Sentimental Sunday: Gorgeous George and Aunt Carmena

I am hard pressed to see what drives people to look at the World Wide Entertainment(WWE) wresting shows much less go to the more than expensive matches.
My daughter saved her money so that the thrill could be enjoyed by her son Tyler and daughter Taylor. My daughter did not tell Tyler that she had tickets and I missed the look of joy on his face when they pulled up to the arena and saw where they were going.

For some reason the other night wrestling came into my mind and my thoughts went back years ago when I was in Marshall Texas and staying with my Aunt Carmena Morton whom everyone called "Sister" and her husband my Uncle John.

The ritual at the house was, after dinner, we would retire to the living room, watch TV, read, or my aunt would sew, until it was time to go to bed.
I remember in the winter in order to save the heat, all the rooms were closed off and the space heater was turned on for us to keep warm.

First off, my uncle and aunt would get their section of the newspaper and when they were through I would get the entire paper.
This went on nightly except when Saturday night wrestling came on. Then the world stopped and the bustling noise of the fans and the announcers filled the room.
My aunt clapped and yay-ed all through the show. When the wrestler Gorgeous George came on my aunt would have a fit. He was her hero!!

I do believe that he would win most of the matches because it seemed to me all I heard was Gorgeous George, Gorgeous George!
I think my aunt was the main reason he would win because I am sure he heard her all the way through TV land calling," that's right Gorgeous, get him' or ' One,Two,Three" as she slapped the opponents out along with the referee.

Well me and my short lived enthusiasm asked one night if I could read the Marshall News Messenger newspaper first since they were tuned in to the TV. The TV was one of those old blond Hoffman's minus the red,blue and green filler paper to see the match in color.
Of course the answer was yes because they were too engrossed in the goings on and they could read the paper later.


I spread out down on the floor and read and read to my hearts content, story by story line by line. I have always loved to read be it newspapers or books.
When I had finished reading, I folded up the paper just like I got it so that when the wrestling match was over my aunt and uncle could pick up and read the news of the day.


Finally the match was over. My aunt picked up the paper, opened up to her section and I heard her say "what is wrong with this paper!!."
My uncle took a look at his section and looked down at me. My aunt asked me why in the world would I go through and mark out words in the paper.
I remember telling her,(I was crying and all I could envision was a spanking) that I could not pronounce the words that I blackened out,they were to big and to hard and I did not know what they meant.

She told me never ever ever to do that again. If I did not know what a word meant or how to pronounce it to ask her or Uncle John. Boy was I relieved!

That Monday when I came home from Dogan Elementary School,I had waiting for me a brand new Dictionary which I prized for many years.


I don't even know why I even thought that I would get a spanking anyway.
She nor Uncle John had ever given me a spanking. Not even that time in church when that man gave me the bowl full of crackers and all those little glass bottles of grape juice.

He handed it to me and walked away so I thought they were all mine. I had even shared with my friend Rosemary who was sitting next to me. How was I to know that something was wrong until I could not hear my aunts distinct singing voice in the choir. Her voice had gone silent and that man came running back and took the tray from me.
I bet those people at New Bethel Baptist Church thought I was starving for food.

Shoot, me and Rosemary Richardson were loving the taste. Rosemary lived across the street from my aunt and uncle on Whetstone Street and happened to come to church with us that night.

I just love my Aunt and Uncle John. My Aunt is the daughter of Joseph and Frances Taylor from Marshall, Harrison County, Texas and my uncle John Morton is the son of Robert and Mollie Huff Morton,Pittsburgh, Camp County Texas.

I can say now that I may have gotten that line by line streak many years ago when reading that newspaper because that is one of the ways I use to look up those who I have a hard time finding in the Federal Census.
Who would have thought that the very people that I look for that way just happen to be in Marshall Texas.
And who would have thought it that Gorgeous George may be the reason that I stopped marking out words I could not understand in the newspapers.