| Notes |
- General Notes: THE LAMMON TREE
D-Info from Jane Linton & Elmer Lammon
M- Elmer Lammon
Note from daughter Judy:
Harold Lamar Hardwick was born February 18, 1926 to William Files Hardwick and Irene Lammon Hardwick in Dothan, Alabama. At the time of his birth, his parents lived in an apartment next door Blanche Hayes, who remains a dear family friend to this day. Until the time of Harold's death, Mrs. Hayes made it a point to call him on every birthday to remind him of her affection for him, and to remind him that she gave him his first sip of orange juice. Harold was the second child of William and Irene, the first child being James William Hardwick, who was seven years old at the time of his brother's birth. Upon returning from school one day, James discovered that Harold had joined his family. “Is he ours? Is he really ours?” was one of his comments most remembered. Harold was most fond of the children's fairy tale “Jack & the Beanstalk”, which was read to him, or told to him every night before he went to bed. Harold loved to go and visit with his Grandma and Grandpa Lammon, who lived in a big house with a big back porch. On one visit, Harold was sitting with Grandpa out on the back porch. Grandpa had a big wad of tobacco in his mouth and Harold noticed that every few minutes, his grandpa would lean over and spit off the side of the porch. How fascinating! Harold asked his grandpa for a chew, so that he could test his own “spitting” ability! After repeated requests from Harold, Grandpa Lammon decided to give the boy what he had asked for. He cut off a small plug of tobacco and handed it to Harold. Harold crammed that plug right into his mouth and he began to chew. . .and chew. . .and chew. The more he chewed, the more saliva was produced and down the back of his throat went that awful concoction. It was bitter and hot and it made him just plain dizzy and sick to his stomach. Harold began to spit and sputter as his head reeled. Grandpa Lammon got a big laugh that day, and Harold never asked for another plug of tobacco as far as we know!
Being a minister's son could be most trying and just downright dangerous at times. Because his parents were in the ministry, they traveled a lot, and they pastored many churches. Harold has told stories about having to fight many boys in the different churches, just to stand his ground and to gain the respect of his peers. He was mischievous, but never mean. He was a good student, although he never attended one school for very long at the time. At the age of 14 or 15, he developed an interest in the newspaper business and he would skip school with 2 or 3 of his friends and go downtown to the local newspaper office to watch the big presses turn out and fold newspapers. One day, while he was sitting next to the wall in the composing room, his principal walked in. He walked over to Harold and he threatened to call his parents to tell them he had skipped school. At that time, Harold informed the principal that he was quitting school to join the Navy. And, join the Navy he did, with his parents' blessings, in March of 1943.
He was but a mere lad when he left home for San Diego in 1943. He wrote letters to his mother regularly, and his mother saved every letter that he had written to her during his entire Navy career. Harold's travels took him to all corners of the world. Some of those countries in which he served were Hobart, Tasmania Calcutta, India, Durban, South Africa, Rio de Janerio, Brazil, Hollandia, New Guinea, Hong Kong, China, Shanghai, China, and Pearl Harbor. During one confrontation in the North Atlantic, the ship on which Harold was stationed was attacked and ultimately shot out from under him and his shipmates. After spending hours in lifeboats, they were rescued by a sister ship during the late night hours. Harold was a Radioman. A radioman sent messages from ship to ship. It was imperative that all messages were sent with no mistakes whatsoever. Harold was an accomplished Morse Code messenger. He was fast and accurate which would explain why the Captain of one of the ships where he served requested him and ONLY him to send and receive messages. While serving in the U.S. Navy, Harold's duties took him to more than 51 countries or provinces and he returned to many of those countries to serve on more than one occasion. Harold served on the USS Charleston, USS E.G. Hall, USS Union, USS John A. Robeling, ISS Ingham, USS Prometheus, and the USS Tacloban During his travels, Harold kept a map and charted every route and every port where he and his shipmates served. The map hangs in a prominent place to remind us all of the love and devotion that he felt for his country.
While on leave in 1946, Harold went to Sheridan, Arkansas, where his parents were holding a revival meeting in the church where Eva Freeman and her family attended. Eva and Harold were formally introduced. However, the revival meeting closed within a short period of time and Harold and his parents left to return to Monticello, Arkansas. Several months later, when Harold was once again on leave, he contacted Eva in Sheridan, Arkansas and invited her to come to Ozark, Alabama so that they would be able to spend more time together. Eva traveled to Ozark with James, Harold's brother, and Irma, James' wife who were going to visit the family. Eva's mother told her that if she would marry the Hardwick boy (Harold) that they would give her a church wedding. Well the rest is history. Within a short period of time, Harold and Eva were planning a wedding. After Harold was discharged from the Navy in November of 1947, Harold and Eva were married on December 23, 1947 in Sheridan, Arkansas. They set up housekeeping in Siloam Springs where Harold attended Siloam Springs Bible Institute and Printing School. Their only means of transportation was by bicycle. Harold rode a bicycle to work and to school, and Eva rode a bicycle every afternoon to meet him on his way home. Ah, the good life! In September of 1948 Harold and Eva moved to Harrison, Arkansas, where Harold started to work with the Harrison Daily Times newspaper as a linotype operator/machinist. On June 21, 1949, Judy Lamar Hardwick was born to Eva and Harold. Harold was convinced that Judy would surely be a “Harold, Jr.” but fate had other plans.
