Happy Birthday Da' Butch

Today my Grandfather, Hubert Baldwin Scrivener, would have been 98 years old. He has passed on to glory. And today I remembered a lot of great memories of my Da' Butch.

I can remember driving lessons at age 11, learning how to shoot marbles on the carpet in the den, learning the importance of a dollar, and photographing weddings together.

But some of the most memorable things I can remember with my Da' Butch were him sharing his passions with not only me, but with the whole family. Da' Butch had a passion for life and genuinely wanted to help people.

His passion for Mississippi State University was one that I haven't seen matched yet. I know that he would have loved watching them play this past baseball season. I can remember countless days of going to the games at MSU and he taking the time to make sure that if we needed to go to the restroom, or go to the concession stand he would miss the next at bat to do so.

I can remember coming to Maben, MS and spending weekends with my grandparents and getting to tinker in the shop or like we called it "Down Below" since it was down the hill from the house. Building birdhouses, or coin banks from old Post Office boxes, even building a windmill when I was 13. We weren't building houses but we were building memories.

Another memory I have is going on trips with he and my granny. Whether it was a Post Master's Convention, Lions club trip, or family reunion we always a great time. Loading up in that Lincoln towncar and heading out to our destination.

Actually 2 of my earliest memories are from traveling with my grandparents:
1) Traveling to Hawaii in 1982, I was 2 years old but I remember swimming in the ocean with my dad. Then he says "look there is Da' Butch and Granny." I look on the beach, and they are walking out on the patio area, dressed in a 3 piece suit there He was waving at me. I can still remember like it was yesterday, taking off as fast as I could and falling face first in the sand. I jump up, jump back in the water to wash off, and head back up the beachfront to the patio. I remember as soon as I got close, my Da' Butch knelt down and picked me up. A wet/sandy little boy didn't know that he was ruining his grandfather's suit, but Da' Butch didn't care.

2) Traveling to San Francisco, from Mississippi in the Lincoln. Six people, 1 car, cross-country trip. I can remember seeing the Grand Canyon on the way out, the Fisherman's Wharf , and being locked in solitary confinement while touring Alcatraz.

These were some great memories, but in the last few years of his life I can remember introducing my first 2 children to Da' Butch. My kids don't remember him, but they keep a picture of him in their rooms, from when they got to meet him.

I could write a book on my Da' Butch just from the stories that he would tell. We all loved him very much, and miss him. But I know that he wouldn't want us missing him, he would want us doing the best we could and enjoying the life that God had given us.

 

Me and Da' Butch at the windmill,  Spring 2008  15 years after construction

Rani with Da' Butch, Fall 2008

 

Me, Dad, Andrew, & Da' Butch, Christmas 2009