Carol Tullus McVay

Carol Tullos McVay was just four years old in 1943 when her mother died, leaving her father to care for her and her five brothers and sisters.

Until Carol was six she stayed with an aunt—then she joined her three older siblings at the (then) Natchez Protestant Home.

“I remember the old building,” she reminisced on a visit to 806 North Union Street. “It sat right where the playground now sits. The girls lived upstairs with Mrs. Ashley and the boys were housed on the first floor with Mrs. East.”

“We had a big garden—I pulled potatoes. And when we misbehaved we were sent to get our own switch! It was hard to decide whether to get a thin switch, which hurt more, or a wide one that lasted longer!” she laughed.

Carol recalls the big move in 1951 into the current brick building. “We thought it was heaven—so new and big.”

She and her family were reunited with their father when she turned thirteen.

“I have many good memories of my time at the Home, and a few that were not so great,” she smiled. “Now that my husband and I have raised five children of our own—and have thirteen grandchildren and one great grandchild—I can appreciate the security and care I received at the Home.”

Carol Tullos McVay worked for many years as a psychiatric aide at the Central State Hospital in Pineville, Louisiana. She now enjoys her large extended family all of whom live in central Louisiana.

George N. Kilpatrick

The late George N. Kilpatrick wrote the following article that appeared in Natchez Children's Home Services OUR HOME newsletter in 2003.

“Thoughts from a Grateful Alumnus”

Natchez is my hometown. I have such fond memories of growing up there. Even though the country was in the midst of the Great Depression, I always had enough food to eat and clean clothes to wear.

I remember hurrying back from school and stopping on the steps outdoors to devour a slice of bread slathered with honey. I remember that there was always a playmate waiting to join me in a game. I remember waiting outside the parlor on Christmas mornings, anticipating the marvel of new toys waiting on the other side of the door. I remember the cheers from the stands as I ran the football down the field. Most of all, I remember being surrounded by the warmth of a caring community.

A lot of people have fond memories of their childhood. What most people find remarkable about my recollections is that I grew up in the Natchez Protestant Orphanage (now the Natchez Children’s Home) and later at D’Evereaux Hall.

In May of 1928, my family was living in Philadelphia, MS. My mother, Ida, and my father, Robert Kilpatrick, divorced at that time. My mother tried to work to support our family but being unskilled she found it difficult to financially support our family.

My oldest brother, 22-year-old Marvin Lee, was working as a logger at the time. He moved my mother, my younger brother Kenneth and me across the state to Stephenson, MS. We struggled along until November of 1930. My mother, wanting the best for Kenneth and me, contacted Mrs. T. J. McCurley and arranged to have us accepted by the Natchez Protestant Orphanage.

I spent the next five years at the orphanage. Mrs. East was the wonderful matron of the Home. She was a very caring and giving person whom I remember very well. She had a special way of keeping you focused and out of trouble. I was kept so busy that I didn’t have time to think about anything negative in my life.

Each summer, Mrs. East’s granddaughter would come to the Home for an extended visit. We all looked forward to her visits. One of the neighborhood boys, Glenvall Estes, used to come over to the Home to visit and play. He would bring comic books and “Big Little” books with him and a group of boys would huddle on the ground around him while Glenvall read to us from these books. Glenvall and I became lifelong friends.

There was always a playmate waiting to join me in a game of hopscotch, jacks, checkers, or my favorite, fiddle sticks. During the games, my friends and I giggled and laughed and cheered each other on to success. I developed a great deal of skill as a left-handed marble player (until I injured my left hand and had to become right-handed!).

We often went to the movies. The children at the Home attended Sunday school every week, which I enjoyed very much. There were other children from the community there who were very receptive and friendly towards us.

One big event we were able to enjoy in the springtime was to take a short trip down the Mississippi River on the “The Natchez,” a paddlewheel boat. This was “big time” stuff! One year I was very disappointed when I had to miss this outing because I had my tonsils removed and I was in the hospital.

The only male role model we had at the Home was a man whom we fondly called “Grandpa Liddell.” He was a man who wore many hats. In cold weather he kept the boiler fueled with coal. Sometimes he let me shovel coal into the boiler, too. He taught me to plant vegetables and put out seedlings. He also taught me to play checkers and I became very good at it. He was a great person to be around.

The local box manufacturer gave the Home scraps of wood from the logs they used to make their products. We used these “off falls” to fire the cook’s stove. Occasionally, I would go outside on moonlit nights to bring in wood to fill the wood box in the kitchen.

Around Christmas, a man dressed in a bright red suit trimmed in white, fastened with a big black belt, matching boots and tasseled red cap would arrive at the Home. Sirens would be blowing and bells jingling. He would give each of us children a bag of fruit and nuts along with a quarter. He passed out the gifts from under the Christmas tree. This was Santa Claus!

