Stacy Adams is a Garrison, Texas native as were his parents and grandparents dating back to the 1890's when his family settled in the Henning and Caledonia communities. Young Stacy Adams lived not more than a quarter-mile from his Adams grandparents, uncles, aunts and cousins and about nine miles from the Caledonia community where his Skelton relatives on his mother's side lived.
Both sides of his family, Adams and Skeltons, produced 18 Uncles and Aunts and approximately 60 - 65 first cousins. More than one century later the Adams/Skelton relatives are disbursed all over the nation and certainly number well into the hundreds.
One of Stacy's earliest relationships, excluding that of his mother Mellie and father Jimmy, was the relationship he had with his only sibling, his sister Jewel Long. Jewel was fourteen years his senior and related more like a loving mother than a sister.
When asked about his sister Jewel, Stacy said, "We always got along and as far as I can remember, we never had an argument or even a cross word between us. She was gentle and loving and treated me much better than I deserved."
Stacy's East Texas heritage and all of those relatives undoubtedly molded his value system instilling a true love for his family and country life. The happy days of the mid-30's, 40's and 50's imprinted his character in such a way that he could never escape the idealistic essence of Garrison, Texas.
The amazing thing about Stacy's life-style today is that he
is still immersed in that perfect hometown essence, viewing present day events through experienced eyes that remember all of the details of the "wonder years" of days gone by.
According to Stacy, "If you have good memories of home as I have, you want to be there with your friends and family. Even the nostalgia associated with the hard times and sorrows of life makes home more meaningful. Growing up in the country is probably somewhat like growing up in Heaven. I remember it to be a kid's world with a whole town to explore and good friends to hang around with. It was then and still is today the best place to be."
But------that was THEN, 1932, and this is NOW, Seventy-five years later - 2007.
Of course the past is what makes all of us who we are today and that includes our guest of honor Stacy Adams who on March 28 will be 75 years old, that's three-quarters of a century, folks. The passage of time has NOT altered Stacy. The person I just described, the one who loves country life and loves his family, is the same Stacy Adams sitting here today.
Today's Stacy is, of course, my husband, Jim's father, Patsy's, Bud's, Annie's and John's beloved Unk. He is also a grandfather, an uncle, a great-uncle, a stepfather a step-grandfather and a step-great grandfather. He is all of the above as well as your good buddy and, as always, the perfect person to ride the country roads and hang out with.
Thank you for being here today to celebrate this
once-in-a-lifetime event: 75 Big Ones
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