Beech Tree News Network

I sat and looked at the wall for several days with too much thought before I could make my pen give up anything that made sense. Sometimes one can have too much going on “upstairs.” Strange where we find things. I was looking at the obit column in my Kentucky Retired Teachers paper, when I found the name of an old fellow ag teacher who had passed on.

Wilmouth Rock was one of those people whom you dare not miss along the way. Seeing his demise, I was saddened first. Then I thought about Wilmouth and God, then I began a fit of uncontrolled laughter. I know God laughs all the time now. Wilmouth didn’t mercifully try to be funny, but he was and he didn’t scare worth a hoot. I’de seen him take it on the chin from the brass hats with calmness until the brass hats stepped over the line. Then it was, “Katey bar the door.”

Once in a meeting of the South Central Kentucky Agriculture Teachers, we had a brass hat from the hallowed halls of the State Office of Agricultural Education in Frankfort, as the conductor of the meeting.

Rock had been in contact with the Frankfort Office requesting help in starting a horse program at his Ag. Department at Hesiville High School. Then, Frankfort wasn’t too hot and heavy on horse programs in ag departments. Several kids had horses at Rock’s ag. department. This would also eliminate boys and girls who didn’t live on a farm, to have a farming program in the study and care for horses in order to take ag.

Now there are horse programs in vo-ag. departments across the state

Anyway, this brass hat had began to “nag” Rock about his horse program. He would stop during his talk and say: “By the way Rock, what are you gonna do with all those horses?” Two or three times he would ask Rock that and laugh.

I think maybe I whispered to the guy next to me, “This guy doesn’t know Rock that well” – that he’s on thin ice and it’s about to break.

Well about the fourth time of sport at Rock’s expense, Rick stood up before the crowd and said, “ You’ve asked now so many times I am going to answer you: were gonna line all of the horses up and listen to them…” (In keeping with proper prosperity, I cannot tell you the last word). I will tell you the whole crowd got down on the floor and rolled with laughter.

Years ago the State Office of Agriculture at Frankfort and the National Ag Training College at the University of Kentucky were thicker than grits and gravy. If someone sneezed at Frankfort, somebody at U.K. would say “bless you.”

One time, Frankfort requested that U.K. send one of their professors down to Rock’s vo - ag department to “check on” him and his teaching technique…to see if Rick was “toing the line.”

Dorton Birkley, it was, who came to the spy mission. He was about second in command at U.K.’s teacher training department. Keep in mind Rock was a seasoned teacher and a good teacher. Birkley kept jumping up and interrupting Rock during the lesson.

Finally Rock had enough and he said, “Well class, Dorton Brinkley seems to know more about this than I do. So I’m turning this and the rest of my class today over to him. I’ll see you tomorrow.”

Rock, it is said, got his coat, went out the door and went home.

Kindest Regards…