I took this picture in the early 1980s. The person speaking is the infamous J.B. Stoner. J.B. was a lawyer and professionally racist. He used the "N" word whenever he had an audience.
J.B. Stoner was born in Chattanooga. One time he spent time in prison for having a hand in the bombing of a black church in Alabama.
His office and living quarters were in a little house in downtown Marietta. One time a co-worker, black, asked me to pick up his J.B.'s garbage and bring it to work, so some may look at it. I declined. That would be an invasion of the man's privacy.
James Earl Ray's brother was his body guard.
He also published a racist publication called "The Thunderbolt" which looked like it was published by a ten year old.
J.B. died a few years ago in a rest home in Chattanooga.
When I transfered to Marietta I found out that a black carrier by the name of Prather Hunter was J.B.'s mailman. I heard they didn't get alone too well. Prather died early this year. Maybe now J.B. and Prather are floating on a hear-after cloud having a big laugh over it all.
The next guy over in the picture is Congressman Dr. Larry McDonald. The John Birch Society was a big backer of the doctor. From what I knew of him he seemed to survive on people's fears and was known to do some underhanded things while running for office. He was always preaching against communism.
His official address was on the same road as my mother-in-law lived on. But he didn't live where his address was, a dentist lived there at the time. I think he used his dentist friend's address as his so he could be in the wealthy district.
Ironically, he used the communist as a scare tactic and they are the ones who killed him, accidentally. He was on one of his fact finding trips and the plane crossed over North Korea's air space and his airline plane was blasted ut of the sky.
The third person was a right winger politician also. I forgot his name.
I didn't realize it when I took the shot but look behind J.B. Stoner's head. There is a sign for Eddie's Trick Shop. And that is what all three of these right wingers specialized in: Trickery.
4 comments:
A fantastic picture. I think Stoner was a KKK leader. Yes??? (among other things)…KAL 007 was a strange case. I have a book about it by Seymour Hersch (who broke the My Lai and Abu Gharab stories). Those guys look like the men from Glad. Mississippi had its own set of weirdos in the 70’s, and of course the most famous from Louisiana was David Duke.
Steve,
I remember David Duke, the gentlemanly red-neck.. very soft spoken and carried a big stick.
I think David Duke was the first one, years ago, to push for a border patrol.
I don't recall Stoner being a KKK member, he might have, I just don't recollect it. I would think, being a lawyer, KKK members were his biggest clientele.
oooh, nicely done with the Trick store and tricksters.
Suzanne,
I wish I could claim credit for planning ahead on that.
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