UNDER THE SHADE OF THE FAMILY TREE

UNDER THE SHADE OF THE FAMILY TREE 

My grandfather George McDuff Tippen, planted a dogwood tree in the center of the Tippen Cemetery. For over 100 years that tree grew, blossomed, and provided shade. Grandpa Tippen was laid to rest in the shade of that tree, which he named the Tippen Family Tree. When the tree finally died and had to be removed from the cemetery, it measured 17 and 1/2 inches across the base of the trunk. This was one of the largest dogwood trees ever to be on record. 

For decades the Tippen family name stood for honesty, integrity, and the belief that all men and women are created equal. To my grandfather a hand shake was as good as a contract, and a man was only as good as his word. Grandpa McDuff lived the life that set the example for his offspring’s to follow, but sadly some of that has been neglected. 

Dennis Tippen was McDuff’s youngest son.  Dennis and Amy met, fell in love, got married, and gave birth to nine children. All of the children were born in the log cabin, at the edge of the Louisiana swamp land. There was no electricity, no indoor plumbing, no telephone, and little connection with the outside world. If the children were lucky they might get a ride into town on Saturday’s. The only books available in the home were The Bible and the Sears Roebuck Catalog. The one thing the children had that connected them to the outside world was the big, yellow, bus that gave them a ride to a place where their brains could be challenged to gain knowledge of the world around them.   

Dennis was a hardworking man who had experienced prejudice. His primary blood-line was American Indian and he had difficulty adjusting to the White Man’s world.  His greatest pleasure was playing his hand-made fiddle to the tunes of some of the traditional, country songs. He played, Turkey In The Straw, She’ll be Comin’ Around the Mountain, Corinna, Corinna, and Beautiful, Beautiful, Brown Eyes,   late into the night sitting on the front porch of the log cabin. Many times the children went to sleep with the tunes of Dennis’ fiddle echoing in their heads. 

My relation with my Father was only within the areas of hunting and fishing. He never attended the annual Father and Son Banquets at school; he was never present at a basketball game where I played; he never saw a High School Play in which I had a part; his presence was absent from any programs whereby I received an award; and he never attended my High School or college graduations. Yet, he was a man that I loved and respected. 

Amy was the greatest Mother who ever lived. She was up early every morning at 4 A.M. through the heat and the cold, and out to the cow lot to milk the cows. She churned the butter, baked the biscuits, cooked a hot meal on a wood-burning stove, and saw her children off to school with freshly washed and ironed clothes. She was known as a famous cook and fed more than just her immediate family. She was the matriarch of the family, and the neighbors would jokingly say she was the only one who could control her husband, Dennis.  Dennis was deeply rooted in the Christian faith. He was a member of the conservative, evangelical, Church of Christ. Therefore, he never acknowledged the fact that he had a gay son. To him there was no argument, homosexuality was wrong, period. 

If there is a secret to longevity it may be in the environment of childhood.  In the depths of poverty, it might have been a blessing that I did not have access of soft drinks, potato chips, or fast food. Instead, I was in the garden eating strawberries, cucumbers, green peas, cantaloupes, and watermelons. I could hide in the branches of a peach tree and eat big, round, juicy, peaces, until my hunger was quenched, or do the same in the apple tree that stood in the corner of the garden. There were some great benefits to country living! 

Being the only one left who can speak directly for the family is a position that I take seriously. In the days I have left I plan to live an honorable life to uphold the good and respectable family name. I will do whatever I can to close the political gap that exists within the family. Nevertheless, I am committed to use my voice and the power of the pen to stamp out hatred and injustice where ever they appear. 

Today, I fear no man! However, it is never a pleasant experience to have lies told about you.  Nevertheless, attempts to destroy my character are no more than mere fantasies without merit. Your death threats twirl in the wind because you are the cowards who run for cover when the going gets rough.  I have traveled the world searching for freedom, and at last I have been led by a powerful Deity to a place of safety where I can speak freely without retribution. Freedom brought the rebirth of an oppressed individual who was yearning to be free. Freedom freed this individual from fear.  I have learned that all the gold and silver in the world is not worth one hour of freedom. I will sacrifice everything I have to extend these freedoms to the future generations. 

I have learned from the “College of Hard Knocks” to see beauty in all skin colors. I recognize greatest in all sexual orientations, and I see determination in those of other ethnic origins who have faced nothing but “put downs.” I admire people who are willing to fight for survival. I know what it means to be a “poor man,” and I will never forget the struggles I had in fighting for social acceptance and financial success. 

When the time comes that my life on earth is ended, it is my request that my remains be placed beside my Grandpa, in the exact spot that for many years was the shade of the Family Tree. 

(Good advice for America) 

Tear down the walls of discrimination,

Remove the hearts of hatred,

Stamp out injustices,

Put on the armor of honor,

Shine the light of freedom,

And reap the eternal blessings of happiness.