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CARL'S BLOG: ARKANSAS HILLBILLY

CARL’S BLOG: ARKANSAS HILLBILLY

3-1-21, My visit with Mrs. Eugenia Perkins Continued Mrs. Perkins went on to tell me about the time Gayle got pregnant and that she came to her first. She explained that she and Gayle had always been close, and that Gayle came to her many times, to discuss personal matters. She continued to tell me that when Gayle discovered she was pregnant, she first wanted to keep the baby but decided…

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CARL'S BLOG

CARL’S BLOG

3-1-21, Face to Face with the Gate’s in Memphis, Tennessee Face to Face at Last Before returning to Boise, Carla knew I had started my investigation to find her biological mother. It had been my intention from the beginning not to tell Carla that I had found her biological mother unless she was willing to meet Carla and pursue a relationship. If the biological mother decided she did…

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CARL'S BLOG: ARKANSAS HILLBILLY

CARL’S BLOG: ARKANSAS HILLBILLY

2-26-21, A good news telephone call from Mrs. Fletcher with the “Southern Report,” Sardis, Mississippi. Back Home in Warren After arriving home in Warren, I shared my findings with Lena and Curt. They were as excited as I was. Curt said, “I think we should contact them as soon as possible.” I felt the same as Curt, but felt it was best to wait a few days. We needed time to plan. We…

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CARL'S BLOG: ARKANSAS HILLBILLY

CARL’S BLOG: ARKANSAS HILLBILLY

2-25-21, The Small Town of Crenshaw, Mississippi. My heart pumping hard! The Small Town of Crenshaw I had another restless night. I was so pumped up that I couldn’t get the day’s activities and the information out of my mind. I tossed and turned the better part of the night. I finally went to sleep around two o’clock in the morning. I did not get up until nine. I showered, dressed, ate two…

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CARL'S BLOG: ARKANSAS HILLBILLY

CARL’S BLOG: ARKANSAS HILLBILLY

2-24-21, Lots of good information from Meg Wood, Sardis, Mississippi, PART 15 Sardis The first person I called from the list of women given to me was Mrs. Betsy Brazil. Mrs. Brazil had taught English at North Panola High School for several years. She was now retired and living in Sardis. Mrs. Brazil answered her phone by saying, “Hello.” “Mrs. Brazil, my name is Carl Barger. I’m…

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CARL'S BLOG: ARKANSAS HILLBILLY

CARL’S BLOG: ARKANSAS HILLBILLY

2-24-21, Panola County Registrar’s Court House, PART 14 I hoped that by reading the “Crenshaw News,” I might get to know the Gates family better and just might find out what Gayle’s married name was, providing she got married. When I found an article that related to the Gates’s, I marked it so I could make copies later. The following excerpts were taking from the Southern Reporter starting…

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CARL'S BLOG: ARKANSAS HILLBILLY

CARL’S BLOG: ARKANSAS HILLBILLY

2-23-21, Panola County Court House, Sardis, Mississippi, PART 13 I hoped that by reading the “Crenshaw News,” I might get to know the Gates family better and just might find out what Gayle’s married name was, providing she got married. When I found an article that related to the Gates’s, I marked it so I could make copies later. The following excerpts were taking from the Southern Reporter…

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CARL'S BLOG: ARKANSAS HILLBILLY

CARL’S BLOG: ARKANSAS HILLBILLY

2-22-21, My visit to North Panola High School, Sardis, Mississippi, PART 12 I started with the 1965 annual and worked my way through each one. The first picture I found of Gayle was an eighth-grade picture. I couldn’t believe my eyes when I saw the picture! She looked so much like Carla. I marked several pages that Gayle’s picture appeared on. She was a popular student. She was in almost…

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CARL’S BLOG: ARKANSAS HILLBILLY

2-20-21, My visit to North Panola County High School, 11

 “Mrs. Fletcher, that is the article I’ve been searching for.

Could I get a copy of it?”

“Yes, I’ll make you a copy,” she said.

“Mrs. Fletcher, thank you so much for taking your time to

help me obtain this article. It contains the information I need

to identify Carla’s biological mother and grandparents. I cannot

thank you enough!”

