Austin360 blogs > Out & About > Archives > 2011 > December > 30 > Entry
A letter from a father
A letter from Leander veterinarian Franklin N. Stiles Jr.
“12/23/11
Dear Mr. Barnes,
On Jan. 30, 2011, you published a column partly about my son, John Kinkead Stiles.
At the time, I was still just barely getting by day to day, due to the loss of this fine young man I was blessed to have been given as a son.
Your column was a gift.
It made me smile again, and remember the wonderful legacy my son had left me. It enabled me to start to leave behind the tears and instead remember the laughter, smiles, stories and adventures I had shared with this young man. It made me realize that the oppressive sadness I was living with was not what John would have wanted.
This Christmas, I wanted to thank you for that gift your column gave me. The Austin you write about and the Austin I grew up in is a such a wonderful place. Your column started me back to enjoying the life and love I have been blessed with.
I wanted you to know that your work makes a difference.
I sent the Lammes candy because it symbolizes a small part of Austin that makes it special. David Lamme Jr. was one of my scoutmasters growing up.
I will always remember the night at summer camp all of us boys were gathered round, bragging about our fathers’ exploits during World War II. We were each trying to outdo the other, and bragging about what we would do when it was our turn to go to war.
Mr. Lamme came over, sat down, and said: ‘Boys, I need to talk to you.’
He then told us how on June 6, 1944, he had come ashore on Omaha Beach. The story he told that day was of death on a scale we could not imagine.
Mr. Lamme was a big man, and I had never seen such a man almost break down several times, as he forced himself to relive that day (and) as he struggled to get his message across to us.
He finished his narrative with the lesson I have never forgotten. He said: ‘War is an ugliness. I know you boys, and if called, I know you will serve. But never forget, there is nothing good about war. It is not heroic; it is not romantic. It is brutal. If called to serve, go and do what is asked of you. But do not glorify war. It is too ugly for that.’
His was a gift I will never forget, much as is your column. Austin is full of these gifts and it your job to write about them and you do it well.
The offer to go fishing is an open one.
If you are ever in Taylor, go to the Dan Moody museum. There on the second floor is a picture of Mr. Moody in his high school graduating class. In front of him is John’s great-grandmother. The stories she told us about the future governor were just a small part of the wonders we had the opportunity to grow up with.
Thank you again for helping me remember these gifts. Merry Christmas to you and your family.
Franklin N. Stiles Jr. DVM.”
Correction: In an earlier version of this post, Franklin Stiles’ name was misspelled in his signature.
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By Jetté Momant
January 2, 2012 1:07 PM | Link to this
What a moving and heartfelt letter, Michael. Thank you for sharing this with your readers.
As born and raised Austinites, my family often reminisces about "Old Austin." Theirs is the story of being African Americans in old East Austin. Hearing their stories is often a reminder of how far we have come and how much further we have to go.
When my mother passed a little over a year ago, people gathered at her "remembrance" ceremony and shared stories of growing up with my mother in Austin. One shared a story of how she and my mother went every where together; including Woolworth's on Congress, where my mother pinned her friend's majorette uniform when a few bottons had snapped when their high school band was marching down Congress.
One of my friend's remarked on how young children could more easily walk around with each other and be safe in Austin " I realized what a different time our parents grew up in than us. It certainly was a little safer, simpler and more innocent."
Another friend of mine at my mother's funeral remarked: "When your mother's friend asked the members of the LC Anderson Class of 1969 to stand up, I was impressed at how many of them were there. Then, she asked anyone who attended LC Anderson to stand. Man, what a showing for your mother and what a piece of East Austin's history I felt lucky to witness. It shows how connected the black community was at that time for so many to still show up today at a funeral. I don't know if that would happen in many other communities."
Austin is indeed a city rich with culture and memories.
I enjoyed hearing your memories and the memories shared by the gentleman who wrote this letter.
It brought up great Austin stories that my mother would share with me.
Thank you.
Warm Regards,
Jette' Momant
By Cathy Boyce Olsen
December 30, 2011 2:15 PM | Link to this
What a treasure to be told you are doing good things for your readers! Thank you for printing this to help remind us all that we need to let others know how much we appreciate them!