msmith

One of the quotes that’s stayed with many of us who saw Bill Moyers’ Emmy-award winning documentary “Marshall, Texas, Marshall, Texas” in 1984 was that Marshall was a place where they knew when you were sick and cared when you died. (The other was that Miss Selma Brotze was the Bear Bryant of senior English, and local sentiment was that he likely wasn’t that tough. I’m not joking – she wouldn’t give my mother an extension on a paper when she had an emergency appendectomy – and she was my grandparents’ next-door neighbor).

I was reminded of that last week when Louis Kariel’s family’s last stop after the funeral – after having lunch at Neely’s of course – was at the old shoe store to take a family photo at the old Hub that’s marked their family’s business since 1897, draped for the services with Louis’ portrait. We gave a lot of tours to visiting family during the week – they’d always heard of “the Hub”, but some had never been there before it closed in 2001 after a 104 year run. So we had more tourists on the sidewalk taking pictures during the week than you’d think.

As many readers know, our firm’s offices occupy the Hub, but we deliberately left the side that’s used by visiting lawyers with Hub memorabilia to tell the story of one of Marshall’s most prominent mercantile families and give visitors tours often. (We are offended if you don’t take a Hub coffee mug when you go). Last week we were very glad to be able to share that history with some of Louis’ family and friends, because, as Joe Goulden told Billy Don back in 1984 – we really do know when you’re sick and care when you die.