A Redneck Resume

 

In this picture my cousin, Barbara Walls, is barefoot among their cattle. This scene was typical of "farm kids" in the late 40’s and 50’s. Our cows all had names and there was little fear either on the part of the animals or the children 

Photo courtesy of

  
Wilma Walls  

 

Written by 
LeRoy Walls 
CEO 

Growing up on an Ozark farm, I’ve definitely:

  • Hauled hay, feed, chickens, calves and pigs in the trunk of our car.
  • Had pigs, chickens, calves, colts and horses in our yard.
  • Raised runt pigs, baby chickens and a squirrel on our back porch.
  • Went barefoot all summer.

I’ve seen first hand:

  • A four and five-leaf clover.
  • Baby chicks hatched in an incubator.
  • A double-yoked egg.
  • How a chicken acts with its head cut-off.

I’m old enough to remember when:

  • Tires had tubes.
  • Cows had names.
  • Dishwashers had names, such as Carolyn, Glen and LeRoy.
  • Houses had three bedrooms and a path - - to the outhouse!

I was thoroughly taught the following to prepare me for life:

  • How to harness a horse.
  • How to milk a cow by hand.
  • How to build a haystack.
  • How to repair burlap feed sacks so they’d be worth a nickel.
  • How to repair almost anything using bailing wire.

Like most of my friends and other members of my family, I grew up "poor" by much of America’s standards. But, fortunately, we didn’t know it. We had pride in our independence and self-sufficiency. Besides that we were making progress.

We were given many names - - such as redneck, hillbilly and hick. However, my favorite name for the hard-working people trying to make a living in the Ozark hills is "Hill folks." I loved the hill folks and will always consider myself one of them.

I might qualify as a redneck - - but, I ain’t one!

 

12/31/1999