6 December 2006
FARON YOUNG, TWENTY-TWO YEARS AGO: December 4, 1984, was the night Faron’s 30-year marriage ended. When he fired a pistol through the kitchen ceiling of their Harbor Island house, it was the last straw for Hilda. Faron refused her ultimatum to seek help to stop drinking, and Hilda gave up on trying to save their marriage. They sold their house and bought individual houses. When asked at the divorce trial if he threatened anybody’s life when he shot holes in the ceiling, Faron said, “Not whatsoever. I figured it was my house. If I wanted to shoot a hole in the ceiling, I could shoot it anywhere.”
LETTERS:
Scott Anderson writes from Grosse Ile, Michigan, “I have been a subscriber of your updates and newsletters about Faron Young for awhile now, and was quite surprised and saddened to hear of the passing of their eldest son. Damion Ray…….. I suppose the only good thing to make of this situation is that Damion is now in a much better place, along with his Daddy. . . . I can hardly wait to get a copy of your book on Faron… he was always one of the favorites, all the way back to my childhood in the sixties.”
Andy Williford, one of Faron’s schoolmates and lifelong friends, says, “Faron’s hero in school and his hero until his death was Rogers Hampton, a superb running back drafted by the Chicago Bears and went to Canada only to get hurt and never played again. Faron was absolutely enamored by Rogers and at every reunion we pay great respect to him. He was High School All-American and without a doubt would have been another Walter Payton. He was voted Best All Around Athlete of the century in Shreveport over Terry Bradshaw, Joe Ferguson, and many others. In a nutshell, Faron, until his death, felt humble in Roger’s presence.”
Glenn Flesher, another of Faron’s schoolmates and lifelong friends, says, “Thanks for touching base. I, too wish we could have gotten together before you finished the book on Faron’s life. Andy and I could have added some funny stories along with Clem Henderson, Faron’s football coach at Fair Park. I lived next door to Carole Wickes during the time she and Faron dated and we were on the same party line with the Wickes family and I listened to Faron singing to Carole many times on the phone. Good luck with the book.”
GIFT IDEAS: Two books are available for sale on my website. “A Farm in the Hidewood: My South Dakota Home” at http://ddiekman.tripod.com/id7.html is about growing up on a farm in 1963. “Navy Greenshirt: A Leader Made, Not Born” at http://ddiekman.tripod.com/id5.html describes my career as one of the first female aircraft maintenance officers in the Navy. It offers encouragement in gaining leadership skills and confidence.