On December 23, 1925, two days before his 59th birthday, Hickory staged a surprising event. Instead of waiting to speak at Will Stroup’s funeral and all the good he had done during his lifetime, 80 men gathered to host a dinner honoring the man with the generous heart.
“Every man at the banquet had a tag hanging from his coat lapel with Mr. Stroup’s picture on it and the words, ‘Strewing the flowers where he lives’” as a testament to the kindness Will showed to his fellow citizens, some of which he did not even know, but still was willing to help when asked.
According to reports, Will was “flabbergasted to the point of near-collapse” as the reason for the gathering became apparent to him. Throughout the evening, friends told stories about how Will exemplified the worthiness of the honor afforded to him. Toastmaster for the evening, R.H. Shuford started by saying “it was the usual custom to hold a banquet in honor or commemoration of some thing, rather than some person. But this time, a banquet was being held in honor of some person, because that ‘person is worthy of the honor’.” One guest swore that if Stroup were being admitted to heaven, he might hold out and want to pay the entry fee for someone he knew that had been sent the other way.
Photo: The man with the “big heart” in Hickory. Christmas 1925.
Other speakers told of his “beneficence to the poor and needy,” acts of kindness that totaled into the thousands. The night was filled with laughs and a few tears as Will Stroup thanked the men whose kind words had touched his heart, just as the needs of his fellow human beings had done time and time again.
As friends toasted Will and his charitable nature, they all reminisced of an earlier time in Hickory, back when “men wore whiskers and boots, chewed tobacco, spat on the floor and sidewalks, and cussed. Beer was five cents a schooner, and the lunch was free.” It was a grand celebration infused with what Christmas is all about: giving.
Toward the end of the evening, one admirer spoke of a poem he remembered that exemplified his view of Will Stroup. It read,
“Let me live in a house by the side of the road,
Where the race of men go by –
The men who are good and the men who are bad –
As good and bad as I.
I would not sit in the scorner’s seat
Or hurl the cynic’s ban;
Let me live in a house by the side of the road
And be a friend to man.”
Before the night was over, Will Stroup thanked his friends. “We ought to meet together more often and bring about a friendly spirit,” he said, in gratitude for their recognition of his generosity. Will Stroup serves as a human example of this season we all celebrate. Happy Christmas.
