The history of Midway
Last Sunday was the cumulations of the Black History Programs at church. The Mistress of Ceremony was Patty Odom and the guest speaker was Pam Banks. A Soul Food meal was provided at Midway M. B. Church by the Family of Delia Odom McClendon and Mal McClendon. (Delie Shepard, Dr. Locord Douglas Wilson, Dr. Lorraine Dozier and Mrs. Jennie Clay.) Jennie, Delie and Lorraine’s great-grandfather and Locord’s great-great-grandfather, Henry Odom the First was the original settler of the Midway Community.
He and his sister Amy had walked after they freed the slaves in 1865 and settled in the Midway Community. Midway got its name from being midway from Lone Pilgrim, Little Rock and Harmony. Henry married a Choctaw named Bethanna and raised 17 children. Our grandmother and Locord’s great-grandmother Delia was his youngest child by Bethanna and she had her in 1895. At the time he was 75 years old. Amy married a Futch and moved to Harperville. “Baby” Futch was my mother’s first cousin.
Henry Odom has two living grandchildren, both by his baby daughter Delia. Elton and Arlander McClendon. Both in their 80’s and reside in Milwaukee. He lost three grandchildren in 2021, Nettie Lee Odom Kennedy and Lodena Odom whose parents were Alex and Jennie Beamon Odom-Johnson and Bethanna Odom Thomas whose parents were James and Martha Kennedy Odom.
So much of the Family Tree is written in a book published by Denise Beemon Christain. She is the daughter of the late Curtis Beamon and the granddaughter of Flora Odom Beemon and the great-granddaughter of Sterling Odom, who is Henry Odom the first son. (I refer to him as the First, because he was the First Henry Odom. There are many other Henry Odoms besides him.
It was a soul food meal, guess what, because we do not use the kitchen as we have in the past, the gas was out. It was truly old soul. We used a gas cooker to fry the chicken. The Lord had instilled in each of us to cook the majority of the dishes we were serving at home and bring to the church already prepared. What a note. Our ancestors taught us survival skills. Survival skills are still needed today.
Next month, March meal at church will be provided by The Booker T. and Birdie Mae Banks Stowers family.
I have tried to honor many people in this month’s articles. I want to honor my first born, Rodney Sandrell Stowers for his many achievements. He first played football and was in the band at Scott Central Attendance Center his Junior High years and his freshman year. He earned first chair for his ability to play a tuba in band competitions. He took piano lessons from Mrs. Eleanor Major-Morgan. He was transferred to Forest High his Sophomore year and begin playing for Forest High School Football Team and was a weight lifter. Being the academic student, he excelled in his academics. He was in the Beta Club, in the Gifted Class under Mrs. Beverly Rhodes where he won the award for investing and earning the most money in the Gifted Class Challenge. He graduated at 16 years of age and had earned a football scholarship to Mississippi State University. His classmates asked me how a 16-year-old boy got a football scholarship and could play a tuba, and a piano. He was red shirted his freshman year but played each subsequent year. He earned Defensive Player of the week by the National Sporting League Magazine, his senior year. He was one of four young men in the nation to earn national honors that week, September 7, 1991. Lest than a month later, fatty emboli syndrome claimed his life (October 3, 1991) as a result of a broken leg in a Florida game. He was honored in the Scott County Hall of Fame on last July, 2021. I was unable to attend the ceremony, that week I was so very ill. I would like to give thanks to attorney Michael Crawley, who has held my hand so very much in the many past years for accepting his honors for him. Thanks to Attorney Constance Slaughter-Harvey for nominating him for the honor.
Get well wishes go out to Carolyn Knowles. She has been ill and in the hospital. Remember her in your prayers.
Sympathy to the Tucker Family in the passing of Krystal Tucker. Her service was last Saturday. Evans Memorial Funeral Home was entrusted with the arrangements.
Care Facilities: Jerome Banks – Forest; Billy Frank Williams – Newton.
Remember with your prayers all our sick and shut ins. Sarah Janitha White Johnson, Bill Bradford, Trudy Denson, Cynthia Lewis Johnson, Junior Lewis, Tracy McClendon Williams, Marshall Beamon, George Beamon, Lonnie Johnson, Verneda “Ollie” McClendon, Cora Odom Peavy, Linda Parrott, Versherica Ficklin, Mattie Holifield, Addie Zell Harris, Sarah Harper, Billy Strong, Travis Ward, Wesley Lewis, and David Parrott.