“I was happy to do it for you, Mr. Barger.”

“What do I owe you for the copy of the newspaper article?”

“You don’t owe me a thing, Mr. Barger. I have found it

interesting that you would do this for your daughter. You must

love her a lot.”

“I do. She came to us when she was only four days old. She

immediately filled the void in our hearts for a child. My wife

and I considered her to be a gift from God.”

It was still early in the day, so I thought I would spend some

time at North Panola High School. There should be school

annuals that would have pictures of Gayle. If so, that would give

me a chance to see what she looked like as a teenager.

Mrs. Fletcher had given me the name of Jerry Hentz, the

high school principal, and the high school counselor, Mr. Don

Townie. After getting to the high school, I went directly to Mr.

Hentz’s office. As I entered his office, the secretary asked if she

could help me.

“Is Mr. Hentz in?”

“Yes, he his. Could I get your name?”

“My name is Carl Barger. I’m from Warren, Arkansas.”

“Mr. Barger, let me see if Mr. Hentz can see you.” She came

back and announced that he could see me.

As I walked into his office, he welcomed me and asked me

to have a seat. “How can I help you, Mr. Barger?”

“Mr. Hentz, I’m in Sardis doing some genealogy research on

Gayle Gates, who went to school here in the 1960s.”

“I wasn’t here then, but my counselor, Don Townie, has

been here for several years. I feel sure he will know Gayle.

Would you like to speak with him?”

“Yes, Sir, I’d like that.”

Mr. Hentz got up from his chair and said, “Come with me

and I will take you down to Mr. Townie’s office. I’m sure he will be

able to answer your questions about Gayle Gates.” As we walked

down the hall, Mr. Hentz still had my business card in his hand.

“I see you are the superintendent of schools in Warren.”

“Yes, Sir, I am.”

“How do you like being superintendent?”

“I like it. I have been a superintendent for several years now. I

started when I was twenty-five.”

“You were a superintendent at twenty-five?”

“Yes, I was.”

“That must be some record?”

When we arrived at Mr. Don Townie’s office, Mr. Hentz

introduced me.

“Don, this is Carl Barger. He is superintendent of the

Warren Public Schools in Warren, Arkansas. He’s here to do

some genealogy research on one of our former student’s, Gayle

Gates.”

“Mr. Barger, I’m pleased to meet you. What can I do for you?”

“First of all, do you remember Gayle Gates?”

“I remember Gayle well. She was a lovely girl, and smart at

that. She lived in Crenshaw and commuted to Panola High. She

and her brother, Parker, went to school here in the late nineteen

sixties.”

“I’m doing genealogy research on the Gates family in

Crenshaw and am looking for anything that would be relative

to my research. Do you know where Gayle and Parker went to

school from here?”

“Mr. Barger, let me pull their drop files.” When he came

back he said, “It looks like Gayle went to a women’s college in

Columbus, Mississippi, and Parker transferred to the Institute

of Learning Academy, a private school in Tunica, Mississippi.

I believe after high school; he went to college at Ole Miss in

Oxford.”

When Mr. Townie mentioned that Parker had attended the

Institute of Learning Academy in Tunica, Mississippi, I realized

Gayle’s mother must have taught there as well. That was my

Tunica connection!

“Mr. Townie, is it possible for me to look at some of your

old annuals from that time?”

“I believe I can arrange that. Our librarian is out today, and

right now, Coach Taylor has a study hall going on in the library.

Let’s go down to the library and see if we can find those old

annuals.”

I followed Mr. Townie to the library. He asked the coach

if he knew where the librarian kept the back issues of the Red

Raider annuals.

“I’ve notice some of the annuals are stored underneath this

counter,” Coach Taylor said as he bent down and looked at

the annual section.

“There are lots of annuals here. What year . . . or years . . .

do you want to see?” he asked.

“Do you have the annuals from nineteen sixty-five through

nineteen seventy-two?” I asked. Coach Taylor pulled those

annuals and handed them to me. “Is it all right for me to look

through these annuals?”

“It’s perfectly all right, but let’s take them back to my office

where you will not be distracted, if you know what I mean.”

