What A Glorious And Colorful Sunset
Boonslick Historical Society • Happy 93rd birthday, Lilburn A. Kingsbury.
Robert Taylor and Alice Kingsbury at their 50th Wedding Anniversary
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Lilburn's last years may be likened to an adventurous fall day of travel over highways and by-ways passing through rolling wooded country ablaze with Fall color. And what a brilliant multi-colored sunset lit up the sky October 14, 1977 when more than 300 of Lilburn's relatives and friends gathered at Central Methodist College to honor him on his 93rd birthday.
On the wall centered behind the long, fall-flower-bedecked head table was stretched a large banner. On it in large, bold, block letters was inscribed:
Boonslick Historical Society
Happy 93rd Birthday!
Lilburn A. Kingsbury
Evangeline Means, President of Boonslick Historical society, presenting Lilburn Kingsbury with plaque recognizing 40 years of service to society of which he was first president.
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Behind the lectern, which was almost hidden by a colorful arrangement of fall garden flowers stood a stoop-shouldered man with a weathered face wrinkled by age. His sparse white hair had receded from his forehead. The brown suit coat he was wearing hung loosely from his shoulders. In the button hole was a partially opened red rose. The harmonizing tie of brown with small red and white stripes failed to draw his white shirt closely about his neck. High on his aquiline nose were glasses through which his pale blue eyes peered intently out at the 250 relatives and friends who had come to wish him Happy Birthday and honor him.
For more than two hours Lilburn A. Kingsbury had been sitting to the right of the Master of Ceremonies, Cordell Tindell, vice president of the Harvest Publishing Company.
As first president of the Boonslick Historical Society, founded forty years earlier, Lilburn had been awarded a plaque reading: "Boonslick Historical Society Citation to Lilburn A. Kingsbury for Meritorious Service October 14, 1977."
He had listened to a reading by State Senator Warren Wellman, of a resolution passed by the Missouri Senate honoring him as one of "those exemplary individuals who have led truly outstanding and noble lives, lives filled with significant contributions to mankind...[a man who] has established a sterling reputation as a writer, musician, business man, and civic-minded citizen which will long serve as a standard of excellence against which future generations will be measured and found wanting."
The Missouri House of Representatives, not to be outdone by the Senate, also passed a Resolution. It was read by Representative, John Rollins, as Lilburn gave equal attention to its extolling him for the many qualities making him an "exemplary gentleman."
As Robert Bray, Alumni Secretary of Central Methodist College where the banquet was being held, spoke, an incredulous look of amazement registered on Lilburn's line-furrowed face. Bray said:
"Occasionally there are born into a generation men who affect everything and everyone with whom they come into contact. Men whose lives are dedicated unknowingly to the cause of their fellow man. Such a one is Lilburn Adkin Kingsbury, whose life began October 14, 1884. His eventful and humanitarian life is studded with accomplishments and honors. But it is the man himself that best displays the essential qualities of his nature: loving brother and kinsman, devotee of history of the Boonslick Country, loyal Methodist, astute author and journalist, successful horticulturist, competent musician, discriminating collector of antiques, witty speaker and faithful friend to all. These are the many facets which distinguish his commanding personality. Dr. Samuel Johnson once said of Oliver Goldsmith, he touched nothing that he did not adorn. All of us know that the same sentiment applies equally as well to Lilburn Adkin Kingsbury. Another Englishman's words describe the man we honor tonight. John Dryden penned these lines: "How blessed is he who leads a country life, unvexed with anxious cares and void of strife, who studying peace and shunning civil rage, enjoyed his youth and now enjoys his age. All who deserve his love he makes his own. And to be loved himself needs only to be known."
"Lilburn, it is my privilege and pleasure to announce to you, for you are probably the only person in the room unaware of the announcement that I am going to make, that in recognition of your lifetime of extensive and significant service to family, friends, church and community, there has been established at Central Methodist College, by relatives and friends, the Lilburn Adkin Kingsbury scholarship endowment fund."
His face still reflecting his surprise, Lilburn continued listening as Joe Howell, President of the College in accepting the check for the Scholarship fund, commented:
"I can remember on so many occasions as a boy coming up and going to home funerals and working and saying, wouldn't it be more meaningful for a family to just get together before they die rather than after they die? I couldn't help thinking what a living example this is to see this great family get together, take the trouble, travel the distance to honor such a great man while he can hear those words and enjoy them from now on...this inspired me so that I got together with [staff members] and said what can we do to make tonight a first for another 123 years [the college's age at the time], to bring special attention to the Kingsburys? We have an endowed scholarship, we said, but we have scholarships. What can we do with one of this magnitude? One that will surely provide an outstanding student a most attractive financial assistance to come here and profit from our academic offerings, one that will live forever, one which will never go away?"
