Why this Tennessee woman still struggles saying goodbye to her typewriter repairman | The Type Set
She apologized for not typing her letter.
Julia Meadows has a 1968 manual Royal typewriter she has used for almost 50 years through college papers, letters to relatives and typing out tax forms. In the last few years, though, the ribbon dried out.
She explained she can't bring herself to get the old Royal fixed now that her typewriter repairman is gone.
So she wrote to me on a computer, printed out her letter and stuffed it in an envelope.
By the time I finished reading what Meadows had written, I found myself choked up.
Her typewriter repairman is gone?
An important letter to the editor
The Meadows family has lived for decades in Port Royal, a community just outside Clarksville. The Meadows family home is just off Highway 238, which is known for being part of the Trail of Tears.
Between 1830 and 1850, the U.S. government forced 16,000 Native Americans off their tribal lands. More than 4,000 died when they were forced to march (many through Port Royal) west toward Oklahoma.
It is just a point of reference. The Meadows family has nothing to do with the Trail of Tears other than living near the tragic roadway. Maybe the families who live their have bigger hearts because the local history bends toward kindness.
In the 1950s, there must have been about 20 families living in the Port Royal area, Julia Meadows wrote in her letter. Her husband Dan Meadows was just a kid in those days.
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He was about 6 years old when his mom, Lucille, got sick.
Lucille was diagnosed with cancer, and she needed treatment in Nashville. And while she was sick, the Port Royal community took over.
In a letter to the editor, Nettie Meadows, who was Dan's grandmother, wrote about the strong community helping out with all the work around the Meadows' house.
(She was a member of The Tennessean's Cum Laude Club having won three stars for her letters to the newspaper 23 times.)
When Lucille went to Nashville for treatment "neighbors all came over, ... and by sundown they had completed work that would have taken two weeks."
When Lucille found out, "she cried with joy."
Nettie's letter continued: "I have never in all my life witnessed such fine neighbors. They brought baked ham, pot roast, jam, strawberries ... I have always said I would rather have a good neighbor than money. I have seen a community that really practices the golden rule."
That was 1954. Lucille Meadows died when Dan was only 6.
Port Royal came together again
Julia Meadows learned how to play guitar when she was a teenager, strumming songs like "Down in the Valley" and "Oh Susanna." When she advanced a bit, and needed a better guitar, she went to Meadows Office Machines, a store in Clarksville, and bought a new one.
Dan Meadows sold her a classical guitar for $90.
"I always thought he was cute, and he was out of my league," she said.
But he wasn't. Dan and Julia were married June 24, 1972. They had three kids, Julia, now 48, Rob, 46 and Megan, 35. They lived in the same house where Dan grew up. The Port Royal area grew over the years, but their neighbors proved to be just as neighborly.
After leaving the office machine business, Dan worked as a general contractor.
"He was very smart, very creative," she said. "He was wild and crazy."
Dan was the kind of guy who would get a tractor and dig a hole in the field behind his house. His weekend project became a three-acre lake.
The Meadows family was happy and doing well when Dan noticed a lump on his shoulder. Proving his sense of humor, he called it "mini me."
By the time he got it diagnosed in the spring of 2018, the cancer had advanced to his lungs. Doctors gave him six months to live.
As his health declined, the Port Royal community stepped up just like they it had in 1954. Lead by their neighbor Connie Foster, who brought banana pudding and other soft meals for Dan to eat, neighbors started bringing sweet rolls and soup.
"They were the people who are raised right," Julia said. "They really care."
Neighbors cleaned the Meadows house.
"It was nice to see a sense of community," said Dan's youngest child, Megan. "It gave you back the small-town feel you thought you lost."
He lived almost three years, and Julia attributes his extended life to the community of Port Royal.
On July 14, 2021, Dan Meadows died. His family spread some of his ashes on the big hill that overlooks the homemade lake behind their house.
This year, they plan to shoot some of his ashes into the air attached to fireworks.
"Dan would love that," Julia Meadows said.
Her typewriter repairman
Years ago, before he became a contractor, Dan Meadows not only worked in the family office machine store. He went to "Typewriter School."
He learned how to fix typewriters.
"He could take them apart and put them back together again," Julia said. Dan had dyslexia and didn't do well in school because of his difficulty reading. He, however, excelled in fixing things like typewriters, she said.
Dan kept her 1968 Royal typewriter oiled and in good working condition.
She keeps the typewriter in a carry case.
"I couldn't bear to open it," she said.
Project 88
This story is part of Project 88, which is named for the 88 characters produced on a Smith-Corona typewriter. The Tennessean’s Keith Sharon types letters on his 1953 typewriter and mails them to people all over the world with an envelope and stamp so they can write back. This story originated with a letter Keith received. The question Project 88 is trying to answer is: Will people communicate the old-fashioned way, through heartfelt letters about the best and most challenging days of their lives. This project is not for political rants, and any kind of snail mail letter (typed, hand-written or computer printout) is acceptable. Please include a phone number.
You can be part of Project 88 by writing to:
Keith Sharon
The Tennessean
1801 West End Ave.
16th Floor
Nashville, TN 37203
Reach Keith Sharon at 615-406-1594 or ksharon@tennessean.com or on Twitter @KeithSharonTN.
This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: Port Royal community comes together to help a typewriter repairman