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CARL'S BLOG: ARKANSAS HILLBILLY

CARL’S BLOG: ARKANSAS HILLBILLY

2-20-21, My visit to North Panola County High School, 11 “Mrs. Fletcher, that is the article I’ve been searching for. Could I get a copy of it?” “Yes, I’ll make you a copy,” she said. “Mrs. Fletcher, thank you so much for taking your time to help me obtain this article. It contains the information I need to identify Carla’s biological mother and grandparents. I cannot thank you…

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CARL’S BLOG: ARKANSAS HILLBILLY

2-19-21, Thank God for Sardis, Mississippi, and the “Elusive Article” Part 10

The Elusive Article

After arriving in Sardis, I located the newspaper office on

Main Street in the middle of town. The name of the newspaper

was the Southern Reporter. The editor and owner was

Mrs. Betty Fletcher.

As I entered the front part of the newspaper building, I

found a nice-looking woman sitting behind a desk. She looked

up at me and asked, “May I help you?”

“My name is Carl Barger,” I replied. “I’m from Warren,

Arkansas, and I’m looking for Mrs. Fletcher.”

“I’m Mrs. Fletcher. What can I help you with?”

“Mrs. Fletcher, I’m here on a mission. I am looking for the

biological mother to my adopted daughter. I have reason to

think that maybe she came from this area of Panola County.”

“Mr. Barger, I’ve been in Sardis almost all my life. Who are

the people you are looking for?”

“I don’t know their first names, but I have reason to think

their surname is Gates.”

“Well, there are some Gates’s that live in Batesville and

some in Crenshaw. I’m afraid I would need to know their first

names to be able to help you.”

“Mrs. Fletcher, I do have one more bit of information

that might help. I am looking for a newspaper article of a

bad accident that occurred in 1967. In the accident, Carla’s

biological mother was injured badly. She had eight broken ribs.

There was one teenager killed, one teenager had a broken leg

and hip, and another was injured. Do you have any recollection

of an accident occurring in 1967 that fits this description?”

“Mr. Barger, I think I remember that wreck!”

“Do you have a copy of that article?”

“I believe that accident happened at a little place called

Sarah, just outside of Crenshaw, Mississippi. If you have time,

I’ll go in the back and pull the book that will have that article.”

“Mrs. Fletcher, I’ve got all the time in the world.”

As Mrs. Fletcher left the front office, I could have danced a

jig, I was so happy! I believe God was already working on my

behalf. He had earlier impressed upon me to come to Sardis, and

maybe, just maybe, this was the article that I had been looking for.

Mrs. Fletcher came back carrying a big red book that was

just the size of the Southern Reporter. “Mr. Barger, I have your

article.” She laid the book on a nearby office desk and turned to

the news article, which was dated Thursday, February 2, 1967.

It was titled,

Student Dies from Accident Injuries, Three Other

Students Hurt in the Crash

Services were held Sunday afternoon at Crenshaw

Baptist Church at two-thirty in the afternoon for Rita

Carol Chance, who died late Friday in Methodist

Hospital, Memphis, Tennessee, from injuries received

in an automobile accident earlier in the afternoon. The

accident occurred near Sarah, Mississippi, and three

other teenagers were also injured.

Rita was a seventeen-year-old senior at North Panola

High School, Sardis, Mississippi, where she had ranked

first in a written homemaking knowledge and aptitude

test given at the school to senior girls on December 6

and had been named North Paola’s 1967 Betty Crocker

Homemaker of Tomorrow. Notification of the award

had been withheld, to be announced in the next edition

of the Red Raider school newspaper.

The Rev. Bob Beckham, local pastor, officiated.

Burial was in Long-Town Cemetery under the direction

of Sardis Funeral Home.

She leaves her parents, Mr., and Mrs. Roy Chance

of Crenshaw; two brothers, Ronnie Chance and Tony

Chance; her paternal grandmother, Mrs. W.W. Chance of

Crenshaw; her maternal grandparents, Mr., and Mrs. Roy

Jackson of Memphis.

Active pallbearers were Wayne Riales, Gerald

Riales, Lawrence Walters, Mike Bright, Larry Bright,

and Johnny Morris.

Three other Crenshaw teenagers were injured in the

one-car accident near Sarah last Friday afternoon which

claimed the life of Miss Rita Chance.