Howell then announced the establishment of a Hall of Sponsors Scholarship program with Lilburn becoming the first to have his picture placed in the Hall.
Cordell Tindale, the M.C. then turned to Lilburn saying, "the man we really are eager to hear - the man we came here to honor is Cousin Lilburn. Cousin Lilburn, what do you think of all this?"
Lilburn rose and took the microphone. Speaking softly, at first hestitatingly, but as he sensed the warm, rapt attention of his many assembled friends and relatives, firmly and fluently in his twangy, Missouri drawl: he responded:
"What do I think? Well, this beats anything I have ever heard of anybody having. I have listened to the comments of Cousin Evangeline and Cousin Cordell and many other cousins and kinfolks. It reminds me of Mandy Brown at her husband's funeral. The preacher was speaking over the coffin of her husband in very glowing terms and Mandy became just a little doubtful. So she turned to her son and said, "Johnny, you go up there and look in the coffin and see if that's your Pa."
"All of you have indicated that I have met with success along some lines. But, so you may not go away with a biased opinion, I think it only fair to inform you of some projects I have undertaken which were abject failures. I was very surprised to hear this tape [Jalna] being played tonight. It brings to mind that it was back in 1904 I composed, copyrighted and published that piece of music, dedicated to my second sweetheart. Well, after it was published, I put it up for sale in the drugstore in New Franklin, and after three or four weeks only 3 copies had been sold. So, I just considered my talents as a musician as a flop. And my second sweetheart married someone else, but I didn't let it get me down.
"One Sunday night, after enjoying an all day picnic I stopped on the way home for the Sunday evening church service. I planned to stay for a wedding which was to follow the close of the service and I just settled down to enjoy the ceremony when an usher touched me on the shoulder and whispered, "you're wanted out in the vestibule." Imagine what I thought when the wedding was about to begin, and now I'd be sent to Heaven knows where and miss it which I was distressed about. But when I got out to the vestibule, the wedding party was all lined up at the end of the church and the grandmother was there, and she said, "Mr. Kingsbury will you do us a favor? Will you give the bride away?
"Well, imagine my surprise and astonishment as to how I could give the bride away. I asked her, How can I give the bride away?
"Well, all you do is walk in with the bride and when the preacher asks you, "who giveth this woman in marriage, or gives this woman away?" all you need do is say, "in the absence of her grandfather, I do."
"I'd been on a picnic all day, my shoes were not shined, my hair was not combed, and I was in my shirt sleeves. But, you know how women have a way with me, and so I consented that I would do that. And before I knew it, I was flowing down the aisle with a bride on my arm and her little hand just shakin' like this [he fluttered a hand to illustrate] on mine. Well, I had asked grandma if the preacher knew that I was going to give the bride away. She said, Oh, yes, he said he knew.
"Well, I had heard the marriage ceremony several times and when the preacher got started I kept thinking, Well surely he'll ask me directly. But do you know, he pronounced them man and wife, the groom kissed the bride and they all but ran over me, leaving me at the altar. Well, I was a failure.
"Once, when playing at a revival, (you all heard that I've been going to church for a long time) the evangelist, unexpectedly to me, announced that we will now sing number 23 at the conclusion of which Brother Kingsbury will lead us in prayer. It was such a surprise and shock I was struck dumb. Down on my knees by the organ stool, I wished I could climb in through that hole where the pedals were. Well, it was quiet then, it seemed to me, for a long time when the preacher said, 'Pray Brother Kingsbury, pray!' (It was just like Simon Legree lashed me!) 'Oh Lord, help him to pray.' I think I lost consciousness. I came to, and the preacher was doing what he had asked me to do. Well, I was terribly embarrassed and felt like I had fallen short but I got up and played the next hymn just like nothing had happened.
"Well, I'm just amazed that all of you cousins could say so many nice things. I have been pinching myself but I am not yet sure it is I you're talking about. And after having so many flattering things said about me I don't give a hoot about any old obituary. Thank you very much, but I want to extend my thanks for these papers and for the plaque and this book, Loving Remembrances of Family and Friends. I'm just knocked dumb because of the scholarship fund. I have never heard of anybody having anything like that. I just feel that there's nothing nicer that anyone could receive and I'm very grateful to everyone who has contributed to this evening, which is undoubtedly one that comes to a person once in a lifetime, if at all. I hope everyone of you will live to be 93 and be given an ovation such as I have received. Thank you!"
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