Like most people of their generation, Jack and Elaine grew up in farming communities. “We came up the same way which was awful poor. I had just returned from the Korean War, we had mutual friends that fixed us up, and we soon found we had a lot in common. Eventually, we went up to Arkansas to meet her parents, and their farm was just like how I grew up --- there was no electricity, no plumbing,” remembers Jack. “But, we both decided we were going places. Elaine had a job at the bank, and I had a job at the gas company.”
When the two decided to get married, Elaine was determined to marry in a church. “At the time, neither one of us was active in a church, but I insisted on getting married in one – that was really important to me – I didn’t want to go down to the courthouse. Jack found a Baptist preacher that let us use his church and performed the ceremony. I remember to this day him telling us that ‘you’ve got to make up your mind that you’re going to make it…there may be times you might consider murder, but never, ever consider divorce!’” laughs Elaine.
The two lived the motto: work hard, play hard. “I would play softball, and we’d take the kids to the tournaments… we loved ballroom dancing, talking politics, playing games,” said Jack. “We were both used to working hard – she kept stepping up at the bank, and I did well at the gas company. It’s just unbelievable how we got from there to here after all these years.”
One particular pastime that stood the test of time for Jack and Elaine is their garden. “When we moved into a house that had some acreage, it was just natural for us to put in a garden. On the farm, when you had a surplus, you shared with your neighbors, and to this day, we’ve continued that tradition.’’ In fact, according to family members, Jack has been known to stop joggers with an offer of free peaches, and every year they pass along okra, beans, tomatoes, squash, watermelon, cantaloupe, apples, pears and peaches to family and friends.
When asked about their commitment to each other, Elaine takes a moment to gain some perspective. “I think we do our young people a disservice today. I used to read these silly stories where everybody ‘lived happily ever after.’ The truth is you need to be prepared. Overall, our life has been good and happy. Not every day is going to be a glowing day in a relationship, and young people need to know you have to work your way through it. But, I’ll admit, we’ve been fortunate, it’s been a great life for us.”