HAROLD DENNIS FREEMAN --
MAYOR OF LOGANSPORT
This Post was originally written on Dec. 6, 2007 on the Blog Communicating Life. It is republished here as one of what we hope will be a series of Tributes to living and deceased citizens of Logansport, Louisiana -- Our Town. We invite anyone who wishes to contibute their comments and memories or pictures to Dennis's Page to be part of this effort. Similarly, you are all invited to create new Tribute Pages for others. If you have any difficulty adding your tributes to this Blog, please contact me so I can assist.
Frances J. Freeman
Thursday, December 6, 2007
DENNIS FREEMAN OBITUARY
On the Friday, November 23, 2007, Harold Dennis Freeman passed away. TheShreveport Times account of Dennis' life can be accessed at the link below. Following the link, I have posted an OBITUARY for Dennis written by his youngest daughter Pam. Below the Obituary, I have included some of my memories of Dennis and Katherine and their family. Someone (I believe from the Times has submitted an entry on Dennis to Wikipedia . It can be assessed at:
I invite readers to post their thoughts and memories. I hope many of you will take the time to be a part of this tribute. Just click on the comments tab, and add your memories. If you would prefer to add a full post, just e-mail me, and I will add you to the "authors" for the blog.
OBITUARY FOR HAROLD DENNIS FREEMAN by Pam Freeman
Dennis Freeman of Logansport, Louisiana went to be with our Lord Friday, November 23, 2007, after a heroic battle with cancer. He loved his family so dearly that he fought until the end. Dennis was born the youngest of six boys to Britt Annie and L.L. Freeman in Joaquin, Texas on April 23, 1940. He was preceded in death by his parents and two brothers, J.C. Freeman and Travis Freeman. Along with his family, he most loved God and his church, his town, and the residents of this area.He leaves to cherish his memory his wife of 46 years, Katherine Thomas Freeman, who never left his side, his daughters Susan Simmons and husband Steve of Frisco, Texas, Kathy Alger and husband Billy, and Pam Freeman, all of Logansport. He has five beloved grandchildren who were the light of his life: Bryce, Craig and Aaron Alger, Sean Simmons and Ava Katherine Vowell.He is also survived by his three brothers, Billy Freeman and wife Margaret of Tenaha, Texas, Dale Freeman and wife Vanda of Rockport, Texas, Charles Freeman and wife Francis Ruth of Frisco, Texas. Other survivors are brother-in-law, Norrell Thomas and wife Tommie of San Augustine, Texas, sister-in-law, Barbara Peterson and husband Al of Benton, mother-in-law Mrs. Norrell Thomas of Logansport, and many nieces and nephews. He was a member of First United Methodist Church of Logansport, singing in the choir until he was no longer able.Dennis was a graduate of Northwestern State University and owned Freeman Insurance Agency, working as an independent insurance agent for nearly 40 years. Dennis was a leader throughout his life, working constantly to better his town and community. He served as Mayor of Logansport for 23 years, charter president of the Logansport Lions Club, Logansport Chamber of Commerce, Logansport Development Corporation, and Logansport Athletics Booster Club. He was long-time member of the DeSoto Chamber of Commerce.As Mayor, Dennis was instrumental in securing many grants for water, streets, sewage, parks and local government. He also helped to establish the first fire district in the parish, sponsored local EMT training, which led to the establishment of an ambulance district in the parish. He served as District Vice President of the Louisiana Municipal Association, Vice Chairmen of the Coordinating Development Corporation, board member of the Sabine River Authority, member of the steering committees that helped develop MundyLandfill for DeSoto Parish and the Alternative School Program for DeSoto Parish schools, and was on the Board of Directors for the Bank of Logansport.Just before his death, Dennis was working with the DOTD from Texas and Louisiana to build new bridges and highways between the two states. He was true public servant, Christian, father, husband, and friend to all who knew him. He will be dearly missed by his family, friends and the town of Logansport.Visitation will be held at First United Methodist Church of Logansport Sunday, November 25 from 4:00 to 6:00. Funeral services will be held at the church Monday, November 26 at 3:00 officiating will be KemperSmith. Burial will be at the Logansport City Cemetery. Pallbearers will be Ronald McBride, Larry Bagley, Porter Dowling, Tom Thompson, Mike Parker, King Vidler, John Garmany and Rex Clark. Honorary Pallbearers will be Lewis Bryant, Glen Price, Quinn Dillard, Max LeComte, Ken Hendrickson, Harold Cornett and CurtisMcCune.In lieu of flowers, the family requests that donations be made in his memory to the First United Methodist Church of Logansport, God's Food Pantry of Logansport, the American Cancer Society, or St. Jude Hospital.
