Read Dear Hank Williams Online
Authors: Kimberly Willis Holt
Dear Hank Williams (15 page)
The war began in 1939, brought on by Adolf Hitler's Poland invasion. It ended in 1945 with the defeat of Nazi Germany and Japan. Even though
Dear Hank Williams
begins three years later, Tate's young life would have been touched by this war since she was two when it started and eight years old when it ended.
Fear and prejudices ran rampant after the war. When I read the
Alexandria Town Talk
from the late 1940s, I came across a lot of articles about the “Reds.” Communists were referred to as Reds because of their loyalty to the red Soviet flag. During this time period, people were afraid of what they thought Communists might do. It became known as the Red Scare. When Tate and Frog pretended to be “looking for some Reds,” it was a result of this fear.
Wartime and Postwar Pen Pals.
The pen pal element in the story was inspired by my aunt Barbara's mention of her third-grade teacher arranging for her students to write to Japanese students after the war. Through research, I discovered that during World War II and afterward, some innovative educators around America connected their students with young people living in war-torn countries. One Iowa teacher collected names and addresses of students while on a trip to Europe in the summer of 1939; two of the names were Margot and her sister, Anne Frank. Two Iowa sisters wrote the Franks. They received one reply before the war began and the Franks went into hiding. Since the
Diary of Anne Frank
was one of my favorite books, I was fascinated by this discovery. With that exception of this pen pal experience, I couldn't validate how other educators found the international students. However, I found articles about the rich relationships that formed because of them.
Some relationships lasted decades, sometimes resulting in eventual face-to-face meetings. These pen pal relationships seemed to bridge gaps and heal cultural differences. I hope Tate's classmates' letters from Japan and Tate's eventual choice to write Keiko show this impact.
Radio Days.
When I was a young child, living in France, my family didn't have a television. We listened to American shows on the military radio broadcasts. This was in the mid-1960s when most families owned a television. I'm grateful for that experience because now I know what it was like for families between the 1930s and 1950s when radio was the main source of entertainment in American households. Tate's family, like most families around the country, could be found in the evenings listening to popular shows such as the
Louisiana Hayride
and the
Grand Ole Opry
. The radio also broadcast the local and national news, including the president's addresses to the country.
Louisiana Hayride.
When I was a girl I heard my parents and grandparents mention listening to the
Louisiana Hayride.
It was a radio show that showcased country music. Because of my family's Louisiana roots I always wanted to do a story that included the
Louisiana Hayride
. The venue had a live audience and was broadcast by KWKH from the Shreveport Municipal Auditorium. The first show was broadcast April 3, 1948. Many famous musicians and singers, including Hank Williams, Elvis Presley, and Jerry Lee Lewis, performed there.
Hank Williams.
When I found out that Hank Williams was a regular performer at the
Louisiana Hayride
during the same time period I planned to write about, I decided to make him part of Tate's story. Although they never meet, I needed to know about his career, especially the time he spent in Louisiana.
Hank Williams was born on September 17, 1923, in Mount Olive, Alabama. He arrived in Shreveport in August 1948, barely known. During his time there, he was a regular on the
Louisiana Hayride
. In December he recorded “Lovesick Blues”; it was released in February 1949 and by March the hit song had rocketed Hank Williams to fame. A few months later his dream had come trueâhe was invited to be a regular on the
Grand Ole Opry
in Nashville. The
Grand Ole Opry
was similar to the
Louisiana Hayride
but with a larger broadcast area.
The Goree All Girl String Band.
Years before I created Tate's story, I read a
Texas Monthly
article by Skip Hollandsworth called “O Sister, Where Art Thou?” It was about the Goree All Girl String Band. I never forgot Hollandsworth's article. It was the first seed of inspiration for Tate's story.
Goree State Farm was a prison for women in Huntsville, Texas. In 1940, a group of women prisoners from Goree formed a band. Their first performance was on a Fort Worth radio station, WBAP's
Thirty Minutes Behind the Walls
, a show broadcast from the men's prison in Huntsville and heard across the country. The Goree Girls, their popular name, gathered quite a following, receiving fan mail from all around the broadcast area. The Goree Girls were still enjoying a great popularity during the late 1940s when Tate's story takes place.
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Places have always served as powerful touchstones for my work. When I thought I'd lost the love for writing, a place proved that I was wrong. My grandfather had recently moved out of his home and into the Louisiana War Veterans Home when I asked if I could stay at his house and write. He graciously nodded and said, “Yes.” I'm thankful to him for that because the first day there I was reminded of the good fortune I have to be born into a family of storytellers. I owed it to them to write my stories.
Two important seeds sprouted this story: Skip Hollandsworth's fine
Texas Monthly
article “O Sister, Where Art Thou?” about a women's prison singing group and a visit to Butters Cemetery. From my grandparents' graves I looked across the road at Pat Tarpley's house and thought,
I wonder what it's like to live across from a small town cemetery.
My aunt Barbara Larisey shared two important details that contributed to
Dear Hank Williams:
the Camp Claiborne soldiers who marched in front of her home during World War II and the teacher who arranged for her class to have Japanese pen pals after the war ended.
Dr. Miki Crawford, author of
Japanese War Brides in America: An Oral History
, answered my questions, and her book gave me a close-up view of what it must be like to have to acclimate to a postwar culture.
My mother, Brenda Willis, and my daughter, Shannon Holt, listened to my first draft via phone. I appreciate their early encouragement for Tate's journey. I'm grateful for my dad, Ray Willis, who helped me with technical details in a pivotal scene.
Lois “Sug” Grant enthusiastically read a late draft and made suggestions. Since she is an expert on the charms of central Louisiana, I welcomed and took them.
Over the years, many early drafts of various stories have been read by Charlotte Goebel, Jennifer Archer, Kathi Appelt, Jeanette Ingold, Rebecca Kai Dotlich, and Lola Schaefer. I appreciate and admire these women. Thank you for always telling me the truth.
Amy Berkower liked this story from the first draft she read, and when a writer learns her agent likes her work, she skips around the house in a daze for a while. I'm forever grateful for her support.
I've been publishing for seventeen years with Henry Holt and Company. Each of my books has had the keen attention of managing editor George Wen. He's left the Holt nest now, but I will always appreciate his loving care of my work.
When I visit schools I explain to students that an editor is a teacher. I've been a lucky student because Christy Ottaviano has been my teacher for almost twenty years. She has the sixth sense to know a writer's potential and the talent to help her reach it. Thank you, C.O.
And as always, I'm thankful for Jerry, who twenty years ago, said, “Write.”
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Kimberly Willis Holt
is the author of many acclaimed novels, including
The Water Seeker
,
My Louisiana Sky
, and
When Zachary Beaver Came to Town
, winner of the National Book Award for Young People's Literature. She is also the author of the popular Piper Reed chapter book series and several picture books. Holt was born in Pensacola, Florida, and has lived all over the world, from Paris to Norfolk to Guam to New Orleans. Seven generations of Holt's family are from central Louisiana, where
Dear Hank Williams
is set. She now resides in Texas with her family.
kimberlywillisholt.com
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Contents
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Copyright © 2015 by Kimberly Willis Holt
Christy Ottaviano Books
Henry Holt and Company, LLC
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The Library of Congress has cataloged the print edition as follows:
Holt, Kimberly Willis.
Dear Hank Williams / Kimberly Willis Holt. â First edition.