Documente Academic
Documente Profesional
Documente Cultură
Forks of Cypress
Several years ago my older brother took me to visit a cemetery outside Florence, Alabama, near the remains of
an ante-bellum mansion called Forks of Cypress. The mansion was built in the 1820s by James Jackson, an
early settler of northwest Alabama. My brother and I walked among the ruins of the mansion and then crossed
the country road into the dense forest on the other side. After a quarter-mile we found the Jackson family
cemetery. There is no sign marking the spot, only a five-foot high stone wall surrounding about 50 graves.
Inside we found a tall marker over James Jackson’s grave with a long inscription extolling his virtues, which
were many.
As I walked along, my eyes fastened on the marker for one of his sons. There was a name, a date of birth and a
date of death, and this simple five-word epitaph: “A man of unquestioned integrity.”
Five words to sum up an entire life. Sixty-plus years distilled into five words. But, oh, what truth they tell.
“A man of unquestioned integrity.” I cannot think of a better tribute.