As I eluded to in an earlier post, I was on a quest to somehow figure out a way to get Tom Kelly to sign an early edition of "Tenth Legion" I found while going through my deceased father's things. A little after lunch this past Sunday I finally got the call I've been anxiously awaiting. Mr. Tom Kelly called me and said he was happy to meet up with me at some point and sign my book. Due to my schedule being somewhat up in the air I asked if it would be convenient for us to come down in a few hours. He said that would be fine! So Janet and I went back home, changed clothes and headed Baldwin county to meet him.

We arrived late that afternoon and were supposed to meet him in the lobby of this assisted living place where he now lives so he can be next to his wife who is nearing the end of her earthly journey. He wasn't there so we asked where his room was and as we were standing at his door, I look up and here comes this gentleman with a slight stoop but with a gait and stride of a 20 year old coming down the hallway toward us. As he approaches he says "Hey, y'all must me looking for me!" I said "If you are Mr. Tom Kelly, we sure are!" "Well, that's me!" he replied and let us into his room.

We dispensed with the pleasantries and introductions and he offered us a seat. So I pulled up a chair and Janet sat on the couch and Mr. Kelly sat down in a chair directly in front of me. Well, he had no longer sat down and he leaned forward and and asked me if I was driving. I must have given him a quizzical look because he said "I have some of the smoothest, best whiskey in the world, and we need to have a drink!" After assurances that Janet could handle the driving duties, he pulled out a bottle of Blanton's Single Barrel and said "This is the best stuff in the world! I'm not rich but I'm blessed to have some rich friends that like me a lot I guess and one of them gave me this so let's have a drink! You like one shot or two?" I gulped and said "Whatever you're pouring yourself, I'll have the same." He poured two shots of that amber libation into a red Solo cup, dropped in a couple of cubes of ice, and hit it with a splash of water. As he handed me the cup he smiled and said "If you can't be rich, have rich friends! Cheers!" and we touched cups and each took a sip. He was right. Best whiskey I've ever had.

I then told him the story of how I came in possession of this copy of the "Tenth Legion." He seemed truly touched as I handed him the book. He took his hand and gently felt the worn and slightly tattered dust cover and looked at it for a moment in silence if he were looking at a long lost heirloom that brought back distance memories of a long time ago. He then told me how the book came about at the encouragement of his wife and how he based on what Ebay says the first edition is worth, "I wish to Christ I'd saved a box full of 'em!"

The next hour or so was spent sipping on fine bourbon, talking about family, timber, military service, and yes, turkeys were mentioned a time or two! He told me of the story of his first turkey and how the first gobble he ever heard he thought it was a barking dog! He also remarked that in his opinion turkey hunting is the only thing in life that is just as much fun the last time you do it as it was the first. A lot of truth to that.

I told him I thought I'd made enough mistakes in my 30 years of hunting them that I don't know how I could make any more. He found that quite humorous and as he laughed he said. "You ain't done yet! You got lots more mistakes to look forward too!" Over the course of the next 30-45 minutes he dropped some nuggets of wisdom on me about these birds and life that I will never forget. Man, and the laughs! There were a lot of those!

Being respectful of his time and considering I had somehow made a drink last about an hour, it was approaching time to say our goodbyes. I asked him to sign and date the copy of the book which he seemed very pleased to do. He took the pen, and with a surprisingly steady hand whose owner has seen 90 birthdays come and go he inscribed "To Benjy with best Wishes. Tom Kelly 6/11/2017." With a stroke of a pen, he created a possession that I will cherish as long as I live.

With handshakes (Janet got a hug!), our expressions of gratitude for his time, and with promises to keep in touch, we bid our farewell to Mr. Tom Kelly. As we made our way back to Montgomery I had to take inventory of what happened. I got to spend an uninterrupted hour or so, one on one, sipping whiskey, talking about life and turkeys, and sharing laughs with Mr. Tom Kelly. WOW! And to have about half of it videoed by my wife who was just as tickled as I was with the whole thing was just amazing.

Guys, I've been blessed to be able to do a lot of cool things in my life. But for a turkey hunting addict like myself, the uninterrupted hour I got to spend with the humble, humorous, and all around "man's man" who is Colonel Tom Kelly ranks close to the top of my outdoor life experiences.

As he said himself with a smile, "At my age, I don't buy green bananas anymore! " but I hope the Lord gives him many more healthy years on this earth. I have a feeling there are a lot more stories and wisdom he needs to impart to those of us who, like him, are "helpless in the grip of our compulsion."

The apprentice with the master!

The gem!


Dr. B