Tag Archives: #RowenaKramer

Broken Child to Healing Woman

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Willis Jefferson loved and respected Rowena Kramer as if she was his own loving mother. It was her influence in his life that enabled him to be the man of courage we find in this excerpt from “Bluebell“. But you might not have expected the child introduced in Dad’s book, “Rowena”, to grow into this remarkable woman.

It was early in the Fall of 1886, as the opening pages of “Rowena” unfolded, when this scene took place…

The coach was comfortably warm, but, huddled next to the large, glowering man, the child’s appearance suggested that no amount of external warmth could dispel the chill that gripped her.

As the train neared it’s next stop, the little girl…shivered and glanced up furtively. “Garwood, Papa?”

With the man’s brusque nod, offering nothing more than annoyed acknowledgement, a second tremor gripped the tiny body; and, drawing her knees tight against herself, she moved closer to him.

Glaring down, he snapped: “Don’t get so close, child, you’ll muss my suit!”  He cuffed her leg with a huge hand.  “And get your feet off the seat.”

Blinking back the tears she obeyed, and sought to become one with the cushions.

Garwood was the small town where Rowena’s father left her at the train station, because his girlfriend didn’t like having the child around, to be picked up by a a man he’d never talked with or met.

Fortunately, Rowena’s childhood years were mostly good but her adult life could largely be described as tragic. Yet when she appears as a character in “Bluebell”, we hear nothing but great things about her.

Willis was not alone in his special feelings for Rowena Kramer; there were many others.  They came and went in a seemingly endless parade, some staying only for a meal, some for a day, a week or longer.  They were young, old, and in-between.  Mostly, they were men and boys, but occasionally a member of the fairer sex was taken under Miss Rowena’s wing.  No matter the gender, problem or need, however, all shared a common bond: No one leaving her was ever less than better for the experience, nor was that separation ever complete.  Within her spirit was that which engendered, and exacted, love from every life she touched.   

Often, the human spirit is known for it’s tenacity and toughness, yet also for generating tenderness and tranquility. Miss Rowena seems to have been capable of all of those.

What About You?

  • Tell us about a person showing Miss Rowena-isms in your life
  • Visit other QuotaBill articles
  • Take a Chance (Spoiler Alert: Could be something free in your future)

Race: By the Colors

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I’m posting in one of my favorite categories today, Graphically Said, and with it, and a very brief excerpt from dad’s book, “Bluebell”, showing just how difficult caring for another can be.

Willis Jefferson, a young black man featured in “Bluebell” and several – recent – posts – on – this blog, had been taught to love his fellow human.  At a time when he least expects it, he hears a woman being beaten, and as he’s in the white section of a southern town, knows the race of the victim.  Black men didn’t rush to help Caucasian women in this part of the country during the late 1930’s yet these words from his ‘second’ mom, Rowena Kramer, beat like a hammer in his mind.

Like a First Responder, willing to put their life on the line for another but having to consciously  make that commitment each and every time they respond…

“Willis had no idea of how long he stood rooted in indecision, nor was he ever certain as to who or what ended his hesitation.  With a dread fear of what lay ahead, Willis hurdled the fence, and fixed his gaze on the door of the rear, screened-in porch.”

Next Steps

 

 

A Great Force for Good

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Her name was Rowena Kramer.  She was a white woman with a heart for everyone.  Willis Jefferson had lived with her over ten years after she rescued him from a storm, and not just one involving the weather.  Did she have an impact on his life?  Check out the following “QuotaBill” from dad’s book, “Bluebell” and see what you think.

“Anyone privy to the details of Willis Jefferson’s childhood would have seen Rowena Kramer as a greater force in his life than he might ever know.  Not only had she taught him about life, and instilled in him a love of it, she had implanted the need to share that love with all of God’s creatures.”

Her impact went beyond teaching him to clean up his room or play nicely with the neighbor kids.  It went to the soul of his being, as evidenced by this excerpt from “Bluebell”.

Has someone had a significant impact in your life?  I’d love to hear about it and you never know, maybe your comment will be just what someone else needs to be that ‘helpful’ person in a life.

What’s Next?