Published in the Shreveport Times on 11/25/2007.
Genealogy --
Dennis was the youngest of the six sons of Larnell Lee Freeman and Britt Annie Nunley Freeman. Dennis' maternal grandparents were Jesse C. Nunley and Laura Ann Hobbs Nunley, long-time residents ofLognasport, with many descendants in this area. The Nunleys were from Nunley Mountain and Nunley Cove near McMinville, Tennessee. Their ancestors came from Virginia through North Carolina where they settled among and intermarried with Chreokees. Dennis was at least 1/4 Cherokee.
Dennis' paternal grandparents were Cullen Henry Freeman and Mattie P. Thompson Freeman. His great grandfather, Reuben Benton Freeman was a teacher and a Civil War soldier from Arkansas. After Reuben's death in 1876, his widow, Nancy Caldonia Swinebroad Freeman, joined her brother Andrew JacksonSwinebroad and moved to Shelby County Texas, bringing with her seven children. Nancy's parents were Henry Swinebroad and Elvira Dona Vance Boone Swinebroad. Elvira was the daughter of John Boone, Jr. and the granddaughter of John Boone, Sr. and his wife Rebeca Bryan Boone. John Boone, Sr. was a first cousin of Daniel Boone, and Rebeca Bryan Boone was the Aunt and namesake of Daniel's wife, Rebeca Bryan. Their descendants are doubly related to Daniel Boone and his descendants.
Dennis' older brothers were Travis Lee, Billy Ray, J.C., Verlon Dale, and Charles Cleveland Freeman. J. C. died in 1955 at the age of 23, and Travis in 1964, at the age of 36. His father, L. L. passed away in 1990, at the age of 83; and his mother Britt Annie died in 2005, at the age of 96. Billy passed away in 2012.
FRANCES' MEMORIES --
(These are personal memories, and not intended as an historical statement. They do tell a story of a time, the 1950's and 60's that are long gone.)
My husband Charles was two years older than Dennis. These two youngest of six boys shared a special bond. Not only were they brothers, they were "best friends" for their entire lives. Each influenced the other in many ways. Their temperaments are different, and they didn't always agree about everything, but they always loved each other.
In the days preceding and following Dennis' death, I have spent time going over many memories of my brother-in-law, and his wife Katherine. I first laid eyes on Dennis as he came through the front door of my parents' living room in the early spring of 1957. Richard Pridgin brought Dennis to a party at our home inLogansport, Louisiana. Every girl there did a double take when they strolled in.
In that era, we called a guy that good-looking, "cool." My granddaughter Veronica would call him a "Hottie." His eyes were bluer than Paul Newman's. They were the cerulean hue of a Siamese cat's eyes. He had a shy, slow smile, with a disappearing dimple, sort-of like James Dean. His hair was cut in a flattop, with just enough length in back for his natural curl to give a little duck feather twist. His button down shirt collar was turned up in the back, and over it he wore a dark blue football jacket with a big letter "J" and white leather sleeves. He moved sort of loose and easy, like Ricky Nelson.
