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Jeff Dorris

Deliberations from Dorris

Jeff Dorris is the Editor of the Delta Dunklin Democrat

Editorial

Littell

Saturday, September 10, 2022

My first introduction to Mark Littell was through a phone call.

An article written about the alleged demise of Kennett, titled A Dying Town, had been published in an issue of The Chronicle of Higher Education.

I had written a rebuttal to that article in the DDD spotlighting the positives of our area.

I commented on the fine schools, churches, and mostly, the people.

I received a phone call from Mark the following week, thanking me for the article, and sharing his thoughts and memories of the Bootheel.

From that call, sprang a friendship that lasted until Mark’s passing on Monday.

There will be many tribute articles written about him.

They’ll talk of his time with the Cardinals and the Royals.

They’ll list all his statistics. But he wasn’t about statistics.

In fact in an interview I held with him in 2018 he said, “I’m not real fond of reading sports books. There all statistics and what everybody thinks from a sportswriter’s view. Mine’s a story.”

A story about a young man from Gideon, Missouri who made it to the big leagues.

He loved his hometown and the area he grew up in.

In that same interview he shared, “I love the Bootheel. I know it’s changed, but when people talk about lack of education, I’ll tell you what. Look at some of the people that have come out of there. Brilliant people.”

He continued, “Jerry Caulder is coined the Father of Agricultural Bio-Technology, and is from Gideon. Jason Bean is a fifth generation farmer from Holcomb. Jackie Baker-Kellum has three Master’s degrees and is an artist. Porter Waggoner graduated from Gideon. Conway Twitty picked cotton out east of Gideon and performed in the local juke joints.”

Littell loved the Bootheel and returned often.

When I asked him to speak at the Kennett Chamber of Commerce Banquet he didn’t hesitate.

He came home.

Many will remember Mark for his baseball career and his humorous books written on the sport.

I’ll remember him as a boy from the Bootheel who defended and praised his hometown area throughout his life.

Thank you for that Mark.

See you out there.

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