Biographies: T. G. "Pick" Milam, 1932, Winn Parish, LA
Submitted by Greggory E. Davies, 120 Ted Price Lane, Winnfield, LA 71483
**********************************************
Copyright.  All rights reserved.
http://usgwarchives.net/copyright.htm
http://usgwarchives.net/la/lafiles.htm
**********************************************


 



From: August 19, 1932 Winn Parish Enterprise or Winnfield News-American

Passing In Review

This Week We Have T. G. "Pick" Milam

by R. W. Oglesby

T. G. Milam, known to every one as Pick Milam, was a favorite citizen of
Winnfield.  He was always in a good humor and had a pleasant word for
everybody.  Being of that turn of mind, he was naturally kind hearted and
considerate of the feelings of others.

His wife died many years before he did but he maintained the home as long as
he lived, that is he slept there, but usually took his meals at the
restaurant.  One hot summer, I think it was in 1918, the city wells gave way,
and for three months right in the hottest weather we had no water.  I sent my
family to Tennessee and I toughed it out.  Pick and I frequently met and had a
meal together.  He was a very compassionate fellow and took things easy. 
Every restaurant except one quit business and so we had no choice for an
eating place.  One day someone was standing in the screen door while we were
eating and the proprietor asked him kindly to close the door as he didn't want
any of his flies to get out.

Pick ran a meat market for years.  He had lots of cattle in the woods and
furnished his own market.  The State Board of Health under the supervision of
Dr. Dowling got very strict in the sanitary requirements and one day Pick came
to me and asked me to write him a hand bill telling his customers that he
would have to close his market until he could comply with the requirements of
the Board.  I fixed him up one which he had printed and distributed.  A short
time afterwards, Dr. Dowling got written up in the Saturday Evening Post and
this hand bill was copied literally in order to show how the people of the
state were responding to Dr. Dowling's cleanup campaign.

Pick was a great ladies' man.  He always had a sweetheart and sometimes two or
three and he was the soul of attention.  He must have been very entertaining
for the ladies seemed to be very fond of him.  We all thought that he could
not long survive in the state of single blessedness, but he always managed to
escape the matrimonial noose and usually wound up with a new girl on the
string.  One day the mail truck drove up to the Post Office loaded down with
mail.  I think it must have had mail order catalogues.  Some bystander asked
the truck driver where he got so much mail and he replied, "Pick Milam is
hearing from his girls."

The only recreation I ever knew him to take was fishing.  It was a familiar
sight to see him and Phil Jackson in the buggy headed for Dugdemonia for a
day's outing.  I do not know whether Pick was a good fisherman or not, but
having gone with Phil to the same stream on a similar mission, I do know if
there was any fish to be had Phil knew how to catch them and the best of all
he knew how to cook them once he got them landed.  All Mr. Milam had to do was
to get Phil to the stream and the fish would be forthcoming.

He and Mrs. Milam were childless, but they took one of her orphan nephews when
he was a small baby and reared and educated him.  Dr. Dewitt Milam of Monroe,
one of the leading doctors of that city, is a living testimonial of the
kindness and fatherly care of T. G. Milam.  No father ever loved a son better
than he did Dewitt, and after all, that is the best test of a man's character. 
It is not what one does for himself that counts, but it is what he does for
others.  He who saves a man saves only one, but he who saves a child saves
many.