News, Citizen Profile, Edna Cook Wilson, LaSalle Parish, La. ********************************************** Copyright. All rights reserved. http://usgwarchives.net/copyright.htm http://usgwarchives.net/la/lafiles.htm ********************************************** Submitted by: Craig Franklin of The Jena Times, Jena, LaSalle Parish, La. Wednesday, November 1, 2000, page 15A A Times-Signal Feature "Citizen Profile" A Very Special Salute You'd never guess the age of this Urania lady This week's Citizen Profile celebrated her 90th birthday this past summer - but you'd never guess her age in a million years. She is one of the most active 90 year old's in America and she's proud to call Urania "home." "I've lived here all my life, in one part of Urania or another," said Mrs. Edna Mary Cook Wilson, "Now, I love to travel and I've been a lot of places and still go, but Urania is and always will be home. "Mrs. Wilson was born on July 4, 1910, in Urania to John and Mary Ann Pilcher Cook. Mr. Cook worked at the Urania Lumber Company, and Mrs. Wilson was the seventh child of eight children (two of the children died as infants). When Mrs. Wilson was three years old, her father passed away, leaving her mother to finish raising all the children. While her daddy did leave an insurance policy to help with income, her mother still had to take on work to help bring in money for the family. "Mama would wash for people and she pieced and quilted quilts for people also," she said. "Not too long after my dad died, my oldest brother went to work at the mill, even though he wasn't that very old. "The family home at that time was located near Castor Creek, about two miles from Urania. Mrs. Wilson remembers well the many days all the children had to walk to Urania High School, where they attended school. When she was around seven years old, the family moved to Franklin Parish, where they made two crops. The trip to Franklin Parish, while it takes just about an hour today, took four days by horse and covered wagon. It took one day just to get to Bank Springs, where they stopped for the night. After the second crop, the family moved back to Urania, this time leaving right beside the school. "When we moved into town, I was about 13 years old and the town didn't have electricity," she said. "It wasn't until I was about 16 that the lumber company got a generator, which provided electricity to the town. They'd keep the lights on until 9 p.m., and then they'd cut off the generator. "Also when she was 13, Mrs. Wilson was baptized in a pond in Urania, by the Urania Baptist Church. "The church in Urania started out as a Baptist church and a Methodist church together," she said. "It was what was called a Union Church, and we'd have a preacher come in once a month to preach. One month it would be a Baptist preacher and the next month would be a Methodist preacher. On the Sunday's we didn't have a preacher, we'd still meet and have Sunday School. But everyone went to every service. The Methodist went when the Baptist preacher was there and the Baptist went when the Methodist preacher was there. "When Mrs. Wilson was in the Baptist Young People Union (BYPU), the members who were Baptist decided to build their own church building and called upon all of its members to help raise money for the new church building. Young people in the BYPU decided to join in, and the girls of the group, including Mrs. Wilson, pledged a quarter a week toward buying nails. Mrs. Wilson said she thought that her mother would give her the quarter each week for her pledge, but soon learned that her mother had no intentions what-so- ever of giving her the money. So she and the other girls, had to work hard to raise the quarter a week. They did this by selling pop corn balls for a nickel a ball. Mrs. Wilson says that the BYPU was a great part of the Baptist church back then, but no longer exist in today's Baptist churches. "They don't have them anymore," she said. "I guess it wasn't good enough. Seems like things of old are never good enough these days. "As young people, Mrs. Wilson remembers very well the fun they used to have playing games which are unrecognizable for today's youth. "Oh, we'd play ball, 2-eyed and 1-eyed cats, mumble peg, marbles, hail over, hopscotch, and swing on the vines in the woods," she said. "Most kids had to work and didn't have much time for playing though. "Mrs. Wilson said that her family was no different than anyone else's. "We'd all have our chores to do each day," she said. "We'd have to get up and start the fire in the cook stove, cut wood, wash clothes on the old rub board and starch/iron clothes. Everybody had something to do. "In 1928 Mrs. Wilson graduated from Urania High School. She went to Alexandria for a short time, to train to be a nurse at the Baptist Hospital. But after three months, she returned home knowing that nursing was not the field she wanted to be in. She took a job at the Urania hotel, and it was there that she would meet her future husband. "I'd met him at the hotel, but I'd seen him before that," she said. "His aunt told me he'd seen me pass and he said that was the woman he'd marry . . . and he did. "His name was Willie Lee Wilson. Although he was originally from Mississippi, he came to Urania to live with his aunt while he took a job working in the oil fields. The two began dating and it was as close to love at first sight as there can be. "We'd mostly just run around on our dates," Mrs. Wilson said. "We'd stay home a lot or just ride around the country and see things. "Just as her birthday is on a holiday, Mrs. Wilson's wedding day was also on a holiday as well. The two were married on February 14, 1931 in Urania. The