Taken July, 1965…my brother Eddie, Aunt Monnie and little Monnie

Hi, I’m ___, and you are??? Hello, my name is _____, what’s yours?  Hey there, I’m _____, what was your name again???   Isn’t it interesting the whole name game. These could be the most used sentences in our entire lifetimes.  Growing up with a unique name has been very interesting. Yes, I still get…your name is what again, Monty??? But this entry is not about that. Actually, I think I would be sad if every listener got it right..it’s just cute now! Years ago, it was frustrating. Like the time I was on “Monty’s Rascals,” a local tv show back when I was a kid, hosted by Monty Dupuy. I told this story on the air, so stop me if you’ve heard this : ) There I was sitting on the front row, and during the show he came up to me with his microphone and asked me what my name was, and I said “Monnie,” smiling nervously because I was on television for the first time…with my eyes glazed over, like the deer caught in the headlights look.  And he says…”No, that’s my name…what’s YOUR name?” “MONNIE” I said enthusiastically, thinking he didn’t hear me. “Nope,” he said, “that’s me.” ”What is your %$#$% name kid,” is how it sounded when he asked for the final time. “Ummm…………m o n n ie,” I replied yet again, but this time very quietly and through tears.  Well, I don’t remember much after that. I think I peed my pants too. How humiliating. I told Mr. Dupuy about this years later, and he apologized, but said he didn’t remember…well, I certainly do. But I forgave him : )  Because I knew that my name was different, and that was not a bad thing.

I think that’s why I am so happy I can be Monnie on the radio again. When I first got into the business, management didn’t like my name and said it sounded too masculine…so we came up with Wendy White. Well, I’ll be honest, it was fun having a “stage name.” But I never really felt right about it. When I came back home, for the LAST time I swear : ) I was told by the man who hired me at Entercom…Peter Thiele, something like, “I want you to be Monnie, because that’s a really cool name, and it’s YOUR name. I don’t care if Wendy White has some marketability here in the Upstate..you my friend, are Monnie. Be yourself kiddo.” Well ok then, that’s settled. Thank you Peter, wherever you are.

I was named after a very lovely, strong, independent…yet sweet and loving, generous woman from Texas…my Great Aunt Monnie Edith Whitson. Born in a 3-room house in a town called Mildford, she was my Daddy’s aunt, his Daddy’s older sister…and she lived to be 92. I saw her shortly before she died, in 2003. I knew she was ill, and I had to see her one more time.  I thanked her for being my Aunt and especially for what she wrote to me when I was a little girl. She actually wrote a small book about her life, she penned herself..complete with pictures and old report cards, (that was strange seeing my name on her school documents)…she also included letters and historical information about some of our relatives…like a very distant uncle who served in the Civil War. The last paragraph she wrote still takes my breath away…

“My prayer for you, is that you will be a much better person and accomplish more in life than I ever did.  God bless you in this and may you always seek His will in all you attempt to do.” Wow, did I mention she was a humble woman.

When I got married (yeah, the 1st marriage) she gave me a handmade quilt in beautiful red silk that I still have in my living room on the sofa. I have her old cookbooks and a tea set, but mostly I have the honor of being named after someone so intriguing and interesting and unique. After she gave me that book, I felt really special. I still have it, though it’s torn and tattered.  Sometimes I read through it and imagine that maybe one day, I’ll write a little book too for someone special.

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