One Christmas I was immensely impressed when a West Point army cadet made a substantial monetary gift to the Home. Thanks to the generosity of this man and many others, I was given the opportunity to obtain an education as well as to learn some important life lessons.

My education continued when in 1935 Bishop Richard Gerow arranged for me to enter D’Evereaux Hall. This was a home staffed by the Brothers of Sacred Heart and all of the boys attended mass on a daily basis. While living at D’Evereaux Hall, I was enrolled at St. Joseph’s Catholic High School. I acquired leadership skills while serving as class president for four years. I was given an opportunity to fully develop my athletic abilities to the extent that I was awarded a trophy for my talents on the football field.

Playing football and softball at St. Joseph’s taught me determination and perseverance. I learned the value of teamwork at the Institute where I played volleyball. Patriotism was instilled during assembly halls where we sang moving patriotic songs as well as popular songs of the era. We left the assemblies with such great anticipation and enthusiasm that we would continue singing songs in the hallways as we progressed to our classrooms. What a great way to start a school day!

My brother Kenneth joined me at D’Evereaux Hall in 1937. He joined the Navy during World War II. After being discharged from the Navy, he joined the Army and fought in the Korean War where he gave his life protecting his country.

Through the years I have come to realize how difficult a task it must have been to keep these homes operating. Not only did the community and surrounding area support the Natchez Protestant Home, but also St Mary’s Home for Girls, staffed by the Daughters of Charity sisters. These homes relied solely on the generosity of individuals in Natchez and nearby towns.

This was a rough time financially for a lot of people yet they found it in their hearts to give what they could so that the children in these homes could grow up happy and healthy. I am reminded of the biblical story of the Good Samaritan when I think of their good will. When no one else was willing or able to help, the benefactors of these homes provided their Christian love and support to aid those in need.

I know that it may be too late to thank some of the people who made it possible for me to grow up in Natchez. In some instances, the support of these homes has continued through generations. I am certain that the administrators of these homes were very good at acknowledging the generosity of the community, otherwise the homes would not have continued. I feel that it is important for me to add my expression of gratitude.

On behalf of all those who were provided for before me as well as those who came after, a great big thank you to you all. Because of these examples, the beneficiaries now become the benefactors and should keep this legacy continuing for many years. You made a big difference in our lives and in our well-being.

Thank you for the joys of my youth. Thank you for a wonderful life.

Buddy Annelo

When Buddy and Cathy Annelo dropped by our campus for a visit in September, it was an emotional time filled with many memories.  Buddy was one of the first children placed in the “new” building (the one built in 1950 and which we now occupy) when he was almost 5 years old.  He remembers his years here as good ones, years in which he felt love and security.  As they wandered through the facility, he was able to point out where his bed was, where the children slid on the slippery floors, where his locker was and where he enjoyed his meals. Now, they own their own business in Tulsa, OK.  We’re happy Natchez Children’s Home was able to meet a specific need at a specific time in his life.

Eddie Loyed

"I'm not going to lie to you", laughs Eddie Loyed. "I didn't like the Natchez Children's Home Services at first." With that, the former resident began recounting his path into and out of 806 North Union Street.

Born in November, 1968, the third of seven children, Eddie grew up within blocks of the Home. "When I was sixteen months old I was accidentally run over by a truck in my front yard. My spleen was ruptured and my stomach was torn up. I still have a huge scar".

 "At twelve years old, I remember stealing some bicycles and standing before a judge who told me the next time I came before him to bring my bags packed to leave," recalls Eddie. "Later I ran away to Louisiana to find some relatives but the police picked me up and in the spring of 1984, even though all my brothers and sisters were placed at the Natchez Children's Home Services, I was sent to Palmer Home in Columbus, MS. I was fifteen and not a happy camper!" he says.

A lot of drinking, hitting and kicking went on in our house when I was growing up," he remembers. "The (Adams County) Department of Human Services came to see us more than once."

"While I was in the Palmer Home all I could think about was getting back to Natchez to my brothers and sisters. After three months I did come back to live with my aunt and uncle in Natchez for several months. I hadn't been in school regularly and I admit, I was more than a handful!"

In April 1985, Eddie's parent's were both killed in a car accident. He then came to live with his siblings at the Home. He enrolled at South Natchez High School but was soon expelled. He made some special friends through the church he attended but was almost eighteen and needed to work. "I flew to Savannah, GA to live with another aunt and uncle, who helped me get a job with a road construction crew for year. "Then I returned to the Natchez Children's Home Services and they helped me to enroll in the Job Corps. I spent a year in Batesville, MS learning automotive mechanics and getting my GED. The next year I spent in North Carolina in the Job Corps studying carpentry at Blanton Junior College in Fletcher, NC. "Finally I took a course to learn to drive tractor-trailer trucks. I passed all the tests and have been working for trucking firms ever since."

