This ability to see that which is seen otherwise than by ordinary sight provides us with our inventors, our discoverers and explorers.
� It also gives us our artists and sculptors, and poets and prophets.
� Vision gives us our appreciation of home and country, our loyalties and family co-hesion.
� B.J. Gilman died this past week at his home south of Dyersburg. Not many people in this part of West Tennessee are expected to have known him.
� Yet, he gave throughout his life concrete proof of his vision, proof which may be found in the love of his family, the esteem of his neighbors and friends.
� We first knew of him in the summer of 1912 when he met us in Dyersburg to take us for a visit to his home.
� A horse-mule team pulled the wagon in which we roade the six miles over un-paved roads, through Forked Deer River and creek bottoms and over the sharp red hills of that section.
� City reared in lush valleys surrounded by high mountains, the Dyer County landscape appeared to us fully as drab and un-inviting as it's much erroded hills looked desolate. Nor did the summer heat and accompanying swarm of flies add pleasure to the prospect facing us.
� Then, just before his homeplace came into view, Mr. Gilman stopped the team at the crest of a ridge and, moving his arm in a wide arc, he said;
� "Just look at that----The beautiful hills of West Tennessee. You'll never see a more beautiful place in which to live."
� He must have carried that vision with him throughout the 89 years of his life, for he toiled and planned to enlarge his farm and to lead the community in better methods of producing larger crops while benefitting the soil.
� Nor did his spirit ever seem to weaver in its belief that he lived in the most wonderful place on earth.
� We have gained much from the vision of this gentle man.Perhaps others may have a new appreciation of our West Tennessee by his lived here.
