G.M.C. “Cade” Massey
My grandfather, G.M.C. Massey wrote memoir manuscripts about his life. Here’s a segment describing a young woman he greatly admired.
Another outstanding character in my high school days was a classmate, A girl that was in school at the same place and time that I was there at Ivanhoe high school, a young Lady that made an Indelible impression upon me. She was older than I. But we were in the same classes. She was my Ideal of a lady. She had everything that I thought that a woman should have to make a man a wife that he would be Proud of. She was tall, beautiful with brown hair and eyes and as to behavior she was a model.
I thought that she was the finest young Lady that I had ever met; But she was so much older than I was that I had put aside the thought that she might be the one for me. I just used her for a YARDSTICK to measure other Girls by. If I met a young Lady; and felt that she might do; I always measured her By my YARDSTICK. If the Young Lady didn’t come up to the measurements of this young lady, I just wouldn’t let myself become involved with her; and that was just THAT.
I had her in mind when I was meeting other young ladies, and I would ask myself the question: whether she came up to Miss Ethel Jackson, And if she did not I just passed the matter up. So it was not easy for me to get interested with a young Lady; Although I was constantly looking for a mate; for I was family minded. And if I was about to become serious about a Young woman I would go and see this Young Lady that made up my Yardstick; Not letting her know of my infatuation; and when I left her I was sure, one or the other of the ways: But my yard stick never talked of marriage till I had already made arrangement to get married.
And she was such a model and such a nice girl and I admired her so much that when My oldest girl came along I named her for the girl (Olga Ethel) was the name that I gave to my oldest girl. Well I don’t think that the girl ever married. But it seemed that every one always looked to her as the most outstanding girl in the community.
And after I married and was teaching for years I met her at Bermuda Dam in Dimmit Co. in April of 1914, and she was still unmarried, and as far as I know she has never married, and she was so much older than I was that that idea only as I told her one time before I ever married, That if we were about the same age that we would make the sportiest couple to ever get married, And she said that ought not make too much difference.
When I was at Asherton, Texas she as at Crystal City with her Family and she was not married at that time (1914). This was 15 years after we had Graduated at the Ivanhoe high school. But like all of the outstanding characters that I have come in contact with, I like to think of them when I am reminiscing like this.
Buller's back porch 