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History Comes to Life
Yasmine S. Ali, MD
May 18, 2023
Hello again!
More memorable book events took place in the past month!
At Johnsonville State Historic Park on April 23, there was an incredible audience discussion and Q&A following my slideshow. A couple of people showed up to this event as a total surprise to me! One was Carolyn “Sam” Tucker, RN, one of the main “characters” in the book:
With Carolyn “Sam” Tucker, RN, at Johnsonville State Historic Park on 4/23/23.
If you’ve read the book’s acknowledgments, you will know that Nurse Tucker (who is a dear and beloved friend to me and my family) became my de facto research assistant for this book—putting me in touch with many of the people I ended up interviewing, and calling around for information that helped me add details to the narrative to bring it to life.
Another person at the Johnsonville event stood up and introduced herself … and to understand the importance of this, you have to recall this picture from the book’s photo insert:
Members of the Waverly Volunteer Fire Department converse with L&N crew members just minutes before the explosion. Waverly firefighters, from L to R: Riley Turner, Melvin Wayne Matlock, and Billy McMurtry. Everyone in this photo was either killed or injured in the explosion.
The man in the center of the photo is Melvin Wayne Matlock (I know now that he went by his middle name, Wayne), and he was one of the 5 who was killed instantly in the train explosion. The woman in the audience at Johnsonville was none other than Wayne’s sister, Mattie Matlock Gordon:
With Mattie Matlock Gordon at Johnsonville State Historic Park, 4/23/23.
Mattie Matlock Gordon speaks during the audience discussion at Johnsonville State Historic Park.
Those who were there that day know how moving it was to hear her speak about her brother Wayne. And then, at the Houston County Public Library event in Erin, TN, on May 6, there was another surprise in store: Wayne Matlock’s daughter, Karen Matlock Meadow, was in the audience!
With Karen Matlock Meadow at the Houston Co. Public Library, 5/6/23.
Karen told me about how she was in nursing school when her father was killed in the explosion. It was terrible, terrible news. I can’t thank the Matlock family enough for their courage and bravery in the face of such tragedy, and for being willing to share their stories with us.
Also in attendance at the Houston County Public Library event was this man—those of you who have the book should recognize his picture:
Waverly firefighter David Dillingham, who rescued Frank Craver. (Photo courtesy of City of Waverly)
I was SO excited to finally be able to meet Mr. Dillingham, whom I had been trying to reach for years! To my understanding, he came all the way from Jackson, TN, where he is retired as Deputy Chief of the Jackson Fire Department! It was this photo, by the way, that inspired the book’s title, Walk through Fire.
So, as you can see, it’s been another unforgettable month!
Many thanks to Bob Holliday, Park Manager at Johnsonville State Historic Park, and his entire team for putting on a great event; and to Melissa Barker, Houston County Archivist/Records Manager, and Sharon Barnes, Friends of the Library, for hosting such a lovely event in Erin, TN.
And thanks especially to all of YOU, my readers, for continuing to support this book!
With deepest gratitude,
Yasmine
Help Restore the Waverly Train Museum
The GoFundMe campaign has been launched to raise funds for the restoration of the Waverly Train Museum: https://gofund.me/93aec426
Cash or check donations can also be made in person at the First Federal Bank in Waverly (inquire for the Waverly Train Museum Restoration account in the names of Patti Hoehn Damesworth and Pam Gunn), and will of course be accepted at the fundraising event itself on June 15 at 5:30 p.m. at the Waverly Methodist Church.
The train museum in its former glory:
The train museum now:
You can learn more about the event on Facebook at https://fb.me/e/DRLgB7VV
Once again, the GoFundMe link to donate online is: https://gofund.me/93aec426
Share Your Story
Do you have a story or memory about the Waverly Train Disaster? I’ve heard from so many people at my author events, and I know there are more stories out there.
We’d like to collect these stories for display at the 45th Anniversary Commemoration event on June 15, and then preserve them in the train museum itself to share with generations to come.
If you would like your story to be included—it could even be a story that was passed down to you by your parents or grandparents—please email it to [email protected]. Please email all stories by May 20, 2023.
Please include where you were and your age at the time, if you feel comfortable doing so. Do not include anything in your email message that you would not want to be made public. These stories will be collected and on display the night of the 45th Anniversary Commemoration of the Waverly Train Disaster and Fundraiser for the Train Museum event on June 15, 2023, and preserved in the train museum for posterity. Your email address will NOT be made public, but please add your name at the end of your message as you would like it to appear in the display. If you do not wish your name to be included with your story, write “anonymous.”
Upcoming Events
Facebook Author Page
Well, I’ve finally gone and done it—set up my official Facebook Author Page! I’ll be posting about author and creative writing news, including future books and events, quote collections, various writing-related musings, and more. You can follow my author page at: https://www.facebook.com/yasmine.s.ali.md.author/
Quote of the Month
“Think as hard as you can, love as hard as you can, pray as hard as you can, and if it doesn’t work out, laugh as hard as you can.”
(Photo by Tennessee State Museum)