Uncle Clint

I can't stop smiling. That's the effect Clint Gregory had on people. And
today, as sad as it is that he's gone, I spent the whole day thinking about
him and all of the fun we had.

There were a few guarantees when he was around.

One - you would be teased about something. You never knew about what. But
you would be teased.

Two - there would be laughter. His would be the loudest. And it usually
involved whatever it was that he was teasing you about.

Three - there was always a good supply of Blue Bell ice cream.

And throughout the day, there were other flashes of great memories:

Him making Brandy Icees at Christmas.

One winter we drove to Petersburg for pheasant hunting. We had car trouble
about 45 minutes from their house, and Clint came to get us. I remember that
maroon Buick screeching into the service station to rescue us. That was the
kind of guy he was.

He had this thing with his glasses. He took them off to read. I guess he
needed them for distance. But I always got a kick out of the way he pulled
them off.

There are seven boys in my family. And when we were all around, there was
usually some sort of horseplay and more often than not, Clint was in the
middle of it. There was always a point when we'd go too far, and he'd say
"Now wait just a minute!"

The more fun we had, the louder it was. And the louder it was, the more fun
we had.

And how many times did Clint go to Santa Land? He never complained.

I could go on - there are so many other good memories.

**

I had the great privilege of growing up watching and learning from Uncle
Clint. I was fortunate to go to college at Texas Tech and to see him often.
And I was really lucky the summer before my senior year to live with them on
that great big cotton farm. I learned a lot that summer.

So I won't get to be at the memorial service for him. But I can tell you my
memories of him will last a lifetime.

One thing I know for sure - he's the kind of uncle I hope to be.