How do you describe an icon? According to the dictionary an icon is a representation or an image. Maybe it is a standard or a Benchmark by which other persons or things are referenced. If the word ICON can be defined in our own East Texas terms, it's very likely that Ed McNair would personify all of the character traits we hold near and dear here at Garrison First Methodist Church.
Yes, she did exemplify friendship, loyalty, dedication, service, truth, intelligence and humor just to mention a few of her most notable traits. But, of all her many personality and character assets, the one that endeared her to this church and community was her quick sense of humor tempered by an unconditional love for her friends and neighbors and a deep understanding of human nature.
Ed McNair lived in Garrison all of her life . There was very little that she did not know or understand about this place and the people who live here. Even at the tender age of 95 she could reach back into her memory and come up with a name or an event and the correct spin on any situation and the circumstances at issue.
A conversation with Ed was like taking a walk down a country lane with a special, trusted friend who was in the know about almost everything. Between Ed and her friends, there was no generation gap because she related to young and old alike, and there was absolutely no hypocrisy in what she said and what she meant. In the Arlam community Ed was known for politely speaking her mind. She always told it like it was as recently as even a few days ago.

December 23, 1942 was the beginning of major change for most everybody who lived in Arlam. Nineteen forty-two was the year the Big Storm (tornado) destroyed the church, the school and many of the homes between Arlam and Caledonia.
On one occasion not too long ago as she remembered those easy, lazy country days, Ed explained that everybody in the Arlam community went to church together before the big storm. The entire community would listen to the Baptist preacher on one Sunday, and the next Sunday everyone would be in attendance at church to hear the Methodist preacher. According to Ed, it didn't really matter who preached. Everyone just came to worship and fellowship with each other without much denominational distinction.
The year of the storm, 1942, marked the year that Arlam children transferred to Garrison Schools. It was also the year that Ed McNair and Frances, Billie Young and Billie Wheeler and their families as well as several others families moved their membership to Garrison First Methodist Church.
Not too long ago, Ed proudly announced that she had been a member of Garrison First Methodist Church since 1942 and had attended regularly for the past 67 years. When asked how she felt about all those years in association with FUMC, she remarked that the Church was and always had been the center of her life. She was involved with Sunday school, worship services, revivals, weddings, funerals, socials gatherings, vacation Bible schools, Ladies group meetings, celebrations and basically whatever took place, Ed McNair was there. Through the years the church became a source of stability for Ed and her family and friends, because even though many Garrison landmarks changed, the Garrison First Methodist Church remained a secure and stable refuge. Just recently Ed explained that being in church on Sundays was a wonderful source of comfort for her. She remembered the early days when the Ladies Sunday school class was full every Sunday. Bonnie Garrison was her teacher and some of the class members who attended through the years were Fay Ramsey, Johnnie Francis, Laura Cook, Margaret Simms, Mildred McDuffie, Lamerle Bryan, Curley Dobbs, Lola Hancock, Helen Muckleroy, Billie Nix, and Anna Bell Hudman.
According to Ed, the church was the center of her life and a place where everyone came together on Sunday mornings. The women she worshipped with on Sunday mornings were the same women she talked to on the phone and visited with on a daily basis during the rest of the week. The church sustained almost every aspect of her life.
It is certain that the comfort of the sanctuary along with its beautiful stained glass windows and memories of friendships and days gone by are a source of pride and peace for Ed McNair, our very own Arlam Community and First Methodist Church ICON.