By Harold Brummett

Denmark Star Route

 

The invitation came by the way of Howard Bahr.  It was time for a road trip.  This trip consisted of four old white men who attended college at the same time at the same place and who somehow ended up back at the starting point. 

Our group has started to dwindle, I thought of General (Dr.) James Cooke, and L.W. Thomas friends who are past now except in memories of trips taken with them. The current cast of characters for this trip consisted of: 

Howard Bahr is the author of several books, short stories, and magazine articles. He was a curator of the Falkner house for several years and taught at several institutions of higher learning. 

Danny Toma completed undergrad and law school at the University of Mississippi then launched into a career in the Foreign Service where he retired after 22 years. His assignments were worldwide and Danny speaks several languages, but is most comfortable is Southern English. 

Danny has published two books, with one detailing his work on the Provincial Reconstruction Team in Basrah, Iraq.

Frank Walker is a Marine. He is an archivist, librarian and scholar. After years away, retired and returned to Oxford. Frank and I were the only two mortals in the group.   

We rendezvoused at the Walker house with Danny arriving last and on time, pulling up in the Tomamobile with a smile and eagerness to be on the road. Danny being the youngest and with the least infirmities is the best choice to drive to Helena Arkansas. 

I started an argument with Howard about something trivial at the outset to set the tone. Danny would interject with some fact or reasoning that while true would not dissuade the argument. Frank joins in and laughs at the carrying on as we entertain ourselves while traveling. 

Impeded twice, once for a duo of tractors with farm implements that took up most of the two-lane road, and the other for a large windmill blade that had just crossed the river bridge. 

A seasoned traveler, Danny took the impediments to our progress in stride and viewed them as challenges. We stopped at the welcome center in Helena and the ladies there welcomed us and gave us coffee.  

Continuing on, we first stopped at the Catholic Church. Unable to gain entrance we continued.   Nearing noon, Danny had picked out an excellent restaurant Delta Que and Brew. After dining, we toured several museums but one of note was the Delta Cultural Center where Ms. Glenda Biggs was most informative. 

We toured the town and examined the battlements at Fort Curtis and it was here that Howard struck up a conversation with Rogerline Johnson. A second-generation photographer and business owner, Mr. Johnson graciously allowed three strangers (We had become separated from Danny) to look at photos his father had taken during the heyday of Helena. Most notable was a photograph of a young, slim BB King performing. Photos that Mr. Johnson’s father took of the Black culture and heritage of the post World War Two Helena were interesting. The history and pride Mr. Johnson had of his town was impressive, enlightening and most appreciated.  

Before heading back to Lafayette County we stopped at the cemetery that held the remains of many fallen Confederate Soldiers and most notably Major General Patrick Ronayne Cleburne, CSA who was born in County Cork, Ireland. MG Cleburne had made Helena his home before the war and was subsequently killed at the battle of Franklin, TN.  

I recall the trip back was mostly quiet with Howard only occasionally making a statement I could contest or argue with. The Tomamobile had third row seating that was empty except for the spirits of Dr. Cooke and L.W. Thomas.