Dane Jaegers, son of Mr. and Mrs. Duane Jaegers of

Crenshaw, is recuperating in Baptist Hospital, Memphis,

Tennessee. He is a junior at North Panola High School, a

member of the Beta Club, and enjoys the highest average

of any boy in the tenth, eleventh, and twelfth grades.

Miss Paula Goodnight is the daughter of Mr. and

Mrs. H. D. Goodnight of Crenshaw. She is a sophomore

at North Panola, where she is drum major of the Red

Raider Band, a Y-Teen, and a member of the Glee

Club. She returned home from a hospital at Clarksdale,

Mississippi on Tuesday.

Miss Gayle Gates, daughter of B. P. and Cornelia

Gates of Crenshaw, remains in intensive care at Methodist

Hospital in Memphis, Tennessee. A sophomore at North

Panola High School, Miss Gates is on the basketball

team and a member of Y-Teens.

That last paragraph was what I had been waiting to see! I

now had the article, the biological mother’s name, and her parents’

names. I now knew where they lived. I was so excited, I

could hardly breathe! I thought my heart would burst with joy!

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CARL'S BLOG: ARKANSAS HILLBILLY

CARL’S BLOG: ARKANSAS HILLBILLY

2-19-21, Thank God for Sardis, Mississippi, and the “Elusive Article” Part 10 The Elusive Article After arriving in Sardis, I located the newspaper office on Main Street in the middle of town. The name of the newspaper was the Southern Reporter. The editor and owner was Mrs. Betty Fletcher. As I entered the front part of the newspaper building, I found a nice-looking woman sitting behind a…

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CARL’S BLOG: ARKANSAS HILLBILLY 2-18-21, Striking out in Clarksville, Mississippi, Part 9 Striking out in Clarksville I glanced over at the passenger side of the car and saw the telephone directory Mrs. Brooks Taylor had given me. I opened it to the Clarksdale, Mississippi, section. I looked under the G section for Gates. I notice that Clarksdale had about six Gates’s listed in the telephone directory. Something compelled me to drive to Clarksdale, forty-five miles south of Tunica, in Coahoma County. While I was sitting in my car reading the telephone directory, Lena called and asked me how things were going. “Honey, I’m afraid I’ve struck out in Tunica.” “I’m so sorry. What are you going to do next?” “I’ve found some Gates’s in Clarksdale, and I’m going there to check newspapers in their city library. “That sounds like a good idea. If you do not find anything there what is your next plan?” “Something tells me I need to go to Sardis and Panola.” Lena reminded me to drive safely, and to let her know when I got settled in. After I reached Clarksdale, my first stop was the sheriff’s department. As I entered the building, I saw a young black lady sitting in an office with an enclosed window with bars on the outside. “Could I speak to the sheriff?” I asked. “What is your name?” “I am Carl Barger, superintendent of the Warren Public Schools, in Warren, Arkansas.” She got the sheriff on the phone and handed the phone to me. “Mr. Barger, what brings you to Clarksdale?” “I am researching a wreck that occurred in 1967 and killed one girl and injured three other teenagers.” “I was deputy sheriff in 1967. I remember a bad accident like you are describing that occurred on Highway 61, north of Clarksdale”. “Sir, do you have a record of that accident?” “We don’t keep records that are over five years old.” “Would the state police keep records that are over five years old?” “No sir, they don’t.” I felt dejected! What now? I thought to myself. “That’s terrible! How does someone like me find out what happened in years past?” “Mr. Barger, we don’t have the space or capacity to store records.” “Why don’t you put them on microfilm?” “That’s too expensive!” “What would you suggest I do to find out who was involved in the wreck you referred to on highway 61?” “You might try the local funeral homes or the city library. One of them might have a record of the accident.” I was really frustrated. I had gotten a lead on a wreck, but no records were available. I decided to take the sheriff’s advice and go to the city library. After arriving at the Clarksdale library, I explored a roll of microfilm for 1967. I found a wreck, but it was not the right one. I had again struck out. On my way back to Robbinsville, Mississippi, where I spent the night, I started reflecting on my conversation with my Little Rock source. I had gone to Tunica, but found nothing. Why did my source tell me to go to Tunica to gamble? Surely, there is a Tunica connection, but what? I still had a burning desire to continue. I felt God was telling me to hang in there. God knew it was not my nature to give up. I had never been a quitter, and I would not quit now. As I traveled back toward Tunica on highway 61, I took time to pray. I often did that when I drove places by myself. At that time, I felt a strong desire to talk to my Lord and Savior. He had been good to me all my life, and without Him, I wouldn’t be where I am today. I needed His help and since I believed in prayer, I began to pray. “Lord Jesus, I need your help! I need wisdom to know what to do next. Please give me wisdom, God, so I might know what decisions I need to make to find the Gateses. God, there must be something I am overlooking. What is it? Please reveal to me what I need to do.” After I had my talk with God, I felt an inner peace come over me again. I knew He heard me. Before I got out of my car at the motel in Robbinsville, I looked over to the passenger seat and saw the telephone book that Mrs. Taylor had given me. I picked it up and carried it with me to my motel room. After taking a shower and getting dressed for bed, I decided to look at the telephone book. I started flipping through the book looking for the name Gates. I found Gates’s in Crenshaw, Batesville, Jonestown, Marks, and Sumner. All of these places were within eighteen to thirty five miles of Tunica. I started looking at the yellow pages and noticed that the cities of Batesville, Marks, and Sardis had newspapers. I got little sleep during the night. Once I get something on my mind, it is hard for me to get it off. I play it over and over in my mind. After finding out there were Gates’s listed in the Crenshaw phone directory, I decided I would drive to Sardis, which had one of the newspapers that covered Quitman and Panola Counties. The next morning, I left around ten o’clock for the little town of Sardis, Mississippi.

