Beech Tree News Network

Tucked away in the small engine shop at Drake’s Farm Service is a superhero of sorts, his name is Major Deweese, and his power is the ability to spark imaginations.  By day he works repairing small engines but in his free time, he reads.
    On a regular visit to the library one afternoon I noticed this amazing Marvel Comics display in the glass case that you will see pictured within this article.   I asked the librarians who was responsible for this awesome creation and they were happy to tell me it was Mr. Deweese.  Lindsay Graham told me it was her favorite display they had had so far.  Kathy Lawrence said that several children and adults both had come to look at the display and have their pictures made beside it.  They expressed their appreciation for the interest in reading that it has created within the kids that visit the library.  Perhaps the kids would want to read the same books their heroes were reading in the display?  Maybe their love for literature would grow from there.   I knew then I had to meet him because this was something awesome being done within our community and I wanted people to come and experience it for themselves.
    I asked Major how he ended up making the display.  Usually, on his lunch breaks, he can be found studying his Bible.  However, on other days he goes to the library and pours over the National Geographic magazines and reads various books.  Growing up he said he had always loved reading comics.  The heroes of the Marvel Universe worked together as a team for the common good and he admired their ability to do so.  He asked the librarians one day what went in the empty case and they explained that different displays went in them and asked if he would like to make one.  From then his imagination took off.

    The top portion of the case has Marvel heroes reading different books.  At first glance you don’t notice the detail in the display, but once you come closer you see it.  For instance, Iron Man is reading the classic novel; Man in The Iron Mask by Alexandre Dumas while Spider-Man is reading Charlotte’s Web by E.B. White.  The detail is fascinating.  Mr. Deweese actually found pages to these books online, shrunk them down on a copier and bound them for each hero to hold and read.  If you peer into the case at the right angles you can actually see the print on the pages of the tiny novels they are holding.

    The bottom of the case shows several different superheroes in various stages of a battle with a large black mass.  Major told me he didn’t want what they were fighting to be scary to younger children who would see the scene.  So he chose the villain to be illiteracy which is the black mass they are battling.  Illiteracy is not something you can see but it definitely is a villain in our world today. 

   As an avid comic fan, he had several figurines that he and his children played with.  He was adamant that an action figure is a toy made to be played with, not to stay in packaging on the shelf.  The display came about in various stages.  You can see in the images that they worked in various stages to complete the display. 

In one instance Spider-Man dumped over a water bucket and Captain America is scolding him.  On one end of the display, the Hulk is holding baby Groot in his hands as baby Groot reaches with a tiny cloth to clean the glass of the case.  Everything in the display with the exception of the action figures themselves was handmade by Major.  The sawhorses, the push brooms, nails, even the dust on the floor being swept up came from the pencil sharpener on the circulation desk. 

    The best thing of all is how humble and modest he was about the display. Perhaps sheer kindness and modesty is one of the greatest “superpowers” to possess in today’s world.  The timing of this article comes at a somber time for the Marvel community and comic enthusiasts in general due to the recent passing of Marvel’s Stan Lee.  Mr. Lee set out to challenge the imaginations of everyone always holding steadfastly to the common thread of good vs. evil.  Much like Mr. Stan Lee, Major Deweese is looking to help his community in battling illiteracy and expanding the love of reading to others through his displays.  As we anticipate his next display, dig down deep and realize what your power is to help your fellow man… you may be surprised by what you find.

“Another definition of a hero is someone who is concerned about other people’s well-being and will go out of his or her way to help them – even if there is no chance of a reward.  That person who helps others simply because it should or must be done, and because it is the right thing to do, is indeed without a doubt, a real superhero.”
Stan Lee
1922 - 2018