  • Learn what you can’t know about someone based on their possessions.
  • Read more about Miss Rowena.
  • Receive updates from Read My Dad’s Stuff – Just say “Sign Me Up”

Within Her Spirit

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In today’s Graphically Said post, we look at 15 words from “Bluebell” and the impact, of the woman they described, on one of the book’s main characters, Willis Jefferson.

What pushed a young black man to risk his life running to the aid of a victimized white lady in a small southern town in the late 1930’s?  It was largely the influence of another white woman in his life, Rowena Kramer.

Rowena enters the world of fiction via dad’s book, of the same name, as a young child, not yet six years old, already “alone and lost; in a world she could not comprehend, at the mercy of forces against which she had no defense.”

As she, on her first train ride, sat “huddled next to the large, glowering man, the child’s appearance suggested that no amount of external warmth could dispel the chill that gripped her.  Her proximity to him, although not that of an offspring enjoying the security of a loving parent, was close enough to indicate that they were, in some way, attached. 

There were those who would have viewed her as merely wistful, but intuitive observation would have revealed a child, if not abused, acutely aware of being unwanted.  Had this not been so, in another time, she would have been a living Rockwell.”

This was to become the woman who rescued Willis from a Kansas storm and loved him like she was his own mother.  As we discover in “Bluebell”, “Willis  was not alone in his special feelings for Rowena Kramer; there were many others.  They came and went in a seemingly endless parade, some staying only for a meal, some for a day, a week or longer.  They were young, old, and in-between.  Mostly, they were men and boys, but occasionally a member of the fairer sex was taken under Miss Rowena’s wing.  No matter the gender, problem or need, however, all shared a common bond: No one leaving her was ever less than better for the experience, nor was that separation ever complete.  Within her spirit was that which engendered, and exacted, love from every life she touched.  Few, however, had found what Willis had.”

P.S.  Since I was unable to find a photo of Rowena online, I chose an old picture of a woman very special to me…may I introduce you to Barbara Jane Over-McIntyre, my mom.

Ten Years of Love

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Less than 360 words into “Bluebell”, Rowena Kramer’s name has been mentioned three times by Willis Jefferson, a young black man on a road taking him where he never expected to go.  And, as we look at today’s QuotaBill, we learn, to some degree, the impact this woman had on Willis’ life.

“Miss Rowena,” he whispered, and tears blurred his vision.  He had been about twelve when she took him in, and he had stayed for over ten years.  It was the nearly four years, since then, that held his attention, and he wondered if leaving had been a mistake.  Been a long time.  He thought.  “A long time….”

What kind of woman was this whose memory brought tears to the eyes of a courageous young man?  To help you find out, here are three articles & two excerpts that will help introduce you to Rowena Kramer.  And what about Willis?  There’s much to learn about him in these recent posts…

 

Find Someone to Trust

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Sometimes, that trustworthy soul will find you, as was the case for Willis Jefferson, in dad’s book, Bluebell.  Rowena Kramer, a white woman, rescued him, when he was a young child, on the plains of Kansas during a violent storm.  But however that trusted individual comes into your life, there can be a big benefit to finding someone to trust, as this brief excerpt shows.

Because of Miss Rowena he could read, write and speak correctly.  But far beyond that, her teachings had also reinforced those of his mother, which, having seemed inapplicable, he had been ready to cast aside.

“Two Miles?  Mercy.”  He squinted in the direction indicated by the sign.  “Must be a mighty small town.  Not even a water tank showin’.”

“Miss Rowena,” he whispered, and tears blurred his vision.  He had been about twelve when she took him in, and he had stayed for over ten years.  It was the nearly four years, since then, that held his attention, and he wondered if leaving had been a mistake.  Been a long time.  He thought.  “A long time….”

Anyone privy to the details of Willis Jefferson’s childhood would have seen Rowena Kramer as a greater force in his life than he might ever know.  Not only had she taught him about life, and instilled in him a love of it, she had implanted the need to share that love with all of God’s creatures.

Her guidance had given him a spiritual peace that allowed him to see adversity and conflict as merely challenging steps in his long, upward climb.  In academics, he excelled in neither reading nor writing, but with his introduction to numbers his true love was found.  He became an addict, going as far as she could take him in the years that he was in her care.

