I met Gene at Mt. Victory High School when I was 14.  He was visiting 
his grandparents and came to school with his uncle Joe and Aunt Bernice 
Wright. His school at Harlan, KY was dismissed for KEA (Kentucky 
Education Association). He wrote to me when he got back home and we 
continued writing letters for about a year. Gene came to see me several 
times during that time. I found him to be a very special boy and friend.

At the end of his Junior HS year 1943, Gene decided to volunteer for 
the Army. And we had decided that we were in love. He asked me to wait 
for him to return from the war. I have a box of his letters he wrote to 
me.

Gene came home from the war, (WWII) in January 1946 just before his 
21st birthday and enrolled in school at Harlan, Ky to finish his senior 
year. We had a correspondence courtship. He was a really good writer! 
He came to Mt. Victory to see me several times and gave me an 
engagement ring on Valentine's Day. We talked about a June wedding.

His school at Harlan dismissed for KEA  so he wanted us to get married then. I 
agreed.  So with little time to make plans, I remade a jacket dress 
into a suit, bought a blouse, hat, shoes etc.for my wedding attire. 
Gene didn't have a dress suit, so we borrowed one that my brother 
Vernon had left at home.

Daddy arranged with Rev. Charles Hogg, a Methodist minister to do our 
wedding service.  Rev. Hogg was also an auto mechanic, so the wedding 
was set for Friday evening, which was Good Friday. Gene and I were 
married in a small chapel at the Somerset Methodist Church.

My Daddy drove us and on the way we picked up Gene's Aunt Bernice. Just 
as we arrived in Somerset, we met Dan and Mildred on their way home 
from U of K.  That was the wedding party.

Dan and Mildred treated us to dinner

Gene passed away September 27th, 2009.  We were married for 63 years 
April 12, 2009.  Today would have been our 65th Anniversary. I was 
blessed to have married such a devoted man!  And to be the mother of 
his three wonderful children.

Grace and Peace Abide with You,
Emily

A Very Special Day!

It was on Friday January 8th 1954.  We lived at Owl's Nest at Hyden, KY 
where Gene was Extension Agent for U of K.  Leslie County. Gene was 
working in town that day. He had been out of town all week.  I was at 
home with Russell almost 6 and Carol Lynn 26 months old.  I had been 
having some discomfort most of the day.  I cooked soup beans (pintos) 
for supper.  As we were eating, I told Gene I probably needed to go to 
the hospital after supper.  He immediately began to get ready to go. He 
called a neighbor to stay with Russell and Lynn.  Then he made a pan of 
warm water and washed my feet!  We went to Frontier Nursing Hospital 
which had a midwifrey nurse training school. Midwifrey student nurse 
Ruth Brown took care of me. (No anethesia) Gene was with me and little 
Stephen Douglas was born at about 9:30 P.M.

We stayed in the hospital for about 8 days and the baby was beside me 
during the day and was taken to the nursery at night. We were in a 27 
bed ward with most of the mothers needing special attention. That was 
an experience not to be forgotten! The nurse midwives delivered most of 
the babies at the homes of the mothers. They made follow up home visits 
for about a month to be sure mother and baby were doing well.

Nurse Brown gave me a delightful warm sponge bath after the baby was 
born! She planned to work on the missionary field in Africa when her 
training was finished.

Gene took Russell and Lynn to stay with my mother at Mt. Victory.

Steve is a beloved son and  a wonderful man.  Gene and I were very 
blessed to be his parents.

EVH