Still is remembered for the Hope Watermelon Festival and humor

The late J.T. Still is remembered as a man of much worth to the people of Hope and its namesake watermelon festival; to his family and to those who knew him well, but he acquired his status in a quiet manner.

“He was a quiet gentleman with a dry sense of humor. He was very friendly,” Bill Thaxton, of Blevins, said. Thaxton was the man who Hope/Hempstead County Chamber of Commerce Executive Director Mark Keith referred to as a “chief slicer,” at the Hope Watermelon festival for years.
Keith said Still was a man who made phenomenal contributions to the Hope Watermelon Festival.

“But he did it behind the scenes. J.T. did something behind the scenes that was very important for us,” Keith said.
Keith said he spent several years working with Still and he was responsible for making sure Hope had high quality watermelons for the festival. Still was also a conscientious watermelon grower.

“He told us where to go and where to buy them. He arranged with first Hudson Foods, then Tyson to get the refrigerated truck and get them iced down. He really worked as hard as possible to get the best watermelons,” Keith said.
Keith said he personally was very appreciative of what Still had taught him.

“When I came, he was a big help. He steered me and I appreciate that. He took this very, very seriously; getting quality melons,” Keith said.
Still was instrumental in so much “behind the scenes,” Keith repeated.
“He did this job behind the scenes, that we didn’t pay him anything for. Sometimes he grew watermelons we bought, but I have seen him refuse to sell if he thought he did not have the right quality for us,” Keith said.
Still worked with Thaxton to arrange a plan for slicing and distributing the melons in the best way.

Thaxton said they worked together for 10 to 12 years, but, according to Thaxton, the first year was a little rough.
“The first year we worked it was miserable, but we worked that out. The next year we got in the shade and worked the lines a little better,” Thaxton said.

He said when he first worked slicing, they gave the slices out free.
“We ended up having a lot of kids that would come get a slice, eat the middle out of it and come back for more. So we decided to start charging 25 cents a slice, really just to cut down on waste,” Thaxton said.
Thaxton did not want to take full credit; he said there was a good group of volunteers the year they made the improvements.

“It was a lot of work and a lot of fun,” Thaxton said.
He also commented on the contributions made by Still.
“He was a fine gentlemen. I enjoyed working with him. He was generous with his time and he was really knowledgeable about watermelons. He could tell the quality of a melon,” Thaxton said.

Keith said Still was instrumental getting the proper price for the melon growers.
“He bought melons for me for several years, and at the time I did not know anything. He helped me, he steered me and I appreciate that,” he said.
Keith also remembers Still for his dry sense of humor.

“I got to spend a lot of time with him and he was a very interesting person. He had kind of a dry sense of humor and if you didn’t know him you might not know how to take him. He was one of the funniest people I have ever known. He would joke with you and never crack a smile,” Keith said.

“He did a very good job. He worked hard for us. It was behind the scenes, but so important to the festival and it still is to get good watermelons. We are very fortunate since the time he stopped doing it that we have been able to build upon that. He showed us where to go and what to look for.”