Wow…that’s a lot of benefit gained by finding someone to trust.  How about you…do you have a story to share about how somebody in your life made a big change?  Leave a comment and you just might inspire a fellow reader to be that person in another’s life.

How Strong is Love

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True love is stronger than many think and it’s the topic of today’s Bits of Bill.  I think most authors write about what they believe.  I mean, how many novels about a loving God would you expect to find written by atheists?  So, with that in mind, I’m going to be diving into dad’s novel, Bluebell, for things important to him.

Willis Jefferson is a young black man in his early twenties when Bluebell opens.  He’s minding his own business but a deep influence from an older white woman, that lingers deep within his soul, is about to launch him into the type of trouble he’s never seen before.

As we read in an excerpt from the story, he’s nearing a town when a woman’s scream shatters the rural stillness.  It’s a predominantly white town in the 1930’s and he knows full well that intervening could be challenging or even dangerous.  But the love instilled in him by Miss Rowena Kramer, was stronger than even fear and dread, and pushed him toward the house where the sound had originated.  Here’s how my dad tells the rest of the story.

“A whimper from somewhere off the hall was sufficient motivation to re-focus his thoughts, and Willis moved to the doorway.  His glance, taking in the shattered remains of a vase, and a second overturned chair, came to rest on the battered form crumpled on the floor.

Her face and neck were covered with huge red and purple welts.  Blood trickled from one unrecognizable mass that had been an ear; and it was impossible to ascertain the presence of eyes behind the puffed, lacerated lids.  A slightly stronger flow of blood, coming from a ragged gash at the side, just above the left eye, gave Willis his most immediate cause for alarm.

Snatching the cover from a pillow, he dashed to the kitchen.  Returning with a pan of cool water, he fashioned a compress with one of the several strips he’d torn from the pillowcase.  With the larger piece of material, he carefully washed the hideously swollen face.

Willis had no idea of how long he had huddled over the wretched figure; nor, under the circumstances, was he concerned.”

He should have been more than concerned, and would have been had it not been for love.  A love, so strong, that it put the plight of a white woman living in a largely racist town, before the well being of a black man.

Dad writes about love because it’s important to him and part of his life.  He worked long, hard hours to support my mom and raise two children and he still shows the love of his life, as they approach their 73rd anniversary, the type of love and respect that some married couples only dream of.

 

Young and Poor, but Not Out

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One of the Census Bureau’s poverty thresholds in 2016 was $24,339 for a family of four with two children under age 18 and, according to their 2017 estimate, 37.9 million Americans lived in poverty.  Poverty in literature is not uncommon either but whether one grows up in reality or fiction, lives that are young and poor can overcome their experiences and that’s what we’ll be exploring in today’s Counterparts in Literature.

Charlie Bucket from Charlie and the Chocolate Factory

According to The Borgen Project’s webpage, young Charlie lived with his parents and four grandparents in a little wooden house and was extremely poor. But he found the golden ticket in a Wonka chocolate that enabled him to enter Willy Wonka’s chocolate factory.

“Charlie’s personality and good education leads him to become Wonka’s successor. His good manners and the way he is compared to the spoiled rich kids presents Charlie’s personality positively to the audience.”  Charlie obviously defeats his environment and becomes someone many wouldn’t have expected.

Willis Jefferson from Bluebell

My dad pictured Willis Jefferson as a poor, 12 year-old black boy, who in 1927 was facing death on the plains of Kansas during a violent storm.  His ‘golden ticket’ came via the rescue and family love of Rowena Kramer, a kindly white woman.  Later, we find him on a pathway which will prove his early years didn’t prevent him from becoming a strong man.

“He was nearly abreast of the building when a woman’s scream shattered the rural stillness.  He broke his stride, continuing to move in a hesitating half step.  A second scream mingled with the echo of the first, and a third ended prematurely as it was smashed back against the lips that had uttered it…Willis had no idea of how long he stood rooted in indecision, nor was he ever certain as to who or what ended his hesitation.”

Some say authors write from personal experience.  Is that what made Roald Dahl and my father compose stories featuring Charlie Bucket and Willis Jefferson?  Wow…that sounds like the topic for a future post, so until that day, here’s a few ways to further immerse yourself in my dad’s stuff.