Kentucky by Heart: Whether he knew it or not, John Egerton can be counted among best writing mentors
By Steve Flairty NKyTribune columnist
One of my most memorable times as a writer was interviewing noted Southern author and columnist John Egerton. He authored one of my all-time favorite Kentucky books, Generations: An American Family. The memoir told the saga of spouses Addie and Burnam Ledford, who lived in Garrard County but had roots in Eastern Kentucky. It recounted the couple’s deep love and appreciation for their genealogy. Conversely, the admiration was returned, evidenced by the huge and regular reunions in Lancaster, with some relatives coming from long distances.
Steve Flairty grew up feeling good about Kentucky. He recalls childhood trips orchestrated by his father, with the take-off points in Campbell County. The people and places he encountered then help define his passion about the state. “Kentucky by Heart” shares part and parcel of his joy. A little history, much contemporary life, intriguing places, personal experiences, special people, book reviews, quotes and even a little humor will, hopefully, help readers connect with their own “inner Kentucky.”
In research for a book of this type, John explained that he had looked all over America for the right people to represent “family,” and he found them right here in the commonwealth. I especially enjoyed learning how the relationship grew between Egerton and the amazing Ledford couple.
His creative nonfiction account in the book stands today as a model of memoir, inspiring me in my writing endeavors.
But Generations is only a part of the literary contributions that the University of Kentucky graduate, raised in Cadiz, offered. He also wrote such nationally noted books of the South as Speak Now Against the Day: The Generation Before the Civil Rights Movement in the South; Shades of Gray: Dispatches from the Modern South; and, The Americanization of Dixie. He enjoyed and was considered an expert in his region’s food and cooking, and also wrote such books as Southern Food: At Home, on the Road, in History and Side Orders: Small Helpings of Southern Cooking and Culture. He wrote many periodicals and was recognized regularly with prestigious literary awards, and he also was a speaker.
John Egerton (Photo from FoodArts.com)
My interview took place about 10 years ago when I was assigned by Kentucky Monthly to profile John at his home in Nashville. From the moment he met me at his well-constructed home in a well-heeled but aged subdivision, he struck me as gracious and thoughtful. He treated me with a true dose of Southern hospitality.
I was not an experienced chronicler of stories as he was, as I came late to the game after being a public school teacher for 28 years. I suspect he could sense the greenness, but he politely offered complete answers to my questions, even more than I asked. He also gave me a tour of his writing room located in a small, singular building in his backyard, where the messiness of writing in process was in full disclosure. The inside of his house was neat and well decorated, with a rather spacy kitchen, as one would expect.
At the end of the interview, John asked to buy a copy of my first and only book at that time, Tim Farmer: A Kentucky Woodsman Restored. He walked me to my car, and I felt like my writing career had taken a giant step forward, if only because I had been in the presence of a giant in the literary world—and one who treated me as a peer. When he later wrote a nice note of appreciation to Kentucky Monthly regarding the profile I wrote on him, I absolutely beamed inside. Whether John Egerton knew it or not, he was numbered among my most appreciated writing mentors, including Kentucky authors/columnists David Dick (deceased) and Byron Crawford, both of whom I knew, as well as Joe Creason, a person who inspired me from afar with me being a young person who liked reading the Courier-Journal.
John Egerton died of a heart attack at his home on Nov. 21, 2013. I make it a practice to read through Generations from time to time, both because the book is a joy and as a fitting way to show respect for the author.
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Edwin P Morrow speaking at Old State Capitol (Photo from Kentucky.gov)
The political campaigning we see currently can get pretty rough, and many would say downright mean-spirited. Recently, I came across an account by Thomas H. Appleton Jr. about the 1915 Kentucky governor’s race between Democrat Augustus Owsley (A.O.) Stanley and Republican Edwin P. Morrow. It strikes me as a bit ironic. In the book Kentucky’s Governors (University Press of Kentucky, 2004), Appleton wrote:
The Stanley-Morrow campaign was one of the most colorful and memorable in Kentucky history. Their warm friendship notwithstanding, the two candidates verbally attacked each other without mercy. Yet in private they enjoyed dining and drinking together, and they were once observed walking with their arms around each other’s shoulders. Stanley eked out a meager 471-vote plurality over Morrow, 219,991 to 219,520.
Thomas Ramage wrote in Kentucky Profiles: Biographical Essays in Honor of Holmon Hamilton of a somewhat humorous incident reputed to have happened on the campaign trail with Stanley and Morrison:
A.O. Stanley (Wikimedia Commons photo)
Morrow and Stanley shared the same platform. Speaking first, Morrow thrilled the crowd with his brilliant oratory. Stanley, who had drunk too much bourbon prior to the engagement, managed to sit quietly during Morrow’s address, but when he rose to make his own speech “his head swam and his knees buckled.” Nauseated, he staggered to the back of the platform where he vomited. Then, embarrassed but not at a loss for words, he returned to the speaker’s stand where he said: “Gentlemen, I beg you to excuse me. Every time I hear Ed Morrow speak, it makes me sick of my stomach.”
A.O. Stanley later served in the U.S. Senate. Morrow was elected governor of Kentucky in 1919 after James Dixon Black had served out the rest of Stanley’s term after Stanley was selected to the Senate on the passing of Ollie M. James.
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Steve Flairty is a teacher, public speaker and an author of six books: a biography of Kentucky Afield host Tim Farmer and five in the Kentucky’s Everyday Heroes series, including a kids’ version. His new book, “Kentucky’s Everyday Heroes #4,” has recently been released and is available for purchase here. Flairty is a senior correspondent for Kentucky Monthly, as well as a weekly KyForward and NKyTribune columnist and a member of the Kentucky Humanities Council Speakers Bureau. Read his past columns for excerpts from all his books. him at sflairty2001@yahoo.com or friend him on Facebook. (Steve’s photo by Connie McDonald)