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CARL'S BLOG: ARKANSAS HILLBILLY

CARL’S BLOG: ARKANSAS HILLBILLY

2-18-21, Striking out in Clarksville, Mississippi, Part 9 Striking out in Clarksville I glanced over at the passenger side of the car and saw the telephone directory Mrs. Brooks Taylor had given me. I opened it to the Clarksdale, Mississippi, section. I looked under the G section for Gates. I notice that Clarksdale had about six Gates’s listed in the telephone directory. Something…

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CARL’S BLOG: ARKANSAS HILLBILLY 2-17-21, Tunica research continued, Part 8 A rainstorm was coming when I drove up in front of the school. I was glad I had carried my umbrella with me. I went into the building and asked a student for directions to the principal’s office, and he escorted me to it. As I entered the office, the secretary greeted me and asked, “May I help you?” “Yes, I am Carl Barger, superintendent of the Warren Public Schools in Warren, Arkansas.” I always introduced myself as being a superintendent of schools. I found that seemed to carry more weight than just saying, “I’m Carl Barger.” “May I speak to your principal?” I asked. “Mr. Coggins teaches a class this period. He has already gone to his class.” “When will Mr. Coggins be free to talk with me,” I asked. “Let me see if he’s started his class yet,” she said. In a few minutes, Mr. Coggins came into the outer office and, after proper introductions, he asked, “What brings you to the Institute, Mr. Barger?” “Mr. Coggins, I am looking for a teacher who may have worked at the Institute in the nineteen-sixties and seventies.” “What was her name?” “Her last name was Gates. I believe her name was Elizabeth Gates.” When I said “Gates” he seemed to tense up. His eyes shifted away from me. He turned and looked at me and said, “Mr. Barger, I am sorry, but I must get back to my class. If I had known you were coming; I could have arranged someone to take my class.” “Does the school have school annuals?” “No, sir, we didn’t have school annuals during that time period. Mr. Barger, I have your business card, if I can think of something, I will give you a call. I must go to my class.” I asked if I had permission to look at the senior composites that hang on the hallway walls. He looked back at me and said, “Yes, you can look at the composites.” I thought the composites might have a picture of a Gates, but the only staff pictures on the composites were sponsors of the senior class and Mr. Coggins. As I was leaving, I had to pass by Mr. Coggin’s office. I was going to tell him that I appreciated his hospitality, but before entering his office, I heard him telling his secretary that he was suspicious of me, and that he was not going to give out any information to a stranger. As I left the school, I felt that Mr. Coggins probably knew something, but, as he said, he was not going to share anything with me. I would have to try some other avenue in trying to find out if Mrs. Gates ever taught school at the institute. I went back to Bobby Papasan’s antique and clock shop. He asked me how my day had gone. I told him that I had struck out everywhere. He said, “How was your visit at the institute?” “Not too good!” I replied. Mr. Papasan had a few choice words to say about Mr. Coggins, who was not one of his favorite people. “Coggins probably knew something, but he’s too cowardly to share anything with you,” he said. Mr. Papasan gave me a list of three teachers who once taught school at the Institute. “There is one teacher on the list whose husband owned and operated a general hardware store in Robbinsville, Mississippi. You might want to check that one out pretty closely.” Neither of the names was Gates, but I thought it would be to my advantage to check them out. I thanked Mr. Papasan for his kindness to me. Since