As I pondered what topic to write my column on this week, I asked my wife Vicki for her input. She reminded me that Father’s Day was coming up. Bingo!

I love being a father to three and a grandfather (Pawpaw) to five young ladies. That is one of the most important things I’ve done in my life.

But as I thought about dad’s, I think of my father, the late Sam Lovern. We were so close growing up. He was my best friend, advisor, buddy and so much more.

I proudly recall our conversations while sitting on our green, wooden porch swing about his time in the thick jungles in the South Pacific during World War II. Although he did not like to talk a lot about the tour of duty, he did share with me some of his memories of that time in his life.

What I really enjoyed was hearing stories about him growing up in Nolan, where I was also raised. He had some fond memories of those years – even though some of that time was spent during the “Great Depression.”

He loved talking about the area and our little town and how things were during the time he grew up.

I can remember him buying me a whiffle ball and bat when I was very young. He pitched to me in our yard even after a long day of work. Just to have one more catch and pass with him would be awesome.

Dad instilled a love of sports in me that eventually led to part of my job career as a sports journalist in both newspaper and radio and even coaching young athletes.

Even though we didn’t get every game back in that era on TV, I recall watching the Cincinnati Reds with him on our old black and white TV. I became a fan of the Reds in the late 1960s and still am a huge fan to this day – win or lose. When the games were not on the television, we listened to them on the radio on those hot, humid summer nights. That also influenced me and I was blessed to work in the radio industry years later.

He also turned me on to the Boston Celtics during that time. I became a hardcore Celtics fan, and that continues to this day. The same goes for football, whether it was college or professional. He liked the old Oakland Raiders and West Virginia University football. He talked about the late Sam Huff with reverence and how he became a great professional after his days at WVU. He also really loved boxing and we watched many bouts on TV. He would jab the air as he was watching the boxers and I found myself watching him more than the actual bout itself.

Another early memory is when we went fishing in the nearby Tug River. I can remember the first time he ever took me. It was on the Kentucky side of the river, actually in Martin County, across from Nolan at the old sand plant dam that was located at Nolan.

I was not the most patient youngun and I discovered you had to be patient in order to fish. Patience is not my best quality to this day. Just ask my wife or family about that. But fishing is something I’ve continued to enjoy during childhood, teenage years and even as an adult.

We also took many hikes into the woods or along dirt hollows and roads. He taught me to identify types of trees native to our region by their leaves, nuts or bark.

My dad really loved chocolate. That is something else I inherited from him. I love my candy bars or cakes, especially chocolate.

Like many in this area, Dad loved beans and cornbread. Of course many of us grew up eating this type of country food. If there wasn’t soup (pinto) beans on the table, he didn’t think there was much to eat for supper.

He also loved genealogy and talked about our Scotch-Irish ancestry and family tree. That is another thing he instilled in me and I have done some research on ancestry because of his influence.

My father also liked to read. We had plenty of books in the house, along with a subscription to the daily newspaper and monthly magazines. Thus, I became a reader, and that love for reading the newspaper, sports, and current events helped lead me to some future jobs.

Dad used to grow a big garden every summer, something that was necessary back in the day. I don’t have a big garden, but I do grow a few vegetables, and it goes back to his influences.

One of the best impacts he had on my life was to help people in need. Dad was kind to people – especially those in need. I think this came from his early years of growing up in the Depression. Although most everyone had it tough during that era, he saw that there were many others that had it tougher than some.

He was the kind of person who would pick up hitchhikers, which was a common thing back in the day. It didn’t matter who you were; he would lend a hand. I recall one black man who lived in our area who used to thumb a ride to town (Williamson). When many others passed him by, Dad would always stop and give him a ride. That made a huge impact on me and showed me how you should treat everyone equally.

We were not the richest family, nor were we the poorest. But Dad always found a way to provide for us. There were some lean times. However, we had a roof over our heads, food on the table and clothes on our backs.

Dad was a quiet individual who liked to spend time alone. You could call him stoic. But he believed in family and God and was the best person I ever knew. I think of him every day and miss him dearly. I hope I make my children and granddaughters feel the same way.

Until next time.

(Kyle Lovern is a longtime journalist in the Tug Valley. He is now a retired freelance writer and columnist for the Mountain Citizen.)