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Weekly Newspaper and Travel Guide
for Pecos Country
of West Texas
Opinion
Friday, December 3, 2010
Sage Views
By Smokey Briggs
So long,
Johnny
I write this with a sad heart.
I learned this morning that my friend Johnny Mauldin died Tuesday night.
I met Johnny in January 1999. I was the brand new publisher of the Pecos Enterprise, and had escaped the office for a walk and a breath of fresh air.
My wife Laura, and our new baby, Ruby, were still in Lubbock, packing the household, so I was lonely.
My walk took me down Oak Street in downtown Pecos.
The sign painted on the glass read Mauldin’s Boot Shop.
I stuck my head in the door and was greeted with, “Howdy, what can I do for you?” by a man behind a workbench working a piece of leather.
The shop was dusty and cluttered and smelled of leather and such. Saddles, boots and about anything you can imagine that could be made of leather littered the place — most in one state of disrepair or another.
I introduced myself and eleven years of conversation began.
Johnny Mauldin was a class act. He was compassionate and quietly strong. His handshake told of a lifetime of work.
He could tell a good joke, listen patiently, and add to any topic of conversation.
There was wisdom in his words when we spoke of serious matters — the wisdom of common sense and hard work and life.
I don’t know how many times I stuck my head in the door and passed a few minutes, or an hour, talking over everything from the problems of the world to bow hunting. Usually, before I left, I might hear about his grandchildren.
He was fascinating — a link to the history of the West — a man who had trapped for fur, hunted, cowboy’d, and worked the oilfield, among other things.
He was also a musician, and Lori and I have danced more than a few dances to the sound of his voice and guitar. I will never hear the song “Fraulein” without thinking of Johnny.
He was a craftsman too. He made the belt I’m wearing today. It was one of the first things I replaced after our house caught fire.
I own holsters and scabbards and belts all stamped with his stamp.
He never did charge enough for his work. Every time I paid him for something I felt like I was cheating him. I told him so more than once, but he just smiled and said we were square.
My oldest girls, Ruby and Carson, thought the world of him, and you cannot fool kids.
Often Johnny had a rose for them on Valentine’s Day.
I never saw him in a cross mood, and truthfully, I never heard anybody speak ill of him. In my business, that is unusual.
He always greeted me with a genuine smile, and a twinkle in his eye.
I am really going to miss him.
EDITOR'S NOTE: Smokey Briggs is the editor and publisher of the Pecos Enterprise. he can be emailed at: smokey@pecos.net
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Pecos Enterprise
York M. "Smokey" Briggs, Publisher
324 S. Cedar St., Pecos, TX 79772
Phone 432-445-5475, FAX 432-445-4321
e-mail news@pecos.net
Associated Press text, photo, graphic, audio and/or video material shall not be published, broadcast, rewritten for broadcast or publication or redistributed directly or indirectly in any medium.
Copyright 2003-04 by Pecos Enterprise
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