Good
and Generous Act
By ANNE GILLIS BURKART
The Commercial Dispatch
6/4/03
The mayor's regular Sunday column and
Simon Lomax's column both welcome Joe Higgins Columbus' new economic
CEO to town. In a speech to the Town and Tower Club, I read that
Mr. Higgins spoke of the wealth of institutions and physical attributes
we have to be thankful for in Columbus and urged us to have positive
attitude about our home town.
One of the ways people like me can help is
to point out the good and generous things our citizens do to enhance
the lives of others. I recently found out by "accident"
that Harvey's, The Grill and Peppers in Columbus, Harvey's and the
Bulldog Deli in Starkville, and Harvey's and Peppers in Columbus,
Harvey's and Peppers in Tupelo had opened their doors to all law
enforcement officers, firemen, emergency personal and the military
for an order-anything-on-the-menu-free-we-appreciate-you Memorial
Day. Well, maybe it had a shorter title, but that was the deal.
Darlene Comish at Harvey's told me that the
restaurant just wanted to express their appreciation for what these
service men and women so every day to make lives safe and free.
She said that the response was gratifying.
This year was the first in what is to be an
annual celebration, and Darlene said that they plan to change a
few things. Next year no one will be required to wear their uniform
because most veterans either do not have a uniform, or it has "shrunk"
over the years. They also hope to get the word out to more of these
special men and women. Fliers were sent to the different agencies
and Columbus Air Force Base – plus signs were placed at the
seven restaurants – but Darlene hopes to communicate the celebration
even more effectively in the future.
At Peppers in Tupelo, a former World War II
prisoner of war took the time to compliment the staff for honoring
the military. He was surprised to learn they wanted to thank him
for his service as well. David "Son" Puckett flew carrier-based
flights for the U.S. Navy in the Atlantic and the Pacific. Darlene
said that he is just one of the many veterans they want to honor
again next Memorial Day.
When
I asked what was the most popular item on Harvey's menu, the answer
was no surprise. The 16-ounce prime rib and all steaks were hands-down
favorites. The young airmen made short work of those delicious chunks
of meat.
In
Tupelo, someone on the staff called 911 to be sure everyone knew
about the celebration. One of the emergency personal workers remarked
that this was the first time anyone had included them in an appreciation
event.
Many
businesses do generous things for our community and need to be spotlighted.
This just struck me as a good example of what Joe Higgins meant
by accentuating the positive: a homegrown family business that makes
a difference in the lives of worthy men and women in our community.
The
only reason I found out about this unadvertised happening was because
Myrrl Bean canceled our Monday Night At Myrrl's bridge session.
I demanded a good reason because our big game was the following
night at the Arts Center. We have come in on the bottom so many
times we don't even stay for the scores any more. However, by Monday,
hope has been rekindled; and we meet to deal out and "fix"
hands, plot, plan, strategize and review the lessons Mary Alice
Holloman and Martha Young have tried to teach us.
This
is important stuff, so Myrrl had to tell me a small part of what
she would be doing on Memorial Day. Even I could not whine when
I heard, and the fact is we played better than ever the next night.
We actually came in first. But what made it a red letter day was
the fact that we beat those two ol' pro's Evelyn Gillis and Betty
Jane Kerby.
Appeared originally:
Burkart, Anne Gillis (2003, June 4). Good and generous acts. Commercial
Dispatch, p. 4A.
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