People Die or Change

A couple of years ago Anna gave me for Christmas a Arcadia Press book of pictures of Cobb County of days gone by. The above picture came from the book. It is a picture of Fisherman’s Grill Little League Team. The other day I was looking at it. The second kid on the left is/was Perry Parham. His father is the adult coach on the far right. Perry was about as good as you can get baseball player for his age. Perry played the first two seasons the Little League organization was in Marietta. So, did I, if you call sitting on the bench playing. I was on Southern Discount Team.

Perry was ran over and killed by a car. It was just at sundown. The accident was not far from where I lived and I remember seeing his blood all over the street after he was rushed to the hospital. Later, at the funeral home I came a little before other people came and sat with Perry alone. It was the first time I had to deal with someone my old age being dead and laid out in front of me.

The Little League field was named The Perry Parham Memorial Field.

After Perry’s older brother graduated from high school the family split up and they went their separate ways.

Yesterday, while emailing Marietta old trivia back and forth with an old friend John that I have known since the 8th grade in one he told me he was on Fisherman Grill Team with Perry Parham and his father.

I got out the picture and could not recognize John at such a young age, and sent him a copy of the picture asked which one was he… and he told me he was in the front center sitting next to Harry H. Harry was very easily recognizable and looks almost the same as he does today. And once John pointed himself out he looked just like the John I know, only a miniature version.