By Steve Flairty
NKyTribune columnist
I clearly recall, then at age ten, the afternoon in 1963 when Aunt Thelma and Uncle Maurice Bray proudly appeared at our family’s home in Claryville to show us their newborn.
Baby Linda was their first girl after five boys, and she would be their last child. The baby arrived in the world at Dr. Howe’s office, in Alexandria, when the time ran out to take mother to the hospital in Ft. Thomas, several more miles down the road. Records show that Doc Howe sent the couple a bill for $25.00 for his assistance. The cost turned out to be a real bargain.
I thought about that event sixty years ago after experiencing one of those true “Kentucky by Heart” occasions on a trip last week to my native southern Campbell County, at Grant’s Lick.
It’s only been in recent years that I have reacquainted with cousin Linda, who grew up a farm girl and with whom I was around frequently in my formative days. I moved away to college and work after high school, and pretty much lost touch with her in a significant way as the decades followed.
That’s a shame, because Linda Bray-Schafer, I’ve discovered, has grown up to engender many of the positive qualities of her mother. She has a compassionate spirit — both for people and animals. She is dependable, a good organizer and communicator who sees projects to their successful endpoint, and she has a gifted sense of hospitality. That is, indeed, like my Aunt Thelma.
Interestingly, it’s been through writing-related activities that we’ve renewed our relationship. For one, we learned we had a common friend, Ron Ellis, who mentored me as a writer. He mentored Linda in the public relations field at Northern Kentucky University (NKU).
Last year, Linda contacted me to help publicize the 225th anniversary celebration of the town of Grant’s Lick, a place where I once lived and attended elementary school. She acted as co-director with a local history advocate, Ken Reis, and I quickly saw her obvious skills demonstrated. With those fruitful interactions, I knew we had a new way to relate, adding to the family relationship.
I was glad when Linda kindly invited Ron, my wife, Suzanne, along with Jim and Sharon Claypool to her and her husband, Mike’s, home near Grant’s Lick on a recent Friday evening. We happily accepted and made the nearly two-hour trip from Versailles. Besides the delicious meal of farm-to-table tender roast beef, corn, and green beans with blackberry cobbler and homemade ice cream, there were lots of Kentucky-style personal connections made that night.
I found that Sharon was a sister of a now deceased teacher colleague I knew in Clark County, and the two’s mother was a popular cookbook author from eastern Kentucky. Sharon is also a retired teacher, and that brought quick conversation. Suzanne and Sharon quickly cultivated common ground discussing the scourge of cancer, an intruder in the familial life of both.
Sharon’s husband, Dr. Jim Claypool, also mentored Linda at NKU. Jim is a retired history professor from there and was an important influencer in the school’s transition from college to university. I’d read and written in this column about his book, Our Fellow Kentuckians: Rascals, Heroes and Just Plain Uncommon Folk (The History Press, 2009). I also use The Encyclopedia of Northern Kentucky as a resource for my columns. It’s a treasure of a book Jim co-edited with Paul Tenkotte. For me, to meet another person so attuned to speaking “Kentucky” was invigorating.
Linda’s husband, Mike Schafer, is a physician. He’s a regular kind of guy, though. He met Suzanne and me at the door and showed, like his wife, an easy knack for being genuinely hospitable. He’s open, kind, fun and possesses a strong religious faith, occasionally speaking at funerals and religious gatherings. I’d only met him a few times, and briefly.
Armed with his gift of gab, Mike shared the humorous process he used in winning Linda’s hand in marriage, which included buying her a horse. He entertained us with his guitar, singing a song he’d written long ago while sitting on a sandbar in the Licking River. Out of curiosity, I later checked on the internet to see what his patients said about him; it was amazingly positive, emphasizing his compassionate nature. I’m not surprised.
We also received a special treat from Ron Ellis. He is a former vice-president of advancement at NKU and now the author of the popular outdoors books, Yonder and Cogan’s Woods. He shared excerpts from Waltzing with Kate: Remembered and Imagined Hours, a work-in-progress celebrating his late wife and moments from their story — a love story that began before a Coke machine in high school and saw them sharing a full life for more than 45 years.
“After my wife’s passing,” he said, “I could not imagine writing our story. It seemed a love beyond words until just recently when I decided it was time to try and find those words.”
His sharing of a few of those passages brought some eye moistening, as Ron’s words written from a place of authenticity often do. I have no doubt that at the book’s publishing release, readers will find a genuine life connection and will highly recommend his memoir.
And then there’s Linda, that only-girl-out-of-six-kids who grew up to make a commendatory mark on her community, championing her mother’s values and following in her footsteps to help others.
Around Campbell County and beyond, she’s served in the areas of equine leisure activities, economic development, NKU development, parks, agri-tourism, and is active in the Grant’s Lick Baptist Church, where she’s attended since a child. Linda has been recognized for numerous awards for her leadership. To call her one with a servant’s heart is accurate.
So, when we met Basil at Mike and Linda’s home, it wasn’t surprising that the black Lab was just as accommodating, friendly and easy-going. We also met their three horses who seemed eager to see us, including Bandit, Mike’s love offering to Linda. Those beautiful creatures charmed… and there were some felines to meet as well.
“We have acquired six cats through various means,” said Linda, “only two did we actually select as kittens, Chip and Dale.” We tried to talk to Sheena, who didn’t purr but seemed polite though quite introverted.
Maybe the best story told of the night was the one where Linda stumbled upon some baby chicks at a local park. She noticed the chicks running freely and were told they were used as snake food. Let’s just say that a couple of the chicks soon disappeared, and Linda’s animal farm increased by two. The three had a long and fulfilling relationship, we’re told.
On the way back to Versailles late that night, Suzanne and I talked a lot about the good time we had. Seems there’s something about Kentucky’s good-hearted people that makes things like that happen. We’d like to do this again, for sure.
Thanks Steve, always enjoy your interesting articles!!