Harold was called back into the Navy in September of 1950 and he was stationed in San Diego, California. Jack William Hardwick was born to Harold and Eva on May 2, 1951 in San Diego. Harold was discharged from the Navy in November of 1951. After his discharge, the family moved to Huntsville, Alabama, where Harold started to work for the Huntsville Times newspaper as a linotype operator/machinist.
In 1956, Harold accepted a job with The Dothan Eagle newspaper in Dothan, Alabama. In 1958, Harold started his own printing business in the back room of an office that was owned by a close family friend. He set up shop with only one hand fed press and hand set type. As time marched on and business grew, Harold was able to move out of the one room office and into a small office behind the original office building where his business started. Harold continued to work part time for The Dothan Eagle for about a year after starting Hardwick Printing Company. As the business flourished, Harold resigned from his position at Dothan Eagle altogether so that he could give full attention to his Printing business. As his son Jack began to grow and mature, Harold began to train him in the printing business also. When Jack was in high school, Harold changed the name of the business to Hardwick and Son Printing, making Jack a partner in the business.
On June 2, 1961, Jeanie Irene Hardwick was born to Harold and Eva Hardwick. The baby and Eva were both very ill and were not expected to live. After much prayer, Jeanie and Eva began to recover and were both soon able to be released from the hospital. Harold was known as a fair and honest businessman and one of the better printers in this part of the country. From the time that Harold moved into the present location of Hardwick and Son Printing, four different additions were added to the building to accommodate all of the business that was being generated. Shortly before Harold became ill, he retired from Hardwick and Son Printing so that he and Eva could travel and just enjoy being at home. Their travels were cut short when Harold was diagnosed with lung cancer in the spring of 1998. In November of 1998, Harold Lamar Hardwick went to heaven. He had a spirit of mischief about him that was evident, even in the months during his illness.
One last story before we go. During his illness I had the privilege of sitting at his bedside and talking for hours. One night, we were talking very quietly and I made the statement that he would soon be celebrating a birthday. He shook his head and he said, I won't be having another birthday. I disagreed with him and I told him that we were going to have a big birthday party for him with balloons and cake and ice cream. He looked at me and he said “Ya'll sure are gonna get mighty cold out there at the cemetery, then!” He was one in a million.
Note from daughter Jeanie:
MY DAD, I adored him and was a daddy's girl until the day I had to say goodbye. He was there for me and my boys all of the years I was a single parent. He was wise, smart, funny, and a BIG jokester, yet he was the most tenderhearted man I ever knew! The night before he died Judy and I got up in the bed with him and lay down beside him, one of us on either side. He saw we were eating bite-sized chocolates. He opened his mouth real big as if to say, "feed me one". Well you got to understand he could not swallow at that point but for some reason God allowed Judy and I one more moment, frozen in time, a last special memory of our daddy that would always be remembered. Judy whispered in his ear, "Daddy did you ever think that you would be laying up in the bed with two pretty women feeding you chocolates?" Daddy grinned while chewing the chocolate and replied, "Done did it". Oh how I miss him! Note from brother James: On Feb. 18, 1926, a six-year-old boy, returning home from school, was faced with a strange sight -- to him. His father was standing about the middle of the room and his mother was in bed. What was the matter? Mother said, "Come here, I have something to show you." He went over to see what it was; she threw back the covers, and there was a BABY! "It's a boy. His name is Harold Lamar." The six- (almost seven-) year-old stood gazing at the sight a few seconds--or minutes--and said, "Is he ours?" "Yes, he is ours," Mother replied. A little while later (seconds or minutes?) he asked, "Is he really ours?" "Yes, he is really ours," she replied; and every Feb. 18 thereafter she reminded both Harold and his big brother of that question and answer series. She much later told H's BB she really wanted to name him Harold Lammon, but Dad said no.
Harold was the normal little brother, pestering, interfering in his BB's baby-sitter's activities, and sometimes embarrassing and troublesome. (When he was about six years old, Harold was singing, "She's got freckles on her butt but I love it just the same." His father called out to him, "Where did you hear that song?" "James," said Harold. "That isn't what I said," stammered James.)
At Eureka Springs, AR, when in about the last year of public school, Harold wasn't getting much of what he was in school for. Too many extracurricular activities -- such as turning bats loose in study hall, attaching whizbombs to the school bell, etc., -- were disrupting studies. Harold wanted to join the Navy, and so his parents consented. After training he was attached to the Merchant Marines, and saw action in WW-II several times -- once a ship he was on was torpedoed. After he got out of the Navy, he married Eva Dell Freeman.
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1926 - 1998 (72 years)
