By Stanley Hartness
The Star Herald
KOSCIUSKO —
This will be one of those “what goes around come around” stories – but in a good way.
I first met Mrs. Margaret White in 1958 when she became my American history teacher at Kosciusko High School. She must have taught me well enough because I received the American history award that year!
Little did I know that our relationship would take a decidedly more intense turn the next year. Four seniors – Willene Carpenter, Jane Myrick, Ray Burk, and I – along with alternate Linda Lareda Blanton were named to Kosciusko High School’s first ever “Quiz ‘Em on the Air” team, and Mrs. Margaret White was selected as our coach. The routine went something like this: Monday through Thursday we would study the first two pages of each day’s Commercial Appeal newspaper; each night, get this, we would gather at Mrs. White’s house on Goodman Street for more study, review and questions under her direction (I know that her husband and daughter were there somewhere, but they never interrupted us – and hopefully we, in turn, didn’t disrupt their family life too much). Then on Saturday morning we would drive all the way to Jackson and appear “live” on Channel 3 WLBT in competition with another Mississippi “Quiz ‘Em on the Air” team (interestingly, the program was sponsored by LuVel Dairy Products). I never knew Coach White’s game plan, but she was wildly successful because we made it all the way to the World Finals – which encompassed Arkansas, Tennessee and Mississippi!
Fast forward some 30 years, and Mrs. White chose me to be her family doctor – and, we resumed our mutual admiration society. Needless to say, I was humbled and honored because here was this intelligent, gracious, witty lady who had helped give me my education which, in turn, allowed me to help provide for her medical care. And on most every occasion, whether it was an office visit or a house call, I thanked her for that.
And, as they say, the rest is indeed “history.”
Stanley Hartness, M.D. is a former resident of Kosciusko. He and his wife, Beth, now reside in the Jackson area.
