It's not every day you get a chance to eat lunch with Mr. Benton County and live to tell about it. But that is exactly what I did last week and, in fact, I do it most every week. Only I didn't realize I was hobnobbing with such a celebrity until the recent Benton County Fair.
You see, my good friend, Bill Mitchell, won the contest for Mr. Benton County this year. This was no big surprise since Bill is not only well-known in the area, but very popular as well. I sometimes think he knows, not only everybody and his brother, but their sisters as well. Maybe especially the sisters, but that's another story. And not just the sisters, but the aunts and uncles and grandparents and all their offspring and who married who and when they got married and who attended the wedding and what kind of dogs they owned and what the dogs' names were and so forth and so on. In short, Bill knows everyone and is beloved by everyone. That's because Bill is probably one of the most likable guys you could ever meet.
Bill is a retired CPA who had an accounting business right on Main Street in Gentry. Bill is what I would describe as a pure, out-and-out people person. He never met a person he couldn't relate to as evidenced by our friendship. In many ways, Bill and I are opposites since I am moody and not very talkative most of the time. When Bill and I eat out, I am often done eating before he is half-finished. That's because Bill is mostly engaged in talking and does a little eating in between stories, while I do a little talking in between my eating. But then maybe we complement each other.
Bill and I get all over when we go out for lunch: The Catfish Hole, Cathy's Corner, The Gallery, The Wooden Spoon, Longhorn Steakhouse, etc. We are in no rush and mostly it is all about the quality time we spend with each other. It is non-stop talking, laughing and reminiscing from the time I pick Bill up at the Senior Center to the time I bring him back. We have covered literally hundreds of topics from the Razorbacks to politics to religion to education to marriage to hunting to growing up in the South to the sad state of the union to death. I can testify to the fact that Bill can hold his own on almost any subject and does himself and his community proud.
Bill is a true American icon and you won't find many like him anymore. He is a true Southern gentleman who doesn't have a prejudiced bone in his body. Bill's Christian character shines forth in his eyes and on his face. It is reflected in the life he lives. He is loyal and honest and loving and, it goes without saying, caring to the core. You couldn't ask for a nicer, kinder, nobler or humbler man than Bill Mitchell. All that plus an excellent sense of humor. In short, Bill Mitchell is the real deal and I am thankful to say that he is my friend.
Sam Byrnes is a Gentry-area resident and weekly contributor to the Eagle Observer. He may be contacted by email at [email protected]. Opinions expressed are those of the author.
Editorial on 08/24/2016