Truett Cathy

     Truett Cathy died this morning at age 93. I understand his Mother named him for the great Baptist of the first half of  the 20th Century George W. Truett. Cathy's son Dan was in my religion class at Furman the fall of 1971. And a first cousin's family operate his Win Shape program at Berry College.

    I think I only met Truett once and haven't talked to Dan since Furman.

     My Dad had a hilarious conversation with Truett at a cousins wedding in the late 90s where My Dad was trying to get Cathy to open a store at the West triangle of 411 in Centre, Alabama. Dad was Telling Cathy what a great spot it was and Truett said, Billy, we know the location, we've done the metrics, counted the cars and we're just not ready to commit yet.

    You had to be there to fully appreciate. Point being everything good said about Cathy's ability to relate to the common man, I saw with my own eyes.

     I have some differences with the Cathy's political leanings, have reservations about their seeming inability to see what was at stake in the fundamentalist takeover of the Southern Baptist Convention; but I am proud of Truett as a trustee of Mercer University standing up for Kirby Godsey when the fundies were cryin for his head on a platter.

    And quite frankly I am disappointed to put it mildly to see Chic Fil A as a sponsor of Trey Gowdy and the Upstate S.C. Tea Party's Life and Liberty--Truth for a New Generation featuring a roll call of Fox News Ideologues--this past weekend at FBC Spartanburg, S.C. 

     However one comes down on Chic Fil A's notoriety of August 2012, I think Truett's greater legacy for the good lies elsewhere. My example is the ongoing conversation I had with a young woman of color who worked in his Gadsden store a few years ago.

    I noticed she pretty much kept the trains running on time, a natural leader during the noon rush hour when I would be there. I  got to know she was going to JSU majoring in English. I felt her out on Alice Walker, Flannery OConnor, Toni Morrison, Faulkner, even Rick Bragg. She knew them all and could talk about them. I think I introduced her to Ron Rash.

    She's teaching English now, all 110 pounds of her, at a High School in NE Alabama.

     Whatever you say about Truett Cathy, and there are numerous other grand things to say, remember that as well.