I, Hillbilly

Those who know me at all, know that I often proudly refer to myself as a hillbilly. I will also reference in our shows that we are certified hillbillies, or at least certifiable.
Some may wonder why I do that, when so many people use the term hillbilly as an insult and as a reference to someone who is uncouth, uncultured, and ignorant.
The answer to that is that I know the truth about hillbillies, at least those in the part of the hills I grew up in. I know that these people, called hillbillies, are the hardy descendants of Scot, Irish, and Scot-Irish immigrants who drifted to these remote hills that reminded them of their homeland. They were and are some of the most independent, hard working, hospitable, caring, and inventive people I know of.
This was a remote and fairly sparsely settled part of the world until recently. Here in Union County, there was not a paved road until the 1950's. I grew up in the adjoining county of Fannin until I started high school. I remember when my dad built an indoor bathroom. I remember getting our first telephone when I was in the first grade. The language is very different now that it was when I was growing up also. Radio first and then television have brought the world to us and there is not the strong localized language and sayings that were once so prevalent. I do remember being surprised that there was not an 'r' in warsh (Wash). Though I will say that my immediate family was more traveled and did not speak in the same way as many of the people I went to school with. My dad was in WWII and then traveled with business throughout the US, and would often take us with him. He felt is was important for us to know more about the world and the people beyond the little patch of mountains we lived in. I have tried to pass that attitude along to my children. I love these southern mountains, but believe it is important that we look beyond them sometimes to get perspective. In fact, by the time I started high school, I had been in 23 states, the District of Columbia, Mexico and Canada. So I was shocked in high school to learn I had classmates that had never been out of Union County. They had not even traveled the 10 or less miles from their house to the state line or county line. It was almost inconceivable to me at the time, and still is. There is nothing wrong with that, just that it was hard to understand within the way I was raised. I still love to travel and my children have learned that and are becoming pretty well traveled. In some cases beyond what I have done. My daughter even lived for 3 years in Hong Kong and taught in a school there.
Those who want to put down hillbillies, would be surprised at the number of influential and celebrated people who have come out of this isolated area. There has been state supreme court justices, state school superintendents, a renowned poet, educators, bankers, politicians, and all sorts of businessmen and women. Of course, in my line of interest, there has also been truckloads of musicians that came out of these hills.
So, I continue to proudly proclaim my hillbilly status and roots. We are what we are, so we should accept and celebrate those traits that make us that way.
See you down the road.
Nelson