About 15 or 20 years ago, when I was feeling more like my age, I took a volunteer job at the Methodist church here in Aubrey. I remember a funeral that was held at the church in a rain storm. The front entry was leaking on the people as they entered the church. It was at this time that my friends and I decided that it was time to restore the roof on the old building.

The church had just received some money from the sale of the parsonage and all of the members determined that it was time for us to volunteer and rebuild the roof.

When the building was built back in 1918, it seemed that the roof was the last part of the building to be constructed. After building the good foundation and brick walls, it seemed that they had run out of funds and finished the building with a flat roof, rather than a slope roof. The flat roof just didn’t last. The roof required a pitch which allowed the water to drain off.

In planning the repairs, we decided that it would be very difficult climbing to the top of the building. I didn’t want to fall and surely didn’t want any of our church friends to fall off the top. We felt that with so many volunteers without climbing experience, we should build scaffolding to reach the top of the entry way and then finish the roof on the main building.

Hugo Richter was very much a part of the planning and work in the roof construction. I remember always watching to make sure that all of the people working on the roof didn’t fall. Hugo was seventy-five years old then. I remember that I felt that Hugo was pushing me to the limits as he would walk over to the edge of the roof while measuring the new rafters.

Hugo was on the reading end of the tape measure, Steven Crowe and Bill LaBarr would hold the tape while Hugo read the measurements and determine the lengths of the boards. They then handed the boards to me and I cut them with the skill saw.

Hugo would study the measurements and yell over to me at the other end of the building and say, "O.K., Bouncer, cut the board seventeen feet and 9/64th of an inch." Then the next board would be measured at fourteen feet and 11/32 inch, and the next time twelve feet and 13/64th of an inch. I scratched my head and said, "Hugo, please we are not making cabinet doors." But Hugo’s insistence with accuracy created a problem for me. I yelled at Hugo, "Now Hugo, hell, we are not making cabinet doors up here." Quickly the preacher came over and offered communion service for me because we were working on the Lord’s house.

It was then that the Lord sent me a bunch of Mexican volunteers. As we were having lunch one day, I told Bill La Barr and Steven Crowe that I needed their help in convincing Hugo that we didn’t need to be so exact. Bill says, "you know Bouncer, the air compressor that we are having problems with, I will have Hugo plug it in when we need to use it and unplug it when we need to turn it off." So when we needed the compressor, Bill would yell at Hugo, "Hugo, Plug It In" and them when we were finished, "Hugo, Pull It Out." The Mexicans went around singing "Plug it in, Plug it in."

It was then that we lost Hugo. He left and went out to his shop where he rebuilt Model T Fords and constructed carburetors for them. When he came back, he had repaired the compressor and it was working again with no problems.

We eventually adapted to Hugo’s construction standards and wishes on the roof job. The next Saturday, we had volunteers from the Pilot Point Methodist church come to help us. Our pastor was pastoring both churches.

As it turned out, we finished the roof job with enough money to add the new Collins Hall. By the time we finished Collins Hall, Hugo was planning to expand the front steps so that people didn’t trip going up and down the narrow steps.

The conservative group back in 1918, didn’t live long enough to see the rest of the roof work completed.

Other ninety year olds in our community are: Leroy Phillips, Lee Crawford, Corinne Adcock, Abbie Wilson King, Jasmine Smotherman, Wilson Brown, Maggie Kruger and many others that don’t come to my mind now. If you will let me know, I will gladly bestow the honors of that birthday on to include you next time.