As Oakland continues to work toward “normal” again after the Fern Ice Storm of 2026, there are signs of spring in spite of the ice. The tiny yellow blossoms of the forsythia are pushing out, the birds seem extremely happy as they dart through the yards and the days have started warming up. Spring always seems to me a major promise. If Heaven has a season, I’m guessing it might look a lot like a full-blown Southern springtime, without the pollen!
News has come this week that at least two of our Oakland friends have passed away. Kenneth Harper Carvan, age 75, passed away in the early-morning hours of Friday, Feb. 13, at his daughter’s home in Oakland. We knew him as Kenny. He graduated with the Class of 1968, the last senior class before our school consolidated. He is survived by his devoted daughter, Suzanne Carvan Thomas and her husband David of Oakland; his son, Brandon Carvan of Oakland; and his sister, Pat Carvan McGregor of Enid. He was also the proud granddaddy of eight grandchildren and two great-grandchildren.
Susan Caruthers McCammon’s daughter posted that her mom slipped peacefully from this world on Valentine’s Day evening “after a strenuous battle with cancer after losing Dad (Barry McCammon) 2 years ago. The last few days had grown quieter and slower, and today her body finally rested. If you knew her, you knew she was strong-willed, sharp, funny, opinionated, creative, and entirely herself. She loved antiques, peanut M&Ms, old movies, coffee, journals, nutty bars, crocheting, and collecting beautiful things. She was the keeper of our family’s stories and heirlooms. She did life her way.”
Susan and Barry lived in a small town in the Tennessee mountains. Even though she was five or six years younger than I, growing up in a small town and being in the same school, the same church, GA’s, and other activities meant we knew each other in a solid way. She and Barry married the same year and in the same church that James and I did and she never failed to wish me a happy anniversary. Her daughter just sent me and some other Oakland friends a message Susan had recorded for us in December. She told us we had been her circle forever and asked us to continue to grow. She asked us not to forget her. Susan, you will not be forgotten.
I believe there is much magic in small towns because we do all know each other in some capacity. The recent ice storm showed how important “community” is as so many worked to see that all were accounted for and all were helped. My cousin Bradley has recently moved to Oakland and has already experienced that special feeling of Oakland. Welcome, Bradley, we are so happy to have you here!
Bradley is my second cousin, but we share the same birthday, so there is another magical thread between us. In the Ross family, we are either cousins or we’re not. We rarely stop to count what degree of cousin we are. My grandmother, Elise Haraway Ross, however, could figure it up in a matter of seconds. When I graduated high school and was headed to Northwest, she told me to look up George Collins and informed me that he was my eighth cousin! Yes, I did find him and introduced myself. He had also been instructed by his grandfather to seek me out, so he wasn’t surprised to meet me.
A very pleasant Valentine Day’s surprise was finding that Oakland’s Erin Roach and her fiance’ Betron Hamill were featured in a wonderful story in the Columbus (MS) Commercial Dispatch. Love was the theme, as is appropriate for an engaged couple on Valentine’s Day. But, it was also about their love of books and writing. They are now both published authors. His first book is a fantasy and she writes mysteries. Now they are collaborating on a fantasy novel set in an underwater world. Erin has numerous books on Amazon. She is deputy director of the Bob Tyler Fish Hatchery at Enid Lake, which is part of the Mississippi Department of Wildl-ife, Fisheries, and Parks and a wonderful asset to our area.
My “W” friend, Tatia Long Kiser, has a wonderful book review in the Feb. 15 edition of the Clarion Ledger. I read “The Correspondent” by Virginia Evans in the fall of last year and immediately recommended it to my mother, who is a world-class correspondent!
This book got little notice when it came out in April 2025, but by the end of December it was on the New York Times best-seller list due to word of mouth. Tatia said that it hit the No. 1 spot in January and has been nominated for multiple awards. The book centers around a retired law clerk who is an avid letter writer. The letters to all manner of people, from children to family members to favorite authors to random customer service representatives, create the book. Tatia said that “NPR has reported increases in stationery sales in bookstores and the ‘lost art of letter writing’ is now a trending topic.”
Also trending is our May 2 Yalo-Ribbon Festival in Oakland featuring the amazing Danica Hart, formerly of Chapel Hart. If you are vendor, you will want to be a part of this. It promises to be a big event! Contact Sue Donohue Smith at execdir.oakland areachamber@gmail.com or 662-852-1110 to reserve your space.
Now you have books to read, letters to write, people to remember, a date to add to your calendar, and spring on the way. We are halfway through the legislative session and I’ll soon have time to putter in the yard and write a few letters myself.
