Letters
Alabama Baby Book
Dear Kay,
On September 7, 1931, cousins Annie and Eva gave a baby book to Clifton Kirkpatrick Meador.
Clifton, being a newborn, probably didn’t think too much about it.
Inside, we meet a baby who has a good feel for where the camera is.
He’s a chunky fella, patient when somebody picks him up.
A cutup most of the rest of the time.
His mother Mabel puts up with a lot, apparently.
His older brother Dan has the aggrieved look of somebody tasked with dealing with his brother.
Clifton finds life endlessly fascinating.
Ninety years later, my dad is exactly the same.
On Saturday, we celebrated Dad’s big birthday in large style, with masks and vaccinations the dress code, and coconut cake for dessert. We presented an under-rehearsed group reading of his poem “Fragments of Cahaba,” about the dead town in Alabama where he spent his earliest years. It was a bit of time travel that took us all back to the place and time when a much-loved baby found his way into the world.
Happy birthday, Dad!
Love,
Ann
Wonderful photos and album, a precious momento and lovely tribute, thanks for sharing Ann! Happy birthday Clifton!
Happy Birthday Dr. Meador. You and I share the same birthday . I hope to accumulate the same number of decades. Congratulations !
What a beautiful tribute for your Dad’s birthday, Ann. Many happy returns to him!
Looks like great genes in your family! Happy birthday, Dad! Thanks for sharing this.
Such a special tribute! My sister and I put childhood and past memory pictures of my father on Facebook for a month before his 90th birthday. It was so much fun,❤️
This may be my favorite of your posts yet, and that’s saying something! What a beautiful story.
Wonderful !! And someone sure did a good job on that Baby Book !
The love that went into making that baby album ❤️
How wonderful youa ll could celebrate with him! What a time(and cake) to savor.. Happy birthday!
Sob! I love this too much! Happy birthday Dr. Meador. Your charm and joie de vivre are proof of the durable benefits of a happy childhood.
Lovely!
What a beautiful gift for him and his descendants – Well looked after by a loving family. Congratulations
So special…. Thank you!
What a gift that you all got to be together! And a gift that you still have your wonderful dad.
Oh I miss babies so much! My youngest grandchild is 7 years old and I wish I had A beautiful baby like your dad to spoil! Happy Birthday Dad! You raised an amazing daughter ❤️
❤❤❤
Lovely reminiscence. I still have the baby book my parents created for me 78 years ago. I must remember to pass it on to my kids….
Just lovely. ❤️ Happy birthday, Clifton!
Happy Birthday to your dad, and thank you for sharing such a lovely, charming tribute!
So wonderful! And congratulations to your whole family.
Wonderful! Thank you so much for sharing this album with all of us. Best wishes to your dad for another wonderful year!
Happy Birthday Clifton! Loved all the pictures of the family, or “our people” as Vaughan would say! Miss being around all of you! His great sense of humor has come down through the generations! Made my day to see this! Thank you Ann
I would like to see the poem.
Happy Birthday, Clifton!
Thank you for letting us share your life and your celebration. We would all love to read your poem about Cahaba, so please convince Ann to share it, too!
I looked for the poem on line and found this wonderful story written by Clifton’s brother.
https://www.vqronline.org/essay/riding-over-past-cahaba-1936
I agree. Please ask your dad to permit you to share his poem with us as well!
Would love to see the poem.
Just lovely. Thank you.
What a lovely tribute!
A very, very happy birthday to Mr. Meador! And that baby book – what a wonderful family memento to still have!
<3. Thanks for sharing with us.
I see the same expressions in that baby face that I see today, especially when you are laughing at the punch line of one of your own jokes! I’m so happy to have been able to hear some of them , even those that made me blush!
A wonderful read to start the day! Happy birthday to him!
Happy birthday to Clifton, and many happy returns!
Love the photos! Happy Birthday Clifton! From a fan in California.
How wonderful! And how lucky to celebrate together.
Here’s to 120!
Such a happy story on a special day for a wonderful person! Thanks for sharing!
So sweet! Those photos look a lot like the ones of my Dad from West Texas at the same age. Just looked at them recently. Thanks for sharing and HB to your dad.
This is beautiful. What a sweet baby and loving family. Happy Birthday to Dr. Meadow . I am making an ‘old fashioned’ photo album for my grandkids and they love to look at the “real” ( their phrase) pictures and not ones on a phone.
Darn spellcheck! I know his name is Dr. Meador.
Happy Birthday Dr. Meador! And many more!
Thanks for sharing!! Your family’s album of pictures reminds me of the black and white pictures of my parents and other family members. My mother was great at keeping most of the family pictures together. My sister and I have the albums my mother kept. The best one is of my mother and her best friend in “flapper dresses”!! Priceless are these treasured memories of days gone by.
Great pictures, Ann! Your dad was a beautiful baby and a handsome little boy. This is such a sweet reminiscence on a milestone burthday of 90 years! Happy birthday to your dad! Wishing him many blessings.
Hi, Ann, It was quite a surprise to read your post this morning. Small world! Your father was a colleague of my husband’s at Vanderbilt and, for a while, served as his personal physician. The Division of Endocrinology was our professional home until retirement in 1997/98. Many happy returns of the day to your dad!
What a wonderful tribute to your dad! I always love to see the the old photos. Let’s see more in 2022.
What a wonderful tribute!
What a lovely post, bravo Ann!
Ann, this is wonderful! What a beautiful tribute. My grandmother (born in 1896) was a great scrapbooker and photo saver. I love these memories your family obviously cherished as well. Happy Birthday Dr. Meador!
or my coices, secretos (lots) in albus , gillyweed, wile e coyote, brittany big double point needles, blocking pins(because mine go walkies when i need them fig soak the knitters bucket bag and the revolution basket for what won’t in the bag!
Thank you for sharing this beautiful album.
Cahaba isn’t dead – it lives on in ghost stories : ) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cahaba,_Alabama
How wonderful to be able to honor your dad with this amazing book of memories!
What a wonderful tribute to your dad, Ann. The love and pride comes shining through!
Ann, this makes my heart so full.
What a joy, all happiness to you Dr. Meador, I so hope that our paths cross one fine day.
Love this post!
I can see by the comments of those who actually know your dad that I’ve missed out on something special. Why don’t you get him to accompany you to Rhinebeck sometime?
Happy Birthday, Clifton!!
Happy Birthday. May there be many more memories accompanied by smiles, laughs and good health. Judy
What a wonderful tribute to your dad! May he enjoy good health and many more years. Happy Birthday, Clifton!!