Have you ever given or been the recipient of a random act of kindness? This is a story about Robert Hammontree, a story of exceptional intellect with mystery and unanswered questions. Robert Hammontree was a friend of mine at Daisy Elementary. He was my best friend. He lived on Mile Straight with his mother, step-father, and younger half-brother.
The act of kindness was Robert’s stepfather giving me a battery for my car. I was in my mid twenties, struggling financially. Robert was already dead by then. I took my car into a garage because I was having trouble getting it to start. Robert’s stepfather came out. I think he recognized me. He opened the hood and checked around. Then he went inside and got a brand new battery and installed it.
Then he said: “Try it.”
I got in and it started.
He said: “Good Luck.”
Then he went back inside.
I stood there a few minutes wondering what to do, then got in and drove away.
Robert Hammontree
I came to Daisy in the middle of the fifth grade. Robert and I had the same fifth grade teacher, Mr. Sanders.
Mr. Sanders never married. He lived with and took care of his elderly parents. He was all teacher. He took a special interest in a few of his students. He would let kids stay in during recess and do stuff. All that was required to get special interest was to stay in during recess. Robert and I both stayed in for recess. That group, that didn’t go out for recess, was usually the same four boys.
Some of the things we learned by being in the group:
Morse Code (Mr. Sanders was in the signal corp in WWII.)
History of WWII in Europe
Astronomy (trips to the Brainerd observatory on Friday nights)
Boy Scouts (camping, cooking out, merit badges)
A trip to Dayton Beach
Robert and I became very good friends. The friendship was mostly me being in awe, and Robert explaining things to me.
Sometimes, Mr. Sanders would take us from Daisy to Brainerd to see the observatory on Friday night. Friday night was open house and the general public was invited. Afterward he would drive us back to Daisy and then drive back to Chattanooga where he lived with his parents.
I remember Robert would have extended conversations with Dr Huier. Dr. Huier was a Professor of physics at The University of Chattanooga. He also ran the observatory, which was part of the University. Dr. Huier and his wife escaped from the Nazis before the war. They had been in this country about 15 years. He had a strong German accent.
Robert was so confident, he being a sixth or seventh grader talking to a college physics professor about astronomy. I tried to hear what they were saying, but mostly I was just in awe. The seventh and eighth grades were in the elementary school. But they treated us a little differently. We Changed teachers for different subjects. Mr. Sanders taught math and science, another teacher taught English, and another taught history and social studies. They did this to prepare us for the high school.
We also had a study hall period. The study hall was in the library. Robert and I used the study period to explore books. He introduced me to science fiction. I read “Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur’s Court” by Mark Twain. This is an early example of the “Time Travel” genre. I read a sci fi about travel to higher dimensions. I read Popular Science magazine every month. I read several books about space travel. I loved Flying magazine.
Robert introduced me to other concepts that were new to me: Does time go on for ever, or does it have a beginning and an end?
Robert said: “It either has a beginning and end, or it doesn’t. But the human mind is not able comprehend either option.”
I was born an atheist, as we all were. I was baptized into the Baptist Church when I was in the third grade. When I was in the seventh grade I was “born again”. Robert had a little bit to do with that. My parents’ deficiency in the field of logic forced me to learn how to think for myself, analytically and critically. I began to question everything. After I found out my “cousin” was really my half sister, I doubted everything they told me. I often wondered if I was adopted.
In 1951 the science books in our library still listed the aether as the medium for transmitting light.
I thought: “That doesn’t make sense.”
Of course the books were real old. Robert and I were already familiar with Einstein’s relativity. We were also trying to understand E=MC 2. Robert, I’m sure, understood it a lot better than I did.
Robert and I also enjoyed the Boy Scouts. Mr. Sanders was our scoutmaster and he took the troop on camping trips on the lake around Soddy.
I left Daisy after seventh grade and moved to Red Bank. But I continued to see Robert occasionally because of Mr. Sanders.
The Summer after we moved to Red Bank Mr. Sanders took four of the “group” to Daytona Beach for a week. I had never seen the ocean. Two of the boys got bad sunburn. I got a moderate sunburn that peeled off the day I got home. Robert got sunburned so bad Mr. Sanders took him to the emergency room. Robert was pretty sick.
My parents made me stop going places with Mr. Sanders. After that I lost touch with Robert. The only information I got about Robert was second hand, word-of-mouth from other friends or relatives that lived in Soddy.
The reason my parents stopped me from seeing Mr. Sanders was because he went to the Church of Christ. Robert and I had been going to church with Mr. Sanders on Wednesday night in North Chattanooga. Mr. Sanders lived in North Chattanooga. Mr. Sanders made the extra trip to Daisy and back to take Robert home. I was already living in White Oak. The Wednesday night church was fun because there were some kids my age that were fun to hang out with. I was already an atheist, I just wanted the social aspects. I told my parents that I wanted to join Mr. Sanders’ church. My parents freaked out! They forbade me to ever see Mr. Sanders again.
Well, that removed any remnant of respect I may have had for their religious beliefs. They never went to church. My mother was raised Baptist. My father was raised “Holy Roller” Church of God in the Soddy Ridges. Now they are so sure that the Church of Christ is wrong!
My Mother made me go talk to the preacher at White Oak Baptist. That’s a church she had attended a couple of times. I didn’t have a suit so she made me wear one of my dad’s old double breasted suits from 1945. It was at least two sizes too big for me. That was my most humiliating experience ever.
Oh no: “Most humiliating experience so far!” The preacher didn’t know why I was there, and I couldn’t help him with that. So, he prayed for me and I got the hell outa there.
So, the rest of the story is hearsay, second hand, and word of mouth.
Robert graduated from Soddy-Daisy High School. He was to be drafted for Viet Nam. He was tested and did so well that he was sent to Texas to go to college. He was paid to be a full time student. After graduation he went somewhere. His parents wrote letters to him at a PO Box number in Washington DC. His letters did not reveal where he was or what he was doing. Sometime when he was in his mid twenties his parents were informed that Robert had died in service to his country.
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