Dennis was a junior at Joaquin High School, and a star half-back on the football team. He was an outstanding athlete, lettering in football, basketball, and baseball. He played on District Championship teams in his freshman and junior years. His senior year, he had a hard time. Some of the Joaquin's best linemen had graduated, and players on other teams remembered the long runs Dennis made against them as a junior. They were waiting for him and rang his bell whenever they could. In one game, he suffered a concussion but kept playing. Finally, the referee noticed him wondering off and staggering around between plays. Dennis wasn't quite sure where he was, but he was holding on to the football. Dennis was never a quiter.
For those unfamiliar with the geography of our area, Logansport is the North Louisiana town closest to the Sabine River. When you cross the Sabine, you are in Texas, and Joaquin is the first Texas town. LogansportHigh School and Joaquin High School are less than three miles apart, and those three miles constitute a major romantic highway. Logansport girls and Joaquin boys (and vice verse) have been dating and marrying for generations. I think it's the mystery, the intrigue of the unknown, that contributes to the magnetism. In small schools like Logansport and Joaquin, we know our classmates well, maybe too well. In some ways, our classmates are like siblings. We grow up together; we know each others' secrets. There is no mystery, no surprise, no new grounds for exploration. I mean who wants to date a girl who remembers how you cried and bled when you knocked a tooth out in fourth grade, or a boy who was there when you threw up all over your desk in sixth grade? Who can really feel romantic about a girl who beat you up in the second grade, or a boy who nicknamed you "Freckles" in the third grade? No, for torrid teen romances, strangers are best; and three miles and a state border makes for convenient strangers.
Three months after I met Dennis, the week of my graduation, Richard Pridgin introduced Charles and I. Richard had been trying to hook us up for months, and managed to get us together one day after Charles' girl friend left for the summer, and a week before I left for college. Later that summer, Charles and I fixed Katherine and Dennis up for their first date. Although she was a year younger, Katherine and I had been friends since elementary school. She was one of the prettiest, and certainly the sweetest girl in Logansport.
Charles and I arranged a blind, double-date with Katherine and Dennis. About three o'clock on the afternoon of the big date, Katherine backed out. It seems she had been introduced to Dennis, and after thinking about it, she decided that a "fix-up" wasn't proper since they already knew each other. Under the rules of etiquette operative in the 1950s, Katherine decided it was necessary for Dennis to actually "ask her out." With only hours to spare (since the Drive-In Movie started at 7:30), Charles and I had to coordinate the proper "date arrangements." Charles had to find Dennis, and bring him to the Frosty Shop while I picked up Katherine and delivered her to that location. Gee, life would have been simpler then, if we had cell phones. Anyway, delivering the prospective couple to the rendezvous locale wasn't difficult, but the next step required finesse.
What most people don't know is that Dennis was shy. Now this may seem strange given the talents he demonstrated in the theatre, radio, T.V., and politics, but Dennis could be timid. He could get up in front of a huge audience, and be at ease, but making a first approach in a one-on-one situation -- uh-uh. On this day Dennis' courage was lacking. Charles couldn't persuade him to get out of the car and walk over to our car to ask Katherine for a date. I have always suspected that Dennis believed that if he was patient Katherine would come to him. It had worked that way with other girls, but Dennis really didn't know Katherine.
Katherine had big brown eyes, and magnolia skin. She wore her short brown hair in a duck tail. She was cuter than Sandra Dee; more wholesome than Annette, and in the vernacular of our day "stacked" well, like thatproverbial brick outhouse. Her cheerleader outfit consisted of a flared purple skirt that twirled out when she turned and a white turtleneck sweater with a large purple L in a strategic location. Though Katherine never seemed to realize how pretty she was, everyone else did.
Charles and I went up to the order window at the Frosty Shop (they didn't have drive-through windows then). We conferred. Back in our respective cars, we worked on the reluctant lovers. I persuaded Katherine to go buy us frosted cokes. Charles persuaded Dennis to go buy something. They converged at the window. They chatted. They returned to the respective cars. FAILURE. Dennis didn't pop the question. Katherine returned to the car close to tears, but also a bit angry. She wanted to leave, and I started the car while making faces at Charles.
