Way Back When-sday

This is a picture of Pops (older one on the left) and David, one of his younger brothers. It was taken in 1949 in Ca-Vel, a Collins & Aikman company village in Roxboro, N.C. The neighborhood of homes was built next to the textile plant for workers to live in. These mill villages were pretty common.

It looks like Pops is trying to point out the camera to the diaper-wearing David who seems none to sure about what he's supposed to be looking at. Uncle David died in April 2004. He was just 56.

He died of Lou Gehrig's Disease. I wish I had taken up shooting video before he passed so I could have more to share of his North Carolina drawl. I can still hear it in my head, many times barely understandable because of the thick accent and quiet tone.