The Mountain Eagle
WHITESBURG WEATHER

Struttin’ Time

“Pap” Brown deserves a ‘thank you’


We are saying thanks to the men and women who have been with me along this journey. This week, I take pause to tell you about a friend and a man dear to my life. His name is Raymond “Pap” Brown of Dry Fork.

I first met Pap in the 1970’s. He was a kind man, and we started a friendship that has endured ever since. We have served on committees together, hunted together, and watched our kids grow into fine adults. Pap has some wild stories, and if he tells you one, believe it.

Last winter, the question he posed to me was, “Have you ever heard turkeys gobble in the dead of winter?” Being seasoned turkey hunters, we both know turkeys are vocal year-round. But Pap said these were sitting in the same place and just kept gobbling. Strange to say the least, but if Pap told me, then it was so.

Speaking of the committees we have served on, the two that will always stick in my mind are the National Wild Turkey Federation, Little Shepherd Chapter. Pap was a strong voice helping to get the number of turkeys up to where we could hunt them. He put his time, money, heart and soul into making it one of the better clubs in the nation.

Next, there is nobody, and I mean nobody, who loves kids any better than Pap Brown. When he was on the Letcher County Kids Day Committee he was at every meeting, and when a Kids Day came, he was there setting up displays and helping in other ways well before the start of the day until well after things had closed.

Pap’s two granddaughters were by his side, working like adults. I hope they stay the course and help children who need a hand up. Raymond and I have grown old together in years and miles and are nearing the end of our journey.

If you read this Struttin’ Time, give Pap a call and thank him for what he has done to leave Letcher County a better place than what he found it.

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