I had not yet eaten lunch, I was getting hungry, so I took Main Street over to Highway 61 where I found one of my favorite places, the Sonic Drive-In. After finishing my lunch at the Sonic, I decided to call the people on the list of names Mr. Papasan had given me. The first number I called was a Helena,  Arkansas number. I talked to a son of the teacher who once taught school at the Institute. I asked enough questions to determine that his mother was not the teacher I was looking for. From the second call, I found that the teacher on the list had died and her family did not meet the criteria. The third number was for the teacher who lived in Robbinsville, Mississippi. I reached the number, and her daughter, Sis Draughton, answered the phone. I got a little excited when I started talking to her. I kept thinking, I may be speaking to Carla’s mother. I had introduced myself to her as Carl Barger, superintendent of the Warren Public Schools. “What can I do for you, Mr. Barger?” she asked. I asked her if her mother ever taught school for the Tunica Institute of Learning. She said, “Yes, she did. Mr. Barger, what is this all about?” I explained that I was on a personal mission trying to find the biological mother of my adopted daughter. I had decided that if she were the person, maybe she would want to know and would want to talk to me. “Mr. Barger, my mother is in a nursing home in Memphis, Tennessee. She is in bad health. Mother is not the grandmother that you are looking for, and I’m not the biological mother you are looking for.” She told me how old she was and that she attended the Tunica Public Schools when she went to school. After she revealed her age, I knew she was too young to be Carla’s mother. I asked Mrs. Draughton if she remembered any of her friends having a bad auto accident back in 1967 that would have claimed the life of one teenage girl and injured three others. “I’m afraid I can’t help you. I would have remembered a wreck like that, and I don’t.” Mrs. Draughton wished me luck with my investigation and said goodbye. I thanked her for taking the time to visit with me.

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CARL'S BLOG: ARKANSAS HILLBILLY

CARL’S BLOG: ARKANSAS HILLBILLY

2-17-21, Tunica research continued, Part 8 A rainstorm was coming when I drove up in front of the school. I was glad I had carried my umbrella with me. I went into the building and asked a student for directions to the principal’s office, and he escorted me to it. As I entered the office, the secretary greeted me and asked, “May I help you?” “Yes, I am Carl Barger, superintendent of the…

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ARKANSAS HILLLBILLY

2-16-21, Tunica, Mississippi continued, Part 7

The first place I went the next day was to the Tunica County

Court House. After finding the county registrar’s office, I asked

if I could see the 1967 book that had all the Tunica Times

newspapers. As I was reading the newspaper, a gentleman came

in and sat at the table next to mine. From time to time, I saw

him glancing at me.

As we made eye contact, he said, “Good morning.”

I said, “Good morning,”

“You are not from this area, are you?” he asked

“No, I’m from Warren, Arkansas.”

“My name is Bard Selden. I am the municipal judge here in

Tunica County.”

“I’m Carl Barger.”

“What brings you to Tunica?”

“I am doing some family research.”

He told me that he had been born and raised in the area. He

said his home was in Hollywood, a little town near Tunica. He

attended and graduated from the Tunica Public Schools in 1971.

“Maybe you can be of some help to me,” I said.

“How can I help?”

I told him I had adopted a baby girl in 1971, and I had reason

to believe her biological mother and maternal grandparents may

have lived in Tunica or somewhere nearby in the late 1960s and

early 1970s.

