My Southern Appalachian Heritage

[Munificence]

18. I'd like to add a story that is really funny.

My uncle was a "worldly man". He was a WW2 vet and had a local African-American gentleman that he fought with, they were best friends.

After they had been back home for awhile they decided to get together and go fishing at a local pay lake in Ohio. It was a big deal, a reunion, a day of cat fishing, beer drinking, talking about French women and basically a bit of chest pounding. Upon arriving at the pay lake in Ohio my uncle was permitted to fish however they would not permit his friend to fish as they did not permit African-Americans to fish in the pay lake. My uncle was furious, so he left without saying much.

Later that eve he called up his friend and told him "get your shit we are going fishing" (God I wish I could remember his name). Around 11:00 at night they snuck into the lake, caught a couple fish for eating and my uncle told his friend it was time to go after just and hour or so. Upon getting back to the car, my uncle pulled out two sticks of dynamite from the trunk (that he'd stowed away) and a post hole digger. He proceeded to go to the dam, dug two holes and he blew the entire dam down...haha.

His words were "If they are not going to let and African-American war hero fish in Ohio then by god no one will ever fish here."....blew it the hell up and flooded the valley.

I learned a lot from my uncle, sure he was a "rounder" and he sure was a ladies man, but he was a damn good person.