone family's 1946 Ford. It seemed like a good idea to re-purpose some lumber, mostly from the scrap pile, for a project Bud had in mind. They loaded boards, under the cover of night, into the back seat of SW's car. The extra length stuck out of the open back window.
Dad said not long after that, the Willis family had the finest kitchen table of any house on East Lincoln Street.
Bud saw a need, and provided for his mom, sisters and younger brother. He created something, and made everyday home life a little better at the Willis house.
Marble Mountain
Bud joined the Marines upon graduation from Tennessee Tech. He flew helicopters in Viet Nam. His book, Marble Mountain, describes some of his experiences there.
https://www.amazon.com/Marble-Mountain-Vietnam-Bud-Willis/dp/1456743481
Another good book, and well worth your time. Bud's writing style is easy to read. His books are collections of stories, connected in a way that makes it an enjoyable place to spend some time.
Several pages of Marble Mountain are available at this link for a free preview...
https://www.google.com/books/edition/Marble_Mountain/bDl3dcOpJfwC?hl=en&gbpv=1&printsec=frontcover
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jgeH-d7lfAI
Bud is a generous man, and has a heart for veterans. The proceeds from his Marble Mountain book go to the Wounded Warrior Project. More information about the Wounded Warrior Project... https://www.woundedwarriorproject.org/
Here is a wonderful article from the Naples Florida news, on Bud and his book... https://archive.naplesnews.com/community/of-fight-and-flight-naples-resident-publishes-memoir-on-vietnam-war-ep-391477415-332189642.html/
Clarksville Days
Early in Bud's career, he was living in Clarksville. Bud's sons, Kirk, and Kevin, were a lot of fun to be around. Kevin is a younger version of Bud, complete with the Willis sense of humor. Kirk was older, and more of a quiet kid. I remember him being super nice, and always smiling. The Willis brothers were great at water skiing. They invited us up there a couple of times to go to the Cumberland river with them. I remember how much fun that was. Buddy pulled Melanie, Sheri, and me all over the river. Before cell phones, and other distractions, that was quality family time.
U.T. Martin -
Bud came to UT Martin in 1987 at my request, and spoke to the Brothers of Alpha Kappa Psi, Business Fraternity. This was part of our professional development and helped keep our Zeta Chi chapter in good standing. One thing he said that I remember, "If you love the smell of rubber, and you change tires for a living, you are right where you are supposed to be." His talk was real world, and the kind of thing I had heard from him many times before.
At this point, Bud was a Managing Partner at J.C. Bradford, & Company, a Nashville based investment banking and brokerage firm. We asked questions, the finance guys especially, who were on their way to long careers on Wall Street.
Looking back, Bud was a very busy guy, and probably didn't have time to be there. He made time for us anyway. Bud was, and still is, a winner. He spent his career finding, training and developing people to be successful. On that day, he encouraged us to be winners too.
Writers Write
One other thing that pops in my mind is something Buddy said on one of his book tours in Tullahoma. It was simple, and complicated at the same time. Buddy said, "Writers write." I had to stop and let that sink in for a minute.
Kind of like what Buddy said about the smell of rubber, and changing tires for a living. We should all make sure we are where we are supposed to be, and doing what we are supposed to be doing. The tricky part is having the guts to change.
Buddy's two words freed me up to try to be more disciplined and active with this blog, and to keep stretching for more creativity and purpose. Maybe it's writing a card of encouragement and putting it in the mail, or making a phone call to an old friend. When I stay with it, the process makes me, and a few other people smile. It also helps to keep some memories and stories out there. Hopefully other people are encouraged to do the same.
Sometimes I let other people have a peek at my sense of humor with a silly sketch.
I look forward to the next sketch, or story. The process of digging for pictures, links, and videos, is enjoyable to me. It gives them all another chance to be seen, and another place to be found.
Most of the time, these articles tell a little part of someone else's story, and how it helped or changed things. The Buddy stuff is all part of our family stories, and worth remembering! This seems like a good place to park it, drop some change in the meter, and return later to pick it back up.
These days, instead of the street corner, dad and Bud meet up on the phone to check on each other and tell a joke or two. Their sharp minds and sense of humor remain. When Bud is in town, he's good to stop by and visit. He always asks about Melanie, Sheri, and me.
With a little effort on everyone's part, this lifelong friendship continues.