Dear Editor,
This past Sunday, I met someone I had assumed was long dead. I attended Henderson Grove Baptist Church, near the high school on the road to Madison.
Anyone running for office (I’m running for District 2 Commissioner) will tell you that attending church services is a must, especially at Black churches where religion and politics have long mingled.
Weeks earlier, one of my supporters inquired whether I might attend Henderson Grove and got the green light. The 2nd Sunday in October was suggested since this was the pastor’s anniversary. It was indeed a momentous occasion as Pastor Willie C. Jones Sr. marked 37 years of service.
But it was not Rev. Jones I was surprised to meet. After the service – which featured the booming baritone voice of Deacon Ramon Parham lining out the opening hymn, many good wishes from church leaders and members for their beloved pastor, and a rousing sermon from guest preacher Rev. Sidney Reed – I was invited to say a few words.
I made my usual remarks, noting I was running for Jimmy Davis’ old seat. I reminded the congregation that when elected in 1982, Mr. Davis, along with George Thompkins, were the first Black commissioners in Putnam County's history.
Jimmy Davis was a World War II veteran who died over a decade ago. I had assumed Mr. Thompkins had also long since passed. So, imagine my surprise when, after church was over, a lady said to me, “You must meet my brother!” And, making his way from among the deacons, was none other than George Thompkins!
He smiled warmly, slim and dapper in his checked suit. I was so shocked that I said something inappropriate like, “I thought you were dead.” He eyed me quizzically, unsure – amid the end-of-service hubbub – that he had heard me correctly. I attempted to recover by saying how much I had to learn from him. We exchanged a few more pleasantries before he moved along.
It is a special moment when past and present collide like that. George Thompkins, a graduate of Clark College and Georgia College, a Vietnam veteran, former social studies teacher and social worker, and a pioneering Putnam County District 1 Commissioner for a decade, still walks among us.
Of course, a living-breathing Mr. Thompkins was a revelation only to me, but from now on, whenever I invoke his name, it will carry new meaning.
So, thank you to Henderson Grove Baptist Church for welcoming my wife and I this past Sunday, and to all the other churches that have welcomed us.
Richard Garrett, Eatonton