I still don't know what Charles said to Dennis (or if Dennis just finally realized that Katherine wasn't going to make the first move), but the passenger door to Maggie (Charles' 1952 lilac Studebaker coupe) flew open, and Dennis unfolded (the only way to exit Maggie). He arrived at Katherine's window and tapped. She rolled it down, and in a few seconds their fate was settled. They went on the date, went steady through their senior year, fell in love, and that love lasted through four years of college and 46 years of marriage. The four of us have been together for over fifty years. We became in-laws, part of the same family, united by memories, by love and by blood.
Three years after we met, Dennis enrolled at Northwestern State University where we both majored in speech. He became an instant "star," playing the lead in almost every major theater production. Dr. Edna West, the director of the theater and Chair of the Department, loved him. All the girls (and some of the boys) had crushes on him. He could act, sing, and even dance when necessary. His voice was smooth as silk, and only improved with age. His delivery, his timing, his phrasing became more polished with experience.
Three years after we met, Dennis enrolled at Northwestern State University where we both majored in speech. He became an instant "star," playing the lead in almost every major theater production. Dr. Edna West, the director of the theater and Chair of the Department, loved him. All the girls (and some of the boys) had crushes on him. He could act, sing, and even dance when necessary. His voice was smooth as silk, and only improved with age. His delivery, his timing, his phrasing became more polished with experience.
When Dennis became ill in November, 2007, everyone in the first Methodist Church choir was distraught over their annual Christmas Musical production. Men and women in their forties couldn't remember (or even imagine) anyone except Dennis doing the narration. Logansport has become used to the professional polish which has characterized public events in our town for a quarter of a century. We will all miss the melodious voice that has represented Logansport to the rest of the world. God gave Dennis many talents, and he nurtured and used these for the pleasure and benefit of many people.
Dennis did suffer from one problem from early childhood -- he had bad nightmares. The malady was apparently inherited. His father and his brothers also experienced it. J.C. and Dennis had the most dramatic nightmares. Their bad dreams were considered funny until J.C. died of injuries sustained in a late night fall from a second story window. In their nightmares, the Freeman boys often acted out real events from their lives. One night after a hard football game, Dennis tucked a pillow under his arm, and charged his bedroom wall. The hole where his head and shoulders shattered the sheetrock remained for many years.
When Dennis started college, he was the last of three roommates to arrive, and had to take a top bunk. That night, his roommates were roused by a noise, and turning the lights on, discovered Dennis standing erect on the top bunk walking and talking, sound asleep with his eyes wide open. Demonstrating great wisdom for freshmen, they awakened Dennis and moved him to a bottom bunk.
Katherine always worried about Dennis' nightmares. The first year of their marriage, they lived in a second story apartment, and she tied their ankles together so she would know if he got up in his sleep. Now folks, that is true love.
I was a Junior when Dennis enrolled at Northwestern. We were both majoring in speech, but didn't have classes together. I helped him out in his debate class, and he coached me in a theater course. Radio and T.V. were the areas of our greatest interest overlap. During the summer of 1958, I had a radio show on KDET in Center, Texas. Dennis replaced me when I went back to school.
Katherine was a student at Louisiana Tech in Ruston, when Dennis, Charles and I were at NSU inNatchitoches. Charles and I married before our senior year and then remained another year to complete graduate degrees. During those two years, Katherine frequently came from Ruston to stay with us and see Dennis. On one memorable visit she brought a baby goat. The goat was a present for her younger sister, but Katherine couldn't take it home for a week, and she couldn't keep it in her dorm. Charles and I agreed to keep it in our apartment. Actually, we kept it on the balcony/fire-escape of our apartment. Now, for reasons I can't fully comprehend, some of our neighbors did not find our new pet adorable and appealing. They complained to the housing board, and we received a notice of violation. Fortunately, the notice arrived after the goat departed, and we were able to respond with a most innocent, "What goat?"
