In most of Algie Ray Smith’s books, recognizing the characters is relatively simple for folks who grew up in Russellville/Logan County. Many of them,
in fact, are identified with their actual names.
In the prolific author’s latest offering, however, the dividing line between fiction and non-fiction tends to blur. Throw in Smith’s vivid imagination,
ventures into the paranormal and the supernatural, and an ending that leaves the reader wondering what really happened, and you have a unique literary
offering.
Reunion is the latest offering in a series of paperback books by Smith, which he publishes about this time each year. The lead character (at least
until now) is always Joey Sampson, a thinly disguised alter ego of Smith himself. The title refers to the 50th anniversary of the class of
1959. Although Russellville is not mentioned by name (it never is), Smith is a graduate of the RHS Class of 1959 and the people and places mentioned
are clearly in and around Russellville. Also many of talented local artist Sonny Green’s sketches in the book are of scenes in and around the town once
known as “Knob City.”
In this one, Joey is a 68-year-old bachelor who describes himself as a “grease monkey,” still running the service station his late father had owned and
operated. In Joey Stories, the gas station is called “Abe’s Place,” but it’s obvious that the business is Smith & Sons Service. The late A.C. Smith
started the service station at the intersection of the Bowling Green, Franklin and Clarksville roads at Russellville’s East End in the 1940s. His sons,
former Russellville Mayor Ken Smith and retired teacher Algie Ray, have kept it going. Algie Ray still teaches language arts classes for Western
Kentucky University.
The focal point of the book is the mystery of what happened to classmate Heather Dexter, who disappeared in the late spring of their junior year. A
mysterious judge calls six of them together in a Russellville motel room (the Quality Inn across from Smith & Sons) on the Friday night of the 2009
Logan County Tobacco & Heritage Festival.
Each of the six classmates had motive and opportunity to do away with Heather. The other five believe that Joey is the prime suspect and also had
something to do with their being called together on this October evening. Joey denies any knowledge of her disappearance or of this meeting.
The reader gets caught up in the lives of the half dozen teens of the late fifties and their places in society half a century later.
The ending at the class reunion on Saturday evening is definitely what the reader would anticipate.
References to businesses of the past abound. Among them: Bentley’s, Berkmans, Clethes Tree, Brown Lumber Company, Dixie Theater, Duncan’s Drug Store,
Farmers Hardware, Green Meadows, Guion’s Grocery, Henry B. Edwards, Kleins, Kuhn’s, Leedom’s, Louisville Store, Nimrod Long’s bank, Page Brothers Motor
Company, Parksview Restaurant, Paul Sawyer Salvage Yard, Perry’s Café, Perry’s Drug Store, Red Kap, Sexton House, Standard Oil, Sweet Shoppe, Tastee
Treet, Teen Town, Weaver Welding, Wright’s Department Store
Among those mentioned by name: Carol Andrews, Buddy Angles, Sharon Angles, B.D. Apple, Yvonne Arney, Claire Bailey, Geraldine Bailey, Bobby Ballance,
Delmar Ballance, Herschel Ballance, Jerry Ballance, Mrs. Barker, Joe Beckham, Faye Benson, Becky Bentley, George Blackwell, Mildred Blue, Dudley
‘Doodle’ and Henrietta Richardson Bouldin, Pat and Becky Bouldin, Charlie Bowles, Betty Boyles, Gordon Brown, Norman Bruster, James Bullard, Reta and
Russell Owen Burchett, Rusty Burchett, Eddie Bush, Raymond Byrd, Albert Call, Ruth Carpenter, Jean Carver, Abner Casebier, Linda Clark, Mary Page
Clark, Junior Copeland, Duck Cowherd, James Crosslin, Ann Deaux, Mary Ann DeFrances, Jack Dockins, Dr. C.V. Dodson, Fonzo Douglas, Guy Drake, Jimmy
Driver;
Also Dan Duncan, Ike Duncan, James Henry Duncan, Jackie Dunlap, Nora Edwards, Ralph Embry, Billy Epley, Don Epley, Ruston Flowers, Clay Franklin, Mary
Lucy Franklin, Gwynne Gaddie, Clarence Gamble, Stacy Gamble, Mary Lucy Givens (McCormick),Mickey Gleason, Emily Glenn, Billy Gorrell, Raymond Earl
Graham, Steely Green, Ruby Gunn, Jack Hancock, Dr. Harris, Morris Herndon, Alpheus Hinton, Dr. Jack Holt, Lillian Hutcheson, Marion Hutcheson, Sue
Hutcheson, Roy Jenkins, Harold Jessup, Betsy Johnson, Dorothy Johnson, Larry Johnson, Clara Louise Jones, Reuben Kemp, Larry Kie, Bettye Jo King, David
Leach, Maurice Linton, Nat Love, Buss Luce, Jack and June Lyne, Wayne Marshall, Ed Martin, Wallace Mason, Don McCormick, Bonnie McCredie, Anne
McCutchen, Paul McDougal, Shorty McDougal, Essie McKinney, G.C. McMillen, Guy McMillen, Ralph McPherson, Barbara Milam, James and Clarkie Leedom Milam,
Ms. Mobley, L.G. Monroe, Ralph Morgan, Little Johnny Phillip Morris, Shorty Murphy, John Myers, William Natcher, R.R. Overby, Carl Page, Shotgun Page,
Linda Parrish, Ed Price, Wayne Purvis, Walter Reed, Peaches Reynolds, Perry Riley, Joe Rohrer, Carol Ann Ryan, Paul Sawyer, King Simpson, A.C. Smith,
Rayburn Smith, Lon Sosh, Winky Sosh, Ron Switzer, Shorty Taylor, Monte Temple, Jack Thomas, Claude Tipton, Rufus Turner, E.J. Wells, Lee Wheat, Burr
Wilkins, Hilda Willis, Elizabeth Wilson, George Wilson, Howard Wren and Ewing Wright.
The book Reunion costs $10 and is available from Smith at his service station or at Riley-White Drugs on Park Square in Russellville. Smith’s books
usually sell out. This one likely will be no exception.