OUR STORY

Jack’s Story

Page 11

I was born in Macon, Georgia on January 7, 1935 . I was the first of the seven children of Gladys Maureen Chester Leach and Rufus (Jack) Albert Leach. I was born in Macon, Georgia on January 7, 1935 at the old Macon Hospital which was torn down in 1956. The hospital was also where my son, Michael, was born in 1955.

I was named Rufus Jackson Leach. As a child I was called Jackie and continued to be called that within my family and some cousins still do. In school I was called Rufus and many of my old classmates still call me that. After I finished high school I started calling myself “Jack” and Jack I have remained for most of my life.

I have a lot of early childhood memories. I was 4 years old when my first sister, Audrey Ann, was born. Any memories before that would make me 3 or younger.

I remember quite a bit from when we lived off Columbus Road. There are streets now where we lived but at that time there was just a few dirt road there and it was really in the country. The house as an old country style house with a sand yard and the house sat on rocks under the corners. It seemed to be high off the ground but that was because I was small I think.

One such memory was when my dog, a beautiful collie named “Prince”, was killed. Prince was missing and daddy drove me and mama around trying to find him. We found him by the side of Columbus Road about where the entrance to the Colonial Mall is. Mama and daddy tried to keep me from seeing him but I did.

I saw sky writing one day and was told what it was. I couldn’t read it but I can still see it in my mind. It just seemed to appear in the sky but daddy showed me how to spot the plane and told me the pilot was using smoke to make the letters.

One day a bull came into the yard. I was playing in the yard when mama saw it. She graded me up and ran into the house. Mama was very frightened and locked the door. That is the first time I can remember being afraid. It seemed forever until daddy got home and “saved” us.

I was also very sick when we lived there, mama said I had pneumonia and almost died. I also remember some of our relatives coming to visit one day and one of the men was shooting some kind of gun. They saw a neighbor a road over get in their car and was talking about they were probably coming over about the shooting, they but didn’t.