Down the Road

This is hard to believe, but my tale is winding down and approaching an exit on the Southern Bypass. It's time for me to introduce the last traveler on this particular journey.

Elizabeth Deane Edmondson (Patterson) (Cooper)

“Missie”

Daughter of George Bibb Edmondson and Deane Jones (Edmondson)
Born St. Margaret’s Hospital  July 20, 1946
Montgomery, Alabama
Married July 20, 1968
Richard Reginald Patterson, Jr.

Divorced July 20, 1990
Children—
Richard Reginald Patterson, III married to Lori Hackleman

Children: Lucy Porter, Sophie Huyen, George William
George Bibb Patterson married to Hope Henry

Children: Kathryn Evelyn, Camden Bibb
Elizabeth Meriwether Patterson Thurman married to S. Michael Thurman

Children: Seaborn Forrest Thurman, Elizabeth Grace

Married October 2, 1998
Donald Leonard Cooper, Jr.

When to Say “When”—
     I’ve hardly ever known when to say when, not even with pepper or parmesan. My segment, the ending one, should be short. My tale unfolded in a round-about way as this slow trek ensued. Most of me, or all I choose to reveal, can be found in-between the lines of the preceding words, passages, and people. The trails have merged onto the fast-paced interchanges of the 21st century and the bypasses skirting issues, times, and towns. My trail will continue to unwind in these modern fast-paced lanes that one day will be as outmoded as those of my earliest ancestors.

     Today, the southern bypass maintains its offering as an alternative passage around and outside Montgomery. It accommodates the rush of life most days. It’s lined with service stations, fast-food chains, medical facilities, etc. and etc. and it’s a great route, if you’re heading south, down 331 toward Panama City, east toward I 20 and Atlanta, or westward ho, just moving on. Most of the travelers in this written pilgrimage missed the modernity of four-lanes, interstates, and fast-tracks of any configuration. They actually wrote letters and documents with pens or pencils or typewriters, and did research solely at the library. I, on the other hand, sat at my computer to compile this chronicle and used the same to check points, identify unknowns, or correspond with vast resources available on line. To ask for editorial comments, I attached files to emails and zipped them to anyone and anywhere I chose. I “tweeted” my progress on Twitter and began a blog--the fast track at my finger-tips. How did the old guys manage?