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“I had tried to impress very strongly upon my girls: Please don’t leave your father’s house to go directly to your husband’s house. Take at least 6 months to learn to take care of yourself…That’s because I never knew how to get on by myself; as a result, I’m ignorant of a lot of things that I shouldn’t be now.”

I spoke the other day with a friend who suffered a loss, in the autumn of 2003, like no other she had ever experienced. That was the season in which her walk here with her beloved husband came to a close, the season he passed away after a protracted and difficult illness. Almost five years on, I wondered whether she might wish to share something of her experience in gradually regaining a sense of hope, purpose, vitality, and balance in her life. She thought it would be best to begin at the very beginning, to give a sense of a loving, roller-coaster-ride of a union which now resided only in the realm of memory, and in the lives and acts of her dear children, and their own.

After her family settled in a new town in 1950, she says, “I met my husband-to-be at the first church youth meeting I attended. I was 13; he was 19. (more…)

“It’s not your mama’s jewelry store—unless your mama’s really cool.”

—Bryan Morgan

Have you checked out the chic, distinctive, sometimes-edgy jewelry designs featured at Sliver, Bryan Morgan’s new shop on North Westwood Boulevard? With Valentine’s Day just a few weeks away, now might be the ideal time to pop in and have a look at the many unique creations on display at Sliver, where veteran jeweler Morgan specializes in pieces fashioned in sterling silver and stainless steel. Offering baubles, bangles, and beads ranging from the strikingly elegant to the downright funky, Sliver is that rare jeweler’s equipped to accessorize patrons for the office, a gallery opening, fine dining, or a knock-down-drag-out battle of the garage bands. (more…)

Late last year, Oprah Winfrey sent line producer David Rivera on a final trip to Poplar Bluff to film Marion West and Vy Higginsen—”The DNA Cousins”—as part of her special Dr. Martin Luther King Day television tribute. At that time, Rivera and a video crew filmed Marion West at home; at a big bash for three of his New York cousins, including Higginsen; and at that age-old, bustling nerve center of Poplar Bluff life, Myrtle’s Place—the diner of legend, the barbeque haven known by all for miles.

Rivera had been looking to shoot inside a “typical small-town diner”, a popular spot with a bit of flavor and history; Mack West told him that Myrtle’s was the place to go. This worked out quite well, as it’s the diner Marion West has visited frequently for morning coffee over the past 11 years. (more…)

As part of a scheduled upgrade to our main connection to the Internet, AT&T will be performing maintenance tonight between 1:00 AM and 3:00 AM. They do not anticipate any downtime during this work, but we wanted to inform you of it just in case.

Marion West’s primary link to the New York branch of West descendants is his cousin Vy Higginsen, a multi-talented arts advocate and businesswoman who burst onto the scene in 1983 with her Off-Broadway hit musical Mama, I Want to Sing! With husband Ken Wydro, director/producer Higginsen co-wrote the acclaimed gospel extravaganza, based on the life and aspirations of her eldest sister, ’60s recording artist Doris Troy—who portrayed her own mother in the play.

Mama’s route to success is the stuff of American legend: no “household names” attached to the production; relatively modest funding and promotion; Harlem location, a considerable distance uptown from “Theater Row” itself. But stellar vocal performances and positive word of mouth powered Mama through over 2,200 shows; fleets of church buses and tour groups—in addition to regular theatergoers—rolled in non-stop throughout the play’s 8-year run. (more…)

Below, some highlights of the past year of discovery and media coverage for Marion and Mack West of Poplar Bluff:

January, 2007: Marion West drove a van up to collect Vy Higginsen and daughter Knoelle in St. Louis for their very first visit to Poplar Bluff. This first encounter was captured on videotape. West family members—and many friends, both black and white—gave the new cousins a grand welcome dinner at Poplar Bluff’s Perkins Restaurant.

February: West, wife Mack, and their grandson Scott McDowell traveled to New York as guests of Vy Higginsen. The New York Times ran a piece on “The DNA Cousins”. Higginsen threw a party and, says Mack West, “invited every available cousin”. Gospel luminary Cissy Houston, mother of pop sensation Whitney, directed part of the evening’s performance by Higginsen’s Gospel for Teens Choir. Higginsen later whisked the Wests off to Saks Fifth Avenue, Bloomingdale’s, Tavern on the Green, and Chinatown. (more…)

In 1959, Marion West and his new bride, Mescal Alma West—affectionately known as “Mack”—established their home in a rural stretch of Poplar Bluff. Together they grew the West Cattle Company and kept that “backgrounding ranch” rolling for nearly half a century, as it handled light yearlings and sent them out to feedlots in 10 states across the country.

West Cattle began bringing operations to a close in 2005. Now the only part of the 156-acre spread Marion West visits virtually daily is the area where his “prayer pine” stands apart from a distant grove. Here, in the pre-dawn hours, West has long had the custom of collecting his thoughts and praying at the start of each new day. (The Oprah Winfrey Show crew is shown prepping a shot at the “prayer pine”, right, for the show’s January 21st broadcast) (more…)