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A Columbia County Boy's Recollections and Memories of Columbia County Florida (2012) Lenvil H. Dicks

LAKE CITY’S FIRST CELEBRITY

When I was 6 years old and in the first grade, my first grade teacher was Mrs. Lois McColskey, whose
maiden name was Lois Wise.

The Wise family owned a drug store on the comer of Marion and Madison Street, and that drug store
changed hands two or three times after the Wise family owned and operated it. The last owner of the
drug store, which was operated as the Rexall Drug Store, was Mr. Reedy Ogden, and at present the same
location is a bakery. Incidentally, I find it strange that this particular bakery does not make doughnuts.
For whatever that is worth.

There was a member of the Wise family who was an exceptionally talented fiddle player, a sort of stout
fellow who was known as Chubby Wise. Chubby played from time to time on the Grand Ole Opry in
Nashville, and he composed what is probably the best bluegrass tune that has ever been written.
Everybody has heard a bluegrass rendition of the Orange Blossom Special. It has been played and
recorded by perhaps 3 dozen other outstanding country fiddle players, and if anyone knows anything at
all about country music they will recognize the Orange Blossom Special.

Being a small town country boy, Chubby did not bother to copyright the song, and really never made
any money off of it, although it has been performed literally thousands and thousands of times. I have
some faint recollections of seeing Chubby Wise on a few occasions, and thought it quite a big deal that
his sister was my first grade teacher. Furthermore, about 20 years later, her son, John McColskey, was a
senior in the Columbia High School Band the year that I took over as the Director of that band, in 1956.
Apparently some of the Wise musical talent descended to John, because he was by far the best musician
in the Columbia High Band, and J really, really missed him when he graduated at the end of my first
year.

I believe I have mentioned this elsewhere in this book that he even played a trumpet solo at his own
graduation ceremonies. That has now been 56 years ago, but J recall it like it was yesterday. Since then
John had a full life time career as a dentist, and is now retired and lives in North Carolina.

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