Winnie Bell Going Away Party

June 23, 2007 Dear Miss Bell. Very soon I guess that things at your house will start looking like the border on this paper -- if they don't already. It's hard to think of you leaving Searcy, even though I know that it's best for you now to be with Lana and J.C. Your chalet will, no doubt, be very nice. It doesn't seem possible that twenty-two years have passed since you hired me to be your secretary. That one action on your part forever changed my life for the better. You were so patient and generous when only a few months later you allowed me to cut back on my library hours in order to fill an unexpected need for someone to teach a couple of Spanish classes at Searcy High. It also filled a need ofmy own because I was struggling with whether or not to go back into high school teaching. It was, however, in the library that I found a home and my true calling. When a position for a librarian came open, you were very supportive ofmy desire to attend library school and you helped me go to Denton, Texas, to look over TWU and work out the details. You held the position for me until I could complete my studies even though it meant that you would be short-handed for an entire year. One memory that makes me smile is from a party for the library student workers. There was a volleyball game and Terry commented afterwards that, given your age, he was surprised to see you right in the middle of it, decked out in slacks and tennis shoes and playing with everyone else. Since I had worked with you closely for a while and knew you to be a remarkable woman, I did not find it all that surprising. Miss Bell, there is no way to adequately thank you for your love, understanding, hospitality and continuing friendship to Terry and me throughout all these years. We are only two of the countless lives you have touched. May the Lord's richest blessing be upon you as you make the transition to Tennessee and may your upcoming birthday be a happy one. · Love, V