Bogalusa native defends councilman
Published 9:10 am Friday, March 20, 2015
In 1980 was my first real memory of Teddy Drummond. He took my friend Tony Bicum and I out to Pine for a 4-H meeting. He built camps for my brother and me, and in winter he made ice castles and ice trees. He taught me the meaning of a hard day’s work and how to do the job correctly. He taught me how to drive a car, a three-speed on the column.
Teddy knew an elderly man named Shorty Plounch who had his legs amputated from the knee. Every weekend Teddy would take my brother and me to Mr. Short’s farm to make sure he had firewood and food. Some weekends we would stay to stoke the fire to keep him warm and bring him food. In the ‘90s I can remember Teddy taking me to the cemetery to cut not just our family’s plot but any plot that he saw that needed to be cut.
I also remember Teddy picking me up one day and we went to Walmart. We bought a mailbox and a post, and we went and put it up for this elderly lady. After we finished he packed up his tools and then told the lady what he had done and drove off.
Teddy has helped people find jobs. He worked with Nelly Byers getting mentally challenged people jobs. In 2005, two of my aunts were both down — one broke her hip and one hurt her back. Teddy built both of them new ramps at their homes. Another older man who was having trouble climbing stairs at the end of their road saw what he was doing and asked him to build him a ramp. Teddy built that one for free also.
In the first days after Katrina when everyone was having so much trouble getting supplies, Teddy was there handing out money to people in need. I mean real money — hundreds. He also cut trees, fixed roofs, raked yards and delivered food to people.
Teddy does so much for this community that no one knows about. Teddy did all of these things before he ever thought of being in politics.
Teddy has been picking up trash on Columbia Street for as long as I can remember. He does these things because wants to keep your city clean. He used to get so happy when our city won the cleanest city contests. Teddy loves Bogalusa more than anyone I know. I moved from Bogalusa three years ago because Bogalusa is going downhill fast with drugs and crime, but Teddy refuses to give up on Bogalusa. He knows what Bogalusa is and what Bogalusa can be. Teddy is not just talking about one group of people getting their hands out of their pocket and off their butt, but everyone in Bogalusa needs to pitch in to make Bogalusa a better place to live. If you are retired or just off from work for the day, get out and volunteer your time to help grow your own community. Teddy Drummond only wants the best for his community and the people of his community. We need more people in Bogalusa like Teddy, more people to go above and beyond for their community. That would make Bogalusa the perfect little American hometown.
Thank you Teddy Drummond for everything.
– J.H. Mayes
Editor’s note: The Daily News has not seen the list of charter violations to which Angelo Pepe referred in his Letter to the Editor that appeared in the Sunday, March 15, 2015, edition (Reader offended by councilman’s remarks), and, as with all Letters to the Editor, does not endorse the sentiments contained therein.