After our first daughter, Jackie Lee, was born, Dennis was our emergency babysitter. Dennis had little experience with babies, and Jackie Lee intimidated him. We would hand her off to Dennis as he was coming from class, and we were going to our classes. When Jackie Lee spotted Dennis, she would begin to cry. By the time we handed her off, she would be screaming. Her crying definitely affected Dennis at some visceral level. He just was not used to rejection. One day on our return to the apartment, we overheard Dennis carrying on an earnest conversation with his six-month old niece. "Why do you hate me?" he asked in a forlorn tone. "I've never hurt you. Why don't you like me?"
While we worked on Masters' degrees, Charles coached and taught at St. Mary's High School in Natchitoches. As always, if Charles was involved in something, Dennis got dragged in. Dennis became the assistant coach. This was good because Dennis played more basketball than Charles. Many evening and weekends, our apartment was full of St. Mary's students dropping by to visit or watch a game on T.V. with Charles and Dennis. Of course we all went to St. Mary's games. Jackie Lee loved it. The players and cheerleaders spoiled her rotten. As basketball coaches, the proudest moment for Charles and Dennis came when St. Mary's played Joaquin. The St. Mary's Tigers took the Joaquin Rams, and Charles and Dennis triumphed over their high school coach.
After basketball season ended, Charles and Dennis took on an even more challenging coaching job. They coached the girls for a "Powder Puff" game to raise money for the school. Charles likes to say that he may be the only Coach alive who can say his quarterback became a nun.
Katherine was a bridesmaid and Dennis was a groomsman at our wedding, but Charles and I were absent from their wedding. They were married in January of 1962, shortly after the birth of our second daughter Denise. Denise was named for Dennis (a small reward for all that baby sitting), but her arrival kept us from his wedding. The wedding took place just after Katherine's graduation from Tech. They made their first home in Natchitoches where Katherine took a job until Dennis could finish his degree. I believe she worked for a lawyer.
To understand our lives during those college years, you have to understand we were poor, and I mean pooorrr in 1960s pre-inflation dollars. We collected coke bottles and redeemed them for money to go to a movie. When we shared a dinner with another couple, one of us cooked dried beans, and the other supplied the cornbread. Charles and Dennis worked at a variety of jobs from security to dishwashing. The security job was great because we could go to the Drive-In free if Charles wore his uniform. For recreation, we would go to Cane River or Black Lake to swim and boat or fish. My Dad had a camp on Black Lake, and we stayed there. The cabin stood on stilts almost 20 feet off the ground to protect the rooms from flooding. One time we traveled all the way to Galveston and camped out on a beach. We were poor, but we were young and we had a lot of fun.
My brother Jacky and Charles and Dennis' cousin Harlan were also students at Northwestern, and we were often together. Harlan was Charles' age, but he did a stint in the military before college, so he and Dennis were in the same class. Harlan was one of the roommates who decided to give Dennis a bottom bunk. Harlan's brother Cornell was at Tech with Katherine and the brothers and Katherine and Dennis sometimes traveled between the schools together.
After college, Dennis' first professional employment was as a producer on a local T.V. station in Beaumont. He was good at the job, but soon learned that there was little money to be made in the lower echelons of local T.V. There were just too many eager young graduates waiting in line for glamorous jobs in television. Most would work for peanuts just to be "in television." Of course, you have to remember that in the early 1960s most shows were still in black and white, and only larger cities had more than one T.V. channel. Within a few years, Dennis abandoned the glamor of television for a better paying, if more mundane, career in insurance. First, he was an insurance adjuster and then he became an independent insurance agent.
When Katherine and Dennis and baby Susan moved from Beaumont, they stayed for a while with Charles and I in Shreveport. Their timing was great because I contracted mumps from one of my students, and Katherine took care of my family while I was sick. But then that's Katherine -- always there when you need her most.
For a couple of years, we were neighbors in Shreveport. Our girls went to the Montessori School where Katherine was a teacher. We were together a lot during this time. Then Dennis and Katherine moved to Tallulah in northeast Louisiana. They were living there when their second daughter Kathy was born. Kathy was still only a baby when the family made their last move back to their hometown. They were living in Logansport when their youngest daughter Pam was born.
The four of us had five Freeman daughters, which greatly delighted Nanny (Charles and Dennis' mother). After six boys she was ready for granddaughters. Our two, Jackie Lee and Denise were older, but only by a few months. Denise and Susan were in the same class in school, and graduated together. Our five little Freeman girls were like stair-steps with a strong family resemblence. When they were young and I took all five out in public without Katherine, people looked at me with a mixture of pity and horror.
Over the years, we have had the great joy of special relationships with each of Dennis and Katherine's girls. In many ways Charles and I think of Susan, Kathy, and Pam as shared daughters rather than nieces. I know my girls will always have a special love for their Aunt Katherine and Uncle Dennis. Quite naturally, our grandchildren have also been close. Patrick, Carlos, Craig, Sean and Sarah are close in age, and good buddies (at least most of the time). Veronica and Bryce, the two oldest, helped parent their younger siblings, and are alike in many ways. Katherine and Dennis have been generous in sharing their "babies," Ava and Aaron, with us. These little ones were the great joy of Dennis' last years, and leaving them was his greatest regret.
At his death, Dennis had been Mayor of Logansport for 23 years. No other mayor lasted half that time. Before Dennis, our town had a reputation for being hard on Mayors. A couple were elected for two terms, but none for more. Those who served two terms weren't usually elected back-to-back, but were voted out and then reelected when their successor was voted out. Logansporters tended to vote against someone rather than for someone when electing mayors.
I cann't tell you how or why Dennis' tenure was differed from the pattern of the past. Logansport had some good Mayors before Dennis, but none enjoyed his longevity. From his first term, Dennis always declared he wasn't going to run again; but each time he changed his mind. As the next election approached Dennis realized he had important and unfinished projects that he just had to complete for the sake of his town. I can imagine Dennis entering the Pearly Gates still trying to explain to St. Peter that he needs just a little more time to finish the interstate highways and the new bridges.
I'm glad Katherine will be finishing his last term as Mayor. She knows how much these projects meant to Dennis, and she will carry their work forward. Katherine will be the first woman Mayor of Logansport, and mark my word, she will also be its best-loved. Even the best politicians have a few enemies (some have more than a few), but Katherine has none. For any reader who doesn't know Katherine, try to imagine Melanie fromGone With the Wind as a first grade teacher who loves every child. That's Katherine. To paraphrase Rhett, she is the most genuinely kind and good person I have ever known.
I can write this only because the reality of our loss has not fully registered. Dennis has been such an important part of our lives for so long, it is impossible to conceive of life without him. The finalilty of our parting will dawn gradually as we are stronger and better able to sustain the loss. In the meantime, I have hopes of encouraging others to share their memories of Dennis. Together, we can create something that will comfort Katherine, Susan, Kathy and Pam. Equally important, we can share our memories with Ava and Aaron so they can come to know the grandfather who loved them so much. May God bless you all.
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MEMORIES SUBMITTED BY FRIENDS
From CHRISTOPHER J. TAYLOR, Commander US Navy (Dec. 10, 2007)
Please, if you would pass my condolences to Mrs. Freeman and Susan on the death of Mr. Freeman. I was friends with Susan in high school and visited their home on several occasions. I only just now learned of his passing while scanning the internet for items on Shelby County, and Joaquin, were I grew up. Mrs. Freeman was, and I am sure still is, one of the kindest and sweetest women I have ever had the pleasure to meet, and though I think one night he was about ready to beat me up when I drove by their house way too late :-), Mr. Freeman made a big impression on me as both a gentleman and man of intelligence. His image of success helped me along quite a bit as I made my own career. I am sure he did his best to help Logansport and the area during his years as mayor and is very much missed by the whole community.
Sincerely, Christopher J. Taylor, Commander US Navy
Sincerely, Christopher J. Taylor, Commander US Navy
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