“Do you have a name?” Bard asked.

“Does the name Gates mean anything to you?”

“I don’t think I know any Gates’s living around here.”

I explained that in 1967, Carla’s biological mother had been

in an auto accident. She broke eight ribs in the wreck, one girl

was killed, one teenage boy suffered a broken hip, and another

teenage girl was injured. I told him that Carla’s mother would

have been sixteen years old at the time of the wreck.

“I worked in the same office with Mr. Jack Tucker, state

senator, around that time. I seem to remember that Mr. Tucker

may have represented someone by that name, who had been

involved in a wreck. Let me check on something. Come with

me, Mr. Barger,” he said.

We went to another area of the courthouse and reviewed a

big book that listed court judgments. He found the case that he

remembered, but it was a Cates instead of Gates. Mr. Selden

made several calls to acquaintances, but no one remembered a

wreck of this magnitude.

“After you finish here, you might want to go visit with Mrs.

Brooks Taylor, editor of the Tunica Times. She has been here

a long time, and she might have knowledge of that particular

wreck, or a wreck that might have occurred in a nearby county.”

Mr. Bard Selden was such a nice guy and was helpful.

He didn’t have to take his time to help, but he did, and I was

grateful. Everyone I had met in Tunica had been kind and

willing to help me. I wondered if all the people in Mississippi

were like the ones I was meeting here in Tunica.

After reading through the 1967 editions of the Tunica Times,

I found no record of a wreck that mentioned Gates. I decided to

go see Mrs. Brooks Taylor, of whom Brad Selden spoke highly.

After arriving at the Tunica Times around eleven-thirty in the

morning, I met Mrs. Taylor. She was an attractive gray-haired

woman in her middle fifties. She had a beautiful smile.

“How can I help you?” she asked.

“I’m Carl Barger, superintendent of the Warren Public

School System in Warren, Arkansas,” I said as I handed her one

of my business cards.

“Mr. Barger, what brings you to Tunica?”

I went through my story with her and shared everything I

had shared with Mr. Papasan and Mr. Selden. After I finished

my story, I observed tears coming from her eyes.

“Mr. Barger, I think it’s wonderful what you are trying to do

for your daughter.” She told me about being adopted herself and

not being able to find her biological father until it was too late.

She was interested in what I was doing.

“I don’t remember a wreck like the one you have described,

but I was not the owner of the paper in 1967. Let me call the

owner and see if he remembers the wreck.” She called and

described the wreck, but the former owner of the paper said he

did not remember a wreck of that seriousness.

I asked her if she knew any Gates’s who lived in Tunica.

“I don’t know any who live here in Tunica, and I’ve

been here a long time.” Mrs. Taylor made several calls to

people around town to see if they knew any Gates’s, but

each time came up empty. She suggested I go to the Tunica

Institute of Learning, the private academy on the south side

of Tunica.

She said, “The maternal grandmother may have taught

school there and lived somewhere else. Students come from all

over a three-county area. It is my understanding that many of

their teachers live outside of Tunica County.”

Mrs. Taylor gave me a new telephone directory and told me

to take it with me. The directory listed Tunica as well as places

like Marks, Crenshaw, Hollywood, Clarksdale, Robbinsville,

Batesville, Sardis, and Senatobia. Little did I know at the time,

but this telephone directory would play a major role in my

research.

Before I left, Mrs. Taylor said, “You must love your daughter

a lot, Mr. Barger.”

“I do indeed!”

186

Carl J. Barger

“Most adoptive parents would fear they would lose their

adopted children if they found their biological parents,” she

said.

I told her that it was because of our love for Carla that her

mother and I had decided this needed to be done. I told her that

we had no fear of ever losing our daughter’s love and didn’t fear

we would ever lose her. I told her I felt Carla deserved the right to

know her biological parents.

“I am going to keep your business card. If I find out anything

that might help you, I will certainly call you.”

I thanked Mrs. Taylor for taking so much time with me and

left for the Tunica Institute of Learning Academy. I arrived at

the institute just after noon. It was a nice campus, with well-kept

grounds, and the buildings were attractive.