On October 1, 1994 Eddie married Theresa Coleman of Ferriday and they have three year old Kristen. Eddie smiles as he admits to having settled down--way down!

"I live in Ferriday and even though I work long hours, I'm home every night and I like it that way", he admits. "I like traveling on the job and playing with Kristen at home and my bowling average isn't half bad, either!

"I may not have liked the Natchez Children's Home Services at first, but now I never say no when Miss Nancy (Hungerford) invites me to stop by for lunch," he grins.

Julius Knotts

Julius Knotts remembers vividly the day he and his older sister and younger brother came to live at the Natchez Protestant Home (now Natchez Children's Home Services). He was six years old. His parents were divorced. Not until after his thirteenth birthday in November 1984 did he return to his mother's care. Two months later he and his mother were almost killed in a car accident. Julius lay in a coma for six weeks and still remembers very little of the crash.

He lived with his father during the long, slow months of recovery. His mother was confined to a hospital bed at home but he moved in with her during the late summer of 1985.

"I remember sitting in the porch swing at my mother's and realizing no one had enrolled me in school. I lost the last year of school because of the wreck, and it suddenly dawned on me that I was about to lose another year", recalled Julius. "I picked up the telephone and called the Natchez Protestant Home. My brother and both my little sisters returned there to live".

Soon after his return, thanks to the care of the Natchez Children's Home Services foster care program, Julius moved into Jacque Stahlman's family. "Miss Jacque welcomed me to the Stahlman family and helped me continue recovering from the accident, allowed me to attend Trinity Episcopal School, gave me my first job at Stahlman's Lumber Company (sweeping floors!) and encouraged me to begin investigating into classes at Copiah Lincoln Community College", said Julius.

By the time he graduated from Trinity in 1992 he had over twenty hours of advanced placement and summer hours at Co-lin. He had participated in football, basketball, baseball, tennis and gymnastics and been a part of three championship sports teams at Trinity during his sophomore year.

In 1998 Julius Knotts walked across the graduation stage at Louisiana Tech in Ruston, LA and received his degree in Business Management with an emphasis in Human Resource Management.

He returned home to Natchez and to Stahlmans as a salesman. In February 2000, Stahlman sold to Stine Lumber and Julius was made assistant store manager. Although the Natchez store is the ninth store in the Stine chain to open, it is the first store in Mississippi.

"My life in and out of my natural family and in and out of the Natchez Children's Home Services has made me pretty self-reliant", said Julius. "Miss Jacque showed me lots about being in a family and she gave me many opportunities. I have learned to take responsibility for both my good and not-so-good behavior and choices. If my head is not on straight I can't straighten anyone else out!"

Julius has done some hard growing up. He has a quiet manner, a non-judgmental spirit, a strong work ethic, and a listening ear.

Penny Harper

1983 was a life-changing year for Penny Waterman. In a drunken rage her father tried to stab her mother with a fist full of forks. Penny intervened and the forks landed in her. No charges were ever filed. Soon after, her father deserted the wife and four children he had abused. In late fall, 1983, Penny's mother falsely accused her of being on drugs, pushed her out the door and locked it behind her. Penny was homeless and separated from her three younger siblings for whom she felt responsible. 

The guidance counselor at South Natchez High School (now Natchez High) listened and responded. Penny arrived at the Home just a few weeks before Christmas. The scared, angry fourteen year old would never go home again. 

In June, 1986, Penny graduated from high school and enrolled at Mississippi State University. The Natchez Wal-Mart and Junior Auxiliary each awarded her scholarships and she received a Pell grant and work-study. Her physical education major landed her the position of manager of the MSU girl's volleyball team and another scholarship. In addition, Penny served as a resident assistant, participated in intramural sports, and was active at Morgantown Baptist Church and Reformed University Ministries. 

After graduation in May 1991, Penny spent the summer working on staff at the Natchez Children's Home Services planning her wedding to Ronnie Harper of Okolona, MS-an MSU graduate who would later receive his Ed.D. in Health and Human Performance Studies from the University of Alabama. "I spent that summer being a houseparent and earning money to pay for our wedding in August" recalls Penny. "God brought a lot of dear friends into my life to help me heal the past. "I was a tough survivor and not always teachable," she laughs. "no matter what I have done, the children’s home staff has always been there for me, for Ronnie and for our three children."  

The Harper's live in Gonzales, LA. Ronnie is a teacher/athletic trainer at Dutchtown High School in Geismar, LA. Penny is a full-time mom to 10-year-old Jodie, 8-year-old Honey and to seven-year-old Nick who keeps his sisters hopping. They are active members of Istrouma Baptist Church In Baton Rouge, LA. "The Natchez Children's Home Services gave me a whole new life", says Penny. "It will always be my home."