Russell Nash shows his father-in-law’s tackle display. Dr. T. I. “Buddy” Brooks was not only my dentist for over 50 years, he was my friend and a fishing and hunting buddy. You don’t get to know your dentist all that well, but a fishing buddy is known quite well over a period of years.

Many of you may remember Dr. Brooks, better known as “Buddy,” who was the leading dentist here for 50 years.

Dr. Brooks had many other interests besides dentistry. His favorite was fishing. If something new or different came out, Dr. Buddy had to have it. Having a sporting goods store, I naturally kept him informed of the newest and the best rods, reels and tackle. Even after his retirement, we made a number of trips down Spring Creek and to area lakes.

His daughter, Becky Brooks Nash told me, “After my daddy’s death in September of 2005, Jason Nixon, husband of Niki Masters Nixon, called me and wanted to know what to do with Papa’s fishing lures.”

Buddy was also known as “Papa,” as he was affectionately called by his grandchildren.

“I told Jason I would be right there -- I found many lures but only kept 253 of them, which I washed very carefully and individually with a tooth brush,” Becky said.

Russell Nash mentioned friends of Becky and his from Hogansville. He said, “The friends had recently purchased a house built in the 1800s. They bought some wood that I made the cabinet to store the lures, reels and rods. I then built a cabinet for his bass jacket.”

Dr. T. I. was on many expert fishing staffs. He was also a WW II veteran. The flag displayed in a case was given to us by Dr. Paschal and Kay Brooks.

The rod, reel, tackle and flag and jacket are proudly displayed in the home of Russell and Becky Nash.

I told them that some of those plugs that are almost as old as Dr. Buddy are worth a good bit, like that 12-hook Green Slim Jim by Shakespeare. Dr. T.I. would have approved.