“The Bill Gibson,” Melvin Cantrell’s partner in crime on Facebook.
By Deby Jo Ferguson
Staff Writer
Are you a fan of Facebook? If not maybe you need to take a look at the ongoing friendly or not so friendly verbal competition between Bill Gibson, Melvin Cantrell and the readers who keep them pumped up by taking sides in their ongoing feuds.
Bill Gibson, 78, of Augusta, Ga. met Lynda Snyder from New Jersey on the Internet and they were married by Aud Brown in Brasstown N.C. After hunting for an agreeable place to call home for four years they came to the mountains to visit friends and fell in love with Brasstown where they purchased a place in 2003.
“Both of us were still working at the time so it was 2007 before we were able to move here. We both love it here and neither of us want to move back where we came from,” Bill said.
Bill said his hometown was Augusta, Ga. but he traveled all over the world as a youngster.
“My dad was in the Navy, but I wasn’t born until after he was injured and out of the service. We lived in Orlando, Fla. when my dad passed away. Later my mom remarried a man who was in the Army. I was still young then and we traveled all over the world Germany and Okinawa were two of the places we traveled. I was only in the fourth grade when I was in Germany, still just a kid in school.
“I was in high school when we went to Okinawa. We left Augusta in December during the middle of an ice storm, got there two days before Christmas and went swimming in the ocean. It was winter there but felt like summer to us and on that small island we had the run of it because you could take a bus from one end to the other. I remained in Augusta from 1962 through 2007 after my last trip to Okinawa.”
When Bill hit the work force he said he was jack of all trades and master at none.
“First job I ever had was a meat cutter at Winn Dixie. Then I served two years in the military but never left the states the whole time. I told my mom I was going to serve in Vietnam and even went to helicopter school to make sure I would get to go. My mom said I would never go out of the states and she was right,” Bill said.
After that Bill became a car salesman and charter bus driver.
“I went to work for Lewis Auto as a car salesman. They had a gospel group called the Lewis Family who were very popular at the time. I also did charter bus trips for them. I even hauled James Brown’s crew around, always different people. I loved it because I was on the go. That’s where my boss named me ‘Hippie” and that name stuck with me for life. Don’t know for sure if Melvin’s aware of that yet but he’ll know now.
“Why Brasstown, I ask people the same question to people I meet living up here. When I first came here I hung out at Clay’s Corner and got to know Clay Logan. I met Melvin there and at the Brasstown dinners. Melvin was president at the Brasstown Community Center but I think they impeached him or maybe they should have,” Bill laughed.
“Some said I wasn’t from here but my dad was born in North Carolina and mama was from Henderson, N.C. Clay said if she was from Henderson I couldn’t be that bad. I felt like I warmed myself into the group,” Bill said.
Clay’s Corner gave Bill the opportunity to meet people from all circles of life.
“I love being here in Brasstown even if I do have to contend with Melvin. I met all kinds of people at Clay’s Corner, congressmen and lieutenant governors who stopped by to eat lunch there. No matter who came in Clay treated them the same, no matter what their title was. Clay cooked lunch every day back then and a lot of people came by and ate with him. Melvin nor I look like we ever missed a meal there at Clay’s,” Bill laughed.
“I enjoy everything about the mountains, especially the peace and quite and how it gets really dark here at night. There are no street lights around me and you can see the stars really well. It’s a different class of people here in the mountains. I really miss going to Clay’s Corner, I felt at home there. Clay was at the house this morning and you never know what Clay or Melvin are going to come up with but I do my best to retaliate,” Bill smiled.
Facebook is the center of a lot of Bill and Melvin’s mischief.
“I talk about Melvin on Facebook and I meet up with him at his house later on that day to see if he got to read what I said about him. Of course Melvin gives me a hard time about having a Honda truck. Melvin says I don’t have a real truck and I needed to get me one. I tell him he’s just jealous because he didn’t have a Honda to pull that glorified orange lawn mower he pulls around,” Bill laughed.
Bill and Melvin do have a good time and are entertaining to others who are reading their post or contributing to it.
“Melvin has the cutest little dog but I call it an ‘ugly ass dog.’ Some friends just moved in down the road on Green Cove. I say friends because they became friends the moment we met. Melvin and I were going to go and visit them when they moved in but it ended up that I went first. The new friend asked me about the people who lived around us and I told him they were wonderful except one fellow named Melvin and his ugly ass dog. I told him he would be coming to visit him driving his side by side and when he pulled in to be sure to ask him about his dog.
“I told Melvin what I had told the man and sure enough when Melvin went to his house the man said, ‘Oh you’re Melvin with that ugly ass dog.’ Melvin called me and said yes this new guy’s a keeper, he is one of us.” Bill said.
“It’s all in fun,” Bill told me. “We don’t hurt anyone and wouldn’t ever think of hurting anyone,” Bill added.
“No matter what we say it’s all in fun. We can go back and forth and have a good time. It’s funny I can be out in public and tell someone my name and they will say, ‘Are you the Bill Gibson on Facebook?’ People, if you don’t have fun what’s the sense of living? You can’t be a grouch your whole life and never laugh. I like to have fun. I can be with people and just be scuttle but we miss out on having a laugh together. I’ve been this way my whole life and haven’t met many people I can’t be friends with,” Bill said.
As the story comes to a close and Bill shares his words of wisdom he also included a message.
“Melvin tells me he never got to put handcuffs on me when he worked at the sheriff’s department, but that I have been in Facebook jail numerous times. I’d just like to close by saying, Melvin eat your heart out you got out-published by Bill Gibson,” he laughed.
Well as Paul Harvey, an American radio broadcaster and writer would say “Now you know the rest of the story.”