Ronald "Ronnie" Harrison--A True Cornmeal Friend! V2.0

This newer version amplifies on the original. The changes are small but important.


A total stranger might let you borrow a cup of sugar, an egg, or a stick of butter. Ronnie is the kind of friend who would give you a sack of cornmeal and not expect it to be paid back.!



Looking back over our friendship which spans over 60 years, there are many facets that shaped and molded that strong relationship. Here are just a few:

• The beginning of our friendship started early at Lovett when we  discovered our families were both from Kentucky.

• Death has robbed many of his immediate family members at a very young age. In spite of that heartache, and his own heart condition, he remains steadfast in trusting that God knows what is best and he accepts that.

•  Our hunting and fishing adventures could fill a small book. I was never much on the hunting. I think Ronnie has some DNA from Daniel Boone (also from KY). Ronnie and his brothers were champion coon hunters. I liked to sit around the campfire. I didn't care much for trying to find lost dogs! I might have been a slightly better fisherman.

• Many, many times he would pick me up while I was hitch hiking. He also was the main reason I got to go to a few movies. He sometimes drove brother Benton's car. Ronnie later owned an awesome Pontiac.Ronnie made the Dupont Kustard Bowl our home away from home. Bob and Freda served us lots of hamburgers there.

•  Trust me here: We once saw a black bear on our way to North Vernon. Our story was first laughed at. A few years later one was killed in the near-by Jefferson County Proving Grounds.

• I think it was his sister that hosted a New Years Eve Party where we played Spin the Bottle. I never kissed so many girls in one night before or since. (I learned that night that there are kisses and then there are KISSES! A couple of the girls sure had a lot more practice at kissing than I did!) The party ended when heavy snow started falling. (This was one of the few times I didn't want to see it snow!)

•  Ronnie's cheerful, uplifting, and positive outlook is a real gift. In addition, he has the unique ability to make you feel like you are more important than you really are.

• He and wife, Bev, are very proud of their family's long association with Purdue University. As Martha Stewart says, "That's a good thing." (Yours truly, Purdue Class of '63)

• In spite of their many challenges, Ronnie and Bev have always found time to inquire about the welfare of the Pecks--in Indiana and elsewhere.

 A person might go through an entire lifetime without finding a friend like Ronnie Harrison.  

 The closing song from Toy Story 3 well describes my friendship with Ronnie Harrison---"You've got a friend in me."