I was on the phone with my Aunt Elaine – the person who once ran Golden Past Antiques in New Hampshire – and I talked to her about my upcoming trip to San Antonio to photograph the solar eclipse.
She mentioned to me that I actually have extended family in San Antonio. And in explaining it … she also let me in on a little story involving my Grandma Betty.
Follow along.
Betty Miller was married to Benjamin Miller, whose brother David Miller became a very successful land developer and real estate magnate in the San Antonio area. He would create residential communities in the late 1950’s, including Sunrise Beach Estates and a man-made lake that would later be renamed as LBJ Lake.
At one point in time, Grandpa Ben worked with David Miller in the real estate business, and eventually convinced Grandma Betty to move to Texas. She tried it out for a few weeks. And according to my Aunt Elaine, the final decision for Grandma Betty came on a hot Texas day in May.
The heat was strong enough that day that she needed to quench her thirst. So she approached a water fountain and began to drink from it.
A man approached her. “You can’t drink from that fountain.”
“Why not?”
“That fountain is for colored people.”
“Is the water the same?”
“Yes, but that fountain’s for colored people to use.”
Grandma Betty finished her drink.
Later on, Grandpa Ben said that he was very interested in staying with David and expanding the real estate business with him.
She looked at Ben and said, “If you want to do that, that’s fine. I understand. Send me a postcard from time to time, I’m moving back to Boston.”
She moved back to Boston. And Ben, understanding that love supersedes profit, moved back to Boston with her.
I say this because even in a situation where the family could have become richer than Croesus, there are some things that matter more than money. Love, for sure. And equality. Treat a person equally, no mater the color of their skin or the accent in their voice.
I also have to consider that Grandma Betty’s choice at that moment set off a chain reaction of events that meant that her son Robert would get involved with a girl from the South Shore, and nine months later here I am. Which might not have happened at all if she and Grandpa Ben stayed in Texas.
So maybe if I get a few moments before or after my solar eclipse adventure … I’ll see if any relatives from the David Miller side of the family still live in San Antonio or thereabouts.
And maybe there’s a water fountain somewhere that still works. And that in 2023, it won’t matter who drinks from it.
Chuck The Writer 