Julia Davis...I don't think anyone loves Kingston the way she did. She lived her entire life there, or pretty close.
I think her roots probably went to the core of the earth in Kingston. Her dad Jim was the pharmacist at Davis Rexall Drug on the Madill square for years, so she and her brother Al were part of the 'square brats ' as she called the kids whose families ownedoroperatedbusinesses on the square.
Her mom Anna Jean taught school and Julia followed in her footsteps for a while, teaching at her college alma mater Southeastern in Durant.
However, I think the love of Julia's life besides her family andfriendswasworkingat The Madill Record. She was the reporter when I started working there im April 1980.
While Wilbert Willis covered Madill, she covered her beloved Kingston. She loved all the school kids like they were her own and she made sure their accomplishments got covered with stories and pictures in the paper.
She was a fixture at all the ballgames, bandconcerts, whatever was going on with 'her kids '.
Seen and Heard on the front page was her baby... every week she made sure people got mentioned and I think the community loved it as much as she did.
People would call her and give her who and what they'd seen, just to see what all made those columns every week. She gathered the court records every week for the paper, did hospital notesbefore HIPAA took that away, wrote untold numbers of obituaries, fishing reports, everything that makes small towns special.
Football though, was one of her absolute favorite things to cover. She kept stats, took pictures, lived and breathed KHS football.
She covered the other sports too, but nothing lit her up like football . It's still strange to not see her prowling the sidelines like a coach, cheering for her kids.
Julia loved kids and she was absolutely ecstatic when her brother Al and wife finally made her Aunt Juju with her own niece and nephew, Allie and Hunter.
She loved the Sand Bass Festival almost as much as Herb Pate did and eagerly worked with Wilbert and Herb on the annual festival tabloid.
She's been gone from this earth for a long time, but I know she's still cheering in heaven's little Marshall County corner.
Great people, great times....back in the day.