60 years later, he still misses his dad
“I will never, ever, ever forget that night.
“My dad was working for the old Houston Post. He was circulation manager for the La Porte area, where we lived. We did a lot of things together, including deliver the newspaper.
“I was supposed to go with him that night to pick up papers. But I’d had a date, so he decided to let me sleep. When he got back, we were going to do it together.
“When the police came knocking on our door, it woke up my mother and me. They said that Dad had been in an accident. Something was misread on the paperwork about another person possibly being in the car. At first, they thought it might be me. Everybody around there knew us, and that we delivered papers.
“The officers took me down to the police station. That’s where they broke the news to me. Dad was driving across some railroad tracks when he got hit by a freight train. He was killed.
“There were no warning lights at the crossing. It was a cold winter night, so his windows were up. He may have been listening to the radio. I guess by the time he saw or heard the train, it was too late.
“The hardest thing was that I had to go back home and tell my mom. When I walked in the door, she knew. She screamed so loud and so long that it lives in my mind to this day. Basically, she went into shock. I’m not sure she was really herself for a year after that.
“I was 16 at the time, and I’m 77 now. It was a long time ago. But that memory, it’s as if it happened yesterday.
“My dad and I were very close. He was my best friend, my partner, so to speak. So when he died, it was really tough on me. To be honest, I’m not sure I ever got over it.”
— Eugene Harrott
(Note: Eugene Harrott passed away on May 27, 2023.)
Related:
