Earlier, Eric had written about the murder of an elderly man (Bill Taylor) that occurred in Frakes. Well, two weeks ago, his wife Mabel passed away in a nursing home, before she knew of her husband's death. Last Saturday, a funeral was held for both of them at the Hope Church. Because of the murder, you can see press coverage from two tv stations--WBIR out of Knoxville, TN, and WYMT out of Hazard, KY.
What makes me especially sad about these news reports is that Mabel's contributions to the community are overshadowed by what happened to her husband. Mabel's father was Bill Henderson, the "king of the moonshiners" who gave the majority of his land to start Henderson Settlement because he wanted something better for his children than the life that he had. Mabel was one of the first students at the school started by Hiram Frakes and Bertha Riel in the 1920s, and she used her education to give back to the community. She taught English and music lessons, and she played the piano for the Hope Church for many years. Everyone who knew her talks about what a good teacher she was and how much they admired her and what a good person she was.
My hope is that somehow her legacy of goodness is what will be remembered as the most important thing many years from now.
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I don't know how well read the book, "Fire in the Hills" is in the Frakes community but I think that is a testament to the contributions that Mabel has made. I remember reading how proud Bill Henderson was the first Sunday he came to church and his daughter was playing the piano.
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