Clark Quitman was the first to loudly remind anyone who would listen that he was not a quitter, or lazy. He’d thunder on, with little to no provocation, that ‘quit’ just meant ‘leave’ when his ancestors took on the name, and that its association with bitter failure was a modern invention. He’d then assail listeners with notable Quitmans, from Sheriff Quitman who plied the law trade in the 1920s to Quitman County in Mississippi. Some locals were heard to say that it was his way of compensating for being a meter reader for the county water department, which he clearly felt represented a step down from his father’s job as a postal sorter. This imperious attitude carried over to his presidency of the local philately group, having inherited his father’s impressive stamp collection and built it up to even greater heights. Quitman has been able to harangue the city into giving the stamp club both a budget and a weekly meeting space, as well as a float in the annual Memorial Day parade, with the free food and free stamps serving to attract folks once Quitman’s attitude had driven others away.

  • Like what you see? Purchase a print or ebook version!
Advertisement