lived with his aunt in Urania for about two months, until they moved into an oil field house in Urania. They would move again later on to another oil field house, and then again in 1942 to the "other side of the tracks", (or the east side of Urania) in yet another oil field house. In 1948 they moved into yet another oil field house until they finally got a company house. Mrs. Wilson moved into the house she lives in today in 1968, after her husband passed away. While she may have lived in many different houses, Urania was always home. The Wilson's had six children during all this time, with one of those babies being still born. "I have room in my heart for all of them, I don't have any favorites," she said. Mrs. Wilson's children remembers their mother as a disciplinarian, noting "She was very strict. If we went through a day without getting a whipping with a switch, we thought we were something. "In January of 1968, after 37 years of marriage, Mr. Willie passed away. He'd just retired from the oil field just three years earlier. When asked what kind of advice she would give go married couples, Mrs. Wilson started off by saying "it has to be 50-50. Give 50 and take 50. "However, after stopping and thinking for just a moment, she said, "It doesn't matter. They're (married couples) not going to listen to you anyway. "She also said that even though people like to gripe about the young people today, the real cause of their actions lies at the feet of their parents. "I know a lot of people think that kids today are awful," Mrs. Wilson said, "but that is just how they are being raised up." But not all young people are bad, according to Mrs. Wilson. There are many of them that are good, including her 15 grandchildren and 27 great-grandchildren. "I love my children and grandchildren," she said. "I appreciate every precious moment I get to spend with them. "But her family are not the only ones that are dear to Mrs. Wilson's heart. "Most of my old friends are no longer here," she said, "but I've got dozens and dozens of people who also call me 'granny'. "After her husband died in 1968, Mrs. Wilson worked at the Olla Burger Barn and then at the Urania Cafe, until it burned down. She then traded in her working shoes for traveling ones, and she has yet to take them off. "Since my husband died, I've traveled a good bit," she said. "I've been along all the coast lines, all over the U.S. except right up the middle. My family has taken me on many trip all over and I like to stay on the go." "When somebody gets ready to go somewhere - I'll be ready," she said. Her hobbies today include crocheting, cutting quilts, and fishing, with fishing ranking as her number one, all-time favorite thing to do. "I love to go fishing," she said. "I'll go to one of my daughter's camp and we'll fish until 2 or 3 in the morning. "If someone thinks that getting older means getting out the rocking chair, then you have to meet Mrs. Wilson. She couldn't even sit still through the 30 minute interview without getting up several times for one thing or another. "I just can't sit still," she said. "I have to keep busy doing something. That's the reason I took up crocheting, so it would at least give me something to do while sitting to help pass the time away. And I didn't start doing that until I was over 70 years old. "Another one of Mrs. Wilson's hobbies is collecting things - anything, everything, all things. Her house is filled many pictures of her family, with all sorts of nicknacks of every imaginable type, and souvenirs from Puerto Rico, Alaska, England, Hong Kong, Hawaii, Scotland, and other places. In fact, she's got so many souvenirs she doesn't even know how many or where they are all from. "Anytime someone goes somewhere, they bring me back something to add to my collection," she said. "They (family) gripe about all the stuff in my house and nobody wants to live here except me." "When I die, they can take it all out and burn it," she said. "But they can't touch it while I'm still around." Her prize collector item though is one of her newest editions to her house. At her 90th birthday celebration, her family gave her a quilt. Not just any quilt, but a quilt pieced together with pictures of her family, old photos and new ones, and important dates and family members signatures with loving messages to her. It is her most cherished memento. "I wouldn't take a million dollars for it and I don't have enough money to take you out to dinner," Mrs. Wilson said. Through it all, Mrs. Wilson says that she has had a great life and the Lord has blessed her in so many ways. "I've had a wonderful life," she said. "The Lord has blessed me with good health and I'm just so happy that I can still get up and go when I want to. I'm thankful for my health, my children and my friends." And Mrs. Wilson is loved by her family and friends as well. Perhaps not a day goes by that a family member or friend isn't stopping by or calling to check on their "Granny". So if you're looking for fishing partner the next time you head to the river or lake, call Mrs. Wilson. She's always ready to go. And if you take a trip somewhere, bring something back for her as well. There is always room for one more souvenir. This week we salute Mrs. Edna Wilson, for showing us that age truly is a state of mind . . . and judging by her life, she just turned 30. (Caption under photo) YOU'LL NEVER GUESS the age of this week's Citizen Profile by watching her life. She is one of the most active 90 year-olds in America and is always ready to go anywhere anyone will take her. Read about the exciting life of Mrs. Edna Wilson, a woman who loves to travel but has a heart for her hometown of Urania. (See story.)