Glenn Dromgoole - Abilene Stories. From Then to Now

A bilene (the one in Texas near the old Butterfield Trail and not at the end of the Chisholm) is the focus of this anthology. This collection of stories should feel quite comfortable if Abilene is your Hometown, even if it is not your present address. For Hometown is not always the place you live; it is that place where you feel completely comfortable. In your Hometown, you know the streets and the shortcuts and the best places to get a steak. Hometown is where you know the teams and the troublemakers, the victors and the vanquished. You know who has the money and whom to see if the ox is in the ditch. Proper dress and proper decorum are not a mystery in ones Hometown. Childhood memories play in your Hometown and defining moments lie scattered all about. In your Hometown, you state opinions with conviction because you have a stake in the place. It is where you know the routine and breathe easy. It is where the sunset is a familiar hue. Hometown is more than place. It is a mindset that stamps who you are.

As for us, Hometown is Abilene.

Perhaps you are holding this book as a gift given with you in mind, or maybe you borrowed it from the local library; you may have plopped down hard-earned cash to purchase it and have it rest on your shelf. However it is that you came to be reading these pages, it is a near certainty that your Hometown is Abilene, too. You are reading these pages because these pages record a little of you.

Abilene nativeand our most acclaimed writerA. C. Greene aptly described his Abilene Hometown as A Personal Country. And although Abilene is a personal place, it largely feels comfortable from the common experiences which mold us into a civic congregation experiences which have ripened into a shared harmony. It is the sights and sounds which we know in concerta roaring C-130 soaring overhead, a rumbling train passing through, The Eyes of Texas from the horns of the Cowboy Bandthat create a familiar, pleasing sound. Our Abilene Home is where our common vernacular always conveys much, much morewind farms, cross-town rivalry, Impact, Woodson Highand where the odd words are not odd at allCatclaw, Shotwell, Phantom, Dinosaur Boband where you know that the Winters Freeway doesnt go to Winters.

Together we proudly claim joint citizenship with local boys made good such as Slim Willet, Jack Mildren, and Jorge Solis. We jointly rue the passingsHarolds BBQ, the Guitar Mansion, Mack Eplensand we take our lumps and laurels en masse. We understand the same thingswhy Rain is always on the church prayer list, the honor due our neighbors as a string of daytime headlights come our way. Hometownwhere we jointly raise triumphant armswinning Camp Barkeley, gaining Dyess Air Force Base, being named All-America City, damming up a creek! And where we nod and smile in agreement over the inside jokes and collectively pity those stuck in Dallas traffic. To millions (thank you, Bob Gibson and Lester Brown) Abilene is simply the prettiest town theyve never seen. But if it is Hometown to you, then you know the beauty which comes from the complexity and shared sensibilities of our mutual Abilene life.

Although Abilene has long been in the shadows of literary limelight, it has not been for a lack of good writing, good writers, or interesting stories. Abilene Stories, From Then to Now is a community scrapbook, offering just a bit of spotlight to those who put pen to paper and wrote about our neck of the woods. This anthology is like a gathering of more than a hundred friends who have stopped by for a visit. They fill every room; the laughter is heavy and the smiles broad as stories are told and memories are jogged.

Some of the stories are along the lines of I remember when... (although you may remember it a bit differently) while others offer, Heres what I think of that.... Still others are Abilene stories that we hope leave you saying, Well, I never knew that or, perhaps, Oh,yes, I had forgotten that. All in all, it has been our aim to better acquaint you with your Hometown through the people and events which have shaped it.

If you have been around these parts for a while, you will recognize the names of many of the writers. Chances are you know a few personally. Some have played a past role on the Abilene stage, leaving their mark in the words they wrote. So, pull up a chair next to Katharyn Duff as she relates a few historical chestnuts. Give your attention to Miss Tommie Clack for a ringside seat to the past. Step into the poetry of those who know this place well and a few who just observed it in passing. Appreciate the sharp insight and the peerless pen of Pulitzer-nominated Frank Grimes. Listen for the personal element which A. C. Greene wove into nearly all of his writings. And when you finish this book, pick up and read his evocative A PersonalCountry and be reminded that home is your fortune.

You will find Greenes works listed along with many others in a Suggested Reading list at the back of this book. It is a treasure-trove for anyone with an interest in Abilene.

Leaf through the tales and pick one that suits you or read it cover to cover. However you choose to take in these Abilene Stories, we trust you will enjoy the passages and pieces excerpted from our Hometownfrom our Abilene.

Perhaps the citys best known writer, A. C. Greene grew up inAbilene and started his writing career with the Abilene Reporter-News before going on to literary fame in Dallas. In his book, A Personal Country, Greene paid homage to his roots.

A. C. GREENE

E very man has a village in his heart, whether he comes from abounding Manhattan or the prairies of West Texas. It may be a crossroads town where every face was a daily familiarity, it may be one certain block within a metropolis, but there is a village he has kept. The village is what he refers to when he is making his life decisions. When he cannot go back to the village and display his prizes, in pride or in scorn, he finds less satisfaction in achievement. He does not always love the village but he can never destroy it, for it is himself in it that makes it his village.