George D. in His Prime

                                            George David Queener in his mid-60s.

I've written before about George David Queener, one of the most unforgettable people I've ever known. Starting with essentially nothing in the late 1940s, through years of hard work and scrimping he and his wife Mary Ellen put together almost acre-by-acre and cow-by-cow what became the 850-acre GDQ Ranch in McLemore Cove, running about 350 head of purebred beef cattle. This picture was made when he was in his late 60s and in the very prime of his life.

We bought 30 acres of land from George D. in 1985, and, in 1987, began living on our property in a 12x40-foot trailer. We soon acquired a few cattle of our own. Many people considered George to be a difficult man, but he was a good neighbor to us and generous in helping us with our cattle. He had forgotten more about raising cattle than most people will ever know.

Mary Ellen passed away from a brain tumor in 1996 and George D. was never the same after that. The last years of his life he fought Parkinson's Disease, but kept on farming with the aid of his son.

One day in early 2013, George drove his red pickup up our driveway and came in to visit awhile. His tremmors were quite noticeable and he was so weak we had to help him into his truck. Later, we realized that George D. had been paying us a farewell visit. His son placed him in a nursing home not long after that, and in November, George David Queener passed away at the age of 89. 

"There were giants in the land in those days. . ."

Photograph and text copyright 2022, David B.Jenkins.

I post Monday, Wednesday, and Friday unless life gets in the way.

Soli Gloria Deo

For the glory of God alone

My most recent book, Backroads and Byways of Georgia, is a 304-page soft-cover with more than 200 color photographs. Published by Countryman Press, it is priced at $22.95. Signed and inscribed copies are available directly from me at (423) 240-2324 or djphoto@vol.com.