Last week I sat by my friend Mary Alice White, Miss Welty’s niece, who has written a beautiful Lemuria blog on her famous aunt. I told Mary Alice that I was going to write a blog for Lisa at Lemuria if only I could remember the recipe! I went on to tell Mary Alice about the delightful conversation that I had with Miss Welty (that is what I called her face to face, as a Southern girl would) in the “Jitney 14” probably in the early to mid 1980s. I was in the vegetable and fruit section looking around when Miss Welty walked up. We had the most delightful conversation about a recipe. But was it banana bread, or what? I can’t remember! We laughed and talked for some time, and I recall thinking at that point that besides being one of the most talented writers of the 20th century, she was a true Southern lady who was friendly to all who walked by and who seemed absolutely delighted to see me and all her other friends who were in the store that day.

It was not too much longer after that when I went with my friends Charlotte Capers, Patti Carr Black, and Miss Welty to a meeting one night. We drove up in her driveway, and she walked out. Moments later, I remember thinking, “I am in a car with one of the most famous writers in the world, and I am never going to forget this.” Afterwards, however, I recalled the laughter among these dear Jackson friends and their delight at being in each other’s company. This is what struck me that night as very, very special.

Years later, I would tell my students at Millsaps, or Belhaven, or Hinds, or Holmes or Tulane as we were reading and laughing about “Why I Live at the P.O.” or examining the complexities of “A Worn Path” that I personally knew Miss Welty, the person. They would look at me with amazement. I would tell them how friendly and genuine she was. I would also tell them that she holds a high place of honor not only in Jackson, not only in the South, not only in the United States, but in the world. I would tell them how much the French absolutely adore her and her writing.

I went to Miss Welty’s funeral in the spring of 2001. It was hard for me to go because my own dear mother had died only a few weeks earlier; yet, I wanted to be there to honor Miss Wetly at Galloway Memorial United Methodist Church.I keep the service bulletin in a file and run across it from time to time and look at the names all of the national dignitaries who came from afar. I wanted to be there and reflect with thanksgiving on the joy that she brought to others, whether it was through her writing or her personal friendships. I am grateful to say that I knew Miss Welty, the person. Her legacy, not only as a beloved Southern writer, but as a beloved Southerner will live on in my mind always.

-Nan Graves Goodman

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If you have story about Miss Welty that you would like to share on our blog, please e-mail them to lisa[at]lemuriabooks[dot]com.

Click here to learn about Carolyn Brown’s A Daring Life: A Biography of Eudora Welty

Click here to see all blogs in our Miss Welty series

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